Quickbridge

Although the broad branches of the giant trees of the world of Jhembaz provide plentiful surfaces to build and live on, they are not always conveniently adjacent to each other, and it may be difficult to get from one branch to another. While there are various solutions to this issue—portals, flight, bending the tips of the branches themselves through some means—the cheapest and most common is the quickbridge.

The quickbridge is a living bridge that spans the distance between branches. Although of course ordinary nonliving bridges could in principle be constructed—and have been in the past, and in some places still are—, the quickbridge offers several advantages. For one, it is easier, albeit slower, to build. Building a normal bridge between two distant branches would require the builders to somehow support the middle sections until the bridge is built, and keep carrying in material to add to the structure until it spans the entire gap. Once the process of creating a quickbridge is initiated, the "building" takes care of itself, as the bridge grows on its own across the gap until it is firm enough to support travelers. Some guidance may be necessary to make sure the bridge grows in the right direction, but this is a relatively simple and undemanding process. Another advantage of quickbridges is that they generally require little maintenance; as living things they are self-repairing, within reason, and the most maintenance they usually require is if anything the occasional pruning to stop them from overgrowing the walkway.

Of course, the matter of supporting the middle until the bridge is complete is still a factor for quickbridges, but it is taken care of in several ways, depending on the variety of bridge. Some bridges dangle down from both sides of the bridge into the gap between them until they are long enough that the two sides can easily sway and grab each other, whereupon they essentially pull each other taut. Others avail themselves of lighter-than air gases, or of temporary tendrils thrown to branches above. Still others simply rely on magic.

When they were first developed, quickbridges required one or more wizards or others of applicable magical abilities, such as a vinesingers, to construct them. The wizard would carry out the enchantments to initiate the process and start the quickbridge growing, after which the bridge would carry out its construction on its own. Often wizards started the bridge on both ends at once, the intent being that the two ends would grow toward each other and meet in the middle. Now, while quickbridges can still be constructed this way, some enterprising wizards and wizard organizations have developed "germs" that they sell or otherwise make available, essentially premade and preenchanted buds or starter kits that can be used to create quickbridges even by those with no magical ability. The germ is placed on one end of the bridge's desired location—or, again, matching germs are placed at both ends—and it is triggered into growing into a quickbridge. The exact means of triggering vary; they may require the "feeding" of certain materials to the germ, or a pressure applied to certain parts of it, or something as simple as a magic word. While the development of quickbridge germs has certainly made their construction more accessible and convenient, it has not been without its downside. Failure to follow instructions may result in the quickbridge growing in the wrong direction, or in something even more disastrous, and if someone of mischievous intent gets their hands on a germ they can wreak considerable havoc with it.

There are many varieties of quickbridge, having in common the fact that they are living bridges grown from the sides, but differing widely in the particulars. The two oldest and still most common kinds of quickbridge are woody quickbridges created by inducing the trees themselves to grow new extensions in the desired direction, and fibrous quickbridges made up of vines that intertwine and interlock into a solid, stable surface—it is widely believed that the original quickbridges took one of these two forms, but there is considerable dispute as to which. Since then, many other varieties of quickbridge have been created, many of them local to specific regions. Some quickbridges are formed by floating spores that all move into place more or less simultaneously before growing and adhering to each other to form the finished bridge. Others are made of fungal matter rather than vegetable. The nation of Uktopi makes use of quickbridges made of animal tissue, but these are little used elsewhere—and outside Uktopi are generally considered creepy (and called names like "meatbridges" or "fleshbridges").

Some quickbridges may have additional enchantments or physical modifications to give them enhanced or additional uses. Some have moving platforms along their surfaces, to convey people from one end to the other without their having to exert their own energy to walk. Others have safety measures such as sticky tendrils that can shoot out to catch anyone who falls or jumps from them. Some are designed to only allow certain types of creature or person to cross them; anyone trying to cross the bridge who does not meet the prescribed criteria will be barred from entry—or, worse, may be allowed to cross partway but then dropped into the air when the bridge opens beneath them. Still others have enhancements that are purely sensory or aesthetic; they may, for instance, play music, or generate pleasant aromas.

In general, quickbridges are not conscious or intelligent; they are alive, but in the same sense as grass or mold is alive. There are, however, exceptions, the most notable being the Bridge of Tel Gadar which can and does hold conversations with those who cross it, and even has some spellcasting ability that it uses when it sees fit.