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sleyvas
Skilled Spell Strategist
USA
11695 Posts |
 Posted - 31 Jul 2020 : 13:52:46
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I just got a strange idea in my head... A maple treant with a spigot in it and a bucket, and people turning the syrup gathered from it into a potion.
Obviously, some treants might be fruit trees (apple, pear, plum, peach, mango, almond, pecan, whatever). The fruit of their trees might be used to make jellies, flour, oils, and almond butter type things. There might be a vanilla, cacao or coffee bean treant, or a rubber tree treant. Their leaves might be useful in teas or other boiled concoctions, or ground and used as spices and/or seasonings. The flowers from them might be gathered to make a perfume.
If you just think about it for a second, what types of treants can you imagine and how might the products of their "bodies" be used WITHOUT killing them and chopping them up into lumber.
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Alavairthae, may your skill prevail
Phillip aka Sleyvas |
Edited by - sleyvas on 31 Jul 2020 14:03:30
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Lord Karsus
Great Reader
USA
3737 Posts |
Posted - 31 Jul 2020 : 17:07:28
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| -Fyodor of Rasheman used a giant club and a dull blade. I always confused the two and envisioned him using a large wooden sword. In my own world, there is an area that is very similar to Rashemen and part of the coming-of-age ceremony is to bond with a treant. A "clipping" from the treant is used to make the wooden swords the warriors there use. |
(A Tri-Partite Arcanist Who Has Forgotten More Than Most Will Ever Know)
Elves of Faerûn
Vol I- The Elves of Faerûn
Vol. III- Spells of the Elves
Vol. VI- Mechanical Compendium |
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AliMaClan
Acolyte
Canada
15 Posts |
Posted - 01 Aug 2020 : 15:56:40
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I really like this idea. I can easily imagine a symbiotic relationship between treants and wild elves or perhaps druids or other forest folk or protectors. Maybe even with some kind of woodland myconids where the treants and myconids “feed” each other. Perhaps this is what gives these myconid species sentience.
It could be that different tribes of elves or sects of druids are tied to specific species of treants and that the treants take on a religious role as high priests/mystics or even a demigod like status - Spirit trees instead of spirit animals. In this scenario the gift of an elder treant might be venerated as a religious artifact. Perhaps the young, “chosen” saplings spend some of their early growing seasons living with their elves or in Druidic groves to learn the ways of folk and help them with their “agriculture”.
Powerful treants “grandfather” trees could grow deep and powerful fruits, or items that could be cut off as gifts to their tribes heroes or shaman.
Treants are not creatures I have thought much about before (at least not since I read Tolkien) but they definitely offer some interesting food for thought and story twists. |
Exiled from the realms for 35 years on a quest for the lost chord. I return empty handed to resume my studies... |
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sleyvas
Skilled Spell Strategist
USA
11695 Posts |
Posted - 01 Aug 2020 : 17:25:21
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quote:
Originally posted by AliMaClan
I really like this idea. I can easily imagine a symbiotic relationship between treants and wild elves or perhaps druids or other forest folk or protectors. Maybe even with some kind of woodland myconids where the treants and myconids “feed” each other. Perhaps this is what gives these myconid species sentience.
It could be that different tribes of elves or sects of druids are tied to specific species of treants and that the treants take on a religious role as high priests/mystics or even a demigod like status - Spirit trees instead of spirit animals. In this scenario the gift of an elder treant might be venerated as a religious artifact. Perhaps the young, “chosen” saplings spend some of their early growing seasons living with their elves or in Druidic groves to learn the ways of folk and help them with their “agriculture”.
Powerful treants “grandfather” trees could grow deep and powerful fruits, or items that could be cut off as gifts to their tribes heroes or shaman.
Treants are not creatures I have thought much about before (at least not since I read Tolkien) but they definitely offer some interesting food for thought and story twists.
Yeah, one thing I just read in a recent Unearthed Arcana article was for a feat that was for someone to be a cook. As a result, they could make food that heals. My initial thoughts were that the idea was goofy unless they included a requirement that some kind of special food is used (for instance, using say troll blood, and anyone untrained is likely to poison rather than help those who eat things cooked with troll blood, etc..). Then I started thinking about this same thread wherein Maztica provides coffee beans, and I thought wouldn't this be something where some "coffee bean treants" might be encouraged to help the people setting up such groves. They could for instance direct baby coffee bean trees to walk themselves out and plant themselves if some druids had prepared several rows of potted juvenile coffee bean trees and had watered some fields down, etc... In return for their aid setting up the groves, the people would also protect the groves, feed the plants, etc... and the plants feed the people in return. |
Alavairthae, may your skill prevail
Phillip aka Sleyvas |
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Seethyr
Master of Realmslore
USA
1151 Posts |
Posted - 01 Aug 2020 : 20:59:05
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| When I was young my savage brothers would take the rather flexible branches of apple trees, push the end through an apple and then launch them at me. Let me tell you, a composite bow had nothing on the range they were getting. What a great projectile weapon you could add to a type of treant artillerist you could make there. |
Follow the Maztica (Aztec/Maya) and Anchorome (Indigenous North America) Campaigns on DMsGuild!
The Maztica Campaign
The Anchorome Campaign |
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AliMaClan
Acolyte
Canada
15 Posts |
Posted - 01 Aug 2020 : 21:10:07
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I would imagine that this is also how wild elves manage to grow their homes in the trees. Shaping them with the consent and aid of the forest rather than be bending it to their will. Presumably In this symbiosis the forest helps the elves/druids providing shelter, artifacts and ingredients as you suggest whilst the treants, and by extension the rest of the forest, are given protection from, and knowledge of, the wider world by their partners who have greater mobility and access to news and arcana.
I wonder what the term is for a small coffee bush treant... a capputreeno? |
Exiled from the realms for 35 years on a quest for the lost chord. I return empty handed to resume my studies... |
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AliMaClan
Acolyte
Canada
15 Posts |
Posted - 01 Aug 2020 : 21:13:27
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quote:
Originally posted by Seethyr
When I was young my savage brothers would take the rather flexible branches of apple trees, push the end through an apple and then launch them at me. Let me tell you, a composite bow had nothing on the range they were getting. What a great projectile weapon you could add to a type of treant artillerist you could make there.
Perhaps this is why Elven archers are so renowned? The sentient trees have grown tensioned wood specifically for their bows.
I don’t recall hearing about their apple hurling prowess but it was, no doubt, formidable. |
Exiled from the realms for 35 years on a quest for the lost chord. I return empty handed to resume my studies... |
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Icelander
Master of Realmslore
1864 Posts |
Posted - 01 Aug 2020 : 21:17:27
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quote:
Originally posted by AliMaClan
Perhaps this is why Elven archers are so renowned? The sentient trees have grown tensioned wood specifically for their bows.
I've always had elven bows and other wood products grown by shaping living wood, using druidic/nature/ranger magic (often by characters who wouldn't be built as adventurers). |
Za uspiekh nashevo beznadiozhnovo diela!
Forgotten Realms fans, please sign a petition to re-release the FR Interactive Atlas
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AliMaClan
Acolyte
Canada
15 Posts |
Posted - 01 Aug 2020 : 21:27:15
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quote:
Originally posted by Icelander
quote:
Originally posted by AliMaClan
Perhaps this is why Elven archers are so renowned? The sentient trees have grown tensioned wood specifically for their bows.
I've always had elven bows and other wood products grown by shaping living wood, using druidic/nature/ranger magic (often by characters who wouldn't be built as adventurers).
This makes sense, timber for ship building might also be shaped this way. I find something pleasing in the idea of the trees themselves having a sentient role in it. |
Exiled from the realms for 35 years on a quest for the lost chord. I return empty handed to resume my studies... |
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AJA
Senior Scribe
USA
747 Posts |
Posted - 01 Aug 2020 : 21:50:38
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quote:
Originally posted by sleyvas
If you just think about it for a second, what types of treants can you imagine and how might the products of their "bodies" be used WITHOUT killing them and chopping them up into lumber.
You mean, other than Aunt Jemima's 'Old Murzambruls?' 
quote:
Originally posted by sleyvas
quote:
Originally posted by AJA
Murzambrul
Old Red-Top, The Flame of Marpenoth. A great treant of the Ardeep, similar in form to a red maple. In the autumn months, his rounded oval crown turned a deep red, almost burgundy color. Once per year in the spring, repaid a debt of unknown nature to the god Eldath by allowing the druids of the The Blue House to tap his bark in religious ceremony, the sap from within collected to form several potions and ointments of the faith. He was lost in 1363DR, attempting to quell the worst of the raging inferno set off by territorial battle between Lhammaruntosz "Claws of the Coast" and the rampaging red wyrmling Stornthauthra "The Smouldering Splendor." A sunny grove seeded with his progeny (one or more of which may one day heed the beckonings of the forest) is still tended and guarded by the Eldathyn.
The most common thing made from his sap were simple confections to which sap was added. This "roll" was said to provide enormous energy with very little weight, a single confection being able to sustain an individual for an entire day. Some batches were further blessed with minor healing properties or even the ability to cure minor illnesses such as colds, rashes, etc.... These confections came to be called Murzambrul Biscuits, or just "Murzambruls" for short. Bottles of his syrup were often traded to other communities of Eldathites and Chaunteans to research other uses for it. To this day, regular maple syrup is used in similar recipes and similar confections of a non-magical nature carry the name "Murzambruls" as a result.
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AJA
YAFRP
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sleyvas
Skilled Spell Strategist
USA
11695 Posts |
Posted - 02 Aug 2020 : 03:23:11
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quote:
Originally posted by AliMaClan
I wonder what the term is for a small coffee bush treant... a capputreeno?
lol, I love that name |
Alavairthae, may your skill prevail
Phillip aka Sleyvas |
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sleyvas
Skilled Spell Strategist
USA
11695 Posts |
Posted - 02 Aug 2020 : 03:29:45
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quote:
Originally posted by AJA
quote:
Originally posted by sleyvas
If you just think about it for a second, what types of treants can you imagine and how might the products of their "bodies" be used WITHOUT killing them and chopping them up into lumber.
You mean, other than Aunt Jemima's 'Old Murzambruls?'
quote:
Originally posted by sleyvas
quote:
Originally posted by AJA
Murzambrul
Old Red-Top, The Flame of Marpenoth. A great treant of the Ardeep, similar in form to a red maple. In the autumn months, his rounded oval crown turned a deep red, almost burgundy color. Once per year in the spring, repaid a debt of unknown nature to the god Eldath by allowing the druids of the The Blue House to tap his bark in religious ceremony, the sap from within collected to form several potions and ointments of the faith. He was lost in 1363DR, attempting to quell the worst of the raging inferno set off by territorial battle between Lhammaruntosz "Claws of the Coast" and the rampaging red wyrmling Stornthauthra "The Smouldering Splendor." A sunny grove seeded with his progeny (one or more of which may one day heed the beckonings of the forest) is still tended and guarded by the Eldathyn.
The most common thing made from his sap were simple confections to which sap was added. This "roll" was said to provide enormous energy with very little weight, a single confection being able to sustain an individual for an entire day. Some batches were further blessed with minor healing properties or even the ability to cure minor illnesses such as colds, rashes, etc.... These confections came to be called Murzambrul Biscuits, or just "Murzambruls" for short. Bottles of his syrup were often traded to other communities of Eldathites and Chaunteans to research other uses for it. To this day, regular maple syrup is used in similar recipes and similar confections of a non-magical nature carry the name "Murzambruls" as a result.
LOL, I knew somewhere we had talked about this previously, but only with maple syrup. I really got to thinking about it when picturing using magic to make groves of cacao trees and coffee bushes fast. |
Alavairthae, may your skill prevail
Phillip aka Sleyvas |
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Imagine: Oddball Treants or Dryads
