Defenders of the Forest - Liber Fanatica

Chapter X: Friends of
the Forest
Dr y a d s
Source: Old World Bestiary, pg. 30 and 92.
Co m b a t Ta c t i c s
Small groups of Dryads use ambush tactics to catch their prey
unawares. In larger battles, the whole forest seems to come alive
as Dryads fall swiftly and relentlessly upon invading armies.
1 Limbs of Wood: with unusual restraint, the Dryad
uses her hard limbs to block attacks as she seeks out
her opponent’s weaknesses.
Melee combat: Parrying Stance plus Aim
2-3 Deadly Embrace: the Dryad ensnares a foe with
cord-like vines and offers up the helpless victim to one
of her younger sisters, or sinks her own claws into its
flesh.
Melee combat: Grapple plus Manoeuvre or Damage
4-8 Slashing Branches: the Dryad reaps the soul blood of
her foes with scything branch-claws.
Melee combat: Swift Attack
9-10 Forest’s Fury: overcome with a lust for vengeance, the
Dryad attempts to bisect her opponent with a single,
powerful blow.
Melee combat: All-Out Attack
Br a n c h w r a i t h s a n d Wi n t e r Dr y a d s
Dryads believe that the only way Humans and Dwarfs can repay
their debt to the forest is with blood. Just as each felled tree contains
a part of the forest’s essence, every drop of blood contains
a portion of the mortal soul. Over many war-torn centuries, the
Dryads’ roots have been steeped in the blood of their enemies,
providing them nourishment and enhancing their power.
Many Dryads develop a taste for blood, compelling them
beyond the forest’s boundaries in search of prey. These wicked
creatures are known to the Wood Elves as “Winter Dryads”.
Some Dryads thirst so greedily for blood that they even turn
upon their Elven allies after becoming tainted by a malevolent
entity such as Cyanathair the Corruptor. Wood Elves have
therefore learnt that Dryads can never be trusted completely.
Elder Dryads, called Branchwraiths, become increasingly formidable
with age until they achieve demi-god status (see Drycha
sidebar). The accumulated soul energy consumed by Branchwraiths
and Winter Dryads enables them to mimic Humans and
Dwarfs with near perfect accuracy. They often disguise themselves
as lone maidens or children while younger Dryads hide
nearby in tree form waiting to ambush erstwhile rescuers.
Ma i d e n a n d Tr e e Fo r m s
Dryads are physical manifestations of the forest’s hatred for
those who would exploit or defile their domains. In their natural
forms, Dryads resemble supple tree creatures with long swaying
limbs and clawed fingers. At times they can also appear as
young Elven maidens with greenish (or brownish) complexions
and leafy hair. This Maiden form is often used in their dealings
with the Asrai, but is more typically employed as a seductive lure
for human transgressors.
Special Rules:
• Beguiling Song: In Maiden form, Dryads succeeding at a
Fellowship Test can lure trespassers into ambushes with their alluring
voices. Humans and Dwarfs within earshot of the Dryad
must pass a Will Power Test or move toward the enchanting
sound. Beguiled targets may attempt a Perception Test to notice
something “different” about the maidens’ appearances. Once
beguiled targets arrive within Charge distance, Dryads morph
into War Form (OWB pg. 93), triggering immediate Fear Tests.
To beguile female trespassers, Dryads disguise themselves as
young girls, knowing that women cannot ignore the sound of a
weeping child.
• Hide in Plain Sight: In Tree form, Dryads are able to blend
into the forest by standing motionless. Dryads may use their
normal Concealment (Ag +10%) at any time, without need for
cover in a woodland environment.
Dr y c h a
The world’s oldest and most formidable Dryad is a Branchwraith
named Drycha, who dwelled in the Loren long before the Elves
arrived and witnessed the virgin forest in its full splendour.
Drycha spoke against the original sylvan pact, and now blames
every incursion into the Loren on that ill-conceived agreement.
These days, Drycha pursues her own agenda independently of
the Asrai and is considered to be a “rogue” Dryad.
Before the beastlord Cyanathair was first defeated in -813 IC,
Drycha was bound within the Glade of Woe. Powerful magicks
unleashed that night freed Drycha to roam at will, and today she
ranges beyond the Loren to terrorise rural villages across Bretonnia
and the Empire. The majority of Loren’s Winter Dryads are
handmaidens to Drycha. Otherwise, Drycha’s closest ally is the
tainted Treeman Coeddil, who also inhabited the Glade of Woe
before Cyanathair’s defeat. Although Coeddil has stood dormant
for centuries, Drycha communes with him privately in his
Wildwood prison.
The Asrai suspect Drycha is trying to draw Loren into a larger
war, but they do not fully understand the Dryad’s motives. With
the help of an awakened Coeddil, Drycha could oust the Wood
Elves from Athel Loren and march the entire forest against the
kingdoms of Man. If this uprising came to pass, the earth would
be steeped in blood.
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