Roon actually has two different ecologies. One above the surface and another that man has create underground. The first to be discussed will be the surface conditions and the limited forms of life to be found there.

The outside of the planet is dominated by the constant struggle to survive the effects of the sand fog. The sand fog is dust that continues to drop down from the old excavations. The dust was thrown so high at that time and the gravity (1/2 of normal) is so slight, that it will be another 15,000 years for the air to clear.

Even 6,000 years after the planet was terraformed, a debate still rages regarding the choice to build the warrens underground instead of allowing the Druids to assist in making the surface livable. It is now thought that the decision was one of expediency. It was easier to build underground and that is where the wealth of this world resided anyway! Thus generations of Rooners live underground.

These trees are the only ones that can withstand the constant erosion of the sand fog. This tree has managed to survive by turning the sand to help it.

They may grow as high as 30 feet and get as big around as 35’! They are always the same color as the sand that covers them, unless the wind is low and then they are covered with green shoots.

The tree goes through a phase every year at a time when the wind is at its lowest ebb where a sticky amber fluid is secreted. The dust settles thickly on this amber, and it combines to make a very hard concrete like substance. The layer of amber under the sand concrete dissolves over the next year. This provides the tree with nourishment. As the amber is consumed, the area in between layers is filled with the living sap and flesh of the tree. The only portion of the tree that is not covered with the concrete are may small pore like openings. When the wind is low, hundreds of thin branches bloom forth. They have a very small amount of sticky fluid on them that acts as saliva for the tree. Small single cell fungus and plant spores feed them, and the branches are mildly photosynthetic. When the wind grows stronger, the branches retreat inside the concrete shell and wait for the wind to stop. They retreat begining with the tip first and turn themselves outside in. Thus the saliva, and what stuck to it are on the inside. The sand that has also settled on the branches is passed back out of the pore by a kind of peristalsis.

In a peculiar adaptation, they have developed a sort of atmotropic sense. That is they feel the direction of the wind, and it turns itself into it. The passage of the wind around them is also abated by its shape. Instead of being round, they are aerodynamically correct to pass the high wind pass with the least resistance. It is well known that when trapped in a wind storm, that a Stone Tree makes even better cover than a cave, as the lee side of the tree remains almost still as the wind is guided around this spot. It is not uncommon to see many of the small branches waving in the slight breeze while a storm rages in the front of the plant.

The outer layer of the tree is incredibly tough and very heavy. Though the "bark" of the tree is very heavy, you may sometimes see Stone Tree shields carried by Archer Guards.