The Caste of the Starsoul
The Caste of the Starsoul is a religious and druidic circle found only within the Zaffrewood and consisting primarily of the Star Elves that reside there. They believe that the stars can tell one of the world's history as well as its future, and they worship both the sun, moon, the night, and all other aspects of both dark and light in the path of living. They also hold sway over most if not all nocturnal creatures.
Due to their understanding and incorporation of dualistic aspects, the Starsoul Order has earned the suspicion and ire of the Kingdom of Sonora, who reject the exception and inquiry of one's darker nature in favor of nurturing virtue and positive aspects. Thusly, they have often come into conflict, by both personal convictions, and land disputes, leading to the formation of Doran's Wall to keep the two civilizations apart from one another.
Structure
- Star Readers: Star Readers are diviners who use the Stars, Moon, and Planets to read the past, present, and future of people, the world, or anything else that they may influence. These people usually hold a high position within tribes in the Zaffrewood, especially if they serve as the High Elder.
- Night Children: Night Children serve as scouts, protectors, and warriors for the Caste, often undergoing rituals and rites to shapeshift into the various beasts of the night such as wolves, bats, ravens, owls, and so on. Archers, spearmen, and martial warriors make up this subsection, and Night Children sometimes can even have encounters with the darker entities of the stars, offering power in exchange for dedication and service.
- Star Children: Star Children are the more magically inclined of the Caste, often serving as apprentices to Star Readers, healing the wounded and afflicted, and serving as the go-between between the Fey and the Caste. They foster the growth of the land and the growth of the fey union, often sometimes chosen as consorts or servants to the Fey beyond the Rift at the Star Basin.
- The Senna, the Weaver's Born: Worshipers of the elven goddess Sehanine, this tribe is held within high regard as fosters of love and unity, often called upon to marry couples and engage in fertility rituals as well as death rites and provide healing for illness. Ultimately they believe that all poisons, sicknesses, and harsh experiences are things to be fought against, as one should experience life from its natural birth to its natural end.
- The Lolthr, the Bairn of the Spider Queen: Worshipers of the dark-elf goddess Lolth, this tribe is actually the descendants of the Lolth's first children, who were the Elves that she led below the earth in attempts to weather the First Consumption of Tharizdun and who created a life for themselves in what is not known as the Underdark. After the tribe split apart some managed to make it to the surface, and to this day they still revere Lolth as the hero queen she was despite her image being sullied in other places, damning her to become a vicious patron of the dark elves. Their clan is formed of Driders and Dark Elves primarily, many of them still bearing the old armors and weapons of the Old World they left eons ago.
- The Sálar, Moonmother's Faithful: Worshipers of the moon itself whom they call Selune, the Salar believe that the moon is the ultimate god and effector of people, from their moods and needs to their lives and desires. They believe that when they die, their soul goes and is kept within the womb of the moon, which is why it glows bright enough to bat away the night sky, and that the stars are souls that are either lost or on their way to their destination, who are being stolen or guided away by the moon's ancient enemy, the Darkness of Shar. As such, they often war with their sister tribe of the Sharva over the ownership of these souls and as such, power.
- The Corvos, the Tribe of the Raven Queen: This tribe worships the Raven Queen and are the keepers of the cosmic laws of life and death, actively fighting against necromancy and rituals of pain, death, and genuine presenting of chaos to the natural order. All that is borne of the earth returns to the earth, no matter how long they resist or how much power they wield. They usually have raven shapeshifters amongst them, birdfolk, and druids or clerics.
- The Zhudhani, the Clan of the Corpse Star: This tribe primarily worships Zhudun the Corpse Star, and thusly engages in necromantic rituals to keep themselves alive longer than they need too, so as to continue to serve the balance and protection of nature without the inconvenience of death or pain. Their faces are usually painted white and blank, to match with their patron.
- The Bolothoa, those Born of the What's Between: Servants of the dark entity Bolothamogg, this tribe communes with "the whisperers beneath the mirroring sea" who are in truth Aboleth also in service to Bolothamogg. They manipulate and control this tribe to kill, steal, and do whatever it is they need to further their goals, aided by the dark, eldritch power of their patron.
- The Hadara, the Feeders of Hunger: Arguably the most dangerous of the Dark Caste, the Hadara exist for one purpose and one purpose only, to feed their master the souls of trespassers, ruiners of nature, and enemies of the Caste as a whole. They often have red eyes and wear red war paint depicting their star-shaped master.
- The Sharva, Worshipers of Darkness: Worshipers of the goddess Shar, they believe her to be all of the darkness that surrounds the moon and world, and that she is the true destiny that all people come to meet, rather than trying to stave off the end by burrowing inside of the moon out of fear. They war with the Salar tribes often, and are even said to engage in rituals that snuff the stars out of the sky. They are led by an aasimar druid.
- The Zir, Sons of the Serpent: Worshipers of Zehir, this tribe are often made up of the vicious Yuan-ti and colossal Night Serpents, commanding the western part of the jungle and keeping infested in colossal underground temples. They are known for cultivating the most dangerous natural poisons in whole bushels, which often sees outsiders coming to clip a piece, only to be captured and turned into one of the Yuan-ti through their mysterious Rite of Shedding. The Zir are often identified by their snake scale body tattoos, or by being a Yuan-ti in itself, and are led by the yuan-ti paladin Ezred Ava'zir.
Culture
- Stars and Balance: The Caste of the Starsoul believe that everyone's story and legend can be found painted amongst the stars and that they can be read in order to interpret one's path and life. They also believe that both darkness and light are intrinsic to a balanced and truthful existence, for we cannot see the stars without the night to brighten them up.
- Fey Court Origins: The Caste of the Starsoul's religion and placement originates from the Court of Night, a Fey Court residing within the Veneer that has since aligned and made use of the darker entities and energies of the Shadowfell when it melded with the Feywild during the Cosmic Sunder. Starsoul Druids commune with Fey Entities from his court frequently as their lands overlap the Zaffrewood on a planar level, which is often cited as the reason as to why the Zaffrewood is covered by Night Mists that make it seem as if it is always night time there. Their overseer, guardian, and patron, is often identified as the Nightmother, an immensely powerful Archfey and the ruler of the Court of Night, mistress of moonlight and matron to all creatures and occurrences within the shadows of the day's end. Some speculate that this entity may actually be the elven goddess Sehanine, but there has never been any proof, and others believe that this title is co-opted by a number of Archfey in attempts to manipulate the druids and peoples into performing any number of acts.
Demography and Population
Most followers of the Starsoul include Dark Elve, Star Elves, Aasimar, Tieflings, and Fey. Changelings are also more prominent due to the communion and intermingling of Fey with the common populace.
Territories
- The Zaffrewood: The Caste controls nearly the whole of the Zaffrewood from a territorial standpoint, through the woods themselves still hold a variety of creatures not loyal to the Caste, such as Night Goblins, Ettercaps, and even Fey.
- The Star Basin: This is the ritualistic holy site of the Caste, and despite it being ruthlessly hammered by Doran's forces, it still remains prominent and a frequent place of meeting for the Caste. It also serves as a Feygate that allows entry to the Court of Night and the Veneer as a whole.
Foreign Relations
- The Kingdom of Sonora: The Starsoul Druids have a tenuous and volatile relationship with the Kingdom of Sonora, having sided with the Clans during the War for the Eastern Rend and engaged in warfare with them directly in the War of Dusk and Dawn, in which the Druids had assassinated the Prince Doran Sonora for incurring into their lands. At the end of the war, Doran's Wall was built to form the barrier between Sonora and the Starsoul, and a fragile peace reinforced by willful ignorance and refusal of acknowledgment.
- The Arc of the Beryl Soul: The Starsoul Druids may not put much stock into the realm of plants, animals, and nature, but they have a warm relationship with the Arc as they instead view themselves as counterparts, one for the world they call home, and one for the world above and beyond them. The North Wall has kept them apart for some time, limiting all commerce and communion beyond sneaking over and through the barrier.
- The Clans of the Rend: The Starsouls aligned with the Beryl Soul Druids to aid the Rend during the War for the Eastern Rend, and while they did not directly share convictions and beliefs, they still believed in freedom and hated the Kingdom's attempt to control them.
- The Kingdom of Nyth Noelle: The Starsoul Druids share a fascination with the world above and stars, as well as an understanding that negative aspects cannot be simply ignored in blind favoritism of virtues and positive traits. By geographical separation, they have not shared any commerce beyond momentary passing and hearsay.
Type
Religious, Druidic Circle
Capital
Alternative Names
The Star Elves, Star Worshippers, Star Readers
Demonym
Starsoul
Government System
Tribalism
Power Structure
Autonomous area
Economic System
Barter system
Controlled Territories
Neighboring Nations
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