"Tak no sommei sod klash do,
Aus no sommei Druishon bo."
From the Light all darkness flee;
In the Light all Druids be.
~The Druids~
They are more a guild now than actual lineage, however that does not matter it seems. Their magic creates Druid blood in any who accept their ways, and this leads to all sorts of wonderful things. The Druids live longer, stronger, healthier lives than most. Modern Druids live in what used to be Moonlocke Abbey, home of the Ancient Druids of Moonlocke.
The Druids and their ways are kept a mystery to all those who do not embrace the ways of Moonlocke. It was not always this way, but the threat of the Koe Brotherhood had created the need for secrecy. There are several rules that must be obeyed, all of which are outlined in the Tekosh. To enter into the ranks of the Druids, one must first be presented a Sapphire stone by a full fledged member, signifying the begining of the Test. Those who possess Sapphire stones are called Jeri (J-Air-Eye), Striving Ones. Once the Test is completed, another member will take the Sapphire from the Jeri and grant them an Emerald stone. This deems them a full fledged member, also known as Dei'Sa (Die-Sa), the People. Dei'Sa have the right to grant Sapphire stones to furres they deem worthy of the guild; any may begin the test but only those who belong will pass it. The last, and highest, among the Druids is the Ocri (Ok-Rye), the Powers. Only an Ocri may grant this title to another furre, and to obtain it the Dei'Sa must be approved of by three Ocri (but under certain circumstances, this can change). The Ocri each carry a Jade stone. An Ocri can remove any Jeri from the guild, three Ocri can remove any Dei'Sa, and a majority vote from all Ocri may remove an Ocri from the guild.
The Druids strive always to better themselves and their fellow Druids, along with any other furre who they find in their power to help. They follow the ways of the Tekosh and hold virtue, honor, love, and compassion above all else. They kept secretive about their alliance because of the Koe, a Brotherhood bent on destroying the Druids. They almost succeeded once before, when they destroyed Moonlocke Abbey, but a few survived and began to spread their knowledge in secret to keep it from happening again.
~The Test~
The Test is a trial period of a Jeri to see if they are fit to join the Druids. There are several reasons for the Test. One is that most are not meant to become Druids. Either they are too serious or not serious enough, or they possess something of a dismal attitude. These are traits the Druids have no wish to force out of anyone, but will not allow into the guild. Another reason is that it takes two Dei'Sa to accept the furre into our ranks. This eliminates one single furre from inviting in unwanted furres, because while one furre may make the initial mistake, another furre must approve. And an Ocri can cancel the Test if he deems the Jeri unwanted in the Druids of Moonlocke. The last and one of the most important reasons is to make sure the applicant is not in league with any enemies of the Druids of Moonlocke. This is not easy to confirm, but all Druids are required to make an extensive search of the Jeri before granting them Dei'Sa status. No Jeri may be allowed into the underground temple of Moonlocke or told of its existance (unless under special circumstances).
~Estei~
The power of the Druids flow in and out like the tide. The tide of power and the Light is strong almost always, but occasionally it drops. The furre will know because they will have feelings of fear, sadness, hate, or other negative impulses. It happens to all Druids. When it does, a Druid is permitted to accept the state of Estei, in which they revoke all of their responsibilities and priviledges. They may go anywhere in Moonlocke, but they do not possess rank while they are in Estei. Jeri may not go into Estei. All other Druids are to do what is needed to bring the furre gently out of this state while at the same time watch them carefully to make sure they do no harm to themselves or others. If a Ti'Ra or Rai'Tal ever go into this state, the other does also.
~Combat~
The Druids of old forbid combat, shunning it as evil. All
things could be solved without it, they thought. But the Koe managed to wipe
them out with no resistance because the Old Druids denied the possibility
that combat could be a useful skill for defense. The New Druids have taken
up combat, as the Ocri see fit, for methods of defense and
protection of others. This skill is not required of every furre, but can be
taught and learned in the sessions down in the arena. It is important to realize that the Druids do indeed have enemies, but they also have allies. Fighting will go on in Moonlocke, but good will almost always prevail.