NomadGaia

On behalf of the Application Team we welcome you to the server as a white-listed player. Please wait patiently as a staff member will implement you. In the meantime feel free to browse our wiki or if you are in need of any assistance feel free to message me via forums. Our AT Discord is tailored especially to assist new players. To get in you simply have to click the link provided. Please stop by and say hi! New Player Discord Also be sure to check out the New For you, New player guide!

Changed Status to Under Review

On behalf of the Application Team we welcome you to the server as a white-listed player. Please wait patiently as a staff member will implement you. In the meantime feel free to browse our wiki or if you are in need of any assistance feel free to message me via forums. Our AT Discord is tailored especially to assist new players. To get in you simply have to click the link provided. Please stop by and say hi! New Player Discord Also be sure to check out the New For you, New player guide!

Do not fear! This is not the end! This simply means the requirements that were assigned to the application were not completely fulfilled. The following reasons will be listed below. You may reapply after 6 hours, if you apply sooner than 6 hours you will face denial. Please take your time to correct and improve your application before re-applying to LoTC, as we will only review up to 5 applications in the calendar month. Thank you. If you are in need of any assistance or simply have general questions about the server, please reach out to me via Forum Pms. You can do this by clicking on my username or picture to get to my profile, and then select the “message” button. We take Plagiarism very seriously on this server, refrain from such. Ensure that you do not break server lore in your biography. https://wikia.lordofthecraft.net/index.php?title=Main_Page Emerald Eye is not a name

Changed Status to Under Review

Changed Status to Under Review Do not fear! This is not the end! This simply means the requirements that were assigned to the application were not completely fulfilled. The following reasons will be listed below. You may reapply after 6 hours, if you apply sooner than 6 hours you will face denial. Please take your time to correct and improve on your application before re-applying to LoTC, as we will only review up to 5 applications in the calendar month. Thank you. If you are in need of any assistance or simply have general questions about the server, please reach out to me via Forum Pms. You can do this by clicking onto my username or picture to get to my profile, and then select the “message” button.

Hey everyone! After a lot of clear and honest feedback, I’m going to be taking another look into this lore and making some major changes to it. Thank you to everyone who gave their constructive feedback, so that I could really try and make this something that people can really enjoy, and so it can add to the world!

Just a bit of a clarification, Ferals are not able to become Spirit Guardians due to their altered souls.

Birth of the Orison Ritual Site of the first Guardian Grotto, a harrowing, yet beautiful reminder of the death of a druid. “And she appeared before them, those troubled minds, and the air was alive with sound of nature. She gave them a reassuring smile, reaching a hand out, as if to offer help. All was well.” It is a well known truth among druii and those that study the aspects or their faith, that devout druids who die ascend to the realm of the fae, to serve out their days as Soulbound Servants and Guardian Spirits. In the realm of fae, these spirits of passed druids are revered by all as wise men and oracles. Creatures of the fae flock from every corner of the realm to hear their words of wisdom. In the realm of fae, they are considered demigods, chosen of the aspects themselves. (The Fae Realm) In death, these sages reflect the souls of what they were in life. For those that sought the taste of battle in defense of the balance, they may find themselves as a spirit of fury, blessing those of the Twilight Bound. A gentler druid, a healer perhaps, may find themselves as a mending spirit of the Dayward Way. All these such spirits are revered amongst the fae creatures of the world. For those most dedicated servants of the aspects, there exists a special opportunity in life, during the most unlikeliest of times. That is, to become a Guardian Spirit capable of traversing betwixt the eternal forest and the mortal realm. These most devout servants may find themselves visited by one of these spirits to be taught the highly secretive ritual. With this knowledge, they are given the secret that they need to become one of them, to be given the ability in the afterlife to make the journey and return as a Guardian Spirit of the Descendents. However, this ritual may only be done on the brink of death. In their last moments, a druid may send out a final plea, one last wish to stay on Æos, on this place that they’ve so desperately tried to protect through their whole lives. And then, they must perform the ritual. The Discovery She saw blood everywhere. It stained the grasses around her with a deep crimson hue, glinting in the sunlight. And she looked to the side, seeing a bloodied bone knife cast aside, lying among the leaves a few feet away. And then it shot through her, an agonizing pain in her abdomen and she cried out. She looked down, and in her arms was her heart; a crying babe, wrapped in a green shawl. And her eyes slowly shut, fluttering desperately to try and stay awake as she faded into the cold embrace of death. Awaiti sat up in her bed, drenched with sweat. She rested a hand against her stomach, flat as it always was. The woman turned, pushing up out of the bed to stand, staggering over to a mirror in the room. She gripped the sides of the table, looking into her reflection with a silent, but bewildered expression. Her amber eyes stared right back at her, betraying only fear. But that was all. There was no blood, no screaming, no crying babe to hold. It left her unsettled, and compelled her to grab her cloak. And with that, she swiftly exited the room. The flames in the brazier of the shrine always shone the brightest at night, casting light in every which direction, onto the grass, onto the statues of the aspects, and now onto Awaiti, who was kneeling before it, bowed deeply in prayer. “Sweet mother, sweet mother, send your blessing unto me… preserve me…” “Father, father please. Have mercy on your faithful servant…” She pleaded like this for hours and hours, until the first rays of daybreak split the air, casting shadows of the leaves on the shrine. And on and on she pleaded, tears staining her weary face. “I don’t want to go! Not yet!” And her eyes were filled with light as she keeled over, blacking out against the cold morning ground. What followed barely made sense to her, flashes of white and green light, the crying of a babe. Visions of light took shape as fae energies and her dream came back to her. She was suddenly on the ground again, covered in blood. She was screaming, crying out in agony. And once more, her eyes began to flutter off to the cold and gentle dark. “Breathe, child,” She heard a gentle voice call to her. “Let go,” said a strong voice. And she shut her eyes for but a moment. And then opened them with white light coursing through. In an instant, the place around her was filled with a brilliant flash of fae light, all erupting from Awaiti. Flowers sprung up, creating brilliant displays of red and blue and purple. Trees sprouted almost instantly, tearing up the earth. But all was silent for Awaiti. She could hear no voices, feel no life. Life itself had all but left her battered form. Instead, it was in the world around her. And she drifted off. Her eyes shut once again, and Awaiti, just as she had in her dream, passed on from this world. But then, she was truly alive. There was warmth, and it was good. Awaiti looked down at her own mortal form, and smiled, knowing that all would be well for her child. They would live, and go on. Her eyes flung open, and she was back on the cold, hard ground. Awaiti stirred, knowing now what she had to do. And so she stood, going home to her bed to await that fateful day. The Orison Ritual Druids look on as a hierophant passes on, the air lighting up with fae mists as the energies ripple through, causing flowers and other life to spring up! circa 1650, colorized “Mother, mother please… father, look down on me… I want to be brave... I don’t want to die!” The ritual itself was used a great many years ago, in ages long forgotten, as a secret technique used amongst some of the most powerful and wise druids, in order to continue passing on their knowledge and guiding their people even after their own death. Since, it has fallen from minds, into myth, and then into legend, and then forgotten entirely. It has only resurfaced recently, discovered by Sister Awaiti Aureon, who saw glimpses of the ritual during a vision of her own death. Flashes of light, blasts of pure fae energy that rippled through nature, allowing life to flourish in its wake. These visions stayed with her throughout her whole life. What Awaiti saw was her own body expelling all of its druidic energies in one single moment. This act kills the druid immediately, but the blast of fae energy allows anyone in the vicinity to feel the effects of a fae ring for the day. The very wave of energy that is expelled from the druid has a similar effect to a fae ring, allowing those around them to hear the countless voices of nature for the rest of the day. It would emblazon druidic runes onto the stones around them, growing large trees and bushes almost instantly in the now hallowed land. A circle of flowers would sprung up all around in a spiral, creating a Guardian Fae Ring around the druid’s lifeless corpse. The wave of fae energy carries part of the druid’s very soul with it, tethering it to the land of the living. This created an anchor to Æos, allowing the traversal between these two interlinked planes. Such is the path that all those druii who wish to return to the mortal plane must follow. They must seek out a guardian spirit and learn the secrets of this most sacred ritual Guides and Redlines Requires a TA in Control and Communism to teach the Ritual, as well as being the aforementioned Guardian Spirit. In order to teach the Orison Ritual, an existing Guardian Spirit must show their student the ritual through Greensight. Attempting the ritual in any capacity is a PK. Requires a MA to perform the ritual. Attempting the ritual is a PK, no matter the outcome. Once you die, you’re dead, spirit or not. Guardian Fae Rings Fae rings have always been notoriously awe inspiring and potentially dangerous, for they create links between our realm and the Eternal Forests of the Fae. Normally though, these Fae Rings only allow lesser creatures of the realm to traverse the planes under the light of the full moon. They have the additional effect of imbuing descendants, whether they be human, dwed, or elf, the sudden ability to hear thoughts, instincts, and raw emotions of the flora and fauna around the ring, giving an experience of attunement to the unattuned. This can be very disorienting for those that are unfamiliar with the raw orchestra of nature. These fae rings have only ever been created through the magic of the aspects themselves, being naturally occuring phenomena in the world. But, with the Orison Ritual, we find the first instances of a druid themselves creating these rings through their own powerful druidic energies. During the Orison Ritual, a massive explosion of fae energy is released directly into the land around a druid’s body. Many things are birthed from this influx of energy, including the powerful Guardian Fae Rings. These large spirals of flowers cover the entire area that the blast touched, hallowing the ground that they lay upon. Over this entire area, the effect of a normal fae ring is given, nature filling the ears of those who stand within the living spire. These rings act as normal fae rings, with a few exceptions. Normally, a Fae ring allows only lesser beasts of the Eternal forest to pass through it on a full moon. However, given the druid’s final sacrifice, it allows Guardian Spirits to pass through the realm of the fae into that of the living. Guardian Fae Rings have the unique ability to be created by the living as well as the dead. However, this process is extremely dangerous, and must be preserved for times of great need. By transcending to the eternal forest, a group of three druids can seek out any such guardian spirit and re-tether their soul to the earth. By doing this, the guardian spirit channels their own energies through the bodies of the three druids, transforming the fae ring into a guardian fae ring. This allows for the creation of new guardian fae rings from normal fae rings. It is important to note that Spirits are not tied to any one ring. Instead, over time, these rings begin to create an interconnected network of points that the spirit may visit. Usually these rings are placed around groves, or other places of pilgrimage for those that follow the ways of the aspects. These points serve as the anchors for spirits in the realm, creating holy sites around the world. As stated, guardians are tethered to these Guardian Fae Rings, tying them to that one particular site until they are able to move to a different ring. Guardian Spirits are only able to go so far outside of the ring before they dissipate, the bonds holding them to the world too weak and too far to hold them in any significant way. If such occurs, they find themselves drawn back to the Eternal Forests, unable to plant themselves on the world. They must stay there for a time as their spirit regenerates and recollects in order to return to the world of the living. Guides and Redlines Powerful druids can perform the ritual successfully and be taught it. In order to be able to become a Guardian Spirit on the mortal plane, you must conduct the Orison Ritual. The Druid must first pray, opening a connection with the aspects themselves. Basically grabbing the aspects attention. After such, a druid must expel all of their fae energies in a sometimes violent blast, depending on the age of the druid and their power. This can potentially hurt those around them if the druid is very old and very powerful. The blast caused by the druid causes a surge of life in every direction, causing plants and life to spring up where possible. It can grow trees in an instant, moss to grow on rocks in runic shapes. These runic shapes reflect parts of the druid. Only the Guardian Spirit that created them knows their meaning. The blast also creates a Guardian Fae Ring, a variation of a normal fae ring, a large spiral of flowers, leading to a circle in the middle. This is the exact spot where the druid died. A Guardian Fae ring is what allows a Guardian Spirit to travel between the realm of fae and the mortal plane. Guardian Spirits are tethered to these rings, unable to walk very far away from them without being called back to the Eternal Forest. This radius usually encompasses the size of a grove, or small settlement. Guardian Spirits may only make the journey through Guardian Fae Rings during a full moon (Once every elven day). However, it should be clarified that they may remain the realm of the living after the full moon has passed. In order to perform the ritual, a currently existing Guardian Spirit must teach you it, or have someone who already knows the ritual pass the knowledge to you. This follows suit for druids to create guardian fae rings. In order to create another Guardian Fae Ring, you require a living druid that knows the ritual. Being different from normal fae rings, it is possible to have both a Guardian fae ring and a normal fae ring at the same time. To transform a fae ring into a guardian fae ring, you require three druids who know the transcendence feat. By doing this, it allows the druids to find the spirit in the fae realm and allow them to push their energy through their own bodies into the ring. This creation acts in the same way as the normal creation would, with all of the effects. Must be a druid, and currently be Tier five in both Communion and Control at the time of death. Druids cannot be pulled back from the Eternal Forest after an Elven Month, as the Eternal Forest’s call is far too strong to ignore. Such is the nature of the Fae Realm. In order to be brought back from the Eternal Forest, you must have PK’ed entirely first. It is only allowed for fully PKed druids. A Druid must be able to pray before they die, and build up the energy to release it all. Any sort of instantaneous death would prevent them from doing such, and keep them from tethering their soul. This ritual can only be done while on the brink of death. Druids who commit suicide cannot do the ritual. Any druid blocked by Strength of the Abyss or other Fi magic would not be able to complete this ritual. The blast from the ritual is not enough to kill in any case. Only potentially knock back people. If the druid’s focus is thrown off during the ritual, it ends the ritual and they are unable to continue, missing their window. In order for druids to create a guardian fae ring, they need to gather more than 3 druids to pool their energy together to create this explosion. Without more than three, the combined strain would kill the druids involved. Even with more than two, the process is extremely taxing on the body. The Orison ritual requires the unaltered soul of a druid to be in their body in order to perform this ritual. Druids with altered souls, or those who have placed their souls in other vessels cannot perform the final ritual to become Guardian Spirits. This does not apply to the creation of Guardian Fae Rings. As the natural energies release, the spirit of the animal would release as well. It remains with the guardian as part of it or depart to the aspects realm. This allows shapeshifters to complete the ritual. Guardian Spirits cannot walk outside a certain distance from their Guardian rings. In doing so, they would be demanifested, and sent back to the eternal forest until they can return. (300 blocks) Iconoclast magic would demanifest a Guardian Spirit The Spirits A Guardian Spirit watches over the forest with a careful eye, taking after their original elven form. “Go, my faithful dedicant, into the mountain! There you will find a spiral of flowers… sit in it. Call out to her, to that devout spirit. She will guide you on this task. Now go!” With their spirit tethered to both the eternal forest and the mortal plane, the Druid would wake in the Forest, awaiting that next full moon, for that bridge to open between the realms. When the full moon flies, they may find themselves on a trek across a great birch bridge that stretches far into the cosmos, into the mortal realms, allowing them to awaken inside of the center of the Guardian Fae Ring in a brilliant display of light, standing in the grove created by their own death. This is the journey that all Guardian Spirits will take, should they partake in the Ritual of Orison. Upon their awakening, spirits are met by themselves, by their new spiritual figures. At first, they appear as themselves, given a transparent glow that reflects their own druidic energies. As time goes on, these spirits realize that they can shift their appearance to some degree, to make them look as they did at any point in their life. Through this, they can remove scars, and blemishes upon that figure, or tattoos that covered their skin, appearing truly as a servant of nature, without other worldly attachment. In their journey to the spirit realm, spirits find they may change into a host of different animals, accompanied by that similar transparency and glow that other Guardian Spirits give off. However, with an additional affect. Due to the spirit’s time in the fae realm, the essence of the eternal forest has rubbed off onto their animals’ giving them fae-like attributes. The spirit is just that. A spirit. They cannot touch or interact with the world. They will never again feel the embrace of a loved one, nor the wind on their cheek. They are dead, lost to the world. Incorporeal beings that merely exist as a passer of knowledge, a wielder of the torch of druidic power. Even at their strongest, standing within the fae ring, they are unable to lay a finger on the world of the living. It is the primary mission of all Guardian Spirits to pass down their own knowledge of the balance, and to guide the druids of the world towards a heightened understanding of what their duty is, and how they might attain it. They serve as powerful guides to all that follow the path of the aspects. To dedicants, they serve to inform and teach. To Druii, they seek to offer their different perspective on the world and how it may function. And above all, to Archdruii, they serve as powerful advisors in the face of great adversity. But they are just that. Guides, advisers, wise-men. Vessels of knowledge that lasted longer than they should have. They are unable to use the powers that they had throughout their lives as druii, save but shapeshifting, but they still retain their ancient knowledge of the arts. In times of great need, these spirits are able to pass on their understanding and power into the druii of the world in several ways, detailed a bit later. In addition to this, Spirits are also given a few smaller tools that they would use in pursuit of guiding dedicants, druids, and archdruii alike, without impacting the world on a physical level. Spirits are far more corruptible than our mortal forms. Aurum weapons that affect the spectral beings of the world would affect them just as a normal blade would, cutting away at their energies. Blight that would normally sap away at the strength of a descendent would eat doubly so at the Spirit Guardian, gnawing away at the very being of the guardian, until it is so weak that they are corrupted wholly. And perhaps the most dangerous among them all, are those that carry with them the strength of the abyss. To be touched by this ability is to be scattered, cut off from the world. Upon touch, the spirit is sent back to the realm of the fae, to recuperate once more. Such is a very effective weapon against them, capable of sending them away in an instant. Blight may even corrupt a Guardian Spirit more than it normally would. The spirit is more fragile than the body, and to those who are exposed to it for a long time, it may have devastating effects to their soul. Through time, they’re physically corrupted, and the soul is damaged, leaving their spirit broken. The blight addles their mind, casting a shadow of the ancient spirit. They become destructive, a draoi spirit. Their gifts turn dark, allowing them to grant darkened boons on their followers, on those dark druids that would destroy. As they continue down this path, these spirits are corrupted physically. They may be split open, or tainted visually, their souls torn asunder by the use of these dark boons. These now Draoi spirits haunt the realm, causing chaos and sowing discord throughout the land by empowering the dark druids, until they’re put out of their own misery, and banished from the land by the very druids they were sworn to guide. Banishment is a difficult process, though not impossible. It is a technique used by druids to sever a Guardian Spirit’s connection to the mortal realm, and works similarly to the unattunement ritual. A group of three druids must corner the Spirit, connecting with them via powersharing. After this, there are multiple ways that the druids could deal with the spirit. Potentially, the spirit has been feeding dedicants or other druii misinformation, misguiding them from the path of the Druidism. Or perhaps these spirits have views too extreme for the order, and must be cast out. Both of these are valid reasons to banish a druid from the mortal plane. Or perhaps a spirit has become fully corrupted by blight, making them violent Draoi Spirits. This is another reason to banish a spirit. Or even by request of the Spirit themselves that believe their mission to be done. Banishment is the act of releasing the spirit’s tether to the realm of the mortals, recalling them back to the eternal forest to live out their days there. This action can be reversed, in the same way that a guardian fae ring can be remade. The ritual is one in the same. Guides and Redlines Newly made Guardian Spirits always begin in the realm of the fae. In order to start roleplaying, players must wait until a full moon, or one out of character day in roleplay to re-enter the mortal plane. In order to enter and leave the mortal plane, a Guardian Spirit must do so through a Guardian Fae Ring during a full moon. All Guardian Spirits take on a glow reflecting the color of their fae energy in life. Guardian Spirits take the shape of themselves when they return, appearing unaltered by injury or bodily art. In addition, Spirits may change how they look in order to reflect themselves at different points in their life, to reflect and show how they themselves have changed. Removing injury or changing which point in life they appear as is entirely optional. Due to their time in the fae realm, spirits are capable of morphing into a different host of animals, with the addition effect of fae attributes. The addition of Fae attributes applies also to normal Spirits Guardian Spirits are completely incorporeal, and cannot touch or physically interact with anything in the mortal realm. They are ghosts, in that sense. They will never be able to feel the world of the living, at least physically. Guardian Spirits retain none of their ability to perform druidic arts that they had learned in life, save shapeshifting. However, they retain all of their knowledge in the arts, and still fondly recall the feelings of using their abilities. They instead gain a few other abilities to assist in their primary mission of guiding the descendents, and granting boons of the aspects. Guardian Spirits with a TA in any given druidic magic still keep the TA, but cannot perform the magic themselves, truly being a guide more than anything. Guardian Spirits can no longer perform control, communion, thulean druidism, blight healing, or herblore. Guardian Spirits can no longer teach unattunement, attunement, or shapeshifting. Golden Weaponry affects the spirits as a normal weapon would to a person. Blight corrupts the very soul of the spirit, being far more vulnerable to the effects of the blight. This causes Guardian Spirits to become Spirit Draoi, lashing out violently with all they have to corrupt and damage the world. This, however, can only be done through their existing gifts and receive none for becoming a spirit draoi. Upon their next ‘death’, spirit draoi are permanently killed. Players accept this on making a Spirit Guardian. Upon touch, Strength of the Abyss immediately sends guardian spirits back to the realm of the fae in order to remanifest. This action is extremely disorienting for the spirit, and takes a long time for them to return and gather themselves together. This takes one year in game (One week out of character) Guardian Spirits are able to be banished by the druids of the realm through the banishment ritual. However, they can be brought back through the creation of a guardian fae ring for them. The Mission Guardian Spirits under the full moon, 1650 “I am one with the Balance.” In life, it is the path of druids to protect the balance, to safeguard nature. To protect the wilds and those that live amongst them. When these druii die, they ascend to the eternal forest, to serve as soulbound spirits, wardens and wisemen of the fae realm. These spirits are revered as wise demi-gods next to the aspects, spirits holding immense knowledge. Creatures of the Fae come from near and far in the realm, from the Twilight Bound to the Dayward way. For those Soulbound Servants that return to the realm of the living, their duties must continue. Guardian Spirits are to act as guides, figures of wisdom amongst the druids of Atlas, and all other places to come. They walk amongst the order as highly revered teachers, and advisors, opening their wisdom to all that would seek it. This is their eternal duty, to serve and guide, no more, no less. Very rarely do these druids directly intervene in anything, choosing instead to give their assistance when asked, or to offer a boon from the aspects for dire situations. In some cases, they can even take up teaching positions within the order. Blessings of the Aspects A druid completes a task with the oversight of the Guardian Spirit, 1650 Guardian Spirits tend not to intervene in worldly affairs. Without the ability to hold a sword, or travel far beyond their guardian fae rings, they take up a more guiding role. Their time spent in the realm of the fae shows now though, and Guardian Spirits find that they have a few lesser abilities that they didn’t have before. These can be very straining for the spirit to perform, and only one may be used per day, that they might serve the spirit in guiding others. Greensight Guardian Spirits have the ability to reach out to the attuned minds, able to incur visions of the past, things that the Guardian themselves have seen, or even things that the subject has seen. This ability only works on a willing subject, when they allow the guardian into their thoughts. These visions can be as vivid or as vague as the guardian wills it. This can be used to suggest certain courses of action, or to show lessons that they themselves have learned. This only affects attuned druids and those affected by fae rings. Oversight Guardian Spirits bind themselves to a druid for a time, seeing what they see, hearing what they hear, allowing them into their thoughts. This must be entirely willed on the part of the druid and the guardian. During this time, the druid is marked with a green fae symbol upon the forehead, showing that they are a vessel of the spirit. This lasts until the subject no longer wills it, or the spirit leaves the body of another. Guardian Powersharing As was their ability in life, Guardian Spirits retain their ability to control and manipulate the natural energies of the fae, in order to pass them onto another druid. This greatly enhances the natural ability of the druid far beyond their own potential, exactly like how a normal powersharing is done from a living druid.. However, due to the fact that the Guardian Spirits consist of their own Fae Energies, powersharing dissipates them over time. After they've finished, they return to the Eternal Forest to replenish their being. Guides and Redlines All Blessings of the Aspects can only be performed once per day, while their energies replenish. Any attempt to perform a second blessing in one day will result in a failed attempt. During Greensight, both the druid and the guardian enter a catatonic state while experiencing the visions, they are completely vulnerable to attack until the guardian ends the vision or it ends. Greensight uses previously existing memories from either the Druid or the Guardian Spirit. This applies even to memories that have been lost. Can be used to revive memories. Guardians can manipulate memories to look as vague or vivid as they wish. They may also alter the vision to a limited degree, in order to show alternative choices, or make symbolistic changes. Druids and guardians can experience pain from the vision that may actually linger after the vision ends. This is all psychosomatic. The Ritual of Orison is taught through Greensight memory of the Guardian’s own death. Oversight is the ability for a spirit to bind themselves to a druid’s body, connecting the two. The Guardian Spirit and the druid’s senses are linked, and they can experience the sights, sounds, smells, feelings, tastes, and thoughts. This works vice versa as well, the druid being able to experience those of the guardian as well. In addition, this links their emotions, to a degree. Should the druid grow angry, the guardian may feel a surge of anger or so on. Druids experiencing oversight are marked with a fae symbol over the forehead, glowing with the color of the spirit’s energy. Guardian Powersharing works exactly like normal Powersharing, but after they are done, they dissipate to the Eternal Forest for an Elven Day. Feel free also to roleplay discomfort when powersharing, as you're sacrificing your own lifeforce to fuel another druid. A druid does these at will, they cannot be forced into it, nor can they force them upon others. A Guardian Spirit can only use one blessing per day Greensight must be completely willed on both ends. A Guardian cannot be let into the mind of another without it being opened for them. Guardians cannot cause physical injury through Greensight Visions. This does not apply to psychosomatic illness. As soon as a Druid does not want to be shown a vision, it ends. Closing off the path renders the ability ended. Guardian Spirits cannot be demanifested during oversight. Guardian Spirits cannot use other druidic blessings during oversight Guardian Spirits cannot interact with others outside of the druid they are bound to. Once clerical magic is used on the body of one being affected by oversight, the spirit is pushed out, ending the ability. If a druid does not want to be bound to a guardian spirit any longer, they are disconnected. This applies vice-versa. Guardian Powersharing shares the same redlines as regular powersharing. ((As all things, feedback is appreciated so that I can really make this lore enjoyable for everyone! Shoutout to Leowarrior14, Delmodan, ThatGuy_777, and Gladuous for giving me ideas and letting me talk to them about this!))

10/10 would lore again Rituals make the world go around. Pass the lore. [In all seriousness] Very well written Tork, it brings a lot of meaning and clarity to a section of lore that was not particularly understood. I think that this lore will foster more roleplay as well, as it makes the ritual a sort of event. Major +1 from me!

IGN: GaiaLoTC Skin details: The Character will soon be coronated as the Elven Dominion's High Princess. You're free to stylize it however you like, so long as it conveys the sense of Nobility. It does, however, need a crown, preferably made from flora and other natural items. Below, in the reference The large feathered cloak is seen to be red, however, I would like it to be a green colour, with a golden trim. If possible, could a separate version of the skin be made with a mask like the one in the picture or something similar? I'll also let you decide if you want the hood up or down. As for the dress itself, I don't think I want it to show shoes of any kind, so it can just go straight to the bottom. It'll be made out of fine silks and some fur inlaid to the dress for warmth. Also, her hair should be tied up as well, so that none of her hair goes down onto the torso. HMU if you have any questions or need anything clarified! References: Skype (for communication): GaiaLoTC We can discuss payment as well! I know it's pretty complicated, so let's talk something out.

Those Small People You’ve all seen them. Probably. Those insufferable little whine boxes that run around cities, screeching at the top of their lungs. You likely look at them and turn the other cheek, hoping they don’t come your way until someone comes along with a heart of pure gold to pluck them off the streets. It happens every day. Were you someone not familiar with LoTC, you’d probably think I was talking about some sort of monster or a ghost. But no, I’m talking about children. Now it’s all coming back to you, the Vietnam flashbacks of packs of roaming orphans with edgy backstories, the adults stuck in the bodies of 5-10 year olds, and even the people willing to drop everything in order to pluck a random kid off the street that they met that day to take into their home. For me, I have visions of elvish families with 15 kids. We’ve all had bad experiences with child characters. It’s very difficult to act out the role of a child without coming off as an insufferable little ragamuffin. But with the right pushes, a few changes, and a metric tonne of elbow grease, we can make child characters into something better. Something not to cringe at. But how can we? Children as People “Writing from the viewpoint of the child does not give us the right to make of our characters what we wish children were – but to consider them as they are.” - Anonymous As this anonymous person said, consider them as they are. And what are they? They’re simply people, just the same as you or me. The only difference between an adult and a child is that the child has only just been brought into the world. Thus, you must follow the same rules for character development as you do with an adult character. The key here is perspective. I like to think that an adult would make very similar decisions to a child if they knew only what a child knew. We base our choices and live off of what we know, our experiences. A child is just emerging to the world, they lack experiences to guide them. Ideally, adults should be able to guide them through until they’ve created these experiences themselves. In other cases, a child without a guide is like a lost lamb. They make erratic choices, spun still from what they know. They’ll be lost, frustrated even. Do not mistake ignorance for stupidity, mind you. As people, we are still ignorant of many things that still await us, but we’re not stupid (By our own standards at least). Nor are children. It is important to roleplay your character’s level of understanding properly because if you don’t, it can lead to unnecessarily dumb characters (Unless that is your character’s trait, but that applies to any character, child or not child.) Children are Cement “Children are like wet cement. Whatever falls on them makes an impression.” - Dr. Haim Ginott The mind of a child, as Dr. Haim puts it, is much like wet cement or clay. It’s very easy to leave a lasting impression once it’s been impacted by the outside world. And after such, it’s very hard to reverse the impact, or rather to smooth out the clay, especially if it’s been left alone long enough to dry. In order to make your child characters come to life, they must act like cement. How can you bring this into your roleplay? Well, your character needs to be easily molded as well, taking in every experience that happens to them. Everything holds great sway in a child’s mind, that’s often why children seem to blow things out of proportion. To them, the smallest tasks can seem daunting, and events in our lives that seem small and insignificant mean the world to them. Pay close attention to whatever happens to your characters, and get creative! As the creator, pick and choose what your character really takes in, and don’t be afraid to have your character be taken down a path different from the one you chose. After all, cement is usually made to be a foundation to build from. Hey, Hearts of Gold! People very severely underestimate the attention you need to give a child. They need to be taken care of most of the hours of the day and raised to be a decent member of society. At least that’s how it usually is supposed to be. In the real world, people often take years to decide if they need a child. They’re a massive physical, mental, and economic toll to any family. This holds even more true in a medieval society, where the world is much harsher and colder to the weak. Which is why it physically pains me when people just go around and pick up orphans off the streets to bring them into their homes. It usually takes months of preparation and planning before you even think about adoption, and even more time before you actually do. Bringing in 5 random ass urchins into your home is a really unrealistic move. But that’s just my opinion. Do’s and Dont’s; Tips and Tricks Find someone who needs a child character played, or ask someone to make their parents. Please, just do it. At this point, we could make a nation with the sheer number of little orphans running around. Something I’ve learned from the time I’ve spent with many of my little cousins. Children are honest, painfully so. If they don’t like you, you’ll know it. Everyone else will too. Children pay little attention to courtesy and they won’t sugar coat anything they say until they’re taught otherwise. Naive and stupid are not interchangeable. You can be smart, without having experienced enough to make a proper judgment. And you can be stupid, but have experienced a lot. They are two entirely separate concepts. Dialogue: You’re going to make mistakes here. The key is to find a nice balance between making your character speak maturely, and not mature enough. Do your research here, see how some authors approach writing children, pay attention to how they use their words. Make sure you DEVELOP. Most of the development in our lives happens when we’re children, make that apparent in your roleplay. Show the cogs of the mind turning in your characters heads, it will only ever add to the experience. Write out those connections they’re making. Have fun with it! Experiment! Make mistakes, learn. You’ll only get better over time ^^

Flawed Flaws “Perfection has one grave defect: it is apt to be dull.” – W. Somerset Maugham To have defects is to be completely, essentially, wholly human. Everyone has them, good guys, bad guys, in between guys. It’s what gives us our humanity. And when you’re creating a character, no matter how powerful, benevolent, evil, or normal, they must have flaws. They help add depth, humanity, and conflict to our characters, so we can relate to them better. The perfect character, as Maugham states, is dull, boring to be around. This is no different in roleplay. Without imperfections, your character can be annoying, irritating, even frustrating . So how do you avoid this problem? You give your characters flaws, that’s how. But not just any flaw. It needs to be something deep seeded in the character. They can make or break a character. Most weaknesses are just superficial failings, or bad habits. Sure, in small doses, these can bring a lot of detail to your character, but they are no substitute for a true character flaw. So what sets apart the good flaws from the bad flaws? A Good Flaw... Is a deep seeded emotional or physical defect Adds depth Gives us, the players, empathy towards them. Impedes the persona in their goals The Origin of Our Flaws We are shaped by the moments of our lives. Our infancy, our childhood, our teenage years, our adulthood. Every moment of our lives, the world is changing around us, and so to do we change. And so must our characters. Can you think of an event in your life that really changed the way that you think about the world? Maybe you had to move away, meet all new friends. Or perhaps you were fired from a job. These large events shape who we are. And your character shouldn’t be any different. Think of a character’s backstory like a seed, or the roots of a tree. They’re the foundation for the rest of their lives. It is here that your character’s faults should originate. The Anatomy of a Backstory Flaw The key to creating a good backstory flaw is to understand where the flaws meet the character. Let’s take a look at an example. “Jane Doe’s family was mugged when she was a child. In the process, her mother was injured by the thief.” So, has the flaw developed yet? No. That is merely a character event. It’s an action that either the character does or something that acts upon the character. Flaws are not developed in actions, but in your character’s reaction. You, as the creator, have the ability to decide how you want your character to react to any given situation. With every situation, there are many different ways your character can react. Let’s take a look back at that example, but this time, we can add our character’s reaction. “Jane Doe’s family was mugged when she was a child. In the process, her mother was injured by the thief. Jane Doe believed she caused the problem, and blamed herself. Around the house, her parents noticed she started to put herself down more.” Can you identify the character flaw that Jane Doe’s backstory has revealed? She’s grown self-depreciative. It didn’t exist before the mugging, nor during. It developed afterwards, when the persona has had time to develop with her reaction. These backstory flaws should coincide with how the character is played, and be present throughout their whole lives. This creates conflict, and gives the character an obstacle to overcome. Perhaps they try and overcome their failings, and succeed, or try, only to fail and grow more flaws. Let the consequences that the flaws bring echo throughout the character’s story. Let’s take our previous example, and see what way Jane Doe’s flaw could get in the way of her life. “Jane Doe, now grown up, has decided to join the guard force. She is strong, and a good fighter, but never can seem to summon the courage to make decisions due to her self doubt and depreciation, and she is never able to progress through the ranks.” So our Jane Doe is stuck in a cycle of not being able to progress in life. She has hit a wall caused by her backstory flaw. How is that a good thing? Well, because of this wall, we now have a conflict for the character to overcome. In RP, conflicts like these are great because it provides the character with a goal to work towards. Jane Doe doesn’t want to be stuck where she is forever, but first, she needs to get past her self-depreciation. This creates roleplay for yourself and the other plays to participate in. She may ask people for advice, she may struggle. It helps strengthen the relationships with other characters in the world around Jane Doe. The Great Responsibility of the Villain “Villains often move the story along, while the heroes react to the villain, so the villain becomes the engine of the story.” – Michael Scott Villains could be the heroes of LoTC. But they aren’t, not yet at least. A lot of villains i’ve seen on the server are villains for personal gain, or for simply the sake of being evil. However, in the story of Lord of the Craft, villains should be held to a higher standard than most players because, as Michael Scott said, the villains are the engines of our story. Their characters should be more complex, with deeper flaws that can create roleplay for all sides of any encounter, in order to drive the personal character development of other characters in the world. What makes a villain? Is it a curly mustached man who turns around in a chair whilst petting his cat, only to reveal his diabolical plan to us as we’re tied down? Not really, no. Villains can take a multitude of forms. It can be a villain that presents himself as such, though that sort of thing is usually frowned upon. A villain is anyone that tries to impede your character's goals. In Jane Doe’s story, her villain could be an officer that won’t give her the chance to prove herself, or even a fellow guardsman that keeps sabotaging her attempts to take the lead. My point is that villains range from people you know in your everyday life, to the most terrifying antagonist. Everyone, hero or villain or average joe, has flaws. Villains are Normal characters with flaws that impede themselves in their goals, and may likely harm others in the process. Normal characters with flaws that impede other characters in their goals. Real people with wants, needs, desires, and motives. They can win, lose, live, die. They are simply people. The hero of their own story. Villains should not be Wholly Evil Characters (Save that for the Antagonist) “Minas or die!” 5 4 3 2 1 Go! People that only commit villainous acts for the sole purpose of ooc gain. The Problem with Polar Traits “Good-Bad” flaws or more properly known as Polar Traits are traits that become negative when they are acted to the extreme. However, the problem I often see is that people like to use these solely instead of other flaws, simply because it sounds better when describing them. And because of this fear of making your character undesirable, people often fail to play the trait up enough to make it an unmistakable flaw. For example, you may say that your character is “Organized”, but what needs to happen is to take that trait and ramp it up straight past organized, through control freak, and make them downright manipulative. And no, “too selfless” or being “too kind” are not flaws. The more extreme these polar traits are, the more interesting the character. Instead of selfless, your character is at the point where they’re patronizing or condescending, extending their help to anyone and everyone, regardless of if they don’t need it. Instead of kind, they’re blissful, and can’t even differentiate between good people and bad people. When roleplayed properly, these polar traits can provide an immense amount of depth. However, they can be very difficult to portray. Flaws Don’t Last Forever*Some Restrictions Apply* “We all change when you think about it. We’re all different people all through our lives, and that’s okay, that’s good, you’ve gotta keep moving, so long as you remember all the people that you used to be.” – The Doctor The Doctor couldn’t have put it any better with this one. We, as people, constantly change throughout our lives. We change with the people that come and go, with the big events in our lives. Personas must reflect such. But how? Look to your character’s flaws. They don’t have to last forever because, as your character works through certain things, they learn, they change (constantly). This is called character development. Thus, you’re allowed to take flaws away from your characters, so long as they earn it, through some struggle or event, when the chance is presented for your character to make a choice. Sure there will be some internal conflict, but they might be able to push past the flaws that they hold. It’s moments like these that make characters so interesting to play. Let’s look back at our Jane Doe example; “During a battle, Jane Doe’s commanding officer is gravely injured. With no one to lead the group, they have grown disorganized. However, in his last moments, Jane Doe’s officer gives her some inspiring words, and asks her to try and pull the group together.” Here we have the opportunity and motive for growth, where your character is presented with the ability to move past their flaw. In our example, Jane is held back by her lack of confidence and her self depreciation.But because of her officer’s words, she has the confidence she needs to pull the group together. She just has to take the initiative. Now this is a vague example, but you get the picture. In the event, there is something to push Jane forwards to make her move past her flaws. And afterwards, she is a changed person. We’re no different than characters.

The Rediscovery Beneath, under the shadows of the trees that so lovingly belonged to the dominion, a woman shuffled along the beaten roads that surrounded the grove city. They were almost silent, but for the steady patter of gentle rains that often dripped from the canopy, onto the ground below. The woman carried an engraved branch that thudded against dirt and stone alike, kicking up mud as she marched on through the woods. Her path weaved back and forth, with a lackadaisical sense of misdirection. She was merely wandering through the woods, thinking. Awaiti’s mind had come to a shivering halt these past months. She had been addled with nightmares that had begun to chip away at her weary mind. Every thought came in short bursts, every whim came and went as easily as the breezes passing through the leaves. She felt fragmented, scattered thin. In fact, she had grown so disheveled that the voices of nature that usually populated her mind had grown disjointed and malformed in her ears. Eventually, even the rain grew silent for her. The foggy clouds flowed through the canopy, painting the forest a dusky hue. She wandered on, trying to rediscover the voices that were almost lost to her. At last, she heard something, deep in the woods. A heartbeat. It's strange strings plucked in her ears, echoing quietly out. Something alive. It drew her, like a moth to the flame. With each beat of the heart, she took another step closer. And it grew louder and louder in her ears. She bobbed and weaved through trees, regardless of if she was cut by thorns. This primal urge surged her forwards, and she was unable to resist its calls. She came upon a dip in the ground that fell away to reveal a small opening in the earth. Awaiti descended into the earth below, uncaring of the dangers that she might see before her. She dragged her fingers along the walls of the darkened cave, using only the steadily increasing sound of a beating heart to guide her. Her nails scraped against the walls, loosing black husks from the walls as she went, and they fell to the floor in a collection of dark ash. As the young druid descended into the deep dark below, the cavern’s walls started to be painted with a dim glow at first. Then, in harmony with the growing heartbeat, it too grew in intensity. Before long, the heartbeat had taken over the very fiber of her being, screaming into her ears. Then she came upon it. She ducked her head under an arch, seeing its wonderful glow cascading onto the walls around her. A brazier, carrying a black flame inside of it. Yet even with this grey flame, it produced a light that rivaled the intensity from the sun. It looked like an eclipse, but so very close to her. It was alive, and it pulsated with a beat much like a heart. At the back of her mind, something tugged. Something, somewhere pulled at the fabrics of her being and she was urged to commune with the flame. The living, breathing flame. She hadn’t connected to much in a while, and she desired the feeling once more. She knelt before it, closing her weary eyes. Only, when she reached out to touch its presence, it fought back, pushing her away from connection. Awaiti reeled back in pain, crying out into the caverns in frustration, pain, and suffering. She picked up her staff and left in such a hurry that she didn’t see the ashen pile of a dying man in the corner. She ascended the caverns once more, seeking to tell them of the living dark flame. She left the cave, not seeing the sinister growths returning to the walls of the cave as she left. What Is It? The Dark Flame is a set of druidic lore covering a new type of unique “blight”, its weaknesses, the rituals and backstory surrounding it. This lore is designed for medium to large scale druidic event-lines, as well as to foster long term character development and roleplay. It consists of two main parts. The dark blight, and the dark flame. The basic premise is that the blight is unable to be healed through normal druidic blight healing. It instead requires the dark flame, a fire that always needs a costly fuel in order to push back the blight. The Dark Blight of Edan In the age of the ancient Mali, where wandering seeds covered the forest realms, the dark blight took root. It began with a druid, naught more powerful than you or I. His name was Edan. Only, his faith was weak, and he sought strength more than all. His deepest desire was to control- to rule over others. But who amongst you would follow a weak lord? In his quest for power, he discovered a dark, and most foul ability that defied the very laws of nature. The ability to drain druids of their gifts and connections to the aspects, collecting them like trophies. When his fellow druids approached him, he stripped them of what made them beings of the aspects, transforming them into fiery, blackened husks. Still elves, but shells of their former selves. In each of them, a fire burned away at their hearts. Edan was correct. It did make him a powerful druid, feeding off their lifeforce. But turning the covenant into something so dark didn’t go without punishment. For his crimes against nature itself, his soul grew dark, and his form was corrupted, and it rotted like moldy bread. In one last act of defiance against the aspects, he split himself over the land, defiling it with his very being. In that moment, Edan became the dark blight. And he kept splitting and spreading over the land like a plague. It latched onto plants, animals, and people alike, sprouting black and white husks of pus, consuming their life until they withered away into nothingness. It was a rampant time of unparalleled corruption and loss. OOC Description of the Blight: The Dark Blight is a black and white pus (See above picture) that feeds off of the connection that animals, plants, people (Especially druids) have to the aspects. It’s an almost a parasitic life form that takes over the body, and when the connection is weakened, it begins to feast off the baser life of the creature until its eventual ending. It has the power to cripple druids, and ecosystems. It has the unique effect of being immune to a druid’s blight healing ability. However, this blight has no connection to any kind of magic user. It cannot be created by any being. It is not meant to be a weapon. It affects all life, not just wood elves, or druids. Another unique property of the blight is that it can be communed with, by powerful druids T4-T5. It can be communed with in either its active or dormant state. However, this connection only speeds the spreading of the blight, so it’s not recommended. However, this opens some opportunities for creative roleplaying and story, as it can give some insight into the character of Edan. It’s also an important thing to note that Edan is the blight. He is present in every piece of it. The Dark Flame In the newly created age of disparity, none were spared safety from the monstrosity created by Edan. It had stretched into the very soil of the isles. The druids were pushed to the breaking point. So many had been lost to the blight, over just the past year alone. They needed to put a stop to it. They sought guidance from the aspects, who bequeathed unto them the lost brazier. It was empty but for the thin coat of ashes before. No flame illuminated the halls, nothing. They cried out in frustration for the fading age. Unbeknownst to them, the aspects had already sent the flame down to them, in the form of the druii whose hearts burned with rage at their missing pieces. Those druii that had their connections ripped from their grasp were given one more chance to live for their people. When they approached the lost brazier, their bodies were cast alight in darkened flames that the brazier took for its own. Thus was created the dark flame, first of its kind. At the moment of its creation, the blight’s spreading stopped, and even began to reverse, being consumed by the flames. But the flame itself was fading, as fast as it had began. In a final act of desperation, they cast one more druid to it, in an attempt to extend the life of the fire. Oh! The woeful cost of lifeblood! Instead of succumbing to the flame, they grew ashen skin and a burning heart. They were named “The Guardian Druid of the Lost Flame”. It was a hidden atrocity under the guise of a saving grace. The flame fed on every last fiber of the guardian’s being over time, but this was unknown to all at the time. The blight was drawn back to the flame, into its very core, and was burned. But flecks remained by, remnants of Edan’s gluttony. Scraps of the great feast of power. The druids sealed the lost brazier, and the guardian of the flame into an underground kiln, hoping to keep Edan’s blight away. They carved the annals of Edan’s reign onto the very walls of the cavern, hoping that future generations would know what to do when the flame needs to be refueled. Eventually, the blight, the kiln, and the flame were all lost to time. Even now, the mali fades with the passing flame. OOC Description of the Flame: The flame is the blight’s main weakness. It entirely stops the blight, as well as reverses its effects by slowly pulling it into the flame. However, the flame only acts as a sort of containment for it. When the flame fades, the blight is slowly loosed as the flame grows weaker. The flame is fueled at a terrible cost. In order to fuel the flame, you must sacrifice a druid to the lost brazier. This doesn’t kill the druid. It does, however, link the druid’s soul to the fire. The flame, over time, feeds on the druid’s life and connection with the aspects. However, being linked to the flame, the druid technically lives as long as it does. [A good visual representation of a Guardian of the Lost Flame might look like] Guardians of the Lost Flame Oh how the accursed one wept! Flames lept through his skin, touching the sweet essence of his soul. It caught alight with the same black flame that burned so brightly. The caustic flame had taken root in his soul, scorching him from the inside. It set ablaze any hopes of bountiful woods within his heart. His soul burned with the flame now, linked forever by the lost brazier. Forsaken now he walks, stepping from the lost brazier. His fate had been seared into the very depths of his body. Damned, he lives now a life cleft in twain, with the purer half cast into the fire. His gifts were now the fire’s to feast upon, like a gluttonous pig. Man looked on his new, wicked form with hatred and despise. The druid’s once holy countenance now took on a burning visage, with gashes that let his igneous blood show. He carried now the sight of demons, though not of the heritage himself. Even his reward was in vain. He carried now the strength of several men, yet he used it to pull a stone over the entrance to the kiln, to seal the flame from the memory of the woeful world. In his ultimate sacrifice, he doomed himself t’ hundreds of years of solitude. Centuries of feasting on the festering rot boiled the very brains of the withered sage into a rotten jelly. Even to this day his singed flesh boils the very air of the kiln, waiting for someone to cast aside the stone, for he no longer carries the strength to move it aside. OOC Description of Guardians: Guardians of the Flame are the druids that are sacrificed to the flame in order to keep back the Blight of Edan. When a druid is sacrificed, they enter the flames. But instead of burning them, the flame replaces their heart with a molten husk, which also replaces their blood with fire as well. This process is known as the rite of dark flame, as recorded by the ancient druids. It bonds the druid to the dark flame itself, and it can be both a blessing and a curse. The effects are compiled in this list. Curses: “His gifts were now the fire’s to feast upon, like a gluttonous pig.”: A druid’s connection to the aspects slowly wither away over time, and the druid’s progression in magic begins to reverse in tiers. However, there is a loophole here. Re-attunement refreshes the druid’s connection, allowing them to use their gifts once again, restarting the decay cycle from their previous tier. However, this removes the blessing of strength that the fire gives. “The druid’s once holy countenance now took on a burning visage, with gashes that let his igneous blood show.”: The flame physically deforms the body in several ways. It starts by replacing the druid’s heart and blood with its fire. Over parts of the body, the veins on the surface give off a glow, and on occasion burn away the skin, revealing the fiery veins inside, creating molten ravines on the skin. Long after they become these guardians, these gashes have grown, almost covering their skin. Note that this doesn’t hurt the druid, but it may hurt others in a close vicinity to the druid. Blessings: “He carried now the strength of several men, yet he used it to pull a stone over the entrance to the kiln, to seal the flame from the memory of the woeful world.”: As guardians lose their Druidic gifts and abilities, they find themselves holding a newfound strength in return for their sacrifice. With the strength of the flame, a Guardian could, without any of his druidic gifts, lift and carry things much too heavy for the normal descendent. 1000 lbs (453 kg). This number may seem very high, but it's not even out of the realm of possibilities for a person in the real world to do. “Centuries of feasting on the festering rot boiled the very brains of the withered sage into a rotten jelly.”: Perhaps one of the only ways to actually destroy the Blight of Edan, Guardians have the innate ability to devour portions of the blight, incinerating it within themselves, at the cost of their very sanity. This can also be a form of sustenance, as we saw with the first guardian. He lived for years and years off of only the blight in the kiln. Again, re-attunement is a way to reverse this effect. Miscellaneous: “In his ultimate sacrifice, he doomed himself t’ hundreds of years of solitude”: Guardians of the Flame and the Flame itself are linked together under one being. This means that the Guardian lives as long as the flame does, and the Flame lives as long as the guardian does. Theoretically, unless the flame is extinguished, the guardian could live much past their lifespan. However, if the flame is extinguished, the druid fades with it. This one may be seen as either a blessing or curse, as it does give the druid the chance at an extended lifespan, but it gives them an Achilles heel in the sense that if the flame is extinguished, they die. It’s up to the individual to decide how to interpret this.. Why is this only popping up now? Why haven’t we heard of it? While the druids recorded all of what they knew of the flame in the kiln, they ordered the Guardian of Flame to seal it off, with himself inside, that the world might move past these atrocities. Fittingly, they baptised their records in a molten bath. For their day to day magics were disrupted by the very thought of Edan’s abominations. The notion that he might return… it brought shock to the very core of their being, and so they banished every last trace of him from the land. Eventually, like he faded from the land, he faded from memory. And we left, going home to home. But we’ve returned, thankfully, at the fated hour. Unbeknownst to the ame’ circle, they’ve made their home atop the buried kiln. The fire is fading, and the guardian has all but passed. In one final act of servitude, he unsealed the kiln, casting aside the stone with his last bit of strength. Decisions must be made, or the blight will return to the land of Axios. OOC: Lore wise, After the druids were safe from the Blight, they burned the records out of fear. So, they were safe then, why aren’t we safe now? Well, it’s because the lost flame is dying, and, as stated before, it was only a “container” of sorts for the blight. Thus, the blight is being let out, very slowly. In a final act, the guardian unsealed the kiln, so that whoever wanted to enter could. This also exposes the records. However, I want much of this information to be revealed through event-lines and roleplay. The world hasn’t known about it for years, and it shouldn’t be roleplayed like people know what they’re dealing with. FAQ Why doesn’t blight healing or any other way of healing taint work? By extension, the blight is still a living person, merely split to create this blight-like object. It has a conscience, and by extension is a person. You can’t blight heal a person into nothingness. This applies also to druidic control. While it is a living being, you can’t quite control humanoid beings with the magic, so therefore you wouldn’t be able to control the blight either. Can more than one guardian exist at a given time? Yes. However, I wanna have a small cap, simply for the sake of balance. Also, it would just be a bit strange going around seeing this sort of mythical protector everywhere you go. Concept Images [The Dark Flame] “In my body I hold the Dark Flame. May my creators have mercy on me” (PC: Darkfire Concept Image) [The Lost Brazier] “It’s not even a brazier. It’d almost be funny if it weren’t so symbolic. An altar, in place of a brazier to hold the flame. I’ll laugh anyways. Ho-ho.” (PC: Google Searches) [Edan’s Blight] “Good god. It takes after his likeness. Even before it all, he was a dark, festering sort of character… if only we knew then.” (PC: Fungus- Last of Us) [A Guardian of the Lost Flame] “It’s really you then? Under all that?” “My dearest, down to my deepest fiber I wish it weren’t…” (PC: Soul of Cinders -DS3) [The Kiln of Dark Flame] “Do you know what they did to him? The very man who saved the world? They locked him, and that which he despised most into a room, and forgot him. Not to save themselves.. But for fear.” (PC: jbrown67 on DeviantART)