World: Alfheim
Diet: Light
Height: 68’9″
Lifespan: 1,000 years
Habitat: Forest
Activity Cycle: Diurnal
Alfheim is largely ruled by great beings known mostly as Fairy Princes, fae who have achieved such magical might that the land bends to their will. The leshi are a minor form of this phenomenon, the petty lords of the forests. Leshi are the masters of plant life, aware of every leaf and twig in their territory. Unwanted guests often find themselves lost as the forest reshapes itself around them, hiding their path and sending them wandering in circles. Particularly dangerous threats often find themselves sealed within trees to forever sleep there. The leshi can disguise themselves as any plant native to their lands as well, even shrinking into a single blade of grass, but in their native state, they take the form of a mighty tree with a semblance of a face, using two roots as arms.
In general, leshi see themselves as creatures of balance, guarding the state of nature within their forests. This does not necessarily mean they are kind or benevolent. A smaller leshi will be snuffed out just like old trees block light from the younger. Nature’s balance is taken on in all its brutality. However, it is rare for even a more fanatical leshi to live alone, bereft of sapient company. Dryads are common in their woods, although hamadryads are often powerful enough that leshi keep them away as potential rivals. Most common, however, are tree trolls, who often form communities who serve the leshi, defending them in the dry season months when the trees must sleep. These “leshguards” are granted magical tools which make them far more dangerous, granting powers such as teleportation between trees.
Very few leshi will tolerate dragons, who are thoroughly unnatural creatures, and their thoughts on creatures native to other worlds range from curiosity to hatred. After all, they are not naturally part of the leshi’s land, and that is always difficult for these lords of the trees to swallow.
