Nymphlopedia

Entry 34: Overgrowth Nymphs

Hoo boy did the trio sure look like stereotypical explorers. (Minus the outfit, obviously. Vince in Cobalt armor, Dryad in her minimal vine-bands, and of course Sonata adhering to Rule #1.)

Sonata was using a Cobalt Sword to do the actual cutting, hacking away at the vines that were blocking them every ten seconds. And also blocking out the sun - Vince had to use this magic lantern some Skeleton guy sold him to illuminate the place. It didn't do a good job at lighting it, but when there was treasure it let him know, so he loved it.

"Why why WHY did we have to take this detour?!" Sonata complained. "WHAT did we have to go through to get to the Mines the other way?!"

"The Pirate hangout." Tania answered.

Sonata's face dropped. "Oh. Oh yeah, fuck those guys."

Vines caught all three of them, yanking them up.

And holy fuck it hurt with those thorns sticking them. For Vince especially, it seemed like no matter what fancy armor he tried, those damn magic-enhanced thorns were able to hit him like hell.

They were shot up to the treetops, finally giving them sunlight, but all were on their backs with their arms, legs, and necks having throny vines wrapped around them. A few dark green-yellow Nymphs, all with very messy hair that fit their region's 'overgrown' look, dropped down on the branches.

"DAMMIT!" Shouted Vince. "Why the thorns?! Why is it always the thorns?!"

"Hey!" Tania called back to him. "Thorns are- they're nature's way of- they- self-protection... I'll think of something nice to say about them when they're not poking in to my neck! AUGH!"

"Oh Pan, what now?!" Sonata complained. "We're 'intruders,' we're 'traitors' for working with the Last Dryad, what's pissing you off?"

"Yeah you seem to get it." Said the one Overgrowth Nymph in between them all. "I don't know why you're surprised."

"I mean, touche, but also, it was either this or getting past those fucking Pirates' hideout."

The Overgrowth Nymphs all did double-takes.

"...You hate the Pirates as much as we do?" The one in the middle of them all asked.

The trio all slipped their arms out of their binds, then pulled the ones on their neck so as to slip their heads out. Getting their legs free was trivial after that.

"Yeah! Especially the FUCKING PARROTS! Argh! 'SQUACK! Horny jail horny jail, bonk bonk bonk! You're porn, you're porn!' What kind of SLEEVEFUCKER trained those bastards how to talk! Even the Pirates don't like them! I swear, the NEXT TIME one of those motherfuckers tries to peck at me because I adhere to Rule #1, I'm roasting it. I'm not even fucking joking. Just, fwoosh."

"...I'd say I'd let you go but I see you've done that already."

"Yep!" Vince smirked. "I'm a lot better at getting out of sticky situations with Nymphs than I used to be!"

Sonata patted his shoulder. "I taught him that."

"No you didn't."

"I mean, I kind of did."

"I escaped from you myself."

"If it wasn't for Iris, you'd be my lunch."

"No I could have-"

"You keep telling yourself that!"

"AHEM!" Shouted the Overgrowth Nymph. "So, sorry for our little misunderstanding, but would you like to join us - or at least me - on raiding the Pirate base?"

"Yes on the condition that I get to focus on the fucking Parrots. I'll kill anyone else along the way, but I'm on the Parrots."

Overgrowth Nymphs.

One minute, you're hacking and slashing through the vines of the Overgrowth. The next, these Nymphs are hacking and slashing through you.

Preferred Environment: The Overgrowth.

Environment Threat Level: Moderate.

Environment Stats: Wet. Warm. Moderate-Mundane. Uncommon. A swamp-like setting bursting with green-yellow plants, especially hanging over their shallow waters. It is usually a very dense biome.

Other Names: Moss Nymphs, Muck Nymphs. (They do not see this as an insult; rather, almost all of them like this name.)

Affinity: Water.

Color: Dark Chartreuse.

Traditional Costume Weapon: Sheets of moss around their arms. This aides them in ties with the twisting vines and plant life of the Overgrowth, and the ability to navigate the harsh waters below.

Vince's Comment: They mainly like to weigh you down with plant mass. Here's the thing that can catch people off guard: Bugs like to hang out there. The place isn't nearly as bad as the Nest, but still.

Sonata's Comment: I thought they would be a bit too messy for my tastes, but... no! This dark wetland is kinda weird. They're better gardeners than they look! I'd dare even argue that they're better at that than Tania!

Tania's Comment: Overgrowth Nymphs.
Nymphae Muscus.
No, Sonata is right, I myself do not "garden" so much as I "reforest," a tireless and endless job... I should not vent about my personal life here! (I can save that for my own entry.) No, I should compliment this type of Nymph for doing my job in part, if focusing more on moss than on general nature like me... no, I'm venting again. Many of their fruits and vegetables are unsafe for Human consumption. Goblin testing pending. (No, Sonata, we cannot force Ragz to try them!)
Surprisingly, the animals that live here are safe for them to eat.

Closing AN:

At the last minute I changed the name from "Moss Nymphs" to "Overgrowth Nymphs" since I felt that that would be better. (I still left the "technical name" unchanged for now though...)

Also dammit I'm trying to not have these be "elemental Nymphs..." somewhere along the line it felt like they went from "having loose powers tied with the biome, but they still use weapons and the like for 'regular' elemental skills" to "just being able to Avatar-bend whatever stuff is in the biome."

Wait I actually do have something I could do for the ten-year HUC anniversary, although it has nothing to do with HUC itself! I could finally do the last touches to the "title panel" of Dryad & Nymph 3: The Quest for Clothes Page 1 and post that on Deviantart! I mean it has nothing to do with HUC but still.