Different Types of Magic in Birthright, Druidism and Shapeshifting

In Birthright in specific the Druid is the Priest that dedicated his life and mind in the preservance of nature, and the doctrines of Erik, the Hunter, the Guide, the Wise. The faith of Erik is mostly pursued at the reaches of the Rjuven Highlands. Two major sects exist and they are divided the conservative wing and the progressive one.

The Emerald Spiral is the conservative wing of the worship of Erik. Members of the Spiral recall a golden age when the world was uncivilized and all men lived in harmony with nature. Other gods gave their people grains and taught them farming. When this knowledge came to the Rjurik, the pollution of the golden age began. Since then, the druids have struggled against the further corruption of the Rjurik way of life by outside influences. The Emerald Spiral strongly supports sacrifices and deep forest ceremonies and even the use of magic long forgotten by the priests of the Oaken Grove.

The Oaken Grove has a tradition as old as the Emerald Spiral, but its institutional history is much younger. There have always been more progressive druids, and they have always communicated with each other, formed associations, and from time to time gathered together. As the Rjurik people began to settle and form permanent towns, some druids objected to this way of life as turning back on tradition. Other druids, the forerunners of the Oaken Grove, declared that settlement was acceptable to Erik as long as nature was not abused by the settled folk. This division did not become institutional until the towns began to grow large and began to lose touch with the wilderness outside the town. It was then than some druids began to reason that it would be a better service of the Rjurik people to form a temple in the town and teach the faith and doctrine of Erik there, to keep the people connected to the spirit of Erik.

The magical power that is now long forgotten is the power that some druids of Erik are able to master, is the ability to shapeshift into something that derives from the sphere of Animals of the land.

Druidic shapeshifting is one of the most misunderstood forms of magic in Role Playing Games. It's easy enough to imagine stepping through portals to the shadow world or the planes or summoning fire, but actually becoming a different creature is very difficult to comprehend.

Druids do more than just adopt the outward traits of animals. Yes, your hands may shrink, you may grow a tail, your nose may elongate. But with it, your entire perspective of the world changes. As a bear, your nose is constantly assaulted by scents. A cat? You must look at the world in black and white. A bird? Imagine the sensation of unsupported flight – mankind's dream since one proto-human smacked another with a club. Shapeshifting is like opening a passage to a whole new universe of sounds, scents and experiences. The world seems bigger and your mind sees everything differently. Roleplaying this experience takes a certain shift in sensibilities.

Imagine for a moment that you are a Druid, transforming for the first time into the shape of a cat. First, look at your hands. Imagine them shrinking, each finger losing distinction. It feels like your knuckles have swollen – they lost their flexibility and skill. Your palms grow thick, too thick to feel through easily. Then your back begins to hunch, curving as your hips tip strangely. When your legs point at a natural 90-degree angle you fall to your hands and knees, feeling your legs shrivel and your bones compact. At the same time, your arms grow out, away from your body. Your elbows twist end bend and your wrists lock. Your tail sprouts through your trousers, brushing against your legs as your clothing is absorbed into the cat's fur.

Feeling naked, you look at the chair you once sat in and it's oddly large – its seat is on the same level your head is. Your nose stretches forward, your skull curves and elongates and several new teeth grow in your jaw. Then, you recognise scent – scent a humanoid never knew. Imagine a blind man waking up to find he can see. How do you define the first sight of the colour green? This is how it feels like to feel your first trace-scent, to know exactly who has been here and how long ago.

Now that your transformation is complete, you must learn to walk like a cat. This isn't at all easy, coordinating every step with your arm movements. Leap forward, always landing on your hands and don't compensate for the length of your legs – they aren't long any more, remember? Learn to growl and purr, you've lost your capacity to speak. Don't pick things up – your hands don't work that way and besides, how would you carry it? Let others strap something to your back and you feel like your spine is breaking. You have to relax and allow the instinct of your new form to guide you – but at the same time you have to prevent the cat from taking over. If that happens, your mind could be lost forever.

When the time comes to cast off your form you have to go through the process again. Your haunches stretch, throwing you terribly off-balance as your forelegs shrivel and shrink. Your paws lose their strength and your fingers become ribbons of bony flesh. They don't work together in harmony but instead flex separately, like strange claws. Your spine thickens and and you can hardly twist your body around. Something in your hips tilts and you fall to the ground, unable to support your heavy rear on your spindly forelegs. Your nose shrinks, your eyes lose focus and the world fades away. It's almost surreal how much information you lose and yet how vibrant the colours become. Sounds fade, smells are forgotten and you sense a great chill as your warm fur becomes loosely hanging shreds of fibers and hides. All this, and more, is part of the magic of the Druid. Truly becoming another creature is one of the greatest joys – and dangers – of Druidism.

*special thanks to Edanna for the perfect research