Dryad

Written by KikiTerminator

Dryads, also known as wood nymphs, are Fey creatures who act as the protectors of the forests and trees. Travelers entering a forest might catch a glimpse of a graceful form flitting through the trees, soon finding themselves enchanted by warm laughter that calls them deeper into the emerald shadows.

As beautiful as a sunlit glade in the high summer, as terrifying and deadly as a winter gale sweeping through a barren forest - that's a Dryad.

A Dryad can emerge from the tree they are bound to and travel the lands around it, but the tree remains their home and roots them to the world. As long as the tree remains healthy and unharmed, the Dryad stays forever youthful and brimming with life. If the tree is harmed they suffer, and if the tree is ever destroyed, the Dryad descends into madness. It is said that in ancient days, powerful fey would sometimes bind lesser fey spirits to trees, transforming them into Dryads. This was sometimes done as a punishment when a fey spirit fell in love with a mortal, which was forbidden at the time. These days, however, Dryads live in both wood and town.
Dryads act as the guardians of their woodland demesnes. Naturally shy creatures, most prefer to live in the deep forests of the Wild Lands, watching interlopers from the trees. However, after the collapse of the Fey-wild and the expansion of civilization throughout the country, many Dryads ended up living in towns built around the trees they call home. Small patches of forest can be found throughout almost every settlement, providing home and shelter to the Fey and Sylvan creatures that reside within them.
Dryads can speak with plants and animals. They can teleport from one tree to another, and if pressed, a Dryad can beguile humanoids with her enchantments, turning enemies into friends. They also know a handful of useful spells.

Basic Information

Anatomy

Dryads are humanoid creatures with pointed ears. Often considered to be among the most beautiful of the Fey, they have delicate features seemingly made of soft wood. Their hair seems to be made of leaves and foliage that changes color with the seasons of the calendar.

Genetics and Reproduction

The tree a Dryad is linked to is tied with their very lifeforce. The Dryad will feel any damage done to the tree if it was inflicted upon themself. When a Dryad dies they will leave behind a seed that when planted will grow into a new Dryad Tree. The Dryad created by this tree is often considered the child of the Dryad the seed came from. The child will have no memories of the Dryad that bore the seed.

Growth Rate & Stages

The Dryad growth stages are as follows:

Ages 0-50 Sprout

Ages 50-100 Seedling

Ages 100-200 Sapling

Ages 200-800 Mature

Ages 800+ Elder

During the Sprout stage Dryads remain within their trees, the only indicator that the tree holds a Dryad being the occasional laughter that emanates from it.
At the age of 50 the Dryad becomes a seedling and begins to explore the world outside their tree. Although they often only travel between their tree and a small collection of trees next to it.
By the Sapling stage the Dryad most resembles an angsty teenager, traveling throughout the forest they live in.
At 200 the Dryad has reached full maturity.l

Additional Information

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

Dryad's possess Darkvision up to 60 feet and have keen senses.

Scientific Name

Faeus Neraida

Origin/Ancestry

Dryads are said to be the children of the Feywild itself.