Thar Shaddin

Name: Dryad

Nicknames: Forest Nymph

Affinity: Nature

Appearance: Their tree can be any sort of tree but it is usually a popular type of tree in Eyropa. It looks like a normal tree, and shows no outward sign of being magical or tied to the dryad. The dryad will merge into the tree by touching it and becoming of the same material, ie, bark-like. They can choose to merge so that they are partially visible or they may completely disappear into the tree.

The dryad herself--as she is always female--is a beautiful woman with a kind face and long hair. She has a perfectly molded and hairless body. Other than that, appearances between dryads varies.

Habitat: Large, old forests in remote areas of Eyropa. Wildlife is often of a gentler nature. A good sign of a dryad community is the lack of vines leeching off trees and the neat, uncluttered appearance of the forest floor.

Behavior: Dryads are gentle and kind, enjoying singing and dancing in the moonlight or a rainy afternoon. They are very shy and will hide if strangers come. However, when the forest is threatened by fire or people they can become frightening and vengeful. They will not leave the confines of their forest, but they will hunt down the perpetrator with a bow and arrows they keep in their tree, or if that is not possible, send wolves or bears after the person. With fire they will cause it to rain, but they realize that fire is sometimes necessary to purge dead weight or undergrowth, and they will sometimes even cause the fire. However, if someone lights a fire maliciously, they will do all in their power to get revenge.

Culture: They often live in large communities in a large forest or by themselves in a smaller forest.

Powers: Dryads have very subtle powers overall, often controlling the general weather when they are together. They also have a way to "telepathically" communicate amongst themselves through roots and plants. They can talk to trees, which have knowledge of the area, and the more they talk to a tree the more talkative a tree will become. Wildlife will also obey their commands, but only if it goes with the animal's nature. Their most wondrous power, however, is their ability to grow and heal vegetation very quickly. In this way they will recover a lost forest or their community. However, the only thing they cannot grow ever again is their own personal tree. If that is injured or killed, so is the dryad. Their lifeforce is tied inexplicably to the tree and their lifespan is that of a tree, as long as the tree survives. If the tree get sick, so too does the dryad. This is the only way to defeat a dryad and therefore anything that harms a tree, even if it is not their tree, is taken as a personal offense.

Notes: Their reproduction is often how trees reproduce, with seeds from their tree. They get one new seed about once every five years or so, which they will plant in a clear area of the forest. They can help it grow, and then a new dryad is born within that tree. It takes years for the dryad to eventually emerge from the tree, fully grown. They can also reproduce like many other females of other species with sex, often giving birth to a dryad. Sometimes they give birth to a creature that is not a dryad, nor the race of their father, but rather a beautiful creature with an affinity to nature. This occurs when the magic is not compatible between the dryad and the father.

Still a work in progress. If someone has any suggestions that would be welcome.

Hairless... except for the hair on their heads. There, FTFY

Looking good. Lets get some names for the trees they like, and particular locations. I can pitch some, if you like.

I actually know nothing about trees, so perhaps someone else can help with that. As for particular locations, I'd have to look over the map. Can I assume the climate is different, like can I just make up wherever? I'd appreciate some ideas on that, too.

It's flexible. The climate would be mostly the same, but there can be any kind of difference that suits your needs. I like plants, lemme see here...

The Tilia or Lime or Linden tree http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tilia

Characteristics: It's found across europe and north america. It's a romantic symbol in various cultures. In the Greek story of Baucis and Philemon, Philemon is turned into one when he dies (she's turned into an oak, which would be a good candidate too). It's hearty and can be quite pretty. It has one single trunk from which sprout smaller branches (like a cedar does), as opposed to other trees that tend to spread out (like the one on our forum banner). It also has a root system that goes straight down, instead of fanning out, so it gathers water from deep underground, making it resilient to change around it.
They make little fragrant greeny/yellow flowers which can be used to make tea which has various benefits, mostly calming, but it also helps flush your system of water by increasing perspiration and making you pee (fun!), which is good for calming fevers.
It's not weird looking or exotic, which is good, because people wouldn't be so quick to identify it as the type of tree dryads like.


A young, generic looking one.


Flowers

That tree really is perfect for them.

And I'm thinking the forest is somewhere north of Keltaris. Somewhere around where Czechoslovakia is.

As taken from http://www.geography-site.co.uk/pages/c ... imate.html: (my emphasis)

Czechoslovakia's central European location influences its climate. Although the continental weather systems that dominate Eastern Europe prevail throughout the country, western regions are frequently influenced by the maritime weather prevalent in Western Europe. When the systems to the north are weak, Mediterranean weather may occasionally brush southern parts of the country.

Winters are fairly cold, cloudy, and humid, although high humidity and cloud cover tend to be more prevalent in valleys and lower areas. Light rain or snow is frequent. The mountains are covered with snow from early November through April, and accumulations are deep in some places. Lower elevations rarely have more than fifteen centimeters of snow cover at a time.

Summers are usually pleasant. There is heavy rainfall, but it comes in sporadic showers, making for many warm, dry days with scattered cumulus clouds. Prevailing winds are westerly; they are usually light in summer (except during thunderstorms) and somewhat stronger in winter.

Average temperatures in Prague, which is representative of lowland cities in Bohemia and Moravia, range between about 1°C in January and about 19°C in July. Winters are chilly; summers have warm afternoons and cool evenings. In the eastern parts of the country, the temperature extremes are greater. Higher elevations, especially those with western exposures, usually have a narrower temperature range but on the average are considerably cooler. December, January, and February are the coldest months; June, July, and August are the warmest. Spring tends to start late, and autumn may come abruptly in middle or late September. At lower elevations, frosts are rare between the end of April and the beginning of October.

Rainfall varies widely between the plains and the upland areas. Parts of western Bohemia receive only forty centimeters of rainfall per year; some areas in the Vysoke Tatry average two meters. The average rainfall in the vicinity of Prague is fortyeight centimeters. Precipitation varies more than in other areas of Europe, which are often dominated by maritime weather systems; consequently, droughts and floods sometimes occur.

Despite the greater frequency of precipitation during the winter, more than twice as much precipitation, or about 38 percent, falls in the summer. The spring and autumn figures are about equal.