Greenhearts

There is a people that give their hearts to trees, and in return, become something that is entirely inhuman.

## Thornvale Greenhearts

There is a people in Thornvale who give their hearts to trees and in turn, become emissaries of trees. Ortwyn Krief was able to cast a spell that allowed him to "see" through trees to monitor Cecelia "Cici" Witwick, June Hymnal, and Kiran Rao when they were in the woods in Otterbachs. Most of them stay in Thornvale, and those that leave tend to work on skyships.

All greenhearts from Thornvale learn the longsword as children. Whether they continue with it later in life is up to them, but its part of their early learning.

### Physical Appearance

Greenhearts appear to be human, if paler than usual, and the tips of their fingers, their ears, their hairline, their lips - is all tinged green, giving them the look of someone who is anemic.

### Relationship To The Forest Queen

During the Novice Faire, a sculpture of the Forest Queen made of textiles and many different dyes was created by the greenhearts as the centerpiece of the faire.

> *"We don't know who it is. It's someone the trees speak of, but we don't know. . . They are [pretty]. But dangerous. So, so dangerous. So just be careful."*
> - An unnamed greenheart to Kiran Rao about the Forest Queen
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#### A Sick Greenheart

Outside of Thornvale, there is a higher chance for greenhearts to be taken by the Forest Queen. When sickened by the Queen, greenhearts have more color in their skin, and they become feverish and are prone to nightmares.

> *"Don't let her take me!* Don't let her take me!*"*
> - Ortwyn Krief screaming to the captain's council of the Red Audron
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There seems to be no way of rescuing a greenheart that has been turned.

> *Dennison: If we arrive in Otterbachs. . . before he's given an antidote. . . we're going to lose Ortwyn.*
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> *Bobby Gene: Like, die?*
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> *Dennison: For all extents and purposes, yes.*
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> - Captain Silas Dennison to Bobby Gene Cooper and June Hymnal
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Sick greenhearts can be healed using a necklace with a wooden charm made of delicate interwoven roots in a spiral pattern. Inside there is something that is firmly clasped within the roots. This must be dipped in liquids from a leviathan and placed around the neck of the greenheart. The more complex a fluid, the longer the spell will last. Blood is the least potent, then bile, then saliva, and finally, the best liquid to get is spinal/brain fluid.

This method of healing a sickened greenheart proves to be 100% effective.

## Greenhearts (Creature)

Just as greenhearts from Thornvale, the process of turning into a greenheart under the Forest Queen's control occurs when a human has their heart removed and put into the trunk of a dying tree. However, this is usually done by force, and the human turns into a monstrous creature. They are servants of The Forest Queen, and she can control them and use them as a conduit to speak through when needed.

### Physical Appearance

Greenhearts look like spindly and long-limbed humanoid skeletons with human flesh stretched taut across them. They have long, sharp claws that can tear easily through flesh.

In the Tales from Spéir: The Crown of Grünschenk, Hans Grünt had his heart removed by the queen for leaving the path that The Queen had made.

In the campaign, The Forest Queen used greenhearts under illusions to trap and fight Gable, Jonnit Kessler, Travis Matagot, and Orimar Vale.

## Known Greenhearts

* Ortwyn Krief
* Krampus
* Hans Grünt (creature)
* Geoffrin the Woodsman (creature)