Gnarlpine

Gnarlpines are twisted, ugly trees. They grow to fifteen to twenty feet high within their first five years, then settle in for a long life of extremely slow growth. Their bark is very rough and tough, making removing them an extremely labor-intensive chore. Because only the best blades can cut them efficiently without being ruined, their use as building material is expensive. Their only virtue in such a use is its toughness because the wood doesn't take stain well and thus it tends to retain its usual bland dark beige color. Gnarlpines are native to Ulfgard, where they make up much of the forested areas. To thrive in such a grim environment, the gnarlpine is a very efficent evergreen. The Ulfir tribes invoke the gnarlpine both as a symbol of toughness and tenacity, as well as their "unique" appearance as an insult. Gnarlpine roots reach deep and actually move over time to reach deeper, sometimes leaving small crevices. Small animals use these crevices as stashes for food or in some cases as nests. Rodents in particular are fond of these as many predators are too large to enter such burrows and the wood provides an excellent place to keep their teeth trimmed. What makes the gnarlpine unusual is its resilience to magic. Ulfgard is a land shaped by magic, the fauna there were made larger, more dangerous and more varied by a great magical cataclysm long ago, and this has resulted in an ecosystem that compares to more normal ecosystems the same way a battlefield compares to a barfight. The gnarlpine, instead of being shaped by magic, rejects it. Spells can affect them, but magical fires that would incinerate other trees merely singe them, or illusions fade, apparently unable to abide proximity with the ornery trees.

Conservation Status

Gnarlpines are endemic in Ulfgard.