[Magic Lore] Cerridwen's Guardians

[Badgermordakin 607]

Cerridwen’s Guardians

Origin

Ancient myth surrounds the fae realm of the three Aspects. Each inhabits their own land, dominated by the stars of their way. Together, as one, they grant the gifts of the Aspects to the druids of the material realm, allowing them to protect nature and the balance. Their duties are held with high importance and reverence, for the Aspects do not grant their gifts to everyone. As it has been since time immortal, the Aspects have granted these gifts. But as of late, the master druids have begun to specialize, seeking out further gifts with the guidance of their chosen patron Aspects. The deepening of their skill corresponds with their choice of Aspect from which they choose to rebond with, connecting once more so that they are granted gifts anew. These gifts manifest themselves as a mist, generating out of the druid’s body akin to a Blight Healer, from which the druid may draw upon and use their powers.

 

Cerridwen, the patron of Dayward Lands of the Fae Realm. Her duty is done with joy, her demeanor magnanimous. When those lucky few druids who chose to expand their gifts with her chose her, she chose to grant gifts that reflected herself. A patron for gardeners, growers, guardians. The gifts she grants are those to protect the growths within nature against that which would destroy them. Her tenets serve as guardians of the nature she so carefully nurtures. For the balance is served best when joyful duty is fulfilled.

 

Magic Explanation

Cerridwen’s gifts are only granted to master druids, those who have honed their gifts already granted to the finest degree. Primarily used by hunters during the hunt, the gifts are for maintaining the balance through combat through the use of the druid’s mists. 

Redlines:

• Cernunnos’s Rangers requires a valid [MA] to use

• Cerridwen’s Guardians takes up [1] Magic Slot

• Cerridwen’s Guardians requires one to be a T5 Druid before learning

• Cerridwen’s Guardians is mutually exclusive with the Cernunnos’s Rangers [MA]

• Cerridwen’s Guardians is taught through a teacher that must hold a valid [TA]

• A valid [TA] can be achieved once one is T5 in the magic

 

Mental & Physical Effects

As with more basic druidism, the gifts of the Aspects do not come free. The mind and body find themselves warped from the greater amounts of power gained from the Aspect the druid dedicates themself to. Common effects that might occur are:

 

Spoiler

Mental Effects:

• Constant states of joy

• Proclivity toward kindness

• Affinity towards the sun

• Becoming overly trusting

 

Physical Effects:

• Tiredness

• Insomnia

• Headaches

• Stiffness

 

Abilities

Petal Shield [T1] [C]

The agents of those who would harm nature often attack at unexpected times, leaving guardians unprepared for a fight at hand. Luckily, Cerridwen has granted them the ability to rapidly grow and harden the petal of a flower into a shield of which they might defend themselves from those who would harm them in dire times.

Spoiler

Mechanics

Over the course of [2] emotes ([1] Connection, [1] Growing and Hardening Petal) a guardian can rapidly grow and harden a flower petal into a shield with the strength of iron.

 

Redlines:

• The petal shield, once grown, is the strength of iron

• The petal shield can be grown into any shield shape up to the size of a tower shield

• The petal can be ungrown by the guardian at will

• Growing the petal shield requires a petal already at hand

 

Lily Stride [T1] [C]

Sometimes, the best way to protect oneself from danger is to flee. Sometimes, to flee is impossible with terrain. But the whims of nature are mere distractions to the followers of Cerridwen. To allow for swift movement wherever is needed, Cerridwen has taught her followers of the gift of the Lily Stride, allowing guardians to rapidly expand a water lily to stand upon and quickly make their way across water.

Spoiler

Mechanics

Over the course of [3] emotes ([1] Connection, [1] Drawing Upon Mists, [1] Growing Lilies) a guardian may rapidly grow and multiply water lilies to produce [3] lilies each time casting that can sustain their weight on the water.

 

Redlines:

• Water lilies grow to be a circle with a radius of 1 block, allowing for only one person to stand on them at a time

• Each cast produces 3 lilies

• Water lilies float on water on their own and can sustain the weight of any descendent

• Things that weigh more than an orc would cause the lilies to sink e.g. Ologs, Golems, Pale Knights etc.

 

Rooting [T2] [C]

All that grows must root into the ground. Cerridwen’s followers know this rooting better than anybody. In their gardening of the world, they have learned to adapt such a skill to themselves, rooting them to the earth for a temporary time through the use of their mists.

Spoiler

Mechanics

Over the course of [4] emotes ([1] Connection, [1] Drawing Upon Mists, [1] Growing Roots, [1] Securing in Place) a guardian may rapidly grow roots around their feet, preventing them from being knocked over at all, at the cost of being unable to move for the duration of the spell.

 

Redlines:

• A guardian cannot be knocked over while this spell is active

• The roots can be broken with [2] solid strikes to it with a cutting tool e.g. an axe

• A guardian cannot move while this spell is active on them

• This does not require nearby trees as the growth is produced entirely from mists

• This spell cannot be cast on anyone except the person casting it

 

Timber Barrier [T3] [C]

Cerridwen’s followers must defend themselves and the growth of their gardens. In this protection they have learned from Cerridwen the gift of the Timber Barrier, rapidly growing an arboreal barrier in front of themselves and their gardens to shield them from foes.

Spoiler

Mechanics

Over the course of [4] emotes ([1] Connection, [1] Drawing Upon Mists, [1] Growing Roots, [1] Wall Securing Itself) a guardian may create a 4 meter (block) wide and 3 meter (block) tall wall of timber to protect themselves.

 

Redlines:

• The barrier can be broken with [3] solid strikes to it with a cutting tool e.g. an axe

• This barrier will retract its growth after 10 emotes if not otherwise broken

• This does not require nearby trees as the growth is produced entirely from mists

• The guardian does not need to maintain concentration on the barrier to maintain it

 

Obscuring Swarm [T3] [C]

Cerridwen knows the importance of focus for a gardener with tending his plants. Simultaneously, the loss of focus can prove fatal to that which must be tended. Cerridwen’s guardians thus have learned to call upon the swarms of the land to protect themselves and their growth by breaking the focus of others who wish to harm them.

Spoiler

Mechanics:

Over the course of [4] emotes ([1] Connection, [1] Gathering Mists, [1] Using Mists to Call Swarm, [1] Swarm Gathers) a guardian may call upon a horde of small critters of the land they are in to surround them with a radius of 2 meters (blocks) and obscure them from the sight of foes for a brief time. This swarm

 

Redlines:

• The swarm must consist of small critters that would be native to the area

• The swarm would do no damage to anyone, merely obscure sightlines and/or break focus

• The swarm would move with the casting guardian if they were to move somewhere

• The swarm lasts for a duration of [5] emotes

 

Cerridwen’s Sense [T4] [C]

The astute guardian is familiar with his own limitations. He knows the eye of the hawk, the nose of the hound, the ear of the bat, to be far superior to his own. Rather than ignore this, Cerridwen has granted her guardians the ability to use the senses of the creations of nature.

Spoiler

Mechanics:

Over the course of [3] emotes ([1] Connection, [1] Communing with Beasts, [1] Taking on Senses) a guardian may inhabit a SINGLE sense (Sight, Smell, Hearing, Touch, Taste) of a nearby beast. This would become all that they can perceive, leaving their body inert while inhabiting the sense of the nearby beast.

 

Redlines:

• This spell can only be cast on creatures within the balance, meaning no descendents, darkspawn, voidal creatures etc. If you have to ask, the answer is probably no

• A guardian can only use ONE sense at a time

• A guardian cannot control the beast they inhabit, they may only gain use of their sense

• A guardian is rendered inert while casting this spell

• This spell cannot be used to metagame any information

• The spell can only be cast on animals within range of #s

• This spell can only last for a duration of 10 emotes before needing to be cast again unless stopped earlier

 

Arboreal Dome [T4] [C]

In the protection of their kin and nature, Cerridwen’s Guardians have learned from Cerridwen the gift of the Arboreal Dome, a more complex version of the Timber Barrier, that enables a rapid growth of an arboreal dome surrounding the guardian.

Spoiler

Mechanics

Over the course of [5] emotes ([1] Connection, [1] Drawing Upon Mists, [2] Growing Roots, [1] Dome Securing Itself) a guardian may rapidly grow wood around themselves in a difficult to penetrate dome to protect themselves.

 

Redlines:

• This dome can be broken with [4] solid strikes to it with a cutting tool e.g. an axe

• This dome will retract its growth after 10 emotes if not otherwise broken

• This does not require nearby trees as the growth is produced entirely from mists

• The dome produced surrounds the casting guardian in a circle with a radius of 2 meters (blocks) and is 2 meters (blocks) tall

• Other people can be protected beneath the dome

• The guardian must actively focus on maintaining the dome for its duration

 

Summon Dayward [T5] [C]

Cerridwen lives within the Dayward lands, her domain within the fae realm. It is only right that her guardians be granted the power of the sun. The pinnacle of their craft allows them to bring some of the power of the Dayward Lands into their world.

Spoiler

Mechanics

Over the course of [6] emotes ([1] Connection, [1] Drawing Upon Mists, [1] Opening a rift in the material realm, [1] Causing the Sun to Spill Through, [2] Cementing the New Sun) a guardian may call upon the Dayward Lands to bring in small amounts of the fae world into the material world. When bound within, it would change the scape of nature surrounding them, causing an eternal sunlight in a maximum area of 20x20 meters (blocks). The world around them would warp over time to appear similar to the Dayward Lands of the fae world, even, in very rare cases, causing fae creatures to break through the strengthened link between worlds.

 

Redlines:

• Any creatures that need to be rp’d by ST can only be rp’d by an ST

• Fae creatures coming through the tear are exceedingly rare

• This spell must be mechanically represented with a sign once placed

• Creatures and plants changed by this spell will not look exactly like they would in the fae realm, at best they would be cheap replicas 

• A Dayward bound area can have its effects reversed by either being blighted or by a blight healer casting Decay on it

 

 

Tier Progression

Tier 1 - Novice

The guardian is new to their gifts and still learning to use their skills. This lasts for 2 OOC weeks.

Spoiler

Spells:

Petal Shield, Lily Stride

 

Tier 2 - Apprentice

The guardian is becoming more skilled with their gifts, though still very new to it. This lasts for 3 OOC weeks.

Spoiler

Spells:

Rooting

 

Tier 3 - Adept

The guardian is starting to get a better hang of their gifts, adeptly wielding their mists.This lasts for 5 OOC weeks.

Spoiler

Spells:

Timber Barrier, Obscuring Swarm

 

Tier 4 - Expert

The guardian is nearly perfecting their gifts, wielding their mists near the best of rangers. This lasts for 6 OOC weeks.

Spoiler

Spells:

Cerridwen’s Sense, Arboreal Dome

 

Tier 5 - Master

The guardian has perfected their gits, wielding them to their maximum capacity.

Spoiler

Spells: Summon Dayward

 

Purpose (OOC)

Spoiler

It’s no secret that Druidism is pretty bad in a crp situation. Ironically, I think that is a strength of the base magic. However, I do feel that there is a benefit to having the ability to flex some druidic powers in a modern crp situation. Not being able to has been a source of frustration for myself and other druids I know. Particularly so in blighted lands where we do our most important fighting but have little to nothing in the way of using druidism as everything’s blighted. Even being a blight healer myself, I see the limitations it places on druids who want to use their MA in cool situations but can’t until the blight healers roll through and heal everything, by which time, the whole encounter’s over.  I figured the best way to approach this problem would be to place it as its own new magic, specifically aimed toward crp for druidism so as not to indict base druidism with crp. Plus it works toward filling the amount of slots that a “master” druid has, which is only like 3 slots. I think there is a cool benefit to splitting it based on the different Aspects as it allows more specialization and customization of different druids to crop up with the Cernunnos piece being aimed more toward offensive abilities and the Cerridwen piece being aimed more toward defensive abilities. There is a case to be made for a matching Nemiisae piece, and I do have some rudimentary concepts for one. But I feel that a Nemiisae piece is starting to overlap a bit with Mori stuff, which is an understandably more touchy topic that I think requires a little more special attention than these writes are intended for.

 

Citations

https://www.lordofthecraft.net/forums/topic/229809-%E2%9C%97-magic-lore-druidic-communion-control/ 

https://www.lordofthecraft.net/forums/topic/191505-aengudaemonica-cerridwen-the-green-lady/ 

https://www.lordofthecraft.net/forums/topic/161000-%E2%9C%93-the-fae-realm/

https://www.lordofthecraft.net/forums/topic/227298-%E2%9C%93-magic-lore-druidic-blight-healing/ 

 

Credits:

Badgermordakin - Author

 

Changelog:

Spoiler

formatting

 

[twinwolf1 199]

So nature vindicators