Druidism

Following nature and life

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Profile

Druidism is the veneration of nature and life, and by extension, the greater world around it. In Arda, it is a faith that blends a number of elements from both the Heavens faith and the Primordial faiths. The ultimate goal of druidism is to balance life with the plane of Arda in a way that promotes life in a sustainable and conscientious way.
Druidism is far from a monolithic religion. There are numerous subgroups within the religion that espouse the various virtues of nature from the love of light and life to the survival of the fittest. As a result on the various views of promoting life and nature, druids can be of a number of alignments so far as the ultimate goal is to create balance. The commonality between each of these is seeking the continuity of life cycles as well as preserving nature. It is anathema by any druidic sect to disrupt either of these notions in a meaningful way.

A druid revitalizing the land.

Druidism doesn't have a singular holy symbol, and often varies from group to group. Most often, they are tokens of nature such as branches, crystals, or bones from the land where they had undergone their druidic training.

Holy Text

Druidism is a relatively small religion, with a number of various sects and groups (known as circles) which each follow a varying set of dogma. As a result, druidism does not have a single "holy text", but each circle often has a holy text or texts which make up the core of the circle's dogma. In most cases, these texts are a druidic interpretation of the already existing texts of the Heavens or of one or more the Four Primordial Lords. Others still have the wherewithal to create their own holy texts, and yet others prefer the keeping of an oral history which is passed across the generations.

History

Druidism is Arda's third oldest religion, and is the predecessor of Primordial worship. The original druidic religion combined elements of the then prevailing Heavens faith and the whispers of the Primordials that sprang forth from the earth, sky, and seas of Arda. According to legend, it was due to these elven druids of old that the Primordial Fire first spoke to, amidst their fire-lit rituals deep in the ancient and sacred woods. These elves became the first orcs, by hosting spirits of the Primordial Fire. This new creation, and the first of the Children of the Primordials, were blessed by the Primordial Fire, had a strong affinity to it's magics. Emerging from the woods a changed people, it shocked their neighbors, the word spreading like wildfire among the early cities of the elves and their dwarven allies. Thus, believing that evil had corrupted their former friends and neighbors, did the elves and dwarves take up arms against the orcs and their new allies, the duergar.
As time would go on, the two religions would become distinct, especially as the Primordials began the physical transformation of the elves into orcs and the dwarves into duergar. After the time of the First Primordial War, many druids went into hiding in the lands of early Magnos to avoid the ire of the foundling Romanoran Empire, but looked upon the remaining druids in suspicion.
The druids would be largely centralized to the deep forests of continental Magnos, but many began new circles in further lands such as Rian, Nestoria, and even as faraway as Mujmal, where it has taken on a new meaning as a blended religion.

A Mujmali druid communes with a nature spirit.

Domains

Granted Domains
Animal, Earth, Healing, Plant, Strength, Sun, Weather

Adherents

Most druids are in a category of their own, often eschewing land, title, or even their own names to live out their lives of service to nature. Despite their own inclination, they are known to work with the local people to preserve the local nature of the lands which they live and protect, regardless of the local's religion. Druids commonly act as woodsmen, guides, conservationists, herbalists, and sometimes even as farmers. Common folk come to druids to seek answers from the natural world, wayfinding, or to cure sickness for their own selves or their farm animals.
In Arda, the druidic faith has a number of domains (see above) which are associated to faith on the plane. A druid who explicitly follows the Arda druidic faith can use the above domains for the sake of their nature bond ability. In addition, other classes such as clerics or paladins can also use druidism as a religion to venerate and champion, using the same domains as listed above. Such clerics and paladins are similarly bound by any such anathema a druid would normally possess.

A lone druid performs a ritual in a sunken glade.

Afterlife

The afterlife of those of the druidic faith is complicated. Most circles espouse that their souls are returned to the creators of life, the Heavens. Others claim it is returned to one of the Primordials. Even others still claim the divine essence of the soul is dispersed into the soil in which they are buried, and this act will revitalize the land in which they were buried. As with any measure of life after death, it is difficult to know the exact truth of the matter.

See Also

A part of:

• Religions of the Dragon's Domain

Quick Reference

Alignment: True Neutral
Domains: Animal, Earth, Healing, Plant, Strength, Sun, Weather
Created: N/A