The Rebirth of Decay

The Great Deception A very long time ago, from a source of perversion and corruption was born a group of monsters known as The Blighted Ones. Twisted and dark in nature and appearance, the Blighted were both deadly to those who championed nature, and cunning in their attempts to weaken it. Through whispers they twisted the minds of the common man and made them believe the druids did wrong in wielding the power of decay; that decay was vile and hurt the earth to eventually bring about their destruction. Eventually druids fell pray to this deception as well and no longer sought to learn it. With time the knowledge of it faded from the world. This single act immediately strengthen the power of the Blight and allowed them to craft an illusion over the world preventing the druids from seeing the damage that was being done. Without decay being nurtured as a druidical power, when things died in the world, their energies did not fully feed the earth, and much of it was wasted. This disruption in the cycle of nature has been slowly damaging nature for all of this time. The blighted themselves have walked among the druids, disguised and seeding discord and strife between their own orders.
The Restoration of Decay It is said that time heals all things, and eventually the earth would find a way to begin its own process of healing. Such an event transpired very recently when an extremely obscure druidic prophecy came to pass. A child, whose mind was wrought with discontent would leave their home and be mortally wounded by nature’s wrath. That child would survive long enough to travel to a point of power and die upon it. This unintentional sacrifice would herald the restoration of the fifth power.
In recent times, the above series of event finally and naturally came to pass, and the world seemingly brought back into the world a druid of the ancient times, who still possessed the power of decay. The druids who found him, lent their strength and from that strength what was lost was brought back into the world. The process of restoration has begun.
My Name Is Hugh For a time in your history I lead the order of the Circle of Ten. I do not know if my time in your world will cease soon, or last an eternity. I have taught the power of decay to some of you in hopes that you spread it around the world. I have found some of you who seem naturally adept to the power, and I have found some of you who are averted by it. The power is not for all and certainly not for the feint of heart, for decay does take its toll upon your spirit. Despite this price you must always remember that it is not evil. There is no good or evil in druidism, there is only nature. Sometimes nature can be loving, kind and beautiful, and sometimes it can be primal, raw and terrible to behold.
The world is now on the slow and steady path to repair. The Blighted are now weakened and they will find it far more difficult to disguise themselves as our kind. They will be desperate now, and they will seek to gain back what they have just lost. They will re-ignite their secret campaign against decay. They will whisper into the hearts of the commoner and convince them that the druids are delving down dark paths that will end the world, and that they must be stopped no matter the cost. When this comes to you, you must be strong. You must not falter in this battle of perceptions even if those who attack you are innocent and simply being used as tools against you. There is no innocence in a battle for survival.
We must seize this moment of strength and hunt down the Blight, to weed it from our garden and destroy it utterly. I will teach you all I know of these monsters, and how to track them down and kill them. I will teach you the ways of my time, our rituals, our beliefs, and our spirit. With this knowledge you will do as you choose, and your path will be charted by those choices.
I have made home in a cave near your grove. You may visit me when you wish, but I am not fond of visitors who are not of our kindred spirit. Everything that I need, the world around me will provide, and so here I will stay for now. Here I will teach those who come to me, I will offer guidance to those who seek it, and I will write in the blank tome given to me by Tharivol Farothin. If ever the world deems that it is to reclaim me without notice, than this book will serve as a way to pass on my knowledge.
I hope that my stay will be beyond a fleeting moment in time, but we shall see.
Hugh High Hierophant of the Circle of Ten Elder of Decay, The Ravens Herald, The Crows Call