Dryads are considered the only “true” nymphs,as Nereids were created artificially,and Incindads… well, nobody really knows WHAT they are.

 

Appearance:

All dryads have light skin, which, unlike human skin, never seems to tan or redden.
They enjoy wearing flowers (with the petals in multiples of four) and have green hair, which they often wear in ponytails or braids, tied up with vines.

They’re also completely naked.

Dryads appear as a Caucasian female who is in their late teens to early twenties. They are anatomically identical to a female human, and could likely easily pass as one of us, presuming they keep their green hair hidden. The one difference, however, is that dryads have claw – like fingernails, which are incredibly sharp, and cannot be retracted.

Behavior:

Dryads are usually solitary creatures, with each dryad living in a certain area of a forest, in an area of roughly 2 square miles. Each dryad’s territory has a source of fresh water, and must be heavily wooded. In addition, this territory must be at least 50 km away from the nearest permanent human settlement. On occasion, two to four dryads may live within the same area, and will stay close by each other. (However, the reason for this close cohabitation is unknown. Possible theories include protection, companionship, romantic attraction, or a combination of the three.) Dryads hunt on foot, without tools or weapons of any kind., and they can digest many kinds of plants that could sicken or even kill a human. It is currently debated if they are able to use fire to cook food. Most researchers agree that they likely do, based on data from people who have met dryads in – person, who say that they have been seen eating cooked meat. (One of these encounters id documented below, in the following section.)

Relationships with humans:

<Warning: This paragraph contains mildly graphic descriptions of injuries. The more squeamish of you may want to avoid.>

A dryad’s opinion of human depends on which specific dryad you happen to meet. Some are amicable towards humans, and will happily help them and care for them if a human is hurt or lost, while others will kill and eat the human on the spot. It is also known for Dryads to pretend to like the human, just to play with them, similar how cats keep mice alive. When a dryad is satisfied with the amount of time they have spent around the human, they will kill them, often to a single swipe to the chest with their claws, possibly eviscerating the human.

However, Dryads will not always attack humans, and will actually care for a human, if the dryad feels it is necessary, and the human is deserving of it. The following is a transcription of an interview of a person who was cared for by a pair of dryads.

“I’d been hiking through dense forest for a long time, looking for any sign of human civilization. My boat had sank while traversing a remote lake in British Columbia, and since the sinking had occurred at night, I had no idea where I was. I had cut my arm on a rock earlier that day – slipped on a rock while hiking – but it was fine, as it had stopped bleeding, and was starting to heal. However, I was hungry, for I had not been able to grab any food from the boat. I heard a noise – not unlike a sort of wail – and I headed toward it. Suddenly, something hit me on the back of the neck, and I fell, knocking myself unconscious. I awoke on a large pile of lichen, which was relatively soft, and actually made a decent mattress. I didn’t know where I was, and I was still hungry. I heard a noise behind me, so, naturally, I turned around. The creatures that stood there – they looked like, well, two attractive young women. I naturally freaked out, but they didn’t advance, and by a stroke of luck, they spoke french. (note: this interview is translated). They had no names, and one of them offered me a bowl of what looked like a kind of meat stew. It appeared to have chunks of white meat, along with parts of hard – boiled egg, or onion. I drank it, and it tasted… well, I was hungry, so it naturally tasted amazing. It had a sort of savory flavor to it, not unlike steak. However, I got a piece of the onion stuck in my throat, and I coughed. They asked me what was wrong, and I told them I had a piece of onion stuck in my throat. They then exchanged a glance, and one said, “Drink it. You’re underfed. It’s nobody you knew, anyway.” Upon hearing this, I dropped the bowl in shock, spilling it everywhere. “Are you telling me this is – human – meat?” They nodded, and I nearly threw up. I was lucky I didn’t, as I’d need the nutrients. However, now knowing they had killed a human, I renamed polite, and they pointed me in the direction of the nearest human settlement. I reached there two days later. Honestly, they saved my life. Why they didn’t eat me too, however, I do not know.”

 

Locations:

All dryads live in forests, and are found in remote areas in Europe, Asia, and the Americas. The largest dryad populations live currently in Western Canada, and the forests of western Russia, in the Tunguska state nature reserve.

In case you do see a dryad, this chart will let you know the likelihood of the dryad being hostile. Add the chance per of each answer to your total, and divide by the number of questions you answered.

The reasons for the numbering of the answers are indicated below.

 

If you ARE attacked by a dryad, and you have no chance of escape and are not armed, DO NOT FIGHT BACK. There is a slight chance that the dryad will realize you mean her no harm, and may stop the attack.