Gwaelergoth Circle

soldiers of the Gwaelergoth Circle

 In the Maenedhel Shattering, the Khazarkars were forced to abandon Maenedhel. When they reached the surface, they came under immediate attack by large swarms of insects. These were not tiny gnats and mosquitoes, but giant bugs, giant ants, giant wasps, and a host of other insects that in some cases were bigger than a troll. The predatory types harried the refugees for fifty miles. When they got to Gwaelergoth the bugs became less of a problem. The passage took weeks as more than 30,000 Khazarkars left the deteriorating conditions of Maenedhel. Thousands were lost from bug attacks and disease. The Khazarkars built up their defenses in Gwaelergoth, turning it into a defensive zone that became their southern border. The area was managed by druids that had once tended the fields of their old homeland in Maenedhel. Since they were always under some kind of bug attack, they became militaristic with focused teachings on how to use their druidic art for combat purposes. Over time, these druids became more reclusive, often blaming explorers and seekers of Auhtai ruins for stirring up the bugs and turning them into Hive Swarms.

The Gwaelergoth Circle was established to guard against the bug problem of Hive. Originally its members were only Khazarkars, but over time they came to focus on what is best for them rather than the interests of other political groups.

By the end of the Horgon Era, they had become an independent force of Gulimbor-Hive, neutral to the growing conflicts between the Tragarans, Khazarkars, and the minotaurs. In the Gulimbor Cataclysm, they allowed passage through the jungle to the coasts but allowed no refuge for the people of the Great Exodus.

Studying with the Gwaelergoth Circle gives access to a feat that enhances druidic spells that deal specifically with vermin. This causes spells like Repel Vermin, Insect Plague, Creeping Doom, Summon Nature's Ally (if an insect), and others to be more difficult to resist, the caster is able to better concentrate and more alert to their surroundings.