#druid lore

[joshuafreefanpage]

This is the 15th anniversary edition (revised and expanded) of, "Book of Elven-Faerie" . It came out a couple years ago.

"Come and enter the Enchanted Forest, deep in the heart of the Green World, and discover the greatest secrets of the Ancient Mystery Tradition--- the hidden legacy of Elves & Faerie."

[owlbearwildshape]

I'm so used to when you use a companion to speak to another companion at camp it automatically switching to the player that I wasn't expecting this (think it's supposed to be triggered in act 2)

[coffeecakecafe]

so I’m One Whole Session in on my first proper foray into dungeon mastering, and we’re playing a sliiiiightly modified Rime of the Frostmaiden. These are some of my added npcs!

The folks in the matching outfits are members of the Shepherds of Light, a Lathandite charity organization that sent aid up to the Dales in an effort to help them get through the eternal winter. The cargo ship Sunrise carried the party and some goods and a crew of about 15 people up via the Sea of Moving Ice, where it did. It did sink. Somewhat.

It’s about half sunk, actually, and the ship now sits just barely above the ice, held aloft by the iceberg that did it in. But hey if you look far enough on a clear day you can see the Sunrise over the sea from Ten-Towns!

The Druid is a mystery, so far - they haven’t met her yet.

[manesthia]

Thoughts on Halsin as an "atypical druid"

I've seen a number of excellent metas lately about Halsin's atypical druidism (the fact that he does not abhor the undead, does not have complete control over his wildshape, etc.). While I agree completely with those points, I've also noticed a tendency to sometimes frame this as Halsin being a "bad" druid or never really belonging with the druids in the first place. And I strongly disagree with that. I feel that Halsin's druidism is a core aspect of his character and implying that he is somehow "bad at it" robs him of something essential. The fact that he is a unique, complex character with far more depth than just "typical DnD druid" doesn't mean that he is not still a druid at heart - and a pretty formidable one, at that.

I see him as a character who has something in common with the nature deities and magician-priests of ancient myth and legend: Merlin (a mentor whose teachings are rooted in the natural world; who guides kings rather than wishing to rule himself; who mediates between the kingdom of men and animals; and who changes into an animal) and Dionysus (who celebrates multiplicity, fluidity, nature-based wisdom, carnal pleasure, the subversion of unnatural restraints - and who also shapeshifts, by the way). Druidism informs Halsin's entire belief system, ranging from his view on relationships (Halsin never uses the word 'polyamory'; instead, he speaks of "doing as nature does" and explains all of his preferences with nature metaphors - "the bear partners as its instinct dictates", etc.) to the importance he places on community. Halsin is unhappy as Archdruid not because he is just an incompetent leader or can't get along with other druids, but because he is so in tune with nature that he only thrives in communities with a structure more like the branching network of roots or mycelia - like our group of "weirdos" or his rebuilt community in Reithwin. He does know how to guide, counsel, and mediate - all of which are essential leadership abilities. But he needs to be part of an interconnected organism that grows and learns together, not the sole leader of it. To me, this is connected to his shapeshifting abilities and druidism: Halsin is connected to all other beings by literally becoming them (even if he is most attuned to his bear-shape).

Halsin speaks very highly of the grove as a place of worship (let's not forget how deeply religious Halsin is, too), but he also says that life in the grove made him feel cut off from nature. It's ironic that a druid grove runs on politics and power hierarchies (aspects of civilisation that most druids should despise), but it does. This is also a theme in a sidequest in BG2, if anyone recalls. In my opinion, the fact that Halsin feels out of place in a grove that has grown corrupted with politics and power plays actually makes him more true to core druidic beliefs, not less so.

I think the idea that Halsin doesn't get along with other druids gets taken a little too far at times, too. Members of his grove have issues with him primarily because they have been radicalised by Shadow Druids, not because Halsin is just too good-aligned for other druids in general. Note that every single druid in the grove who expresses strong anti-refugee sentiment also supports Kagha and the Rite of Thorns. Halsin welcomes outcasts into the grove because he is compassionate and empathetic as a person, yes, but also because it is part of his druidic belief in harmony, unity, and the value of life. Compare with Olodan's line:

This is not to say that I think Halsin's would never clash with other druids at all, or that I think his relationship with the grove is without friction. Obviously, part of the blame for the infiltration of the Shadow Druids falls on him. Obviously, there would be more neutral-aligned druids who would disagree with him on principle. But the fact that the previous Archdruid chose Halsin as his successor (we must assume that he did, since Halsin obviously didn't sign up for it) strongly indicates to me that the deceased, much wiser elders of the grove valued him greatly. Jaheira also repeatedly refers to him with the deepest respect.

I think it's also worth noting that there is room for nuance in druidic beliefs in the BG series. Faldorn in BG1, Cernd in BG2 and Jaheira in all three games are all very different. In many ways, Jaheira is more Harper than druid, which I think was indicated by her being a multiclassed fighter/druid in the earlier games. It also comes out in her conversation with Halsin about the Shadow Curse:

And if you tell her (speaking as Halsin) that she doesn't have to explain herself to him:

Of course, Halsin has a personal investment in lifting the Shadow Curse that Jaheira doesn't share, namely Thaniel. Only Halsin has a special connection with the very spirit of the land. This is also why he is completely unable to heal and move on until the Shadow Curse is lifted, unlike Jaheira. If the spirit of the land is wounded, then so is his own spirit. Jaheira, as a Fighter-Druid-Harper, is very much a protector of the realms as a whole (nature and civilisation), while Halsin is referred to over and over again by various NPCs as Nature's Steward, Keeper of Groves, Guardian of the Land, etc.

My argument here is not that Halsin is a more "typical" druid than Jaheira or that one is a "better" druid than the other (I love them both deeply). I'm just saying that all of this demonstrates to me how deeply intertwined Halsin's druidism is with the rest of his character. And I really, really appreciate him as a druid along with everything else he is.

I'm not really sure that I understand Tumblr etiquette regarding discussion (what is the polite way to interact with each other here? Commenting? Reblogs with hashtags? I'm too old for this site lol), but I would love to talk about this more. Please don't hesitate to comment, even if you disagree.

[laurenwalshart]

Druids, Shamans, Monks, and Naturalists: The Distinction of Nature Magic Users in Warcraft

As a Druid roleplayer I run into this question a lot “why can’t my mage be a druid?” “Why can’t x be a druid?” To be honest I get it. The distinction between nature magic users in the universe of Warcraft (Naturalists/Green Mages, Shamans, Monks, and Druids) can be extremely confusing especially when they also have a lot of overlap and no clear canon guides like most TTRPGs do. It can feel like you are getting a “No” with a confusing explanation behind it. As you dive into each of these versions of Nature magic users there is a clear distinction between them. Once broken down it comes down to two things 1)How you get your power and 2) what goal your character has/what goal they serve.

Shamans The main goal of Shamans is to bring harmony to the elements and to serve as spiritual leaders in their communities. This is done through the use of totems and the elements of Spirit or Decay to commune with the Elements or bind them to servitude and access the Elemental Plane. It’s likely through this bond with Spirit that they are able to transform into a ghost wolf and access other planes of existence to commune with their ancestors.

Their distinct traits are the following:  Goal: Creating harmony or disharmony with the Elements and Spirits Source of Power: Using totems or Spirit/Decay to commune with or bind the Elements and tap into the Elemental Planes, or commune with the spirits of the land or their ancestors.

Monks Monks are the masters of Chi or their inner Spirit and the self, making their journey a very personal one outside the bounds of say protecting Pandaria. Receiving boons from the August Celestials, which are Wild Gods and bound to the Dream, may give them some access to the flowing spirit of the Emerald Dream and lead to the appearance of their magic being a Jade/Emerald color. There is some evidence to support that the Dream is “near’ in Pandaria based on the Faerie Dragon Sprites in the Jade Forest which are a clear sign of the Dream being “near” and the rare encounter Nuoberon in the 10.2 Dream patch where a Pandaren child dreams up wild things into existence in the Dream.

Their distinct traits are the following:  Goal: Creating harmony and balance with your inner spirit and mastering the self. Source of Power: Chi, the mastery of the self and inner spirit, the August Celestials/Wild Gods/Loa, and possibly the Emerald Dream (see Jade Forest).

Naturalists/Nature Magic Users Some of our best examples of Naturalists come from the Valewalkers, Naturalists in Suramar, the High Botanist Tel’arn, and Shen’dralar Milicent Serene and her Naturalist experiments. From the High Botantist Tel’arn we learn that his power is achieved through the use of Arcane, Light, and Nature which also lines up with what we’ve learned in Palawltar’s Codex of Dimensional Structure that magics anchored to one or more magic types makes them more stable. Everything done by Naturalists seems to be through standard mage/arcane means through their more Orderly understanding of magic.

Their distinct traits are the following:  Goal: Entirely up to the user. In some cases it is mastery of the art, seeking knowledge, or experimentation. Source of Power: Everything is through Knowledge of Order magic/Arcane and tethering one or more magic types like Light and Arcane.

Druids These shapeshifters are caretakers of the wilds. They have strong bonds with the Wild Gods/Loa, Nature, and the Dream. All of the cultures that practice Druidism are bound to the Wild Gods in some way through worship or curses. One of their main tenets is to maintain the balance, a delicate equilibrium of the cycle of life and death. All of the current races that can play as them have extremely close ties with the Earth, the Dream, or the Wild Gods/Loa. Even the Drust, which at first seems to be an outlier, are connected to the Dream and Thros, the Blighted Lands. Much like how the afflicted of Gilneas were able to learn how to become Druids because of their previous knowledge of “the Old Ways” after essentially being bound to the Wild God, Goldrinn, and there by the Dream via the Worgen curse, so too are the Kul Tiran Thornspeakers through their same Gilnean understanding of the Old Ways and their bloodline connection to the Drust and Thros. Their distinct traits are the following: Goal: Maintaining the balance of nature and the cycle of life. Source of Power: Connections to the Wild Gods/Loa, the Emerald Dream, and the Spirit of the land (see previous posts on Spirit magic in nature).

Overlap and Distinctions As we can see many of these classes have some overlap in a few areas. 

Connections to the Dream and Wild Gods Both Monks and Druids have varying degrees of connections to Wild Gods and the Dream. While a Monk is not as directly tied to the Wild Gods and the Dream like Druids, they are present forces in one way or another in Pandaria. The distinction between these two classes then is in how they access their power and their goals.

A Monk while possibly influenced by or receiving boons from an August Celestial (Wild God/Loa) and the Dream does not directly gain their power from them like a Druid, rather it is from the harmony and balance of their own spirit. Another example of this is the Zandalari; their racial allows for boons/buffs from the Loa, but this does not make all of them Druids. The goals of Monks reflect this as they appear to be personal ones or aiding the personal goals of their people or others. In contrast the goals of Druids is specifically in maintaining the balance of nature and the cycle of life. 

Shapeshifting Ability Both Shaman and Druids have some sort of shapeshifting ability in game, however, one is incorporeal and the other physical. The Shaman ability then might be a transformation of their body into pure Spirit as is not bound to any specific Wild God, more of a manifestation of one’s spirit like with Wild Shape in Ardenweald. Whereas Druids after being bound to a specific Wild God/Loa are able to take on the physical form of spirit they are bound to or hold a totem or relic of. 

Use of Arcane and Light Druids and Mages both use forms of Nature, Arcane, and Light magic. As discussed before, Mages approach to Nature magic is through the lens of Order magic and the Arcane. Druids still use the Arcane in some Balance spec spells, but it is distinctly named “Astral magic” which is defined as a combination of Nature and Arcane. We can assume then that Druids are accessing Arcane magic through the pathways of Nature, similar to how Sunwalkers (tauren paladins) access the Light through their devotion to An’she.

Connections to Spirit and Decay Druids, Monks, and Shamans all share a connection with the element of Spirit and their “darker” counterparts inversely with Decay.

The easiest way to think about these connections to the element of Spirit and Decay is based on the class - Monks are in tune with their own inner Spirit or Decay, Shamans are in tune with the Spirit and Decay linked to the Elements, and Druids are in tune with the Spirit and Decay linked to nature and wildlife. 

Monks very clearly have a link to Spirit through their use of Chi. The inverse of this and their manifestation of Decay may be the Sha which has ties to the Old Gods and possibly madness (see my previous post on The Nature of Memory Magic). Shamans are easy as well since Spirit is one of the elements and Shamans may use it to commune with the elements and access the Elemental Planes and Dark Shamans use Decay to bind and enslave them. Druids also have access to the element of Spirit through its flow through nature and the Emerald Dream (see my previous post on The Nature of Memory Magic). Obviously for life to be in balance Druids must walk a fine line between Spirit and Decay, but out of control Decay in Druidism presents as the Nightmare and Thros/the Drust. You could also make the argument that the Druids of the Flame is Spirit out of control, but that’s for another paper on another day.

A quick little fun addon after my exploration of teleportation, memory, and Spirit in my previous post on The Nature of Memory Magic, this connection to this element of Spirit may explain how Monks are able to cast Zen Pilgrimage, Shamans are able to Astral Recall, and Druids are able to cast Dreamwalking.

All of this lines up with what we recently found in Palawltar’s Codex of Dimensional Structure. Each one of these classes have their connection to Spirit, Decay, and Nature magic, but they are all from different pathways to access that power. Once again proving that it’s how the magic is acquired that makes you one of these classes in a similar way to Clerics, Sorcerers, Wizards, and Warlocks in D&D 5e.

I hope this exploration of how these four nature magic users are distinct and how they intersect is helpful to you. Aside from the workload of making a bunch of new assets for Druids to be available to all races it seems to me that there is a need for a culture to have some sort of deep connection to the Dream or Wild Gods/Loa for them to access that ability. I do find it interesting that Druidism only seems to occur on Azeroth. We do see Shamanism on both Draenor and Argus, but curiously no form of Druidism. It seems that only the native races of Azeroth (Tauren, Trolls, and subsequently Night Elves) and those cursed to be bound to the Dream or Wild Gods (the Drust and Gilneans) have access to this ability. Races that are alien to Azeroth, descendants from Titan constructs afflicted by the “curse of flesh,” or those that were altered by Order (the High Elves and Nightborne) all lack this ability or pathway to Druidism. I’m interested to see if Blizzard ever explores this, perhaps in future patches with Elun’ahir and the Harronir. If and when they do I’ll be fervently exploring the topic. The Nature of Memory Magic As always my intention is never to police the roleplay of others, but rather to provide more canon centered explanations for those interested

[tizooky]

I have a lot of drawings of my Tav I've been sitting on, so I figured I might as well start posting some of them. Her name is Wren, and she's a green dragonborn and a spore druid! As it turns out, getting tadpoled might have been one of the best things to ever happen to her, even if the situation was a bit dire at times. Nothing says honoring your clan like saving the world, right?

Bonus comic:

[y-rhywbeth2]

Lore: Dating, Marriage, Sex, etc

Part 1/2

Link: Disclaimer regarding D&D "canon" & Index [tldr: D&D lore is a giant conflicting mess. Larian's lore is also a conflicting mess. There's a lot of lore; I don't know everything. You learn to take what you want and leave the rest, etc etc etc]

DnD isn't exactly a dating sim, so most of this lore comes from mining Ed Greenwood's answers to questions, but since his answers are apparently canon unless and until contradicted in published realmslore, here you go.

It's mostly in regards to human culture (and the Heartlands, Waterdeep etc at that) but I'll throw in some demihuman stuff here and there.

So sexuality, and the norms and moral values Torilians build around it: More tolerant and kinkier than Earth, for the most part, and still not a perfect bed of roses. (You won’t face legal oppression; you can get called slurs.)

Attitudes in the Realms

Dating

Sex (and a bit about contraception and conception)

Sexual Orientation

Polyamory

Cut for space and expected in the follow up: marriage, sex work, religion, and the absolutely deranged shit going on in some noble families.

-

Attitudes about relationships in the Realms

The long and short of it is that the root of Toril’s mainstream attitude towards sex and relationships draws from the sexual revolution of the ‘60s and ‘70s.

Cultural variations on and subversions of these norms occur, but the rule of thumb, especially as it applies to the video games is as follows:

Sex is not a terribly big deal nor innately taboo; pseudo-puritan attitudes are solely the province of some old high priests on a few religions in a minority of a minority. Virginity and the loss thereof is meaningless unless you're nobility.

Pretty much anything is legal so long as all parties involved are capable of giving and gave consent on most of the planet (though legal isn’t the same as ‘approved of’).

Of course TSR, and later WotC, fell very much on the side of ‘we can’t publish that!’ So it got massively obscured. It only really came through now and again, usually in sly little hints that could get past the radar/editors, becoming more obvious with 4e and 5e (Although Sune and Sharess were flat out stated even back in 2e to ignore gender when they’re in the mood to seduce mortals, and we'd already had Mystra saying that gender is basically just a costume for gods (which Mask illustrates.))

The Realms itself still has bigotry to go around, of course, but generally it's the clergy of a select few gods and the nobles who'll make a fuss about such things, and the latter only in regards to their own social circles and inheritance shenanigans. A traveling merchant who encounters a culture that practices forms of relationships he personally disproves of was probably raised to be polite and keep the slurs unsaid; diversity encourages trade, offending your neighbours does not.

What is and isn’t morally acceptable to an individual is determined by church doctrine and dogma (which determines many of life’s aspects, including love and sex and what's good or bad (chastity vs promiscuity, monogamy vs polygamy, whether procreation is mandated or not or even a sin, if loving people instead of despising them is a sin or not, and what acts are taboo))... and all that as interpreted by the local priests, who may not agree with their fellows’ interpretations. Some gods declare chastity a sin and want you to engage in as many romantic and/or sexual relationships with as many different people in as many different ways as humanly possible. Loviatar mandates BDSM and Ilmater doesn't frown on it either.

Most deities probably aren't going to discriminate. Gods see the universe in terms of their portfolio: what aids it is good what opposes it is bad. Most portfolios aren't terribly impacted by mortal love lives and hormones so I suspect the vast majority of gods could not care less, and, as per Faiths and Avatars, the gods 'generally try to be as liberal as possible to try and attract as much worship as they can.'

With Toril being polytheistic all of these gods are due respect and conflicting dogmas are just a fact of life. Several times a day a person is likely to be confronted with a choice – usually a minor one – where one action will serve some gods and be a sin in the eyes of others, and the rule of thumb is that everybody accepts you can’t please all of them all the time. You live according to the gods you favour above all others and respect the faiths of those you don’t: you expect that people will mind their own business and do them the same courtesy.

In the majority of the realms, including the cities and realms of the Heartlands, Silverymoon, Waterdeep and etc, at least, people are open minded and tolerant. A rule of thumb is that cities are more liberal and rural areas more conservative, but even then their norms and values don’t necessarily match the modern earth norms that might spring to mind; the nuclear family unit is not necessarily seen as default and polyamory is very common in some villages.

Largely, there’s not a whole lot of emphasis put on identifying your sexuality or making it a big part of who you are: most Torilians wouldn’t understand the point of drawing attention to sexuality outside of occasions where it’s actually relevant. If you were visiting Baldur's Gate and pointed out two men getting married at the temple of Tymora the people around you would be utterly confused about why you felt the need to single out the gender of the couple.

‘Individuals may find [queer relationships] too much for themselves to handle, but the laws and general attitudes of society don’t frown on it.’

You may have to ‘pick your neighbours and friends’ to live comfortably, but that’s significantly easier to do on Toril than Earth especially because you should have no reason to worry about persecution or discrimination under the law for deviating from whatever moral code a particular priest might be espousing.

Bastard children and wedlock don't cause a fuss so long as you're not a highborn (or found to have cheated on your partner, one assumes).

Contraception is widely available and family planning is emphasised; you are firmly encouraged to use it in a dangerous world where famines and disasters mundane and supernatural mean babies at the wrong times can lessen the chances of survival (for you and them).

-

Dating

Somebody who catches your eye is 'glim,' as in 'oh no he's hot' or 'she's well fit' or whatever. A Torilian who's very attractive is 'right glim.' As in they're 'glimmering.'

A term for a pair of lovers is 'brightbirds.'

Your 'fancyman,' 'fancylad,' or 'fancylass' is what your disapproving relatives will call your lover that you insist on seeing for reasons that escape them.

Waterdhavians call the target of their affections their 'rose,' which may get confusing as in other dialects a 'rose' is the slang term for a submissive woman in a Dom/sub relationship.

Red and black are considered the erotic/'sexy' colours. Garments featuring black lace and leather in particular.

Many priests, curiously, seem to find potential partners more attractive if they get a tattoo of their deity's holy symbol.

You can advertise your interest by wearing an artificial rose pinned to one shoulder: red signals that you're looking for a long-term romantic partner and black shows you're looking for sex. If the rose is made of steel then it indicates you're looking for a partner of the same gender. Wearing multiple roses indicates you're looking for multiple partners, but you might expect some raised eyebrows or comments if people think you're being overconfident. It's very rare to see women doing this looking for men, since it's thought of as a 'man thing' (wlw doing this to seek each other out apparently don't count to said men).

Sunites, as devotees of the goddess of love and beauty, are available for matchmaking services, advice and make overs.

Dancing - especially erotic dancing - is a large part of courtship trends across the cultural board. Which might tie in to the fact that all the goddesses of lust and love - Sharess/Zandilar, Sharindlar, Sune, Sheela Peryroyl, and to a certain extent, Lliira - are dancers or have dancing as a thing within their faith. Lliiran clergy give dancing lessons, and Sharessans and Sunites probably don't mind teaching either.

The only description of what a one might wear if one is feminine and wants to dress up and look fancy in human culture - the equivalent of a 'little black dress' - is a simple black gown with a high collar and plunging neckline in the front (the latter of which is optional). It's matched with a sash and boots and some small jewellery. If you want to 'dress down' the gown is pinned open to expose either bare skin or the underlying chemise (if you're going for a 'classy' look it'll be lacy and white).

Dwarven courtship involves a slow exchange of crafts made by ones own hand (this can be tools or physical artwork or things like poems and songs, the point is to illustrate your skill and the care you put in). You send it to the dwarf you're interested in, and hopefully they respond in kind. You then spend years doing this and slowly getting to know each other, eventually moving in and seeing if you can settle into something that can last past the initial spark before tying the knot.

Elven courtship apparently involves poetry, songs, and yet more erotic dances.

Drow have courting games called 'spider hunts' usually played at festivals by young drow, which are basically hide-and-seek.

-

Sex (and a bit on procreation)

You can't just fuck somebody right in the market square, but borderline public sex hidden on a rooftop, or ducking into an empty alleyway is pretty common and tolerated behaviour. You are, however, encouraged to keep your shenanigans off the streets lest you 'scare the horses,' take yourselves home or to the nearest festhall/brothel, and keep your 'public displays' limited to appropriate festivals (Greengrass, for example, which is a fertility festival and usually involves dropping all inhibitions for the day).

Lingerie comes in black and red and lace clouts (underwear) and dethmas (bras) which can be readily bought in most cities. Lace-up boneless corsets and shapewear are available as unisex garments.

Sex toys named as existing include whips, dildos, clamps and 'tingling creams.'

I've heard something about halfling orgies, but have found no details beyond 'exotic food.'

And in the Realms you're more likely to say 'rutting' rather than 'fucking' when being vulgar/casual about sex. Unlike 'fuck' it doesn't seem to double as a curse.

If you're considering bedding a priests be warned that as gods are said to derive power from having their name said aloud priests tend to call their gods name in bed. Fervently. The enthusiasm and emotion behind it is supposed to have a positive effect.

Elven foreplay involves sensory deprivation and ear nibbling.

Contraception, as mentioned, is stressed upon. People are concerned about plagues, famines, monsters and other concerns that lead Faerûnians to place a lot of importance on family planning. Contraception is generally delivered via divine magic - a cleric or druid can render you temporarily barren/sterile, guarantee conception or freeze a pregnancy at its earliest and least detrimental stages to be resumed at a safe date. People can ensure that their children will be born in times when it's best for them to be born. Elves have apparently mastered birth control, and it's basically impossible to get a child from an elf when they don't want one.

You can also ask the gods nicely and if you make sufficient offerings the deity can also rearrange your organs a bit to change the way you procreate (or possibly allow you both methods). Generally people will ask the deity they have the most positive relationship with, but Sune and Lliira are the favoured choices in the pantheon. Of the gods not recommended are Bane, Shar, Malar (whose idea of the perfect transformation is lycanthropy) and Selûne (who gladly supports you, but she's considered too mercurial and everchanging. She's not one transition she's eternal, ever shifting transition beyond the human physical endurance or mental comprehension.)

Arcane magic can manage physical modification via transmutation and glamours, which people often play with either as part of exploring their gender identity or just for fun, but transmutation via divine magic is vastly superior at allowing you to be fertile after the change if that's a goal. Arcane magic struggles with that. Arcane magic that allows for surrogacy and sort of IVF apparently exists, having been invented by a pair of liches that wanted a child for whatever reason, but I don't know how commonplace that is.

-

Sexual Orientation

Most people freely experiment in their youth, working out their preferences. Heterosexuality is the default, with bisexuality making up a sizeable second place and other sexualities constituting a fairly sized but unremarkable minority.

Obviously, the Isle of Lesbos does not exist and so neither does the world ‘lesbian’; Toril doesn’t have Earth’s terminology, it has its own words. It should be noted that some can be used in a derogatory fashion, although, considering reality, they could very well be reclaimed or have been stolen terminology twisted into slurs. The given terms, in Common, are:

Thruss - Lesbian Liyan - Gay man (elvish slang loanword) Praed - Gay man (gnomish slang loanword) Tasmar - Bisexual (masc.) Shaeda - Bisexual (fem.) (elvish slang loanword) 'No-thorn' - Asexual

Butches (‘harnor’) and effeminate mlm (‘dathna’) are liable to get scorn for their gender presentation more or rather than their sexuality.

-

Polyamory

In some lands (unspecified which ones) it's unremarkable and even expected for a relationship to be open by default.

While obviously it's not socially acceptable to jump into anybody's bed with no consideration of your partner's feelings on the matter, it's not a foreign idea to see love and lust as separate concepts.

In rural areas one can find villages that definitely don't follow the nuclear family model with mixed families living under one roof, and symbolic polygamous marriages may factor into the traditions of some seasonal festivals.

[kawareo]

did strike also romance halsin alongside astarion?

He did! Well, he at least had the romance scene but they didn't exactly get into an actual relationship

[druidshollow]

I know you have a ton of asks and I won't feel bad if you don't respond or just DM a response but, for drawing reasons, what sort of stuff would be in your off-sting Iterators head? I assume some sensory processing stuff and maybe the voice box but I'm not sure what that would look like or if there'd be something else

sorry for the very late response haha, hope you still wanted the answer! had to think on it! something like this, i guess? i know nothing about and have not researched any genuine anatomy im just spitballing lmaoooo

good thing theyre fantasy alien robots so it doesnt matter too much skjhfksh

[gayestcowboy]

doodle of my new bg3 character!

[hayweerc]

Part 2- Q&A✏️ for my AU.

⚠️Mild spoilers/lore

Lore Context in last photo-Sonic was not bitten. Lycanthropy can also be contracted through a scratch, which is on Sonic's arm.

[eupheme]

sneak peek of a new wip that I am suddenly 5k deep in, after being bitten by the bg3 bug! 💕 I had this idea of the grove druids celebrating a spring fertility festival, with druid!tav/reader learning about it and joining Halsin in the woods 👀🌲

[edit: fic is here!]

"Is it just the Solstice that draws you to me?" Is it just duty that has ensnared his affections? Is this no more than fulfilling the desires of Silvanas?

He laughs, with a shake of his head, "If our first meeting had been in the Grove, your beauty would have been more than enough to enthrall me."

The knowledge is flattering. That he still would have wanted you, in another life, in another time. His next words are enough to cast the rest of your doubts aside.

"But make no mistake. For quite some time now, I have desired more. Deeper than the skin, down to the marrow." He brings your entwined fingers to his mouth, his lips pressing against your knuckles, "I fear you stole more than gold that day, in the Sanctum."

There is much that he reveals, with his words.

A sense that your feelings are more than reciprocated. A reminder that he does not mince words, like others you have known.

For as keen as your eyes are, you should have realized this sooner. The last curl of unease lifts, wafting up to stars above.

“How do we begin?”

“Eager. I like that.” Halsin grins - his eyes dragging over you, as his voice pitched low, “For one… you are overdressed.”

[thescarsilivewith-if]

Okay I can’t remember the specific ask but you said something about druids not being able to wear— metal maybe? I don’t think that’s correct but you mentioned them not being able to wear something and I was wondering why that was?

It's jewellery. They cannot wear jewellery for vanity, and because it would overshadow the Monarch. But they can use bodypaint, even golden one, and in fact Valaahr (who is very vain) often makes use of the most expensive types of bodypaint during public rituals.

[corinne-eaglebridge-sso]

The Mission Team are members of the Keepers that have been specifically trained to be able to complete special missions. These missions include (but are not limited too) closing Pandoric cracks and dealing with Pandoric corruption, saving captured spy-animals, and disrupting enemy operations. This group differs from others in that their operations are less centralized to the Hollow Woods: mission team members live all over Jorvik - although they do first train in Valedale - and are expected to be on-call 24/7 for any mission assignments in their area, although this may lighten the more team members live in a certain region. The training process is intense and it is an incredibly demanding task; not many who enter the training program make it through to full membership, and team members often switch to less stressful positions after they finish their mandatory five years, or even fully retire afterwards. Still, their job is crucial and they are highly regarded by the community.

This team is actually decently sized if you were to gather them in one location, but it is uncommon for any region in Jorvik to have more than 3 active members at a time - and if there are many in one area, some members will likely move to less covered areas to balance it out. About 70% of team members end up leaving the team at the earliest date, which is after 5 years. About 3% of those that leave the team retire completely, the rest often taking positions in other groups.

About 5-15% of people that enter the training program become full members. Some years have more graduates than others, but it always tends to be around these statistics. Training takes a minimum of two years, and a new group starts training each year. The trainees live in Valedale full-time during training, and there is no maximum age for when someone can start training, although there is a minimum age of 18.

The training could be described as a physical and magical bootcamp that takes multiple years, which is the main reason for the high dropout rate. Part of the training is to be able to ride without tack, as well as with faulty and/or sabotaged tack. Some missions might be urgent and won't leave time for someone to tack up properly or completely, but team members are expected to be able to ride as if they were fully tacked up and warmed up anyways. The mission team members are always highly skilled riders and have strong bonds with their horses.

[laurenwalshart]

So I love Druids in WoW. I love their lore, their diversity & complexity, but the magic they use and how they use it is hard to untangle for RP. A new quest in Hallowfall may explain how Dreamwalking works!

Some spoilers ahead if you haven’t done “The Last Mage” in Hallowfall.

–

In “The Last Mage” we learn that teleportation can use memory as an anchor point. It can use something as simple as a plant's memory of where it was grown. This means that plants hold memory. We’ve recently been introduced to memory magic with the Kyrian and the Primus in the Shadowlands who use Anima as a source of their magic. Since non-sentient life can hold memory it may be that memory is linked to Anima and thereby Spirit and Decay, meaning you may be able to access memory via these raw elemental pathways. 

This then could explain how Druids in WoW are able to Dreamwalk and physically teleport to the Dreamway without arcane based teleportation. Since most of the trees in the Dreamway are connected to G’hanir in some way (via the acorn used to plant Nordrassil) it means you are literally traveling a spirit/memory network of G’hanir, the Mother Tree. That in turn poses an interesting question about the origin of G’hanir & how Amirdrassil connects to the Dreamway. Since we know Elune is connected to the creation of Amirdrassil’s seed and that She offers seeds of trees in The Legend of Elun’ahir as a part of her portfolio and habits it may be an even larger network of seeds and trees connected to Elune and spans the cosmos (See Thiernax). Further proof that it may be Elune’s memories is the fact that your character casts a moon spell effect and you are bathed in moonlight as you cast Dreamwalking. As an added note we’ve also seen this type of non-arcane teleportation magic in Ardenweald with Marasmius’s fungal network which again likely uses anima, spirit, and/or decay.

Since all life, sentient and non-sentient, has memory and spirit it provides some more clarity on other things like how Malfurion is able to speak to trees (essentially he is witnessing their memories) and more context regarding the Wild God, Aessina. This connection of spirit with all things may explain why she is “the center of the web of life.” She is essentially a Wild God of Spirit connecting all living things. It is no shock then that she is found deep in the oldest and wildest of forests where the concentration of Spirit from old trees is strongest for her and wisps to manifest. It too could explain why those that are deeply devoted to a particular forest and the spirit of that forest become wisps to serve in death because their spirit is so closely tied to that one place.

This may also expand our understanding of the Ancients of Lore, War, and Arcane as well. We already know that Ancients have vast knowledge and wisdom and pass this knowledge on to Druids, but this access to Spirit and the memory of the plant life may be the source of their knowledge making them vital tutors in this interconnected web of life.

It may be that the environment that an Ancient is from or tends to informs what they will become - an Ancient in a peaceful place with many Druids may become an Ancient of Lore, an Ancient from a land that has seen continued conflict may become an Ancient of War, land that has been heavily influenced by the Arcane may become an Ancient of Arcane. We also see that the biome they are from affects them as well. We see this with the coral like Ancients in Nazjatar and the Ancients on Dreanor that reflect their biomes in how they are formed.

This web of life/spirit in nature may also be why Blight and Fel corruption are so hard to cleanse and why it affects the elements as well. Both Blight and Fel may use the spirit of the land and nature to continuously fuel itself making it a magical runaway fire that is almost impossible to control. Fel in particular seems to use Spirit like kindling. Nearly every zone you go to that has been touched by the fel is either in a state of decay or completely barren.

The corruption of Spirit poses an interesting concept as well. If Spirit is the conduit of memory then perhaps Decay acting as Spirit’s elemental counterpart is the conduit of madness and why it pairs so well with the Void. This lines up with things like the Emerald Nightmare and Shadow Flame, both have connections to the Void and both drive those corrupted by it to madness. While the Void and its infinite possibilities and whispers may be the source of madness, the element of Decay may be the channel by which it is able to make contact.

With a network of memory like this there is no need for recorded history. Just like Druids of our own history, knowledge is passed down from Teacher to Student, Shan’do to Thero'shan and on Azeroth the forest itself may be your teacher if you are able to listen.

-

For Roleplay of a Druid, all of this may offer your character a new reason to hold a grove, a certain forest, and the land so sacred because they hold ancient memories that can be passed down. Also maybe this might help players see the enigmatic network of knowledge your Druid might have access to. 

Also in my personal opinion this all means that D&D spells like “Speak with Plants” and “Transport via Plants” are viable spells for Druids in WoW rp with all the concepts stated above as long as your character has a memory of that tree/plant and your dm’s permission of course!

–

Hope you enjoyed my deep dive into this concept and I would love to hear your thoughts! I have a ton of more theories about the cycle of life from the Druidic perspective, World Trees, the Nightmare, Thros, and more. One day I'll get around to posting them.

[mogwaei]

There is so much more to you.

[~2700 word oneshot below the cut, Astarion's pov!]

There was never a dull moment with Zjinn (the name had stuck with most of the others, but Astarion was having too much fun to settle now). The dark elf simply never stopped, and if everyone else was occupied, Zjinn found ways to amuse herself which was a skill he admired but would not admit. Now, if he were a better man, he might even be a little concerned, but Wyll and Gale already had that covered. Karlach encouraged it. Lae'zel seemed to find it secretly entertaining, or more likely useful, in that if the rest of their party didn't require rest, she would have absconded with Zjinn to the nearest creche on day one.  

Astarion instead assigned himself the task of watching and waiting with great anticipation for the day the chaos finally caught up with the guileful, fey elf. It would probably be disastrous, but also hilarious. Perhaps the others were too charmed (or even infatuated) with Zjinn's magnetic personality to realise that it was a glamour, a distraction to hide an internal struggle with a darker somethingness he'd seen slip free here and there.  

After their encounter with dear Auntie Ethel, he was almost certain it existed. The entire group had descended into the hag's tree and things went from high confidence to ‘everything is very bad very quickly’. Out of their seven, it came down to the two of them becoming a bloody acrobatic act trying to avoid the crone's lethal spells. Thinking herself victorious, Ethel taunted him, plucking weaknesses and insecurities from his head like ripened fruit.  

Slaver. Sadist. Descendant of monsters, child of the Gloaming! How dare you judge me?  

Well. Whatever that meant.  

He'd peeked out of cover in confusion at the other elf. Nothing they had encountered in their short time together seemed to ruffle Zjinn. She was as slippery as the tadpoles in their heads and annoyingly resilient. But right then, he saw something like doubt. Maybe a spark of fear.  

It clearly struck a chord with the elven thaumaturge. Something snapped and suddenly Zjinn went completely feral. He'd seen her fight with broken chicken bones to stab into soft flesh and even a frying pan more than once—she was very resourceful and hands-on for what he expected of a burgeoning bard-druid-whatever. But this time, Zjinn picked up a short sword out of the filth and became a flurry of blade and strange, foul magic he'd not seen her wield before. The hag cackled with glee, I knew your kind was excitable, petal, but you're as weak as watered milk!  

And yet, it was Zjinn who ended up covered in a thick soup of blood and grime, standing above the hag as she begged, then bargained for her life. Unexpectedly, Zjinn let the miserable creature go in exchange for power. I intend to be the strongest milk you’ve ever tasted, Astarion! Another thing to bite them in the arse down the road, but, she was right. He would happily help her hoard power if it meant they could eventually reduce any of their enemies to dust at the snap of their fingers—Cazador at the top of his list.

Nevertheless, after barely rousing their companions with carefully portioned potions and Zjinn's last healing spell, the elf traded her usual series of friendly quips to lighten the mood. Another distraction, for while the others conversed tiredly on the trek back to camp, Zjinn filtered to the rear and subsided into an inordinate silence. With that battle being their toughest to date, he chalked it up to exhaustion.  

But Zjinn did not stop nor rest. He immediately recognised the vacant look in her eye: a lute enchanted to play without a musician still played its programmed notes, but to his knowledge, magic lacked the specific flavour and spirit only a living person could provide (despite what Gale would argue). In other words, no one was home except the tadpole.  

Further driving his convictions, Zjinn disappeared for a bit into the darkening forest, returning with a burlap sack containing some sort of fungus that she made a  brew from. Whatever it was kept her up all through the night—and no, he wasn't watching her every minute of the day. He was settling into a trance when she woke Wyll for his watch and sat with the warlock on the  riverbank for the duration of his.  

Whatever the man said to Zjinn that night was enough to return the eye-patch elf to her regular  insufferable self the next morning. There was no sign of vulnerability for another couple of tendays—then again, Astarion forced himself to stop paying so close attention. For reasons.  

That was up until a night or two before they planned to storm the goblin camp, finally deciding they were prepared to do so. Astarion had gone hunting since his usual donor had once again gone out for an evening forage. He took a meandering path not at all keeping an eye out for signs of a familiar moon-haired cretin getting high off spores with myconids or something equally absurd.

He wasn't far off the mark. There were no mushroom people, fortunately, but Zjinn was near an outcropping overlooking the river and the overcast heavens, her form almost entirely obscured by a cloud that was shifting colours like an aurora. Motes of light, like stars, were drifting through them. He moved closer with nary a sound, mouthing what the fuck?  

The cloud turned red spontaneously at the same time that the idiot dropped to the ground out of sight. When she didn't rise immediately, Astarion sighed and pushed through the bushes calling her name while hating the worry edging his voice. When he broke through, he nearly tripped over her body, batting fruitlessly at the cloud. Zjinn lay sprawled on her back staring up at the stars with the vacant expression that had been haunting the back of his mind for days. While her shirts and armour were usually left open to a dangerous degree to flaunt the myriad tattoos adorning her skin, it was the ink that caught his attention this time...and not in a horny way. They were shifting, the designs mixing and twisting nauseatingly.  

He nudged her with a foot, not trusting his hands to do something foolish like touch her face.  

"You're not even breathing—what the hells did you do now?" he muttered, kneeling beside her.  

Then she blinked. And looked at him. They stared at each other in silence, neither breathing.  

"It worked. The dose needs dilution, but—" Ziinn winked.  

Astarion's face darkened. "You absolute buffoon. If Gale finds out you're sampling fungi again, we'll never hear the end of it! And so far from camp—what if—”

Zjinn started wheezing with laughter and Astarion shut his mouth indignantly, considering kicking her over the edge of the cliff. He was not worried. "Gale only finds out if one of us tells him." She pushed herself up, wild curls stuck with moss and grass. "Did you want some?"

He waited for her to latch onto the too-obvious concern rolling off of him to tease him mercilessly, but it never came. There was still time—probably tucking it away for later, the menace. It was what he would do.

"Even if I were interested in huffing dust off rocks like you, I doubt it would have an effect on me," he groused, watching her roll around, mumbling incoherently in another language. "Also, why aren't you breathing?"

He wasn’t sure why that unnerved him, of all the unhinged things she did, but he didn’t want to figure it out. He couldn't afford to.

She ignored him in favour of searching the ground for the fallen pouch, but Astarion grabbed it first and tucked it out of view. "It's merely a side effect, I'Il be fine! Tell Gale or Wyll to lead the parade for a day or two."

Unable to find her pouch, she let out a garbled sound of dismay.

"Sorry darling, if we're going to be fighting goblins and drow tomorrow, I'm not about to trust my back to a mushroom-addled bard."

Zjinn kicked out at his ankle, knocking him onto his ass. "Why not suck the poison out of my veins? Like ye olde healing leeches.”

“And risk getting me high? I think not.”

She narrowed her eye. "Would that work?"  

"I am absolutely fucking not testing that out.'  

"I promise they're harmless to outsiders.'  

"'Outsiders'?"  

She pursed her lips and he realised it must have been  a slip. "I don't know. I..." Zjinn dug her hands into her  hair, leaning between her peaked knees. "It must be the tadpole. Catching stray thoughts from others out of the air or something.” There, a fissure in the jester's mask. He needed only to chip away at it until there was  an Astarion-shaped hole.  

"That doesn't explain the sudden need for—" he gestured lazily to the starlike magic and the still-swimming ink on her skin. He wasn't sure if the particulates had affected him or if the tadpoles were skimming surface thoughts off their brains, but he felt something give in the air. The slightest incremental shift of time and space in her direction—oh gods below, he was beginning to think like Gale.  

Zjinn sighed. "I've been getting terrible headaches since the crash," she confessed, though it did not come easy. It should have made him feel elated for the bit of give, but instead...he felt a little cold. Guilty. “It's like reality doesn't quite fit. I feel...untethered."  

"Darling, I think it's the mushrooms—”  

She raised her head, staring up at the red clouds and scattered constellations, still without breathing. "Somehow I thought you’d understand, being someone who needs a questionable substance to feel semi-stable.” The other was Gale, he knew, but she didn’t mention the wizard.

Astarion floundered for his script. "You’re right. Try me, darling. I’ll behave." Yes, that was choice, and delivered with the right amount of softness. She was looking at him now, likely because it was a tone she'd never heard him take. He cleared his throat and gently booped her on the shoulder with his finger. "It's not just headaches, is it?"  

She was, for once, silent. And then that single red feline-pupiled eye turned to the crimson depths above. "No." Zjinn wiggled her fingers where they perched on her knee. "But something about these mushrooms and flowers...they make me feel  more connected? Instead of hurtling blindly through wherever I'm bloody going, I suddenly am only a few tools short of being able to map the unknown. That's why I was trying to chart the stars from memory.”  

It was Astarion's turn to stare into the distance, mind spinning. It explained the mess of ‘stars’ in the red cloud, but not the...mapping bit. 

 "There's far more to you than you let on." It was meant to be a genuine compliment—eugh—but as always, it came off frosted with mockery. Gale would probably be losing his collective shit if he were sitting in his place, happily hanging on every word of her reluctant vulnerability. Hells, figuring out what sort of magic she wielded had been something of a camp topic for weeks while Zjinn demonstrated signs of sorcery, druidic magic, and whatever it was bards did. He still didn't understand the others’ obsession—Zjinn could fight and kill and protect well, sometimes having fun with the violent bits! It was all he cared about after all.

But he had to pretend he was invested, because it was Astarion she was telling now. Except…what did it mean for two seasoned liars? Did she expect him not to believe her and thus didn't care to hold her cards close? Why did that prospect suddenly bother him?

Push it a little further. You can secure her loyalty here, that fearful voice whispered.  

"Why don't we try something?" he piped up, drawing her gaze again. "Remember when we discussed getting blood-drunk? As in, you drink to the brink of liver failure..." Astarion could get drunk on wine, but it usually took enough bottles to kill a mortal man or two. The theory they had some time ago—but tragically had yet to test—was for her to get piss drunk and for him to…partake of her blood shortly after, perhaps yielding a more potent result.  

"Are you suggesting what I think you are, but with the spores?"  

He shrugged nonchalantly as he leaned back on his  hands, pasting on a little smirk. "It was your idea. Something about 'sucking out the poison'? I'm not usually one for details, dear. But, if it works, maybe it will help me to...better understand what has that wild little mind in such a bind lately."  

Zjinn mirrored his posture, tilting her head slowly to the side in a way that exposed her inked neck. It drove him a little mad and made his fangs ache. 

“When was the last time you looked at the stars?”

Every fucking night since the crash. He was absorbing every vibrant petal and shimmering ray of sun like any moment he'd be whisked away back to Cazador. But he pretended he wasn't one for details because that was weakness.

“Well, hardly tonight since they're playing coy.” The double entendre was not lost on her.

Zjinn gave a very Lae'zel-like tch and motioned toward her neck with those tapered fingernails. “We'll see about that. Have a taste.”

Astarion reined himself in so as not to appear as excited as he felt, taking his sweet time positioning himself behind her, deliberately brushing her thighs with his. Gently brushing the mass of curls over her other shoulder, he briefly inspected the shapeless ink on her neck. This close, it almost looked like something was alive and moving beneath her skin. He wasted no time drowning those lovely little thoughts in her blood.

As the hot liquid flooded his tongue, he noticed a new note to the conflicting essence that was uniquely Zjinn. It was…unexpected, yes, but not unpleasant. Yet, trying to put words to the taste only conjured an image of the Astral Sea, similar to where the Dream Visitor had taken up residence. Multi-hued puffs of stardust that looked tantalisingly tasty—Zjinn's words, not his—but what Lae'zel vehemently insisted was not. Regardless of what Lae'zel said, Zjinn's blood had some Astral Sea in it and it was quickly approaching ambrosial in quality.

He didn’t realise how far gone he was until Zjinn gave him a tiny zap on the nose. When he opened his eyes, they were surrounded by aurorean lights and an expanse of drifting stars.

“It's all right, you're not going to float away,” came the moonsmoke voice, all light with amusement. He was clinging to her. Mortifying. Astarion quickly put distance between them, but not far enough that he couldn't reach out…just in case.

“Fascinating darling, but how exactly does this help you at all? All I can see are…unicorn farts.”

“You haven't built up a tolerance, pumpkin. But now we know it works! Think of all the debauchery we can get up to now.”

Astarion opened his mouth to reflexively deliver something salacious, but his eyes caught once more on the tattoos. The designs were back, but gone were the usual mosaics of Feywild flora and fauna and monsters. Now, they were images of portals and arches filled with visions of other worlds, of voids containing stars, and stained glass windows framed by flowers and ivy…

All connected by the thin dendritic fingers of mushrooms.

He didn’t know what it meant and she was unlikely to grace him with a straightforward answer. Instead, he focused on her currently guiding a star across the sky.

“You're mapping them?” he recalled weakly, feeling in threat of losing his connection to the ground. 

She nodded, placing a particularly sparkly orb at an acute angle above his head. “I've already done the prettiest part of the sky.”

Astarion scanned the area, about to say something incredibly snarky about her memory being shite until something she had said earlier about reality not quite ‘fitting’ had him faltering.

While it had been something like two hundred years since he'd had a proper look at the heavenly bodies, he'd been catching up enough on his stargazing to recognise something was off.

These were not the constellations of Faerûn.

But something deep down inside him said they were designs that existed in some realm.

It occurred to him that their peculiar dark elf had a very different perspective of the world. Or, perhaps, Zjinn was not Faerûnian at all.