Dryad

Dryads

The Dryads are the humanoid branch of the Nàdar, created through the union of humanoid souls and the spirit of the Genii Culatie, or sacred plant of the Goddess. While their counterparts, the Proxumae and Hyrrokkin, represent life and death respectively, the Dryads represent the concept of rebirth. They are seen as the ambassadors and liaisons between the natural world and the other sentient races, believing that cooperation and mutual understanding will ultimately lead to harmony. Dryads may have little to no recollection of their past lives, or may remember them fully. It is believed that the likelihood of being reborn as a Dryad is increased by a being’s strong attunement to nature, therefore, many Dryads were once wood elves, druids, shamans, or otherwise naturally-inclined individuals.

Biology and Rebirth

Dryads are reborn when a humanoid creature dies, but its soul remains anchored to its body and comes into contact with the Goddess’s energy, usually in the form of the sacred Genii Culatie plants, which are infused with her being. When a humanoid creature dies, its body returns to the earth to decompose. However, in the case of Dryads, the sacred plant begins to grow within their form, nurturing them back to life. The incubation process can take anywhere between a few days to a few years, though the reasons for such a wide time variation are currently unknown.

Appearance

The amount of physical change a Dryad goes through is largely dependent on the amount of bodily decay that was present before being taken over by a host plant. Generally speaking, decaying parts of the body are usually replaced with botanical matter, such as bark or leaves. Their biology is incredibly unique in the way that their altered and regrown cells have evolved into a midway point between both plant and animal cells.