The Druids

Druids are independent priests who worship and ally themselves with the various spirits of the land. They serve as guardians and caretakers of the specific terrain feature they worship (such as a particular oasis, an unusual rock formation, a rare expanse of grassland, etc.). In return, the spirits of life grant the druids magical powers. Obviously, a druid must be near the territory he protects (this territory is called his guarded land in order to fulfill his obligations. Usually, this means that he lives in isolation in some desolate part of the desert, living off the land and by the grace of the spirit he worships. Most druids have such a close relationship with their guarded lands that they desire no contact with any strangers that happen to pass their way. Instead, they simply watch the visitors from afar, making their presence known only if the party includes a Defiler, or if it does something to desecrate the terrain feature associated with the spirit they worship. If they do make their presence known, it is always for the purpose of attacking. They will use their powers to kill or drive away Defilers and others who don't respect the land. Thankfully, druids do not consider normal use desecration. The few who have spoken with me have all expressed the firm belief that the land is for all to use, animals and intelligent races alike. They claim that they never use their powers except to safeguard their guarded lands from abuse. Almost all of Athas is a desert wasteland, but that does not mean that the landscape is monotonous. Far from it; over each hill, behind each dune, the terrain is more awesome, more spectacular, more beautiful than what you have already seen. In my travels, I have been overwhelmed by the sheer magnitude of this land, cowed by its indifferent brutality, even overpowered by the unrestrained might of its elements, but never have I been bored. It is beyond my modest capabilities as a geographer to impart all the grandeur and majesty of Athas. I can write of storms blowing in from the Sea of Silt, of watching a wall of pearly dust billow ten thousand feet into the air, then come roiling ashore like a mountain range crashing down about upon you. I can say that to breathe the steam of the Yellow Caves is to lose your wits in a cloud of euphoria, or describe the queasy feeling of sliding down the black, glassy slopes of the Smoking Crown. I can terrify you with stories of being stalked through the forest by hungry halflings, and perhaps I can even make your eyes sting by describing what it's like to cross a salt flat on a windy day. But all you will know is what I say of it, and my words could never do justice to this magnificent land. There are hundreds of different kinds of terrain on Athas, from wind-scoured pebble flats to twisted badlands canyons to gleaming sands to jumbled boulder fields. Unfortunately, it is impossible to relate in detail the geography of all these places, at least in the number of days remaining to my life. Instead, I will describe what I've learned of the four general terrains of Athas: the Sea of Silt, the Tablelands, the Ringing Mountains, and the Hinterlands. Armed with this information, you must see Athas for yourself. Perhaps that is as it should be; each person must find his own way through the splendorous deserts of our world.