Druids, Of Groves and Wilds

Since the dawn of mortal memory, the wild has called to us. It speaks to a time from before we became civilized and rejected nature. But why must man resist what is in its nature? We are but beasts, only slightly able to think above the many animals that roam and prowl, and even the trees know more than we short lived mortals ever will. Thus, came a new breed of folklore character, both misunderstood, valued, and disdained: the Druid.
Druids are primal spellcasters, very rarely if ever offically sanctioned and liscensed by the magic academies of the land. They tend to get their magic from the primal energies of the land. To explain, the world has ambient magical qualities in every last thing in nature, and these druids now how to tap into this magic and bend the energiees of nature to their will. However they use it out of respect for the nature, rather than as a tool. This is the primary diffrence between druids and say, rangers, where the druids are reverant of nature and all its beauty and horror. Many even swear themselves to powerful dieties of nature or primal nature spirits, and most if not all seek to extensions of the natural order rather than its master.
This has led many to sneer-ingly call druids "flower lovers" or "Twig Humpers" but in truth druids have plenty of uses for all their preaching about nature and harmony. Many potions are thanks to herbs and plant medicenes that have been passed down from druids, and if a village is lucky enough druids may help keep their crops bountiful and fertile. However to be a truly powerful druid, one must live like the beasts do. They forgo the trappings of civilization, instead sleeping in the woods with the beasts and other creatures. Most druids believe in maintaining a harmony of the natural elements: air, earth, fire, and water; and spend their whole life dedicated to helping maintain this order. They are not some tree hugging pacifists however, and will very violently resist and slaughter that which they view as alien to the natural order and may stand against them.
They are known for many abilities, primarily built around the manipulation of nature. Growing crops or trees quickly, and of course the most infamous ability of all being to morph their form into a wild animal or beast. They truly are the conduits of nature itself, and regurarly form small but disorganized groups known as circles. These druidic circles typicaly form around wells of primal power, and seek to understand the deeper meaning and knowledge of the natural world. For this reason, they are typically.....begrudingly accepted. At least, for most of the time. Witch Hunters tend to vary, some willing to find and burn these unregistered magic users for the pagans they are, and others viewing them as certinely strange and hateful but it being more effort than its worth to purge them. They can be both a villages greatest hep or worst nightmare depending on what the druid "believes will help the natural world" and as such most common folk view druids as strange pagan witches dancing naked in the forest. To some extent they are sort of right, but at the end of the day, any adventuring party can greatly benefit from a wildman, for sometimes even the most civilized of lands requires someone to give in to the animal locked away inside them.