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Teachings of Borsaeg: Ley Lines, Backroads, and the Green Ways
Borsaeg takes time to get to know
Sasha. He realizes the incredible power she has at her fingertips. He too
is an incredibly powerful druid, but he sees how little she knows of the druidic traditions of the age; traditions which
Belar had hinted at when Sasha was still young in power, but which he was never able
to teach her due to events which transpired in modern times. Borsaeg patronizes Sasha among the ancient druidic traditions and introduces her
to people who share mutual interests, helping her become a part of the druidic society which she had always been distant from. In this way,
she becomes familiar with a number of new grove locations through-out the world, spending a fair amount of time traveling to ancient
reservoirs of druidic power, learning how ley lines work, what "backroads" are, and she learns of the Green Ways.
Ley Lines
Sasha had always suspected that certain places held special power. Ley lines are
ancient connections between these special places. Crossings of ley lines focus natures power
and grant certain bonuses to Druids who use magic near them. Druidic magic is easier to touch
near these places of power. The result is that when working near a ley line a druids
effective caster level increases by 2 and the difficulty (DC) of druidic magic related
tasks is reduced by 2. To benefit from most ley lines, a druid must be within 30 feet.
Some places are more powerful than others and thus impart greater advantages. The presence
of ley lines and their crossings by using the commune with nature spell.
Backroads
These are the hidden and ancient pathways of the fey, through which one can travel
astonishing distances with only a short walk. Druids are granted free access to the backroads,
but fey and other magical guardians exist to limit their use by other beings. Typically, only
creatures aligned with nature are allowed to traverse the backroads. Backroads accomplish
their magic by briefly skipping their traveler through the Faerie Realm, akin to a wizard
using the shadow-walk spell.
To travel upon a backroad, one must first find its entrance,
called a "crossing," and be allowed passage by the guardian that dwells there. Most backroads
appear to be nothing more than a seldom used animal trail through the woods or underbrush.
For example: while Sasha and Borsaeg wander through the forest
he steps towards two trees which have curiously grown together at about 8 feet up, but are
apart enough beneath that one could walk between them. He explains to Sasha that this is
the crossing. Since Sasha and he are druids, they are unchallenged by a Satyr who remains
hidden and watches them as they step between the tree trunks. Sasha notices no change after
walking through them, but on the ground she notices an old fox trail that hasn't been used
for sometime. Borsaeg and Sasha walk down the fox trail for about five minutes and then she
begins to hear the sound of the ocean. They emerge from the forest to look out over the sea,
a fresh warm breeze blows over their faces and Sasha realizes that it is quite a bit warmer
here than it was back in the woods. Borsaeg explains to her that they are now many hundreds
of miles from were Sasha and he began their walk, yet Sasha had no sensation of having
traveled that far. Borsaeg warns her that to step off the backroad is dangerous and that doing
so will result in suddenly finding oneself in a very unfamiliar setting - lost some place in the
Faerie Realm, with no way to get back.
The Green Ways
These ancient ways were built by the first druids during a time when the Faerie
Realm drew away and the backroads were not available for use (Fey influence in the world is
cyclical). Unlike backroads, or the Master Grove, the Green Ways can cross from one plane to
another by traveling through the roots and branches of the interplanar "tree" called Ruis Muin
(the Elder Vine). This is the same tree upon and within which the ancient druidic library is
kept. Ruis Muin is simply vast, even the most dedicated explorers have not charted its extent.
However, knowledgeable travelers can use Ruis Muin to travel great distances. It is said that
Ruis Muin reaches even to other worlds, but such a distance has never been traveled except in
legend. It is said that the first druids came to Sulerin through the Green Ways of Ruis Muin.
In the present day, it is the pathways of Ruis Muin that touch Sulerin which have become dark
and inhospitable, thus making passage through the druidic library likewise dangerous. Pathways
into Ruis Muin vary in appearance. Some are ancient obelisks, referred to as anchor stones, but
most are hidden doorways upon the sides of ancient trees and strangely giant underground roots.
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