The Druidic Circles

The druids of Ardfarjord never developed the separateness from society so common to druids in other lands. Instead, druids traditionally functioned as healers, sages, and religious leaders during the pre-imperial ages. After The Clearing of the Field the surviving druids of Ardfarjord split into 4 separate circles that differed in their response to the imperial age.

The Circle of the Unicorn continued to mentor and aide rural villagers and trappers that existed deep within the Glirewood. They have been forced to keep a wide birth, however, by imperial witch-hunters and inquisitors, and sadly many villages have been forced to rely on other means of protection in their absence (most notably offering sacrafices to Betanyaga). The circle is based in Haven, and trappers and hunters friendly to the druids are permitted to winter there. This circle has perhaps the most members of any surviving group of druids at over a dozen.

The Circle of the Hawk took up arms against the empire and fought alongside (or even founded) the various rebel bands that refused to submit to imperial rule. The circle was never closely knit by any means, and indeed some assert that without the empire to give them a common purpose, The Circle of the Hawk is defunct. The numbers of this group are unknown, if indeed the circle even has a place in the post-imperial era.

The Circle of the Turtle retreated into nature's most isolated places to tend the holy sites and wait out their enemies. Little is known of these druids except that they are ancient and uncaring men content to while away the years in nature's company. It is said that the circle has its meeting place somewhere high in the Dragons Back Mountains, though how often they meet, if at all, is unknown.

The Rotten Circle is the stuff of legend and whispers, and some deny their existence at all. In most of the tales, these druids made a pact with a thing deep in the forest, gaining the power to take revenge upon the perpetrators and collaborators of The Clearing of the Field in exchange for their very souls. While the legends vary in almost every detail, one thing that remains constant is that these men and woman commit inhuman deeds that are the stuff of nightmares. During the imperial era rumors of the fourth circle were suppressed and denied.