Moria the Illuminator

Pronouns: They/Them
Age: Old
Race: Treefolk
Nationality: Moonglade/The Shadewood

Appearance: Moria is a tall (~7'9") and gnarled being, with the color and texture of a maple tree. Their limbs appear as branches twisted together into shapes analog to arms and legs with hands and feet. Their face is a reasonable facsimile to that of a human, with eyes, a nose, a mouth, ears, etc.

Their eyes glow with a soft light that matches the color of their sparse but present leaves–the colors of a maple, changing seasonally. They can often be seen stroking a long, moss beard, as though in deep thought.

Much like a tree, Moria sometimes plays host to other life: moss, smaller ivies, or the occasional bird and her nest.

They don’t need or wear much for clothing, aside from a ragged, mottled cloak. They carry a walking stick fashioned from a branch of a tree. A spherical glass bauble hangs from the end, inside of which lives a small flame that illuminates the surrounding area.

Personality: Moria has the disposition of a friendly old man, offering assistance to lost travelers in the woods. They tend to speak slowly, thoughtfully, and with great curiosity, probing what stories they can from the travelers they meet. Their appreciation for the natural world is strong, to the point that they sometimes stand perfectly still for hours at a time in admiration of the forest’s beauty, easily being mistaken for a regular tree by passersby.

In their wiser, older age, Moria is quick to pick out good-natured travelers and guide them safely to their destination, while sending nefarious persons down more treacherous trails.


History: Moria grew up deep in the forests of the Moonglade; a sapling that gained sentience, contorting its form into one similar to passers-by they had seen. For a long period, they kept away from travelers for fear of being seen as Other, a creature to be feared, doing their best to maintain their area of the forest, tending to plants, wildlife, and performing controlled burns as necessary. Eventually, after stumbling upon a severely injured man trapped under a fallen tree.

As the man recovered over a period of days, he satisfied Moria’s curiosity by answering questions about his life, where he had come from, and where he was going. Out of fondness for their first “friend,” and armed with new knowledge about other peoples from outside the forest, Moria began to more regularly interact with travelers within the Moonglade, thus sparking a happier period of Moria’s life. After all, it is far more interesting to converse with another person than to wax poetic to the local foliage.

After a lifetime of guiding others along their paths, Moria has resolved to finally leave their home and discover what lies on the path of their own.