The Shadow Circle (CDH)

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The druidic order tolerates a wide range of philosophies under the umbrella of its loosely organized structure. The variety of different branches demonstrates this scope. So does the existence of the Shadow Circle.
A secret society of druids within the larger druidic order, the Shadow Circle accepts members who see Nature as a hostile, cleansing force that ensures the survival of the fittest. According to their philosophy, civilization—especially the building of towns and cities—has weakened humankind and many demihuman races.
==Methods==
The Shadow Circle sees barbarian humans and more primitive races as inherently more vital than civilized peoples. Thus, the Shadow Circle often allies itself with barbarian tribes or hostile humanoids such as orcs, giants, and goblins, especially those who choose to live in forests or mountains in the wilds. They deliberately encourage people to abandon civilization's "decadence" and return to the more natural existence of hunting and gathering.
But while their intentions are neutral, the methods of Shadow Circle members tend to promote chaos and evil. They behave as they do not due to an evil nature—their enemies include powerful evil empires as well as good kingdoms. Rather, they feel their cruel activities work toward the best interests of evolution and of Nature itself. For instance, the Shadow Circle may provide magical assistance to barbarian hordes trying to sack a city or lead humanoid tribes in raids against human or dwarven towns.
Sometimes the Shadow Circle even assists the cause of good. For instance, members would consider an evil city-state based around slavery a fair target, and they would feel as eager as any lawful good paladin to support a slave revolt in the hopes of toppling the city. The difference? The Shadow Circle would encourage the slaves in revolt to burn the city to the ground and then settle down as farmers, hunters, or outlaws in the countryside.
Lower-ranking members of the Shadow Circle often wage campaigns of terror against small settlements, usually working behind the scenes. Their favorite puppets are intelligent monsters like evil lycanthropes.
==Membership==
The members of the Shadow Circle keep their allegiance secret from other druids while maintaining their parallel "circle" rankings. An archdruid in the Shadow Circle is also an archdruid in a mainstream circle, for example. Shadow Circle druids of 11th level or higher follow the normal druidic practice of advancing in level through the challenge; in fact, Shadow Circle druids encourage each other to challenge nonmembers in mainstream circle hierarchy, thereby increasing their number among inner circle members. These duels almost invariably turn quite bloody.
An arc of the Shadow Circle exists in any domain where druids live, and its members may come from any druidic branch. Typically only one in five initiates—but as many as one in three 12th-level or higher druids—secretly belongs to the Shadow Circle. A great druid usually is not a member, but one never can tell for sure. In some troubled domains—particularly those in which druids face persecution and the wilderness displays signs of wanton destruction from human cities—most of the druids may join the Shadow Circle!
Shadow Circle druids adopt secret names to conceal their identities from each other. When they meet, they do so while shapechanged or wearing masks carved to represent predators native to the domain. This secrecy is important. Although the Shadow Circle ethos corresponds to that of the Order, most druids disdain the group's methods—and therefore, its members.
A known Shadow Circle initiate faces the enmity of other druids—and possibly the ban, for refusing to recant—as well as the ire of local authorities. Lower-level druids constantly challenge exposed Shadow Circle druids 12th level and higher, seeking to depose—and possibly destroy—offenders.
In turn, the Shadow Circle often tries to cause trouble within the druidic order. For instance, in order to recruit disaffected druids into their midst, group members covertly encourage rivalry between druidic branches (such as the jealousy between the dominant forest druids and the members of less influential branches). Characters may learn of the Shadow Circle when they discover a plot to ferment such trouble between druids from rival branches.
Note that these are the methods of a group of extremist druids, not evil ones. Their anti-civilization feelings do not alter their neutral alignment.
Shadowmaster. The highest-level druid in the Shadow Circle—usually an archdruid or druid—takes command of the group as the Shadowmaster. If two or more druids of equal level seek the post, they generally duel to the death, though one combatant—usually the younger—could agree to serve under the other. Unlike the semiautonomous mainstream circles, the Shadow Circle maintains strict discipline over its various far-flung arcs. The Shadowmaster exercises absolute authority over the membership.
Inner Circle. Under the Shadowmaster are the members of the inner circle, which consists of all the druidic order's Shadow Circle druids (12th level) and archdruids (13th level). (The Shadowmaster remains apart from the inner circle.) Together, the Shadowmaster and the inner circle make policy and direct the initiates. Only the Shadowmaster knows the real names of members of the inner circle—the identities of even these high-ranking members remain unknown to each other.
The 1st- through 10th-level initiates within this secret society, unlike the more independent initiates of mainstream circles, are expected to obey all orders from inner circle members and the Shadowmaster. Failure means punishment—death.
Shadowed Ones. Initiates who have reached 11th level have special status in the Shadow Circle. These initiates are known as "Shadowed Ones," the Shadowmaster's special tools. In particular, they act as enforcers and assassins for the secret group, hunting those who have disobeyed their fearsome leader or have been expelled from the mysterious society. The Shadowmaster sometimes encourages Shadowed Ones to serve as ambassadors to arcs of the Shadow Circle operating in other domains. Shadowed Ones automatically advance to the inner circle in this secret group when they achieve 12th level in their mainstream circle.
==Shadowclave==
Members of the Shadow Circle work in secret, pretending to be mainstream druids. For example, they attend all druidic moots. But every season each arc of the Shadow Circle also holds its own secret meeting—the Shadowclave—in the dark of the moon. The meeting lasts three nights, during which the membership celebrates its own version of traditional druidic ceremonies and receives new orders from the Shadowmaster and inner circle. Prisoners the Shadow Circle has taken throughout the season—along with disloyal or disobedient members—are kept alive until the Shadowclave. There, the inner circle tortures and publicly executes them, to remind the membership of what happens to traitors and enemies of the Shadow Circle.
==Recruitment==
The Shadow Circle does not take volunteers—it finds new members on its own. Recruitment, by invitation only, is in the hands of the Shadowmaster and the inner circle, always on the lookout for druids who seem ready to embrace the ruthless Shadow Circle philosophy.
For example, if a druid massacres a party of travelers who ventured into a sacred grove, the Shadow Circle soon comes looking for this prospective candidate. Another good possibility is a character who has destroyed a village whose peasants dared to clear a wood for use as farmland.
A Shadowed One spies on the potential member for a few weeks or months, often using animal spies as additional eyes. If the druid's deeds and words seem in sympathy with the Shadow Circle's goals, the character receives a visit from this Shadowed One (or a pair for a candidate 11th level or higher) before the next Shadowclave. The Shadowed One explains the group's purposes, inviting the newcomer to join. Of course, druids who refuse—or even waver—coincidentally turn up dead shortly thereafter.
Candidates who agree to join are blindfolded, given a mask, and taken to the Shadowclave. There the Shadowmaster gives each a secret name. After receiving their sworn allegiance, the Shadowmaster formally welcomes the new members into the Shadow Circle and commands them to perform some symbolic but dangerous task to prove their ruthlessness and dedication. (The difficulty of the assignment depends on the character's experience level.)
This kind of mission usually involves assassinating a specific enemy of the Shadow Circle, such as a noble or priest in a city the group has targeted for destruction. However, the task might be physically much simpler—say, poisoning a town well. The Shadowed One who recruited the druid will follow along (secretly), ready to slay a newcomer who shows weakness, risks capture, or tries to betray the group. Those who succeed, the Shadow Circle embraces as full members.