Dryads

Guardians of the woods

Now guarding the woods of Esterya, the Dryads were once created when Yanwe's first flowers blossomed. The crystals that grew within these flowers containe and protect the Dryads' souls, and are also what give them their ability to take on a physical form.
They live with and within the trees of the great forests, giving them life, healing what has been damaged, and protecting their sacret home against whoever may harm it.
As commonly depicted in many widespread folktales, they are said to lure people into the woods, especially young men, using their magic and bewitching looks. They lead them so deep into the woods, until their victims are unable to ever find their way back out, at which point they consume their souls to recharge their magical energy.

Basic Information

Anatomy

Their physical form looks a lot like that of a young woman, with long, pointed ears and wings like those of a dragonfly. They can alter their appearance to their wishes and according to the situation; they are even able to make themselves look like regular humans.
Most of their time, however, they spend in their non-physical Form, which resembles a small ball of light, about the size of an apple. This form is generally perceived to be a representation or even materialisation of their soul.

Ecology and Habitats

They life in the woods of Esterya and are the ones guarding them against any intruders who might harm their home. When they, for whatever reason, leave the woods, they can only do so for a limited amount of time, because their souls and thus their entire being is connected to the forest. It is their source of energy. They need it to survive and especially to use their magic.

Dietary Needs and Habits

They do not have bodily needs like other humanoid species, such as sleep or hunger, which is why do not need to eat. They merely need to recharge their magical and spiritual energy every once in a while, which they do by draining the energy from another beings soul, which can then never find its way into the afterlife and instead just vanishes completely. To get these souls, they lure humans or Shadowkeepers deep into the woods, enchanting and clouding their minds to make them abide to their every wish, until they finally drain the souls from their bodies. Most often their victims are young men, enchanted by the beauty of a dryad's physical form and of course their magic, but they can technically find ways to lure anyone into the depths of the woods. Be it children, confusing them with fairies from their fairy tales or adult men seeing them as nothing more and nothing less than a beautiful young woman.

Additional Information

Geographic Origin and Distribution

While they can be found in practically all forests of Esterya, most of them live in The Eternal Forest, as it is closest to Yanwe, the giant tree from which they were once created, and it is also where Reyva, their mother and leader lives. The further you get away from Yanwe , the fewer Dryads you will find, leading many who even know of their existence to believe that there are no dryads in these forests at all.

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

Due to their strong connection with both the physical and spiritual realms of Esterya, they are able to sense the energy of souls.

Civilization and Culture

Common Taboos

Any interactions or even relationships with humans or Shadowkeepers are strictly forbidden. While they were rare already, as the dryads rarely ever came in contact with humans or Shadowkeepers, they became almost unheard off after dryads, more specifically those living in The Eternal Forest, decreased the frequency at which they would lure them into the woods.
However, if a dryad was to enter such a relationship, punishment would be hard and unforgiving. Reyva herself, the mother and leader of all dryads, would take away and break the dryad's crystal, leaving her unable to ever take on a physical form again, and her soul to roam the woods in its purest, most vulnerable form, only to eventually vanish entirely after a short period of time. Their human lovers, if they could be found, were usually simply executed.
This was in part due to the dryads' belief that any human or shadowkeeper would only do damage to the forest, as it had been the case many times in the past, the prime example being the clearing out of the entire Duskvalley, which was once part of The Eternal Forest. Another reason is that they want to keep their existence mostly secret to avoid any possible conflicts with other species.

History

The Dryads have always lived very secluded from the world outside their woods, and still do so to this day. They never cared much about events in the world, as long as their sacret homes were save, and kept their existence secret, especially from humans, which lead any reports of encounters with dryads to be written off as hallucinations or straight up lies. For most humans, dryads are nothing more than a fairy tale you tell children to keep them from going to deep into the woods.
They almost always had a rather close relationship with the Shojorin, mostly because their tribes live in The Eternal Forest as well, and many centuries ago they even made a pact with them. They would protect their settlements from the harsh conditions of the extreme winters that were common at that time, basically creating an eternal cycle of spring, summer, and fall, and after the great war even created a protective, magical barrier, that would keep the Shojorin safe and secluded from the outside world. In turn the Shojorin would have to sacrifice two of their younger members every year, so that the dryads could use their energy. The dryads are also the only ones who can pass this barrier without a problem.
Pacts with the Shojorin are generally nothing uncommon for the dryads. For example they were also the ones, to grant Ivys, the king of the Shojorin, immortality in turn for him sacrificing one of his subjects every about 100 years, so that the dryads could transfer the life-energy from the sacrifice to Ivys himself, further prolonging his life.

Interspecies Relations and Assumptions

They keep themselves mostly seperated from the world outside the woods. Any interaction with humans or Shadowkeepers is strictly forbidden. Merely the dryads living in The Eternal Forest have a close relationship with the Shojorin, especially since their pact with them to protect their lands from winter's cold.

Lifespan

Immortal

Average Physique

In their physical form, resembling young women, their upper bodies, their throats and even parts of their cheeks look like they are covered in the bark of trees, and ivy grows around their hips, reaching down like a skirt.
They usually have really long hair, sometimes even reaching down to theirs toes, which can have the color of any flower growing in the woods. Around their head grows a crown of flowers and small twigs.
All of them wear a necklace holding their crystal, which is the only thing which is always there, no matter which physical form they choose. Much like Solyrium, the ore found in Yanwe's veins, the crystals glow almost as bright as sunlight, however in this case the glow comes not from captured sunlight, but rather from the souls held within itself.
Aside from their Crystal's, the only other thing that can identify them as dreads, eve. when they take on a human form, is the bright golden colour of their iris.