Druidicism

Druidic Worship and other notes for those who honor nature

Nature In The Wold

Nature in the Wold, far from being dormant and neutral as most worlds are, is in fact semi -- aware and filled with either good or evil magic. Most forests, deserts, swamps, farmlands, plains, mountains, lakes, towns and even cities have an alignment tendency toward good or evil. A few locations even show traits inherent with law or chaos.

A farm, cultivated for many years by good-natured halflings, may slowly become a force for good, giving the heart rest and the soul relief from the daily stresses of life. This goodness may eventually grow further, affecting the surrounding area, slowly influencing the plant life there to grow strong and pure.

Likewise, a sun-baked desert could be influenced by evil -- desecrated by the land's ruler who summoned outsiders to defeat his enemies, fighting battle after bloody battle, murdering innocents and torturing captives in the blistering heat of the day -- until these acts begin to affect the desert itself.

Those regions that have been tamed and tended regularly, year after year -- farmlands, orchards, vineyards, gardens, cities, towns; their underlying nature will tend to be lawful. Not so the wilder places: jungles deep forests tangled with riotous growth, islands and reefs pounded by constant storms, the shifting landscape of deep desert dunes, and volcanic areas prone to violent and erratic disturbance. These places are aligned with chaos.

In a similar manner, druids are strongly aligned either with good or evil, and just as often, with law or chaos. While it is possible to strive for neutrality, most druids find this task neither rewarding nor attainable; good and evil, law and chaos, will engage in a constant struggle for supremacy.

The Source of Druidic Power

The power of the druid comes not from any professed loyalty to a god. Instead, they attune themselves to the semi-sentient forces of nature surrounding them. These forces are the source of power for druid's spells and their divine abilities. Through communion with nature, druids will realize a need and strive to answer it. Some put a name to these forces, honor "Mother Wold" as they do so, but Mother Wold does not speak to her children, except in the sounds of waves crashing on shores, and in winds whispering through trees.

Affecting Nature

The effect any creature has upon the land, sea or air depends upon the strength of communion between the creature and its environment. Over time, a farmer may affect the land he cultivates. A druid however would have a greater influence on the same land because of his greater communion with the land, sea and sky. Spells drawn from the forces of nature would further increase the druid's influence.

There are other beings that are capable of affecting the environment surrounding them, and usually to a greater extent than the druids. These are the immortals - Elementals, Fey, Magical Beasts, Outsiders (including demons and devils), and Shape Changers among others. As they appear, these creatures affect the life immediately surrounding them, creating a 'zone' of good, evil, law or chaos, which begins to expand and grow in power.

Druids are highly attuned to these zones as they begin to manifest nearby and will encourage them to either flourish or wane, depending on the beliefs of the druid.

Sources of evil affect an area of nature quickly and powerfully, and likewise -- the effect diminishes just as quickly when it's source leaves or is extinguished. Evil magic spreads hard and fast, as a disease does. In contrast, good magic develops slowly, gradually - just as renewed health is a slow and deliberate thing to achieve.

These areas of good and evil (with law and chaos thrown into the mix) are the 'battlefields' -- where good and evil druids strive against one another to achieve their disparate purposes. Good druids can be weakened quickly in areas of evil influence. Evil druids are slowly affected when they come into contact with areas of good influence. They will however, continue to be adversely affected by good magic long after they have left the area, or destroyed the source.

Evil areas are destroyed quickly, without extreme lasting effects. Good areas persevere, struggling to the last drop of goodness to resist the evil influences that surround them.

Druid Circles and Hierarchy

In the Wold, various Druid organizations, known as Circles, have formed to organize druids and create a hierarchy. These Circles seek out Druids who believe as they do and work together to achieve their goals to influence nature towards good or evil.

Specialists

Some druids become specialists -- experts in one elemental form (like Air or Water), in a particular environment (like jungle or desert), or in a specific region (like Culverwood or The Cursed Swamp). Others stray even further afield into highly specialized study: the study of monsters, of plants, or of changes in shape.