The Druids

In my research, some of the 'rumours' was that the Druids engaged in human sacrifice. But in my world of Black Harvest that would be un-spiritual, inhumane and goes against their law of non-interference. This law dictates that no Druid interfere with the fate or destiny of a human being. What is meant to be is meant to be. From my point of view, if a Druid does interfere, it is a two-edged sword. What impacts one, impacts the other. (And who'd want to get stuck with the results of diddling with the icky, messy workings of the unwashed masses?)

Another rumour is that the Romans massacred the Druids when they arrived to take over Britain about 50 AD. This is undone in my novel due to the 'fact' that since Druids can shapeshift, they therefore can 'hide' themselves away from harm and annihilation. What they shapeshifted into gives one a lot of leeway for the imagination.

Just as there is light and dark, up and down, the Druids have the 'dark ones'. They are former Brethren who, the more power they gained, the more power they craved. They moved through the space/time continuum and tried to control the annals of history by 'inserting' their own people to bring humanity to its knees. What frustrated them was the fact that the more suffering they caused, the more people rose up to fight harder. Every time a dark Druid almost reached the pinnacle of success, he/she was waylaid by martyrs who sacrificed their bodies and souls for the good of the many. Again, I looked to Star Wars as an inspiration for this never-ending conflict. (Come to the dark side, Luke...)

Like with Arthur, the legend of the Druids was Silly-Putty in my hands. I could take any aspect and stretch it, flatten it or round it out like a ball; I could even lift imprints from other sources and mold them to suit my literary needs. And yet, in my gut and in my heart, I felt what I was playing with was the truth!

Happily, everywhere I looked, I read that the Druids advocated a belief in reincarnation and that suited me down to a T. I think if that were not the case, I would have had to invent a spiritual group for my book that did...