Order of the Guardians of Nature

The Order of the Guardians of Nature is the primary hierarchical organization for druids.

Organization
The Order is structured to prevent egotism and corruption; as such, every initiate only formally deals with their immediate superior and immediate inferior (if any) in the hierarchy. Initiates are expected to return to their superiors for training and instruction on certain days of the year, and to train and instruct their own inferiors in return.

The only rules within the Order, apart from the standard practices of obedience and respect towards one's superior, are as follows: A given initiate will go to learn from their superior on either the spring and autumn equinoxes, or the summer and winter solstices; the initiate will teach their inferior on the other two occasions, so that an initiate will spend two days of each year learning, and two teaching. (Extended visits are encouraged, but the Order realizes that many initiates will have to spend time working and traveling to make ends meet, especially early on when their personal magical power is limited.)
 * Never let any non-initiate learn the Druidic tongue, or allow it to be written down by anyone.
 * Never commit, or allow to be committed, any unbalancing act toward the natural world.

Members
Initiates of the Order are almost exclusively human or half-elven. Although elves do not typically become druids, the Sylvans who still live their traditional lifestyles in the deep forests often have a close kinship with druids due to their shared home; both will usually welcome one another readily. Talk has occurred in recent years as to whether some other demihuman races (especially halflings) should be allowed entry into the Order, but no firm decisions have yet been made.

Practices
Druidic ritual is often wild, energetic, and spontaneous, while at the same time possessed of a deep reverence, especially towards plants and animals. This combination of devotion and seeming abandon is sometimes off-putting to those accustomed to the more solemn, orderly rites of the Erevan Church, especially since many druids pray and worship in minimal clothing.