Sylvari

The Sylvari are a race of botanical humanoids created by the Pale Tree on the Island of Pentaria. The Sylvari are ruled politically by the Realm of Pale Tree of which is governed by the Firstborn, but as with all things there communication with the Pale Tree itself governs much of their direction in the world around them.

The Sylvari were created by the Noble Titan Ventari of whom enraged by the destruction of much of the Forest of Pentaria and the Sindari Elves of whom dwelled within the forest he would go about creating the first of the Sylvari through the creation of the Pale Tree.

Pentaria
Ventari would be repairing damage done to a large forest on the island of Pentaria in Eastern Asia when he would spy a Sindari Elf group living within the forest, and would watch them for years as they lived in harmony with the forest.

Return to Pentaria
Returning nearly two hundred years later to the Forest he would find that the Elves had been wiped out and much of the forest had been cut down by the Human Kingdom of Bali who were using it to fuel their economic growth.

Creating Pale Tree
Emotionally devastated by the death of the Sindar Elves and the Forest he had rebuilt only a short time ago for him, he would decide to change the fate of the forest when he returned to the Fade and within the Fade he fashioned a sapling which would spawn a new creation of which would not only protect the forest but would expand it.

Planting Pale Tree
Returning to the Forest he would plant the sapling finding that in only twenty years since his last time there the Bali humans had cut down more of the forest, and thus he spent the next two years guarding the Sapling while it grew strong and big enough to create the firstborn of the Sylvari.

Physiology
The sylvari are omnivorous humanoid plants. Some sylvari closely resemble humans but with a fey cast to their features such as tilted eyes and pointed ear tips; most display plantlike features such as hard wood for bone structure, have foliage and petals for hair, and bark acting as flesh. Golden sap moves through their veins instead of blood and pollen falls off of them as they move. They are much more slender than the average human and about a head shorter. While sylvari can seemingly absorb sunlight and become rejuvenated, they still must eat and drink to survive. Sylvari do in fact have thermoreceptors as referenced by a Sylvari explorer in the Grove. She states that she dislikes Hoelbrak as it is too cold.

Reproduction
The Sylvari are Asexual and are created by the Pale Tree from which they emerge fully formed from golden fruit pods which grow on the branches of the Pale Tree. Their gender is selected by the Pale Tree prior to emergence and is distinguished by the same general features as binary human genders, although they lack reproductive capabilities.

Dream of Dreams
Prior to emergence they share a bond through the Pale Tree which they call the Dream of Dreams. In this dream, a growing sylvari is exposed to the consciousness of the Pale Tree and the vast pool of knowledge and memories of what every other sylvari has thought and learned of the world. This vast pool of knowledge is actually the information left behind by Ventari the Titan that created Pale Tree and was done to make sure he made the Sylvari biased towards the world he saw for them. When they emerge, a portion of this knowledge remains with them, including basic wisdom and understanding from the Pale Tree and a small fraction of what other sylvari have seen and experienced, though this rarely includes specific memories. After emergence, the bond with the Pale Tree is weaker but it links all sylvari and, to an extent, other plants. On rare occasion, twins can emerge from the same pod and they exhibit a greater empathy toward one another.

Culture
Sylvari are usually honest, direct and focused, taking most things at face value. With the dream ensuring there is so much in common with the other sylvari, experience is cherished for creating uniqueness between them. They are eager to learn, experience and understand.

Despite the kick start of knowledge from the dream they still seem naive as there are some matters which seem beyond their comprehension. Emotions and tact, in particular, are difficult for them to grasp, so often a sylvari will state out loud something which would normally be politely avoided by other races. Death too is not fully understood but viewed as something to be embraced and, as with many things in a sylvari's life, is viewed with a great degree of curiosity. These views serve to form an acceptance of and fascination with death that other races may find disturbing.

Family
As they are all born from the Pale Tree they could be considered all of the same family; however, their family bond is not as strong as most families, with many sylvari considering others more like distant relatives with few exceptions, such as twins born from the same pod or those who shared dreams, though the latter may also result in lovers. Romance is practiced among the sylvari, disregarding gender between those involved. To a sylvari, love is spiritual and eternal, regardless of physical form and contact, and sexuality is simply a natural part of life. So long as it is entered into with good will and joy, the gender doesn't make a difference.

Politics
Main Article : Realm of Pale Tree

The Sylvari are ruled politically by the Realm of Pale Tree of which is governed by the Firstborn, but as with all things there communication with the Pale Tree itself governs much of their direction in the world around them.