Post by Girana Spiritflower on Jun 19, 2016 19:47:26 GMT
Origins of Yggdrasil
Yggdrasil as a guild was created rather spontaneously, and honestly it wasn't supposed to become a guild at all. At least, that wasn't the intention of the founders of the guild, who before that point had very little reaction with either the humans or the way that they handled things.
It began when the two mythical creatures, Girana Spiritflower the dryad and Ryu Hinote the spirit, encountered the Arcane Mage who introduced herself as Vierra. Vierra was on a mission to find so-called 'Arcane Aspects', and after explaining the importance of finding these Aspects the dryad and the spirit agreed to helping her find those Aspects, since their duty is to help protect nature and the world from anything which might bring long-lasting harm, something which the Arcane Aspects are certainly capable of if not kept in check somehow. Their journey first brought them to Hargeon Town, where things already became very chaotic. The three of them got involved in the job of dealing with a group trying to produce and smuggle drugs, using children as labourers. While they were successful in this attempt one of the results was Ryu getting bored and, using Girana's ability to commune and control nature, made a humongous oak tree nearly instantly sprout and grow at the location previously occupied by the warehouse which served as the headquarters of the drug business. While the other people involved in the chaos left the town after that Girana stayed behind to take care of the tree which, once its growth spurt had ended, already had roots reaching the very edge of Hargeon Town's outskirts and whose branches and leafs would leave most of the town in shadow for most of the day. A tree whose trunk is as thick if not even thicker than the warehouse it has replaced, and whose height would reach easily reach double digits multiple times if measured in floors.
Founding of Yggdrasil
The 'Archtree' that Girana and Ryu have created has some special properties, making it much more than simply a massive formation of wood. Due to the mystical powers that were involved in its creation, and the effort Girana put into ensuring that the tree would be able to survive and thrive without harming its surroundings, the tree is now acting as a source of both life and magic, acting like a beacon for all things which are attracted to these two things. Thanks to Ryu's rather unusual connection with the world and Girana's status as one of the Great Mother's most beloved children the Archtree ended up being able to directly take and return energy to the grand flow that supports all of that which Girana would call Gaia (also known as nature). Because this flow encompasses the entire world even though the Archtree draws energy from it and provides that energy to its surroundings the amount it takes is still so miniscule as to be non-existent when compared to what the great flow contains. However while from the perspective of the world the amount of energy is small, for one town and its surroundings it's a huge amount indeed. So much that it didn't very long after the creation of the tree before Girana learned that quite a lot of creatures were gathering around her new home, wishing to be close to this new source of life and magic. Both humans and spirits, animals and plants, druids and dryads gathered around the tree, and Girana welcomed them to make it their new home, since the Archtree is large enough that it can easily support many inhabitants.
This continued until eventually a member of the Magic Council arrived to enquire about the tree, what had made it appear and why it was there. It was at this point that Yggdrasil was founded as a guild, as Girana was informed that gathering so many magic creatures and mages was basically the same as creating a guild, even though she had never been intending to do anything like that. Seeing how it was a lot easier to just acknowledge the formation of the guild the dryad conceded, and both the tree and the guild were named Yggdrasil, the name of the legendary World Tree that supports the entire world and acts as the centre point of nature.
Nature of Yggdrasil
Being a rather unusual and mythical guild Yggdrasil has some special characteristics that everyone who wants to join it should be aware of. Fortunately most of these characteristics are positive, with as only downside that they also create some restrictions on who is able to join. While Girana is quite amiable and willing to accept anybody who wants to join she also has her responsibilities as a dryad and protector of nature, and just because she had become the leader of a guild doesn't mean those duties have become less important. If anything having been granted an important position in the world of mortals might have made her duties even more important, since she is now in an even better position to directly fulfil those duties.
First off, only creatures and entities whose behaviour or being don't conflict with nature or are a threat to either nature or the world can join. The reason being that protecting nature and making sure no long-lasting harm is done to Gaia are the core duties of the guild master, Girana Spiritflower. The more in tune you are with the world and nature the more at home you'll feel in Yggdrasil, the guild whose purpose is not to provide a family, or to make you a hero, but to simply appreciate and learn about nature, and if possible attune and become one with nature. The most common type of mage you'll encounter in Yggdrasil isn't the flashy pyromancer or the wizened arcanist. In Yggdrasil the vast majority of mages will be druids, healers and others whose magics are either directly related to and connected with life (in the positive sense!), or whose magic supports and aids others. Girana and the other dryads that have made Yggdrasil their home aren't warriors, heroes, or scholars. Their duty is to aid, heal and protect, and since they are the ones in charge of Yggdrasil their duties form the main purpose of the entire guild.
Second, Yggdrasil's properties as a direct link to Gaia. Gaia is what the dryads call the great flow of life that combines all of nature, which spans across the entire world. While there might be sections of nature which aren't directly linked (most often because some great magic has used to twist and corrupt it), it is safe to assume that any place in the world which hasn't been messed with through magic or other powerful means is reached by Gaia. This flow of life is supported by all life on the planet and supports all life on the planet. It can be seen as a practically inexhaustible source of life, spirit and magic, as it is what allows for all these things to exist in this world. When Girana and Ryu created Yggdrasil the dryad made the tree an existence which could use Gaia to support itself even more strongly than most of nature is capable of, because otherwise such a large tree appearing out of nowhere would without question cause a lot of trouble for both the land and the lifeforms around it. With this strengthened link to Gaia Yggdrasil can thrive and instead of harming its surroundings it actually acts as a source of the life and magic that the lifeforms around it might need to survive and thrive as well. In effect this means that Yggdrasil is an extremely durable and sturdy tree which could survive punishment several times what it would normally take to take down a tree of this size. Furthermore plants grow faster and with more variety around Yggdrasil, and animals (including humans) and other lifeforms will find themselves having an easier time staying healthy and energetic. Simply put, around Yggdrasil all forms of life will have an easier time reproducing and maturing properly, and living longer and healthier as well. Those who become part of the guild notice this the most, as continuous exposure to the tree's powers will cause their wounds to regenerate notably quicker than usual and make illness and disease a lot easier to resist and fight off.
Third, Yggdrasil is a guild founded by a dryad and a spirit, and as such any expectations of it being a human-focused guild should immediately be abandoned. There might be humans who believe that humanity is more important than any other animal or plant, however any of these humans who would try to enforce this kind of belief underneath the branches of Yggdrasil will quickly find that they are in the wrong place for such philosophies. Of course this isn't limited to humans: Girana has lived her entire life as someone who exists outside of the mortal cycle, since she herself is an immortal protector and nurturer of nature. From her point of view all life is important, and she will not tolerate any attempts made by anybody to look down or abuse other lifeforms, or try to pull advantage only for their own kind. While she understands that for mortal creatures to care for your own is more important than to care for all living things she will not allow that kind of behaviour to continue inside Yggdrasil, here where one does not have to worry about survival and thus has no excuse for selfishness or any form of discrimination. Yggdrasil is a guild which attracts creatures of all kinds, from druids to dryads to treants to fae. In Yggdrasil any person you encounter is just as likely to be some kind of mythical being as a human, so one has to be prepared for this and one can't ever try to discriminate against anybody.
Lastly, while this guild has as focus supporting and helping all life and being one with nature they will not tolerate anything, be it sentient or not, that is harmful to life and nature. Ever since the creation of Yggdrasil no necromancer shall remain in Hargeon Town for long, because the dryads will make sure that they'll either leave peacefully or be ejected forcefully. Practitioners of the art of death are the arch-nemeses of those who protect and nurture life, and the dryads will not tolerate any form of discussion about this. Undead are even worse since they aren't just practitioners of the art of death, they ARE representations of death and mockeries of life. The dryads of Yggdrasil will attempt to return any undead to Gaia quite viciously unless that undead can very quickly explain why they should be left alone. Demons are allowed, although since demons have a bit of a reputation to take the wrong side when it comes to whether to protect or harm nature the dryads aren't too eager about demons.
(OOC NOTE: this does not mean any necromancer/undead/demon will get attacked on sight if they decide to enter Hargeon Town. However Hargeon Town has become a bastion of life, so you will have to be quite careful. Also, it is strongly advised not to visit Hargeon Town just because you want to show off how you aren't afraid of the protectors of life if you happen to be a necromancer or something similar. That kind of behaviour never impresses anybody, it just means you're causing trouble in an attempt to look cool).
Symbol of Yggdrasil
Leaders and Protectors of Yggdrasil
The Leaders
Girana Spiritflower & Ryu Hinote
The founders of Yggdrasil and the ones who are in charge. Girana is the one who acts like an actual guild master, in that she looks after the members of the guild, makes sure there are no problems and acts as the one who guides the rest of the guild in what their intentions are and what their goals should be. Ryu on the other hand is more considered a leader because of his connection with Girana. He doesn't take a lot of responsibility and in general more does what he feels like. However he will also help if asked and if the guild as a whole is threatened Ryu is the one who will make sure that whatever threatened the guild no longer does so.
The Four Dryads
Miirik Grassblade
The first of the four dryads that help Girana look after Yggdrasil and help out the other members of the guild, Miirik looks the most human with as only outstanding trait the wings on her back which look like they're made out of large blades of grass. Miirik is a soft-spoken and somewhat introverted character, who has mostly come to Yggdrasil because there are other dryads here but isn't too comfortable dealing with all the other creatures that gather here. While she also does her best to help her talents are somewhat more offensive than those of most dryads, which means she's often doing more menial tasks. Miirik's speciality is 'wind blowing through the plains': a combination of wind based abilities and a special technique which allows her to make blades of grass and leafs as sharp as razors.
Urin Forestlight
The second of the four dryads that help Girana look after Yggdrasil and help out the other members of the guild, Urin is the only one of the four to be shorter than Girana (when Girana is not in her mature form), and whereas Girana looks like a petite woman Urin just gives the impression that she may still be a child. She's also the most enthusiastic of the Four Dryads, constantly moving about and doing things. Her speciality is 'light on the lake in the forest': a combination of (sun)light, mirages and restorative abilities along with the usual nature-based abilities (OOC: link does not show tail similar to female draenei, and metal ears are replaced by elven ears).
Nimah Autumnleaf
The third of the four dryads that help Girana look after Yggdrasil and help out the other members of the guild, Nimah is by far the most antisocial of the four. In fact she barely interacts with anybody but Girana, showing reluctance even to speak to the other dryads. When asked her explanation is that she only is here to make sure that the animals won't harm the tree, and that she finds it strange that all the other dryads are making themselves look so much like those animals. However she also has a strong sense of responsibility, so she will get things done. Her speciality is 'depths of the forgotten woods': of the four she has the most control over plants, and also is the only one other than Girana who can use fire, albeit in severely limited amounts.
Kansho Sunmirror
The fourth of the four dryads that help Girana look after Yggdrasil and help out the other members of the guild, Kansho is considered somewhat of an oddity because instead of only protecting and nurturing life she also subdues and moderates it, preventing any form of life becoming too dominant and oppressing all the others. While Kansho was originally not too happy at the idea of Yggdrasil being made she has conceded that now that it's already been made safe for its surroundings by Girana it functions as a good place for dryads to gather. She's overall actually quite nice and motherly. Her speciality is 'the two sides of nature': aside from the usual nurturing abilities all dryads possess she can also do the reverse, controlling frost and ice to weaken lifeforms and halt their growth (OOC: link shows two forms. She takes on the winter form when she begins to use frost based abilities).
Yggdrasil as a guild was created rather spontaneously, and honestly it wasn't supposed to become a guild at all. At least, that wasn't the intention of the founders of the guild, who before that point had very little reaction with either the humans or the way that they handled things.
It began when the two mythical creatures, Girana Spiritflower the dryad and Ryu Hinote the spirit, encountered the Arcane Mage who introduced herself as Vierra. Vierra was on a mission to find so-called 'Arcane Aspects', and after explaining the importance of finding these Aspects the dryad and the spirit agreed to helping her find those Aspects, since their duty is to help protect nature and the world from anything which might bring long-lasting harm, something which the Arcane Aspects are certainly capable of if not kept in check somehow. Their journey first brought them to Hargeon Town, where things already became very chaotic. The three of them got involved in the job of dealing with a group trying to produce and smuggle drugs, using children as labourers. While they were successful in this attempt one of the results was Ryu getting bored and, using Girana's ability to commune and control nature, made a humongous oak tree nearly instantly sprout and grow at the location previously occupied by the warehouse which served as the headquarters of the drug business. While the other people involved in the chaos left the town after that Girana stayed behind to take care of the tree which, once its growth spurt had ended, already had roots reaching the very edge of Hargeon Town's outskirts and whose branches and leafs would leave most of the town in shadow for most of the day. A tree whose trunk is as thick if not even thicker than the warehouse it has replaced, and whose height would reach easily reach double digits multiple times if measured in floors.
Founding of Yggdrasil
The 'Archtree' that Girana and Ryu have created has some special properties, making it much more than simply a massive formation of wood. Due to the mystical powers that were involved in its creation, and the effort Girana put into ensuring that the tree would be able to survive and thrive without harming its surroundings, the tree is now acting as a source of both life and magic, acting like a beacon for all things which are attracted to these two things. Thanks to Ryu's rather unusual connection with the world and Girana's status as one of the Great Mother's most beloved children the Archtree ended up being able to directly take and return energy to the grand flow that supports all of that which Girana would call Gaia (also known as nature). Because this flow encompasses the entire world even though the Archtree draws energy from it and provides that energy to its surroundings the amount it takes is still so miniscule as to be non-existent when compared to what the great flow contains. However while from the perspective of the world the amount of energy is small, for one town and its surroundings it's a huge amount indeed. So much that it didn't very long after the creation of the tree before Girana learned that quite a lot of creatures were gathering around her new home, wishing to be close to this new source of life and magic. Both humans and spirits, animals and plants, druids and dryads gathered around the tree, and Girana welcomed them to make it their new home, since the Archtree is large enough that it can easily support many inhabitants.
This continued until eventually a member of the Magic Council arrived to enquire about the tree, what had made it appear and why it was there. It was at this point that Yggdrasil was founded as a guild, as Girana was informed that gathering so many magic creatures and mages was basically the same as creating a guild, even though she had never been intending to do anything like that. Seeing how it was a lot easier to just acknowledge the formation of the guild the dryad conceded, and both the tree and the guild were named Yggdrasil, the name of the legendary World Tree that supports the entire world and acts as the centre point of nature.
Nature of Yggdrasil
Being a rather unusual and mythical guild Yggdrasil has some special characteristics that everyone who wants to join it should be aware of. Fortunately most of these characteristics are positive, with as only downside that they also create some restrictions on who is able to join. While Girana is quite amiable and willing to accept anybody who wants to join she also has her responsibilities as a dryad and protector of nature, and just because she had become the leader of a guild doesn't mean those duties have become less important. If anything having been granted an important position in the world of mortals might have made her duties even more important, since she is now in an even better position to directly fulfil those duties.
First off, only creatures and entities whose behaviour or being don't conflict with nature or are a threat to either nature or the world can join. The reason being that protecting nature and making sure no long-lasting harm is done to Gaia are the core duties of the guild master, Girana Spiritflower. The more in tune you are with the world and nature the more at home you'll feel in Yggdrasil, the guild whose purpose is not to provide a family, or to make you a hero, but to simply appreciate and learn about nature, and if possible attune and become one with nature. The most common type of mage you'll encounter in Yggdrasil isn't the flashy pyromancer or the wizened arcanist. In Yggdrasil the vast majority of mages will be druids, healers and others whose magics are either directly related to and connected with life (in the positive sense!), or whose magic supports and aids others. Girana and the other dryads that have made Yggdrasil their home aren't warriors, heroes, or scholars. Their duty is to aid, heal and protect, and since they are the ones in charge of Yggdrasil their duties form the main purpose of the entire guild.
Second, Yggdrasil's properties as a direct link to Gaia. Gaia is what the dryads call the great flow of life that combines all of nature, which spans across the entire world. While there might be sections of nature which aren't directly linked (most often because some great magic has used to twist and corrupt it), it is safe to assume that any place in the world which hasn't been messed with through magic or other powerful means is reached by Gaia. This flow of life is supported by all life on the planet and supports all life on the planet. It can be seen as a practically inexhaustible source of life, spirit and magic, as it is what allows for all these things to exist in this world. When Girana and Ryu created Yggdrasil the dryad made the tree an existence which could use Gaia to support itself even more strongly than most of nature is capable of, because otherwise such a large tree appearing out of nowhere would without question cause a lot of trouble for both the land and the lifeforms around it. With this strengthened link to Gaia Yggdrasil can thrive and instead of harming its surroundings it actually acts as a source of the life and magic that the lifeforms around it might need to survive and thrive as well. In effect this means that Yggdrasil is an extremely durable and sturdy tree which could survive punishment several times what it would normally take to take down a tree of this size. Furthermore plants grow faster and with more variety around Yggdrasil, and animals (including humans) and other lifeforms will find themselves having an easier time staying healthy and energetic. Simply put, around Yggdrasil all forms of life will have an easier time reproducing and maturing properly, and living longer and healthier as well. Those who become part of the guild notice this the most, as continuous exposure to the tree's powers will cause their wounds to regenerate notably quicker than usual and make illness and disease a lot easier to resist and fight off.
Third, Yggdrasil is a guild founded by a dryad and a spirit, and as such any expectations of it being a human-focused guild should immediately be abandoned. There might be humans who believe that humanity is more important than any other animal or plant, however any of these humans who would try to enforce this kind of belief underneath the branches of Yggdrasil will quickly find that they are in the wrong place for such philosophies. Of course this isn't limited to humans: Girana has lived her entire life as someone who exists outside of the mortal cycle, since she herself is an immortal protector and nurturer of nature. From her point of view all life is important, and she will not tolerate any attempts made by anybody to look down or abuse other lifeforms, or try to pull advantage only for their own kind. While she understands that for mortal creatures to care for your own is more important than to care for all living things she will not allow that kind of behaviour to continue inside Yggdrasil, here where one does not have to worry about survival and thus has no excuse for selfishness or any form of discrimination. Yggdrasil is a guild which attracts creatures of all kinds, from druids to dryads to treants to fae. In Yggdrasil any person you encounter is just as likely to be some kind of mythical being as a human, so one has to be prepared for this and one can't ever try to discriminate against anybody.
Lastly, while this guild has as focus supporting and helping all life and being one with nature they will not tolerate anything, be it sentient or not, that is harmful to life and nature. Ever since the creation of Yggdrasil no necromancer shall remain in Hargeon Town for long, because the dryads will make sure that they'll either leave peacefully or be ejected forcefully. Practitioners of the art of death are the arch-nemeses of those who protect and nurture life, and the dryads will not tolerate any form of discussion about this. Undead are even worse since they aren't just practitioners of the art of death, they ARE representations of death and mockeries of life. The dryads of Yggdrasil will attempt to return any undead to Gaia quite viciously unless that undead can very quickly explain why they should be left alone. Demons are allowed, although since demons have a bit of a reputation to take the wrong side when it comes to whether to protect or harm nature the dryads aren't too eager about demons.
(OOC NOTE: this does not mean any necromancer/undead/demon will get attacked on sight if they decide to enter Hargeon Town. However Hargeon Town has become a bastion of life, so you will have to be quite careful. Also, it is strongly advised not to visit Hargeon Town just because you want to show off how you aren't afraid of the protectors of life if you happen to be a necromancer or something similar. That kind of behaviour never impresses anybody, it just means you're causing trouble in an attempt to look cool).
Symbol of Yggdrasil
Leaders and Protectors of Yggdrasil
The Leaders
Girana Spiritflower & Ryu Hinote
The founders of Yggdrasil and the ones who are in charge. Girana is the one who acts like an actual guild master, in that she looks after the members of the guild, makes sure there are no problems and acts as the one who guides the rest of the guild in what their intentions are and what their goals should be. Ryu on the other hand is more considered a leader because of his connection with Girana. He doesn't take a lot of responsibility and in general more does what he feels like. However he will also help if asked and if the guild as a whole is threatened Ryu is the one who will make sure that whatever threatened the guild no longer does so.
The Four Dryads
Miirik Grassblade
The first of the four dryads that help Girana look after Yggdrasil and help out the other members of the guild, Miirik looks the most human with as only outstanding trait the wings on her back which look like they're made out of large blades of grass. Miirik is a soft-spoken and somewhat introverted character, who has mostly come to Yggdrasil because there are other dryads here but isn't too comfortable dealing with all the other creatures that gather here. While she also does her best to help her talents are somewhat more offensive than those of most dryads, which means she's often doing more menial tasks. Miirik's speciality is 'wind blowing through the plains': a combination of wind based abilities and a special technique which allows her to make blades of grass and leafs as sharp as razors.
Urin Forestlight
The second of the four dryads that help Girana look after Yggdrasil and help out the other members of the guild, Urin is the only one of the four to be shorter than Girana (when Girana is not in her mature form), and whereas Girana looks like a petite woman Urin just gives the impression that she may still be a child. She's also the most enthusiastic of the Four Dryads, constantly moving about and doing things. Her speciality is 'light on the lake in the forest': a combination of (sun)light, mirages and restorative abilities along with the usual nature-based abilities (OOC: link does not show tail similar to female draenei, and metal ears are replaced by elven ears).
Nimah Autumnleaf
The third of the four dryads that help Girana look after Yggdrasil and help out the other members of the guild, Nimah is by far the most antisocial of the four. In fact she barely interacts with anybody but Girana, showing reluctance even to speak to the other dryads. When asked her explanation is that she only is here to make sure that the animals won't harm the tree, and that she finds it strange that all the other dryads are making themselves look so much like those animals. However she also has a strong sense of responsibility, so she will get things done. Her speciality is 'depths of the forgotten woods': of the four she has the most control over plants, and also is the only one other than Girana who can use fire, albeit in severely limited amounts.
Kansho Sunmirror
The fourth of the four dryads that help Girana look after Yggdrasil and help out the other members of the guild, Kansho is considered somewhat of an oddity because instead of only protecting and nurturing life she also subdues and moderates it, preventing any form of life becoming too dominant and oppressing all the others. While Kansho was originally not too happy at the idea of Yggdrasil being made she has conceded that now that it's already been made safe for its surroundings by Girana it functions as a good place for dryads to gather. She's overall actually quite nice and motherly. Her speciality is 'the two sides of nature': aside from the usual nurturing abilities all dryads possess she can also do the reverse, controlling frost and ice to weaken lifeforms and halt their growth (OOC: link shows two forms. She takes on the winter form when she begins to use frost based abilities).
