Ent

An elderly Ent fitted with growth of all sorts.

Amongst the residents of Azura, the moving plants are distinctly abnormal. Their history as well as their origin are part of an unknown web of mysteries which lead to the faeic primordial valleys from where all emerged. In that sense, the Ents are of a primordial spirit. Their old ways and form are testament to a people and ideas that have since been forgotten. A time when magic was unkempt and volatile. Like all old things the Ents are a fleeting thing; the last of their kind stand as but a scant few on a world alien to the one they recall.

#### Physiology and Anatomy

Ents, who are of closest relation to Dryad, are a species of mobile vegetation. They resemble trees and other tall plants, exhibiting variation based on environment and the local biota that they reside in. An Ent often takes the form of a tree native to the area in the form of deceptive metamorphosis, adopting new bark and leaf shape slowly as they move to new areas. Ents also possess the ability to ‘hide’ as it were, becoming indistinguishable from normal trees by rooting themselves to the earth. Ents often do this as a means to escape harm but equally to rest as they function identically to normal trees within this state; allowing them access to the nutrients normally inaccessible in their mobile state. As the life of an Ent progresses, they spend more and more time within this hidden state. Eventually, an Ent will cease mobility altogether and become inert of all magical properties.

Like their smaller cousins, their bodies are animated through a viscous orange liquid; Ent Sap. This sap is vitor-rich and possesses unforeseen herbomantic properties. Ents can manipulate their form considerably through their sap, generating new growth rapidly or fashioning thorns and barbs as weapons. Sap in a sense functions like blood, if the Ent loses too much of it through injury they’ll be forced to return to a resting state- sometimes permanently. Ent Sap has a variety of uses but largely in the agricultural field, rejuvenating dead vegetation and speeding up the germination process by up to double its normal rate. Their sap also has particular healing properties for Dryads and Myconids, able to seal their wounds like glue and hinder infection.

As Ents are both alien and carry valuable fuel within their bark they’re frequent victims of attack. They’re not by any means defenceless though, well-equipped to deal with foes. Ents have immense strength on account of their large size and coupled with their thorn creation they can knock men to the ground with ease and punch thorns through plate armor. Their barky exterior, while not as durable as plate, offers protection against low-end melee weapons (e.g. short sword) and projectiles totally and can resist a few strikes from higher-end melee tools (e.g. maul) before shattering. As with any vegetation, Ents are indeed flammable though their bark burns slower than their other extremities- their sap however is extremely flammable and will seer rapidly if allowed to catch flame.

As an Ent’s life begins to close, an elderly Ent may imbue what little remains of its sap into a single vestige of its legacy. These pods or ‘Grove Seeds’ are the means through which Ents blossom successors to their forests. An Ent may only produce a single Grove Seed before their light is snuffed out, making it one of the rarest events to bear witness to.

#### Psychology

Ents pay patronage to an ancient way of thinking. Though they’re perfectly capable of violence all Ents are by nature pacifistic, attacking only in retaliation. They lord over a plot of wilderness where they foresee its growth and balance. An Ent ensures that the web of creatures beneath it is secure and ever-mingling. It lets the beasts hunt and the prey play, protecting the cycle from intrusion or malign unnatural forces. Provided the cycle sustains itself, Ents are perfectly content to simply watch over their lands as the creatures beneath go about their ways.

Their way of thinking puts them at odds with the sapient races of Azura. They loathe and avoid large settlements, large groups, and especially fire. Small groups and encampments are settings Ents will tolerate though they prefer to remain within the wilderness where they can keep an eye on things. They find deforestation and urbanization for any reason despicable and may work to impede its progress if they’re within the means to do so. Ents do not hate sapient races though and are accepting of all provided they do not act against their homes. Ents are similarly unbiased and though they may make friends their assistance only comes in defense of the abnormal, not in the defense of a natural process like an attempt at predation.

Ents are neither social nor talkative though they do carry immense wisdom. Their long lives allow them to witness the happenings of all things beneath, with some Ents recording the slightest detail. Alas, their long lives also make these memories fleeting as Ents often have trouble remembering things at a distance beyond a decade. That said, some Ents have particular fascinations which they can remember vividly: specific animals, plants, or even people are among Ents' most popular interests.

In their adult lives, Ents are almost completely solitary save for troubling events that encompass a whole region such as a natural disaster. During their infancy they’re often mentored by other Ents on ways of survival and caretaking, ensuring they’re not prey for dopey herbivores. Older Ents take up the position of Elder, collaborating as a council to decide the path through which the other Ents should conduct themselves when new events arise. In times of great need, Ents can organize themselves to form a guard as a bastion defence against things that threaten the natural order.