Antefalken chuckled. “Well, actually, the prolonged bonking is actually part of the bonding process for an incubus. So she was not doing it just for pleasure; it was also binding Reggie much closer to his mistress. Am I not right, Reggie?”
“Uhm, yeah,” Reggie stuttered, nearly forgetting that Antefalken did not realize he and Tom were recent arrivals in the Abyss. Tom nodded at him in approval. He still needed to explain things better to Reggie so he did not screw anything up. The lies were starting to get tricky; he was afraid they were only going to get worse.
Druids and Shamans[13]
Chapter 91
“Holy...” Gastropé breathed out, staring at the naked women surrounding them. Jenn closed her eyes tightly as they accidentally drifted across the hairy crotch of one of the brown, wingless demons. Satyrs — she knew they were satyrs, she had read about them and Trisfelt had told her stories about his travels among them — but they looked so much like wingless demons!
“So!” Trevin said loudly, drawing the group’s attention back to her. Opening her eyes, she noted that even Maelen was forcing his gaze to return to Trevin from the nymphs. “Welcome to the Grove!” A cheer rose up, followed by shouts of welcome and cheers from the assembled forest dwellers. Jenn nodded politely and tried very hard not to look at all the naked individuals.
“We will be spending the day here resting up, bathing and getting ready for launch shortly after fierdrise tomorrow. It’s timed with first tide, interestingly enough.” Trevin chuckled. “So I’m afraid that means we’ll be taking the skiffs at a very early hour, or perhaps very late hour depending on your nocturnal plans!” She winked at Maelen.
“On that note” — here she looked each of the outsiders in the eyes — “you may be aware that people here are extremely friendly, and even more curious. They love new experiences, new friends, etcetera. Thus you are all likely to receive invitations for fun and games.” Cheers rose from the local denizens. “Do not feel pressured into accepting; a polite ‘no thanks’ will always be respected, if grudgingly by some.” She glared at an older satyr standing nearby, who suddenly looked at the ground.
“But if you do accept, you need not fear the normal consequences.” Trevin smiled brightly. “Gentlemen, in case you were not aware, nymphs and dryads only get pregnant when they desire it, and the other ladies have their own precautions.”
Trevin smiled at Jenn, looking directly at her. “And while, yes, it is true that satyrs can breed with nearly every living species everywhere, it generally takes quite a bit of effort to prepare the host.” She paused for a moment as if thinking. “Typically for a human female, you’d need to have intercourse at least two dozen, if not three dozen times. So do not worry about a few rounds! Given the time we have, I doubt there’ll be time for more than a dozen attempts.” She smiled at Jenn, who found herself blushing furiously and somewhat angrily.
Trevin turned and smiled even wider at Gastropé. “It takes almost twice as much to prepare a male host, so feel free to have at it!” Gastropé blanched and adjusted his turban nervously. Trevin spun. “I have to go make a few arrangements. Allow the welcome committee to show you to a breakfast buffet and some bathing ponds so you can freshen up. We shall reconvene at lunch!” The enchantress waved and strode off quickly, disappearing into the throng of nymphs and satyrs.
Barabus entered the command tent where Iskerus was eating a late breakfast, presumably having tried to get a little sleep in himself. “Rested?” Barabus asked the Arch-Diocate.
“No,” Iskerus said rather irately — unusual for him. “Ruiden woke me this morning with a demand to watch the balling.”
“He was there! What does he need the balling for?” Barabus asked, puzzled.
“I have no idea. I did not ask. I am running at near capacity. I have been running back and forth between Oorstemoth and High Chamberlain Mericas in Justicia. I have finally gotten him to send church lawyers to work directly with these crazy people. Then, trying to provide hope and guidance to those who have been shaken, not to mention worrying myself as to why no Host has appeared to interrogate us as to this rather huge screw-up...” Iskerus was definitely looking frayed.
Iskerus looked at Barabus. “I need you to deal with the dagger and maybe work on some recommendations as to what to do with the priests who were possessed, along the lines of what you are doing for Rod members.”
Barabus nodded. “Not a problem.”
A knock came on the tent pole.
“Yes?” Barabus said, turning to the doorway.
“Sirs?” A Rod member stuck his head in. “I have the High Chaplain of Freehold here, along with another... gentleman.”
Iskerus sighed and closed his eyes for a moment. “Very well, show them in.”
The Rod member held the tent flap aside and in came the High Chaplain of Freehold, a man whose name Barabus could not recall. They had never met, but he had been told the man’s name in a briefing. Following the high chaplain was another man, a beggar — a very rank and gamy smelling beggar. Barabus backed up; the beggar appeared to be more a collection of festering wounds than a man.
The high chaplain bowed deeply to Iskerus and said, “Your Holiness.”
Iskerus nodded and gestured for him to arise.
“How may I help you, Uripes? Can I get a healer for your friend?” Iskerus asked.
The beggar seemed to take offense at this suggestion but before he could say anything, the high chaplain put a calming hand on the man’s forearm, which was luckily clothed in a very dirty robe.
“Actually, Your Holiness, I am afraid that is precisely the problem. This is Delapodos, our city’s beggar meister.” Iskerus nodded in greeting to the man. “It seems a high priestess of yours has been roaming the city healing beggars and depriving them of their livelihoods.”
“I would highly doubt that. The city is still under wards and I have not given permission to any of our people to enter it,” Iskerus said.
“Well, someone healed Rathbert up. Cured his blindness, got rid of his snotlung, all his boils and various other ailments, and claimed to do it in the name of Tiernon!” The beggar meister retorted angrily.
Barabus frowned. “Exactly how long did he lie there for this healer to do all of this? Could he not have escaped?”
Delapados looked at him suspiciously. “She just grabbed him while he stood there. It took but a few moments and he was all healed! He had no time to run; she was holding his hands mighty tight!”
“He was fully blind? Had snotlung, boils like your own?” Iskerus paused and Delapodos nodded. “And she cured all of this within moments from simply grasping his hands?”
“That’s what I said,” the beggar meister retorted, apparently angry that they did not seem to believe him.
Iskerus glanced at Barabus, who shrugged. “Well, I thank you both for reporting this! None of our people were authorized to be in the city; however, we shall certainly investigate.”
“What about reparations? He lost his livelihood! You need to order that priestess to put him back the way he was!” Delapodos demanded.
Iskerus grimaced. “I am afraid ‘putting him back’ is not something we can do. All of our priests and priestesses are sworn not to harm or cause disease. As far as other reparations: as I’ve said, we will investigate and get back to the high chaplain.”
“That’s not enough! She needs to make amends,” Delapodos demanded.
“We will work on that.” Iskerus was trying to get rid of the beggar. “High Chaplain, take down a description of the priestess from Master Delapodos and get it to me as soon as possible.”
The high chaplain nodded and began trying to drag the beggar meister from the tent. The man did not want to go and was most upset.
“Trust us, Master Delapodos, we shall get to the bottom of this and justice shall be done!” Barabus said as he closed the tent flap behind the high chaplain and the beggar meister.
They waited in silence for the two get out of hearing range. Given the loud complaints of the beggar meister, this was not hard to judge. Once they left, Barabus asked, “So do you have a high priestess who can heal that fast?”
Iskerus snorted. “Not likely. I could not heal someone with that man’s issues that fast. Disease is far more pernicious and harder to root out than simple flesh wounds.”
“So who is this woman?” Barabus asked.
Iskerus shrugged. “I have no idea who, or even what profession could heal that fast.”
“And would do so in the name of Tiernon,” Barabus added.
Iskerus sighed. “Only an avatar could heal that fast.”
“So you think there is an avatar of Tiernon in Freehold?” Barabus asked.
“Why would an avatar of Tiernon be in there?” Iskerus pointed to the warded city. “We are out here! Any avatar would come to speak with us first. Plus, no demons can get into that city; how would an avatar get in?”
“Then what?” Barabus asked.
“I have no idea. I may have just reached my limit,” Iskerus stated sadly before finishing his tea.
Druids, along with animages, are one of the most enigmatic professions in the world. Like the animage, part of this stems from the fact that the job specialization found within the profession can at times be so distinct as to make the specializations seem like completely different professions. Similar to animages, druids tend to guard rather closely the secrets of their power, making themselves seem more mysterious. This is different from clerics, who make no secret about where their power comes from, or wizards, who also make no secret of their craft; they simply charge a lot to teach people what they do. Finally, unlike the animage, a druid’s sense of secrecy comes not so much from historical reasons, but rather from the fact that most druids are more concerned about the natural and spirit worlds than the worlds of men. Hence, druids tend to ignore the questions of men, trying to answer instead the questions of nature.
There are three distinct types of druids. All three types share the same method of collecting and utilizing mana, and all three effectively have the same goals in mind: that of understanding and preserving the natural world around them. The differences in the specializations come in the means to these goals and their training on how to observe the natural world.
All druids generally use processed mana, or spirit mana, that has been absorbed and collected by living things. They collect the excess mana radiated by the living world around them and channel it back into the world in a more constructive manner (in theory, at least). This is not a hard-and-fast rule, however. Because they use mana that has been processed by living creatures, they are similar to clerics, but they do not have the intermediate buffer of the deity, so their use of mana can be a bit more hazardous.
The different approaches for druidic lore are given below. These are only rough overviews of the different lores. These are broad patterns that often vary and even overlap in different places and cultures. Also, one should be aware that while the ultimate goals are the same, and that while in some cultural groups these traditions and methods may overlap and blend, mix, and match, there are also places in the world where the different traditions are vehemently opposed to one another. The most notable of these are conflicts between hermetic and animistic druids in some parts of the world.
Hermetic Lore: Hermetic druidism holds that the entire world, nature, and super-nature is a completely closed set. As such, it has limits and rules that can be understood and manipulated. Hermetic druids use ritualistic ceremonies, chants and complex dances to manipulate the natural world and influence the spirits that govern the day-to-day operation of nature.
Shamanistic Lore: Shamanistic druidism holds that the world is populated by vast numbers of powerful spirits and beings, humanoid-kind being only the smallest part. It is the harmonious interaction of all these beings, these flows of animus and spirit, that drive the world. All such spirits have knowledge and intelligence to at least some degree, and by interacting positively with these beings, the good of all can be served.
Animistic Lore: Animistic druidism holds that all of nature and super-nature is one. While on the surface, there is the appearance of separateness and individual free will among different beings and spirits, in reality all are part of a single entity. While at times, parts of the body may work in opposition to each other and sometimes even against the greater good of the whole, these are but temporary deviations. Animistic druids work at causing all parts of the Oneness to work together harmoniously for the greater good. Since animistic druids realize that all spirit, all animus, and even all matter and mana are one, they are able to manipulate all of these forms of the Oneness, much as they would their body. Consequently, the actual manipulation of mana and animus is very similar to that of animages.