Spriggan

 

Physiology

Spriggan are humanoid tree people, with bodies of wood and sticky sap for blood. It is unclear whether they are properly a species unto themselves, or whether they are literal trees animated by spirits or faeries, or by the will of nature itself.

Spriggan do not have internal organs, and it is unclear how their eyes, ears or mouths work, or how they speak. Spriggan do not eat food the way other species do, but do need to allow the twisting roots of their feet to sink into the earth to absorb minerals and water from the ground for about an hour each day. The sap that seeps through them serves an analogous purpose to blood in other species; providing nutrients and energy. Serious wounds can cause them to 'bleed', just as with other species. While they do not have lungs, they do need to breathe, and they also require access to sunlight - extended stretches passed underground or indoors may limit their ability to restore derivatives, as determined by the Director.

Spriggan appearances vary wildly depending on the environment they come from. Some seem to be formed from tall, pine-like trees with dark brown bark and pine needles for hair, others are twisted and gnarled deciduous trees with broad leaves, and still others are narrow and flexible with wide palm fronds atop their heads. On average, spriggan stand 220 cm tall and weigh 85 kg.

Spriggan are gynandromorphic, meaning that each individual contains the entire set of organs necessary for reproduction. Within this unified gender, about one half of spriggan are monoclinous, meaning their flowering organs contain both stamen and pistil while the other half are diclinous, meaning they produce two sets of flowers; one set having stamens and the other set having pistils. Because of their unified biological gender, all spriggan are capable of autoreproduction. Some spriggan claim to be thousands of years old and while this seems improbable, their life cycle is estimated to be exceptionally long - at 15 years per cycle. Some suspect that spriggan believe themselves to have a continuity of existence with their direct ancestors. Perhaps they do.

Life Cycle

Spriggan do not take partners, and reproduction with other spriggan is an impersonal matter, seemingly carried out incidentally by insect pollination or the wind. It is not clear what the actual spriggan population is, because many spriggan seem never to uproot themselves, living their entire lives as though they are merely trees.

Spriggan who do choose to uproot themselves usually seem to do so around the time they reach adulthood - which for spriggan is near 60 years of age. Presumably these spriggan have self-selected due to an interest in engaging in organized society, and consequently they tend to integrate well - if slowly. They can establish legal identities, take jobs, have careers, and in some cases have even become renown and respected, rising to hold a high social status.

In old age, many ambulatory spriggan choose to retire to the wilderness, disappearing into the wilds where some say that they revert into a tree-like state, putting down roots and passing their final years motionless and silent before eventually dying, decaying and being reabsorbed into the earth from which they first sprouted.

Culture

Individual spriggan who choose to integrate with organized society have a strong tendency to conform with the cultural norms that surround them, and do not typically maintain a distinct spriggan culture of their own within that society. This may simply be because they are so rare that developing a self-sustaining spriggan culture within such a context would be extremely challenging. As spriggan have no family names, those who register legal identities will typically choose a first name - often from among the simplest and most common names from their region. It is typical for bureaucrats registering the legal identity of a spriggan to append a description of where they are from to their chosen first name.

In some remote rural and nomadic contexts, spriggan are much more represented in the population, and in these contexts, there is a diversity of spriggan cultures. Within this diversity there are a few commonalities; spriggan are less focused on wealth and property accumulation, and trade and development than other organized cultures. Consequently they also tend to be far less violent, and nomadic tribes with significant or majority spriggan populations are not typically invested in raiding or conquest. They are not typically led by warlords, and are more frequently lead by mystics.

Adjustments

Spriggan are intelligent, determined, patient, and focused, and have a long term perspective. They have increased Intelligence and Will and gain a bonus to their Concentration. That said, they are also cautious, and shy and suffer a penalty to their Confidence. Their large size and powerful limbs mean they do more damage, but are somewhat slow and easier to hit. They have the Barkskin perk, granting them additional protection as they age, and they are also immune to disease. All spriggan also start with Apprentice level of mastery and a free initial roll in the Mysticism - Natural skill field.