Druidism

The Origins

Y'shendra and Azunath. WIP.

Concepts

Law of Druidic Exchange: The Law of Druidic Exchange is also often called the 'Law of Verdant Equilbrium'. It is a universal truth built into Atharen's structure, instilled so by Y'shendra and Malek. All life must mean death, and all death must mean life. The consumption of a plant allows for an animal to live, through energy; the carcass of an animal allows for fungi to decompose it, for its own sustenance, and the fungi may then enrich the earth. Heavily linked to Azunath's domain of 'The Cycle', these three Gods once acted as a coalition to construct the laws and principles of what a scientific mind may know as biology.

Given that Druidism is the magic of life, it necessarily must follow this principle. Therefore, all life energy is exchanged for another. A Druid must absorb or decompose in order to produce; the wounds of a mortal may only be closed by the wilting of flowers, grass, trees; and even the opposite may be true.

Initiation

X

Threshold Sickness

The drawbacks listed below do not always come in pairs, and certainly not simultaneously. Some may come and others may not.

Lesser: Nausea, fatigue, headaches, muscle spasms, dehydration

Moderate: Bleeding through the nose, eyes and ears, intense cramps, seizure-like shocks and spasms, internal bleeding, vomiting and weakness

Severe:

Abilities

Cultivate: Novice. Cultivate is the first ability any new Druid learns. It is within this ability that they practice the principles of the Law of Druidic Exchange (also known as Verdant Equilibrium), learning to trade life for another, using ether as a medium through which to perform the transaction. To Cultivate, the Druid must channel ether through one source of life surrounding the plant or fungal life they wish to cultivate. This can be an organic life, a weed, or another fungi or plant. A Druid may sacrifice a bundle of weeds to grow a bouquet of flowers, or they might drain the life of a mouse to do so, until it is dead or feeble. Whatever the case, they drain the essence of one source of life and usher it into another, causing for it to cultivate, or grow. This ability is a very challenging one to learn, and can often consume months of a Druid's life to master. Many Druids accidentally drain their own essence in doing so, causing their hands to shrivel until they naturally or magically recover.

Suture: Novice. A Druid learns not to grow but to manipulate plant life through this ability, which acts as their first glance into 'healing'. By drawing a wound (typically a cut or gash) near to a plant source, the Druid may draw away the fibers of that plant, threading them into the wound to act as sutures. This ability will whittle at the fibers of the plant, causing it to lose large sections of its leaves or other fibers, but the ability offers an efficient and easy way for a Druid to suture wounds closed, a method that tends to be considerably less painful and less infectious than through traditional methods.

Commune: Apprentice. Through Azunath's imprint on the magic, the Druid learns to Commune with animals. Most animals are said to be mildly less hesitant to interact with a Druid, and Druids are known to be capable of forming at least surface level bonds with most species that are not exceptionally aggressive. If an animal's trust is sufficiently acquired, Commune allows the Druid - through touch - to communicate with them through the eyes, which will convey questions and answers. They may grasp whether the animal is ill or hungry, or may even be able to discover whether the animal has seen a specific entity or individual they are looking for. For this reason, Druids typically try to cultivate strong bonds with animals in their surrounding areas, hoping to be able to harness those bonds to discover information.

Entangle: Apprentice. Later into a Druid's development as an Apprentice, they may learn how to harness and manipulate plants to their benefit. This allows a Druid to control vines and roots, typically, as their mastery is not advanced enough to harness trees or other large structures. Through Entangle, the Druid's ether seeps into nature and seeks out roots or vines that it will then empower, greatly heightening the durability of their fibers before bending and controlling them. This can allow for the use of these roots and vines as whips, or - more commonly - they can extend upward from the soil to grip and constrict a target, wrapping them in a tight verdant binding. These roots can still obviously be cut or otherwise destroyed, so this ability is typically left to distracted or otherwise vulnerable targets. At times, it is also used benevolently, such as to capture a wounded animal so that they may be healed.

Equilibrium: Journeyman. Rather than meeting a perfect balance between two objects, Equilibrium refers to the balance of life, which is inherently limited by the balance of death. Equilibrium is a Druid's first true healing ability, and it can be performed a number of ways. The most common is to draw roots or vines from the soil, like with Entangle, and manipulating them to lodge into the wounds or veins of a target. Pumping out vital energy through this connection, Equilibrium will mend the intended target's wounds, closing them rapidly. The life and vibrance of the plant will shed off into the wounds, reconstructing the individual's cells, fibers, proteins and so on almost miraculously. This can also be done by laying their back against a tree, which will decay as it heals them, laying them in a bed of grass, and so on. In all cases, the plant life used to heal the target will rapidly degrade and may even die, as not all lives are considered equal; a blade of grass may only be as valuable as a small scrape or cut.

Conversely, an animal or human life may also be used to mend plants or other living entities. A deer may be entangled before being rapidly decomposed, revitalizing a burnt bed of grass. Equilibrium appears to be able to revive plant life, but cannot revive animal or mortal lives. It consumes a variable amount of ether, depending on the severity of the wounds; marginal, or large, if the wounds might otherwise be fatal.

Regeneration: Journeyman. Regeneration is similar to Equilibrium in concept, but widely different in practice. It is a form of therapy through which the Druid sacrifices or absorbs the life energy of one object, called the catalyst, into the body of another in order to speed up their natural recovery. Rather than only being able to mend surface-level wounds like Equilibrium, Regeneration can help one recover from an illness, help detox from poisons or drugs, and can help mend fatigued muscles and even exhaustion. Regeneration is extremely potent for this reason, and increases the body's natural rate of recovery by around eight times, normally for around a period of a day, though a Master Druid can extend Regeneration to last up to a week through a more equivalent sacrifice of life. It consumes a decent amount of ether to perform, but often is seen as a more cost-conservative way to mend wounds than Equilibrium, which is more direct and instantaneous, and typically reserved for emergency treatment.

Wildveil: Expert. Wildveil is an intriguing ability of Druidism in that it acts to reinforce others - or the Druid themselves. It does so by sacrificing plant life, though with a delay on the effect. Instead, Wildveil will draw plant life from a base, before directing it into the body of the target. The plant fibers will seep in through gaps in their skin cells, forming a thick wall that effectively acts as a second layer of muscles and increasing their mass, hardening after immersing into the body. Wildveil may persist for up to a week, and in this time it reinforces the muscles within the body, both improving the target's strength and durability, acting as an underarmor. Once the plants within Wildveil begin to decay as the ether they subsisted on dissipates, the body will digest the plants. The cellulose within the plant structure is broken down by the last vestigial remnants of ether before it dissipates, allowing the target to properly ingest the veil.

Wildflail: Expert. Wildflail is considered to be an expansion or more advanced form of Entangle. Through a larger consumption of ether, the mage may dramatically enhance the width, scale and blunt or kinetic force of the roots, vines and now branches they intend to manipulate, allowing them to create massive lashes or flails. These flails, typically descending from trees or rising from the soil, can sometimes even dwarf the target they intend to assault, and can be manipulated to batter or crush them. While the size of the flail is variable, the larger and more dense the flail, the more ether consumed to augment it. Additionally, life around it will be sapped and drawn into it as it is made to grow and develop.

Affinity: Expert. The Druid learns to bond with a chosen animal, known as their Guardian. This animal is only one that naturally exists in the world, and cannot be any stronger than a Tier 3 creature. It cannot be a Spirit, or a monster. The bond is established only with an animal already willing to trust the Druid. The Druid will draw soil from the ground with their fingertips, infusing it with ether, and painting markings over the animal's face and along their body. These will infuse to the skin and will change color, typically to either a blue or green shade. Once the markings are lit and sufficient ether has been expended to form the bond, the creature's mind is tethered to the Druid. For the remainder of that animal's life, it will follow and guard the Druid to the end, loyal enough to die for them. It will also grow in scale and capability, increasing to roughly a Tier 5 animal after around a year of the bond being established, becoming stronger, faster, larger and more durable. The Druid may only have one Guardian at any given time, and sadly, in order for them to acquire a new one the old one must die. If the Druid themselves ever kills their own Guardian, they will never be able to form this bond again, their Mark of Control precluding them from the ability.

Convalesce: Master. Convalesce is the power to cure disease. Y'shendra once acted as Malek's Equilibrium; the balancing life and growth to his death and decay. As such, she has long been able to cure the most severe of diseases, and has imbued Druids with this power as well. A Druid may cure any disease upon mastering Convalesce. From a cold to a terminal illness, passed through generations, they may rectify the malformations within an individual's genes or cells in order to spare them the effects of that disease. They may even cure maladies created by a Ferrier of Bane, up to and including those crafted by a Scourge, though the stronger and more severe the disease, the more difficult it will be for the Druid to mend it.

A Scourge's illness, more potent and more complex in structure, may push a fully vitalized Druid to the precipice of Overstepping to mend. Whatever the case, this ability is cast by maintaining contact with the one the Druid wishes to cure, as a faint green energy will radiate from their form within. Unlike the other mending abilities of Druidism, it does not require the exchange of life, as the life of the bacteria or virus is exchanged for the vitality of the individual's living cells. This ability cannot heal Overstepping or Mageblight, though it can slightly alleviate them.

Renewal: Master. Renewal is a similar ability to Equilibrium, only on a much larger scale. The Druid will typically stand still for a few moments, holding both palms open before their sides and facing them upwards towards the sky. As they channel their ether into their palms it will begin to diffuse outward, causing leaves to flow within the wind and crystalline-like flecks of light to shine softly around them. The area surrounding them will almost appear to be immersed beneath rays of sun, made more verdant and vibrant, though ironically the effect of Renewal tends to be quite the opposite. Renewal is the power of mass-healing. By sacrificing an enormous amount of plant life and vitality, one may mend an enormous amount of mortal wounds. Unlike Equilibrium, the plants sacrificed do not need to physically connect to an individual to mend them, as their essence will spread through the air like pollen, before being drawn into the wounds of the intended.

A few, even dozens of people may be healed at once, any individuals the Druid chooses to heal within around fifty feet of them. The more grievous the wounds, the greater the amount of plant essence consumed, and also the greater amount of ether. A Druid can, through Renewal, likely heal at least a few of their allies of mortal wounds before submerging into Overstepping, but depending on the amount of Raw Magic they have recently channeled, this ability can be extremely precarious to cast. If a Druid were to heal a dozen allies inflicted with serious wounds after already expending a large amount of ether in a conflict, they could even immediately be submerged deep into Severe Overstepping.

Renewal may also, like Equilibrium, be performed on the inverse. A few ill men and women may be sacrificed to mend thousands of square meters of destroyed forest, their bodies decomposing into the soil as their essence spreads outwards.

Keeper Abilities

Kindle: Kindle is the culmination of a Druid's ability to manipulate and control plants, allowing them to animate plants to serve and defend them. Kindle infers a minute, short-lasting spark of life within a plant, making them capable of perceiving their surroundings. They will be given the ability to move, the ground around them more malleable, and their limbs adjusting to let them shift and walk. Trees might be uprooted from the soil only to pursue the Keeper's enemies, lashing out with their branches.

Plants animated by Kindle tend to be well-coordinated, durable, and surprisingly capable in combat. Their branches and limbs can move rapidly, and are sharpened to be capable of puncturing densely plated armor. They are difficult to easily destroy even with magic, though fallible. Each plant animated by a Druid will require an initial burst of ether to animate, and will gradually consume ether as they continue to be animated. Once the Druid severs the connection, they will attempt to root themselves back in their original position, though if not they will settle for a suitable location.

Lifewell: The Lifewell is the base of much of the Druid's more advanced healing capabilities. The waters of the Lifewell are unique to the world; while the Lifebasin was modeled after them, even that basin does not have many of the capabilities of a Keeper's Lifewell, though it expands to fill a much broader scale. The Lifewell is where the Keeper performs Ethereal Germination, allowing them to perform spontaneous conception of plants, mortals and animals. It also allows them to mend complex diseases, including those crafted by a Scourge. The waters heal and rejuvenate life, stamina, hunger and exhaustion, making a frail and sickly man become born anew after bathing in the well for a period of time. While the well can take a while to work its effects depending on the given severity, it is a font of mending with no true comparison, as Y'shendra no longer creates such wells herself.

Lifewells must be crafted from a physical basin, typically circular with one or two steps leading into the structure. They are considered a magical artifact, with the well originally filled with the Keeper's ether. It can take months or even years after an Ascension to fill the well, depending on its size. A Druid pours their ether into the structure and fills it with that ethereal volume, and a larger basin makes for a more rigorous and long-spanning process. The waters of the well will glow a warm blue, the easiest way to recognize a Lifewell upon first glance. The edges of the structure itself also tend to glow with etheric lines, and plants will grow along the steps and edges, life naturally attracted to the waters. Most Lifewells tend to have around a fifteen foot radius. Spirit visitors sometimes bathe in them, the waters helping them to replenish their own fatigue before setting off to perform more tasks. Given the disappearance of the Keepers since the Bleeding, however, none of these structures seem to remain, with only a few ruins lingering in the wilds.

Ascension: The Keeper

While Druidism is not a Lost Magic, the Keeper is sometimes called a 'Lost Ascension'. The process of becoming one has been lost to time, with many believing it was Y'shendra who directly guided a mage towards becoming such an entity, a fact that appears unfeasible now given her current disposition. What is known extensively, however, is what the Keeper looked like and how they functioned. Within the ancient texts of the Path, there were many of these men and women recorded throughout history; allies to the Eldashan, protectors of entire forests, guardians of life.

The Keeper is a being of nature, and a force for its protection. Upon becoming a Keeper, the mage will become stronger. The Wildveil becomes a permanent enhancement to their form, becoming denser and more effective, making them difficult to wound. A Keeper is utterly healthy; immune to any form of illness or disease save for Mageblight, or the consequences of Overstepping. They, like plants, acquire energy from the sun and are nourished by the world around them. They never hunger, tire only if their ether has been significantly drained - which they can restore more quickly than other mages through sleep - and always appear in top form.

Appearance-wise, they are not vastly discernible from their original selves, but there are key differences. To begin with, they acquire a crown of antlers that wraps around their head. They find themselves becoming marginally more rugged if they are a man; a small beard might appear impossible to cleanse, they will grow more body hair. Women's hair will grow longer, and both men and women find their nails resembling claws in their shape, growing out to be longer, thicker and sharper. All Keepers gain at least a few green or brown patterns or tattoos on certain parts of their body, typically either their chests, back, arms, or a variation of the three. Keepers also become incredibly fond of their natural appearance, and tend to shed much of the expectations of society. They will rarely overdress, with most dressing in loincloths or other primitive garbs, and some even wandering through their domains bare.

Keepers are capable of mending Spirits of Corruption, an ability unique to them. They do this by internalizing their Corruption within themselves, suffering a small amount of Mageblight that they will recover from at an accelerated rate. They are capable of revitalizing life around them, permanently shedding off a restorative warmth that appears to mend plants, animals and mortals without the requirement of living exchange. A Keeper has learned to incorporate the power of the sun and moon into Verdant Equilibrium, exchanging the source of life's energy for the renewal of life. Through this natural exchange, they constantly and naturally regenerate creatures around them at a slow but elevated pace. They can also harness this power to aide in their abilities, reducing the ethereal and living cost of their healing.

A force of life, Keepers gain an ability ordinarily only held by the Gods: Ethereal Germination, which allows them to produce life without physical conception. They merely need two entities to enter the Lifewell, and can produce offspring from them within a few days of time. They can sense the growth of offspring within all life, and can even mend creatures within the womb to ensure their healthy birth.

Keepers themselves are stronger, faster, more durable and much more enduring of duress, with most finding them maddeningly difficult to kill. They are ultra-enduring, and tend to heal and regenerate themselves in combat and war, leading to a truly exceptional amount of damage needing to be applied in order to fell one. Finally, they appear to gain enhanced senses, attuned as they are to nature.

For more information, see: The Ascendant.

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• Y'shendra
• Azunath
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