[Magic][Tayl Patron] The Bastion of Grigario & The Arbiters

[BrandNewKitten 2788]

 

The Bastion of Grigario
&
The Arbiters

 

MARINA KRIVENKO

=======================================================================

"To conquer the beast you must find control.Your feats and the feats of those you dominate will become- They will speak of you as a legend. "

 

Mountains rose so high only to make the reveal of what lays beyond them so immeasurable. A kingdom of cherry trees and festivals, soaking in the resource enriched geography; Safely tucked away in a flourishing hamlet.

Prosperity in one kingdom makes enemies of all its neighbors and soon cherry trees blossomed no more. Their trunks burned in raids and culled for war supplies. Thousands upon thousands of boots trampled the soil, and as the rains fell in desperation the evidence of an apocalyptic war grew abundant..

The kingdom itself, once a mosaic of color and joy, sunken into a swamp with harsh rains raising a lake overhead. The remnants of its people in part left their home but in another part gained something.

He was a meager being, a cloak over his head and a white blinded left eye. His voice was soft and his graying burnt orange hair a dull hat of straw. He seemed an ordinary being, perhaps a bit estranged. His name is Grigario and it was his will alone that saved them. His task was to offer a solution. He would rid them of their enemies so that they might survive but in exchange their people would come to him to praise. He would not bid them do more but simply give respects in his future temples.

Many left at first thought of this sacrifice. Their old ways too strung within them. Many scowled at the heretic and pronounced curses to him. Others looked on tentatively. A small few came and sat with him so they could hear him speak.

Those that left eventually fled the kingdom, it's numerous enemies already vying for the enriched nations lands, faced swift deaths at the hands of their enemies who had surrounded their home. Those that looked on tentatively were slaughtered as the attacking armies breached the walls.

In the end a small few chose Grigario's solution but he was no thief. He would steal no glory from those who did not wish his help. It wasn't until the King's death towards the end of his sovereignty that the young Prince took up the crown and announced Grigario's Faith as the one true religion and with that sacred promise the kingdom was saved with his solution.

Within days heavy rains fell, and the landscape began to quickly deteriorate, the last of the cherry trees eventually growing gnarled, the soaked earth gradually shifting down into itself. Rivers turned into lagoons and ponds turned into lakes. The city itself sunk in its own weight. Those who still scowled at him waited until their homes lied beneath the sediment to turn to him but at last it was too late. Those that chose to follow his faith gained the chance to live but at the cost of their entire fortune.

The survivors followed Grigario out of the city, abandoning all but their lives, and began anew. Grigario's kindness extended further when upon a time that he was asked for proof of his deed he responded not about how the changing conditions swallowed their enemies whole and the wartime had quickly come to a halt. Instead he extended his hand and greeted the first Arbiter "I will teach you to control."

***

Grigario's Faith

 

=====================================

Nature is evil and nature is good.

To disassociate what we call evil we create a hole in ourselves.

Corruption will consume those who cannot control;

Leaving us vulnerable to insidious natures.

Good and evil and mutually bound by consequence.

We are the consequence;
We are the endless cycle.
The war between the two is us.

However we can control.

Our bodies are vessels;
Bastions against the Fay.

We can dominate.

 

The Arbiters adhere to Grigario’s basic faith whether they exist alone or in small tribes they refer to as bastions. All he requires from them is faith and prayer. In return he offers them to learn his way of life and to survive as one with nature. Any Arbiter can take on the role of Briar in order to instruct future Arbiters and Grigario’s followers. Although they may seem to be nothing more than tribals the devoted live their lives for themselves and use Grigario’s Gift to nurture their lands. They live by the ideal that nothing is considered a waste and to use everything as a tool for survival. Their lands are dotted with effigies to Grigario strung together ritualistically with the bones of fallen prey and pyres built to burn materialistic possessions in respect to their savior.

 

There is no true good or evil in their faith as everything serves a purpose in the cycle of life and death. Though they regard life as equally important to death they work to not bring drastic changes between the two unless necessary. In this regard they are usually of a rather passive nature and don’t tend to cling to worldly possessions. They take what they are given by the land knowing their bodies will repay it in time. However they are in control and do not tend to take on battles to kill. They share no bloodlust to the orc as the main grouping of initial Arbiters came from a kingdom with some deviation of half-elven blood. In respect some Briarpatches tend to be rather nurturing and giving neighbors while others exist in quiet solidarity, guarding their forested temples.

 

Beyond the basic faith a Briar may help endow new Arbiters with Grigario’s Gift but once attuned it is up to each individual Arbiter to carry out their tasks. It is up to a bastion as a whole to prevent Arbiters from becoming Greater Fayless and helping reverse them if they do (detailed later).



***

Grigario's Gift

 

==============================================

"Those that devote themselves to faith will be granted the privilege of carrying my gift. You shall control. You shall arbitrate. You shall dominate and you shall live."

Grigario's Gift allowed the devoted to call themselves Arbiters of Grigario and gain the ability to contain and re-purpose the use of any corrupted or decaying substance, believing there is no true evil and to adopt evil and control it to be good is a sign of strength. Fay is the product that is created when the Arbiter bring corruption into their vessel. Grigario's Gift re-purposes it, giving it a distinctly burnt orange colored appearance acting similar to flames when consuming sources of pestilence. If necromancy creates blight and blight creates pestilence then pestilence creates fay. Rarely does Fay occur in the natural world. The use of Fay can very from boosting and altering the growth of plant life to the main use of assisting in the taming of beasts through pure domination before empowering them physically to become mighty, callous companions.

Things like blighted land and corrupted beings are not healed by this gift but rather the source of rot affecting them is pried from them and dominated by the power of the gift. The Arbiter using the gift can drain the pestilence, transferring into themselves as a vessel. This is seen as a way of cleansing lands and a show of great respect in their faith. Taking on the burden to one who hasn't acquired the gift could be fatal but by Grigario's will his solution was to give them control. This however cannot truly remove the blight from a land, it simply can clean and maintain the byproducts.

The taken corruption would not simply settle in the Arbiters and like all magic required a purpose.. The main use of the acquired corruption was to dominate and empower living entities. Whatever corruption was soaked up would sooner or later be expelled in vibrant mixed shades of murky greens and burnt oranges.

 

Plants proved little resistance and could be made to grow but the effect was at a meager pace. The additional effect was that the affected plant life gnarled as it grew, thickened and rooted deeper. The plant changed into something stronger, growing sharp thorns and entangled roots, and thus could be used for the building of new homes and walls and cut to be crafted into decent sets of armor. Being too slow to ever affect combat the Arbiters chose to use this power to aid in bolstering their bastions when they could. It works effectively as a substantially nutrient for the plant with added side affects.

The most applicable use of the gift was its use on sentient life. The Fay was used to help dominate and tame wildlife from chickens to hunting wolves and more. The power behind this comes from empowering beasts physically, greatly enhancing their ability to fight while even changing them physically. If an Arbiter were to try and empower a beast before their tamed it the beast would more than likely either die or become a Fayless. Crafting a beast that can work with an Arbiter and handle the effects of the Fay takes time and thus complete domination over a beast cannot be used to cast orders to them. Perhaps send them into a frenzy or rage but unless captured, groomed and taught the beast is what is is, a beast. It can however, instill fear into the beast. Due to it's ability to dominate, Arbiters can effectively intimidate most beasts into fleeing though this is not a strict power nor is it reliable.

The third and last prominent use of the gift is called the Fayen. The Fayen are grown like trees and much like any plant receive the gnarled appearance brought about by the Fay. The Fayen were akin to golems in their behavior but their feet still firmly planted in the ground making them stationary. They acted as guardians and protectors in the bastions. The Fayen would catch intruders and defilers off guard in their gnarled traps and would only reveal themselves to the Arbiters. The Fayen were crafted as precisely as a golem but grown like the most delicate of plants. Nourished by the Fay the Arbiter would supply but amongst a forest of similarly gnarled and dense bark the normal eye couldn't be trained to see the difference. The Fayen are are simple guardians of the bastions, immobile and unable to communicate.

***

 

Taming & Empowerment

 

 

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There was no verbal communication between the Arbiter and their beasts like a druid could conduct but instead a constant mental showdown to assert dominance, the use of the Fay boosting the Arbiter’s efforts. This was not done lightly and often posed a great risk to the Arbiter as it could be used to control beasts but not win their respect. If the mental bond between them is lifted or the animal is higher ranked in terms of sheer willpower they retain their free will and could turn on their Arbiter. Likewise their taming takes time, sometimes even years, to achieve. During this time period the Arbiter will likely face multiple attempts by the beast to challenge the Arbiter's dominance.

 

The main use of the Fay is to train great beasts through this domination. Though to most beasts this exchange was a natural occurrence in nature and thus a mutual respect between master and beast formed much more quickly than a tamer without the Fay. The tamed beasts eventually begin coexisting in their no ecosystem and once tamed usually would face heavy troubles if set back into the wild. Lesser beasts and wildlife could almost be tamed instantaneously though empowering them at an early stage poses a risk to the beast. Whereas greater beasts, ones not normally tamed by man, could possibly be tamed by the Arbiters if the circumstances were right. It is not often that a beast labelled as feral was chosen to be dominated due to their usual lack of control over their actions, this being seen as a weakness, but it can be done if the Arbiter is patient enough to attempt to tame it.

 

The ability to empower a tamed beast is fragile at first and if the Arbiter does not do so gradually they will likely come face to face with a Fayless. Over a time period of a year to a couple years the tamed beast begins to adapt to the Fay and eventually can take full advantage of the empowerment. Even coming to regard the Arbiter as the alpha of their group, certain beasts will challenge each other to set both a power structure and a social structure which develops into it's own unique ecosystem.

 

The empowered beasts would likely frenzy if not for the dominating willpower and training received from the Arbiter. Instead their power and physical strength is greatly enhanced for a duration. Their fur grows darker, their face more fierce and gnarled, losing much of their natural appearance. Their eyes begin to glow burnt orange, the color of Grigario’s Gift. They can border on anywhere from being lightly afflicted to borderline being consumed by the Fay. The Arbiter chooses this level with the knowledge that the beast may die if they go too far or worse. The after effect of the frenzy is disorienting to the beast and is likely to incapacitate them if they sustain it for too long. Their physiology can also permanently change depending on their level and duration of exposure to the Fay. Likewise druids will find an inability to commune with nature that has been nurtured and tamed by the Fay. Eventually this includes tamed beasts that have been permanently altered but not to be confused with Fayless. Often when a Fayless is cleansed the beast can return to it's natural state of being or something close to it. The exception is when a tamed beast becomes a Fayless. When cleansed they return back to their permanently altered state of being brought about by empowerment.

 

 

***

The Fade & The Fay

 

UBERMONSTER

 

=================================

The Fade is said to be the garden of Grigario and where all Arbiters ascend to after their mortal coils have expired. Each is said to serve as a Fayen in his grand garden with cherry blossoms in eternal bloom. Those that serve him take on no other spellcraft but also do not receive the same hindrance as those who do. They are each proud warriors and often trained in their ritualistic ways centered around their worship of Grigario. It may be accounted that from time to time some of the devote splintered off to seek their own Briarhood.

 

Fay in all it's forms appears to be a mixture of burnt oranges and vibrant greens and when an Arbiter begins drawing Fay from pestilence their hands burst with Fay as if a raging fire instantly began blooming. Except this gloomy Fay sways helplessly around them, emitting no heat, no solidity. Just an unearthly blaze that casts off of them. Fay doesn't travel through the air like most magic may. Upon focusing upon the pestilence it will eventually ignite and begin to devour the corruption. This process does not drain the Arbiter; It does precisely the opposite. This is way the Arbiter fuel themselves with Fay in order to perform their other abilities which consume it.

 

Arbiters themselves tend to cover up their bodies in robes when travelling outside their briarpatch and the immediate vicinity. This is mostly due to the markings that usually cover their body. As an Arbiter tames beasts he often marks him or herself with tattoos to mark the accomplishment. These tattoos are usually unique to each individual Arbiter but some Arbiters have been known to adopt the vigil of their Briar as a way of showing respect, companionship and fealty. Likewise Arbiters will pass these markings down onto their beasts as a cosmetic way to both label them and show their level of control over them, usually adding more details and extending the tattoo as the Arbiter's own tattoos develop. Other instances where an Arbiter might add a tattoo are when they start their own briarpatch, defended their briarpatch, or when a Briar recognizes a specific accomplishment. Likewise if an Arbiter suffers a wound or wounds from a beast they will often seek to tame that beast so that they may cover that wound or scar, a show of their beasts strength.
 

 

***

 

The Fayless

 

MARINA KRIVENKO

 

=============================================================

 

Those consumed by the Fay’s power grow grotesque and ferocious. Where an empowered beast still retains it’s identity the Fayless lose any sense of mortal ambition and in its place the desire to dominate and destroy consumes them. When a single Fayless appears they will tend towards a solidarity life and create a nest for themselves. Their lack of control breeds corruption and the longer the Fayless is left to exist the more estranged their territory becomes. The name chosen due to the antithesis of Fayless, a word regarded as a synonym for complete control to the Arbiters of Grigario. This lack of control is seen as an exorbitant weakness.

 

Sometimes a Fayless of great magnitude may appear in nature though it is never a natural occurrence. Fay tainted lands may spawn Fayless and if left unchecked can become entrenched with a throng. It is the Arbiter’s alone who can reverse the Fayless but not without great amounts of energy. Without an Arbiter to control the corruption, the Fayless can still be quelled, both physically and magically, but with the affliction rooted so deeply into the being it will result in the death of the beast.

 

A cleansed Fayless can return to nature but is likely bare any scars they might have had inflicted on them and deformities they acquired. Commonalities for Fayless are increased size, sharper teeth and claws. Appendages tend to lengthen as horns and spikes protrude from their flesh depending on their level of affliction. Fayless emit putrid odors and as their nest grows into a cesspool of pestilence they can often carry an array of disease that can both be transferred from injuries sustained by their victims  and possibly into water and food supplies depending on their chosen location.

 

***

 

Sources of Fay

 

CHRISCOLD

 

=================================

 

Rot, decay and pestilence can create minor forms of Fay and can be used as a weaker but more sustainable source of an Arbiter’s power.

 

Major Fay comes in the form of necromantic blight and afflicted creatures. Necromancy is not seen as an absolute wrong by the Arbiters but simply part of the endless cycle. It is not the necromantic power itself that is used for fueling the Arbiter but the abundance of pestilence surrounding it. While an Arbiter cannot cull the blight from the land they can contain it and re-purpose it's byproducts. It is because of this that Arbiters can deliberately cultivate blighted lands, ensuring the blight can't spread further.

 

Both Fayless and Greater Fayless produce pestilence and if left uncontrolled can cause Fay taint to grow in their nests and from their victims corpses. Fay taint on a land is never natural and a great blight in the eyes of the Arbiters. It is less notable in open air and without pestilence to feed off of quickly begins to disperse. It is characterized as a thin orange gloom that fills the air. If the land becomes a festering ground for Fay taint Fay crystals may begin to grow, especially in the actual nest of a Fayless or from a victim's corpse from a Greater Fayless attack. Fay crystal is harmful to sentient life, causing it to frenzy and can gradually turn regular animal life into Fayless as well. It is not yet known if other uses for the crystal exist at this time.

 

 

***

 

Effects of the Fay & Greater Fayless

 

 

===========================

 

The Fay, like many magical sources, gives and takes from its user. The Arbiters are fortunate in receiving Grigario’s Gift but they are not immune to the effects of the Fay. They are both resistant to affliction and once the Fay is contained within their vessel do not suffer from it’s negatives. However a container can only hold so much and if an Arbiter chooses to contain too much Fay and not re-use it they too, unlike any other descendant, may become the Fayless. Though this is a rare occurrence and is usually brought about by accident these creatures are regarded as Greater Fayless. Nature requires true balance and through the Fayless it is rebalanced.

 

Greater Fayless gain greater control over the Fay but not in the same way as an Arbiter. They lose their ability to communicate and are more likely to wander until they discover other sentient life in which they rampage on. The way they control the Fay is by spreading pestilence. Pestilence is created through death and decay. The feral Greater Fayless’ victim finds their corpse to be the source of spreading fay but in a dangerous overabundance that proves harmful and insidious to other living entities.

 

The danger of the Greater Fayless that is not seen other fayless is their ability to relocate without leaving their trail. Where Fayless create nests that remain tainted around them, Greater Fayless wander and do not reside within one area long enough to cause any great negative effect. The exception is when they rampage and manage to kill something, the Greater Fayless being of greater physical strength but rendered completely lost to a fury, greater Fay festers rapidly from the decaying corpse. This creates hotspots of Fay tainted grounds where other life may become afflicted and turn into Fayless

 

If a Greater Fayless is managed to be caught and reversed they are likely to recall every part but lacked the control to stop themselves. There was no sense to the fury but it was an endless lust for not blood or power, but death. Likewise the Greater Fayless faced the ultimatum in the eyes of the gods and if slain instead of subdued and cleansed the soul of that being is gleaned from them. Their bodies taken to the monks for reassessment. Either way the returned Arbiter would find their bond to Grigario’s Gift severed.

 

If they again felt the call to Grigario’s faith.

A pilgrimage to the Briar is what it would take.

For there is no good that has no evil.

Nature lives by the consequence of both.

 

Can control the beast or will the Fay overwhelm you?

 

 

=======================================================================

 

 

(( OOC notes: ))

Grigario's Gift allows Arbiters to control the Fay. The Fay is any source of corruption in its purest form such as rot and pestilience. Using their bodies as temporary vessels for the blight they can re-purpose it to dominate life. The Arbiters are set up to be true neutral with the possibility of being driven to good or evil. I thought it would be interesting to see how the role or protagonist and antagonist can merge.

 

Fay is the embodiment of corruption and Grigario's Gift is the embodiment of domination. Arbiters use the gift to control the Fay.

Plants can be made to grow thick and defensive but gnarled and darkened. Animals can be temporarily controlled which can lead to easier taming but also at the chance of creating a vile monster. They can also be empowered to frenzy and gain improved physical strength. Fayen can be grown as defensive traps that take on the appearance of trees.

 

Fayless and greater Fayless are the abundance of Fay in a sentient being. They become twisted, gnarled versions of themselves. They are recognized by the shift from the burnt orange glow to a sickly complete green. Greater Fayless temporarily lose control of Grigario’s Gift but unlike the normal Fayless they can be cleansed and reversed by other holy magics.

Grigario is a Patron of Tayl and is known for his benevolent domination over those that worship him.

 

RED LINES:

-- cannot talk to plants or animals. No telepathy.

-- does not give control over nature but rather affects how nature is nurtured.

-- cannot instantly train beasts but can dominate them for brief periods of time.

-- cannot directly control untamed beasts to fight.

-- cannot grow plants instantly and is not usable in combat.

-- cannot heal blight or curses.

-- cannot heal in general.

-- any armor or weapon grown and crafted must be MCly represented.

-- Fayen are stationary trees that act like golems. Grown by Grigario’s Gift they cannot be moved as they as much a tree as they are Fayen.

 

 

 

[BrandNewKitten 2788]

Reserved for Changelog;

 

 

- clarified what Fay is.

 

*Fay is pestilence (rot, decay, disease) that has been taken into the vessel (the Arbiter) and through Gigario's Gift that he rewards to the devote they can produce Fay, an energy that can domineer nature to grow under your control.

 

*Fay cannot remove blights and curses but can clean up the rot that is a byproduct from them, effectively containing them.

 

- Clarified level of control I believe

 

*Arbiters can't control plants to shoot from the ground or for a swarm of birds to swoop down and assault their foe. They can nurture plants and affect their growth using the Fay to produce hard, gnarled barks and resource enriched plants to be cultivated for domestic use as well as defensive use.

 

*Fayen aren't mobile, and cannot shoot out roots from the ground onto victims. They are like a web that can gradually grow and shape themselves to defend their territory. More noisy territorial trees that are telling outsiders to get off their lawn.

 

*Beasts are dominated for short periods of time. The controlling of beasts isn't really a combat thing as no beast will fight blindly without respect. Instead of calming an animal to teach it Arbiters exact dominance over them over a period of time. They are beast-masters and once accustomed to the Arbiter the beast can be empowered, giving them increased capability in combat. This is the meat of the magic. If a beast isn't tamed and an Arbiter empowers it then they will create a Fayless which could serve a combat use but are also just as likely to kill the Arbiter that made it out of spite.

 

- Added Fay Crystal

 

*crystal that spawns from Fay Tainted lands. Fay Taint is unique to this magic and spawns mainly from two sources. Fayless nests and Greater Fayless attacks. It starts off as a thin orange gloom but can gradually condense into crystal formations. Fay Crystals can throw other sentient life into a frenzy and in rare occurrences turn them into Fayless as well. (to create event opportunities)

 

- Clarified the emphasis on taming 

 

*The main use of the magic is to dominate beasts, the Fay's ability to empower also able to instill fear. Fear is not inherently a negative in nature as it helps set social structure. Fear is a byproduct of the Arbiters demonstrating their willpower over a beast but can also be used to scare beasts off. Taming is a process but an Arbiter can achieve great feats normal beastmasters couldn't ever hope to, even to the point where feral beasts could be dominated.

 

 

 

 

 

[Ford 1990]

where the hell did this even come from? 

 

good lore write-up, though. proud of you.

 

keep up the good work.

[BrandNewKitten 2788]

I guess I can tell ya now. This is a re-write of my previous lore which was denied. It was the original basis for some Eshtael lore but didn't fit the theme. So I took some of the concepts I liked and scraped it. I will link it below. I like the idea of playing around with neutrality as I do in all games. Seeing whether or not you can do it is the fun part and could be cool to engage in some sick rp with some other players! 

 

 

-=-=-= https://docs.google.com/document/d/1yVQtkeg_xVRPeoiGT389u2leQAngJxVVQvTEKZzgmQI/edit?usp=sharing =-=-=-

 

-sources of inspiration for this piece are DA: Inquisition, Skyrim & ESO, Kingdom Hearts, our communal love of roses even though the may be covered in thorns!

[𝙻𝚞𝚟 XO 3062]

I actually love this.

+10

[LPT 767]

+1 but only if you can use it to blue mold people's food.

[Llir 5713]

It's well written but we don't need more magic...

[Hydra 513]

Why a druid spin-off, controlling nature is overstepping bounds

[Ventusyr 232]

I feel like this could be a culture developed within the Druids, a split created from Grigario's teachings. The magic seems like a less-good version of Druidic magic, with a focus on beefing up beasts.

[Swgrclan 2632]

Very interesting, though I am skeptical on the definition of Fay - specifically it's involvement in necromantic corruption or taint. Any corruption that stems from necromancy is just necromantic taint itself, which at it's base is just a distortion of Lifeforce which fades after a period of time. I've often referenced the nature of taint as just "chaos", as the creation of taint itself contradicts the existentialities of Lifeforce, of which had been shaped by the Creator himself. I would like to speak further on this to prevent any conflictions.

[OldeTymer 322]

I like the lore and the concept, to be honest. However, looking at the magic, it is much too close to Druidism. The only access to controlling Nature in any way (even to the slightly lesser extent than Druidism that you have in this lore) is only accessible through being attuned to Nature through Druidism. I don't have qualms with adding more kinds of magic, but this isn't unique enough. The Nature domain (commanding animals and growing plants/ tree-like golems) is taken care of by Druid magic, and Necromancy already controls corruption. Yeah, the methods are slightly different and this magic doesn't quite line up intrusively, but it is still intrusive to these existing magic types.

[BrandNewKitten 2788]

Reserved for Changelog;

 

 

- clarified what Fay is.

 

*Fay is pestilence (rot, decay, disease) that has been taken into the vessel (the Arbiter) and through Gigario's Gift that he rewards to the devote they can produce Fay, an energy that can domineer nature to grow under your control. 

 

*Fay cannot remove blights and curses but can clean up the rot that is a byproduct from them, effectively containing them.

 

- Clarified level of control I believe

 

*Arbiters can't control plants to shoot from the ground or for a swarm of birds to swoop down and assault their foe. They can nurture plants and affect their growth using the Fay to produce hard, gnarled barks and resource enriched plants to be cultivated for domestic use as well as defensive use.

 

*Fayen aren't mobile, and cannot shoot out roots from the ground onto victims. They are like a web that can gradually grow and shape themselves to defend their territory. More noisy territorial trees that are telling outsiders to get off their lawn.

 

*Beasts are dominated for short periods of time. The controlling of beasts isn't really a combat thing as no beast will fight blindly without respect. Instead of calming an animal to teach it Arbiters exact dominance over them over a period of time. They are beast-masters and once accustomed to the Arbiter the beast can be empowered, giving them increased capability in combat. This is the meat of the magic. If a beast isn't tamed and an Arbiter empowers it then they will create a Fayless which could serve a combat use but are also just as likely to kill the Arbiter that made it out of spite.

 

To Callax, 

 

This magic does have druidic elements but only in basic terms. This introduces a completely separate ecosystem from druids. Fay is the compost of magics and the plant stuff are just side effects of it being used as nutrients. With Animals it is less about controlling them and more about directly influencing what they are as animals. If anything this magic is the antithesis to both druidism and necromancy and exists in the middle ground and because it is there their are bound to be similarities. However the magics themselves shouldn't interfere. It's simply a different mode of transportation and the arrival is something less inherently good and more undecided and left up to player interaction.

 

TLDR; Arbiters are magical compost bins.

[OldeTymer 322]

I don't mean to talk in circles, but even after your previous post, I still must say that the end result is, basically, Druidism. I'll also go into further detail and relate with examples. There is a different method to achieve the magical feats, sure, but the appearance is Druidism. Druids "nurture plants and affect their growth using the Fay to produce hard, gnarled barks and resource enriched plants to be cultivated for domestic use as well as defensive use."

 

The Fayen act much like a similar ability of the Druids as sort of "tree-guardians," only, we call them Treants.

 

The way beasts respond in this magic seems almost identical to how they respond to Druidism. "Beasts are dominated for short periods of time. The controlling of beasts isn't really a combat thing as no beast will fight blindly without respect. Instead of calming an animal to teach it Arbiters [Druids] exact dominance over them over a period of time" in a very similar fashion. Now, beasts respond to Druids based on the Druid's strength of their connection to Nature, but the beast doesn't blindly follow the Druid, either. "The beast can be empowered, giving them increased capability in combat." This part, I don't comprehend too awful well... but I'm taking it as if the beast gains special abilities from the Arbiter? If so, then I suppose that's a divergence in that Druid influence over beasts doesn't change them at all.

 

*|~

 

I don't agree that the extent of Druid elements is only basic. This magic performs feats of Druidism, only it does so by much different means. Instead of having to have a direct connection (attunement) to Nature, the Arbiters control "pestilence" (which, here, this seems to be a window into Necromancy) to influence Nature. Again, I like the concept and the meat of this lore, I just can't get behind it because it is, as I see it, "Druidism through a Necromancer's window."

[Corvoo 562]

6 minutes ago, Callax said:

Druidism through a Necromancer's window."

This is essentially how I'm seeing it, so far. My opinion might change, if I have things better explained. But as of right now, I'm extremely conflicted. 

[BrandNewKitten 2788]

People being conflicted over whether this is druidism or necromancy already sparks some incredible intrigue though. The lore itself is situated to be credible and the purpose is to stir the pot. It is going to share similarities with both magics but in the end that is what will give it life I think. I really thank you for your feedback. It makes me more confident that this will be create some real interesting roleplay!