The Druidic Enclave
The Druidic Enclave is the one of oldest and proudest enclave known to exist (though there is often heavy debate as to what capacity the main other claimant to this title -- the Necromantic Enclave -- actually existed before this date. Though their origins can be traced all the way back to 80 AC, it is questionable whether we can consider its modern incarnation to be the same as that ancient one). Its origins are uncertain, but its founding is largely credited to Faeran Lighthand of Vel'A Sharan -- back when the city was nothing more than a relatively small collection of huts centered around Quetzlaot's Well. The date of the "official" founding of what would become the druidic enclave is highly debated, but the general scholarly consensus is that it was some time between 400 and 450 AC. At this initial meeting of the enclave, it is said that there were only six members, meeting in a tent in the middle of what would become the site of the Shrine of the Lady of the Forest. What I would have given to seen the beginnings of my enclave! A humble start to be sure, but look at what it has grown into! The size and scale of the druidic order must have been unimaginable to Faeran.
The order began simply as an organized collection of druids who would volunteer in the local wildlife preserves, and would do some minor management of said preserves. Occasionally they would be called upon to handle an overpopulation of animals, or a slight overgrowth in the plant life. They handled these rather tedious situations with remarkable seriousness and skill, given that the tasks were well below the capabilities of the members.
The Enclave's moment in the light finally came when an epidemic swept across the forests of Jin El Aethis, and threatened to kill entire forests if untreated. In desperation, the ruling class called upon Lighthand and his associates, and they were able to not only stop the infection from spreading, but to cure it in over ninety percent of the affected plant life! I cannot overstate how remarkable of a feat this was so long ago. The modern druidic practice was not even an idea yet, and there would have been no precedent for how to cure something of this scale. This single act is what propelled the small group of volunteers onto the world stage. Druids from all across Ultor would come to them for advice, and even to join up and volunteer with them. However, Faeran had a vision, and he knew that his group could be much more than a simple volunteer group for his hometown. No, he began organizing his followers, first across Jin El Aethis, and then the world. Soon, there were groups sponsored by him all over the world, performing duties ranging from tending holy gardens to actively protecting against out of control beasts (Recall the legendary tale of Bram and the six-headed she-wolf). Eventually, over the centuries, this collaboration evolved into the Druidic Enclave that we know today.
In the Enclave, there are six main ranks, listed here from lowliest to highest.
Novice-- A freshly recruited druid who will be under the wing of a Naturalist. Novices will travel in groups at all times when in the field, and are not allowed to undertake any tasks alone (barring extreme circumstances).
Adept-- One who has proven that they are talented enough to take solo tasks, and who has shown an interest in moving along the path to Preserver. An adept will be sent to handle most of the non life-threatening work that needs to be done by the Enclave. For example, adepts will often be given the task of cataloging the populations of all creatures in a certain forest, or of documenting the spread of a certain illness in a plant population.
Preserver -- Preservers are the militant arm of the Druidic Enclave. They battle the more mundane threats that are not serious enough to warrant the attention of a guardian. Of course, preservers still find themselves in incredibly dangerous situations, but their skills and experience in the druidic arts gives them an edge over their adversaries much of the time. Preservers are expected to study their enemy well before actually engaging with it, and as a result are often prepared for any situation that arises during confrontation.
Naturalist -- Naturalists are the most important druids of the Enclave, in my humble opinion. They are the teachers, mentors, and leaders of the young druids, and will shape the development of each and every initiate. Every naturalist is an experienced druid, and each usually come from the ranks of the preservers. The naturalist is what many commonfolk think of when they think of a druid. They are often quite scholarly, and will espouse the importance of the balance of all things in nature. They can often be found teaching non-druids about nature when they are not busy guiding their novices.
Guardian -- Guardians face the most perilous threats to the material world and its natural order. The presence of even a single guardian indicates a significant, tangible threat to the material plane beyond the scope of most modern armies. Should you ever find yourself in the same place as a guardian, I should advise you, my dear reader, to immediately evacuate the area, no matter how powerful you think yourself to be.
Arch-Druid -- The Arch-Druid is the leader of the Druidic Enclave -- chosen by the eldest among the druids to step into the role. They will set off for Nörn to live out their days in the court of the Nurnen king, and they will be a part of the all-important council of Grandmasters.
While rank is an important consideration when deciding on which druid is fit to fulfill a certain duty, I would be remiss if I did not mention that specialty is often as or more important, as not every druid knows everything there is to know about the art. Many people I have met seem to believe that all of us druids have a firm hold over the entire lexicon of druidry -- and that we all have the same skill in the arts. This is simply not true! The amount of knowledge within the ranks of the Druidic Enclave is more vast than I can comprehend. Druids are separated by both rank and specialty. There are many, many more sub-types of druids than I could possibly ever list, but I shall list some of them here: Druids of the Land -- The broadest category of druid is that of the druid of the land. These druids value a broad amount of knowledge about a specific biome rather than an in depth knowledge of, say, a single species of animal or plant. They are often the overseers of many of their more highly specified contemporaries. A druid of the land may be in charge of a particular forest or stretch of plain; maybe a lake or piece of coastline. They are largely interested in the general well-being of a habitat, but often do not possess the specific knowledge to deal with very acute issues in their environment.
Herbalist -- Herbalists are exactly what they sound like -- they are masters in all things related to herbs. Herbalists are often alchemists by trade as well -- though they will mainly dabble in whatever concoctions they can make out of their subject matter. It is said that whether you need good medicine, or a good, strong drink, herbalists are the druids to see.
Animalist -- The druids who study animals are simply called animalists. Each animalist will choose either a specific species or genome to study in their career. Animalists often possess the ability to change forms (known as shapeshifting colloquially), usually into the type of animals that they study. These druids also tend to be...strange (too much time away from civilization and with other creatures, I say). They will often begin exhibiting the traits that their particular animal possesses, which makes many uncomfortable around them, but, I admit, you will find no greater authority on the fauna of an area than the animalists who live there.
Necro-Druids -- Necro-druids are somewhat of an oddity in the Enclave, but are worth mentioning. It is a hybrid group, partnered with both the Druidic and Necromantic Enclaves. These druids (or necromancers, depending on their preference) perform the "dirty work" that many other members consider unsavory. Decay is as much a part of nature as life is, and so there are druids dedicated to its study and preservation. They study decay, disease, and death. Necro-druids hold that even creatures such as maggots or flesh-eating fungi must be protected -- as without death, there can be no new life. You will often find necro-druids studying corpses, parasites, scavengers, and diseases. Their work can be very dangerous -- and it is possible for them to contract the very diseases they study if they are not careful.
Of course, there are countless more sub-types of druids that I cannot list -- but for the average initiate into the Enclave, they only know of these few before they even join. If you are interested further in the Enclave, I recommend that you read Arch-Druid Hafaeleus' book "On the Enclave of the Druid."
Adept-- One who has proven that they are talented enough to take solo tasks, and who has shown an interest in moving along the path to Preserver. An adept will be sent to handle most of the non life-threatening work that needs to be done by the Enclave. For example, adepts will often be given the task of cataloging the populations of all creatures in a certain forest, or of documenting the spread of a certain illness in a plant population.
Preserver -- Preservers are the militant arm of the Druidic Enclave. They battle the more mundane threats that are not serious enough to warrant the attention of a guardian. Of course, preservers still find themselves in incredibly dangerous situations, but their skills and experience in the druidic arts gives them an edge over their adversaries much of the time. Preservers are expected to study their enemy well before actually engaging with it, and as a result are often prepared for any situation that arises during confrontation.
Naturalist -- Naturalists are the most important druids of the Enclave, in my humble opinion. They are the teachers, mentors, and leaders of the young druids, and will shape the development of each and every initiate. Every naturalist is an experienced druid, and each usually come from the ranks of the preservers. The naturalist is what many commonfolk think of when they think of a druid. They are often quite scholarly, and will espouse the importance of the balance of all things in nature. They can often be found teaching non-druids about nature when they are not busy guiding their novices.
Guardian -- Guardians face the most perilous threats to the material world and its natural order. The presence of even a single guardian indicates a significant, tangible threat to the material plane beyond the scope of most modern armies. Should you ever find yourself in the same place as a guardian, I should advise you, my dear reader, to immediately evacuate the area, no matter how powerful you think yourself to be.
Arch-Druid -- The Arch-Druid is the leader of the Druidic Enclave -- chosen by the eldest among the druids to step into the role. They will set off for Nörn to live out their days in the court of the Nurnen king, and they will be a part of the all-important council of Grandmasters.
While rank is an important consideration when deciding on which druid is fit to fulfill a certain duty, I would be remiss if I did not mention that specialty is often as or more important, as not every druid knows everything there is to know about the art. Many people I have met seem to believe that all of us druids have a firm hold over the entire lexicon of druidry -- and that we all have the same skill in the arts. This is simply not true! The amount of knowledge within the ranks of the Druidic Enclave is more vast than I can comprehend. Druids are separated by both rank and specialty. There are many, many more sub-types of druids than I could possibly ever list, but I shall list some of them here: Druids of the Land -- The broadest category of druid is that of the druid of the land. These druids value a broad amount of knowledge about a specific biome rather than an in depth knowledge of, say, a single species of animal or plant. They are often the overseers of many of their more highly specified contemporaries. A druid of the land may be in charge of a particular forest or stretch of plain; maybe a lake or piece of coastline. They are largely interested in the general well-being of a habitat, but often do not possess the specific knowledge to deal with very acute issues in their environment.
Herbalist -- Herbalists are exactly what they sound like -- they are masters in all things related to herbs. Herbalists are often alchemists by trade as well -- though they will mainly dabble in whatever concoctions they can make out of their subject matter. It is said that whether you need good medicine, or a good, strong drink, herbalists are the druids to see.
Animalist -- The druids who study animals are simply called animalists. Each animalist will choose either a specific species or genome to study in their career. Animalists often possess the ability to change forms (known as shapeshifting colloquially), usually into the type of animals that they study. These druids also tend to be...strange (too much time away from civilization and with other creatures, I say). They will often begin exhibiting the traits that their particular animal possesses, which makes many uncomfortable around them, but, I admit, you will find no greater authority on the fauna of an area than the animalists who live there.
Necro-Druids -- Necro-druids are somewhat of an oddity in the Enclave, but are worth mentioning. It is a hybrid group, partnered with both the Druidic and Necromantic Enclaves. These druids (or necromancers, depending on their preference) perform the "dirty work" that many other members consider unsavory. Decay is as much a part of nature as life is, and so there are druids dedicated to its study and preservation. They study decay, disease, and death. Necro-druids hold that even creatures such as maggots or flesh-eating fungi must be protected -- as without death, there can be no new life. You will often find necro-druids studying corpses, parasites, scavengers, and diseases. Their work can be very dangerous -- and it is possible for them to contract the very diseases they study if they are not careful.
Of course, there are countless more sub-types of druids that I cannot list -- but for the average initiate into the Enclave, they only know of these few before they even join. If you are interested further in the Enclave, I recommend that you read Arch-Druid Hafaeleus' book "On the Enclave of the Druid."
Founding Date
400 - 450 AC
Type
Guild, Professional
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