Manhattan Dryad Clan
Protectors of the Park
A small clan of dryads who call Central Park their home. All the dryads are bound to one of the trees within the park.
The members of the clan can be broadly separated into two groups. They differ in political outlook and where they should spend their time and energy to ensure their continued survival. Only when the further existence of Central Park itself is threatened do they find common ground and fiercly defend this small patch of nature in the middle of Manhattan.
The Tenders
The dryads of this faction focus their time and energy on central park. They ensure that the plants are watered and have enough nutrients and protect them from damage and parasites. They clean up the trash humans leave behind. Some of these dryads work for the park services, but most simply do their work without getting involved with the humans.The Advocates
The majority of advocates leave central park during the day for a job as a lawyer or climate activist. They spend much of their time in human form and company. They see their primary purpose to not only defend central park, but the natural world in general. For them central park is simply their current home but their goal is to create a better balance between the artifical and natural world. They fight for their goals with protests, legal interventions and political activism. These dryads work tirelessly for politicians who support their agenda, help non-profit organisation to defend their programs, fight legal battles for the disenfranchised and much more.Political Organization
The clan has a very simple political structure. The laws and rules are set by the grove. Members of the grove are appointed for live. Their appointment happens by lot. The grove is chaired by the Venerable Dryad. They can call in special meetings and moderate the deliberations within the grove. The Venerable Dryad represents the clan in diplomatic talks or visits with other factions and acts as head of state. The position is always given to the oldest Dryad within the Grove. If a new member joins the grove who is older than the current Venerable Dryad they are replaced. The grove meets once a month for deliberations. Any member of the grove can add add items to the agenda up to two days before the scheduled meeting. These agenda items are discussed in order they were received. The Venerable Dryad can change this order at their discretion if they feel an item is more important than another. The grove meeting only lasts for up to 8 hours during that day. Any agenda items which could not be discussed are added to the agenda of the next meeting. The grove can set any rules and laws of the clan. They can decide on matters of diplomacy with other factions and define and rights and duties of the members. Members of the clan who are not part of the grove can add agenda items if their item is supported by at least two other clan members. They may submit a written record and receive a five minute time slot to explain their issue before the grove. The members of the grove can then ask questions and deliberate on the issue and possible solutions or actions. At the end of each meeting the grove votes on the meeting minutes and the actions that result from them.
Type
Geopolitical, Clan
Related Traditions
Pine (34%)
Cherry (2%)
Black Tupelo (1%)
London Plane
Yay, more about the dryads! I like that some of them work for park services, and some work outside the Park as lawyers and climate activists. I like how you said that the meeting lasts for 'only' eight hours, haha. Though I'd quite like to hang out at one of the meetings and find out what dryads see as important and pressing issues.