Drus
The drus are the inspiration from which Servalin drew upon while crafting his Druid order. These wise Fae embody the balance between nature and the realm of mortals. Though there number is solely male, they have an understanding of the balance.
They are willing to accept anyone into their number, even if that one were born on the wrong side of the spectrum. There have been a number of dryads who were born with an oak seed, as there have been drus born with a willow seed.
Their outlooks are based on balance, the seasons, and the light spectrum. All of these have differing implications upon the life of a drus.
The drus and the dryads are intrinsically linked, as the drus cannot reproduce on their own. Thus the dryads are needed to produce the males. Drus and dryads are in fact two sides of the same coin. Though they do not see eye to eye on many subjects, when they do, miracles can happen.
BIOLOGICAL TRAITS
The drus have a humanoid appearance in body shape with a few very distinct differences. Their skin resembles the bark of a tree; primarily that of the tree to which they are attuned. Their hair has the appearance of vines or other symbiotic plants that live in harmony with their attuned tree.ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS
Drus require additional care for their skin as the sun and weather damage can cause splitting and peeling of the skin; A condition which is very painful for a drus. As the skin cracks and peels, it can fall off in long strips, leaving the exposed flesh overly sensitive to any damage.Culture
Culture and cultural heritage
As a drus matures they are expected to find a mate. The pressure of this is not enforced until they reach the age of five hundred years. Though they are encouraged to find a dryad, in order to maintain a balance, any mate would be sufficient.
Shared customary codes and values
Drus, like Dryads are the keepers of the forests. They look to maintain balance within the natural world and all inhabitants that live there.
Common Dress code
You will find most drus in light garments, crafted from linen. The other types of garments they will wear are crafted from doeskin. Drus prefer to go sunclad whenever possible since they gather a good portion of their nutrients from the light of the sun.
Common Customs, traditions and rituals
Drus, like dryads, celebrate the turning of the seasons. Each of the four seasons comes with a degree of difficulty. As the trees with which they are bonded go through a specific cycle during the year so too do the drus.
Winter finds them in a perpetual state of exhaustion while their trees have become dormant.
Spring finds them with renewed energy as their trees return to the growing season.
Summer finds them full of life and joyeux do vivre as their trees fill out and prosper.
Autumn finds them slowing down and eating more than usual in preparation for when their trees return to dormancy.
Their lives are similarly divided into seasons. Birth to two hundred fifty is considered the spring of life. Two hundred fifty-one to about five hundred is their summer (this is the reason for the push to find a mate). Five hundred one to seven hundred fifty is the autumn for them where the fruits of their loins are treasured and raised. Finally, there is seven hundred fifty-one until their passing which is referred to as the winter of life.
Birth & Baptismal Rites
When a drus is born they carry a seed for their tree within their mouths. This seed is taken and planted within the family grove.
There are four different types of seeds which a drus may carry; oak, hawthorn, yew, and ash. It is customary not to name a drus until his seed has sprouted and survived for at least a year. The care taken to ensure a strong tree is also the care that is needed to raise a drus from seedling to trunk.
Coming of Age Rites
When drus come of age they are expected to partake in a journey across the breadth and width of the Fae Wilds. This journey is done as a solo expedition, for the new adult to become acquainted with the hazards and understanding of the land which they will be tending.
Funerary and Memorial customs
When a drus dies, he is buried within the roots of his tree. This way he can live on within the tree until the tree dies. The trees will live for about one hundred years after the passing of the drus. These trees are then harvested by the other drus and sections are passed out to the fae who could use them for crafts or firewood.
Common Taboos
They consider the hoarding of knowledge to be antithetical. They have the strong belief that knowledge is to be shared with all who display the wisdom and understanding of the knowledge.
Knowledge hoarded is knowledge which is lost, but knowledge shared only increases the knowledge of all.
AVERAGE HEIGHT
Adult drus range in height from five foot seven inches to six foot two inches.
AVERAGE WEIGHT
Adult weight can vary depending on the season of life they are in.
FACIAL CHARACTERISTICS AND FEATURES
Their facial features are not unlike the faces found in the burls and gnarls of tree trunks.
This is really interesting - I love the idea that they are a sort of counterpart to dryads. My favourite part is the birth/baptismal rites. I find them to be really beautiful. :)