Forest Spirits

Forest Spirits are a species created by Specter. Although the idea for them came out of GGaD, they also exist as a standalone species and several characters belong to it.

They have a similarity to nymphs and dryads fom mythology, but Forest Spirits are considerably more specifically developed. The mythological species were not referenced at the time of creation.

Hierarchy
Forest Spirits don’t exactly have a hierarchy, but they classify themselves by generations. The higher the number, the weaker they’re considered to be (a 3rd generation Spirit is not as strong as a 2nd generation one, in turn less powerful than a 1st generation one). Normally, there is some respect between all Forest Spirits, but some might hold slight contempt for or look down on others of lower generations.

First generation Spirits are the truly “pure” ones in a sense (see Background/History section for more info). Second generation Spirits are born from either two 1st gen parents or a 1st gen with a 2nd gen combination. The same pattern is found in all Forest Spirits. The children will hold a lower gen number than their parents’ if both are the same. If mismatched, they will keep the generation number of the lower-ranked parent.

Half-human Forest Spirits are an absolute rarity, and not included in the hierarchy, as most of the time hybrids with this race included will not exist and if they do it’s generally because of magic tampering. They’re considered to be faulty beings. They will be either human or Forest Spirits, and the same goes for other race types.

It goes almost without saying that this way of classification is mostly applied in situations where “colonies” of Forest Spirits live together, which does not happen a whole lot.

Typical Appearance
Forest Spirits have humanoid bodies, but some traits which show they aren’t human might be visible. These may include certain animal parts, like an extra pair of ears (mostly aesthetic), pupil shapes, horns/antlers… It might also include traits like flowers blooming from the hair, or pointy ears, or maybe veinlike markings on the skin. In general, even if not clearly visible, Forest Spirits have a feel that makes them seem like the beings of nature they are. They’re also often considered to be “beautiful” in terms of human standards if one doesn’t count the extra traits.

All Forest Spirits have a certain kind of mark on them. This mark is almost like a tattoo just a bit darker than the skin colors. It is shaped in intricate swirly patterns, sometimes abstract, sometimes forming the outline of leaves and flowers. The size of the mark--and the number of it present too--varies at random. Its placement is also random. It might show up on a cheek, both arms, spanning down a side, covering the entire back, or anywhere else in the body. The mark reacts to magic used by the owner by glowing neon green.

Forest Spirits’ colors, if not influenced by parent genetics, match that of their forest a lot of the time. Darker skin is common, for example, and darker shades of hair too. Natural hair color also includes green shades and fades. Snowy areas might cause lighter patches of hair or white present somewhere.

Forest Spirits have green eyes in varying shades which turn brighter if they’re near nature. Sometimes special cases happen which result in differently colored eyes, but these change to green anyway if near nature.

Large amounts of harm done to their parent forest will show as physical wounds which heal slowly. If said harm damaged the forest too much or left a persistent effect, the wounds will become unhealable. Burn marks or deep cuts are the most common injuries. A theory is that these cannot heal due to having damaged the psyche of nature represented by a Forest Spirit.

Personalities
Their personalities are different and quite varied. Some common traits seem to be curiosity and ingenuity. As with all beings, a Forest Spirit’s personality is influenced by experiences and relationships. However, the history or essence of their forest might have an effect on their attitude as well.

They will be always protective of their forest and have a positive look on nature. Their personalities seem to build around these main points, yet they end up diverse anyways.

Abilities
All of them have a natural aptitude when it comes to magic. It’s easy for them to learn and improve on it, and a lot of the time they are able to use basic forms of it without major training. If studied as a magical element, nature is the one for which Forest Spirits will have an affinity. However, even without these studies, all Forest Spirits can manipulate nature around them to varying extents. They’re strongly tied to the flora aspect of nature, even displaying some similarities to plants in certain cases, and more loosely to the fauna aspect. A Forest Spirit in the area will boost and vitalize plant growth near them. The opposite is also possible: a Forest Spirit can enhance themselves by consciously drawing out life (and therefore killing) from plant growth near them. However, just by being in an area with well-cared plants, Spirits will gain energy, reflected in their eyes. It is important to mention that their physical abilities are greater than that of humans. Their senses are exceptional as well (with some exceptions included). Despite not being trained, a Spirit’s stamina, strength, speed, and dexterity will surpass a human’s under normal circumstances. This applies to the senses as well, though, of course, exceptions apply.

Each individual possesses unique abilities not related to magic as well. These vary from person to person and might repeat at random. Just as they have unique abilities, they also have unique weaknesses which are not always tied to their natural origins.

Background/History
Forest Spirits don’t really have a history of themselves as a species, because they have just kind of *existed* for an extremely long time. There is a loose belief that they might have been created by a nature deity, but this remains unconfirmed and cannot be proven. They’re commonly confused with nymphs and dryads or other sorts of similar nature beings.

First generation Forest Spirits appear at random in forest biomes around the world. There is normally just one of them in select forests, but at times many more will appear and band together to form small communities among themselves. This might be tied to the size of the forest.

Forest Spirits are the “guardians” of their parent forest, meaning they will care for it and most of the time protect it from major external influences. Their life source is tied to the place, providing more motivation to care for it. It is uncommon and considered dangerous for a Spirit to spend a lot of time away from their forest.

While some are more reclusive and thoroughly dedicated to their duties, others choose to make visits to nearby towns or populated places. Some others may even travel farther. In any case, their humanoid appearances plus a bit of magic let them pass as humans most of the time. Rarely will humans find out that a Forest Spirit is among them.

Other Stuff

 * Their souls don't go to the Underworld after death. Instead, it ceases to exist as a being to return to their forest's life force. It essentially disappears.
 * The exception to this rule is when there is more than one Forest Spirit linked to the same forest. In that case, all but the last remaining one may pass on to the afterlife.
 * Unwilting flower patches often bloom over and around the place a Forest Spirit died or is buried.