Rowan

> *"The spirits truly have a plan for you."*
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## Storyline

The Listener comes across the protective druid in the Forest of Zetria. They have been searching for his glade in order to be healed from a curse. They seem to be hiding from him at first since he noticed their presence and tells them to come out which they do.

The druid wonders how they got to him unharmed since usually a permission by any of the forest beings is needed to enter the forest. He takes a closer look at them since he recognizes that the Listener has been cursed. He proceeds to ask them if they can tell him something about the symptoms, which include tiredness, loss of appetite and feeling lethargic. The druid then inspects their aura, only to find dark smutched in it. He finally identifies the curse to be the one called 'Sanguines chain', explaining that it is a hex of energy transference. He is determined to get rid of the hex and therefore, he invites the Listener into his glade, stating that the Listener will have to spent the next week there. The Listener is surprised to hear that they have to be there for such a long time, leaving the druid to declare that magic is basically a 'series of interconnected threads' and his job would be to find the right ones to unpick. He then tells them to lay down on a bed of moss and starts with the procedure, saying that if they find themselves falling asleep, they should let it happen. The druid then starts casting a spell and the Listener slowly drifts off.

## Personality

The druid first makes the impression of being suspicious and unwelcoming to those who enter the forest without permission. He doesn't like if the balance of the forest is disturbed by outsiders, showing that he cares much about the forest and its inhabitants.

Although as soon as he got to know that the Listener's been cursed, he departs from that first impression, proving him to be quite determined to heal them and be demanding, not taking no for an answer. He feels obligated to help anyone who comes to him seeking for help. It seems like he feels responsible for the Listener ("This, I refuse to stand for!") and he wants to take care of them. His demanding nature is also shown when he made up his mind to help the Listener, he wouldn't allow anything to get in the way in order to start working right away.

He is not interested in how the Listener stumbled upon this curse since 'a druids job is not to judge, but to help'. Yet he doesn't resist on making assumptions on how they got the curse.

As he finds himself babbling about things, he forces himself to come back to senses since he considers it 'idle chatter'. He even apologizes for drifting off with his thoughts since he doesn't have much company in the forest and he has always enjoyed good conversations. He considers indulging his weakness.

He is able to cast spells and see the aura of the Listener, suggesting he is capable of magic.

## Trivia

### The Druid

* His name has yet to be deciphered.
* Tells the Listener that the villagers near to the forest don't hunt in the Forest of Zetria even if it would starve.
* It's been nearly a full cycle since the druid has seen an adventurer enter the forest.
* In the tales of the villagers, the druids known to be the 'one who dwelves in the forest, the one that helps the crops bloom when winter is harsh, the one who staved off the rot from the harvest and the one who keeps the leshens from stealing their young".
* He mentions the Wolfsegner, implying that they might know each other.
* Along with Seig, he talks about tapestries and interconnected threads, 'all adding something to the greater picture'.
* Seemingly sleeps on moss as a bed, as he offers it to the Listener as a bed.
* He mentions a couple of other curses, namely stone joint, serpents tongue and sanguines chain.
* Crypts, caverns and burial sites are breeding grounds for negative energy.

### The Listener

* Is an adventurer.
* Spoke to the villagers, consequentially learning about the stories of the druid in the forest.
* Is scared to let the druid come closer as they fear it might harm him, judging by his statement that he has to come closer in order to see things.
* Doesn't seem to be a 'malicious creature, but rather pleasant' according to the druid.
* Doesn't seem to enjoy the idea of laying down on moss.

## Audio References

Al audios of the **Forest of Zetria** playlist can be found here.

1. ↑ Healed By A Protective Druid