Kaede of the Grove

[Rylok]

__________________QUICK STATS
Name Kaede of the Grove family
Age 132 years old
Gender Genderless, female presenting
Species Sugar Maple Tree Spirit
Ethnicity Adelan
Height
Dryad: 7' tall
Humanoid form: 5' 4"
Deer form 5' at shoulder with antlers reaching up to 6.5' tall
Occupation Family Guardian Spirit, Grove Spirit
Residence Draconi Forest, the Grove household, and a shrine in Ketra

__________________IN-DEPTH STUFF

Physical Description
Dryad form: The tall, genderless tree spirit has eight long, clever fingers on each hand that resemble twigs. Its skin is barklike in texture, grey, and resembles the sugar maple that it calls home. Its body is study, but gives the impression of roundness. Its facial features balance human and elven and are androgynous, though very delicately do. The impression could be of a young teen male or a young adult woman. The spirit's head it capped with a tiara of small branches that bear leaves in the spring, summer, and autumn. It wears its hair in a long braid down to the middle of its back. Its hair appears to be coarse and green, changing shades with the seasons. In the spring, it is a bright, light green. It is dark and glossy green during the summer. During the fall, streaks of orange and yellow dart through the braid, and in the winter, all of the dryad's hair turns a greyish brown with streaks of silver.

Humanoid form: Kaede presents as a human female when in a humanoid form. Her skin is tanned and marked with freckles. Her eyes are a deep, solemn brown, and her hair is long, red, and curly. She dresses very formally, wearing elegant robes and dresses. She magically keeps them clean and often carries an air of dignified curiosity. Her hair is often pinned back or braided and Kaede will frequently braid twigs purposefully into her hair.

Deer form: The pony-sized stag has a mix of cervid species blended into one clearly otherworldly form. The deer has a white tailed deer's delicate facial structure, but an elk's antlers and mantle of shaggy fur around its neck and withers. Its hooves are splayed like a moose and its rump is rounded like a caribou. Unlike actual deer, the spirit stag has a long, lionlike tail that ends in a tuft of fur that changes color with the seasons. The antlers of the stag curve back and up in an elk-like crescent and are wound with a flowering vine that mimics the seasons. In the spring, the ivy drips with strongly sweet scented flowers. In the summer, they are bristling with dark, glossy green leaves. In the fall, the leaves turn a flaming orange color. In the winter, the leaves dry and shed, leaving curling black-brown vines around the antlers. Streaks of color in the deer's fur mimic the colors on the vine and seasonal change: pink, green, orange, and black.

In every form she takes, Kaede wears a hand carved maple leaf pendant on a braided leather cord as a necklace. This pendant is carved from her home tree and acts as an anchor for her, letting her travel outside of her grove. Should she lose it, she will be instantly transported back to her grove and unable to leave the family's land.

Personality Kaede is very stoic and patient. She has seen many seasons come and go since her tree started forming. She is new to being something other than a rooted tree and is interested in seeing the world she only once heard described by the wind, birds, and Grove family.

Magic/Abilities
Limited Blessings: Kaede is a benevolent spirit who can grant small blessings to people she deems worthy. She can't bring a miraculous harvest, but she can make a garden healthy. She can't make someone fabulously wealthy, but they may have a bit of extra luck after meeting her. Her blessings aren't life changing, but rather life enriching.

Lifespeak: Beyond Beastspeak, Kaede can also communicate with plants

Shape changing: Kaede has three main forms that she can take, but she's also able to shapeshift as necessary. Each form has the distinctive seasonal color streaks that her deer form has.

Relationships
Tomalkin Grove ----
Faera Grove       |------------The entire Grove family gives her patronage
Sienna Grove      |
Garamin Grove -----

History
Kaede 'woke up' about fifty years ago, but was aware of all of the previous years from her seedling sprouting to that moment. Her awareness was a gift from worship. The Grove family of farmers had been coming to the grove of maple trees in the Draconi woods since they settled in the area. They would harvest sap each spring and fall from the trees, collect dead wood, and leave an offering of baked goods, the blood from a hunted animal, and a taste of maple syrup from the previous year's harvest. This dedication and worship at the largest tree, Kaede's tree, resulted in the growth and development of the tree spirit. She awoke and presented herself to Markus Grove, grandfather of the current family head. The relationship between the spirit and the family grew stronger as they continued worshipping her and bringing her offerings. In return, she strengthened the trees in the grove to give an abundant supply of sap for their syrup refining, drew in healthy animals for the hunt, and would protect the younger members of the family if they wandered into the forest alone. The headship of the family passed from Markus to Timon, from Timon to Tomalkin, and would soon pass from Tomalkin to his son Garamin. The family has indicated that they want Kaede to be happy as well, so when she expressed a desire to travel with them to Ketra and see more of their world, they have happily agreed. Tomalkin crafted her maple leaf pendant, giving the family's blessing for the spirit to wander the world so long as she would return in the fall and spring for the traditional harvest.

__________________THREAD TRACKER
Current Threads
From the Forest It Came

Complete Threads