Song Druid 1483 Share Posted May 27, 2013 LM Edit:: Only playable by players approved by the leadership of the Druidic Order. This is already implemented Lore, I'm posting this for reference as well as helping people understand and see info about these interesting creatures. Feel free to post with suggestions or critique, or comments. Ents The Ents are mysterious creatures that are found within the forests of Asulon. Little is known about them, but they are often found near sacred groves or ancient trees, keeping them protected and free of chaos. But the tale of the first Ent is an interesting one. It is said that ancient Druidic magic runs deep within a certain tree that was older than time itself. The tree, far wiser than the entire forest, yearned to protect his kin. Therefore, legend says that when the stars aligned in the night sky, an acorn of gold was produced by the tree, and sprouted at the foot of its gargantuan trunk. Through the course of many moons, this seed grew and grew, until becoming a tree half as tall as the tree in which it spawned. However, this tree was different...its roots did not hold in the ground, and so it walked. It roamed the forest, searching for its purpose, and under the gentle guidance of the Eldertree, found human lumberjacks attempting to fell an ancient oak. Emitting a sound like nails on glass, the great being assumed its role as guardian of the forest, and tore through the men with unforgiving vengeance. And such is the story of the first Ent. ~A Druidic Text Ents are massive tree-beings that protect the forests. They make their presence known in times of great peril, or when they feel their charges are in the utmost danger, or threatened. There have been several sightings of Ents in world history, though some of the more recent ones were simply ancient husks with barely any cognition left in their elder minds. Take for instance, the great Serenity the Wise, who looked over Elandriel with her companion, the mysterious Spider ent. These beings were revered by the Druids as being the most sacred of guardians, and their actions regarded as will of the Druidic “Aspects”, or ancient Spirits, incarnations of Nature. More recent even, might be Treebeard, or Riel’a, the ent seemingly a charge of the Druids. The Ents rarely congregated, as they had a natural instinct to protect their own areas, but on rare occasions some might cross paths. Apperance Ents are generally very tall beings, made of wood and moss, leaves and branches. They have unique facial features, and two “trunks” for legs. Ents resemble trees that have stepped out of the ground and became lords of the forest. They tend to have beady eyes, and no visible ears (though they can hear!) Personality and Voice Ents are diverse, and have interests dependant on the land that they are serving. And while they seek to protect all natural life, they regard their own territory in highest priority. But they can display a wide range of emotions and intelligence, if anyone could stand to listen to an entire conversation for long enough! Ents are wise, and slow to speak. Realizing the dangers of hastily speaking, they all seem to take the notion of mulling over words too seriously. A single sentence uttered by an ent can last up to ten minutes. Depending on their mood, it can be shorter or longer. Most instances of decision making by ents have taken years before they have made them, which could be perhaps a gaping weakness-they do not believe in hastiness. Ents, while having differing personality traits, seem to all be quiet creatures naturally, spending time they aren’t roaming the forests pondering and philosophizing, as ancient minds tend to wander to greater questions that lesser beings cannot yet hope to comprehend. Many times Ents are mistaken for trees in the forest, as they are simply distracted by thought. Another great weakness of an ent is that grabbing its attention is quite difficult. Unless the forest cries out in pain, it tends to stand still and entertain its thoughts. Those in connection to nature have been known to coax two or three out of their ponderings though. The voice of an ent is deep, gravelly and low. Very distinguishable from any of the races (although two or three Orcs have made convincing Ent imitators). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_mGFY5Nbqk Language Ents can commune between one another through the language of the Ents, which is a throaty mumbling that also involves rustling their leaves. A side point, but relevant nonetheless. Strengths Being so massive that they can tower at fifty feet (and even higher), they have massive brute strength. A single being attacking an Ent would be utterly doomed. Ents in Asulon have torn down entire gates, in Anthos they have tossed dwarves like skipping stones and ancient texts even describe an Ent fighting a dragon. Weaknesses Being so large, it is inadvisable to use conventional weaponry against one. Siege weaponry would tear through them, but that is difficult to come by. In the old days of the forests, savages would shoot flaming arrows and arrows with fragile bottles of oil attached to set the beings ablaze. A fiery pitch could easily bring down a creature such as this. Falling in water weighs the Ent down if it falls horizontally. Once in Asulon the ent Riel’a had to be towed out of the ocean beneath Normandor’s bridge after being successfully knocked over the side. The water doesn’t kill the ent, but it incapacitates it as it is unable to push itself up under the weight. Winter is a terrible foe for an Ent. Icy lands are devoid of most Ents, only an Ent of pine could ever thrive in such an environment. When an Ent is injured, it must root itself in the ground to take in nutrients and begin the healing process. During this time it is totally vulnerable as it is almost a state of hibernation. Clever humans injured an ent and used their dogs to track it to its hiding place whilst it slept, burning it in the night. Creation Ents are children of Elder Trees, trees that have become so ancient and massive that they are self aware (though do not communicate with those who cannot communicate with them). The tree produces a special seed which must grow undisturbed for a period of time. Upon which the Ent arises, and the ent protects the forest surrounding the Elder Tree. In a way, Ents are an Elder Tree’s way of protecting itself from danger. 19 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
cmack1028 548 Share Posted May 27, 2013 Well written and well formatted, good job Arik. How many Elder Trees are there in Anthos, at least that we know of IC? I know the Grove tree is one, but are there others that could produce ents? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Song Druid 1483 Author Share Posted May 27, 2013 I'm working with the lore team currently on this, I had already planned for some different Elder trees on the Dev map, but, you know, stuff gets in the way. Original plan was for 5 Elder Trees, 5 Ents (excluding the 2 from Asulon). Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ĔṀĔŔĨĨČĶ 519 Share Posted May 27, 2013 I've been waiting to see official lore on these guys for a while, glad to see them implemented. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Song Druid 1483 Author Share Posted May 27, 2013 The issue with the Ents that concerns me is it is a pure powergame type of being. That meaning, it's really hard not to win in most anything. That's why I'm working to get their existence limited, and their roaming restricted slightly to reflect their territory. For any potential RPers of the 5 Ents, a tip I use personally when playing Riel'a is to threaten and intimidate by harming things around the person. Or if you must initiate combat with a person, I never seriously harm them. Just the other day I chucked Goldrim into a pond off a cliff. You have to go into the situation with a sort of "responsibility to RP for the opponent" mentality. We both know if you 1v1 an Ent character you're going to lose. But I do not have to act as if a menacing villain and crush you beneath my feet, no matter how capable I am. Does that make sense? Or am I just rambling :x 5 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
cmack1028 548 Share Posted May 27, 2013 Nope, makes sense and I know what you mean. Are you going to pick the players who can RP ents, or will there (god forbid) be an application to play them, or are they going to be for Druids only..? I'm just curious on how more ents may be introduced to Anthos because I'm very interested and would love to play one. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Song Druid 1483 Author Share Posted May 27, 2013 In my opinion if you're a good enough Rper you could play one regardless of whether you are a Druid or not. I think RP attitude would determine it for me if I was in charge of it personally, but at this time it is unclear if it is my decision. Up until this point though I have not allowed people to just Rp them, as there were only two notable Eldertrees in Asulon, Normandor and Ethanriel (Riel'a is born of Ethanriel). Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Major Dom 1297 Share Posted May 27, 2013 Out of curiosity, how would an Ent fare pitted against a skilled Golem? What are the advantages an Ent would have over such a construct? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Song Druid 1483 Author Share Posted May 27, 2013 Ents vary in size. But usually fully grown they reach like 50 feet, even higher in some cases, if you take the Asulon Ents like Serenity. It could be argued that a Golem has magically boosted strength, but I'm unaware of their actual size. I'd imagine a Golem would be more resilient, heavier to pick up, etc. I cannot give 100% feedback without more insight into golems which I admit I do not have. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
No_Mortale 54 Share Posted May 27, 2013 Very good piece of lore Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Salamandra 1133 Share Posted May 27, 2013 Ents vary in size. But usually fully grown they reach like 50 feet, even higher in some cases, if you take the Asulon Ents like Serenity. It could be argued that a Golem has magically boosted strength, but I'm unaware of their actual size. I'd imagine a Golem would be more resilient, heavier to pick up, etc. I cannot give 100% feedback without more insight into golems which I admit I do not have. Though I'm no Lago, I would guess an Ent would easily win in a battle against a golem. I believe the largest stone golem recorded was 9'0 tall, though golems can be made out of other materials. Considering how huge the Ents are and how they're smarter than golems, I have to vote Ent! :P A golem will not tire, though their limbs are very easily removed for those with the knowledge, and they can't really think on their own. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Major Dom 1297 Share Posted May 27, 2013 Ents vary in size. But usually fully grown they reach like 50 feet, even higher in some cases, if you take the Asulon Ents like Serenity. It could be argued that a Golem has magically boosted strength, but I'm unaware of their actual size. I'd imagine a Golem would be more resilient, heavier to pick up, etc. I cannot give 100% feedback without more insight into golems which I admit I do not have. Golems average around the size of large Orcs. Any larger and their soul cores would not be able to maintain control of the motor functions. If interested, you can find most of what you want to know about Golems here: http://lotc-wiki.wikidot.com/wiki:golems Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ever 2646 Share Posted May 27, 2013 A Wandering Soul asked me if a Dryad could bond to an Ent. Thoughts? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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