Ent

Ents are guardians of the forest and representatives of the trees. As longlived as the woods they watch over, arboreals consider themselves parents and shepherds of trees rather than their gardeners. Consequently, while arboreals tend to be slow and methodical, they are terrifyingly swift when forced to fight in defense of the woods. Though they rarely seek out the companionship of short-lived folk—even elves are fugacious in the eyes of arboreals—and have an inherent distrust of change, arboreals have been known to tolerate those who seek to learn from their long-winded, rambling monologues, especially if such pupils also express a desire to protect the timberlands. Against those who threaten their realm, such as loggers eager to harvest lumber or settlers aiming to establish croplands or a town, arboreals’ wrath is unwavering and devastating. Perhaps ironically, arboreals are gifted at tearing down what others build—a trait that serves vengeful members of their kind well.

Younger ents often act as wardens or rangers of arboreal society. These itinerant folk have an innate curiosity about the woodlands in which they dwell, and rarely stop to take root and rest in the same part of the forest twice. This wanderlust makes younger ents ideal forest patrollers and scouts. While they are robust combatants, they know better than to confront dangerous foes on their own. Instead, they report any dangers to the elder ents. In rare cases, large groups of these ent wardens congregate to form a copse. Copses travel beyond the boundaries of a forest to investigate the hinterlands and gather intelligence on potential threats before returning to report their findings. They do not pretend to understand to other creatures’ motives—like most forces of the natural world, they are ambivalent about mortal affairs that do not involve their forest.

The elder ents are lumbering, solitary creatures responsible for guarding an entire forest. They take an especially long view of affairs and never act brashly or without much deliberation. They occasionally come together in small groups called groves to share news and pass their wisdom down to the younger ents that have sprouted under their watch. In times of grave danger, all the groves in a region may gather for a great months-long meeting to plan and, eventually, act upon a threat.

Though they grow faster than trees, ents take decades to reach maturity. They spend their early years rooted in place, developing an affinity with the flora of their homeland and attuning to its rhythms while adult arboreals keep a watchful eye on their progress. After the first century, young ents become more mobile, often apprenticing with senior ents in their territory as they take up the mantle of forest guardian. Particularly old ents can tap into the extensive network of fungus that connects the roots of all the trees in the forest. By doing so, the arboreal can learn of threats throughout the entire woodland, even from miles away.

Ents have a great respect for dead members of their species. Their elaborate burial rituals involve laying the fallen arboreal down in a mossy bed in the center of a grove of saplings. The decomposing arboreal nourishes the saplings, ensuring the growth of a new generation of trees.