Oam

Oam (pronounced OH-ahm) are a type of tree that grows in the Monumon in the lands of the Utnin and the Mountain-Throne Alliance. Rarely more than forty feet tall, these hardy, spindly trees can be found in small copses across the steppe, typically in depressions where water collects.

An oam can change its roots to branches, and the reverse as well, relatively quickly, a trait the trees take advantage of should strong winds blow them down or they become uprooted in some other way. This is not a mere quirk of the species, however, but rather an integral part of how they survive in the arid Monumon, as they rely on it heavily to survive the periodic droughts that afflict the steppe. By bending its flexible trunk an oam can bring their upper branches into contact with the ground, at which point they transform into a second set of roots as the tree arch over the ground. The previous roots are then pulled from the soil, becoming branches in a matter of days. Through this process individual oam, and entire groves, can migrate across the landscape as they seek new water-rich places to set down their roots more permanently again.