Taroth

"Taroths are but trees with intelligens."
"At least we still have intelligens, Dynbodauls are but slaves to a thing you call a book."

Taroth (or in common tongue: treekind) are the highly intelligent species created as one of the First by Irath, during the Era --. Though no one knows much of the travels from the legendary Matem Ynsulas, it is believed to be the birthplace of this species alongside the other Firsts. Taroth are one of many terrestial animals, who are to be reconised by their long-legged standing posture and known of their transparent wings that can carry them just above the top of the forrest, though they do not fly often, thus some would also say they belong to the arboreal animals. They have a close connection to trees, and each "ethnic" group belongs to their own kind of trees. A life cyclus of a Taroth consists of six stages: the seed, the sapling, nymphal, the changing, the adulthood, and the withering. Taroth, like other Firsts, have since the beginning, been able to use different kinds of tools; here not to think only of physical tools the ease everyday life, but also the mental tools such as complex languages and feelings.

Etymology and definition

Taroth is of the oldest tongue, where the word Tar is often associated with "tree". In modern times the word treekind have been a more popular word to use, since most peple of Dynbodaul do not get to see a Taroth in their life, and therefore the word Taroth is almost forgotten amongst Dynbodaul: now most believe them to be a legendary species of old.

History

In the two major religions, Lasfydd and the Lesfydd, treekinds were created by Irath as one of the First, in order to protect and controle the forrests. In is believed that The First Taroth had stronger wings in the beginning, which could carry them to all the forrest around Agia.

For some years, the firsts could not agree to how leadership should work in both their own race and across races. But in the end they agreed to choose a leader of each race, which became the Breinhoeleid genuses. Today, the Taroth no longer follows the Breinhoeleid genuses, they are believer of the oldest person of the oldest tree is the natural leader of them.
Although Taroth are as intelligent as Dynbodaul, they have no written records, but only passes on knowledge orally, since they do not like to anything living in order to help themselves, unless it is necessary. It is therefore difficult to attain knowledge about the Taroth in general, and thus most history of Taroth is also unknown.

A conflict have been for a long time betweey Dynbodauls and Taroth, due to the excessive use of wood, making the forrest smaller in the Dynbodaul lands, and when Taroth fought the Dynbodaul in order to protect the forrest, but it became a massacre of the Taroth species, so that no Taroths are living in any Dynbodaul lands.

Biology

Anatomy and physiology

A Taroth is only a quarter size of a Dynbodaul, but still have a close appearance to that of a human. A Taroth's body consists of the legs, the torsoe, the wings, the arms, the neck, and the head. The legs are longer than the rest of the body, and the body is covered in bark of their ethnic group. There are two pair of transparent wings, which are slim, but can still carry them to the top of their ethnic group's highest tree. Most of the body is covered in bark similar to their ethnic group. Some even have leaves on their arms and head, but most of Taroth are bald. Their eyes are big, but also giving the Taroth a great eyesight, but their eyes looks completely white with a green glow, making them look frightening to most species.

Life cycle

The reproduction system is very different from a Dynbodaul. When the male and the female joins together as one, the female carry and developes a seed for four months, until it comes out and she lays the seedling in the ground, and nurturing alongside with the male. The seedling takes about four years to grow into the sapling, that slowly starts to take form of a tree during five to twenty years, depending on the ethnic group, until a small flower bloom and the Taroth nymph comes out. The duration of the nymphal stage variates from group to group, but the avarage age of this stage is thirteen years. Afterward, the Taroth goes through the changing, which only last a very short duration, due to the Taroth cannot breathe during metamorphis into the adulthood, where the Taroth gets its wings. The adulthood ends in the withering, where the Taroth slowly dies. The Taroth's life cycles is also directly represented in the tree they are formed alongside with from seeding, which is called the siblingtree.

Diet

The Taroth have a rather variated diet, from eating the insects that eats their plants, berries, and to the fruits and nuts from trees. They are solely relying of what the forest provides. They also have a higher need for water and sunlight than Dunbodaul due to their closeness to the siblingtree.

Culture

Taroths have a quite different culture that that of the Dynbodauls. Firstly, they do not cut down anything living unless it is necessary for survival. They live in their sistertrees in small houses made of branches and leaves. Like the Dynbodauls, it is the teaching and learning that preserves the cultural, racial, and etnographic identity of all societies of the First.

The Taroths have two gender roles; males and females, but they are equal in almost all aspects. It is, however, expected for pairs of different gender roles to carry on the race and ethnic group, by making sure at least two seedlings survives to adulthood. This is also the goodwill for those pair of same genders, who cannot reproduce themselves, so if some pairs of different gender roles for some reason cannot raise their seedlings themselves, the parents of the seedling passes on the resonsibility of raising to a pair of same gender. The responsibility of raising a seedling is shared between the parent. The only thing that makes the genders divided is the carrying of the seedling.
The Taroth leadership is based on knowledge and wisdom. Those who have lived the longest have most knowledge, since the knowledge is passed on orally. It is due to some shared understanding who is the leader, but not much is know of how they chooses their leader; perhaps they sense the ones with most knowledge or perhaps it is the one who is oldest.

Language

Although almost all creatures have some means of communication, language is to the Firsts, which is a defining feature of the intelligens the Firsts possess. Languages of the First can also use words to represent things and events that are not presently or locally occuring, but takes place in the shared imagination of those who partake in a dialogue or conversation.

The language of Taroth are transmitted through signs, oral, and another way which is only known to the Taroth. Language is essential to the communication of the First, and to sense of idendity that both unites and diferentiates nations, cultures, etnic groups, and races. But if there are differences in the language of the Taroths, it cannot be differentiated through the ears of other Firsts. The sound of the Taroths' language is like listening to the sound of leaves in the breeze, and it is even more difficult to hear the difference, should there be any, as it is to hear the differences of leaves whistling in the breeze.

Art

Not much is known of the Taroths' art. Some scholars believes the Taroth have a some sort of depiction art and music in order to convey their common knowledge and identity.

A Birch Taroth by PanthersEye

Origin/Ancestry

Forestial

Lifespan

300 years

Average Height

42 cm

Average Weight

6 kg

Related Myths

• Aldenfolk and Vathirs