Major NPCs of the Sylvan Highlands
by WingofCootRhodanthe Ithamis (female 10th-level Elf, 435 years old)
Str 11, Dex 10, Con 10, Int 17, Wis 11, Cha 14; 29 HP
As one of the few elves with the intelligence to wield magic,
and a member of the ruling sept of the Redwood Elves, Rhodanthe was marked as a potential chief from an early age. She demonstrated leadership skills as well as magical ones, and 80 years ago attained the status of clan elder and spent a long time studying the clan's history. 3 years ago, she was chosen by the council as the 26th clan chief of the Redwood Elves since their relocation to the Hollow World.
Rhodanthe is a no-nonsense personality. If visitors to the Sylvan Highlands are brought to her, she will directly ask them their intentions without preceding formalities. Friendly visitors will be well received, and she will be interested in offers of trade relations (especially sources of metal or metal goods), but troublemakers will be treated harshly.
Rhodanthe stands 5'1" tall with a slender build. She wears the normal simple garments of the Redwood Elves, the only sign of
her position being a pair of gold bracelets. For special clan functions, she also dons a golden torc set with sapphires and emeralds and a mantle decorated with wyvern scales and adorned with the feathers of an archaeopteryx, and carries a staff.
In dangerous situations, she wears a normal sword +1 and a wand of lightning bolts, and wears a very rare suit of chain mail and a shield +1. In addition, one of her bracelets is actually enchanted to act as a ring of protection.
Longneedle Amberbark (male treant 10th-level shaman [druid], 2,400 years old)
12 HD, 70 HP
This ancient treant is the oldest of his kind in the Sylvan Highlands, having lived far longer than is normal for even his long-lived species. While he has no formal political position among the disorganized treants, he is deeply respected by them and is effectively the leader of those who live in the Emerald Roof Valley. The dryads of the area, and many of the hsiao of the Sylvan Highlands, also value his wisdom and vast experience. He is a sage with great knowledge of the faerie world and woodland beings in the Hollow World, far beyond the limits of the Sylvan Highlands.
Over his exceptional lifespan, he has grown beyond normal treant size, standing a full 25 feet tall. He resembles a pine tree, with long green needles and rough bark.
Longneedle will be very interested in visitors from outside the Sylvan Highlands who do not act aggressively or damage the forest. He will warn humans or demihumans to leave the uplands after conversing and learning their stories, however, because of the threat of gakaraks.