Roots

Grotesque Effigies are not the only sentient plants in Middara, but they are definitely one of the most dangerous. These ambulatory trees will attack anyone they encounter without provocation. They will hunt unwary or careless creatures and attempt to bind them in their roots while they sleep. It will then drag its victim into its trunk and devour them.

The roots of the grotesque effigy run deep into the earth and can sprawl over hundreds of yards. These roots can burst forth from the ground and attack, drag, or trap prey. The grotesque effigy can also use these tunneled roots to pull itself along, allowing it a surprising amount of mobility. Destroying these roots is usually the first step to killing the grotesque effigy itself.

Occasionally, instead of eating a victim, a grotesque effigy will encase them in its bark, keeping them alive by feeding sap into their veins, slowly replacing the blood. Many of these victims do not survive the transfusion, but those who do are transformed into effigy dryads; twisted, malicious creatures with tough, woody skin and venomous fangs.

Effigy dryads seem to have a single purpose: to create new grotesque effigies. The moment it separates from its creator, a dryad will begin to seek out an appropriate tree to infect. The dryad will rip away the leaves, gnawing on branches and twigs, seeping its venom into the tree’s sap. Using its large, wide claws, the dryad will dig up the tree’s roots so that it may inject venom into the root system as well. It will continue brutalizing the tree in this manner for days, sometimes weeks, until it senses the tree has sufficiently rotted inside. Finally, the effigy dryad will burrow into the decayed wood of the tree trunk. Its consciousness is thought to pass into the tree, and it becomes a new grotesque effigy.

Naturalists are not sure if the grotesque effigy is a naturally occurring creature, or the result of some kind of magic gone awry. Regardless of their origins, however, they remain a danger to those who traverse the deep woods and swamps of Elenia.