Mother's Helping Hand/School/Non-Humans/Races/Dryad
General information
A dryad is a tree tree spirit that lives in and protects a specific tree, woodland or forest, known as their protectorate. Normally considered to be very shy creatures, they become very aggressive when protecting what is theirs, or when under the mating urge.
Dryads feel an overwhelming need to mate once every ten years. During this time a Dryad becomes sexualy aggressive and seductive. They will do anything, shy of harming their chosen mate, to complete the mating ritual and produce offspring.
Dryads are extremely loyal to their friends and Ally's. Even going so far as to choose a single mate for as long as they both live.
Dryads can bestow a seed to a single chosen male, by pressing it into his chest and magically bonding it to his heart. As long as the males heart is true and he loves the Dryad, he will not suffer the effects of aging and gains all of the Dryads immunities. Should the male ever attempt to betray the Dryad or her protectorate, the seed will burst killing the male instantly. Should he or the Dryad stop loving the other, the bond will end, the seed will flush from his system and return to the Dryad.
A Dryad can't normally leave her protectorate or tree for more than twenty-four hours, however if she is traveling with her bonded male, she can do so indefinitely. She can also return to her tree with her bonded male, at will, instantly, regardless of how far she has travelled from it, by simply taking his hand and stepping into a nearby tree.
If a Dryad were to loose her bonded male, either by his death or her seed retuning to her, she will use her tree-stride ability to return to her tree alone.
Young Dryads, under the age of twenty. Live in their mothers tree. Once they reach their twentieth year, they are given a seed from their mothers tree and allowed to find their own place. They can choose to join their mothers protectorate under her rule or travel elsewhere to create their own. A Dryads protectorate starts as one tree and grows after each mating urge.
Racial Features
Dryads typically have skin and hair coloration similar to the bark and leaves of their tree. Their eye color varies depending on their moods: The default color is brown, blue for content, green for love or passion, yellow for wary or concerned, purple for curiosity or intellectual persuites and red for angry.
Dryads are always born female.
Lifespan
Dryads age at the normal human rate until they turn twenty, at which time they stop aging. They have no maximum life span, though they can die by other means.
Immunities and weakness
Dryads are immune to the natural elements, other than fire which greatly harms them, and are resistant to all forms of magical elemental injury, other than fire. They can heal from almost any physical wound except for injuries caused by cold-iron.
If a Dryads tree us destroyed she will die unless she possess a bonded seed. If the seed is in a male, he can sacrifice his bond and return the seed to her, or allow the seed to germinate inside him and be transformed into her tree. If the seed is in her possession, she can plant it to grow a new tree.
Lamptons
Due to their lifespan and unpredictable nature Dryads are not permitted to be Students, Faculty or Staff at Lamptons.
There are two Dryads who hold protectorates within Lamptons grounds. One protects the northern woods, she is an Oak. The other the schools orchards, she is an Apple Tree.
They are permitted to remain as long as they do not disrupt the school or it's residents. They alert the Headmistress before they begin their mating urge, so that accomodations can be made, and they never take a bonded male.