Frondwood
The Frondwood is a tall, slender tree whose smooth fibrous trunk is crowned with great vaults of feathery fronds, each leaf laced finer than the weave of ancient banners. It grows across the mist-fed forests of the Land of Green Shadows and along the damp shoulders of the Bridge Mountains Place The Bridge Mountains A mountain range in the far north of Tarkdaara, one of the named western and northern sub-ranges of the Spine of the World, the continent-long range of stone and ice., wherever water breathes from the soil and sunlight drips through the mist. Beneath the oldest Frondwoods, it is said the seasons move slower, unwilling to disturb the dreaming trees.
Key traits
- Young fronds begin as tight coiled buds called sleepers, remaining curled against cold and flood until the twin suns turn warm, then unfurling into a living dome of lace and shade.
- Broad, arching fronds catch moisture and diffuse harsh sunlight, nurturing both the tree and all life resting beneath its canopy.
- The trunk bends without breaking, enduring storms that would splinter lesser trees and rising again with quiet certainty.
- Tender sleepers, steamed or steeped, are prized for their crisp sweetness and properties said to ease fever, clear the breath, and fortify weary limbs.
- Older fronds, toughened by time, are woven into mats, baskets, and ceremonial garlands, carrying the breath of the forest into every craft they touch.