Druids

The weald is unique because of its forest traditions (called that even outside the forest proper), and those traditions rest on three types of primal magic user. Shamans are the most common of them. They bind the wealings to the primal spirits and are responsible for the relationship between the clans and the spirits. Wardens are the rarest and they are responsible for the relationship between the clans and the immortal aspects of nature - mountains, rivers, ocean, storms, seasons, etc.
Druids are somewhere in between those two in terms of rarity, and, like wardens, they are not always saoi. In terms of numbers, they are about one percent of the population.
Druids call nature their home and everything living in it their kin. To become a druid, a great hallowed creature is created by sacrificing the soul of one beast at the end of its life into another, transferring the wisdom and training of the old to the new, over many generations. Eventually these beasts become something more than a beast, perhaps a shadow of a god or a beast-god. By sacrificing one of the great beasts and taking them into their soul, a man or woman becomes a druid. They run with a wolf pack, commune with the oak grove, and fly through storms with the thunderbirds. The animals and plants will answer their calls, and their primal spirits grant druids the ability to take on their forms.
Some druids are warriors, using their powers to fight no behalf of the clan. But those that are saoi are responsible for the relationship between the clans and the living, mortal aspects of nature - the animals and plants in particular. They monitor the health of the ecosystems and befriend the natural and magical beasts. If a basilisk or a family of griffons or a tyranosaurus herd moves in close to a village, it's the saoi druid's duty to decide what would be the best course of action (investigate? chase off? kill? tame?) and pursue it. The druids are the ones who say what can be hunted or fished and when, and they're responsible for initiating young hunters and trappers and fishers into their craft. They decide whether or not a part of the forest can be logged or turned into farms, and they're responsible for initiating young loggers and farmers and ranchers and vintners into their craft. Things like that.
Perhaps most importantly, they are responsible for overseeing the great beasts - choosing which ones become animal companions to which wealding, and training the human caretakers and breeding or capturing, taming and training the beasts themselves. They are not the ones who ritually sacrifice the spirit of one into another - that's a task for the shamans - but they are responsible for the welfare of the living beasts and tracking their pedigrees. Without the beasts, there are no more barbarians and druids and the Weald becomes much more vulnerable. Different druids may focus on different duties, depending on what's in the area or what the clan needs. And some travel around like circuit preachers visiting different isolated hamlets, villages, and camps, each too small to support their own druid.

Career

Qualifications

To become a druid, you have to undergo a ritual to meld your spirit with that of a great beast. Generally only shamans conduct the ritual, and only to those who have proven sufficient power.

Alternative Names

Nagual

Type

Agricultural / Fishing / Forestry

Famous in the Field

• Lorkan

Related Locations

• Wealding National Territory