Elmshrub, Branchbearer of Chaos
Elmshrub is an enigmatic Archfey whose form resembles a walking, ancient shrub of elm leaves, bark, and vines. Despite his diminutive and unassuming appearance, he wields considerable influence in the Feywild. His domain is the Whispering Thicket, a dense forest filled with magical flora and fauna that can be as mercurial as its ruler. Elmshrub is known for his unpredictable nature, his deep connection to the Feywild’s essence, and his grudging alliance with Rumnarrom.
Mental characteristics
Personal history
Elmshrub’s history begins in the earliest days of the Feywild and was birthed from the chaotic magic that wove life into its heart. Like a few of the Archfey who do not claim grandeur, Elmshrub began as a simple elm sapling and was nourished by wild magic and the raw chaos of the Feywild. Over centuries, he grew sentient, absorbing the secrets of the land and forming a deep and created an almost inseparable bond with the forest that became his domain. Elmshrub avoided the schemes of more ambitious Archfey preferring solitude and the quiet hum of the living woods. His growth into an Archfey was marked by his ability to command the forest which allowed him to shape it as an extension of himself. His greatest strength lay in his subtlety. While other fey engaged in wars or court intrigue Elmshrub’s power was unnoticed until it became indispensable. The creatures of the forest revered him as a shepherd, and his mastery of fey plants and creatures within his domain turned it into an impenetrable sanctuary.
His relationship with Rumnarrom is a complicated and begrudging tale. When Rumnarrom first entered Elmshrubs domain he resisted, unknowing of this creature and the threat that he posed. The cat’s persistence, cleverness, and wit eventually wore him down though he agreed only with significant reluctance and allowed the curious cat entry into his domain. For years, the cat wandered throughout the forest to take in the environment and scenes, tricked an air elemental into becoming his backpack, and eventually befriended some of the eladrin and elven patrons of the forest. It was sometime later that through a twist of fate or sheer luck the cat came across children being ferried and hunted within Elmshrubs domain. This provided the cat with a perfect ulterior motive.
Appealing to Elmshrub’s sense of duty and pride as a protector of the forest upon encountering the hunted children, Rumnarrom made a promise to drive off these pursuers in exchange for Elmshrub’s help. After a small amount of time, the forests that Elmshrub called home became safe and unobtainable once more and he persuaded Elmshrub that creating a weapon from his essence would strengthen the Feywild’s defenses against future intrusions. Elmshrub, begrudgingly impressed, agrees seeing the weapon as a necessary sacrifice to preserve balance and deter future threats and offered his finger up to become a pact weapon of the first mortal feywarden that was a young girl simply called "Scraps". Elmshrub now stands as an enigmatic force in the Feywild, guarding his domain and watching from the shadows. His children, the monstrous blooms and creeping vines of his forest, remain his protectors and the manifestation of his enduring will.
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