THE
DRASIL
("HISTORY
TREE") |
Drasil, or "History Trees", are large, dark, tree-like creatures that are known to mainly serve as protectors of Aohu'o Brownies living at the continent of Akdor. The rare Drasil that survive outside of Akdor serve as a memory storage for the people, due to their phenomenal, prodigious memories. Therefore, the Drasil have been appropriately dubbed "History Trees."
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Appearance.
Drasil look almost like giant trolls half turned into
oak trees. They are covered with thick,
golden-brown bark. The young look much like Brownies.
Instead of hair, they have twigs and leaves growing from their crown. They begin
life with two arms, but as they age, they often grow several more, branching out
of either the first two or out of their head. The Drasils' eyes are jet black
and twinkling, and sparkle beneath any light. They are set deep within their
heads, behind nailsbreadths
of bark.
Drasil leaves have a light green color, and are nearly as rough as the bark
itself. They are usually about one
palmspan wide. Upon close
examination of the leaves, one may notice fine, white bristles, with orange
tips. Being slightly cupped, they catch rain when it falls and it is absorbed by
the tendrils. The leaves always remain the same color and do not change in the
autumn, nor fall off in the winter.
Very rarely, about every hundred years, the Drasil bear flower and fruit. The
Drasil Flower is green, the same as the leaves, and about twice as large. It
resembles a green rose, though it blooms wider. The Drasil Fruit protrudes from
the center of the flower, when the flowers bloom. Drasil Flowers bloom anywhere
from three weeks to a month. If the blooms close, and the fruit still remains,
the bloom will fall from the tree and close tightly around the fruit. Otherwise,
the blooms remain until the next blooming.
Drasil Fruit, or Drasilia, as called by the Brownies,
may seem more like a nut than a fruit. It has an ovular shape, and a tough, dark
green shell. The shell is moist, not hard like a nut, and thick. It is very
coarse, and cannot be easily bitten into. The actual fruit is a pungent, tangy,
green substance. It is very soft, making it easy to scrape from the shell. The
seeds are small and simple. They are round, and are only a few grains apart in
either direction. The seeds are protected by the fruit, naturally, usually two
seeds to a fruit.
Special Abilities.
Drasil are often referred to as "History Trees", for they can communicate by
mind-pictures to those that touch their bark, even once they have taken root.
They have prodigious memories, so people will at times seek them out to shed
light on past events. This is their most efficient form of communication with
other races, as they cannot talk. They seem to have a sort of "language" used
between them, though it is not verbal. It is believed they communicate with
eachother by rustling their leaves a certain way. Another theory is that they
communicate with each other through mind pictures.
Territory.
Drasil mainly live on the plains of Akdor. There are a few more, however,
scattered about the world. This spread is usually thought to be caused by birds
transporting seed to other regions. The Akdor Drasil seem to to gather in the
center of the continent before taking root. Therefore, a large forest flourishes
there, and not only of Drasil Trees. Other Drasil may be found along the banks
of river on the continent, as the Drasil have a habit of taking root while
drinking.
It is also believed that a rare type of Drasil exists in the cold, far north of
the continent of Cyhalloi, called the Fir-Drasil. Narrations tell us that they
seem to have a similar symbiosis as with the
Akdorian Brownies, but
with the legendary half-wolves of the
ulvur.
Habitat/Behaviour.
In the war of humans against the
pendrowe
which destroyed the forests of central Akdor, only a few Drasil were left. Aohu'o Brownies
began to care for them, and a symbiotic relationship was born. Bands of
Aohu'o care for the
Drasil young, and adult Drasil protect and help the band. Now few Drasil survive
in the wild.
Drasil lack the intelligence of other sentient beasts on
Caelereth, but still are smart enough to
defend themselves, if need be. Young Drasil are as curious as a
Ximaxian cat, and may sometimes wander
into places unhealthy for a young tree. They can be sometimes mistaken by people
who have not seen them before as slow-witted Brownie
children.
It is told that a rare type of Drasil, the legendary Fir-Drasil, dwells in the
far north. These Fir-Drasil are said to have long connected with the
ulvur, a wolf-man species of the north of Cyhalloi. As
the story goes, in ages past forgotten Brownie
travellers came to the northern Cyhalloian continent to explore. With them, they
bought five Drasil seeds. Unfortunately, the tiny travellers couldn't survive in
the Harsh weathers of the North, but their seeds were spread about. Those five
trees became spiritual guides to the ulvur, and often
helped them to the earth which they so
love.
Diet.
Drasil do not eat as we do, but absorb
sunlight and drink water instead, much
like a tree. Drasil enjoy temporarily rooting themselves at riverbeds where the
soil is rich, and water flows freely. They
absorb also rainwater, with the use of
their leaves.
Mating.
Drasil do not mate and are sexless. They instead produce seeds, which, when
ready, sprout into a young Drasil. Seed production is rare, with a normal Drasil
ripening seeds only once every hundred years or longer. If the fruit does not
fall from the tree, the seeds inside will be of no use, and will not grow.
However, seeds that are removed from the flower produce seeds that will grow
into healthy, young Drasil.
Around a hundred seeds are produced, but few of these will see maturity, for the
youth of the race is quite fragile. The young are Brownie-sized,
but grow very fast, standing as tall as a young tree in fifteen years. They then
live for another 300 years, gradually losing mobility. Eventually, they take
root, becoming, the Drasil Tree.
Usages. Drasil are
often sought out by Brownies to shed light on past
events. Many have survived through generations of family disputes, civil
quarrels, and other petty arguments. Oftentimes, these disputes are settled by a
member of a group, such as a head of a family or organization, going to a Drasil
to acquire the truth. Drasil never forget, and always show things exactly how
you want to see them. This has always been a gift for historians. Anyone who
might wish to see a battle, or a landscape before a great change, has an open
window to the past.
Drasil fruit is harvested and collected by the
Aohu'o Brownies when they
do not fall from the tree. These fruits are ripe, and are eaten by the brownies
as a Brownies.
Origin.
Long ago, around about the time of the sundering of the lands,
Birni Lifemages
created many creatures with their magics to protect their empire from the forces
of nature. Among these were the Drasil, adapted from trees and made to be
guardians. Brownies are too small to protect themselves effectively from
predators, but a Drasil was able to sieze a bird of prey in mid-dive, and was
equally effective against other predators. Together with the Redbarks of
Birn
and the other adapted creatures, they made a security net that allowed
Birn to
thrive. After the fall of Birn, Drasil were scattered, purposeless - until they
were found and adopted by bands of the
Aohu'o Brownies.
Researchers.
Because of the peculiar nature of the Drasil, quite a lot of scholars have
endeavored to study this fascinating creature. Ironically, the most information
gathered on the Drasil was gathered in places where they are rare.
Unfortunately, although they did come up with some beneficial facts about the
Drasil, their research could not go far without assistance. Since Drasil can
only communicate what they have seen through mind pictures, researchers have a
very limited knowledge of their lives. Besides that, all researchers are not
deemed trustworthy by the Drasil, and therefore receive no knowledge from them.
Researchers, then, mainly tend to acquire information second hand from the
Brownies who live in close contact with the Drasil.
A few researchers like the Avennorian
Hagelmar Rinnwin and his brother Jelmar produced quite interesting results with
their observations on Akdor nearly two millenia before our time, which they have
put into the their book "Drasil and Brownies - A Phenomenon". This book still
serves today as the main source of information on the Drasil and their
relationship with the Brownies written by the
researchers as they accompanied the life of the Brownies
on Akdor. The book is written from a Brownie's point
of view, and manages to open brand new perspectives on
Brownies and Drasil alike.
Myth/Lore.
Aohu'o Brownies
believe Drasil to be a physical embodiment of the spirits of rock, tree, and
stream. Because of this they hold them in high regard. The Drasil’s lack of
intelligence does not deter this belief, but rather reinforces the
Aohu'o understanding that
the spirits of rock, tree, and stream are difficult to appease, as well as being
difficult to communicate with. Shamans are seen as being the only ones with a
true understanding of both the ways of spirits and the ways of
Brownies. The religious fervency of the
Aohu'o may thus derive
from the very existence of Drasil.
Information provided by
Greybark
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