Druid (group)

Файл:Forest 17 concept art (Denravi).jpg

Concept art by Kekai Kotaki.

“

To be divine is to realize that we are all one. That the self is an illusion. Through this do you understand your own immortality. Through this are you freed from the illusions of the flesh.

— Ancient Druid Spirit

A long time ago, a human tribe called druids ventured into the Maguuma Jungle to make peace with the land. For many years they lived in harmony with the Maguuma, making their home in the Aurora Glade and elsewhere in the jungle. The druids seemingly disappeared over three centuries ago; despite this, a few druid husks are seen and it is suggested that they are asleep.

The sylvari appear to have some sort of connection to the druids, and have the ability to summon druid spirits at will. At least one has awakened recently with a "calling" to go south.

Physiology

The druids were originally humans that originated from Kryta. After centuries of living in the Maguuma Jungle, they had undergone a ritual to shed their human form and become more in tune with nature, taking on a treant-like appearance of willowhearts. In time, they shed these forms too, becoming arboreal spirits so as to better protect the land. Guarded by treants, they fell to slumber within the depths of the jungle only to be awakened when it is in peril. The druids remain capable of returning to their treant bodies, though this must be done via a ritual.

Culture

Little is known of druid culture, other than that it was tribal and that they revered and protected the nature of the jungle. The druids considered the Maguuma to be an entity with a will of its own, and they were the ones who served its will. Due to the hostility of other groups, the druids often kept to themselves and would not show their ways to outsiders without heavy consideration. One druid, Dark Oak, was shown to harness the power of divination with the sacrifice of a centaur lord. Rumors placed the druids as devotees of Melandru, though the little interaction seen with druids have not supported this rumor.

One of the few places that Old Krytan can still be seen is on druid stones.

Rituals

The druids held many rituals for their magic, though with the druids' secretive nature and disappearance few of them remain known.

Ritual to return a druid's essence to its body.

Balthazar! Strengthen and sustain our valiant defenders.

Dwayna! Restore the vitality of the righteous.

Melandru! Awaken the spirit and return it to your progeny.

Lyssa! Restore the balance of this sacred grove.

Grenth! Freeze the hearts of our enemies with fear.

History

The exact origins of the druids is unclear. While most source state that they were humans, the History of Tyria states that humans chased the druids from the jungle before the Forgotten had even left for the Crystal Desert in 174 AE. What is known is that since traveling to the Maguuma Jungle, the druids had remained far from human civilization and kept to themselves. Sometime between 970 AE and 1070 AE, the druids vanished mysteriously. Most druids left south, but those that stayed behind fell into slumber, protected by guardian treants and ravager nightmares - the latter assaulting any who harms the jungle or its guardians. In 1072 AE, their spirits could sometimes be found inhabiting the Maguuma, but since then their numbers have decreased greatly. Only three spirits have been accounted for since.

Recently, the Inquest have discovered the petrified husks of the ancient druids near Toxal Bog. The Durmand Priory is interested in how they got there, and why they seem to pulse with mystical energy even though they appear dead. The Inquest, on the other hand, want to harness this energy as a power source for an Experimental Golem.

Gallery

• Druid husk (alive).jpg

  A druid husk

• Druid husk (dead).jpg

  A druid husk without a spirit

• Arboreal Spirit.jpg

  A druid's spirit

Trivia

• Early concept art for the sylvari show them awakening druid husks with their touch. This ability is never explored in-game.
• Kekai Kotaki's early quadrupedal concepts for the druids were later used in concept art for the Kickstarter project Golem Arcana.

References

На Guild Wars Wiki (англ) есть статья про Druid.