They guard over the knowledge of the Elves and care for nature’s well-being. But the call to arms echoes through the forests of Taborea and they are the ones who are appointed to defend their people and guard the kingdom’s borders.
‘Chapter II – The Elven Prophecy’ introduces two new classes into Runes of Magic. These are the Druids and the Wardens. Both are classes of the Elven folk and their abilities are rooted in the forces of nature. Placed on their own the Druids and Wardens are excellent warriors. In the group context they use their use their abilities to support their allies and so simultaneously pit themselves against the adversary.
Druids take on the function of priests in Elven society. They are the custodians of the knowledge which the Elves have gathered about the forces of nature. By means of this knowledge druids have abilities which resemble those of the mage. Among female druids, those who are most complete in their knowledge of the forces of nature rise up to join the circle of possible wives of the king. Only the queen herself can be appointed as the high priestess.
In order to apply their abilities, druids use the dormant powers within them and use these to build up ‘Nature’s Power’. They can then use this to increase the action of their abilities, or to add effects to them. The amount of ‘Nature’s Power’ that the druid builds up is dependent upon which ability they use. They also have to consider most exactly the sequence in which they use their abilities in order to achieve the best possible effects.
In the use of their power, the druids can choose whether or not they wish to concentrate on supporting and healing their allies, or on directing the devastating force of nature at their enemy. And so in the course of their life-long education, they decide whether they wish to dedicate their powers more strongly toward healing and supportive functions, or more towards the destructive. Whereas the healing powers of the druids often achieve rapid effects, the damage that they can cause works over a longer period. As in nature the druid’s power unfolds slowly but enduringly.
The Wardens serve as guardians of nature. In times of peace it is their responsibility to ensure that the rules are abided to which in turn preserve the forests of Taborea, the Elves’ natural habitat. Over time the wardens have learned to communicate with the plants in their surroundings and have entered into a kind of symbiosis with them. While they protect the plants and teach them how to specialise, the plants make their powers and abilities available to them. The intimate relationship with nature allows the wardens to summon nature spirits, which then accompany them on their way through the forests and protect them in combat. In the course of their lives wardens receive different companions, their appearance and abilities are dependent on the warden’s experience and competence.
The wardens have a further duty upon them which is to defend the Elven folk from any danger which may threaten them. For this reason every warden passes through an excellent schooling in the use of various close combat weapons. In addition, wardens also have powers which strengthen both them and their comrades-in-arms and form a useful support in combined battles.
It is not uncommon that the tide of combat has been turned to the Elves’ advantage by the wardens and when in large numbers, there’s been barely an enemy which has not been put to flight as a consequence of the combat skill of the wardens and the natural force of their companions.
