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The Burden of the Wardens


Zarsies
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Doc found here.

 

Can also be viewed below, however formatting is totally goofed.

 

 

 

 

 


 



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SR3iTJrWFUI

 

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The Burden of the Wardens

Forsaken druidism, dark and godless, is known as the Burden; its users, Wardens. It is a verdant tree of twisting paths and forgotten ways, some branches secluded and decrepit whilst others have grown thick and thorny. Namely, Wardens reap the soul essence of plants and animals in the form of wilderblood, kept in different charms, to dominate nature with their own Pact.

 

 

 

 


 

 

 

 

‘To know both Life and Death

Is to live the life of the Warden

To know that this bliss will end

That paradise is a dream

Knowing is to be kin with the gods

Shouldering the immense burden

The power that comes with Knowing’

 

Animals are blessed by the standards of a druid. A druid knows that this world is not simply a place of rampant life and grand expectations, but also a place of death and destruction. Not every dream of Life is sacred, for some must be cut down in the wake of Death to make way for new Life. There are many sacrifices that must be made by the living to make way for more living; the Cycle is the name given to this. The beasts themselves, the trees that sway in the deepest reaches of our forests, do not know this. Just as when one is sleeping and wanders through the annals of a dream, these creatures are too enraptured by the earth to know of the whole truth, to know of their coming demise. In a way they lead the best and most untouched lives as instinct guides them rather than a damned fear of the end. Once they have been wrenched from their place in the light, there is but a singular emotion that comes to fount within their mind. A single base and primal feeling that can be described by only one word, and yet be understood so little.

 

Hate. Overwhelming and incurable hate born from those self same instincts that lit the path through life, now only capable of pawing helplessly at the chilling currents of death. Thus it is said that the Aspects save them from their hate and usher them into a new paradise; as shepherds saving their flock, they give them a new realm of verdant life to pacify their anger. Though that primal hate is also a notable resource. The blood mages of the ancient world who stalked the undergrowth clad in crimson, knew this. They knew the true hate of the animal mind as it learnt the truth of their predicament, and they also learnt through their arcane methods how one might bring that hate back unto the fold of Life. How to make such a hate cling to the Living world and use it to influence the wider natural world.

 

That Upon Which Things Are Predicated - The Circle

 

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A Circle of stones of concord in a terraformed grove.

 

The term ‘Circle’ was assimilated into wider druidic culture following the widespread influence of the ancient blood mages. Originally it was as to them what it is to the druids of today; but a new term for family, or pack. A collection of druidic folk who thought in a like minded fashion about the ways of the world, and thus could easily work together to further their own goals. With centuries of study, it also came to be the name for a grand machination of powerful magic, a ritual of truly magnificent importance.  

 

It was once thought that without the power of the Aspects, achieving audience with Nature was impossible. Mortal men simply lacked the capacity to commune with the Natural world without the aid of the divine, for reaching out to such a vast swathe of the world was too taxing. Blood magic, by its very nature, was a tool perfectly made to solve this problem. Over many years of dedicated study, a coven of wayward blood mages discovered a method by which to garner the attention of Nature by blood magic alone. A stone circle was erected, the first of many ritual sites, whilst each stone was carved in exquisite runes of a new library. Meditation and contemplation alone had allowed this coven the ability to forge their own blood rune, a single design which called forth audience with Nature. Repeated again and again, woven into the stones of their circle with exquisite precision, these blood mages enacted a ritual to call Nature to their side.

 

On that day, the first Wardens submitted themselves not to the Pact of the Aspects, but to a Pact mutually agreed between Wardens and Nature. A personal Pact enscribed in new blood runes which miraculously appeared upon the stone circle. These new runes became the primary tool of the Wardens as they experimented and learnt their usage, a wholly untouched library of ‘Tree-Tongue’ forged from the whisperings and murmurings of the Natural world.

 

As a result of their Pact, Wardens gain the natural ability to create Paths, temporary links that allow Wardens to reach out and touch the souls of animals and plants. These Paths allow Wardens to empathically communicate with nature, and suggest thoughts and ideas to it. Much like their druidic counterparts, a Warden cannot force a plant or animal to obey their will through this ability. As a Warden grows in power, their capability to maintain Pathways grows; there is no limit to the number of Paths they may theoretically create, but as with all magic, they will only last as long as they concentrate and the target of the Pathway must be in line of sight. A Warden can also use this ability to guide and manipulate the soul essence of deceased plants and animals, though this ability is virtually useless without further knowledge of Warden magic, found primarily in the usage of Command.

 

Wardens are not bound by the same pact as most of the druidic folk. Instead of submitting themselves to the will of the Aspects and partaking in their divine pact, wardens form their own, mortal pacts. Through the ancient art of Darkening the original wardens, or Weirhents, stole the power of pactmaking from the gods and used blood magic as a substitute art by which to create their own. These ancient wardens erected stone circles covered in blood runes for use in a ritual by which to  call audience with the natural world. Once this grand feat had been achieved and recorded, the first circle of Weirhents spent many years deciphering the ‘speech’ of nature, transcribing what intimations they had as new blood runes; this new library of symbols made up the bulk of their arts. With time this new form of mortal magic was spread to new covens and circles, many of which were sadly lost come the war with Iblees.

 

A stone circle is the store of power that a warden will call upon to use their art. Once welcomed into a circle and bound to whatever pact their peers struck, a warden is capable of focusing the power of that circle by using charms. These catalysts act as a means to focalise and manipulate the energy bound within a circle, similar to how a lens might focus light. Each spell that a warden will use is bound to a particular charm which must be had to hand when that spell is to be used. A charm is made by taking a chunk of stone and, first, carving the rune that is to be made. An animal is then taken to be sacrificed, their torso cut open so as to create an opening into the rib-cage; as the animal dies and their soul essence is guided into the circle by the will of the warden, the charm is placed within that ribcage with a smear of the warden’s blood. As the rune ignites with the power of the warden’s genus, the spirit leaving the animal provides a bridge for the rune to follow, linking its power into that of the circles by design. With this ritual completed, the rune becomes ‘active’ and able to be used, connected to the circle, to the warden, and to the world around it.

 

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A warden creating a charm.

 

The soul essence of animals is at its core, identical to the energy that comprises the souls of the mortal races. Those descended from the four brothers are graced not by a different form of power, but simply by a more complex soul of greater calibre and weight. Whilst the descendants may be more complex in this regard, they still lack the power to perform great feats by themselves. Wardens know how to circumvent this issue; become more than simply one descendant. By sacrificing the souls of animals and plants and weaving their essence into a circle, a warden can create a well of spiritual energy from which to draw. As this essence matures it forms a thin, ectoplasmic substance named ‘wilderblood’, a green liquid which pools within and around a circle. It is for this reason that circles are always shrouded in a thick fog, and are home to such uncanny events.

 

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Wilderblood manifest.

 

The Pact - On It’s Nature

 

The Pact asks that the Warden accept three basic principles, that must govern their lives from their entrance into Wardenhood until the day they die. These principles are ingrained in all Pacts, as the basis upon which they function, and can never be changed or removed.

 

  • To wear Metal is to brandish a symbol of not only civilization, but of War. Metal is so tarnished with the blood of Men and animal-folk alike that it offends Nature at it’s core, a flag calling forth memories of death and wanton destruction. No Warden may adorn themselves with Metal of any kind, and should they do so for any lengthy period of time, they would find the Natural world around them to burst forth with anger, and their Pact dwindle as a result.

 

  • The dark arts are powerful magic’s, providing Nature with an alternative route by which to achieve safety and longevity. They bypass the necessity of the Aspects and call only upon the resources of the world to bring about great and powerful feats. And yet, Nature knows also of their capacity for destruction and the overturning of the balance of life. To overuse these magics is to damage the Natural world, and in turn, so to will the Pact of a warden be damaged. The warden must always consult with Nature should they wish to use their darker magics, and those darker magics must be used proportionally and respectfully.  

 

  • The Burden is a powerful art that allows a warden to temporarily wrest control from Nature, and integrate Nature into their own will. To do so is done at the allowance of Nature, and to use the art of Command without care for the will of Nature is to disrespect the Pact, and risk it’s severance. The voice of Nature must be heard. The will of the warden must align with the will of the world, and never should one rule the other.


The Purpose Of The Circle - Sacrifice And Power

 

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A warden performing a ritual.

 

Wardens wield a variety of charms which allow them to focus the power of their circle no matter their distance. Their magic cannot be used without their charms, and each must be activated with a smear of blood, be it of the Wardens or anothers. These charms reach out to the circle and draw upon its stores of power, before the Warden makes use of their natural abilities to direct the energy of the circle.

 

Dominion - Unity, Strength of the Pack

 

Welcoming - Wardens can slay animals or plants within their circles, and use their Pathmaking to guide the newly released soul essence into the stones. By doing this the soul essence can be allowed to mature into a concentrated substance named ‘wilderblood’. A thin ectoplasmic liquid, this substance is mired in a terrible hate born out of the deceased creatures’ realization of their death; whilst most plants and animals are spared the knowledge of their demise, the souls encapsulated within a circle are all too aware that the party of life is very much going on without them. This wilderblood, this hate manifest, can be channeled by a Warden through the use of their charms to perform their magic. Each of their other spells calls upon this energy in one way or another, using the malice of their victims to manipulate the world around them.

 

Command - By using their charm of Command, a Warden can channel their stored wilderblood to possess the bodies of plants and animals in their immediate vicinity. The charm itself is used to source this raw wilderblood, whilst the Warden themselves must then use their Pathmaking to guide that wilderblood into the bodies before them and wrest control from their living occupants. Once complete, the Warden gains power over a creature filled with the hellish hate they have so diligently collected. Plants may be grown if the Warden chooses to source more wilderblood, though the more they attempt to grow whatever they are Commanding the more troublesome that plant will be to Command.

 

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Wardens performing Command.

 

Harboring - Growth, Rebirth

 

Consuming - by using their charm of Consumption, a Warden can merge the soul essence and physical forms of plants into their bodies. Wounds may be healed by using this method, replacing damaged flesh with plant matter that grows as if it had always been a part of the Wardens body. If this is used irregularly and sparingly, the soul blueprint of a Warden will reassert itself and transform the plant matter into flesh and bone. The more a Warden continues to use this ability, the more they will become as the plants they consume as their soul begins to welcome the new residents. With time, their body shall become half of flesh, and half of bark, a wandering soul with the body of a plant. These transfigured Wardens will find that by sourcing wilderblood with their charm of Command, they will be able to birth roots from their body and embed them within the soil. In doing this, they will become very sturdy and resilient to blunt force trauma.

 

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A Warden with a Consumed body.

 

Germinating - by using their charm of Germination, a Warden who has used Consumption regularly enough to have seeded their body with the wildlife they protect can flood their body with wilderblood and manipulate the lingering soul essence within them. In doing so a Warden can formulate new plants from the properties of those plants they have consumed, essentially allowing a Warden to breed new species within their own body. Wardens can use these newly created species in alchemy, capitalizing on their new found properties. This process is tiring and cannot be performed mid combat. Plants made through Germination must be submitted through the Plant Index for approval unless already accepted.

 

Becoming - Love, Nurturing

 

Metamorphosis - by shrouding their bodies in wilderblood, a Warden can assume a temporary ethereal form using their charm of Metamorphosis. In doing this,  Wardens ability to Pathmake is substantially increased, allowing them to have a much easier time feeling the emotions of nature around them, and communicating their own emotions to that wildlife. Metamorphosed Wardens can act as spiritual antennae for other nearby Wardens, who can use their bountiful Paths to heighten their Command to greater strength. Instead of forming their own Paths, Wardens can simply guide their wilderblood into the nearby ethereal form, and feed their power out into their allies network of Pathways.

 

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A warden performing metamorphosis.

 

Terraforming - once Metamorphosed, a Warden can use their charm of Terraforming to interact with soul essence lingering in the earth below them. Wilderblood is infused into their already ethereal form, before being allowed to flow out into the earth in rhythmic bursts. With each torrent of power, the soul essence interred below is made to move little by little, synchronising with the pulses of wilderblood. Alone, this ability is fairly weak, able to cause perhaps a weak tremor. But with allies to aid in the flow of wilderblood, the ability to shift the earth grows stronger and more precise. Unlike shamanism or telekinesis, stones are not made to float. Rather, the soil as a whole is caused to shift with the pulses of wilderblood, making the application of this ability challenging. Terraforming is a painfully slow process, taking days to achieve full effect, but allows for the construction of wild shapes and forms for the earth and stone below to turn cliffs into knolls or moors into terraces.

 

Rending - Rage, Hatred

 

Frenzy - by using their charm of Frenzy, a Warden is capable of inciting the life force within the wildlife around them into a violent storm via the wilderblood of their circle. Animals and plants that have been recently affected by the divine will expel the energies left over as a result of such interaction, returning them to their natural state. More experienced Wardens can channel this frenzied life force to actively destroy deific artefacts by forcing the aengudaemonic energy out of them. Spriggans are particularly weak to this usage of Frenzy, as they are partly comprised of aengudaemonic energy from the Aspects. If this spell were to be used upon them they would be reduced to but inert wood from which they were formed. Lastly, a Warden may temporarily fuse this charm into the flesh or bark of an animal or tree, causing them to frenzy wildly and attack all in sight, Warden or no.

 

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A frenzied beast preying upon a huntsman.

 

Shillelagh - a Warden uses their charm of the Shillelagh to infuse a wooden stick with their wilderblood. The stick becomes filled with the rage of the dead, growing thorned nodules, gaining weight and . The Warden will find controlling the weapon, despite its weight, particularly easy as a result of the infused wilderblood. Powerful Wardens will find that the weapon even lends itself to attacking others, the hate within causing the weapon to physically lash out beyond the control of the Warden; the most powerful Wardens do not truly wield their staff. The staff just happens to be in their hands.

 

The Mortal Arts, and their Interactions with the Burden

 

Practitioners of the Burden have the capacity to learn one mortal art, from the selection below. It may only be from the selection below, and a Warden is only capable of using one of the following types of magic. Over usage of these magics is liable to weaken the Pact which binds a Warden, or completely sever it if one was to disrespect the wishes of the world around them. A careful balance of one's magical uses is needed to

 

Necromancy - necromancers can channel life force into their magic, allowing them greater control when performing magic which attempts to control the living. Command becomes more efficient and easier to manage, alongside all skills under the title Harboring.

Mysticism - mystics can channel their stores of ectoplasm to gain greater communion with the dead, allowing them greater control over magic which interacts with the dead. Metamorphosis and Terraforming both become more efficient.

Blood Magic - blood mages can fuse genus into their magic, allowing them the ability to perform violent, powerful magic that harnesses the primality of the natural world. Where the other two magics allow control and precision, blood magic allows destruction, chaos and strength. Rending, as a form that focuses upon this fury, is particularly easy to cast for blood mages.

 

RED LINES:
 

  • Wardens can only have one of each charm at a time.

  • As a result of a clause in all mortal Pacts, Wardens cannot wear or use metal of any sort.

  • A single circle can have no more than nine Wardens attached to it at any one time.

  • A character must have permission from both lore holders to have the knowledge of Pact Making.

  • All charms must be smeared with blood, carrying genus, prior to use.

  • A circle must be regularly sacrificed to, to maintain its stores of wilderblood; should a circle be inactive, the lore holders reserve the right to deny magic usage until activity/sacrificing rituals are resumed.

  • The physical stone circle is the conduit by which Wardens can store wilderblood within their ethereal Pact; should the physical circle be damaged or broken, the Wardens attached to it must repair the circle or create a new one, or they will be unable to use Welcoming to store wilderblood within their Pact.

  • The Burden takes the slots of four magics.

  • Wardens may only learn one of the mortal arts alongside the Burden; necromancy, blood magic, or mysticism.

  • Whenever a mortal art is used by a Warden, the Warden should notify a lore holder. Whilst this isn’t strictly necessary, and a user will not be penalized for failing to do so, over usage that might upset Nature and thus break one's Pact must be made clear to the lore holders. Failure to do so will result in the immediate revocation of the user's MA.

 

Inspirational Artwork

Not accurate to lore descriptions.
 

 

 

 


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A huge, gigantic, the greatest, the best, never before seen CHINA- thanks to Aelesh for writing an overwhelming portion of this lore as well as being the go-to idea man for its inception. As well thank you Phil for his opinions. 

And Cameron for writing Xionism and creating the base for this.

 

 

 

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*watches his baby take flight* Be free my child!

 

Zarsies has been my dream partner in crime, my writing would've come on nowhere near as well as it did without his constant support and interest.

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Could actually make becoming a Weirheint interesting! +MANY UPVOTES!!!

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Sign up list anywhere?

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as usual i am left uncredited for writing the very thing that inspired this mess of godforsaken anti-aspectist gibbering. i have been failed for the last time

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2 minutes ago, Swgrclan said:

as usual i am left uncredited for writing the very thing that inspired this mess of godforsaken anti-aspectist gibbering. i have been failed for the last time

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done

15 minutes ago, Edeldrache said:

looks kinda uninclusive though

 

Can you elaborate at all?

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Not 100% sure on druidic lore, but from an outsider perspective it looks like another Azdrazi type, very low amount of possible players and very difficult to find ways into group. If I just misunderstood, then nevermind.

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4 minutes ago, Edeldrache said:

Not 100% sure on druidic lore, but from an outsider perspective it looks like another Azdrazi type, very low amount of possible players and very difficult to find ways into group. If I just misunderstood, then nevermind.

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It'd probably be an idea to clarify that once a circle has been 'filled', a new one can be made with 'Pactmaking', that should hopefully alleviate the low amount of possible players problem. On the other hand, this is no more difficult to attain than any other magic. Find a teacher, and the teacher inducts you into the circle if they're willing; identical to finding a teacher and being connected in any deity magic/dark magic etc, etc.

 

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We already have thulean (blood) druidism which in theme, function and idealogy is very similar to this, what makes this stand out as unique enough as a stand-alone lore piece which justifies its existence in an already very messy web of druid lore?

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6 minutes ago, 吳憾戰士14 said:

We already have thulean (blood) druidism which in theme, function and idealogy is very similar to this, what makes this stand out as unique enough as a stand-alone lore piece which justifies its existence in an already very messy web of druid lore?

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Thulean druidism is simply normal, deific druidism plus blood magic. It has no outstanding abilities which differentiate it from normal druidism bar power.

 

The Burden has a differing set of abilities (Harboring/Becoming/Rending do not directly mirror any power that a druid currently has) that are not solely based upon blood magic. The Burden is really comparable to a form of witchcraft more than druidry. A collection of spells that draw from across the spectrum of mortal magic. Again, the similarities are only surface level. Blood magic may be the base here, but the function, style, and essence of the magic is totally different and fulfills a niche that neither druidism or thulean druidism currently fits.

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2 minutes ago, Crazy Diamond said:

 

I don't know. In theme it basically follows blood druidism in the whole primal anarchy angle. In function, it may not be 100% parallel but this type of niche RP is already covered well by blood druidism and also the various forms of shamanism which also feature a whole personal supernatural communion and primal type RP.

 

People are constantly complaining about our overabundance of holy magics, even if they arent all exactly the same, because they fill the same archetypal roleplay niche. Druidism and related magics are no different IMO.

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23 minutes ago, 吳憾戰士14 said:

We already have thulean (blood) druidism which in theme, function and idealogy is very similar to this, what makes this stand out as unique enough as a stand-alone lore piece which justifies its existence in an already very messy web of druid lore?

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16 minutes ago, Crazy Diamond said:

 

Thulean druidism is simply normal, deific druidism plus blood magic. It has no outstanding abilities which differentiate it from normal druidism bar power.

 

The Burden has a differing set of abilities (Harboring/Becoming/Rending do not directly mirror any power that a druid currently has) that are not solely based upon blood magic. The Burden is really comparable to a form of witchcraft more than druidry. A collection of spells that draw from across the spectrum of mortal magic. Again, the similarities are only surface level. Blood magic may be the base here, but the function, style, and essence of the magic is totally different and fulfills a niche that neither druidism or thulean druidism currently fits.

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The Burden is closer to a string-up of necromancy, mysticism, blood magic, and druidism with heavy influences from paganism and celtic culture rather than the normal-druidism-infused-with-blood-magic thulean. The role Wardens / Weirhents fill is a sort of witch-like and, as the branding suggests, dark. A druid soothes and tends to animals, a warden sacrifices and unleashes them. A druid heals land to purge taint, a warden destroys the land to ash to regrow it. Wardens cannot shapeshift. Wardens cannot pacify nature. Wardens cannot heal. Wardens can terraform. Wardens can invent plants. Wardens are to druids as clerics are to Ascended; they serve their pacts (or gods in the analogy's case), mortal or divine, but to different ends with different methods for different effects. I can say as the writer of mysticism that this isn't a paleknight-dreadknight situation. 

 

Hit me up in PMs for more discussion if you like, Leo! We'd gladly talk with you and address any of your concerns. : ]

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