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antsterr 11-01-07, 02:10 PM

I've really grown board with simple narratives about campaign world history and religion and all that. I'm a really big fan of role play and decided that simply writing "this happened" isn't very fun, but what could be more fun than role playing your history? So I wrote for my players a summary of our world in the form of a letter from a Professor to a monk giving him advice on dealing with his priest. To give the little bit of for knowledge one might need to understand it correctly. The deities of this world are commonly called The Stewards of Creation or just the Stewards. It's a very middle ages Europe, lower magic, Catholic Church themed setting. Anyway, I wanted to present this for feedback and ideas. Dear brother Gregory Underhill; I greet you in the name of Bishop Cornelius. His Eminence, the Bishop of Closterdam sends his personal blessings to you in your continued study of the history of our faith and constant vigilance towards heretical teachings. I, Hubert Crumpleflower, Professor of protostewardic religion at the University of Closterdam have made it my priority to get back to you concerning your question on the order known at the Druids. I thank you for your devotion to the people of your parish and your concern towards the proper instruction of your parishioners. I am saddened to hear of the good Priest Marolson's misguided sympathies towards the Druids, even more I was moved to tears at the news of him preaching these notions in church. You were most correct in writing to the bishop about your concerns in this matter and I assure you that were I not the foremost expert in this subject, his Eminence would have personally responded to you on these matters. I've often defined the Druidic Order as a sect of zealots devoted to an obsolete and incomplete revelation of the Stewards of Creation. Though my opinion is often criticized by a few of my colleagues who tend to sympathize with their cause, any thorough study of the subject would lead any truly intelligent mind to the conclusion that, though mostly benevolent, the Druids are an obsolete sect who cling to loyalties to divine forces that man was never designed to serve and who's authority was abolished over fourteen hundred years ago. For this reason Druidic teaching should rightly be condemned as heretical! It is for this reason that often so little is taught of them in the lower schools of theology (lest those of lesser faith be lead astray). The origin of the Druids dates back even to the earliest days the halflings and our humanoid brethren. As you no doubt know the story of our creation I will be brief. At the beginning of the world the Lords of Light slept and dreamed of the world we live in today. When they awoke their father chose five of them and gave them the powers of creation. Each, by their own power created what they had dreamed of. Izar, who was first to awake created the stars. Sela, Kerr and Kalani created the earth, the oceans and the sky. Lastly Hala, guided by her dream created the moon and placed it in the sky. When the others saw this they longed to create what they had dreamed. Driven by greed and lust many of them turned from the light to the darkness and seeking to created domains for themselves were lost to evil forever. These Lords of Darkness and the Lords of Light waged war against each other that reached to the far ends of the world. For ages the eight great Lords of Light and the eight fallen Lords of Darkness clashed in a deadlock as the two equal forces battled against each other in a war that carved scars in the face of world it's self. Hopeless that they would ever overcome their enemy the Stewards went to their father and asked for his help. Saddened that the world would never know peace he took the three other Lords of Light and gave to them also the power of creation. Riaz planted on the world the grass, vines, flowers all types of plants to cover the land and filled it animals and creatures of magic. Cordelia planted seeds in the rivers and lakes and filled them with also with animals and creatures of magic and Xylia planted the great forests and gave life to the forest and all of it's creatures, animals and magical. As their domains covered the world the darkness was driven back and the Lords of Darkness found that even if they killed the plants and animals, they would grow back and continue to pushed the darkness from the land. With out the power of creation they turned to corruption and began to twist nature and bend it to their own powers. Again hopeless the Stewards returned to their father. Saddened that evil still held the world in it's grip he fulfilled the dream and created the humanoids: creatures of free will who would have power over nature and could drive back the corruption of the Lords of Darkness (also called the Opposers of Creation). Guided by their own free will, without guidance or leadership the humanoids did as they pleased and many of them turned their hearts towards darkness. At this time Xylia called her brother Riaz and Sister Cordelia and together they revealed themselves to the humanoids who's hearts had chosen good. They taught them how to plant seeds and raise animals and to look after nature so that it would always look after them. Of these people leaders emerged and to these people were given great wisdom and understanding and great power over nature. These people are remembered today as the Holy Druids. Saddened that so many of the humanoids had turned to darkness and evil, Izar and Hala returned once again to their father. This time they wept before him as they could not see the hope that was in the dream. As they cried last last of the Lords who dreamed the word awoke, given to him was the power to create light. As he had seen in his dream he created the sun. On that day, the foundations of the world shook as Malak rose the sun into the sky and took his place in the heavens with Hala and Izar. Now that creation was complete Malak, Hala and Izar came down to the world to lead the people out of darkness. Their deeds and their words were recorded in our holy texts and the church of Stewards of creation was born. Now as the teachings of the Celestial Stewards spread across the world, there were those who were reluctant to give up the old ways and they continued to serve nature. For the first few centuries it was generally accepted that the Druids and the Church could work hand in hand but history has proven to us the impossibility of this. Misguided and unwilling to accept a higher authority the Druids have maintained their practices through the centuries in a somewhat self imposed exile into the lands of wilderness, over a fourteen centuries away from the Holy Druids or as we now call it "The Protostewardic Church" the Druids have not only lost their focus on being masters over nature and have instead let it become their master, their lack of participation in the church is an obvious sign of the insubordination of their hearts. At times, coming out to lead communities of good people astray and at others, retreating from righteous persecution. Though I would never venture to criticize his majesty King Lorest, his administrations acceptance of the Druids and the freedom to practice and teach their ideas is appalling and a shame to our good nation. The Druids are dangerous. Their secret language and hidden sacred groves are clear indication of some form of hidden agenda. They ignore legitimate prophesy and instead seek clairvoyance from omens they read in the stars. They reject The Book of Beneficial Praxis! Choosing instead to accept only the holy texts themselves, though I might add I've never met a druid who could quote so much as a single verse. Their bond with the forces of nature, obviously no longer ordained by the Steweards, leads them down a dangerous path towards corruption by evil. The holy texts hold that nature it's self can be a tool of light or darkness, drawing such power from something that is not wholly good is folly indeed. I trust, good brother, that knowing now what you do you will not suffer a druid to corrupt your mind with their heresy but take a firm stand against them and join me in condemning them as the obsolete sect they are and discouraging your in priest from spreading his sympathetic views from behind an alter of the Stewards. In regards to you're second question, a monk must always remember his place. He is to share his wisdom when asked for council but your vows to your priest do indeed keep you from directly challenging him on a matter of doctrine unless it's specifically against the statement of belief of the church of Elkanah. Your oath allows you to state your thoughts on a subject but never to challenge those of your priest. Be careful in how you approach this matter brother, his Eminence has not seen fit yet to forbid support for the Druidic Order. You may consider writing Father Tuckman of Elmgrove Village. He's an outspoken opponent of the Druids and has first hand experience with the harms they have caused. He will, no doubt find it prudent to pay your father a visit, out of a loving spirit of correction. Blessings; Professor Hubert Crumpleflower University of Closterdam Faculty of History *5th of Leaves 1421 *This was the date the letter was written. Leaves is the monthly equivalent of May, the calendar year is based on on coming of Malak. Yes, the sun has only been on circling the world for 1400 or years, prior to that the moon and stars shone much brighter but that's a whole other story.