Tellyl

''This article is a subspecies of the Dryad. For the main page, click here''

Hidden in the snowy tops of the mountains, the Tellyl are a subspecies of Dryad forced to defend themselves against the vicious herbivores that roam the highland peaks. Their population is moderate, though not entirely common.

Appearance and Anatomy
Tellyl have changed their skin from the typical layer of brown bark and soft, green stem in order to better blend with their environment and avoid predators, instead opting for a rough, soot skin. However, on top of this layer of skin is a fur-like chalky coat that mimics snow. A Tellyl’s hair will often mimic a berry bush, though thorns can be found all across a Tellyl.

Tellyl are often bipedal, and have a similar height to the Dyrii, roughly 6’. Their limbs are quite long in comparison to their body, however, this is a feature present only in the adult Tellyl, possibly to create a stronger build to defend tribes. Sprout Tellyl are incredibly small, which allows them to hide in small spaces. A Tellyl’s reproductive tendrils are located on the inside of their mouths, creating a safe space for the seed to be grafted upon.

While Tellyl do not have a skeletal structure, there is bone-like tissue that wraps around the mouth, resembling the lower half of a skull.

Reproduction and Children
Tellyl will often use berry seeds for reproduction, hence why Sprouts tend to be small. These seeds are then stored in special rooms inside Tellyl burrows, deep inside far away from predators. These rooms are filled with berry bushes, in which the seeds will acquire their sustenance from. Growing into a Sprout will usually only take a few months, though some remain in their seed form for years.

Tellyl Sprouts will usually spend the first part of their lives, roughly the first few decades, doing absolutely nothing. This is because Tellyl adults will be quite overprotective of their children, and will have them tend to the bushes in the seed room to keep them busy. Once they have proven themselves capable of basic survival, Sprouts will then move to tending the outside berries, and eventually will be able to choose their own role in the community.

Diet
Tellyl will often cultivate patches of berries made for consumption upon mountains. These berries are often poisonous, in an attempt to dissuade other herbivores from eating their food. As a result, Tellyl have grown resistant to most natural poisons, and have poison flowing through their own bodily sap.

If driven to do so, it is not unheard of for a Tellyl to eat meat, as their digestion system has the capability of doing so. However, for what appears to be cultural reasons, this occurrence is rare. Similar to the Dryii, Tellyl perform better under sunlight, despite gaining no nutritional value from it.

Behaviour and Culture
Tellyl will often create large burrow networks inside mountains and settle there with their families. When venturing outward, Tellyl will travel in groups between 3 and 5. Burrow networks will often have populations of up to 50 Tellyl at any given time. That being said, devastating attacks from predators can leave a Tellyl burrow devoid of survivors, ending entire bloodlines in under a week.

Due to the low presence of other sentient species that come into contact with Tellyl, their spoken language is incredibly underdeveloped, with only basic words for very literal concepts, such as “you” or “enemy”. That being said, they are quite accommodating to foreigners, and tales suggest of Tellyl groups of rescue mountain climbers or lost travellers and care for them until they are ready to venture out once again.

While their berry farming tendencies can have ecological impact, what causes the most environmental effect is the hunting patterns of a Tellyl community. While they do not eat meat often, Tellyl will frequently monitor the population of other life forms in the area to ensure that they have the highest chance of survival in comparison to their competitors. Though Tellyl do not outright purge creatures into extinction, the local ecosystem may be moderately to heavily modulated to fit the communities need.