Drehr Behrkán

Drehr Behrkán is home to the Dendroids, a race of half organic half plant matter beings. The Dendroids are peaceful creatures, closely aligned with Halign Mak’kai. Drehr Behkán also has a great relationship with the majority of the nations of Skone, due to their earnest and peaceful nature.

Dendroids are treelike beings who stand between 6’0” and 7’0”. They stand on sturdy, stout legs. They’re covered in heavy, wooden skin, akin to bark. Dendroid lifespans can range from a century to several thousand years. Dendroids are genderless. Their reproductive cycle works through an intense mental connection. Once a dendroid has bred with another being, it cannot reproduce with another being for the remainder of its life. Because of this strange and unique system of propagation, Dendroids are capable of breeding with any creature, be it Dendroid or otherwise. Most commonly, Dendroids reproduce with other Dendroids. Occasionally, Dark Elves and Dendroids share a bond deep enough to reproduce. Dark Elf and Dendroid hybrids are known as Wood Elves.

Dendroids grow long branches from their heads. At the end of these branches, the Dendroids grow ceps. When a Dendroid eats one of these mushrooms, the Dendroid is given bizarre hallucinations and natural magical properties.

Politics
The Dendroids are unique in almost every way, including their political system. The Dendroids have no big government. Instead, one’s birthplace assigns them to a Karacch, or a pod as translated in the common tongue. Each pod has different types of leaders. Shaman are spiritual and religious leaders. Diplomats are experts in speech, who use their silver tongues to keep peace. Diplomats are also in charge of handling trade. Captains are in charge of ensuring that each member of the pod is pulling his weight. Bards keep the pod entertained and moral high. Caregivers protect and educate saplings. Pods may have other types of specialized leaders as well. Power is willingly handed off from leader to leader as befits their specialties. Elders traditionally hold the most influence in a pod. An elder shaman has more power than a younger shaman, for instance.

Some pods are nomadic, but tend to stick to one region of the nation. Nomadic pods collect vegetables, fruits, fibers, and other useful goods in surplus, then distribute the goods to other stationary pods in exchange for their goods. Cities in Drehr Behrkán are made up of several pods. Smaller towns may be made up of one or two pods. Cities offer goods and skills unavailable to the nomadic pods. Gardens, for instance, can offer a wider variety of crops than might be available in the wild. Pruners can help other Dendroids trim their branches. This serves two purposes. Firstly, the style of one’s branches is an important mean of self-expression and status in Drehrish culture. Secondly, shearing one’s branches regularly allows for greater mushroom growth. Healers can help Dendroids and mounts. Towns are made up of mostly farmers, herders, and toolsmiths.

Dendroids are entirely peaceful. Some might say they are peaceful to a fault. Furthermore, Drehr Behrkán seldom uses gold or any form of currency. Because of these factors, diplomacy is incredibly important. All pods have an elder known as a Diplomat who is in charge of dealing with other pods. Diplomats are of utmost importance when it comes to the wellbeing of a pod.

Drehr Behrkán does not have a traditional military, because their nation is stubbornly peaceful. This does not mean, however, that the Dendroids are utterly defenseless. They simply prefer to diffuse conflict than to indulge it. Drehr Behrkán’s first line of defense is to haggle and compromise with potential threats. Many other cultures perceive bargaining as a tool for the meek when it comes to their military. Drehrish culture sees a bloodless compromise as the ultimate victory.

Should a parley fail, Dendroids will use the mushrooms which grow from their branches for defense. Once ingested, these fungi grant the Dendroids incredible magical properties, which the Drehrish call mojo. An hour or so after consuming one of these mushrooms, a Dendroid can use a common wooden stick as a sort of gun, capable of discharging arcane spores. These spores can be used to narcotize foe. Once the threat has been incapacitated, be it due to fatigue, illness, or mindlessness, the Dendroids can handle their foe by imprisoning them and shipping them elsewhere overseas.

The Drehrish navy is quite powerful, matched in strength only by Bretonia. Dendroid ships hold control over all of the Fo’Runn Sea, the ocean resting between Guero and Skone. The Drehrish navy uses unconventional methods to control their sea, due to the fact that they refuse to sink ships or due any permanent harm to their enemies. As explained above, Dendroids can consume the mushrooms which naturally sprout from their branches to gain mojo. While what may be referred to as the military’s infantry carry small sticks to channel their mojo, deckhands use tree trunks to shower opposing ships with sedative spores. Drehrish ships are expertly made, composed of sturdy woods to resist cannonfire from enemies.

Due largely to their peaceful, compromising, and helping natures, the Dendroids are generally well-received around the well, and have many powerful allies. Their closest allies are also perhaps the most unlikely. Drehr Behrkán and the Dark Elves of Halign Mak’kai are inexplicably attached. The Dendroids are also quite friendly with the other more influential nations of Skone, namely Blute, Trakodo, Coalhearth, and Wixicroft. This is no doubt a result of the Dendroids’ volunteering to manage the railroad scheduling and bookkeeping, and asking for nothing in return. The Dendroids have managed to gain the trust of the Hauntos, a nation whose trust is not easy to earn. Hauntos’ Crowned One has even gone so far as to say the nation will march to war in defense of Drehr Behrkán, should a terrible fate ever befall them. Drehr Berhkán is friendly toward Uss’Ssah, but scarcely interact with the nation of Lizardmen. Most Dendroids avoid the conflict in the Bog. Some pods, however, have felt forced to pick a side and assist as they can. The war between the Shucct and Rumlog often crosses the border into Drehr Behrkán. Some pods believe that the Shucct are the rightful rulers of the Bog. Others claim that Rumlog would make better neighbors. Others still wish to bring the two factions to peace, allowing each to create their own nation.

Across the sea in Guero, Drehr Behrkán has found reliable allies in Nuhimm and Skyaard. Guero also hosts Drehr Behrkán’s only true enemies. Sivverlynn in particular has a history of distrust and aversion. After aligning themselves with the Dark Elves, the Dendroids’ distaste for the High Elves grew into full-fledged loathing. While the peaceful Dendroids refuse to partake in the combat of their ally’s war, they do prohibit High Elven ships from sailing across the Fo’Runn Sea, hampering the High Elven economy. The Dendroids are also at odds with Utopia, who has taken sides with Sivverlynn. Drehr Behrkán has a negligible relationship with Kahl or the nations of Fíoze.

History
The Dendroids are an ancient race whose origins date back millions of years. The forests of Drehr Behrkán are rampant with wildlife, and the ruins of dated civilizations are now swallowed by the insatiable, twining vines. Much of the archeological evidence of the Dendroids’ past has been buried beneath the overgrowth, but the elders hold on to the tales of old to pass on to the newer generations. According to one such story, the Dendroids have not always grown the arcane mushrooms which now sprout from their branches. The legends say that the Dendroids once had to forage for these mushrooms, back in a time when the creatures of the forest were more aggressive. The Dendroids relied on the mushrooms for the magical properties they imbued. A powerful Elder Shaman enlisted the aid of Syra to merge these magical mushrooms to his kin so that they might be better prepared to defend themselves against the threats of the woods.