Celyndor: Difference between revisions

No edit summary
No edit summary
Line 60: Line 60:
*Twilight Beneath the Canopy – The forest floor is often shrouded in dim light, illuminated only by bioluminescent fungi and occasional breaks in the trees.   
*Twilight Beneath the Canopy – The forest floor is often shrouded in dim light, illuminated only by bioluminescent fungi and occasional breaks in the trees.   
*The Ever-Present Whisper – The rustling of leaves and the groaning of old branches create the impression that the forest itself is breathing.
*The Ever-Present Whisper – The rustling of leaves and the groaning of old branches create the impression that the forest itself is breathing.
|Inhabitants=Celyndor is home to four distinct peoples, each tied to a different aspect of the forest.
|Inhabitants=Celyndor is home to four distinct peoples, each embodying a different aspect of the forest’s balance.


=== The Dralvir ===   
=== The Dralvir – Guardians of the Old Growth ===   
The Dralvir are large, solitary beings with antlered crowns and bark-like skin. They are the oldest protectors of Celyndor, watching over sacred paths and guiding travelers through the forest. Though slow to act, they are nearly impossible to stop once they are stirred to action. They are most commonly found where the pine forests of the north transition into the broadleaf woods of the south.
The Dralvir are large, solitary beings with bark-like skin and antlered crowns, resembling the great trees they protect. They are the oldest sentinels of Celyndor, watching over sacred paths and shielding the deep woods from harm. Though slow to act, they are nearly impossible to stop once roused.


=== The Thryssin === 
The Dralvir are most often found where the northern pines give way to the southern broadleaf forests, serving as wardens of the land’s transitions. Some claim that their very presence strengthens the trees around them, preventing decay and ensuring the endurance of the ancient groves.
The Thryssin are a semi-arboreal people adapted to life in the towering pines. They possess long, flexible limbs for climbing and keen senses that allow them to detect the faintest movements in the misty forest. Their settlements are built high among the trees, connected by woven bridges and branch tunnels. They are territorial and rarely welcome outsiders into their domain.


=== The Velkyn ===   
=== The Thryssin – Keepers of the High Canopy ===   
The Velkyn are a plant-like people who exist in deep symbiosis with the forest. Their bodies are interwoven with vines, moss, and bark, and they do not walk so much as grow within their chosen glades. They serve as the keepers of the land’s memory, with their sap carrying knowledge passed down through generations. Some remain rooted in place, acting as living archives of forgotten history.
The Thryssin are a semi-arboreal people, adapted to life high among the towering pines of Northern Celyndor. With elongated, flexible limbs and keen senses, they move effortlessly through the branches, rarely touching the forest floor.


=== The Kaethari ===   
Their settlements are woven into the trees, connected by suspended bridges and branch tunnels, hidden from those who do not belong. Highly territorial, the Thryssin guard their domain with precision, striking unseen from the heights when threatened. Though reclusive, they are unparalleled in their knowledge of the canopy and its inhabitants. 
The Kaethari are nomadic shapeshifters, existing between the mortal and wild aspects of Celyndor. Some appear mostly human with subtle bestial features, while others take fully animalistic forms. Their connection to the forest is fluid, allowing them to move freely between its many regions. They are both feared and revered, seen as omens of nature’s will.
 
=== The Velkyn – The Rooted and the Wandering === 
The Velkyn are a plant-like people who exist in deep symbiosis with the forest, their bodies interwoven with vines, moss, and bark. They do not walk as others do; instead, some remain rooted within their chosen glades, while others move deliberately, growing with each step. 
 
They serve as keepers of the land’s memory, their sap preserving knowledge passed down through generations. The oldest among them are living archives, containing fragments of history woven into their being. Some Velkyn wander between the groves, while others have remained in place for centuries, becoming part of the landscape itself. 
 
=== The Kaethari – Wildborn of the Shifting Woods ===   
The Kaethari are nomadic shapeshifters, existing between the mortal and wild aspects of Celyndor. Some bear only subtle bestial traits, while others fully take on the forms of wolves, stags, or great hunting cats.
 
They are fluid in their connection to the forest, moving freely between its many regions, never bound to one place for long. The Kaethari are both feared and revered—omens of nature’s will, appearing where the forest's balance shifts. Some say their presence heralds change, while others believe they are the embodiment of the land’s untamed spirit.
|Native Spirits=The spirits of Celyndor are woven into the fabric of the forest, their presence felt in the rustling of leaves, the shifting of roots, and the quiet stillness beneath ancient boughs. They do not govern the land, nor do they command its growth—they are the forest itself, bound to its endless cycle of renewal and decay.
 
=== Nascent Spirits – The Whispering Growth ===
Nascent spirits are young, fleeting entities tied to seasonal change, new life, and momentary events within the woods. Many exist only briefly, dissolving as their purpose fades.
 
* Bramblings – Tiny, flickering spirits that form when new shoots break through the soil. They vanish as soon as the plant takes root.
* Emberwights – Spirits of fallen leaves, their brief lives measured in the time it takes them to drift to the ground.
* Hollowkin – Soft voices that echo from inside dead trees, lingering until the wood crumbles into earth.
 
=== Mature Spirits – The Keepers of the Wilds ===
Mature spirits are more stable, manifesting within the deep groves, ancient trees, and unseen corners of the forest. They maintain the natural balance, neither guiding nor resisting change—only ensuring that the cycle continues.
 
* The Mossborn – Spirits that settle in places where decay and growth intertwine, ensuring the return of life from death.
* The Glenwardens – Silent sentinels of the deeper woods, their presence marked by sudden hushes in birdsong or the feeling of unseen eyes watching from the undergrowth.
* Rootmothers – Spirits that dwell within tangled roots and ancient trees, speaking only in slow creaks and groaning wood.
 
=== Ancestral Spirits – The Echoes of Deep Time ===
Ancestral spirits are rare, immense presences that predate memory, their influence stretching across the entire realm. Some say they are the oldest roots of Celyndor itself, others that they are fragments of Kaelthorin’s earliest thoughts.
 
* Varlith, the Slumbering Grove – Said to be a forest that dreams, shifting slowly over centuries. Trees that take root in its soil are believed to carry memories from before recorded time.
* Oranuun, the Hollow Stag – A vast, unseen spirit, felt only in the silence between great trees. Some claim it is the embodiment of every fallen monarch of the wild, forever walking unseen through the endless wood.
* Kaelthorin’s Breath – Not a singular spirit, but the collective force of the forest’s renewal, present in every seed that sprouts and every tree that crumbles. It is said that those who hear it gain insight into the deepest rhythms of the land.
 
The spirits of Celyndor are neither benevolent nor hostile—they are as indifferent as the turning of the seasons, patient as the growth of roots. To walk within the forest is to be among them, though few ever truly see them.
|Flora and fauna=Celyndor is home to a vast array of unique plant and animal life, many of which cannot be found beyond its borders.
|Flora and fauna=Celyndor is home to a vast array of unique plant and animal life, many of which cannot be found beyond its borders.