Treefolk are intelligent, ambulatory tree-like creatures, easily mistaken for trees when they are stationary. Treefolk usually have eyes and a mouth that serve as their means of communication and perception. They can move from place to place by moving their roots, but most treefolk are slow.
Treefolk resemble the trees of their forest, and they are fiercely protective of their domain. They are also known as ents or treants.
Their lifespan, combined with the natural habits of normal trees, gives them a great respect for age and size, perhaps more than any other race. Just as normal trees cut off sunlight from shorter plants, thus stunting their growth, treefolk are in a constant struggle to reach for the sun, to grow taller and broader than any other. The most ancient and powerful of treefolk are called, fittingly enough, ancients.
Treefolk are born from seeds like any other tree of their species, but at a certain stage in their development - the triggering conditions of which are mysterious to all but the most learned ash seedguides - the trees gain sentience and motility. This event is known as the Rising. Once a treefolk Rises it becomes a full, participating member of its grove community. Other treefolk will nurture the newly Risen tree and instruct it in the ways of the world. Most treefolk then choose to pull up their roots, shake off the earth of their birth grove, and leave to wander the plane.
Treefolk do have two distinct genders, though the difference is subtle and largely academic to the other races. Until a treefolk undergoes the Rising, it is indistinguishable from any other sapling, and thus gets no more attention than any other sapling. That's why orchard wardens and seedguides nurture all young trees equally.
Treefolk don't have individual, unique offspring; their seeds generate hundreds or even thousands of saplings during their long lives. In turn, the treefolk emotion of love is more diffuse than that of humanoids, which leads to their more communal approach to rearing the young. The treefolk caretaking attitude spills over onto all the creatures that live in or around the forests, as well; even in places completely inhospitable to treefolk, some trees can be found serving as protectors and teachers for any sentient being they encounter.
However, as individuals, treefolk can display just the opposite attitudes. There are as many belligerent recluses among the tribe as community-minded nurturers. Many an unwary traveler has approached a treefolk for advice, expecting a nugget of wisdom, but instead receiving a clobbering with knobby branches.
Treefolk do not see the wood that makes up their bodies as fleshy beings see skin and bone. Treefolk are talented woodworkers, and use tools themselves crafted from wood. While treefolk consider it wrong to kill a living tree, they have no qualms about crafting and using wood made from trees that have died. Furthermore, many species of trees are perfectly capable of regenerating from careful harvesting of branches, and treefolk use such wood extensively. Even their own bodies can be sources of material. Warrior treefolk are particularly likely to have weapons and armor crafted from tough wood. It can be a point of personal honor for an oak warrior to craft his staff or cudgel from part of his of her own body.
"After the Rising, a treefolk's mind is as limber and green as its limbs, and is at its most receptive to our teachings." (Orchard Warden)
"Odum and Broadbark were the only beings mighty enough to challenge the giant Moran the Destroyer. Their battle lasted a hundred dawns, until Moran became so exhausted that he fell into namesleep. He awoke as Moran the Gardener." -The Tale of Odum and Broadbark (Indomitable Ancients)
Noted Treefolks
| Species | Titles | Setting | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adair River Span | Oak Treefolk | Lorwyn | |
| Alholland | Treefolk | Larisnar | |
| Aovon | Oak Treefolk | The Land | |
| Blackroot | Treefolk | Ravenloft | |
| Colfenor | Yew Treefolk | the Last Yew | Lorwyn |
| Deeproot | Treefolk | Outcast Odyssey | |
| Doran | Black Poplar Treefolk | the Siege Tower | Lorwyn |
| Elderlimb | Treefolk | Warcraft | |
| Fionnsutha | Ash Treefolk | the Wanderer | Lorwyn |
| Ghor Bouquet | Treefolk | Poxnora | |
| Goldcrown | Treefolk | Planescape | |
| Hamat | Treefolk | Treebender | Forgotten Myths |
| Ironroot | Treefolk | Ent Elder | Forgotten Myths |
| K'thun | Treefolk | the Ancient | Poxnora |
| Lothorewyn | Treefolk | the Corrupted | Castle Age |
| Nemata | Treefolk | Grove Guardian | Dominaria |
| Old Willow | Willow Treefolk | Forgotten Myths | |
| Plagueroot | Treefolk | the Hollow | Entrath |
| Sapaleh | Gnarlwood Treefolk | the Ancient | Poxnora |
| Stormbranch | Treefolk | Knowledge of Ages | Vashr |
| Stump Smash | Treefolk | Skylands | |
| Togorah | Sequoian | Etheria (Mage Wars) | |
| Tree Rex | Treefolk | Skylands | |
| Wegu | Treefolk | the Ancient | Solis |
Subtypes and Variants
