Editing Sylvaneth (section)

==The Spirits of the Forest==
There are more Sylvaneth than just the treespirits; sprites (now called spites) are Sylvaneth, the spirits that possess deadwood to forge bodies out of it (treekin) are Sylvaneth, the ghosts and fae creatures of the glades are Sylvaneth. They ARE good people overall, with most of them having noble desires and despise chaos. Even the sadistic and racist ones will side with the good guys to fight the bad guys. It's just that they're so alien to others that the alliance is always quite strained. They're difficult to interact with, not just because of the language barrier. They do not like you, they don't think like you and they don't live and die like you. Your concerns are extremely alien to them just like they are to you; Sylvaneth in general don't care for glory, expanding borders or making money but instead are mainly concerned with ensuring the safety and cycles of the natural world are upheld. Some things Sylvaneth do share with others is that they build cities, work metal and stone and create artworks, tapestries and furniture. They are also unfathomably long lived. It is likely they only die due to violence or specific diseases, and even then some of them even have their souls in a part of them called a "soulpod" that can undergo a sort of reincarnation.

Despite these alliances, most Sylvaneth do not like mortals/non-Sylvaneth, usually calling them "Quickbloods" (a category that includes daemons, <s>despite them not being mortal</s> probably because blood runs quicker than sap). They consider the Quickbloods to be short sighted, flippant, brief and unable to comprehend the importance of their extremely long term plans and the real meaning of everything. Some of said mortals that they will treat with include the aelves of the Idoneth Deepkin, duardin and humans. One of the reasons is because some of them worship Alarielle even if some of the humans also worship Sigmar. They used to be close allies with the Wanderers, who were formerly known as the Wood Elves. During the Age of Chaos the Wanderers chickened out and fled the battle, abandoning Alarielle and the Sylvaneth of Ghyran to the forces of Chaos. For that, Alarielle banished them from Ghyran and they earned the hatred of the Sylvaneth. For centuries they lived out a mission of repentance, planting waystones so that the forests of Ghyran can sprout in other mortal realms. During the Age of Sigmar when Alarielle built The Living City, she forgave the Wanderers for fleeing, and they were allowed to return to Ghyran and live there. They Sylvaneth themselves are divided, since though the military alliance has been restored some are still salty over the past desertion.

Also, the disparity in sentience can be pretty huge between different castes. For simplicity's sake, this will cover the ones who are playable in the game and any spites that hang out with them.

===Forest Folk===
*'''Dryads''' are lead by the wraiths, who act as druidic spiritual leaders and chieftains. Back in the day, they were the civilians, peaceful caretakers, gardeners and surrogate mothers to orphaned animals. In the Age of Myth it was extremely rare for them to be called to war. The Forest Folk who were not capable of war were driven extinct more or less by the forces of Nurgle, however. For many, life is very nomadic. Constant bouts of fleeing and hiding from the forces of Chaos. They're VERY mercurial as positive qualities among the survivors, such as joy and cheer, faded as they fought to stay alive. Sing a lot. Dryads as part of the living body that is the forest are best described akin to an immunity system and wound healing enzymes. They care for the flora and fauna with loving care, to heal the wounds time and Chaos have dealt to their home. Yet if an intruder is detected (and the will) they switch and act like white blood cells. You are the virus, the forest is the body, and the Dryad is your doom. This is an instinctual behaviour and they don't personally hate you, just as little as the leukocytes when they embrace the virus in order to protect the body.
*'''Branchwraiths''' are matriarchal and maternal figures. They're the primary "nodes" of the sylvaneth's song. a sort of mass communication method of the race. Among these teeming armies stand the branchwraiths, sorcerers who can rouse the woods themselves to fight alongside the Sylvaneth. Enchanted oaks burst from the ground and vines move among the enemy like venomous snakes. When not at war, they are absoloutely crucial for the Sylvaneths survival, as they are the primary care takers of the soulpod groves, the nursery and birthplace of all Sylvaneth. Like mothers they guide their wandering daughters in case a Dryad gets lost. In terms of the social order, Branchwraiths are on par with the Treelords, heads of their respective branch.
Forest Folk never carry a Lamentiri in their bodies, but particularly old and battle-experienced Wraiths take a leaf out of the Noble Spirits way of life, echoing their greatness.

===Noble Spirits===
Noble Spirits are set apart form the Forest Folk in their posession of a Lamentiri, basically a blackbox in the form of a seed that may be replanted in the Glades and Soulpod Grove to share its knowledge with the future generations and Treelords add another bit of wisdom to their successors - CCTV footage from every battle ever fought. Every single impression, every twist in the spiritsong that informs new troop movements, every blow dealt, every loss of life, every decision made is recorded and stored so it can be reviewed later to not make the same mistake twice. The Lamentiri are harvested by Branchwyches after the Battle from the fallen Nobles.

*'''Tree Revenants''' are sombre. They make up the primary warrior caste of the Sylvaneth and are peace keepers, law enforcement and guardians. They're generally lead in groups with a Treeman and a Branchwych, a so called Household.
'''Gossamid Archers''' are winged revenant archers.
*'''Revenant Seekers''' and '''Revenant Lancers''' are the mounted cavalry of the Sylvaneth, riding upon oversized Spites to fly around while harassing the foe.
*'''Branchwyches''' are powerful druidic figures whose sorcery and combat skill is highly respected. They are short-tempered, but keep it in check towards higher ranking Sylvaneth and Alarielle (though most subordinates give them due respect so rarely experience this temper). They have a special relationship with spites; in the eyes of the wyches, the little creatures can do no wrong and the Sprites are very fond of the wyches, coming to their aid en mass.
*'''Treelords''' make up the nobility of the clans. Treelords are the most well known of the Noble Spirits and serve purposes like Royal Guards, Librarians, lords and military captains. All sylvaneth love them as fathers/mothers and would only disobey one in extreme cases. Huge swarms of Sprites make their home among the branches of the Treelords, nestled in their bark hides. They're inherently compassionate. They have an extremely deep connection to the spirit song. They communicate with one another in songs made up of streams of color and sensation, made into language. [[Awesome|The forest itself recognizes them and literally bows down to them whenever they pass.]] Any human would see them as incredibly old, but their elders consider them reckless like teenager and too easily roused to wrath.
*'''Treelord Ancients''' are the Kings and Queens of the Sylvaneth. They're the most powerful mages, the masters of life magic, they have an inner serenity that persists no matter what it is they're doing, including while on the battlefield that they sing to other sylvaneth. They're extremely meticulous, every detail of their extremely long lives is committed to memory. They know the name of every sylvaneth they rule over and spend their lives amassing knowlege into their lamentiri to ensure that future generations can benefit from their experience.

Both of these noble spirits are extremely prone to deeply exemplifying the eccentricities of their glade. EG harvestboon treelords and ancients are very slight and lithe, but extremely passionate quick to rage and mirth. Ironbark treelords tend to have veins of ore in their wood that makes them glitter while being unreasonably stubborn. Dreadwood treelords are vicious and untrustworthy even in the eyes of other sylvaneth.

===Free Spirits===
The Free Spirits are much more directly administrated by Alarielle. Unlike other forest folk, they aren’t confined to a glade and instead roam around to lend their wisdom and considerable brawn to all in need, as well as dispatching new orders from the royal court.

*The '''Spirits of [[Durthu]]''' carry their Everqueen’s word throughout her realm as law and speak with her authority. Wielding massive Guardian Swords only few can hope to be on the opposing side of the battlefield and live to tell the tale of a giant tree felling foes by the dozens and using said sword as a magic missile weapon. The Spirits of Durthu are Alarielles chosen generals, advisors and bodyguard, giving sage council and even disagreeing with their goddess to make the best plans for the entire race. These individuals live every day trying to meet his stalwart example, with fierce loyalty and martial might. They have an innate understanding with every other Spirits of Durthu, akin to a shared consciousness.
*'''Kurnoth Hunters''' are the "hunter cult" of the Sylvaneth. While they're their own caste of treecreature (hulking warriors much taller than a man) they worship [[Kurnous|Kurnoth]] as Alarielle's "Soul-Consort" and equal seeing themselves as embodiment of his wrath as the Sons are to Alarielle. They're the second-newest caste, they didn't arise until Alarielle picked up the spear of Kurnous well into the Age of Sigmar. Hunters are purposeful, driven and almost single minded unlike the bipolar personalities or capricious whimsy of other Sylvaneth. They act as spies, scouts and frontline murdermachines. They're considered very strange creatures by other Sylvaneth who have a hard time understanding their single minded and taciturn natures. Like Treelords and Branchwraiths the spiritsong is especially powerful in them and they reverberate with it. While most Sylvaneth worship seasonal demigods in addition to Alarielle, Kurnoth Hunters are the only ones to do openly another god, Kurnoth. Alarielle says this is fine and that's enough for most Sylvaneth. The Heartwood glade does everything they can to accomodate the Hunters. The Hunt Master of Kurnoth is a recent addition to the Royal Moot. It's baffling for non-Sylvaneth to try and understand his purpose. Some sort of hybrid position of Spy Master, Martial Advisor, High Priest of Kurnoth and Captain of the Royal Guard. Often times a completely random Hunter will take his place with only Alarielle knowing if it's really the Huntmaster. It's unclear if the Huntmaster is a spirit that temporarily possesses a Hunter, or Kurnoth himself making individual hunters his avatar temporarily. The regents of the sylvaneth are very distrustful of the Hunt Master, especially Dreadwood who consider him a clingy upstart. The Forest Folk and many Noble Spirits consider the Kurnoth Hunters to be outsiders to the Glades, unlike them, almost alien, but their might in battle earns them respect, instead of trust.
*'''Arch-Revenants''' are a new type of Sylvaneth. During the events that led to the Nercoquake, Alarielle looked at Nagash's designs and the undead ravaging Ghyran and got reminded of the ravages Nurgle and the followers of Chaos. However, [[Awesome|this time she resolved not to dwindle or hide like last time and decided to go on the offensive against the threat]]. To this end she planted the soulpods that became Arch-Revenants, and enlisting the help of Zephyspites, bugs with giant wings, to carry her new captains into the fray. They fuel the warlike parts of the Sylvaneth spirit song, but without the sadism or insanity that can be found among the Outcasts.

===Outcasts===
The Outcasts are unsettling. Deeply so for mortals, but almost as much for the Sylvaneth. The Sylvaneth don't know where they come from, don't know how they're made, don't even know if they're not a reflection of the Sylvaneth made dark by Alarielle's vengeful desires. Many believe them to be Sylvaneth who caved into despair during the war in Ghyran against [[Nurgle]], others see in them the attempt of spites trying to become Sylvaneth. Alarielle decided to give her entire race amnesia in this regard and keeps this secret to herself. Spite-Revenants are insane, literally. They're deaf to all but the darkest and most malevolent parts of the sylvaneth's song, dwell in gloomy and unsettling glades. Some Sylvaneth fear the outcasts madness is infectious. Where Dryads and other Sylvaneth sing, Spite Revenants "Scream a sawing, nerve-shredding cacophony of horror and hate fit to drive mortal minds beyond the brink of sanity." Murderous butchers all, they commonly soak themselves and their roots in blood and torture their enemies. For fun, if they can experience such an emotion.

*'''[[Drycha]]''' considers herself to be their regent, like the Willowqueen is the regent of Harvestboon or the Old King of Gnarlroot. Drycha and the Outcasts are far more than just racist. [[Nazi|They want to purge all non-Sylvaneth]], but they will ally with non-Sylvaneth in the short-term [[Just As Planned|if it helps genocide them in the long term]]. The malevolent and cruel sprites love her. She and the Spite-Revenants are warriors and distrusted if not hated by all other Treefolk.