Guardian Wood Tree
Basic Information
Anatomy
The guardian wood tree has numerous branches that reach not only directly upwards, but often out. This creates a wide, tall top to the tree. The trunk is not always very thick, the tree spending more energy into its branches than the trunk itself.
Genetics and Reproduction
The guardian wood tree flowers in the spring and drops its seeds in the summer. These are eaten by small mammals and deposited in new areas, having survived most animals' digestive systems well enough.
Growth Rate & Stages
The guardian wood tree grows steadily for 70 to 80 years, before naturally beginning to die, if it is not destroyed by natural weather events or human intervention. It is also prone to disease and pest infestation.
Ecology and Habitats
Guardian wood trees naturally live along the edges of forests, mainly in Algoma and Phelin, but they have been purposefully planted in groves or as ornamentation throughout most of Ayrith. The springtime flowers are seen as something lovely to have in gardens throughout the world. So long as the weather is moderate, without frequent drought or regular flooding, guardian wood trees with typically thrive.
Additional Information
Uses, Products & Exploitation
Every aspect of the guardian wood tree can be used for a multitude of purposes.
- Bark: The bark is known to healers to have medicinal properties. When used to make teas it can strengthen the body as it heals from illness. When used in a salve or wound dressing, it helps to encourage healing.
- Leaves: Leaves are woven into wreaths or crowns for their protective properties. When woven by someone with magical abilities, these objects can keep out intruders and offer some protection from harm to the wearer. Without the added magic to encourage it, the power in the leaves is considered inactive and nearly useless.
- Flowers: Much like the leaves, the flowers are woven into wreaths and crowns, but also kept in bouquets. They offer a similar protective power when initiated by magic, which is especially potent for children.
- Fruits: The sour fruit of the guardian wood tree is used to make wines. Legend says that the soldiers in the Algoman army used to be given a glass of it before battle to strengthen their resolve.
- Wood: The wood from the branches is used to make arrows across Ayrith. The wood from the trunk, when a tree is lost to the weather or cut down for any other reason, is used to build furniture. When a tree begins to die, it is common practice to cut down the tree and use its wood for fuel, as something of a funeral pyre.
- Roots: Much like the bark, the roots have healing properties and can be used in teas to calm the stomach and reduce fevers. Roots are harvested from trees intentionally cut down, destroyed by weather, or showing the first signs of death. Roots from ill or completely dead trees cannot be used for this purpose.
Author's note: The real world dogwood tree (pictured) was used as the inspiration for this species, though many magical properties have been added.
