Luciloo

Blessed be, Brother Ram

Have you interacted with many Druids? Or witnessed many lessons?

You’re misunderstanding the points that people are raising. The issue isn’t “we’re Druids, we don’t like other people touching nature” it’s “We’re Druids, this is virtually just Druidism in every way.” Shillelagh is already done with Druidism, we use Blight Healing to restore life to wood and can then manipulate it with Communion and Control. Floral Sway and Faunal Sway are literally the most common things you see a Druid do with Gifts. Extirpation is just Blight Healing, even its aesthetic ‘cleansing chaotic fire’ is also possible in Druidism. Just stop for a second and see how this submission isn’t just touching on nature, which no one worth their salt has a problem with, the problem is that it’s fundamentally a magic based around a ‘guardian of nature’ which is what a Druid is. This offers nothing new, except I presume it won’t function like the Druidic Order and be restricted.

I could bang on about “this is just Druidism, but for people who don’t like the Druid community” all day, but I feel like you’re going to get enough of that. Really, did you talk to any Druids at all in this? It just seems poorly conceived. It conflicts with existing lore about the Aspects and such, like you haven’t really offered any explanation for how that works. To move onto specific issues: There are already Druid philosophies which espouse this kind of behaviour. It’s actually very enjoyable for a character to struggle to adhere to tenets which encourage this kind of shift in personality, I don’t know why you’d just force it upon a character. Further there are people who just don’t gel with nature as a metaphysical thing, as an idea, but through this process that kind of conflict is just removed entirely, it just seems very “whoop I removed the angery part of your brain” which is like.. ??? This fundamentally breaks magic mechanics. One of the inherent weaknesses in casting is that it makes the user vulnerable, but this just removes that entirely with a very flimsy reason. Lastly, literally everything this magic hopes to do is more easily achieved with Druidism, which is far more fleshed out(for better or worse) and established, stable etc. What niche in the server’s ‘narrative’ does this fill, that isn’t already filled?

Lunarite -=[]=- Legendary Origins Among the Starbreaker Dwarves, they speak a legend of their progenitor Gotrek, who took a star to his forge and with Yemekar as his forgemaster, together wrought it into a blade of pure starlight. Gotrek inscribed runes into the sword, which burned brightly and when the Dwarves took to the field to do battle with Khorvad and his minions, the runes flared with the light of the Sun and blinded the undead horde. It was only when Khorvad himself clutched the blade that it was destroyed. Other Dwarven stories speak of Urguan’s hammer blazing a trail of light when he, Krug, Horen and Malin fought together against Khorvad. Among the children of Malin, the stories of the battle against Iblees recall Malin’s arrows streaking through the night as if shooting stars. Even long after his departure from the world, crowns said to gleam beneath the Sun and Moon, as if magical, were passed down to Elven Princes and Princesses. To this day the Warhawkes fashion gifts and jewellery from the other materials found within fallen stars, though they lack the lustre attributed to other goods fashioned from a star’s heart. Whatever remarkable material Gotrek’s sword, Urguan’s hammer or Malin’s arrowheads were made from, there are no tales which name it, and none alive to this day know of it to tell. Its secrets lost to time. -=[]=- Starstone Description Raw lunarite. The metallic ore resembles gold at first glance. Lunarite is a metal found exclusively in meteorites fallen to the mortal plane from the heavens. It is an uncommon find, which is usually retrieved from the very centre of the space rock, requiring the hopeful prospector to dig deeply within. The raw ore has a silvery-gold appearance, rapidly oxidised during the meteor’s passing through the atmosphere at tremendous speed and heat. Raw lunarite glistens much like the ores of precious metals do, usually seen as pale goldish streaks or blots through the stone ‘heart’ of the meteorite. It takes an experienced eye to determine that the ore is that of lunarite, rather than gold, nickel or other conventional metals. Initially the meteorite’s residual heat can pose a danger to a would-be miner, not to mention the potential for radioactivity. This would lead the wise individual to allow the rock to cool and to study it some, prior to breaking it open for the treasure within. From there the extracted ore is smelted down and refined much like ferrum, though its melting temperature is slightly higher(approx. 1700°C). The molten metal requires slag to be skimmed off and possesses a very bright silver colour, the brightness of which reduces upon cooling, but remains very beautiful. Once solidified and cool, the refined lunarite can be worked into a variety of desirable goods such as armour, weapons and jewellery using mundane shaping methods. The resulting metal demonstrates similar hardness, density and tensile strength to that of ferrous alloys, it’s also receptive to tempering and does not tarnish or rust. Mail forged from lunarite Elven cutlery, created from lunarite. -=[]=- Forged From the Heart of a Star Capabilities Other than the specific origins and gathering methods, lunarite’s unique quality is the soft silvery glow it demonstrates when exposed to natural light, which is akin to that of the Moon(hence its name). Sunlight or Moonlight will yield this ethereal gleam, making it a particularly desirable choice for lustrous jewellery, or impressive arms and armour. Goods created from lunarite are prized for this quality, which Descendants in the past may have attributed to magic or even divine origins. It does fall from the sky after all. Lunarite does not exhibit this property in raw or molten states. A lunarite dagger exposed to moonlight. -=[]=- Redlines The glow of lunarite is not substantial enough to blind or disorient, it’s purely aesthetic. Armour, weapons and tools created from lunarite must be mechanically represented by their iron counterparts. All lunarite RP items require ST signing. Lunarite is equal to steel in terms of its strength, durability, toughness etc., it may be tempered to soften it for non-combative wares. Goods created from lunarite are not immune to damage, wear etc. Acquisition of lunarite ore requires an ST to oversee the roleplay of seeking and mining it, or for a player to submit evidence of such roleplay to an ST. Should the roleplay be accurate and of a satisfactory quality, the ST will provide the signed lunarite ore, which may be mechanically represented as renamed gold ore. Knowledge of lunarite is lost to the Descendants. They do not know its name, where it comes from, nor its properties. Hints lie in old stories and legends, which might lead a character to mine out a fallen star. It’s reasonable that a smith hoping to make use of ‘starstone’ might think to simply throw it into a smelter first. Purpose

Alpha female hyenas tear the testicles off the males so they can’t breed, so there are reasons any animal/Mani could or couldn’t have these qualities assigned to them. irl no we don’t associate squids with these things, but the lore can be anything we make it, it doesn’t have to relate to irl cultural beliefs- the fact that it’s very different is good.

“Or that we’re open to discussion?” another adds.

“The only punishment is for Dedicants. It’s just things we’d like you to consider.”

“They’re guidelines Mal’onn,” Niv remarked at his announcement. “It’s to keep things more organised, and less of a headache for everyone involved.”

A small Starbreaker Dwedki grins.

An Archdruid recalls the many battles she attended across the North of Atlas in a tireless war to stop the September Prince. She recalls the Caribou and Hedgehog Druids using living slingshots to pelt September with boulders, she recalls the great hammer of root and stone with which the Druids pummelled September at San’Kala. She recalls knocking a Skywhale from the air, and with the aid of her Brothers and Sisters, attempting to push back the surging roots at Okarn’Thilln. She recalls gouging a huge axe into September’s tree at the Second Kal’Bogrin Offensive, she recalls Unattuning many of his soul trees- She recalls wrenching the axe back at Caras Eldar and plunging it into September’s groin. Twice.

I am not a smart person.

Overview For some time these Druidic Gifts have had no clarified limits to their capabilities, which for the most part hasn’t been abused. In light of a few incidents and the generally lacking guidance for lower-tier users of these Gifts, a few of us volunteered to help write a clarification. Our general aims were to firstly establish sensible upper caps to the range of Blight Healing, and to the enhancement of herbs offered by Herblore, then to outline where each tier sat within those boundaries. Several TA holders were involved in this process, and it was then brought to a majority of the Druid community for thoughts and suggestions. The feedback was mostly positive, so here we are. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Blight Healing Ranges The following ranges are given as a maximum. Performing Blight Healing at the max range of your tier is enough to physically exhaust you and will likely result in blacking out and other symptoms of extreme exhaustion, requiring extensive rest. Radius and area are used as an example, but a creative user could guide mists in a number of ways. T1: 4 metres/blocks; 8x8 area T2: 8 metres/blocks; 16x16 area T3: 12 metres/blocks; 24x24 area T4: 16 metres/blocks; 32x32 area T5: 20 metres/blocks; 40x40 area Additionally, corruption cannot be cleansed until T3 and must be taught, as it requires more complex manipulation of Blight Healing energies. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Herblore Ranges This also assumes someone is using this Gift to its maximum potential, rather than making a lesser enhancement. It’s difficult to conceptualise the huge variety of effects into numerical values, thus the following examples are provided to indicate the capabilities of each tier. T1: Effect receives a minor boost, barely noticeable. High chance of failure. Enhancement lasts 1 irl hour. T2: Effect receives a minor improvement, which is noticeable. Slight reduction in chance to fail in familiar herbs. Enhancement lasts 2 irl days. T3: Effect is moderately improved. Failure very unlikely in familiar herbs, unfamiliar herbs less so. Enhancement lasts 1 irl week. T4: Effect is markedly improved. Chance to fail is almost entirely muted. Enhancement lasts 1 irl month. T5: Effect is improved to the greatest one could reasonably expect. Enhancement lasts virtually indefinitely. Remember that if a herb is processed immediately after enhancement, the resulting remedy, poison etc., keeps the alteration until it has expired. When an irl week is a year, solutions, potions etc. will expire unless kept in adequate conditions. Use your common sense, expiration dates shouldn’t be necessary. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Increasing potency The spores of a blistering toad mushroom cause corrosion of the throat and airways by default. In this example, it’s assumed that the intensity of the spores is the target of enhancement. These are what one would expect to occur should someone inhale the enhanced spores: T1: Painful to breathe T2: Infrequent coughing, in addition to pain T3: Severe pain, which provokes coughing fits T4: Coughing fits sufficient enough that the victim is likely to vomit and will struggle to breathe T5: The soft tissues of the throat and airways melt painfully, likely leading to asphyxia Crouching feather may be smoked or brewed into a tea, which calms and clears the mind. Assume in this example, that the herb is infused into hot water as a tea, that by default its effects last for 2 iRP hours, and that the duration of its effects were the area enhanced using Herblore. T1: Effects last for 2 and a half iRP hours T2: Effects last for 3 iRP hours T3: Effects last for 5 iRP hours T4: Effects last for 6 iRP hours T5: Effects last for 8 iRP hours Habgobsnit is a grass which can be dried, ground and smoked for a clarity high, or pressed for its numbing juices. In this example, assume the potency of the clarity high has been enhanced with Herblore and that by default, the high begins about ten minutes after smoking. T1: The minor loss of potency from the drying process is mitigated T2: Moderate anxieties are assuaged, cognitive processes un-hindered by minor stressors T3: Clarity is such that the user feels more aware of themselves T4: The high comes on more quickly T5: Severe anxieties are soothed with a smaller quantity. Marked calmness in stressful situations ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Decreasing potency Remember that lessening the quality/effect of a herb is more difficult, more draining and is less efficient than increasing potency. Night sap is a golden sap, which induces sensations of calm, relaxation, safety and sleepiness. It’s sometimes used as a sleep aid, though it causes splitting headaches or even paralysis upon waking. It’s also highly addictive, so in this example assume it is the addictive quality which is being lowered with Herblore. T1: Minor decrease in the chance for addiction. Users still highly likely to become addicted T2: Further decrease in chance for addiction, the addiction is still akin to that of opiates T3: ‘Moderately’ addictive. Addiction is more like that of nicotine, meaning some will escape it T4: Those who become addicted will experience less severe withdrawal T5: Addiction has reduced to the level of alcohol. This does not mean that it is no longer addictive, but that the majority of people are able to use it without developing an immediate addiction. Repeated use will still pose a risk Flash fruit is an orange-like fruit with yellow streaks upon the skin, which can be consumed to quench thirst. The flesh of the fruit however, will numb the throat. In this example, it’s this numbing quality which is being reduced with Herblore. T1: Eating small amounts of the flesh will not immediately numb the throat. There is still some loss of sensation T2: About a quarter of an orange-sized fruit can be consumed with only some numbing taking place T3: The majority of an orange-sized fruit can be eaten, before the throat becomes entirely numb T4: Eating the whole fruit is now possible, though will leave moderate numbing in the throat T5: Upon eating a whole orange-sized fruit, the numbing effect is much less severe and retention of feeling is possible Yarrow can be used to enhance the medicinal effects of other herbs, but alone it can reduce blood pressure and inflammation. A side-effect is that it can lead to fainting and dizziness from low blood-pressure, so in this example assume it’s this blood-pressure reducing quality which is targeted by Herblore. T1: Fainting is slightly less common in strong doses and overdosing. Dizziness may cause nausea T2: In concentrated doses, fainting is most common in those of a fragile constitution. Most users are likely to experience nauseating dizziness instead T3: Fainting is much less likely, even when overdosing. Dizziness is still uncomfortable. Has a decreased ability to lower blood pressure, thus much less useful in treating high blood pressure if one were to use it T4: Fainting is acutely found in overdoses with those already weakened. Dizziness is much less nauseating, allowing for fairly normal day-to-day functioning T5: Fainting is highly unlikely unless extremely concentrated doses are consumed. Dizziness is reduced enough that someone could continue daily life largely uninhabited, but combat or casting would still suffer some. At this point, the ability to treat high blood pressure is largely muted, requiring a healer to obtain a fresh sample of yarrow ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Credits A_Keefy and Archipelego as our lovely LT points of contact, also making some good criticisms and suggestions. Darksoundwave, ThatGuy_777, ShadowedOblivion and Eranikus for their writing assistance and scrutiny. Wytchlings for providing feedback. The Druid Community for some encouraging feedback.

Where you’re indicating a ‘seeker’ ‘scholar’ ‘teacher’ etc., you should use “-ir: - Designates the purpose of someone“ Teacher is nealuir taelu, as in Mali’taelu, is still a stem-word and means nothing on its own. You mean taeluir, lit. “one who learns” i.e. student.

We already have Soul Trees, so by your very suggestion we should make RP with them. The fact that you’re complaining about ‘end game’ and immortalising characters, when you used your position as an ET to inflate your own Druid’s presence, power and villainy beyond that capable of the rest of the Druid playerbase, is beyond amusing. Glass houses honey. What’s more, Keef’s changes to Soul Trees are a deliberate step away from ‘end game’ status, insofar that he removed a lot of the reasons people saw it as a desirable creature or ‘trophy’ etc., and replaced them with juicier, aesthetic and interesting functions so like.. what are you even complaining about here?

If you left the ritual aesthetic totally up to players, there'd be a lot of inconsistency and inevitably some would try a lot harder than others. So you'd get this chasm between people who make it really cool RP, and people who just half-ass it to give immortality to their friend. Glyphs aren’t exclusively Dwarven, look at Quavinir’s forehead.

Good ****, Mal’onn

+1

The Autumn Druid reads through the tome with an expression of serene concentration. Upon finishing it, she dwells in silence for a while, assessing her own understanding of things. Finally she comes to nod with a newfound perspective and appreciation for others.

Reading this, I am actually interested enough to consider making a Paladin. Good work! +1

Suggestion llin - shame, embarassment, dishonor lliner - to shame, to embarass marllin - disgrace, humiliation

I love the telepathy, so much more 'magical' and mysterious than Sprites learning Common. They read much more like a Fae creature, which makes me look forward to RPing with Sprites. I'm not familiar with what points were required by the LT, but you seem to have tidied things up well, so props. +1