A D&D AND AD&D GAME FEATURE
THE DRUID
By James M. Ward
Persona
Thorn Greenwood is an unusual druid
of
great power. His clerical parents were
slain in a wooded area by a band of orcs,
who were in turn driven off by wood
elves. The elves sensed the innate power
of the young human baby and raised
Thorn as one of their own.
From an early age, Thorn fought
against the enemies of the forest (especially
orcs) with unusual ferocity, and his
reputation as champion of the wooded
areas spread. Consequently, at the age of
fifteen he was "discovered" by a druid
initiate of 8th Circle and taken under
wing to be taught the ways of druids.
Thorn advanced to be an initiate of the
9th Circle, but left the archdruid to return
to the elven forests that he loves. The
woods he frequents have become unusually
enchanted because because of his presence,
and his attention and kindness have
earned him many allies. A large herd of
unicorns roams in these woods, and the
herd's stallion has been known to let
Thorn ride him in times of great danger.
Treants tend the oak and ash trees here,
and they take special care of the mistletoe
so that Thorn has an unusually fine supply
of this wood. Even dryads and nixies
are indebted to him for some kindness
paid them.
Thorn's kindnesses were not entirely
without self interest, however. Thorn
learned early that allies were necessary
because of the constant attacks from orcs
and goblins who live in the nearby mountains.
The wood elves had been fighting
them for centuries before Thorn came,
but it was Thorn who was able to lead the
powers of the forest against the orcs,
turning the tide of battle in favor of the
elves and woodland creatures. For the
first time in as long as anyone can
remember, the orcs are currently on the
defensive.
There are no evil creatures currently
living in a 100-mile radius of the forests
Thorn calls home. This "woodland
renewal" program included the relocation
of an ancient green dragon, but that's
another story.
To maintain this evil-free atmosphere,
the woodland creautres inform Thorn
when evil beings invade, and he immediately
moves to rid the woods of the menace.
Then Thorn fights, it is said the
trees and grasses rise up to help him . . .
and this is literally ture.
Skills
Thorn has all the normal druid skills.
When changing into a bird, he usually
chooses the form of an eagle; his mammal
form is usually a badger; and a four-foot-long
chameleon is his preferred choice of
reptile. He speaks fluently in all the available
druidic languages, and he speaks orc
and goblin (he learned these two to
better understand the ways of his
enemies).
Thorn is highly proficient in the use of
a sling, scimitar, and quarter staff. He is
an excellent animal trainer and horseman,
which is only natural considering
his ability to directly speak with creatures.
Although Thorn has a wide range of
spells, there are some that he always carries as
a matter of policy: entangle, faerie fire,
obscurement, warp wood, neutralize
poison, dispel magic, commune with
nature, and transport via plants. These
spells have stood him in good stead, and
are part of his basic trip preparation.
Equipment
Thorn has always traveled very lightly.
He makes full use of the forest and its
bountiful supplies, and seldom travels out
of the woods. He wears forest colors at all
times, matching the current season,
which gives him a certain amount of
camouflage.
He owns a staff of striking
that a wizard
friend of his recharges for him (Thorn
saved his life); a net of snaring, boots of
speed, and a +3 wooden shield (a gift
from the wood elves). This last item is only
taken into situations that Thorn knows
are highly dangerous. He commonly
carries a sling and scimitar when walking
in the forest. These two weapons are of
excellent quality, having been designed by
elves.
He has three giant badgers for constant
companions. These were human followers
that died in his service and asked to be
reincarnated. Although Thorn couldn't
recincarnate them himself, he took them to
the archdruid; and in reward for past
services, the leaders of all the druids cast the
spells for him. These beasts are powerful
and highly intelligent. They roam the
general area where Thorn travels; and
when Thorn is in trouble, they emerge as
secret weaponis, usually scaring the daylights
out of those who would hurt the
druid or any of his followers.
Holdings and possessions
Thorn's one point of vanity is his home, a
huge, rambling, 30-room living area.
With help from the treants, he made his
home out of living oak trees; the walls
and ceiling are all living trunks and
branches. The main hall has held 100
guests on high feast days. The leaves of
the trees have formed themselves into the
shape of beasts and enchanted creatures
so his home is decorated in living sculptures.
Fruit and edible seed plants happily
grow along all the walls and give their
bounty willingly. In short, the structure is
magnificent.
He lives there with four apprentice
druids, a group of followers which
includes two rangers also in training, five
female fighters, seven wood elves, a bard,
amd tem human servants. At any given
time there are several guests in the hold.
These have included wizards, lords, and
nobles fro distant regions, powerful
elves of all types, and several halflings
who have come to learn druidic ways.
Thorn has acquired rich rewards in his
travels, but considers gold and silver of
little value. It just seems to come his way
unasked. In the past he has been given
huge chests of silver from elves he has
aided, coffers of gems from human lords
whose lands he has freed from the ravages
of displacer beasts, giant lynxs, and worgs.
The greatest contributors to his horde<hoard>
are treants, who just don't like material
goods; they give treasure to Thorn just to
get rid of it, or for him to use for the good
of the area. This wealth is in turn given
freely by Thorn to help the cause of druidism
everywhere.
Thorn shrinks from his reputation as a
champion of men. In his youthful wanderings
he cleared many a forest of evil
influences. These actions earned him the
reputation as a hero among humans.
Legends spread about his feats, and now
his help is often sought by people of great
power. He feels compelled to honor some
of these requests, but he truly hates to
leave his homeland. His attachment to his
homeland has caused him to limit his aid
to those persons and situations where
nature, as well as humankind, is being
attacked.
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