Children of Winter
"Even now, the fell wind blows from the north, a biting harbinger of the long winter to come—a messenger of plague, of doom, and of new birth."The Children of Winter is the most misunderstood of the druid sects— though this makes members no less dangerous. Many outside observers believe the sect worships death and decay, and that its members hope to destroy the world. Little could be farther from the truth. The Children do not worship death, but simply embrace it as part of the natural order. They believe that disease, storm, and blight all play a vital role in the cycle of life, weeding out the weak and infirm. The Children of Winter say that civilization has drawn people away from this natural cycle, allowing the weak to survive, and that nature will not allow this to continue. For ages, they have been waiting for a great cataclysm to scourge the world with plague and catastrophe, but despite what others think, the sect does not see this event as the end of things. It is simply the dark winter that paves the way for the new spring. Winter is harsh but necessary, and the strong shall survive and prosper. For most of their history, the Children of Winter have been content to wait for the end of the current age, studying the spread of the Gloaming and doing their part to maintain the natural order. In the wake of the Day of Mourning, the druids have come to the conclusion that winter is finally rising—and that it is the duty of its children to aid the approaching apocalypse. Now the Children of Winter are moving out from the Gloaming, preparing to spread plague and despair—all for the good of the world. All members of the sect trust that the long winter will come, but some believe the time is not yet nigh. A handful of these have left the Eldeen Reaches in search of proof that the elders have misread the signs—that the Day of Mourning was the work of human hands, not of the forces of nature. Due to their close bond with disease, the Children of Winter have remarkable skill as healers. Though they prefer to let plagues run their natural course, members of the sect can be convinced to use this knowledge to aid others.—Forlorn, Child of Winter
"They embrace the whole of nature, which is more than most of us can say. Sometimes we need to be reminded of the things we would prefer to ignore."—The Great Druid Oalian
Structure
The Children of Winter counts some eleven hundred members across the Eldeen Reaches and beyond. Its members are mostly human, and shifters make up the largest part of the remainder. The sect tends toward evil alignment, embracing the natural forces that are inimical to life and health.
The Children of Winter congregate in the Gloaming in the southern part of the Towering Wood, but since the Day of Mourning they have been more active outside that area. They do not have any fixed meeting places or headquarters, but roam in almost feral bands led by elders and charismatic druids or rangers.
The sect has no single leader, but its members gravitate around those who have the strength of personality to gather followers and the strength of arms to keep their positions. The Children of Winter believe only the strong will survive the winter to come, so they respect those who demonstrate strength. Foremost among these is Raven (NE female human druid 9/warlock 3). A sinister figure clearly touched by darkness, she walks the woods surrounded by vermin and presages the coming devastation through her violent actions. Raven rejects the common association between warlocks and the fiends of Khyber (see Warlocks, page 35), believing that her powers come from the power of the Gloaming and the force that will cleanse the land. Forlorn (N male half-elf druid 11) is the spiritual counterpart to Raven’s aggressive strength. He is withdrawn, emerging from seclusion only to proclaim his latest apocalyptic vision.
Other notable Children of Winter include Frost (N female human druid 4), who intends to prove that the omens about the imminent coming of the winter have been misread; Anguish (NE male orc ranger 6/Eldeen ranger 3), who is determined to see the winter come; Cainan (NE male human druid 9), who spends his time in Sharn investigating legends of an ancient Lady of the Plague; and Fell (NE female shifter druid 7), an alchemist who has a morbid fascination with disease.
Type
Druidic Circle
Parent Organization
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