Circle of Stars • Druid Circle

The Circle or Stars is an organization of various Druidic communities across the world. These Druids devote themselves to learning of the ways the heavens affect the world below and helping guide those in need using their ability to manipulate this subtle natural process. Generally living in areas with clear view of the skies and away from the worries of the civilized world, some do make deals with nearby villages and towns to give advice regarding the coming seasons for farming and hunting. While some of these are for supplies or services, others are for new blood for the Circle.

The new stargazers are brought to the Circle and begin a 5-year period of learning the basics of being a Druid. The end of the 5 years begins a year of preparation for their Pilgrimage. This preparation includes getting their body tattooed with the major constellation that brightly lit up the night they were chosen and gaining a Sky Orb, a magical object formed out of Crystal Ore. It displays an accurate depiction of the night sky above the user (it just doesn't work very well under unnatural barriers).

Sky Orbs

Orbs crafted out of Crystal Ore that the Star Druids have found over the years; these are big enough to comfortably fit in the owner's palm. It is a crystal-clear orb when it is not in use. It has the following uses/abilities:

• Spellcasting Focus
• Can be levitated when used as a spellcasting focus/in passive use, but cannot be during ritual/concentrated use.
• Passive use The druid can passively gaze into the Sky Orb to watch for potential omens that would otherwise be missed. They cannot do a complete reading while in Passive use.
• Ritual use the druid will ask the plants around them to grasp the orb to steady it. Then the druid will focus the orb on a set of stars and sear their placements in parchment/leathers, from which they will scan the stars for meaning. This would be considered a complete reading.
• Concentrated use As a reaction, the druid can summon a plant to grasp the Sky Orb and expand the orb's image of the heavens. In a 5ft sphere from the orb, the light in the sphere becomes dim light, with bright specs of light representing the stars and other celestial bodies. Stars in constellations have barely visible strands of light connecting them. The druid can get a complete reading of a current illusory copy of the sky. It is the only way to read falling stars.
• The druid will take a level of exhaustion for every 3 (+1 for every 2-proficiency modifier) minutes they hold the concentrated use of the Sky Orb.

Beliefs

The Circle of Stars believe the heavens above them have a subtle effect on the way the natural world behaves. This is clearly seen in basic things like plants needing the light above to grow, the moons changing the tides of the oceans, and the general cycles of life that seem to sync up to certain astrological movements. While they do believe that the stars can be read to foretell some events, the success rate for anything related to the potential acts of individuals with free will is fairly low. Thus, they focus their attention to things that can be more predictable, like the weather or plant growth, as well as events for large populaces over long periods of time.

The Circle views this limitation as the Heavens having more of macro view of the world, looking to influence events over the course of decades via changes to the natural world. If the Stars ‘see' a potential war brewing between two nations, they may ‘influence' weather to become rougher in some areas of either kingdom, leading to it being harder to harvest the resources in that area. This could potentially hinder or stop a potential surprise invasion or lead to a discovery of an ancient secret that brings a new hero or leader to a nation, all over the course of decades.

While some Druids from the Circle of Stars do preform readings to individuals for coin, most of these are just educated guesses based on the Stars and other Heavenly Bodies' locations at the time. Some of these guesses do turn out true, but at the end of the day they were just guesses. An individual's free will can overpower any of the Star's subtle power over them.

Pilgrimage

The Pilgrimage is a journey each Star Druid goes through, they are sent away from their community and travel the world to visit other Druidic communities (some of which may not be of the Circle of Stars). The Star Druid is not given directions or any other information about the location of these other communities. They must divine the locations from the Stars above them, even if it takes them years to do so.

Few Star Druids complete this journey. Many die from the hazards of the road, some settle down due to ties they create with other people on their journey, others just give up on it all, and a small number don't even attempt it, using the Pilgrimage as a way to escape the Druidic Circle after being forced to join them due to a deal with their community. Those that abandon the Pilgrimage are unable to return to their original home, due to the connection it still has to the Druids and are forced to start a new life elsewhere. (This is more from awkwardness and shame between them and the community, the Druids have nothing against them and will not force them to return)

The Druids that do complete the Pilgrimage are given a final test in the Cave of Night, said to be determined by the Stars themselves. Not every Druid that takes this test passes, and those that fail are assumed dead, as no body remains.

Major Settlement

Star's Light, the main settlement of the Circle of Stars is near the top of the “Pillar to the Heavens”, one of the tallest mountains in (at least this part of) the world (known as (insert name here) to the rest of civilization). While this is the epicenter of this Druidic community and larger than most other Druid settlements, with only about 100 people living there, to outsiders it would look about the size of village. Within the mountain's caves past the village to the peak of the mountain, it is rumored that a large deposit of Crystal Ore exists, the source of the Druids' Sky Orbs. Druidic legends speak of how the mountain was struck by a falling star, giving the Pillar it's Crystal Ore deposits.

Above the settlement at the actual peak, is the Cave of Night where the Trials takes place. A potential Arch-Druid enters the cave and communes with the stars to learn of what their final Trial requires. After the Druid enters and the cave is sealed, it will only be reopened when a new Druid is ready for their Trial, or the new Arch-Druid makes their way out. Those that have glimpsed the inside during an opening or sealing of the entrance speak of how it looks like the druid walks into the night sky itself.

Government

Like some other Druid Circles, the Circle of Stars community resembles more of a theocracy than any other form of government. They have their religious leaders (the Arch-Druids) that commune with their god (aka the Stars and other Heavenly Bodies) and make most of their decisions based on that communion. Due to the few that do survive their Trial, all settlements except for Star's Light generally only have one Arch-Druid leading them.

Star's Light has a council of 3 Arch-Druids, the oldest of the three is known as the High Arch-Druid and considered the head of the Circle of Stars. The second oldest leads Star's Light in a way that is like the other smaller settlement's local Arch-Druid. The youngest is the most recent completer of the Pilgrimage and its Trial. They spend most of their time learning the ins and outs of leading a settlement, they will leave Star's Light for another settlement once a new Druid completes the Trial, usually travelling to the one that has either recently lost their leader or one that is expected to soon.

When the High Arch-Druid's time is coming to an end, the Stars reveal an omen to the Arch-Druids of the world. They travel to Star's Light and commune in the Cave of Night until the new High Arch-Druid is chosen.

The Selection Ritual

Many Druid communities choose to aid the neighboring settlements in tending the land, this is especially true for the Circle of Stars as they are usually living in more remote locations. This aid will usually come as part of a trade of goods, services, or new blood. For the Circle of Stars, this involves a ritual invoking the Stars themselves to choose an of age member of the settlement to join them.

This ritual will usually occur once a year on a clear night (often on a New Night), all of age members of the settlement come to the town center as the local Arch-Druid and a few additional Druids call out to the Heavens in Druidic and one (at least most of the time) person of the village is lit up by one of the constellations above them. This person is given the day to say their goodbyes as the Druids fulfill their end of the bargain, giving advice on the coming seasons, enriching the land with their magic, etc.

When the new blood is brought to the Druid settlement, a weeklong celebration is held to help introduce them to their ways and beliefs in a way to help ease the transition. This celebration ends with the new blood receiving a tattoo of the constellation that chose them. From there, the 5-year basic training process begins.

Days of Importance

Full Nights

Full Nights are when the three Moons of Ærethia are in the “Full Moon” phase. Considered a night when all the world is visible to the Stars beyond, the Druids consider this to be a time when no truths can be hidden and no lies undetected. Throughout the night, a celebration is held, where the Druids celebrate their guides in full view.

An observed custom involves the Druids asking a question of their fellows. Any person can ask participants one question each and expect the complete truth. If a person is discovered to give falsehoods to these questions, it can lead to exile from the Circle.

New Nights

New Nights are when the three Moons of Ærethia are in the “New Moon” phase. While a Full Night is considered the time when the Stars have full view of all things below, the New Night is when those on the ground have full view of the heavens above. Readings during this night are considered more accurate than those of any other time, leading many Circle of Stars Druids to spend this night focusing on important readings, or use this time to perform rituals determining new blood.