Druids of the Wolpertinger

The Druids of the Wolpertinger
Main Leader	Fylariea Talvethren
Races	Any Non-Undead
Classes	Any, excluding Necromancers, Death Knights, Undead, or Nightmare Druids
Affiliations	Cenarion Circle, Alliance
Patron	The Wolpertinger
Status	Active

The Druids of the Wolpertinger were a motley collection of druidic idealists, though they were not comprised exclusively of druids and would take any living creature that did not directly work against the interests of Life. The Druids of the Wolpertinger were an idealogical offspring of the Druids of the Moon and the principles of transience personified to Elune's many phases, and the idea of the hidden self. They were best known for extreme and excessive hedonism, especially the partaking of alcohol and drugs, and for being both incredibly elusive and unpredictable, often showing up in incredibly unlikely places to host their next party only to vanish into the morning after.

While like most druids they were beheld to preserve the balance of nature and defend the Cycle of Life and Death, the Druids of the Wolpertinger eschewed tradition by not taking or offering to their adherents a unique form to master. Instead, the Druids of the Wolpertinger believed in revealing, understanding, accepting, and if necessary conquering their 'true selves' in order to achieve harmony with nature. Much like their titular patron, they sought to remove their inhibitions through frequent, if not constant Dionysian pursuits. They were fundamentally focused on personal identity and one's relationship with the wild, as well as their place within the Cycle, and were broadly much more friendly to the idea of civilization and mortals in general than other secular groups, many of whom considered such elements as a part of nature instead of a stain to be removed.

This nuance was lost on most of the Druids of the Wolpertingers' critics, who pointed to the revelry and debauchery as proof that the totem was little more than an inane excuse to pursue such things. Many argued theirs was a fundamentally selfish sect with no basis in actual druidism, and that the very nature of the Dream not containing mortals was proof that their ideas were nonsense. It was sometimes even argued that their ideas were dangerous, and that in seeking to rehabilitate things such as ferals they played down the severity of such things and indeed opened doors for relapsing with less fear of permanent consequence than before, or that their ideology was inherently damaging and cult-like, as they most often sought the vulnerable and ostracized as 'needing their help the most'.

Theology

The Druids of the Wolpertinger believed primarily in principles of self-mastery and self-actualization. As such, while they had no preferred form in particular, the Druids of the Wolpertinger focused mostly on the lessons learned on the obtainment of those forms rather than the capability and mastery of the forms themselves. They encouraged mastery of a druid's native form through technique and clever subversion. These differed from normal martial arts in that the Druids of the Wolpertinger actively sought unique and subversive efficacy through the employment of any mutations they happened to have, such as antlers. Many of their arts were focused on dazzling displays of skill and finesse rather than strength or power, or the subversive acquisition of such through exploitation.

The Druids of the Wolpertinger believed that, much like the titular creature that spawned their totem, subtlety was the best tactic available to them, and usually preferred to resolve matters they were practically involved without anyone knowing they had done anything at all. Further, they held principles on the nature of power that generally suggested they go for the easiest possible effective solution. They believed power was inherently corruptive, and that theirs should not be seen or recognized unless it had to be. Though they tended to be extraordinarily capable in their fields, these tendencies to keep their work unknown prompted many to brand them as lazy or ineffectual, especially considering that among themselves they had no such qualms and were often very boisterous and bon-vivant in their revelry. There were exceptions, however; matters of the Nightmare, for example, demanded their full might be brought to bear.

This attitude toward power extended beyond their personal abilities and into the cosmic forces. They generally believed that powers from beyond the material world were inherently pervasive, even Life, and that all corrupted in their own way. Despite being exceptionally capable in the manipulation of the Emerald Dream, many sought to behave more like shamans or harvest witches, employing low-tier natural magic, bargains with spirits, or other such magics that did not require external forces to be invited into the world. Due to their self-imposed limits on the exercising of such powers, many Druids of the Wolpertinger were exceptionally good at magical loopholes and exploits in the rules and metaphysical laws of magic, and most had at least one signature trick they abused in excess.

Despite this, though who had been warped by cosmic forces were given the utmost respect. The Druids of the Wolpertinger considered 'chimeric beings' especially sacred, be they dualistic entities such as worgen, beastmen such as furbolg or gnolls, or exceptional druids who had drawn poor lots in the department of druidic mutations as Wildlings. Emblematic of this was their professed founder, Fylariea Talvethren, whose druidic mutations were extremely prevalent. Much like the titular totemic creature, she bore mutations that vaguely resembled a wolpertinger - antlers, wings, and feathery mane among them. Of course, wolpertingers themselves were additionally sacred and often drawn to their revelries in large numbers. This respect for chimeras did not stop short at physical corruption - uniquely, the Druids of the Wolpertinger also sought to rehabilitate ferals the Cenarion Circle had given up hope on, though this was less revered and more a product of their beliefs in autonomy.

Heralding back to their origins as an offshoot of the Druids of the Moon, the Druids of the Wolpertinger put a lot of stock in astrological events and significant milestones, and they structured their celebrations and revelries around them. They threw monthly esbats to honor Elune, and marked important milestones with sabbats, longer festivals usually heralded by celestial phenomena like solstices and eclipses. Further, they held a peculiar reverence and awareness of the passage and significance of moments of time, and many were attached to the circadian cycles of the world.

Effects and Practices

The primary practices of the Druids of the Wolpertinger revolved around mind-altering substances such as alcohol and drugs, almost as a staple of the sect. As such, the Druids of the Wolpertinger held a uniquely close relationship with such things - perhaps more than any other druid, they possessed a resistance to (and often an outright immunity to, unless they consciously chose to relax their guard) mind-alterants of most sources. They were difficult if not impossible to poison and immune to disease.

Attempting to influence the mind of a Druid of the Wolpertinger was a daunting task. Their constant testing of their own psyche tended to make their minds unassailable by all but the most powerful psychics, and few could truly make meaningful changes. They were broadly immune to swathes of mental trickery such as charms, fear, and madness - further, most possessed the ability to pierce through minor illusions, especially the natural sort, as well. Some possessed waking dreamsight, allowing them to see into the Emerald Dream and Azeroth at the same time.

Much like the titular creature they chose to champion, many of the Wolpertinger were particularly tricky to perceive when not under mind-altering effects. They generally lingered as half-seen shades semiphased into the Emerald Dream, a state they referred to as hypnagogia. They possessed a very close relationship with the Dream, and were highly capable of shifting into and out of it at will. Many used the transitory nature of the Dream to enhance themselves, entering the Dream to teleport at will, accelerate themselves before re-entering the physical plane, or subvert otherwise fatal blows.

The majority of the Druids of the Wolpertinger replaced their senescence with mutations as they aged, and were thus considered to be 'effectively immortal', like most semi-permanent denizens of the Dream. Further, they often made their base of operations in long-forgotten sublayers attached to the Emerald Dream, leaving only afterimages to be perceived by the waking wanderers with a mind to see them. However, not all Druids of the Wolpertinger were strictly druids. In the case when they had to cater to creatures without such abilities, the Druids of the Wolpertinger would generally flood bars and taverns as the sites for their revelry. They were noted to be exceptional tippers, though in taverns with games or gambling, horrible cheats.

Due to their monstrous forms and often maligned members, the Druids of the Wolpertinger were exceptionally secretive by nature, and earned much detraction, even amongst other druids, many of whom believed the Druids of the Wolpertinger were poor cover for outright pointless hedonism. They were often ridiculed and mocked, and the legitimacy of their totem was constantly called into question.