Briar-Touched
Overview
Briar-touched are forest-dwelling humanoids tainted by Ogygian nymphs, changing them into hybrids of beast and plant. Some are transformed as punishment for trespassing in nymph domains, while others may be born to normal parents in settlements close to nymph territories. Whatever the case, briar-touched folk bear unmistakable mutations that separate them from their humanoid kin, and their minds are pulled toward a feral nature. Briar-touched are often shunned in humanoid settlements as a sign of the wilderness's punishment or intrusion, but they are welcomed by the nymphs as primal protectors, and this is helped by a supernatural drive to protect the natural world.
Briar-touched often make their homes in small communities or alone, but in either case, these are built deep within old growth forests or untamed swamplands. Their homes are integrated with their environments to a degree that makes them nearly impossible to tell from their surroundings, built among the roots of great oaks or with entrances fabricated out of peat moss. Travelers have passed through briar-touched villages and not even realized a sapient creature lived in the area.
by Kekai Kotaki
Basic Information
Anatomy
All briar-touched originated from some type of humanoid, and they still have their original ancestry's basic identifying features beneath the many changes granted by the nymphs.
The skin and hair of the original creature takes on an unusual hue, ranging from greys to greens to blues. Limbs are usually elongated and feet may be digitigrade; in either case, finger and toenails are replaced with sharp claws. Ears are elongated and pointed, similar to elves. Canines are often pronounced, and the nose is blunted and protuding, like that of a wolf or bear. Many briar-touched have antlers or horns growing from their temples, though the presence or absence of these does not map onto gender or any other attribute.
Painless growths of bark, fungi, moss, or sproutlings grow from the flesh of all briar-touched as they age. Some may eventually have entire limbs made of vegetation, but all are still flesh and blood beneath whatever growth they endure. While the briar-touched do not feel through these growths, they are still part of their bodies and are very painful to remove.
Additional Information
Social Structure
Briar-touched communities protect and revere the forests in which they dwell, but they are not pacifists. Rather, they embrace both the nurturing growth of the wood, but also its more violent, predatory aspects. To commemorate the fullness of the environment in which they live, members of briar-touched communities conduct great hunts on special days, usually solstices or equinoxes. As a part of these rituals, all briar-touched community members learn to participate in the hunt.
Contents
Details
Origin/Ancestry
Nymph-transformed humanoid
Lifespan
500 years
Average Height
7-8 feet
Geographic Distribution
Related Organizations
by Kekai Kotaki
