Wood woads were powerful humanoid-shaped guardian plants. Each wood woad contained the soul of a creature that (willingly or otherwise) gave up its life in order to eternally perform a given duty.[1]
Description[]
Wood woads appeared to be humanoid in shape, of heavy and muscular build, but were covered in thick bark with a crown of stubby branches on the head and small, deep-set black eyes. Their "hands" were gnarled branches and their "feet" were masses of black roots.[3]
Behavior[]
Wood woads were usually interested only in carrying out their assigned duty,[3][1] but some became fierce guardians of their resident forests and sought vengeance for each tree slain by axes.[2]
Ecology[]
Wood woads dwelled in temperate forests, where they guarded certain territories in their forest or druidic sites of importance. As plants, they "ate" only nutrients from the soil, clean water and air, and sunlight. Their ability to meld into living wood lead some scholars to theorize they were male dryads, but in truth wood woads were true plants. They reproduced via seeds, though certain primitive druidic circles knew how to create wood woads with bloody rituals.[1][3][2]
Wood woads were known to ally with treants, druids, dryads, centaurs, gnomes, and eladrin in defense of their forests.[3][2]
Salts of tree bark were extracted from wood woad bark chunks. These salts were combined with a special type of alchemical suspension to brew elixirs of barkskin.[4]
Ritual Creation[]
The ritual that created a wood woad consisted of removing the heart of a living person, planting a seed into it and placing it inside a cavity in a tree. The sacrificed creature's body was buried in the vicinity, and the tree was then bathed with the sacrifice's blood. After three days, a wood woad would sprout from the ground nearby, ready to receive its orders, which it would then follow forever or until otherwise relieved. If such ritual-created wood woads were released from their duties, they would find a new place or persons to protect.[1]
History[]
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Appendix[]
Appearances[]
Video Games
Organized Play & Licensed Adventures
Gallery[]
External Links[]
Disclaimer: The views expressed in the following links do not necessarily represent the views of the editors of this wiki, nor does any lore presented necessarily adhere to established canon.
Wood woad article at the Eberron Wiki, a wiki for the Eberron campaign setting.- Wood Woad article at the Baldur's Gate 3 Community Wiki, a community wiki for Baldur's Gate 3.
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Mike Mearls, et al. (November 2016). Volo's Guide to Monsters. Edited by Jeremy Crawford, et al. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 198. ISBN 978-0786966011.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Rob Heinsoo, Stephen Schubert (May 19, 2009). Monster Manual 2 4th edition. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 214. ISBN 0786995101.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 Andrew Finch, Gwendolyn Kestrel, Chris Perkins (August 2004). Monster Manual III. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 196. ISBN 0-7869-3430-1.
- ↑ Larian Studios (October 2020). Designed by Swen Vincke, et al. Baldur's Gate III. Larian Studios.