Roen

Victoria McKinnon
Mar 1, 2022
2 min read

Overview

Roen (also known as Röen) are a species of plant-people created by Remedia, goddess of life and nature. They are among the youngest species in Ilisara and are very few in number.

Most who have encountered a Roen did so inside Aslaug's roots, where they tend the hidden arboretum at the tree's heart. Some Roen can also be found living in the Redwoods in Fleur du Lionne. They tend to sprout in places where there is deep, intense nature magic.

Appearance

Roen are humanoid in shape but unmistakably botanical in nature. Their skin has the texture and warmth of living bark. It ranges from amber to cedar in tone, and is typically streaked with patches of green moss that grow and shift across their bodies over time. Flowers bloom directly from their flesh: roses, blue wildflowers, and other varieties that differ between individuals. Long, prehensile tails trail behind them, tipped with vivid feather-like leaves. Their legs are long and raptor-like, ending in clawed feet. Tufts of feathers grow on their furred ears.

Roen dress in layers of living leaves and vines, which they cultivate from their own bodies or gather from the wild. No two Roen look exactly alike.

Life Cycle

Roen are born from seed pods that grow along the root systems of trees whose roots are steeped in leylines. When a pod matures, it splits open and a young Roen emerges. Young Roen are small, sapling-like, and only partially formed but quickly grow into their full humanoid shape as their bark thickens, their moss spreads, and flowers begin blooming from their bodies.

In old age, the process reverses. A Roen's sapience gradually fades as their body grows heavier with bark and root. When they sense the end approaching, they travel to a peaceful place; a lake, a forest clearing, a hillside; and plant themselves. Their feet sink into the earth, and their body stiffens and expands until they become a tree and their consciousness disappears into the soil.

Always Connected

Roen are connected to their mother tree in the way that roots are connected to a trunk. They feel the tree's health, its moods, and the presence of other Roen born from it as a low, constant awareness. This connection is stronger with proximity to each other and to the tree.

Purpose

Remedia created the Roen to tend what she can no longer tend herself. They maintain the arboretum inside Aslaug, keep the sacred sites of the Weald from falling into disrepair, and guard their mother trees. They are not particularly gifted warriors, instead excelling at the healing arts and botany. However, they but can train and become as martially talented as those who spend time to teach them.

Relationship with Mortals

Roen are curious and warm toward mortals, though they rarely venture far from their mother trees. Those who visit Aslaug during the Solstice Games sometimes glimpse them at the roots.

Roen are capable of speech and understand most mortal languages. They are exceptionally attentive to the emotional states of those around them, responding to grief or distress with a quiet, stabilizing presence that many find inexplicably comforting.