Azhana

Resembling pale halflings, azhanas are gregarious fey who tend the wilderness as if it were a giant garden. Their outgoing charm isn't just for their own entertainment; by engaging with flora and fauna alike, they coax local organisms to interact with each other, whether that's teaching animals how to forage together or introducing vines to new surfaces they can climb. This extends even to travelers and foresters. After all, a lumberjack offered salutations is less likely to scuffle with wildlife and knows someone's watching to ensure they don't overharvest a forest's bounty.

Azhanas perform some of this gardening themselves. They carry hefty shears, clipping back invasive species and trimming branches to afford new sprouts a taste of sunlight. Likewise, they occasionally visit rural settlements, offering to teach wilderness skills that help civilization and nature coexist peacefully. Those who respond kindly earn an azhana's generosity. Those who threaten nature or fey instead earn the azhana's ire, usually involving magical misfortunes as small animals steal food, tools melt into useless shapes, and roots suddenly shift to send a trespasser tumbling down a ravine.

Azhanas sometimes gather into small groups called sisterhoods, even if they include rare, non-female azhanas. These groups provide camaraderie and aid in resolving difficult obstacles. Less often, they form organically when an azhana adopts and mentors newborn azhanas. These creatures are never children; instead, they emerge fully formed from mature trees, accompanied by nearby trees thrumming softly in a celebratory chorus. Though any mature tree might suffice, most often an azhana's parent tree stands in some place of primal power or divine significance, such as where a nature deity performed a miracle.

Arboreal Friends

Azhanas are friends and tenders to the massive arboreals, and are found in the same locations—wooded stands of trees in places of primal power. These two beings don't necessarily live among each other continually, but many azhanas count at least a couple of arboreals among their friend group and visit the living trees to share stories, groom them, or engage in friendly games.