Item seed: Pahoehoe Oak (quercus salamandrus)

Blame this.

Pahoehoe Oak (quercus salamandrus)

Yes, the trees are on fire.  …Sort of.  What’s actually happening here is an interesting, if not somewhat unique, example of an invasive species colonizing a new habitat. And yes, this can happen just as easily in the supernatural realm as it can in the natural one.

The ability of natural spirits to inhabit trees has, of course, been well-documented for centuries.  Oak trees in particular are particularly susceptible to dryad colonization, and have adapted accordingly to accommodate what has become a truly symbiotic relationship. However, due to the nature of organic matter most vegetation simply cannot act as hosts to any but an extremely narrow range of elemental/natural spirits.  Some types of seaweed have been colonized by undines, and petrified wood is favored by gnomes, but that’s about it.

…Until now.  Pahoehoe Oaks apparently have something in their sap or cellular tissue that allows them to indefinitely house a salamander without harm to the tree itself.  Discreet research continues on the subject – aided by the salamanders themselves; they find this development as inexplicable as everyone else – but in the meantime plans are in place for the creation and cultivation of secluded groves of eternally-burning trees. Nobody knows what properties can be derived from the wood of a tree that’s hosted a salamander, but the alchemists and magical engineers are quite keen to experiment, and find out.

Oh, relax.  They can gather research materials perfectly ethically.  Dead branches fall off of oak trees all the time.