[OLD] The Naelurir - Druidic Priests of the Elves

[WuHanXianShi14 0]

kae elahernan heial'Maliame narne'anoh, ehya oem siimah'maehr ay kae'leh lye ito ker'ento

kae taeluirne naelue ker'ento, ehya kaean'leh Talonnii'ito myumiere ker'ento

taliynan anah elehaelun'ehya elemaln, kae myumierene

haleralan anah kae'leh naeri'sae, kae myumierne

Kae ay'eledruiheial, Mali'Malinor ehya'elenaelurir haleral ito

Kae halere, eletaliynan kae annileh

 

The Naelurir is a branch of the druidic order with exclusively elven members. Its mandate is to spread Aspectism among the wood elven people and act as the spiritual and cultural leaders of the race.

 

Purpose

 

The Naelurir are Elven Priests and the official clergy of the Aspectism religion. Their main goal is to impart their druidic wisdom onto the commonfolk of Laureh’lin, convert any elf within the nation to the worship of the Aspects, and ensure the upkeep of traditions, culture and values from the Era of the Seeds, from which many trace their ancestry.

 

To Naelurir, the education and cultural guidance of the elven people is the most important part of their druidic duty to the Aspects. A druid can go around fixing the imbalances in nature made by foolish descendant races all their life, but more will always appear. To teach an entire people to live and abide by the Aspect’s teachings, an entire race educated to live in harmony and balance with the natural world, that is how a druid makes a true and lasting impact.

 

Being druids, their purpose is same as all other drui. To preserve nature’s balance at any cost, and hold their duty to Aspects above any other pillar of life. As such, Naelurir are bound to answer when called upon by other circles of Druids to fix injustices done to the Aspect’s realm.

 

Origins and Foundation

 

We will never know when druidism truly began. But we know that for as long as the memories of the wood elven race span, the druids have been there at the center, a guiding hand in the preservation of their ways, their traditions, their culture. In the Era of the Seeds, it is believed that all known Drui were wood elven in origin. These elven druids were seen as the wisest and most venerated of all mali, and elves of all Seeds would traverse miles of the thick Aegisian forest to find their groves and seek their guidance.

 

After long years of conflict, the Wood Elves of Laurelin finally begin regain their ancient roots. Old Seeds emerge from their centuries long isolation in the forest as they see their city-kin finally rekindle their true path, the Aspects have finally reclaimed the reverence of their chosen kin- the forgotten folk. Malin’s trueborn.

 

The mali’ame have been lost to their own culture for centuries now, and thus need guides and teachers to help old traditions and the old faith flourish once more. Hence- a new generation of druids is called upon. Just like the old elven druids who once were the central guides of the ancient Seeds, this new order will server as a beacon for their people. They will be known as the Naelurir.

 

Culture

 

 

The Naelurir Order considers itself naturally duty bound to aid the main branch of druids in anything pertaining to their duty to the Aspects. However, they are their own sect, racially and culturally distinct from the main mother circle, with their own hierarchy, leadership and trials. Naelurir training is markedly more harsh than that of the Mother Circle of druids. Dedicants who seek to become part of the exclusive elven priests must become adept warriors, they must learn to hunt, war and heal the most gruesome of wounds. They are made to endure pain and suffering to gauge their dedication to the path and to the Aspects. As such, progression in the Naelurir is not done through completing tasks- they are called trials of aptitude.

 

A Naelurir is expected to embody all the traits of an ideal wood elf and ideal druid:

 

Strength

To be able to fight like one of Cernunnos’ beasts. To be a fierce warrior able to draw blood from any opponent made of flesh.

 

Knowledge

To know all traditions, rituals and teachings that makes the wood elves what they are. To have extensive knowledge of the Aspects and what they stand for, and to follow their way above all else. To revere Malin and keep to his teachings.

 

Self Control

To always have a leash on your own emotions. To be cool, sensible and calm. To refrain from wanton giving of offense and to make decisions on faith, pragmatism and experience, not blind emotion.

 

Leadership

To find joy in teaching and guiding others onto the Aspects path. To aspire to be a rodel model, someone to look up to and follow. To be outgoing, firm when needed, understanding when required, clear and easy to comprehend.

 

Loyalty

To be undyingly devout to your own people and to the druidic way. To never bend or sway from your convictions to keep both alive and thriving, to make the ultimate sacrifice to protect the well being of either if necessary.

 

The Trials

There are twelve trials a Naelurir dedicant must complete from start to finish before they are attuned into a proper druid and inducted officially into the order of priests. They get progressively harder and harder and test the initiate in harsher ways as time goes on.

 

1) The aspiring dedicant presents an offering to the Aspects at the brazier in the town centre. It symbolizes the dedicant seeking favour from the Aspects for walking their path, and is the official beginning of dedicancy. Gifts of an insignificant nature, or gifts that hold no value to the dedicant are deemed unworthy. On top of material sacrifice, the dedicant must also slice his palm and bleed into the brazier, swearing an oath to hold the Aspects and Wood Elven tradition over everything else, and sealing the oath with their blood.

 

2) The dedicant is sent out into the wild to find some form of imbalance in the natural world and fix it. Success in this trial depends on how the dedicant perceives imbalance and the steps they take to right it.

 

3) The dedicant is told to spend time in the Laureh’lin library (there is also a collection of scrolls held by the elders if requested) to learn of the history and origins of the wood elven religion and culture.  After a period of study, they must write a thesis on the lessons of Malin or the aspects to show their understanding and provide a new perspective on either of the three to show critical thinking.

 

4) The dedicant begins rigorous combat training. They must be able to draw blood in a fight against their elder using a tomahawk, a sword, and a spear, as well as hit a moving target at 100 yards with a bow before they are considered worthy enough rangers of the druidic cause.

 

5) The dedicant is sent off into the deep forest in search of a monster or beast of extravagant notability. To succeed this trial, he must behead it and bring it back as a trophy. The other parts of the beast must be put to use, its hides worn, its bones sacrificed to the Aspects. Wastefulness will lead to the failure of this trial.

 

6) The dedicant is  given time to study the druidic book of herbs and told to go out and collect all the herbs they think they’ll need for various healing situations. The dedicant is then injured next session (though no maiming or permanent harm is done) and forced to heal their own wounds with their new knowledge.

 

7) The dedicant must walk up a mountain carrying a sack full of rocks. Their success based on their persistence and willingness to suffer extreme fatigue to continue on their path to serve the Aspects. The dedicant is expected not to stop until the sack is at the peak of the mountain, despite any sickness or injury they may acquire on the ascension.

 

8) The dedicant is chained to a post and beaten with a blackjack. The dedicant may call for a stop to the beating at any time, but to do this is to fail the trial. The dedicant must endure the brutal beating for as long as the teacher sees fit, proving their intention to endure any pain in order to continue down the Aspect’s path.

 

9) The first true test of the Naelurir mandate: The dedicant must educate two elves of Aspectism to a point where the two understand the fundamentals of the religion and the gods themselves. Their ability to compel the young and sway them to the faith is judged here.

 

10) The dedicant is brought deep into the wild, far away from the comforts of civilization. Their mind is warped with either nightsap or cactus powder and then left on top a mountain. They must survive for a week with only a knife and their brain warped. Their ability to endure the wild in its harshest, most unforgivable form is seen as worthiness to serve the gods who created it.

 

11) The dedicant is finally tasked with his staff rite, one of the few trials carried over from the mother circle. They must at least another week in the wild crafting a druidic staff of their own make, without the help of any others. The intricacy of the staff and how much symbolism it bares is important in judgement. A bland, or meaningless staff is often rejected.

 

12) The dedicant is given his grand task, which is of the dedicant’s choosing. Unlike with the mother circle, the dedicant is not required to get approval from his teacher before performing the task. They must simply judge for themselves whether the task is worthy, and do it. If the teacher deems it unworthy, they are told to perform another task until they do one that is.

 

Ranks and Members

 

The Naelurir follow a slightly different hierarchy than the mother circle druids, which better reflects its theist nature as an order.

 

Archdruids

The Archdruids are the leaders of the Naelurir, much like their mother circle counterparts. They also have an active role in accepting and training new dedicants. Conclaves of the Naelurir are organized by archdruids, and new priests are appointed by them.

 

Current Archdruids:

• Brother Hawk, Artimec (LeoWarrior14)

 

• Sister Sparrow, Arahaelth (LadyRebecca)

 

• Brother Caribou, Abelas (TauFireWarrior)

 

Priests

Priests are the second highest rank among the Naelurir and serve as the principal educators and religious preachers of the wood elven people. By gaining the priest rank, Naelurir are able to take up and train dedicants on their own. Priests often serve among both circles, travelling often between the mother grove and Linandria.

 

Current Priests:

• Brother Koi, Valor (mitt0)

 

• Brother River, Calius (ShadowedOblivion)

 

• Sister Robin, Tevi (Trinn)

 

• Sister Mockingbird, Sirari (Vaynth)

 

• Brother Shadow, Nameless (Idolomun)

 

• Sister Windswept, Ariadni (LadyAmaya)

 

• Brother Wolverine, Leo (sidmmvv)

 

• Sister Mustang, Aydalyn (Kikiyami)

 

• Brother Crocodile, Damai (KoalaWarrior14)

 

• Sister Melody, Wendy (Musicoid)

 

Acolytes

Acolytes are Naelurir who have completed their training and gone through the ritual of attunement to become fully fledged druids. However, still too young or inexperienced in the druidic gift to take up dedicants of their own.

 

Current Acolytes:

• Sister Raven, Nynaeve (KitsunePrincess)

 

• Sister Starvation, Faeinn (Cave_Creature)

 

Dedicants

Dedicants are the lowest rung, new apprentices seeking to take up the druidic and priest path, seeking to become teachers of all their people. They are unattuned and thus unable to use druid magic. They are not considered full members of the Naelurir until they have passed all the trials.

 

 

[OzYmandi 647]

What is your name?: Serv'ae Safennos

 

Are you fully elven in blood? (Sub Racial make-up does not matter so long as you are carry the blood of no other descendant races): Yes.

 

Are you an Aspectist, or follow the Aspects teachings in another way?: The Aspects compose my life.

 

Do you understand that the training process is one that requires much dedication and patience?: Yes. I've read the papers.

 

Do you understand that becoming a Naelurir is a lifelong commitment?: Of course.

 

What do the Aspects and the Natural Balance mean to you? Explain as in-depth as you wish: The Aspects compose my life. They are that around me, in me and in my thoughts. They MEAN everything to me. As for the Natural Balance, it composes most of my studies, of my arts. I try to go through it, but yet nature and what the Mother and Father created fills me with un-ending joy. As to think through on it, we should just accept what the Aspects created for us and for all and be nothing more than happy for it! Doesn't matter if it is a hostile, wild bear or a friendly wild bunny. We are like them. Thats what the Aspects and the Balance mean to me.

[LadyRebecca 1050]

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