On Druids

Druidry is the third rarest form of magical ability after sorcery and pact magic. It represents an ancient covenant with the forces of chaos, though which force in particular varies. This covenant is passed on through bloodlines and unlike holy magics, wizardry and pact magic, it cannot be learned by those without an inherent gift.

Beastfolk represent the majority of druids, as they are closely tied to Xengral. Their physical plasticity lends itself to the art but only a small percentage have the focus and discipline required to shapeshift at will. Those with the skill become shamans, warriors and leaders. A tribe with no druid is sometimes believed to have lost the passion of Xengral, making it a target for acquisition by other tribes looking to grow their numbers.

It's said the firbolgs were once goliaths who made such a covenant with the Archfey Chlorinthus of the Oro forest, and as a result some are still born with the gifts of nature. I will speak more on this shortly.

The gnomish Leafspeakers, the matriarchs of their society, posses a covenant with Whillip. This bond is closer in nature to that of a cleric and their god, or perhaps more accurately, a god and their prophet. It is said that their split from the races of man came about through loyalty to Whillip's domain and in opposition to the dwarves' service to Fafph. That link remains unbroken in the blood of those destined to lead.

One exception is the Aquian royal family, who claim the druidry in their bloodline was a reward for the defeat of Xengral in ages past, awarded to them by the God of Beasts itself. Xengral is both the archetypal predator and prey, and those that have managed to bring it down in ages past are considered the greatest hunters in all of history.

If druidry is the result of several loosely related sources, why then can each and every one of them communicate in a language all their own? The firbolgs tell a tale of a battle at the end of an age when the seas and skies were poisoned by a being of evil that was once a child of mankind. This creature, known to them as the Miasma of Three Stars, sought to consume the world with a flood of putrid malevolence. This was when the Archfey Chlorinthus elevated the goliaths that fought for him against the forces of the Miasma. At this time he also accomplished one of the Great Feats of antiquity, the summoning of every druid on the planet to the place of their final stand. They were gifted knowledge of a variety of Sylvan spoken exclusively by the Court of Chlorinthus so that they could coordinate their counterassault and as a reward for the sacrifices they would soon have to make. The Miasma and its Three Stars were defeated, and the covenant of Chlorinthus entwined with their bloodlines, making every druid an honorary member of his court.