Druids of the Rainwood

History

Once the westernmost edge of the Nameless Empire, the huge expanse of forest now known as the Rainwood was in ancient times the abode of the phlegmatic Stone Giants. Longest lived of their species, Stone Giants also had a stronger tendency towards construction than their kin. As a result the Rainwood is littered with the ruins of monuments, temples and civic buildings that have stood the test of time admirably. When the Nameless Empire was riven apart by civil war and eventually collapsed, the former slaves of the giants, as well as new immigrants to the area, moved in to the region. The newly freed or settled population consisted primarily of Gnolls, Goblins, Humans & Ogres, but even without the Giants they still had to contend with the ferocious creatures which inhabited the primeval forest. Unable to defend themselves with simple strength of arms, the migrants were increasingly forced to rely on the influence of priests of nature to act as intermediaries between their fragile lives and the powerful beasts of the Rainwood. Over the years this reliance grew into dependence and finally after centuries, dominance. The Druids of the Rainwood as they are now exist as a caste above the hierarchies of tribe, clan or sept. They transcend not only blood or family ties, but species as well. Anyone can be selected for Initiation into a Circle on a senior Druid’s order, and oftentimes those orders are used to force compliance from ruling elites, fearful that their children or family may be selected as a form of reprisal.

Originally all of the Druids of the Rainwood were under the influence of the great Lindwurm Hysan, but as the Wurm grew more withdrawn and secretive over the centuries, the Circles factionalized. The split was driven by the question of how to deal with the unsteady and tottering march off innovation. New methods of Magic had been developed that didn't require obeisance to the Old Ways, new forging and construction techniques meant that the beasts and trees of the forest could be beaten back with torch, axe and wall. Those who had been closest to Hysan took the hardest line, perceiving any progress more complex than knapping to be a potential threat; those further from the Worm's influence saw that the wind was shifting, accepting the transition from sole domitor to merely first among equals; a third and final faction split from the liberal after a time, made up of those disillusioned by the wars and destruction wrought by civilization, but unwilling to embrace the reactionary mindset of the Forest Dragon's disciples. In the present day the three factions making up Old Way worshippers are largely at permanent odds with one another in spite of sharing cultural and historical roots. Circles of different factions fight one another ferociously, seeing one another as rivals for the population of the forest. In spite of this all of the factions maintain relatively similar traditions, the most important being Relinquishment and Stewardship. Relinquishment means to give up one’s family ties, name and any history you may have had before joining the circle. New names are bestowed by the initiate’s mentor and are generally drawn from the natural world. Stewardship refers to an oath that the Druid must take upon completion of their training, they pledge to either shepherd a group of animals or intelligent beings, or a particular natural formation such as a sacred grove or body of water.  

The Moderate Circle

The largest faction of Old Way worshipers currently, the Urtdane or Moderates, have largely ceded their old role as direct leaders of communities, instead becoming something more akin to advisers or guides to the forest people that they once dominated. Moderates prefer to Steward intelligent beings and exist largely in symbiosis with the communities around them, the members of the community provide food, recruits and shelter for the Druids, the Druids deal with outside threats both natural and supernatural, making sure that the community can continue to provide for them. Druids are generally seen as a caste apart from the settlement that they protect - they are not outsiders, but neither are they full members of the community. Moderates prefer to focus on peaceful or otherwise diplomatic methods to solve potential conflicts from within or without. They use their abilities to forge pacts or placate angry spirits and fae rather than enslaving or annihilating them, and they generally do not foster or summon creatures such as Elementals long-term, only using such fearsome creations in defense of their charges. This is not to say that the Moderates are weak or prone to showing their bellies, they are just as capable of violence or engaging in practices such as the sacrifice of intelligent beings, but rather that they wish to cultivate their communities to the best of their ability. Happy, healthy and well-adjusted tribals make the best recruits.

The Crestfallen Circle

The newest and smallest of the three Druid factions, the Crestfallen, or Hulfeir, broke from the Moderates after a string of failures to keep several local communities from warring with one another consumed the region in a generation of small-scale raiding and tribal warfare. The Crestfallen believe that the Druids lost their chance to influence the fate of the Rainwood when they eased their grip in ages past and that it is nearly impossible to recover it. Instead of focusing on what they see as the unobtainable, they are determined to maintain what power they do have by any means possible. Crestfallen Druids are relentless in their attacks upon interlopers or any trying to develop the forest further. Loggers, merchants and surveyors are especially disliked and are usually dispatched in bloody rituals if captured, their bodies left hanging from trees as warnings to any who would support them. Tribes associated with the Crestfallen tend to avoid established areas or communities, preferring to exist on the margins of society than risk being corrupted by its indolence. Hostile fae and elementals are the Crestfallen’s bread and butter and they delight in using the spirits of the forest to demolish their enemies. Crestfallen prefer to Steward large natural features such as a particular tree or geological formation; individual tribes are less important to them. Most of their recruits are drawn from disillusioned members of the Moderate or Lindwurm circles.

The Lindwurm’s Circle

Focused and violent, the faction “led” by the reclusive Hysan are closer to a terrorist organization than a religious one. Known as Wurmsdane in the druidic tongue, members of the Lindwurm’s faction are frightful figures to the denizens of the forest. They dress in hides and barely worked cloth and cover themselves in grisly trophies from their fallen enemies. Their actions are calculated to cause as much fear and anxiety as possible, to cow the tribes they have dominated and to cause their enemies to hesitate to fight them. They refuse to balk from any course, but due to their small numbers they are cognizant of the fact that they must be wary of over committing with direct attacks. Summoned creatures, bound fae and terror weapons like the Baitan are preferred, allowing them to wield outsized influence in spite of their size. But that is not enough, and with the help of Hysan they have weaponized many diseases and toxins, magical or otherwise. They eagerly spread these afflictions among the tribes and peoples of their foes, destabilizing them with Lycanthropy or poisoning their wells or livestock. Zealotry of this caliber is not easy to cultivate, new members are generally orphans from tribes destroyed by the Wurmsdane or tribes with a long history of involvement with the Circle. Dominated tribes are not allowed anything more complicated than flint and fire, innovation is discouraged and dogmatism towards the Old Ways is fostered. Thankfully for the folk of the Rainwood, the preferred Stewardship of the Lindwurm’s Circle are animals and natural features. These tend to be some of the most dangerous animals or areas in the forest, the better to turn against those who would oppose them.