Druidic Faith
Introduction
The Druid Faith is the old and formerly dominant faith of the Reveian Continent, devoted to the Fae of the old groves. They are unique in their decentralized structure, relying not on a church to disperse doctrine but instead the individual circumstances of each spirit and locality. Druids differ in their response to the recent and overt persecution of their faith. For some, they rely on passivity and communitarian defense to keep safe from the Church, while others take to the offense, joining groups like the Dar Freyda and other small radical bands. What they are united in, is their reverence for nature and the natural world.
Today, the Druidic Faith is found in the Moors, representing over ninety-five percent of its people with little variance, and just over half of the Highlands. The Lands of Telkenny and Dunlow, as well as the Pernflee Islands are dominated by Druid sects to this day despite Wightian persecution. They have seen an expansion of their number in the Volkshearth lands by the River Penn, and even in the Outer Baronlands.
Doctrine
Marriage
Polygamous and Monogamous (Open)
Divorce
Allowed
Open Relationships
Allowed
Homosexuality
Allowed, regionally dependent
Homosexual Marriage
Allowed, regionally dependent
Gender Roles
Egalitarian
Clergy Gender
Egalitarian, male and female
Alcohol Consumption
Allowed
Drug Consumption
Allowed
Sorcery
Allowed and encouraged
Slavery
Disallowed
Non-Humans
Tolerant
Other Faiths
Tolerant, with few exceptions
Religious Beliefs
Creation
Druids believe that the world existed under the care of the Fae for thousands of years, long before the arrival of the first humans. The ontology of the druids is not asserted to have any essence similar to the conception of other gods, deriving their magical essence from the deep places of Reveia. As such, Druids are often misconstrued as worshiping creation itself, which is not exactly true. They show reverence to creation, and believe in a creator, but deny that the creator is worthy of worship or involved in the affairs of Reveia directly. They believe instead in the virtue of taking care of the land, and the blessing that it brings to their people.
The actual process of creation, is surmised to have begun with the creation of the old groves and world trees. World trees are trees of grand size, emanating light that provides order to the world where darkness would otherwise prevail. World trees are also believed to possess magical characteristics, strengthening those who protect and revere nature. Even though they are few today, the Druids believe in the noetic connection of their people and the roots of the trees, which they believe still exist deep within the earth.
Notable Fae Spirits
The Druids are known for their devoted worship of the Fae. An accurate description, but one that warrants explanation and expansion. There are hundreds of Fae spirits who serve as an object of faith and worship, each with varying personalities and commands. The spirits of the Dar Freyda are numerous and warlike, angered by the tampering of nature by the reckless Church of the Trium. They are listed below:
Spirits of the Dar
Dar Alaclin
Dar Alaclin is the preeminent spirit of the Dar Freyda, a warlike being perceived and depicted as a great tree beast. His commands are interpreted as a demand for war with the Trium, an everlasting struggle.
Dar Cannra
Dar Cannra is believed to be Dar Alaclin’s sister, the icon of worship for female warriors among the Druids. She is accused by the Church of representing Laedra, the female goddess of the Creed of the Four Realms.
Spirits of the Dinn
Beyond the spirits of the Dar Freyda, Druids in aristocratic roles worship spirits more fitting for their role within the Empire. Spirits focused on service, community, and progressive philosophies are the favorite of Felk Nobility. A few are listed below:
Dinn Linradris
Dinn Linradris is a male Fae of paternalistic orient. He is seen as the Spirit that represents the virtue of service, care for one’s people, and the collective defense. Soldiers of the Moors that resist the radical temptations of the Dar will often worship Dinn Linradris as their patron, bearing the rose symbol of Finadul as an insignia.
Dinn Finrellel
Dinn Finrellel is the male Spirit of the Sky, said to bless Reveia with the cycles of weather. He is offered worship as a familial patron spirit, and shrines are built in his honor usually with water as the central theme. He is one of the few spirits with a physical description, a white-haired and bearded elderly man clothed in white.
Dinn Nelweay
Dinn Nelweay is the female Spirit of Fertility, promoting relationships and love among the Druids to continue strengthening their people. She doesn’t discriminate against polygamy, and in some local interpretations many believe that she encourages it. This belief is controversial even among the Druids, as the tension of polygamy is believed to be too disruptive to local communities to be endorsed by the Spirits.
Dinn Salenn
Dinn Salenn is the forest guardian, the terrifying creature said to have terrorized the inquisition when they first attempted to invade the Fae Groves thousands of years ago. He is called by another name, the “Lord of the Lost”, and the Druids assign the belief that Dinn Salenn will lure Triumites from the marked trails of the forest, purposefully leading them astray for his own sinister purposes. The Druids are publicly detached from worshiping Dinn Salenn, but it’s an unspoken consensus that Dinn Salenn is one of the most important Spirits to the Druidic Faith.
Theological History
The Council of the Godsbane (3 AR)
After the destruction of the Demontide, the Druids convened to discuss the formal death of the Ilamnian Elves, and the path forward for their faith. Among their debates, the Druids cast out several spirits who were accused of consorting with Valthour during the invasion. It was the Council of the Godsbane that cast out Dar Ydrin and Dar Thol, two spirits who traded allegiance to Valthour for the destruction of several Trium churches in the Western Heartlands. Druids do not enforce the excommunication, and as such some Druids in the deep forests still worship the two treacherous spirits. They are called Ydrinists.
The Whispering Heresy (401 BR)
In more ancient history, Druids do well to remember the Whispering Heresy. A religious conflict conjured by the schemes and plots of an old Druid House, based on the worship of Dar Alaclin, a group of zealous aristocrats sought to consolidate the Druids under a warlike banner that would see a new war started with the Reveians. The war lasted five years, separating the Moors between the Dar and Dinn spirits who were previously united. In the end, it was the compromise Treaty of 396 BR that forged a lasting peace and established a more tangible prohibition on civil conflict between the Moormen.
The Wightian War (156 BR)
The Wightian Church attempted to conduct a targeted campaign of genocide against the Druids who lived in Dunlow, culminating in the sinking of several dozen ships carrying citizens of the Island’s villages. A great war broke out and led to the burning of Tork by Dar Freyda militants, and the execution of ten Trium priests and upwards of fifty inquisitors. The bloody conflict saw several noteworthy battles, and the Lords of the Moors were quick to join when reinforcements arrived from House Janus in the East to assist the Wightians. It is believed by the Druids to this day that the Wightian War was won by the villagers of Dunlow boldly resisting the attempt of the Church to bring an end to their people. The historical records do vindicate that theory, but it was largely due to the Wightians being unable to pierce the Moormen blockade. Without the Moors’ support, it is likely Dunlow would be a decisive victory for the Triumite Church.
The Departure of the Fae (Unknown Date)
Tales differ on the specifics of the Fae’s departure from Reveia, but they all agree that it happened, and marked a great tragedy for the Druids that signaled their gradual decline. When the Elven Empire of old collapsed, the Groves receded in relevance and accessibility. Eventually, the Fae began to disappear one by one, some slain by the Church’s invasions that sought to drive their kind from Reveia for good. It was the discovery that the Fae maintained their spirits after death that led to their worship and the canonization of their ontology.