Oread

Oreads are a Nymph subspecies. They are the guardians of the mountains and high, rocky places of Cartyrion. Berdea was impressed by the raw beauty that the Creator of Worlds imparted, and did very little "greening" of these places. Nevertheless, he still felt they were deserving of guardians to preserve that awe-inspiring beauty. They are the rarest of the "guardian nymphs", and by far the most stoic.

Like the other "guardian" nymphs, both Lesser and Greater Oreads exist. Lesser Oreads are bound to a particular mountain, though not every peak on Cartyrion is graced with one. In fact, peaks that do not reach a height where trees and shrubs cannot grow will likely not have an Oread in residence. if an Oread is present, it generally keeps to the barren, rocky peaks; they will almost never be encountered where forests and meadows grow on the lower slopes. Greater Oreads claim entire portions of mountain ranges as their domains, and tend to be even more reclusive.

Oreads bear a resemblance to most other terrestrial guardian nymphs; they can easily be mistaken for Elves or Half-elves when encountered, though their complexions and even skin texture vaguely resembles the rock of their surroundings. Their features tend to be sharp, almost to the point of being harsh. While their cousins are often given to smiles and laughter as expressions of their appreciation for the beauty around them, Oreads are renown for never doing either. "As likely as an Oread's grin" is an expression used among the elves to state that something is essentially impossible.

Name

Oread (Lesser or Greater)

Type

Fey, Nymph

Gremlin Corruption

Rock Hag (Lesser)
Stygira (Greater)

Size

Medium, 5.5ft (165cm)

Habitat

Unommon: mountain peak
Rare: lower mountainside

Perhaps because of their association with the world in its rawest form - a form least altered by the Astralar that followed the Creator of Worlds, Oreads are more magically powerful than their guardian cousins. This did not keep them immune from the attentions of Corizzea; like all other Nymphs, the rival of Berdea corrupted some of these creatures into gremlin form. Unfortunately for the world, these gremlins retained much of the raw magical ability that their formers selves had been imbued with.

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Gamemaster Notes

Oreads tend to live in places where the Folk do not venture much. Among the Folk, the Awkwana have had the most exposure to them, as they tend to build their largest cities on the peaks of mountains - mountains massive and tall enough to be homes of Oreads or their Gremlin counterparts. It is unclear whether or not the Awkwana have actually displaced Oreads with their city building.

Since there are few threats to their homes, their duties as "guardians of nature" tend to be light. They spend much of their time using their magic to observe the world around them. As a result, Oreads are considered perhaps the greatest sages and oracles alive in the world. Adventurers may desire to seek one out to gain obscure knowledge or insight about situations or events that they become involved with. The Stygira - the gremlin form of Greater Oreads - are also renown for the oracular abilities they managed to keep despite their corruption, though the price for knowledge obtained from a Stygira will certainly be more dear than that from an Oread.
5E-compatible Statblock

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PF2E-compatible Statblock

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Credits

Side panel character images by RPGDinosaurBob using HeroForge
Banner map by RPGDinosaurBob using Fractal Terrains by ProFantasy and Inkarnate