Sylfaura

THERE IS A FOREST AS OLD AS TIME, AS DEEP AS
the darkest sea, and as beautiful as a song. It rests upon land between The Feywild and The Prime, both there and here all at once, like a bridge between realms, reality and dreams.

In the forests very midst is a great old oak tree, and in the tree lives a dryad - the first of her kind. A watchful guardian of her forest, they call her The Mother, wise and beloved. But what mother would she be, if she children had none?

Planting four seeds around her tree, she sang for them day and night, and up rose the Sylfaura, her children, her people, she was oh so proud.

"Rise up, my beloved, go discover at the world! Then when you're done, please, return to me, let me hear all your stories, tell me your tales... For even though I cannot leave you, my darlings, will always be free."

—Taima, The First of Sylfaura

Returning Home

According to sylfauran lore, when they die, they return home; home to The Mother and creator of the first of their kin. By her side, they will tell all stories of their life and what they've been through before being born again.

They don't bury their dead, as their bodies are of plant matter they will be one with nature, leaving little to no trace behind. It is instead custom to pick a petal or leaf of a loved one and conserve it in a resin made out of sap, worn as jewelry in their memory.

Sylfaura Names

The Sylfauran people like keeping their names short and simple, more often than not of sylvan or elven nature but with little real meaning to them. The name they carry are names they choose for themselves upon becoming sentient, though many change their names as they grow older or as they go through great changes in life. It's not unusual for a sylfaura to have gone through five names or more in their lifetime. They care little for gender and most of their names are genderneutral, even if some do take on gender identities from the cultures they spend time in and pick names to reflect their identity accordingly.

Sylfaura have no true family names, though at times sylfaura wandering together may give themselves a clan or tribe name to make their interactions with other folks easier. These names are often in common, putting two words together, and based of the clan's virtues or looks.

• Sylfauran Names: Tu, Mim, Sai, Maié, Etau, Seela, Ven,
  Nane, Eikas, Bryn, Fora, Min, Selui, Fern, Lele, Koda, Pine, Luk, Ali, Lim, Dana, Otus, Tem, Ori, Nia, Ani, Simni, Jen, Lova, Siri, Kip, Mia, Jun, Kelli, Yras, Maki, Roska, Pip
• Clan or Tribe Names: Greenleaf, Twinklebeam, Berryred, Merryroots, Leafsky, Wanderfar, Greystem, Willowhisper, Thornrose, Yellowthorn, Petalwhite, Lilyred, Graymoss, Cherrysong, Twistyleaf, Wildgrass, Raindust, Goodberry

Creating a Sylfaura

First, consider what kind of plants you would like to base your sylfauran character of, and what major group of plant these plants belong to; Angiosperms, Bryophytes, Pteridophytes or Gymnosperms. Each subrace of Sylfaura belong to of one of these groups, and each subrace is diverse in its own right. You don't have to make them based of only one specific rose, as mixes and cross-breeds between
several types of plants are common, as long as they
all belong to the same major group.

Next, consider where they first came to be. Were
they planted in a wast desert, in a forest or in a
tropical jungle? What kind of roads have they
been wandering? Did they wander with their
tribe or alone, and what was this like for them? How
many names has your sylfauran character had, and
where did the different names came from? What
made them leave some behind?

Finally, consider which societies they have been in
contact with, and what kind of cultural traditions and norms they have picked up. Do they associate themselves with a binary gender, or do they prefer to be preceived as nonbinary?