Dryad

Dryads are one of the most recognizable servants of the Treant Empire, used as shock troops, sentinels, envoys, administrators of human vassal tribes, and arcanists.

Creation:

It is believed they were designed long ago by the treants to be the perfect servant race. No one is entirely sure how the original dryads were originally created, or even how new ones are made. Although dryads (who almost always appear female) will sometimes marry humans and elves, the process by which the offspring of these relations are born is shrouded in mystery. All dryads are said to be born "from the soil" and have a "kin tree", though it is unknown how literal this is. It has long been rumored that treants can create new dryads when needed by using powerful magic to transform willing volunteers. It is also rumored that some are transformed against their will instead.

Appearance:

Dryads are natural shapeshifters who can shift from an almost human appearance to an appearance similar to their treant masters within seconds, though they often present as a blend of these two forms. Some believe that when a treant is exerting control over a dryad, she temporarily presents some of her more tree like features, while others see this as a sign they are trying to suppress emotions.

Abilities:

Dryads have an intimidating range of natural abilities thanks to the nature of their creation. Among the more common abilities are:

- Camouflage - Dryads can shape shift into a wide range of tree-like shapes, and also change the color of their skin or bark at will, allowing themselves to almost flawlessly resemble a tree, rock, or simply blend in with the ground.

- Pheromones - Dryads can release a wide range of pheromones in order to manipulate the behavior of humans, elves, and animals, among others. Some human vassals are said to have been altered to make them extra susceptible to pheromones.

- Plant Growth - Dryads can use the strange magic of the treants to cause rapid plant growth, useful for agriculture, slowing opponents, and expanding the boundaries of the great forests.

- Durability - Dryads are very durable, particularly against piercing weapons, and also able to rapidly regenerate wounds.

Varieties:

"Vassal Dryads" are by far the most common. Despite popular belief, dryads have free will, but are usually indoctrinated to be fanatical to the Treant Empire's cause. When in human lands for long enough, a handful of dryads have broken this indoctrination. However, such individuals must keep far from any treant, since it is widely known that treants have the ability to control dryads directly if needed. Even those with only trace amounts of dryad ancestry are sometimes known to fall under treant influence despite having strong allegiances to other causes. As senior vassals of the Treant Empire, dryads work closely with wood elves (who themselves have some traits in common with the dryads), as well as vassal human tribes.

"Civilized Dryads" can occasionally be found in Morloux and other regions. As mentioned above, some deserted the Treant cause willingly, but most descend from those that were enslaved by Morloux by unknown means. Many find the docile dryads of Morloux to be a strange contrast to the savage shock troops and enforcers of the Treant Empire, and suspect that the "civilized treants" of Morloux are still exerting some level of influence on them.

"Rogue Dryads" without any apparent treant masters, are sometimes encountered in forests of around the world, though most notably in the Sisilian region and in the Kingdom of Araxia. Some believe these are unrelated beings with similar appearance and abilities.

"Zombie Dryads" are surprisingly common in many parts of the world. Some are created by natural diseases like the Trunk Blight, which also effects treants. Others are created by treant necromancers like Foul Sap of Sisilia, or Brittletwig of the Necroswampers, using foul parodies of the dryad creation and control processes used by normal treants.