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Human worshipping Aldrya


Manu

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I had several thoughts about dryads in the week.

Fun Fact - Dryads can command all the creatures born in their groves. In my games, Aldryani brought dinosaur eggs, that were close to hatching, to dryad groves, so they would hatch in the grove, similarly they provide safe havens for she-bears, she-wolves, she-boars and so on, to provide guardians for the groves.

Although an Elf can mate with a dryad, the dryad's physical form is almost an illusion, so the Elves are born from the dryad's tree. So, Elves are found under the Gooseberry Bush, or in the roots of the dryad's tree.

An Elf born in a dryad's grove can be commanded by the dryad, which has interesting ramifications.

 

Simon Phipp - Caldmore Chameleon - Wallowing in my elitism since 1982. Many Systems, One Family. Just a fanboy. 

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1 hour ago, soltakss said:

I had several thoughts about dryads in the week.

...

An Elf born in a dryad's grove can be commanded by the dryad, which has interesting ramifications.

Indeed; as I consider how long some older Dryads may have been raising Elven offspring, and other combat-worthy subjects, this looks like a strategic threat of virtually-unlimited potential.

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  • 1 year later...
On 11/10/2018 at 1:45 AM, Joerg said:

The 40 year old cherry tree right next to my house has spread its roots all around the house. I have found apparently new trees growing from its root systems as far as 20 meters away. We used to cut down most of these, but it has been a few years since I last pulled out these growths, and some of these are now of a size where I could splice twigs from the canopy or from other cherry varieties to it.

A warrior of wood made from that tree would have quite the reach...

 

The same is true of the ash trees that were planted when my house was built, about 40 years ago.  New ash trees try to come up all over,  not just next to the original tree, but also 60 feet away in the middle of the back yard.  The original trees are dying now (one broke in a recent storm, a big part hit my house and storage building) but these saplings keep coming up.

I would distinguish between 'a tree" and the whole root system that may include descendant trees.  And say a warror of Wood is one tree trunk, not a whole grove.

Edited by Squaredeal Sten
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On 11/7/2018 at 11:41 AM, PhilHibbs said:

I think that is "No, with a but". The headline is that only Aldryami can use Elf Bows, and if any non-Aldryami even touches one, it withers and dies. However, there are always exceptions, there are always ways to break the normal rules.

Regarding Manu's original question part 2, " does he receive an elf bow? ".

That elf bow exception that Phil Hibbs refers to is found in Cults of Prax, which is the latest reference since RQG's cults chapter omits Aldrya, and the Bestiary is pretty light on the cult.  Cults of Prax p.102, in the section about elf bows:  " Non-elves cannot do this as naturally as the wood-born elves. If such members wish such a bow they must spend a Rune point of permanent Power to do so, under the guidance of their local Tree Lord, and requiring four years total. "

So a player character human member of Aldrya with an elf bow is going to be considerably older than others, and pass the tests for lay membership and for initiation...    If your player just wants a more powerful bow it's easier to just get a composite bow and invest in spells.

The whole write-up in Cults of Prax makes it pretty plain that it will be hard and take a long time for humans to join (see my bold print emphasis below) , longer to become an initiate, longer after that to get an elf bow, and may  not be compatible with random adventuring with the rest of a party.    If the GM actually has the player do all these die rolls the chance of coming through character generation as such a human  is slim. 

First your human has to become a lay member: " Beastmen, dragonewts, ducks, and humans may sometimes join. They must pass the Gardeners’ examination, who will also make sure, through Divination, that the foreigner has no ill intents in mind or heart. The examination may be abstracted as POW + CHA divided by 2 X 5 on D100. CHA is always minus 10 for non-Aldryami races. Other races are not allowed to join.   "

"V. INITIATE MEMBERSHIP
A. REQUIREMENTS FOR INITIATION
Candidates for initiation ... must have been lay members for at least 2 years (for outsiders) and know all of the skills listed for lay members at least 50%, plus at least 1 point of all three spells. They also must prove themselves to the council of Elders. This is done by making a roll of POW + INT + CHA divided by 2 X 5 on D100. Note that non-Aldryami races must subtract 10 from their CHA for being from a foreign race. After initiation, though, they will always measure their CHA as if they were an elf, and will have the penalty when using CHA in relation to non-Aldryami.  "

AFTER this they can start to grow their elf bow.  C. MUNDANE BENEFITS: ELF CULT   Initiates of the Elf Cult .....
Also, every elf receives his elf seed. This will be planted on his initiation day and, in one year, will be ready for harvesting and finishing to become a fabled Elf Bow. It will take another year to finish, and each new Initiate must dedicate one week each season to making it. In two full years it will be done. .... Non-elves cannot do this as naturally as the wood-born  elves. If such members wish such a bow they must spend a Rune point of permanent Power to do so, under the guidance of their  local Tree Lord, and requiring four years total. "

" B. CONTINUING REQUIREMENTS: ELF CULT
Initiates of the Elf Cult must take a working part in the elf society.  "

And what about your human's ambition to become rune level?  Your adventuring days in company with human murder hobos are pretty much over:   " Wood Lords must never eat meat (Aldryami never do, in any case) and must never kill except in defense of themselves and their woods. "

Edited by Squaredeal Sten
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7 hours ago, Jeff said:

For a human joining the cult of Aldrya is similar to a human joining the cult of Kyger Litor. Lay membership is easy, but initiation is drastic. You are not a mere human being afterwards but Aldryami.

Are there any cults where you have to become human to join?

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2 hours ago, Squaredeal Sten said:


Initiates of the Elf Cult must take a working part in the elf society.  "

And what about your human's ambition to become rune level?  Your adventuring days in company with human murder hobos are pretty much over:   " Wood Lords must never eat meat (Aldryami never do, in any case) and must never kill except in defense of themselves and their woods. "

Like trees in a strong wind, I'm sure these rules will bend.

That means priest is still open.

Aren't Woodlords the ambassadors of elf forests?

All these rules are abstractions and as elves are seen as part of their forests 'defence' would be pretty liberal in its use.

In the past Aldryami have gone to war with other races, and killing Trolls and Dwarves is a mercy for them.

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