The Travelling Trees (Travellers)

The Travelling Trees (or Travellers) are a semi-sentient tree. They produce a highly sought-after berry called the Will Berry. This berry, when consumed provides the person with a euphoric, nearly insurmountable drive.

Basic Information

Anatomy

Travellers come in all shapes and sizes, though, with their dwindling habitat, they tend to be more cedar-like than not.
When rooted, a Traveller is indecipherable from another, non-sentient tree.

Growth Rate & Stages

From seedling to sapling (approximately 0.5 ft. tall) takes, on average, 25 years. Then, from sapling to Traveller (approx. 6 ft. tall), it can take upward of another 50 years.
The Travellers never stop growing, though their growth-rate does slow when they reach Traveller-status; averaging 0.5 inches per year. The largest ever recorded Traveller was True Leaf at 105.4 feet tall. However, there are legends of even taller Travellers.

Ecology and Habitats

The Traveller Trees are the only known source of the Will Berries. They grow in the foliage high in the of the traveller trees. Unpicked berries have an extremely low germination rate.
When the Travellers roamed the plains of Kor, their numbers were considerably higher. However, as their territory shrunk to the coastal region of T'Lalia, they have less opportunity to roam, and therefore, their numbers are dwindling.

Dietary Needs and Habits

Travellers need an abundant amount of water and nutrients which they get through absorption via their roots and photosynthesis. When times are scarce, they'll often put down roots and hibernate as they replenish their resources.
Artificial supplements have been created assisting sentient Travellers to function in society, though evidence shows the long-term effects of these supplements seem to be detrimental to the overall health and lifespan of the Traveller.

Biological Cycle

Once a seed-laden berry has fallen from a Traveller, it will sit and ferment until eaten by a passing creature. The fermented sugars of the will berry are what actually produces the sought-after euphoria. After passing through the digestive tract of the creature, the berry must be deposited in a fertile region where it may begin to germinate.
Once the tree has achieved Traveller status (the actual biological function is still unknown), it will pull up its roots and begin it's migratory march to the coast, spreading its berries along the way. Once there, the Traveller will set down roots again and wait.
Some Travellers are known to grow a kind of sentience and forego the migration instinct (for a while) and enter into the community. Though, biology is strong. It may take years, centuries, or even millennia - such as in the case of Thirsty Roots the Traveller - but the instinct will prevail and the Traveller will complete their march.

Conservation Status

The Sanctuary is the last refuge of this once abundant plant.