* Restricted Information: Seekers of the Lost only
The Seekers of the Lost were a Druidic Cult amongst the People of the North West Forest, who specialised in mist and mind magic. Even amongst the Druids of the North West Forest, this elitist Cult was something of a mystery.
They sought enlightenment in some of the deepest mysteries of that deepest and most mysterious of Forests: the Trance of the Trees, the Will O' Wisps, and THE WALKER IN THE FOREST. Amongst the people of the Forest, they were revered for their ability to recover those lost to the Trance.
The Cult was based at Deep Circle (Stone Circle No. 11 on the map below) in the heart of the Deep Forest, but its members wandered all across the Forest, and beyond into the Otherworlds.
The Seekers are believed to have all gone completely insane in the Year 2502, during the time of the Dark Forest, when they became so-called "Anti-Druids", perverted by the Evil that was the Dark Forest. The Cult no longer exists, and Deep Circle is deserted and overgrown.
The Tree People understand that trees have a shared consciousness, which is manifested as the spiritual plane of the Tree Kingdom. In the hearts of the Great Woods of the Overworld, the power of that consciousness is so strong that the mind can be overcome by its strength, and one can enter the Tree Kingdom spiritually. This is the Trance of the Trees.
The Seekers of the Lost understood that the power of the North Western Forest goes far beyond this. In the dark, still heart of the forest, the pull of the trees becomes a physical force, breaking down the boundaries between the Real Plane and the Tree Kingdom. In the cool, damp places which sunlight hardly penetrates, the constant mists lead from one world to another.
Penetrating further into those mists, the Seekers found that it was not just the Tree Kingdom that was reached by the consciousness of the Forest. Other realms of the spirit also lay beyond the mists. They sought to understand the deep, spiritual forces, vegetable, animal and human, that drove the collective consciousness of the Forest. Only by knowing those forces could the Seekers find their way through the mists, step between the worlds, rescue those who had fallen victim to the power of the Forest, and banish those who sought to do it harm.
Ultimately it was that understanding which proved their undoing. For when Glersh the Dread slew the White Stag on the Heartstone of the Sacred Grove, and tipped the delicate balance of forces within the Forest toward Evil and Despair, the Seekers fell victim to the Madness of the Dark Forest, and their Cult was no more.
The Seekers of the Lost existed to explore the mysteries of the Forest, and to use the knowledge they gained for the benefit of the Forest, its denizens and friendly travellers. Unfriendly travellers crossed the Deep Forest at their peril.
Many Seekers were also accomplished Dreamers and/or ChaosMasters, in addition to their Druidic abilities. Some also specialised in a unique Cultist form of Air Elementalism, using the magic of the Will O' Wisps.
Although they were a reclusive and introspective Cult, their successes in rescuing and curing victims of the Trance of the Trees gave them a good reputation amongst Foresters, who would seek them out when in need of such assistance. Settlements in the Deep Forest often had shamen who were members of the Cult, who protected them from harm.
The Otherworlds are those alternative realms of the spirit that exist within and beyond the Dreamworlds. Those most often accessed by the Seekers of the Lost via the mists of the Deep Forest were:
The shared consciousness of the trees is manifested as the Tree Kingdom; a spiritual plane which has been described as “the Dreamworld of the Trees”. Here the forests of the Overworld, and all the woods and lone trees, are manifested in their spiritual forms. Here is the secret domain of the Dryads, who pass to and from it at will. Here the Seekers of the Lost found refuge, communed with the Dryads and the trees, and gained instress and power. All magical transportation via trees is achieved via the Tree Kingdom. Other Druids, unaware of this, pass through in an instant. But the Seekers, like the Tree People, were able to stop off, and gained immeasurably as a result.
When the mists of the Deep Forest are encountered, a saving throw is made against entering the Tree Kingdom at BTS = (1-100)% (Co). The exact BTS depends on the depth of the Forest and density of the mist, but may be randomly generated on d100. If the saving throw is failed, the victim physically enters the part of the Tree Kingdom appropriate to the surrounding trees. In the North West Forest, this will often be one of the Pine Kingdom or Fir Kingdom.
The mists may be encountered again in the Tree Kingdom, possibly leading back to the Real World if a further saving throw is failed, or possibly to some other World...
The power of the trees can be too much for the minds of some. It can break the mind, and cause one to enter the Realm of Madness. The victim may believe he is still wandering the Forest, or that he has entered the Tree Kingdom, but although his body may be in one of those places, his mind wanders the Realm of Madness. This is the Trance of the Trees.
When the power of the trees of the Deep Forest is encountered, a saving throw is made against the Trance of the Trees at BTS = (1-100)% (Wp). The exact BTS depends on the depth of the Forest and power of the trees, but may be randomly generated on d100. For each 10% (FRD by which the saving throw is failed, the victim's Level of Madness increases by 1 (see the Madness System), and if he Hallucinates, he spiritually enters the appropriate level of the Domain of Mania. Alternatively, depending upon the circumstances and his current mental state, he may enter the Domain of Delirium or the Domain of Despair. The Hallucination will typically be of wandering the Tree Kingdom, but may become stranger as the victim continues to wander the Realm of Madness.
The Seekers of the Lost were Adepts at wandering the Realm of Madness. They could choose not to save against the Trance of the Trees, and then exercised a degree of control over their wanderings in the Realm of Madness.
A saving throw against the Trance of the Trees may be made cumulatively with or separate from one against entering the Tree Kingdom. Physically wandering in the Tree Kingdom can cause the inexperienced to make saving throws against the Trance.
The shared consciousness of wolves is manifested as the Moonlit Kingdom; a spiritual plane which has been described as “the Dreamworld of Wolves”. Wolves are pack animals, and know instinctively where other members of their pack and other wolves are located. They do this via their dreaming of the Moonlit Kingdom. They enter the Kingdom when sleeping or by daydreaming. During nights of a Full Moon, they may physically move between the Moonlit Kingdom and the Real World. The packs of the North West Forest have also learnt to use the mists to physically move between the two Worlds in this way. Werewolves gain the same abilities.
Sometimes the mists may lead to the Moonlit Kingdom rather than the Tree Kingdom. This is particularly so if a wolf pack is nearby, when the power of its dreaming may exceed that of the trees. Saving throws may have to be made against physically entering the Moonlit Kingdom, in the same way as above against the Tree Kingdom, and/or against the Trance of the Moon (Madness), in the same way as above against the Trance of the Trees.
The rules for physically or spiritually entering other Worlds from the North West Forest are as for the Tree and Moonlit Kingdoms above.
Each Otherworld counts as a separate Plane for Spell Casting purposes (see "Casting Spells between the Planes" in the General Magic-Using System. The Tree Kingdom, for example, may therefore be reached by using Tree Door or Transport via Trees, but not by using Pass Tree. See through Animals' Eyes may also be used to see into the Moonlit Kingdom from a wolf's eyes (at 2/3 throw).
"Will O' Wisp" is the term commonly used to describe rogue Air Elementals. In the context of the Deep Forest, the term is used to refer to the Air Elementals who produce its constant mists. The power of the trees has had its effect on their minds too, and many of them are effectively rogue, further increasing the hazards of travelling in the area. The particular requirements of their duties or the Chaos to which they are exposed (nobody has ever been sure which) have also resulted in their Powers being rather different from those of other Air Elementals. The Air Spells they can perform, whilst having attributes of Air, include elements of Mind, Planist, Illusionist and other Magic.
Druidic Spells are, of course, performed by Nature Spirits, not Elementals. That includes Spells of the Trance Cycle. Both Air Elementals and Dryads may therefore be involved in a particular mist effect, and some Seekers asserted that it was the resulting tension between the two that accounted for many of the strange effects of the area. But the Dryads of the Deep Forest suffer from the same effects as its Air Elementals, and (it being difficult to distinguish the two kinds of Spirits) the term "Will O' Wisp" is also sometimes used to refer to Nature Spirits as well as Elementals.
The Seekers of the Lost established good relations with many of these Will O' Wisps, which they used in their work. The Elementalists amongst them even had a unique Air Elementalist Spell List.
The Seekers of the Lost developed their own unique Spell Cycle, which they used in addition to the standard Druidic Spell Cycles. The Trance Cycle was concerned with Mist and Mind Magic. Its associated Medium was mandrake, and its associated colour was purple.
Mandrakes constitute the genus Mandragora of the family Solanaceae. There are two species of mandrake: one produces violet flowers in Autumn, and is classified as Mandragora Autumnalis, and the other produces greenish-white flowers in Spring, and is classified as Mandragora Officinarum. Both are native to the North West Forest. The autumn-flowering species gives maximum bonuses when harvested on the Mid-Autumn Caeriad (12 Garrack), and is used in Mind Magic. The spring-flowering species gives maximum bonuses when harvested on the Mid-Spring Caeriad (13 Varech), and is used in Mist Magic. Each gives half the normal bonuses (FRD) on the other kind of Magic (e.g. autumn-flowering mandrake gives full bonuses on Mind Magic and half bonuses on Mist Magic). The Spell Specifications will indicate whether a Trance Cycle Spell is Mist or Mind Magic.
Mandrake is harvested in the same way as, and gives the same bonuses as, standard Druidic media. It is the root which is required as a Druidic medium. The correct harvesting method is to use the golden sickle to loosen the soil around the root, grab the plant firmly in the hand, and uproot it with a single pull, shaking off the excess earth, and then dropping it into the golden bowl. The sickle is then used to trim off the foliage.
Mandrake is notorious for its root's resemblance to a person's body, which is said to shriek when uprooted. In the unusual conditions of the Deep Forest, this is not a surprising occurrence. It is said that the experienced Seeker of the Lost could judge the Plus from a mandrake root by the sound of its scream when uprooted.
Although not Tree Cultists, the Seekers of the Lost are knowledgeable in the Tree Lore of their native North West Forest. Their table of associations of trees is as follows:
| Tree |
Month |
Colour |
Attribute(s) |
| Birch |
Aval |
White |
Inception, Law |
| Spruce |
Destri |
Green |
Quickening, Growth, Illusion |
| Larch / Tamarack |
Kemel |
Turquoise |
Water |
|
Alder
|
Varech |
Purple |
Fire, Divine Will |
| Willow |
Sarm |
Silver |
Enchantment, the Moon |
| Juniper |
Jerem |
Indigo |
Cleansing, Chaos |
| Sequoia |
Oscow |
Gold |
Dominion, the Sun |
| Pine |
Estender |
Yellow |
Endurance, Loyalty, Truth |
| Holly |
Lastra |
Red |
Healing, the Body |
| Hazel |
Numist |
Orange |
Wisdom, the Mind |
| Hemlock |
Garrack |
Dark Green |
Fate, Prophecy |
| Douglas Fir |
Tekrim |
Black |
Earth |
|
Fir |
Weven |
Grey |
Air |
|
Yew |
Iarom |
Blue |
Death, Reincarnation |
The Seekers use their Tree Lore in a number of ways, including as Materials for certain Spells and rituals. For example Willows may be used to enter the Moonlit Kingdom, Witch Hazel Potions used to clear the mind, and Hemlock groves visited for prophecy.
The giant sequoia is the coniferous counterpart to the mallorn. It grows in the Western part of the Forest, along the slopes of the Rastill Mountains, and into the Far Forest, though there are plantings at Sacred Sites elsewhere in the Forest, notably at Deep Circle.
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© P.R. Wild, 25 June, 3 September 2000, 28 August 2005