The Druids

The ancient Druids were some of the most powerful magic users that the world has ever seen. By channeling both Sol and Luna through the unique filter known as Terra they created wondrous devices, amazing cities, and their crowning achievement... the Emerald Jungle. Supposedly, Druids could change their shape at well, grow trees and flowers with a flick of their wrist, make an area fertile or barren on a whim. The Druids were powerful casters not to be messed with, and they proved it time and time again with their feats.

— Archon, in a lecture on Druids and Terra magic

General Information

The most well-known depiction of The Druids(placeholder image)

The Druids existed in ancient times when the civilizations known as the Sol Civilization, Luna Civilization, and Celestial Civilization were still thriving. They were Terra mages, with a very unique set of skills. What is known commonly about Druids is that at some point in their studies, they were drawn to the World Tree. After coming back from the World Tree, they were often-times changed; they had access to new magical abilities, they got a significant power boost, and they became reclusive. The Druids often also came back with new-found wisdom, and were sought-after advisers for many government officials. As the civilizations began to expand, they started taking out large parts of nature and defiling sacred sites. Around this time, all of the Druids went to the World Tree. Some time later, though no sources give an exact time frame, half of the Druids returned to the world. The other half of the Druids began the most powerful piece of magic ever performed, they created the Emerald Jungle. Over the course of a couple weeks, the Druids who stayed at the World Tree brought the Emerald Jungle into existence, and they too became trees. Known as the Whispering Trees₁, they are said to be in a ring around the World Tree at the center of the Emerald Jungle, and pass knowledge onto anyone who is worthy. The Druids that returned to the world came with a new-found love for nature. While they all loved nature and appreciated it before, the newfound love was a zealot's fury. They healed nature wherever they went, and threatened rulers, towns, even simple farmers who dared to threaten nature. Over the course of time, they became known as The Guardians, and were widely both feared and respected. Eventually, as with the other Civilizations, they disappeared. Unlike the other Civilizations, however, they left not a trace that they ever existed, except for the Emerald Jungle.

Lifestyles

While the druids may not have left much behind in the ways of their own evidence, the other civilizations left behind many journals, logs, diaries, and other such literature behind about the Druids. Most Druids, according to ancient texts, lived in secluded huts in forests, deserts, tundras, and other such areas. Oftentimes the Druid would use his or her own magic to make the climate around their hut their favorite climate, and grew trees and flowers that reflected this. Most druids wore clothes with flora from their favorite climate on them, though some druids who lived or worked in cities simple hooded robes. They generally ate both plants and meat, as it was seen as a natural part of life. Most Druids would not seek out relationships, however there are a few documents showing that some did have relationships, and that the spouse or loved one was perfectly fine with the Druid being reclusive. Beyond these small details, we do not know much else about the mighty Druids lifestyles.

Stories of the Druids

While not many accounts of the Druids prowess still exists, there are a handful, two of which go hand-in-hand. One of the stories is a court record account written by a dedicated scribe, detailing what a particular Druid named Elkorn said to a lord of a piece of land, and the other is an eye witness account of what happened to an army who provoked Elkorn's wrath.

Lord: Thank you for coming here today to provide us with your wisdom Elkorn, now about the Foggy Woods...
Elkorn: Remove your army from the Foggy Woods, now.
Lord: That is not an option, I cannot remove the army for a threat still lays within th-
Elkorn: That was not a request. Remove your army, or I will remove them for you.
Lord: You dare to threaten my army? Even Druids may not speak to lords in this manner
Elkorn: Do I need to remind you of what I'm capable of, Dresden son of Farthen?
Lord: Guards! Arrest this man!
Lord: W-what did you do?
Elkorn: I turned them all into trees, that much should be obvious Dresden.
Lord: I-I still cannot remove my armies, y-you know this Elkorn.
Elkorn: Well, since you will not remove your army, what's about to happen is on your hands, Dresden. Good day.

— An account of events as written by a court scribe

The second part of this tale can be found within the ancient diaries of a certain woman named Ashe, who wrote down the events of what happened shortly after what happened in this court.

2nd of Everstar, 1031
I cannot believe what I witnessed today. Elkorn, our local druid, teleported in front of the training grounds of the army. He spoke to the commander, and the commander ran. I watched on, in horror, as Elkorn was surrounded in green light. and he waved his hand. The entire army in the training grounds was turned into trees! He then walked around, and every soldier he found he turned into a tree. I ran into my house, cowering in fear. I hope he doesn't do this to us. After he was done he smiled, and walked back into the Foggy Woods. We all heard the screaming, but we all ignored it.

— A diary entry from the Diaries of Ashe, a famous collection of quotes and accounts from ancient times

This story is a historically accurate account of the creation of the Marching Trees in the town of Prox and in the nearby Foggy Woods. This sort of thing was not commonplace amongst druids, from what we can tell. However things like this did happen. The Marching Trees of Foggy Woods and Prox are one example, but another famous example that people know is the Green Way outside of the Emerald Jungle. We have no writings about how it was formed, but we do know that the trees are arranged in the standard marching formation of the Celestial armies at the time of its creation. Other stories include Druids turning deserts lush, burying entire towns into the earth, and bringing blizzards down onto unfortunate villages and cities. The Druids were not people to be messed with, as while they were slow to anger, they had the power to do almost anything they desired.

The Druids Disappearance

Around the same time as the ancient Sol, Luna, and Celestial civilizations shut off their machines and began to die, the Druids began a mass effort to spread nature anywhere they could. They are part of the reason why so many ancient cities and ruins are covered in vines and plants, some of which are not natural to that environment. Once the civilizations faded into history, the Druids slowly began returning to the Emerald Jungle. Once there, they constructed a great library₂ that housed all of their collective knowledge. After this, there are no more records of where they went. Some say they turned themselves into Whispering Trees, while others say due to their lifespans they still exist, shape shifting and driving the world in a direction they see fit. Whatever the truth is, only the Druids know, and the Druids aren't telling.

He was there the night before, singin' his damn songs and growin' plants everywhere. I woke up this mornin', and he's gone! Sweet, merciful Sol he's gone! Now I don't have to hear any more of his damnable singing, and we have peace at last.

— an entry from the Longshal Diaries

I would just like to thank everyone who read the article to this point! Your reading is greatly appreciated! :D ~Sseth

The above image is generally what a typical Druid's house would look like. While others would base their homes off of the tundra's or deserts; forests were more common as that is where most Druid's felt at home, especially those who spent years training in the Emerald Jungle.

Notes and Key Terms

¹ Whispering Trees: Whispering Trees are supposedly sentient trees that are said to have once been some of the mighty Druids that created the Emerald Jungle. They supposedly share knowledge to those deemed worthy, and also protect the World Tree. None who enter the Emerald Jungle return however, so none can confirm the truth of these ancient claims.

² The Druids' Library: The Druids, realizing their time was running short, devised a plan to create a special type of library to store all of their collective knowledge, in hopes that in future days someone would be able to find it, and use their vast knowledge.