Flora Sylvans

Flora Sylvans are one of the three castes of Sylvans supposedly created by the Fae Regent Mercier when she formed new bodies for her adopted children. Floras were believed to have been formed from the trees of the jungle themselves, and this is reflected in their long lives and forward-thinking philosophy.

One with Nature
Physically, Flora caste Sylvans are marked out from the other castes by their symbiotic plant that grows from their head, usually from behind their pointy ears. The plant is usually similar to the species that grow naturally in the Selva, but others have unique plants never seen outside the Faewild. Some have foliage, others bright flowers, and a rare few even have mushroom or fungus like symbiotes.

The symbiote doesn't talk to the Flora exactly, but it does grant them access to the secret languages of plants, able to communicate with them just as easily as each other. This also allows them to talk directly to each other's plant companions, much to the confusion of outsiders.

Wisdom of the Elders
Flora Sylvans grow slowly, like the giants of the Selva jungle. While they are physically grown after around 30 years, it takes around 100 years to form a strong enough connection with their plant in order to even begin to perceive the world around them. Before the connection is formed, Flora Sylvans are essentially comatose, all their energy going into building the working relationship with their plant.

Once they have grown together into one single being, Sylvan and plant are generally quite laid back, taking the long-view on life as they expect to spend close to a millennia in their world. They are the repositories of Sylvan knowledge, their long memories holding the songs and stories of their people. They also have a knack for language, and they are the most likely of their kind to learn how to read a written language.

Spreading Seeds
Due to their long lives and gift of tongues, Flora Sylvans are fond of travelling across the Selva, collecting stories and knowledge from distant towns and cultures. It is common for older Floras to go between the different Sylvan cities keeping inter-Sylvan relationships alive. They are also the most likely to actually settle in another town for a human lifespan, as their total lives are so long.

Older Sylvans travel much less frequently as they fuse more fully with their plant symbiotes, until in the end they become like trees themselves. Unable to move from where they are rooted and subsisting on water and sunshine, younger Floras go on pilgrimages to visit them and absorb their knowledge, to make sure none is lost when they eventually re-gift their soul back to the clan.

Flora Sylvans as Player Characters
Ability Score: Cha +2, Wis +1

Speed: 30' walking

Size: Medium around 5'

Weight: 100 to 145 pounds

Other -

One with the Plants: Thanks to their plant symbiote, Flora Sylvans possess a natural ability to speak with plants. If a plant creature is in the area, the Flora Sylvan can communicate with it as if they shared a common language. The Flora Sylvan gains no magical ability to influence it, but plant creatures are naturally positively disposed towards them.

Fed by the Sun: With their symbiote growing through them, Flora Sylvans can survive on just water and sunlight. As long as the Flora Sylvan spends at least 8 hours in contact with naked ground (i.e. not man made construction such as bricks, stonework) and they have access to water, they do not need to consume any food or additional nutritional material in order to survive.

Root of All Language: Flora Sylvans are naturally talented with languages. At the end of a long rest, Flora Sylvans may choose to be able to speak and understand one language in addition to their other known languages. They may then change their known extra language at the end of every future long rest. Alternatively, instead of learning a new language they can choose to become literate in any of their other known languages.

Diet: Flora Sylvans are omnivorous, but can survive on only water given the correct conditions are met.

Languages: Flora Sylvans speak Sylvan, Pidgin, and one other language of their choice.