dryad

Giant creatures composed of earth, rock, and flora. Gnomes and faerie folk consider them nature spirits. Most of their impossibly long lives are spent slumbering as they blend into the landscape around them, appearing to be nothing more than a mundane mound or tree-covered hill. But dryads are much more than that; their very presence is vital to the health and growth of their surrounding region. A dryad's massive heart is said to pump its lifeblood through the roots and veins of the earth for miles and miles, feeding and nurturing everything it touches. Once in a blue moon, a dryad wakes and migrates across the land to settle down in a spot in need of its life-giving touch.

Names: Branch Warden, Lady of the Green, Bloom Lord, Granddad

abilities

Rejuvenate

May rejuvenate the life force of plants, earth, and faerie beings (including Gnomes), healing 4d12 Courage.

Stomp and Swipe

May attack all Close and Nearby targets.

vulnerabilities

Only a poison, toxicity, or magical corruption on a grand scale, or over a great length of time, is enough to harm a dryad.

social

Dryads speak in riddles and enigmas. Due to their amazingly long lives, they struggle to relate to the fleeting lives of folk. Dryads take an exaggeratedly long view of the world and its problems, where one day is like one second to them. They want nothing except the harmony of nature. They are reluctant to fight anything, even leaving fiends to their evil whims, unless highly provoked or convinced to make a stand.

combat

Dryads are either completely stationary or migrating. If necessary, they wrest themselves free from the earth's grasp, becoming lumbering behemoths swatting and stomping without precision as they stride across the land.

defeat

Dryads leave extremely hostile or cursed areas, choosing to migrate to a more peaceful land. The death of a dryad is considered a tragic event among faeries who revere the creatures. When a dryad dies, it puts the surrounding ecology out of balance, often resulting in natural disasters like droughts and famine.

victory

Dryads care nothing for the concept of victory. They do not punish their foes or take things from them; they simply keep on existing, finding another place to rest for a thousand years.

DRYAD HEART

A dryad's heart is a powerful item that can restore dead things to life, even people. But a dead dryad is even rarer than a living one. Some stories tell of dryads that have willingly given their heart for a noble cause.