Sylvan

Sylvans are a species native to the planet Arboreum.

Known across Arboreum as the ‘Voice of the Forest’, or alternatively the ‘Guardians of the Forest’, each and every sylvan was created and nurtured by the Fairy Queen herself, by whom they are entrusted with the sacred duty of preserving balance across the planet. In her service, operating as the Verdant Veil, they safeguard the ecosystem not only from natural threats, but also from dangers from beyond their world, ensuring life remains in harmony.

Their culture is deeply rooted in giving back what is taken, healing what is harmed, and restoring balance through both magic and natural remedies. Many are skilled in potioncraft, being adept at creating salves, poisons and restorative brews.

Biology and appearance

The sylvans were carved by the Fairy Queen from Arboreum’s ancient forest trees, and through her magic they were granted life. Imbued by her spells and forged by nature, they are one with the forests they inhabit. Each leaf they possess, which they carry upon their wooden antlers, is said to be a gift from Mother Nature herself, bestowed by the Fairy Queen as a token for their loyalty and service.

The upper body, head, ears and torso of a sylvan are formed of living flesh, covered with fur, whilst their limbs, antlers and tails are grown from enchanted wood, seamlessly integrated with bark and branch. They are adorned with natural coverings of leaves that grow from their head and their lower torso, and their tails and hair are interwoven with foliage. They have wide, golden-brown eyes set within deer-like faces, framed by long ears and a soft black nose.

They dress primarily in garments crafted from natural materials, such as leaves, woven cotton, and other forest-grown fibres. Their clothing is simple yet functional, designed to blend with the woodland environment they inhabit.

Society and culture

Having been created specifically to protect the forests, the sylvans make up the vast majority of the Verdant Veil: a collective of druids devoted to the worship of Mother Nature and the service of the Fairy Queen. Their teachings emphasise that life and death are equal parts of a necessary cycle; that all things are borrowed from the soil, and must one day return to it. Birth – something which the sylvans do not experience themselves, being created rather than born – is considered a sacred event, and every new life is celebrated as a blessing from Mother Nature herself.

The Verdant Veil were a force for peace and for quiet worship, once – but that all changed after what they considered their failure to protect the faunicorns. The faunicorns were the brightest and purest of all Arboreum’s beings, but it was this very purity that captured the attention of dark forces, in particular the Order of the Event Horizon, who sought to capture and enslave the faunicorns at the behest of their master, Necronyx. The faunicorns’ decimation led the heartbroken Fairy Queen to send nearly all those that remained into exile, never to bless Arboreum with their beauty and light again. The loss of the faunicorns changed Arboreum and its people forever.

The flight of the faunicorns did not go unnoticed by those who sought them, but to where they had fled, none but the Fairy Queen and the Verdant Veil knew. Furious, the Order of the Event Horizon issued threats of escalating destruction: the burning of forests, the poisoning of food supplies, and the eradication of all life if their demands were not met. Despite this, the Verdant Veil would continue to resist those demands, standing firm in their vow to protect what remains of Arboreum at any cost.

And thus, over time, the nature of the sylvans has shifted. Though they are not inherently cruel, they have become more guarded, more reactive towards outsiders, their sorrow having hardened long ago into anger and suspicion. What was once an opening and welcome forest spirit has become something wary, shaped by loss, and determined never to let such devastation happen on its watch again.

Natural abilities

As the Guardians of the Forest, sylvans make for naturally adept fighters. Most are skilled with both blade and bow, and they are at their most dangerous when sniping from the treetops or cutting their enemies down from behind. They can also operate and mobilise themselves effectively in groups. Despite their many tactical advantages, however, sylvans do not take up arms gladly. They fight only to defend their forests, and they will bestow no peril upon those who come peacefully.

All sylvans possess a form of druidic magic, which they use primarily for protecting the forests and healing the wounded. Though most of them prefer the blade or bow, some sylvans focus on honing these innate magical abilities in order to fulfil something of a support role in their ranks instead. Additionally, sylvans also make for naturally gifted woodsmen and craftsmen. They construct their weapons themselves, first shaping spears, bows and blades out of the living wood of Arboreum’s enchanted forests, before imbuing them with a touch of the Fairy Queen’s magic in order to enhance their strength and resilience.

They are masters of camoflague, being capable of blending seamlessly into their surroundings, often neutralising threats before they are even aware of being watched. For larger, more dangerous incursions, they can quickly mobilise entire herds, working in unison to bring the threat down. Their senses are highly refined and attuned to the forests, with exceptional hearing and sharp eyesight that extends into the night. These heightened senses enable them to track movement and detect danger, even in the darkest of places.

Weaknesses

Despite their many strengths, sylvans do have several specific weaknesses.

As agile and quick-witted as they are, the sylvans’ wooden bodies are physically fragile. They are not well-adapted to close-range, one-on-one combat. Because of this, sylvans tend to keep to the shadows and treetops. When they must venture into the open, they do so in herds, relying on unity and coordination to overcome threats.

Being a half-plant species, they are also highly vulnerable to fire, and also to the effects of environmental pollution. Both are devastating to them. They are also quite susceptible to alien diseases, brought to the forests of Arboreum by unwelcome intruders. For this reason, even a virus as seemingly benign as the common could could decimate the sylvan population, if introduced to their world.