Post by shatan on Sept 22, 2007 20:04:01 GMT -8
A demonic race of humanoids, the Druids are worshippers of a dark god named Desiderio. The Druids are human in almost every way, except for their hair, eyes, aging, and horns. Yes, horns; Druids have ram’s horns which denote their rank within Druid society. All females have small, thin, relatively straight horns, while male horns vary in size and curl. Younger, lowering ranking Druids, known as bucks, have thin, tightly curled horns, while older, higher ranking Druids have thick, large, and less tightly curled horns. The change in the horns comes from Desiderio’s influence rather than a change of age, but more on that later. The Druids also differ from humans because of their hair, which is always white in color, and their eyes, which are always made up of varying shades of red. Their aging differs because the Druids age much slower than humans, being still considered children at thirty years, and adolescents to teenagers even at fifty, though they are still by no means immortal, nor are they eternal, and are limited to a lifespan of two centuries and a half centuries at most.
Druids as a race are pretty wimpy; they’re mages, not fighters. In fact, they are forbidden by Desiderio from using weapons. Most Druids are in relatively good shape—it’s hard not to be in some semblance of good shape when you walk everywhere—but they don’t have very well defined muscles, and very few are capable of lifting heavy loads. But they make up for this with their magical aptitude. Druid magics come in two forms—both of which are mastered by all male Druids—physical and mental. Physical magics manipulate the victim’s body: paralyzing, weakening, strengthening, blinding, or even stopping the organs and thus causing death, among others. Mental magics manipulate the mind of the victim: they can cause illusions, cause temporary insanity, even create pain in the victim’s mind without even touching the body. Used with skill, they are formidable magics, causing the Druids to be feared mages, but they themselves are not in full control of their own powers.
Druid magical strength comes from Desiderio; it is the dark god who grants these powers upon the Druids, and he grants it on an individual basis, only to those who appease him. Such appeasement could be offerings made in his name, or sacrifices of animals or members of other races. Druids who are high in his favor are granted greater magical power as well as larger, more impressive horns so that other Druids know of their status, while those who do not appease the god are left weak and with small horns. But Desiderio’s worship is not as simple as making a few offerings here and there; the god has laws that Druids must follow.
Desiderio is a powerful god, but he is neither omnipotent nor omniscient. Those who he thinks are loyal could be planning to rebel against him and he would have no knowledge of such a thing; he knows only what he sees when Druids call upon him, and what he hears when Druids speak to him. Therefore, he demands absolute obedience from the Druids by way of several laws which make rebellion quite difficult. The first of these laws states that no Druid may ever take up a weapon; Desiderio’s thinking is that weapons could be used against him as easily as for him, but that the magic he gives them can be easily taken away. Another law is that no Druid may ever wound another Druid, by any means, weapon or not; Druid magics leave no mark on the body, so if any Druid shows up hurt, Desiderio worries that the method used to wound that Druid might be used against him. There are also several forms of magic which Druids are capable of learning, but which are forbidden by Desiderio, on the principal that they are too unpredictable. These include certain extremes of the physical magics which can cause marks upon the body, and also shape-shifting arts which give the Druids natural weapons in an animal form, among others.
Apart from the limitations the Druids have due to their following the dark god, there are also limitations on gender. You see, Druid society is what you might call sexist. Males learn all the magic, get all the wealth, and spend all the wealth, and provide for the family. Females, on the other hand, are expected to cook, clean, and tend the clothes, and do the hairstyling—the Druids are some-what vain when it comes to their hair; seeing as they all have the same color hair, they go to extremes in attempting to be unique by styling it, but not a single male knows how to style his own hair. Of course, not a single female knows how to use the Druid magics, either, but that doesn’t really balance out.
In addition to being part of a sexist society, Druids are also a race of stereotypes; just about every Druid has a nearly identical base personality, with slight variations. Following a dark god with questionable morals, the Druids are often, selfish, greedy, and uncompassionate, along with impatient and possessing a rather quick temper. Spoiled is also a very common personality trait among Druids, as young Druids in high society are spoiled by their parents in order for their parents to flaunt their wealth and therefore make themselves look better. Druids also are known for deeming many immoral things as acceptable, such as violence and the use of magic against each other. Murder is even acceptable if there are enough reasons for it, so long as the murder was by magic and not by weapons; immoral they may be, but for the most part the Druids fear Desiderio and his laws. There are several corrupt high-society families who are unafraid of practicing the forbidden magics, thinking they can keep it secret, and most of this is overlooked by other families, but other than that the Druids are obedient to Desiderio, if only by fear of him alone.
Druids as a race are pretty wimpy; they’re mages, not fighters. In fact, they are forbidden by Desiderio from using weapons. Most Druids are in relatively good shape—it’s hard not to be in some semblance of good shape when you walk everywhere—but they don’t have very well defined muscles, and very few are capable of lifting heavy loads. But they make up for this with their magical aptitude. Druid magics come in two forms—both of which are mastered by all male Druids—physical and mental. Physical magics manipulate the victim’s body: paralyzing, weakening, strengthening, blinding, or even stopping the organs and thus causing death, among others. Mental magics manipulate the mind of the victim: they can cause illusions, cause temporary insanity, even create pain in the victim’s mind without even touching the body. Used with skill, they are formidable magics, causing the Druids to be feared mages, but they themselves are not in full control of their own powers.
Druid magical strength comes from Desiderio; it is the dark god who grants these powers upon the Druids, and he grants it on an individual basis, only to those who appease him. Such appeasement could be offerings made in his name, or sacrifices of animals or members of other races. Druids who are high in his favor are granted greater magical power as well as larger, more impressive horns so that other Druids know of their status, while those who do not appease the god are left weak and with small horns. But Desiderio’s worship is not as simple as making a few offerings here and there; the god has laws that Druids must follow.
Desiderio is a powerful god, but he is neither omnipotent nor omniscient. Those who he thinks are loyal could be planning to rebel against him and he would have no knowledge of such a thing; he knows only what he sees when Druids call upon him, and what he hears when Druids speak to him. Therefore, he demands absolute obedience from the Druids by way of several laws which make rebellion quite difficult. The first of these laws states that no Druid may ever take up a weapon; Desiderio’s thinking is that weapons could be used against him as easily as for him, but that the magic he gives them can be easily taken away. Another law is that no Druid may ever wound another Druid, by any means, weapon or not; Druid magics leave no mark on the body, so if any Druid shows up hurt, Desiderio worries that the method used to wound that Druid might be used against him. There are also several forms of magic which Druids are capable of learning, but which are forbidden by Desiderio, on the principal that they are too unpredictable. These include certain extremes of the physical magics which can cause marks upon the body, and also shape-shifting arts which give the Druids natural weapons in an animal form, among others.
Apart from the limitations the Druids have due to their following the dark god, there are also limitations on gender. You see, Druid society is what you might call sexist. Males learn all the magic, get all the wealth, and spend all the wealth, and provide for the family. Females, on the other hand, are expected to cook, clean, and tend the clothes, and do the hairstyling—the Druids are some-what vain when it comes to their hair; seeing as they all have the same color hair, they go to extremes in attempting to be unique by styling it, but not a single male knows how to style his own hair. Of course, not a single female knows how to use the Druid magics, either, but that doesn’t really balance out.
In addition to being part of a sexist society, Druids are also a race of stereotypes; just about every Druid has a nearly identical base personality, with slight variations. Following a dark god with questionable morals, the Druids are often, selfish, greedy, and uncompassionate, along with impatient and possessing a rather quick temper. Spoiled is also a very common personality trait among Druids, as young Druids in high society are spoiled by their parents in order for their parents to flaunt their wealth and therefore make themselves look better. Druids also are known for deeming many immoral things as acceptable, such as violence and the use of magic against each other. Murder is even acceptable if there are enough reasons for it, so long as the murder was by magic and not by weapons; immoral they may be, but for the most part the Druids fear Desiderio and his laws. There are several corrupt high-society families who are unafraid of practicing the forbidden magics, thinking they can keep it secret, and most of this is overlooked by other families, but other than that the Druids are obedient to Desiderio, if only by fear of him alone.