Rhyfellion

The Rhyfellion are an age-old, secretive organization within the Mynyw that maintains a connection to the land, nature, and elemental spirits. Though modern terms label them as Shaman and Druids, those of the Rhyfellion reject such labels despite the similarities in philosophies, spells, and practices.

The goals and mantra of the Rhyfellion have made them a pseudo-protectors of the land; they are not officially sanctioned by the Mynyw government by any means, but are tolerated due to their original evolution from extremists who killed in the name of nature to moderates who have protected the Mynyw against the forces of evil and corruption.

Membership within the Rhyfellion has always been in flux; purges and divisions have happened throughout their history as they have evolved. From the evolution from extremism to the Vigilant-Split to the Llwach Rebellion, the influence and power of the Rhyfellion has waned to a few dozen members in recent years.

Still, the Rhyfellion have had and will continue to have a marked effect on Mynyw society until they are extinguished completely.

=Organization=

Like most of Mynyw society, the Rhyfellion do not follow a rigid organizational hierarchy. There are no true ranks and no true leadership within the organization. Instead, the Rhyfellion relies on decisions of individuals to pursue what they believe to be the best courses of action. However, the group has maintained a single-minded purpose despite the expected chaos.

In order to combat the chaos of a leaderless nature, the Rhyfellion gather around the equinoxes and solstices of every year in order to come to group decisions, dole out any punishments for possible heretical actions, and give out commendations for actions the group finds suitable to its cause.

On a social basis, elder members are prized for their wisdom and guidance; it is they who are relied upon to pass down the ideals and practices of the age-old group. This has been both a boon and a curse to the Rhyfellion, however: as the years see a substantial drop in numbers, so too does their collective knowledge pool decrease. It also causes a lack of desire to change within the organization, often causing violence and division to take root.

Sects
Despite their disdain for organization, two different ‘sects’ of Rhyfellion have emerged\

Derwydd
The Derwydd of the Rhyfellion are the standard clerics, spellcasters, witches, and other such non-martial members of the Rhyfellion. Often called upon to heal, cast spells, and cleanse areas of corruption, the Derwydd tend to be a support and wisdom-centric group.

Being the original group at the start of the Rhyfellion, Derwydd tend to favor staves, spellbooks, and daggers. They also have a tendency to fight and heal from a range using a variety of spells and skills at their disposal.

Rhyfelwyr
The Rhyfelwyr of the Rhyfellion are a more martial minded sect. Believing that violence is the way of the world, those who specialize as a Rhyfelwyr are called upon to protect nature, groves, and the people from external threats. Though some might have skills similar to the Derwydd, it is their combat skills that make a Rhyfelwyr.

Similar to modern-day Paladins, Rhyfelwyr tend to wear heavier armor such as chain and plate or transform into animals whose hides are thick or graceful in order to combat their enemies.

There is at least two Rhyfelwyr to every Derwydd.

=Practices=

Mentorship
In order to increase numbers, the Rhyfellion take on unskilled or new members to the Rhyfellion as a sort of ‘squire’. These squires as known as Yswain. This is typically how elder members pass down their wisdom to the next generation, training the Yswain to not only replace the mentor, but become even greater and acquire more knowledge to pass down.

Once the mentor believes an Yswain to be ready, the Yswain may undergo a trial. These trials only ever occur on one of the equinoxes or solstices in the view of their Rhyfellion peers. Failure does not explicitly mean rejection from advancing or exile from the organization, merely that the mentorship continues until the Yswain improves.

Trial of Groves
The Trial of Groves is the test which Yswain take in order to become fully-fledged members of the Rhyfellion. It is divided into three Groves in which Yswain undergo a strenuous exercise to show what they’ve learned and their level of competence of skills.

First Grove
The Yswain are put into a grove and given a soup which contains several psychedelic plants in order to put the candidate into a fragile state of mind. The candidates are then subjected to questioning in order to break the candidate -- forcing the candidate to use any skills they’ve learned to break the psychedelic effects or resist the questions they are asked.

After the Grove is completed, Senior Members vote on the individual Yswain’s performance. Three votes must be cast in order for the Yswain to move on.

Second Grove
In the second Grove, Yswain are divided into groups of three with at least two Rhyfelwyr candidates and one Derwydd candidate. They are then pit against a soulless construct summoned and controlled by a senior Derwydd, who conducts the test. The Yswain are required to bring down the construct to the best of their ability.

The Grove is designed to show the adaptability of the candidates as it is normal for the Yswain to not know each other’s skills. It is a symbolic in that the Rhyfellion tend to be individualistic and are often required to fight side-by-side. The groups of Yswain tend to go on and form bonds with their comrades during this Grove.

Those who survived the first Grove tend to fare better in the second, lending to a more than seventy percent success rate among candidates. Death is rare in this Grove despite its dangers, but has occurred in the past.

Third Grove
The third and final Grove is where the Yswain often go to confront their internal demons. Yswain drink another concoction of herbs and plants which allows their minds to be accessed. A senior member will then cast a spell to project their internal demon in front of them for them to overcome.

These internal demons typically take on the form of something that needs to be combatted, such as a wolf, bear, or even an actual demon. It is almost always purely representational to the problems and obstacles candidates have had to endure in the past.

Veteran members of the Rhyfellion often proclaim this to be the hardest of the three Groves, with only a forty percent success rate.

Finale
Once the three Groves are completed, the Yswain are welcomed back into the fold regardless of whether they passed or failed any of the Groves. Those who succeeded all three Groves are celebrated for their successes and move onto gain their tattoos, but those who failed even one Grove are encouraged to continue practicing and to participate in the next Trial upon the following equinox or solstice.

Some Yswain choose not to continue, however -- leaving the Rhyfellion with what training they have.

Grove Tattoos
All Rhyfellion, whether they be Derwydd or Rhyfelwyr, have the same azure tattoos that cover their body. These tattoos not only represent a bond to their fellow Rhyfellion, but also have a magical purpose: as the tattoos are being imprinted on the Yswain who have completed the Trial of Groves, several elder members of the Rhyfellion are chanting and channeling magical energy into them.

These Grove Tattoos act as a conduit for natural energy to flow more freely through them. Where natural energy simply trickled once before, now it flowed with no impedance whatsoever. This tends to increase the power of the Yswain substantially.

The tattoos are lines that run along the hands and arms to the torso. Along the torso, they run into swirls along the upper back and chest. These tattoos can be extended over time to start at the feet and run along the legs to the stomach and lower back of the candidate as well, resulting in two different flows of the body. They are then connected in some way, though that is at the discretion of the tattoo artist.

Additional, Non-Magical Tattoos
Some Rhyfellion have chosen to get tattoos of a non-magical nature that signify their connection to their sect or other special purpose. Tattoos is of a large cultural significance to the Rhyfellion and are always azure in color.

=History=

No one truly knows how the Rhyfellion began their existence as an organization; the group has always been secretive about their history and the various purges and splits have caused them to forget their history altogether. However, there are several points in which are known to all who have knowledge of the Rhyfellion.

Evolution from Extremism
Sometime in -1400 L.C. The earliest forms of the Rhyfellion were extremists who pushed back against modernization, believing that the Mynyw had to be one with nature in order to truly survive in this world. The extremist elements of the Rhyfellion often attacked villages and raided to keep the villages from expanding past what they already were.

However, the early Mynyw rose up against them. This is believed to be one of the reasons why the Wolfenhold Wardens were so prized, being called upon to combat the Rhyfellion. As the extremist members perished, the Rhyfellion moved and agreed to become more moderate to become Protectors of the Land, rather than its own warriors and witches.

This new mantra became the staple to the Rhyfellion in the coming times

The Light Comes to the Heartlands
Approximately -873 L.C. Several generations later, the Light came to the Human kingdoms. Traveling clerics moved into the Heartlands to proselytize the heathens that the Mynyw were, “civilizing” their ways. However, the Rhyfellion were the main combatants against these clerics and often came to blows with them.

However, the word of the Light was spread regardless -- the clerics bringing armed zealots with them to protect them. Over time, even members of the Rhyfellion converted and began to proselytize and combat against their former brethren. These rogue Rhyfellion organized, becoming known as the Vigilants, taking on a Common name in order to show their reverence to the Light.

After a long and heated debate among one particular equinox, the organization split completely -- with many siding with the Vigilants. This has caused a long-standing conflict between the two unsanctioned Mynyw groups that persists even today, though there is much less violence.

Llwach Rebellion
Many, many generations later the Rhyfellion were slowly falling in terms of membership and their place within Mynyw society. More conservative members of the Rhyfellion, seduced by the Sect of Llwach, participated in the rebellion that saw the Llwach Sect exiled.

Only a third of the Rhyfellion joined the rebels, the latter two thirds joining the loyalists. The Rhyfellion were extreme against their brethren, allowing for no mercy to come to them. This fierce fighting caused the Rhyfellion to dwindle down to less than one hundred members.

Current Day
The last few decades have seen a continued dwindling of the Rhyfellion’s ranks. With the plague, Forsaken invasion of the Heartlands, and subsequent conflicts across the globe. There are now less than three dozen Rhyfellion actively teaching and combating the forces that threaten the Heartlands, causing them to become far more reclusive and secretive.

Yet hope remains that the Rhyfellion will resurge, but it will require reforms within their organization to survive the coming storm...