Black willows were a sentient and mobile species of tree, akin to a treant, that could alter their forms to look like normal willow trees.[2]
Description[]
The black willow tree had black leaves hanging from its long branches. It was mobile and could move from place to place in order to move to new hunting grounds. When the black willow was not mobile it usually looked like a perfectly normal willow tree, and was so efficient in its deception that even druids would mistake it for a normal tree, though treants could tell the difference immediately.[2]
Behavior[]
The stomach of this evil tree was coated with sticky, nonflammable digestive sap, that would ooze up from its roots and slowly consume its victims alive inside its trunk, leaving only what gear its weak acid could not digest. These treasures would be left behind whenever the black willow moved on, and some intrepid treasure hunters would seek out places where people had disappeared hoping to retrieve coins and other metallic items left behind.[2]
Abilities[]
The black willow preferred to get creatures sleepy, waiting for them to climb onto a safe-looking limb of the willow or camp near its welcoming tree trunk. When the hapless creature rested it, would open up a hole in the tree beneath or beside the victim forcing them to fall into a hollow limb and onward into the hollow trunk cavity. To increase the chance that a creature would choose to sleep on or near it, the black willow created an aura of drowsiness, making tired creatures fall into a deep natural sleep. When attacked or if desperate for food, it would attack with its lashing, whip-like branches, then attempt to lift its victims and swallow them.[2]
Ecology[]
Diet[]
Black willows were a mixture of autotrophic and carnivorous. While they derived some nourishment from the earth and the sun, most of their diet came from feeding on living beings. They especially favored humans, elves, gnomes.[2]
Habitats[]
These trees usually inhabited regions where normal willow trees grew, but could be found anywhere, even underground lakes and abandoned ruins where they would not go amiss and people would like to rest beneath its bough. Seldom did they manage to find their ways into druid groves, only doing so when they were left improperly maintained for some time.[2]
In interior Faerûn, black willows could be found in the Vast Swamp.[3]
Relationships[]
Being an evil variety of sentient plant-life, black willows were universally reviled by the Church of Rillifane Rallathil, whose priests devoted themselves to rooting out and destroying them.[4]
Rumors & Legends[]
It was commonly believed that black willows were either a perversion of quickwoods or an evil offshoot of treants,[5] having been perverted by some external force. This was a predominant belief among the clergy of Rillifane Rallathil.[4]
Appendix[]
References[]
- ↑ David Cook (1991). Monstrous Compendium Forgotten Realms Appendix (MC11). (TSR, Inc), p. 50. ISBN l-56076-111-3.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 Gary Gygax (August 1983). Monster Manual II 1st edition. (TSR, Inc), p. 126. ISBN 0-88038-031-4.
- ↑ James Butler, Elizabeth T. Danforth, Jean Rabe (September 1994). “The Cormyrean Marshes”. In Karen S. Boomgarden ed. Elminster's Ecologies (TSR, Inc), pp. 6–7. ISBN 1-5607-6917-3.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Eric L. Boyd (November 1998). Demihuman Deities. Edited by Julia Martin. (TSR, Inc.), p. 123. ISBN 0-7869-1239-1.
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
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