Dryads are lifelong protectors of the forest. All are originally elves who were at some point blessed by one of the five forest goddesses with power over nature, and directly serve their patron goddess.
Dryads play a crucial role in the wellbeing of the forest- carefully nurturing and protecting complex ecosystems is too much for the five goddesses to handle alone without being overwhelmed, so they rely on their Dryads to take jurisdiction over certain aspects of nature. The five goddesses' life energy is also directly tied to the wellbeing of the forest, so ecological disasters can leave them incredibly weak and sickly- leaving the job of restoring balance to their trusted Dryads. Dryads are hardy, dependable and specialized assistants of the gods, and they take their job very seriously.
There are three main types of Dryads: Phytodryads, Bestial Dryads, and Fungal Dryads.
Phytodryads
Phytodryads are considered the most basic level of Dryad- they're by far the most common, and are what people typically think when they think Dryads. As the name entails, Phytodryads are known for their connection to plants. Their staple is plant manipulation.
Phytodryads can sometimes learn minor skills and abilities from the other Dryad types, but they're most in their element when dealing with plants. Plant manipulation is their go-to tool, and they are very knowledgeable about different types of plants and how to use them.
Phytodryads, along with being the most plentiful, are also considered the most versatile- the same power that can grow crops can also summon vines to strangle enemies on the battlefield, or create beautiful arrangements of flowers for sacred ceremonies.
Phytodryads can be recognized by the magical vines that grow through their hair. The type of vine depends on the individual dryad. These vines are part of the dryad- the dryad can feel when they are touched or damaged, and the vines will visibly wither when a dryad is ill.
Bestial Dryads
Bestial Dryads are a step above Phytodryads, being on the more uncommon side and having some important abilities and roles. Nearly all bestial dryads will have base-level plant magic, but they don't achieve the same mastery of it that their phytodryad comrades do. Bestial dryads' abilities are more animal-focused- talking to animals, shapeshifting into animals, etc.
Some more experienced Dryads can use their shapeshifting ability to partially transform and mix-and-match different animal parts into their form. However, this is complicated skill reserved for the most well-practiced, powerful, and gifted Dryads.
Bestial Dryads are most easily recognized by their animalistic features- though they can shapeshift at will, their default form will still maintain some minor animalistic features, such as horns, tails, etc. Which features and from what animals depends on the individual dryad. For example, well-known bestial dryad Juniper bears a set of deer antlers in her default form.
Fungal Dryads
Fungal Dryads are considered the most powerful dryads, earning a great deal of respect and, more notably, fear. Fungal Dryads have the ability to manipulate all types of fungus in the same way phytodryads manipulate plants, but with one major advantage: control over the mycorrhizal network. The underground networks of mycelium that bond every plant and fungus in the forest are at the full disposal of fungal dryads. This can be used for a wide range of things, from sending information large distances, manipulating plants indirectly through the network, receiving information about events in the forest remotely, and even calling upon the memory of the forest itself to see past events.
Fungal Dryads are particularly feared following the reign of Thorne, a fungal dryad who was intent on world domination. His use of cordyceps to create his zombie army, destruction of entire forests by siphoning resources through the mycorrhizal networks, use of hallucinogenic mushrooms for psychological warfare, and achievement of immortality by storing his consciousness in the mycorrhizal network following his body's destruction branded fungal dryads as something far beyond the typical Dryad. Fungal Dryads are quite rare, especially in the post-Thorne world where the gods are much more careful about granting their power.
Fungal Dryads can be distinguished by the mushrooms growing out of their skin. The type of mushroom depends on the individual Dryad.
Plague Dryads
Plague Dryads were a type of Dryad that briefly existed several millennia ago. Endowed with power over virus and bacteria, Plague Dryads were employed by the gods to maintain the balance of life and death, keeping ecosystems balanced through population control. However, control over death turned out to be too much for mortals to handle- every single one of the Plague Dryads ended up going mad, often leaving mass death and destruction in their wake. As such, Plague Dryads were officially discontinued by the goddesses, with all five agreeing not to create any more. The Plague Dryads' roles are now solely performed by the goddesses themselves.
Extra Dryad Facts
Dryads and Relationships
It is very uncommon for a Dryad to have a life partner. They're essentially married to their job, and their lifestyle tends to not be all that compatible with others. To beings that have walked in the skin of countless creatures, spoken to the trees and the mushrooms, and much more, regular people without these perspective-altering experiences are difficult to relate to and connect with on a deeper level.
They're (generally) not total hermits, they'll have friends and acquaintances, but life partnerships are difficult for them. It's not exactly forbidden for a Dryad to date or marry, but it is considered rather unusual and their fellow Dryads may quietly question their commitment to their job.
Dryads and their Gods
Dryads always serve the god who granted them their power (known as their "patron goddess"), with some rare exceptions. Their goddess is usually a motherly figure to them, and close bonds develop between a goddess and her dryads. The collection of a goddess's dryads is known as her court. Most courts have a sibling-like dynamic, with their goddess as the matriarch of the family.
Being a parental figure as well as boss to these Dryads, a goddess has to be prepared to dish out discipline when Dryads act up. After all, there's a lot that can go wrong when you give out that kind of power, especially back in the days when the gods were far less responsible with their choices and often gave out blessings willy-nilly. The gods could be... rather harsh.
A go-to punishment for a misbehaving Dryad was to forcibly transform them into an animal for a length of time. While bestial Dryads could only transform themselves, a goddess could transform anyone, and a goddess's transformation cannot be overwritten even by the most skilled of shapeshifters. Being transformed into an animal for a while was essentially their form of being grounded, and the type of animal and length of sentence depends on the severity of the infraction.
In very rare cases, if a Dryad abuses their power enough and proves themselves to be a consistent danger, they may be stripped of their Dryad status. However, due to the close-knit familial relationships within courts, this is quite rare.
Dryads and War
Though Dryads can have a wide range of duties, all must be prepared for combat if necessary. Wartimes are an "all hands on deck" situation, where all Dryads are expected to fight to protect their lands.
You might not expect that gentle and dainty Dryad who sets up floral arrangements for sacred ceremonies to march into battle, but chances are those very same flowering vines she's putting up around the place have also been used to strangle someone. All Dryads have massive combat potential and are not to be messed with.
One Dryad in particular, Capsaicin, was well-known for weaponizing nature. She was a Phytodryad whose hair vine bore the flarespore flower, a flower that produces a mix of pollen and capsaicin powder as essentially a natural pepper spray to ward off predators. She could essentially make natural pepper spray on command- and that was only one weapon in her arsenal, next to seed pod bombs, thorn blades, natural poisons, and more.
Dryads are defenders at their core, and sometimes offense is the best defense. The gentle, nurturing mother nature stereotype falls away quickly when they're given a reason to show how vicious nature can really be.
Even things I enjoy doing, my brain will register as "tasks" and therefore decide they're icky and not to do them.