Old Faith
Druids, rangers, and barbarians tend to follow the old ways. They call on the local spirits, or their ancestral spirits to affect the world around them. Primal spirits tend to grant control over their elemental nature (calling on Stormhawk to cast lightning bolts down on your enemies, or asking Deepwinds to fill your sails with a favorable gust. Ancestral spirits tend to provide guidance, healing, or access to hidden knowledge or skills, asking Grandmother Spirit to heal your wounds, or the Hunter to guide your arrows true. Animal spirits, such as Great Bear or Wolflord, can grant abilities of their animal kind, or control over their kind. Many of the great animal spirits also have other, more mystical powers. Wolf is known to aid communication and organization, while Bear is known to be a healer.
Followers of the Old Ways tend to leave offerings for the spirits, and most will only hunt and kill what they need. They live in harmony with the land, unless they are a follower of the Great Hunter, Rageclaw, Blood Cousin, or other, more rapacious, spirits.
Structure
There is no one dominant church of the Old Faith. They old ways are kept by a variety of druidic circles throughout the lands. The Circles sometimes work together, although there are circles that oppose one another. Rumors exist that each circle is led by an Archdruid, often chosen in a trial by combat. Some say that there are a limited number of Archdruids, and that they meet in secret under the direction of a Great Druid. Those who channel the powers of the spirits tend to be druids, rangers, and to a lesser extent, barbarians, though a few clerics who worship the gods of nature (such as Artemis, Pan, Freyr, or Uller) can be found in the circles.
Cosmological Views
The Afterlife
The Old Faith believe that the spirit exists apart from the body. When the body passes, the spirit will eventually reincarnate into another form. Some say that those who lived a life of respect for the world take "higher" forms, while those who give into their crasser instincts are reincarnated into baser forms. Eventually, a spirit could reach such enlightenment that it merges with the Great Spirits or the World Spirit (sometimes called the World Tree).Political Influence & Intrigue
Relations with Other Faiths
Druid sects in general do not interact with other types of religions, except those that pose a direct threat. They believe non-hostile faiths are artificial constructs irrelevant unless a convert wishes to abandon them and follow a more natural path.
Notable Members
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