The Dark Druids of the Aching Ponds

The Dark Druids of the Aching Ponds, or simply the Dark Druids are a druidic circle localized primarily in the forest of Timbersprive. These druids have earned themselves a somewhat aggressive reputation. They believe in the natural decay of all things in the life process. They emphasize that all life reaches its natural end in a respectful way. To outsiders, this can come off as a cruel and heartless doctrine. The druids will not intervene in an animal consuming an adventurer, simply because that animal needs to eat and the adventurer needs to meet their end one day. This worldview puts them at odds with other druidic circles, as most others focus on creating and nurturing life. The Dark Druids see themselves as the necessary counterbalance to unrestricted creation of life.    The Aching Ponds are the central location and holy site for the order. They are a collection of small pools of water that have been infused with spores and minerals over millennia in the Cave of Thranibal. The Dark Druids have a process that they call "Enlightening Decay," in which they dip their bodies in these pools. The water has an effect on all living things that touch it which makes them conscious of their body's slow decay as they live and grow old. The process is not painful but can be frightening and must be repeated every few years. New members of the circle must undertake this process as a way to solidify their place in the life cycle. The Enlightening Decay is more intense for members with a shorter life span. It will weigh more heavily on a Human than it will an Elf.    Members who go many years without baptizing themselves in the Aching Ponds may develop madness from being away too long, as they develop a sense of false relief from their decay. This can lead to these members feeling an idea of immortality about themselves. They lose the ability to feel pain, which puts them at risk of harming themselves unknowingly. These members will be treated as heretics by the circle and promptly killed off. Their remains are put on effigies around the forest for the local fauna to feed on. This is not a punishment, but it is seen as a way of undoing the notion of being outside the life cycle.