Creating a Druidic History (CDH)

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The druidic order and hierarchy presented here are designed to work as a default or base system. Many circles of druids have their own customs, and on many worlds the druidic order has its own unique history that shapes its structure.
The DM always should understand the history of the druidic order before beginning a campaign involving druids. A typical Order, like the one this chapter has detailed, is an ancient organization whose origin has become lost in the dim reaches of the past.
But that doesn't have to be the case. Instead, the druidic order may have an origin alive in history or myth. This background should explain where the first druids came from, why they worship Nature (or a specific Nature deity), why they protect the wild, and their purpose in standing at the crossroads between good and evil. The druidic origins might reflect true history, a legend whose truth remains uncertain, or a mixture of both. In any case, the origin tale must have a profound effect on how druids see themselves in the campaign.
As an example of how the druidic order springs from a more detailed history, three very different possible beginnings for the druidic order are sketched out below.
==The Exiles==
The secret founders of the druids were the crew of a spelljamming vessel, long-ago exiles from a world that would not accept their neutrality following the final triumph of evil—or good. (Exile was preferable to the fate of the members of the vanquished alignment, however.) The present druidic order traces its legacy to these ancient castaways.
As victims of an unbalanced world, the exiles and their descendants and followers vowed to preserve the volatile relationship between good and evil in their adopted home. They can see this balance best illustrated by the forces of Nature. In addition to their normal druidic duties, the members of the Order remain on guard against invasion from their ancestors' home world.
==The New Faith==
The druids belong to a relatively new faith, founded less than twenty years ago by a charismatic Nature priest. This amazing leader also preached that the older gods constitute only one small aspect of great Nature.
Active missionary work, the charisma of this founder, and the simplicity of the Order's beliefs draws more and more converts to druidism every day from the old, tired, polytheistic religions. But the largest rival religion considers druidism a threat; its priests have convinced the region's rulers to begin persecution of the "godless, troublemaking" druids.
==The Myth of the Great War==
Almost two thousand years ago a terrible war broke out between the two mighty guilds of wizards—one good and one evil—that controlled great empires. Wizards on both sides vowed to fight until they were utterly triumphant, seeking to purge their rivals from the earth. With fearsome magic and dragon armies they battled for centuries, neither side winning final victory.
In the process of their warfare, the wizards wrought vast devastation on the world—forests blazed up, islands sank into the sea, entire races became extinct. Eventually, the great goddess of Nature awakened from her sleep to witness the savage conflict. Shocked by the destruction, the Goddess sent a vision to a single human: the woman who would become the first Grand Druid.
Through the vision, this chosen figure saw that she must found a druidic order to preserve the fragile remains of her world's ecology. With the guidance of her goddess, the Order grew in strength until finally it had the power to intervene in the wizard war. The force of young druids pooled their powers and together vanquished the members of both battling guilds, transforming the combatants into innocent wild beasts. Once the former wizards—now unable to fathom the concept of good versus evil—slithered, bounded, loped, and crawled off into their ruined habitats, the Order began to heal the world.
Since then, the druidic order continually works to prevent such destruction from ever occurring again. Druids pledge to make sure the wars of good and evil no longer mar the precious earth. But, the Order also has bitter enemies in the ancient remnants of the guilds of warring wizards—those good and evil mages who luckily escaped the fate of their fellows. Each guild claims it had been on the verge of victory and would have won, had druids not interfered.
Each of these backgrounds—or one that you, the player might create with your DM—provides the druids of a world with a history, a purpose, and some idea of who their enemies might be. Add more details to these options as desired, to explain the Order's triumphs and failures, the history of its relation to other faiths, and perhaps the attempts of factions within the druidic order to deviate from its original purpose.