Many across Aeternum believe those we call "Dryads" to be no more intelligent than an animal in the wild, living by pure instinct. How, then, do they create the weapons with which to defend themselves? They respond with examples of the shrike bird impaling its prey on sharp sticks. But while the shrike may indeed stab its prey on a point, it does not create the tool it uses, only what is found!\nYears of observation of these Dryads has led me to the conclusion that they are far more intelligent than others believe. I've not seen a Dryad create their weapon, but I see that they carry weapons of a variety of sizes and designs. I've never heard a Dryad communicate, but their behavior suggests that they must, in some form unknown to us.

A journal, lost by Survivalist Langlais

Underestimated Intelligence

The Dryads appear to be nomadic in a way, traveling from distant places to reach these swamps. Most would not be able to tell them apart, but in watching them, I've noted the differences in their composition, and have traced their origins all across the island. This travel seems cyclical in nature, with a new group arriving every few months. Pliny the Elder wrote of elephants, reporting that they would ritually bathe each other to celebrate the new moon. Mayhap this rite is like that of the elephants, guided by a measure unknown to us?\nBut what drives this slow Promenade toward Reekwater? Is it some form of pilgrimage? Or is there something else to it? I've attempted to find evidence that Dryads leave this place to travel elsewhere, and have yet to find any evidence of that. And as Reekwater is not overrun with Dryads in every nook, the only theory remaining is further proof of their level of intelligence: a knowledge of death, and a desire to do so in a designated place.\nBut death holds almost no power here on Aeternum. What, then, is the purpose?

The Promenade

Notably, I have yet to see a Dryad create a structure of any kind. Birds build nests, humans build homes, ants will dig tunnels for shelter... but Dryads do not. Given that they have no organs we can identify, being made of stone and branch and vine, perhaps they have no need. But this does not mean they are unaware of the concept of construction.\nOne construction draws the attention of Dryads more than any other, and these places are where the highest populations can be found: ruins of the Ancients. Their vines twist through the stones, slowly breaking apart that which has weathered time and storm and events unimaginable. Some travelers have even mentioned seeing Dryads use their weapons in an attempt to break the Ancient stones.\nBut why? What motivates this behavior? They do not dismantle our villages, or seek out our hideaways. If they were human, I would propose that they seek to destroy all evidence of the Ancients, much as Scipio Africanus set his torch to Carthage. Events in the past, long before our reckoning, may have caused this enmity. We may never know the full story, but we must seek to find all we can.

Vindicta Aeternum

Imbued with the powers of azoth this swamp holds mysteries untold

On The Dryads Chapter - NWGuide Database of Lore

Images

Comments