Sylva, Willow of the Hauntwood (RETIRED)

Name: Sylva

Age: ?

Gender: Non-Binary, Feminine (She/Her)

Race: Dryad (Fey)

Nationality: Marsh Flats

Appearance: A 6' 5", curious figure tangled in the threads and overgrowth found naturally in the Marsh Flats. She is as lovely as she is curious upon first glance— an enigma of flesh and flora— draped in a tangled dress of moss and greenery. In the light of a full moon, those parts of Sylva which appear flesh-like become phantasmic in nature, offering the illusion of a spirit tangled within, and offering to her title as "Spirit of the Haunt".

Her appearance alters with the seasons.

Personality: The best description of Sylva might be, "motherly"; and while this kindness extends primarily to the creatures and fauna of nature's domain, could also be extended to those of flesh and blood. She has a great respect for the cycles of life; spring brings with it rebirth, and winter brings with it death; likewise, she finds there is a time for kindness and a time for discipline.

She is, most recently, fascinated by the progress which society has made in its... well, she's not sure how long it's been, since she left the Hauntwood.

Nonetheless, the world is curious.

Backstory: Not much is known of Sylva that could be revealed— in fact, it's hard to say that she even knows herself in full.

She is a fey and dryad with a lifespan thought to be bound to the tall stature of a massive willow deep in the heart of the Hauntwood— a spirit to those of Gazablaak; and a guardian still, to some others with more superstitious beliefs. Sylva believes that she was once a woman of an Elvish nature in a past life, a long, long time ago... but so many days have come and gone since then, that it's all a blur. The memories seem to always brush the edges of her mind, only to be stolen so fleetingly away.

For a long time, she slumbered beneath the willow in the Hauntwood, only to awake one winter hundreds of years ago as a chill began to set in. For some time, the Willow of the Hauntwood wandered the Hauntwood as a spirit and a guide to the creatures and people of Gazablaak; numerous rumours span around her waking— some true and some false— some bad and some good. Her very existence seemed contained to the Hauntwood for a long time.

While she was in no way the origin of the Hauntwood's hauntings, the fey's appearance under the full moon certainly does not help rumours. It is, however, upon recent events, that Sylva has wandered farther from the Hauntwood— for reasons unclear, as of now.