Druidism

Druidism is an ancient form of magic, tied to the most ancient of all Guilds of Aegis, the Druidic Order. Centuries of guarding secret knowledge and protecting nature has been this Order’s calling, bringing balance through healing land and spreading verdure with their unique arts. Druidism is controlled in such a way, and taught, through a clever process of training that is designed to “indoctrinate” the student into a certain way of thinking, opinion, etc. That is not to say it is always successful, but it is a powerful tool of regulating who has access to these arts.

As with any training, these things occur in stages. The most commonly known one is Dedicancy. This stage is most common because it is the one newcomers enter the Order as. During this time they are given tasks and lectures over a period of time that teach them the Order’s culture, and an appreciation for all things natural. This process, cleverly designed, to open the mind of the Dedicant to the flow of nature, through meditation, assistance and an understanding of ways. When the Dedicant has finally completed their tasks, and their Guide has deemed them ready, they are instructed to devise and complete their Grand Task, a milestone task for a Dedicant that shows they are ready to take on the full mantle of responsibility of being a Druid.

Upon completing this task the Guide takes the Dedicant to the Attunement Pool, an area within the grove high in natural Druidic Energies, and begins the Attunement Process. This process involves the Guide invoking an ancient knowledge to forge a connection to Nature within the mind of the Dedicant. One could consider their initial training to be similar to opening a small hole to allow light to pass, and then the attunement process as using the small hole to bore a larger one, creating a ray of light-a connection.

Thus is the way one comes into Druidism.

The Arts:

Druidic Magic is broken down into several subtypes:

Control of Nature

Blight Healing

Healing

Nature’s Communion

Shapeshifting

Now the Magic Application covers 3 subtypes Druidism (Covering Control of Nature, Blight Healing, and Nature’s Communion), Healing, and Shapeshifting (not taught usually), but the Order itself breaks these subtypes down into their own for greater training purposes. A Druid may have the equivalent of Tier 3 Druidism, but actually only be Tier 3 in Control of Nature. This is determined from within the Order by magic teacher, etc.

Nature’s Communion:

This is the most basic of the Druidic abilities. It is this that all other abilities are based off, therefore this must be trained as well when when raising other skills. Additionally, it has its own strengths, regarding speaking with nature. At this point, the Druid has to be attuned. At the start they are very aware of an ebbing lifeflow of the world around them, but are unable to interact with it unless going into deep meditation. At most they can exchange simple images or thoughts, nothing sophisticated. After the Druid has deepened their training, and through many meditations they gain a quicker ability to connect to nature. Animals are somewhat receptive to the Druid, and their words hold some mystical weight when asking favors from them. With more time, the animals comply with most requests, though aren't hostile unless the Druid is attacked. After decades of training, the druids can feel the ebb of trees, speak to them and hear them back. The Druid has the ear of most animals, and is at harmony with most things around them. When mastery is achieved, Dreams of the Aspects have pass through them, and they are at utter harmony with every part of nature they interact with. No animal raises a claw to this Druid, even the most savage beast gives pause at the word of the Druid.

Control of Nature:

Control of Nature is a valuable skill that affords the Druid dominion over the world around them. Shall they aid the growth of the grass and trees? Shall they entangle their foe in vines? Perhaps they will learn to grow saplings immediately as they touch the ground. At the start of the training, the Druid begins to emanate an aura of empowerment, things that would grow in years and months, after continuous meditation can grow in weeks and days. Crops seem to yield slightly better quality harvest. With practice the growing becomes faster and faster until seeds can spring to life as they touch the ground. By speaking with them, the druid is able to convince plants, even trees, to move, and grow giant oaks into the shape they want. A powerful druid may create farms and bring forth crops where the land is dry and dead.

Blight Healing:

Blight healing is a most noble ability of the Druids. Lands afflicted by blight, or plague, disease and death, decay or magical scarring are given new life, and in the place of the infertile soil there is verdure. Their training starts with only bringing fertility to the soil, unable to heal the land from disease or plague. It is for that purpose that they train, and to heal the lands and bring back life to where it had died or is dying. After wars when the farms are trampled, after devastating fires destroy a forest, after a fight with the Undead leaves the land corrupted, it's the druids job and duty to restore life to the land.

Healing:

Druids are renowned for their healing prowess. If it be a leafy patchup or a life-saving antidote, it is said that save for the monks or magical clerics, their natural remedies are unmatched. This art is so interesting as it combines with the practice of Druidic herbalism with their natural magic. The druids work by enhancing the properties existing in various plants and herbs. As such, and part of their training as a druid, they must learn of the plants of the realm, and learn herbology. With time and meditation, simple healing balms and salves become quite potent with the druid's help, and their teas thought that can heal the strongest of headaches.

Shapeshifting:

For information on shapeshifting, refer to Shapeshifting A hidden art of the druids, only the most capable and knowledgeable of them may ever hear or know of it. The druid's connection with nature is so strong, that they may even change their shape into the animal they most associate with.