Anthology of Druidic Circles

**Anthology of Druidic Circles** is a text found in the Sutherlands Subdivision of the Athenaeum.

## Contents

### Circle of the Moon

This chapter is a collection of independently written notes, journals, accounts, and other stories that relate to the mysterious druidic circle known as the Circle of the Moon. Some of them — mostly informative journal entries — are written by Dakath; however, most of them seem to have been separately collected and added to the anthology. One such story goes as follows, written in druidic on the partial hide of a blue dragon:

*The moon shone overhead, bathing the druid in its silvery light. She strode across the salt flats, tasting the frigid air as it scoured the cracked ground beneath her feet. She stopped and slowly looked all around, seeing nothing but flat earth around her, and the tiny silhouettes of mountains encircling the plains in all directions. She knew, somewhere on this endless plain, the blue dragon Azulaskai had made his lair. She scowled and tugged on her braid in annoyance, vexed by the endless expanse before her.*

*“I had hoped to save this for the battle,” she mused. “But…” Without finishing her thought, the druid took off running. Her strides grew wider, first two, then four, then six, even ten feet apart as she bounded across the desert. She extended her arms and struck the ground with both feet, and sprung into the air. A shimmering cloud of silver mist shrouded her as she soared upward—then burst into faint wisps as a massive winged pterosaur, a quetzalcoatlus, emerged from within.*

*The druid—now in a beast form with a wingspan over thirty feet wide and a beak longer than her humanoid form was tall—soared over the salt flats. The moon reflected off of the shimmering feathers on the back of her wings, and her beady eyes scanned the plains. She opened her enormous beak and released a shrill, shuddering cry into the evening air. The cry rang like a bell, and then faded. Silence reigned.*

*And then, a flash of light. A tiny crackle of lightning on the surface of the ground. A tiny peal of thunder. The druid smiled to herself—not that her prehistoric beak allowed her to actually smile—and dove downward. Her quarry was close.*

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(Below, is the general information you can gather from looking over this section of the anthology. Much of the more specific information was written by Dakath himself):

Favored by those who preferred a more solitary path, the Circle of the Moon was an ancient association of druids devoted to the mastery of the Wild Shape. Gathering only occasionally under the cloak of darkness to discuss news or pass on warnings, Druids of the Moon often went weeks without seeing another druid or even simply another humanoid. Enjoying the flexibility their Wild Shape ability offered them, druids from the Circle of the Moon were prone to employing a wide variety of shapes, as the situation required, or the druid's own whims decided; the same druid might go one day as a great cat and the following as an eagle.

The effort Druids of the Moon put into mastering their Wild Shape ability had many benefits. Even neophyte members of the Circle could shapeshift more quickly than other druids, and with additional training they could employ far more powerful beast forms than those available to other Circles. With experience, more advanced aspects of Wild Shape became available, such as the ability to overcome magical resistance or alter the more minute details of their beast forms, as well as their humanoid form. The most experienced Druids of the Moon could alter their anatomy even further than the most ancient of druids, allowing them to transform into various elementals.

The Circle of the Moon has always had a singular relationship with the world of Caranam, one of distance and separation. Even amongst the largest gathering of druidic circles — the Herding of the Circles — it was rare to see more than a handful of them. However, Dakath makes a note that during the Ringed War, there was a special Herding that was called for by various archdruids across the known world; any druid who could cast even the most basic natural magic was beckoned to assemble. However, not a single Druid of the Moon made an appearance. When the world was at the brink of disaster, the Circle of the Moon was shattered, seemingly nowhere to be found.

An internal investigation was conducted, and druids were sent far and wide to search for any signs of them. In the most remote reaches of the world, places where nature reigned supreme, various animals of great power were asked what had happened to the Druids of the Moon.

And each and every time, they were met with a variation of the same burdened gaze, and a gesture towards the sky, towards the treacherous heavens, where the shattered moon of Mensis lay dead next to its surviving heart, Enalé. A mourning silence that even a thousand words wouldn’t manage to convey.

And that was all that was spoken of the matter.

### Circle of Shadows

This chapter details first-hand accounts, written by Dakath, of the mysterious druidic circle — or, what Dakath describes as a druidic cult — known as the Circle of Shadows.

According to Dakath, he started his life in the druidic circles as a Druid of the Land. As a member of this circle, he was expected to be deeply in touch with the magic of the land itself. After years spent in training and seclusion, he could feel magic flow like blood through the ley lines of the world, binding and uniting all living things. By studying this circle of druidic power, he was able expand the breadth of his magical knowledge and develop an unbreakable bond with the beasts and plants of the world, as well as spirits of nature that linger within it.

He goes on to recite a personal account of one of his masters:

*“Fear not,” the archdruid said, stroking his long, gray beard. “The wolves will heed my words, and harry you no longer.”*

*The group of astonished adventurers instinctively parted to let the archdruid pass. The party rogue turned to his companions and hissed, “How can you let that crazy old man walk to his death like that? Look at that staff he’s using; he can hardly walk, let alone fight off a pack of wolves!”*

*The ranger affixed her ally with a stern look, and replied simply. “Trust him. My grandfather is the master of this wood—all those in this domain will heed his words.” The rogue sneered, but said nothing. Instead, he took a step forward to get a better look as the wizened old man descended the rocky cliff towards the pack of snarling, silver-furred wolves below.*

*The archdruid planted his feet in the dirt and clacked the base of his gnarled yew staff against a stole. The wolves turned their golden eyes to him, and he met their eyes in turn. He opened his mouth and spoke in an even tone. His voice was smooth and placid like the surface of a pond, and the rogue strained to catch his words. “Children of the forest. Children of the land,” he said, staring unblinkingly into the eyes of the wolf pack’s leader. “Heed me. Those you hunt this day are under my protection. Their flesh is my flesh. To sink your fangs into them is to wound me, and to wound me is to wound yourselves. Go. Hunt elsewhere.”*

*The wolves snorted and barked, and the rogue smirked. This crazy old man, he thought. But as the rogue looked closer, the wolves began to turn, one by one, and vanish into the woods. The archdruid watched until all were gone, and then turned and looked over one shoulder, meeting the rogue’s gaze with his own golden, lupine eyes.*

After much time spent amongst the Circle of the Land, Dakath began to question the circle’s beliefs and traditions. He reasoned that if the cycle of nature is just the cycle of life and death of natural things, then as druids, perhaps they should be promoting life and death, not just the former. Druids should be a part of the natural process, and not work actively against it, as some Druids of the Land sometimes do. From its inception, nature had a set course; druids were meant to follow that course, not guide it.

And so, as a reasonable and inquisitive individual, Dakath abandoned the Circle of the Land, and chose instead to enter into the Circle of Wildfire, a group of druids who understood that destruction is sometimes the precursor of creation, such as when a forest fire promotes later growth.

He was not long a part of this Circle before his questioning of natural values began to run deeper. He asked himself whether civilization and nature were at fundamental odds, and if the former’s existence ultimately discouraged the latter’s growth and death.

Within a couple of decades, Dakath left the Circle of Wildfire, and found himself amongst a cult of druids known as the Circle of Shadows. This group of radical druids believed that there was a long and endless struggle between people and nature. Utilizing the ferocious powers of nature, they used extreme methods and violence to drive away civilization. He makes a note that this Circle has been the downfall of many civilizations over the span of many centuries. They prefer to work in the shadows, never revealing themselves. They have orchestrated national cous, fabricated and facilitated political plots, ravaged entire armies, and caused economic disasters.

Dakath was thriving in this Circle. He understood that this group of druids was the contrast he needed to the Circle of the Land. With the two ideologies embedded within him, he would finally be able to explore the questions regarding the fundamental qualities of Caranam, and what the purpose of its natures was.

However, his internal inflection would be soon interrupted with the dawning of the Ringed War. It did not take long for the Druids of Shadow to side with the invading Outer Plane celestials, fiends, and demons. They saw them as the harbingers of death they have been searching for as a means to wipe civilization off the face of the known world. Dakath saw this as going too far: he believed there was a way for nature and civilization to coincide in perfect unison, so that both could exist independent of each other’s paths. But death on this scale was not the solution.

He abandoned the Circle of Shadows soon after. Known now as a faithless traitor to all druids, he was not accepted into any other circles. As an outcast, but a knowledgeable outcast, he was eventually welcomed into the ranking of the Athenaeum, where he spent the remainder of his life as the Curator of one of its subdivisions.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Though separated from the circles, Dakath continued to keep tabs on them. He made a note that during the Ringed War, the Circle of Shadows eventually reached some agreement with the demons of the Abyss, and they gained the power to Wild Shape into demonic forms. A violation of nature itself, made reality.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Dakath left the Druids of Shadows with much information regarding the violent cult. On a drawn map of the Sutherlands, he made note of two safehouses, where members of the Circle of Shadows could gather in secrecy. These two safehouses are in the Fecund Crescent, to the north of the Sutherlands.