Spoken about only in hushed tones by those who live near old-growth forests, the Wicker are living plants that take on the form of other creatures. Made of dry vines, leaves, needles, and bark, wicker creatures are woven into shapes that are familiar yet foreign. In these creatures, the drab colors of nature are usually accompanied by a blue-ish glow from their eyes. Some wicker creatures, especially more powerful ones, also incorporate animal skulls or feathers in their appearance.
The most infamous type of wicker creature is the Wicker Hag, a trickster who takes on a feminine humanoid form. They are vicious deceivers who use enchantment and illusion magic. Most infestations center on a wicker hag who uses their magic to create new wicker creatures. A wicker hag can also take on disguises to infiltrate mortal societies, where they spread strife and discord.
Wicker creatures hunt by overwhelming their quarry and restraining them while a barrage of thorns, vine whips, and serrated bark whittles them down.
Spread
The wicker is an infestation that spreads unless it is staunched with fire. It is usually centered on a single Wicker Hag, but it will not take long before the forest is teeming with other creatures who displace both the local flora and fauna. How these initial seeds of infestation are planted is not known.
Many forest creatures have been imitated by the wicker, whose adaptability makes them very hard to root out. A new infestation may present as blights, vines, and the occasional peryton. As the infestation progresses, wicker hounds, bears, and tigers might start prowling the forest along a variety of plant monsters. An uncontrolled infestation may result in wicker trolls, wicker spiders, or even a wicker dragon.
While they do not have a true hivemind, wicker creatures still seem to have some sort of bond to other nearby wicker creatures. If a very powerful wicker creature in an area is slain, less powerful ones will fade away, decomposing to dry dust.
In order to stop an ongoing wicker infestation, fire is the primary tool to defeat these parched beings. If going up against more powerful creatures, it is also highly advised to bring some measure of protection against enchantment magic.
Origin
The wicker are tinged with the unmistakable chaotic essence of the dark Feywild, combined with earth essences of the wild. They all seem to act in service of the Wicker Queen, an archfey of enormous power. The endgoal of her evil scheme is not known. All Wicker Hags refer to themselves as "daughters of the Wicker Queen", which may or may not be literally true. Attestations of the wicker goes back for at least a millennium, being first recorded in annals dating from the reign of Sacella the Blessed.