The Dryad's corpse filled the container, its humanoid torso preserved through magical stasis that prevented natural decay while maintaining the entity's physical integrity for examination and study.
The creature's skin was bark-like, with dark wood-grain visible across every inch of exposed flesh, in patterns that looked like a tree.
Its face carried beauty and terror simultaneously.
Its face would have been elegant and striking while alive, but now being frozen left it in an expression that mixed rage, pain, and disbelief that something had actually managed to kill it.
But what drew the eye and held attention was the systematic damage.
The Dryad's chest had been carved open with surgical precision, ribs broken and pulled apart to expose the cavity where its heart should have been.
The organ was missing, harvested for its alchemical or magical properties.
