Ranereb (Wood Elf Druid) Background

Um... *whimper* Hello there.  My name is Ranereb.  Just Ranereb... no last name.

I was born and raised in a druidic moon clan that wanders the forest near Oldwood.  As a cub, you're taught to protect the pack, how to prepare simple spells, how to fight, the history of the world, how to transform into the shapes of animals... you know, normal kid stuff.  You're considered a cub until you're able to perform the ritual that aligns you with the moon, after which it is assumed that you'll take up a task to support the hunt or participate in it directly...

...When it came for me to pass to adulthood, I wasn't able to bring myself to complete the ritual.  I tried and tried, but changing shape just feels... so very, very wrong.  The pack was understanding and supportive, but after three failures to gain the mark of attunement I decided that I should find a different path.  I researched (and then performed) a ritual to augment my spirit with that of the Forest itself.  With the mark on my wrist, I was accepted as an adult and chose to support the hunt through knowledge of medicine and healing magic.  It worked well... for a time.

A few months back, I was walking with Arannis, a pack mate of mine, through a part of the forest called Everglade.  There we were attacked by five members of The Silvered Shield, a group of lycanthrope hunters that last year added us to their list of dangers for some unknown reason.  My pack mate shifted instantly to fight back, but I hesitated.  I used my magic and knowledge of weaponry to try to aid him, but they were too much. *whimper* I fled when I figured we were going to die...

As the code demands, I informed the Alpha of the pack, my mother Caelynn, of the tragedy.  She was appalled at my refusal to shift, blaming me for the death of Arannis.  Two shifted pack members would have been able to either fight them off, or at least get each other to safety.  It only got worse when I explained that I couldn't shift into a wolf to fight because of my alignment with the Forest instead of the Moon...  *whimper* I was banished on the spot, my clan mates exiling me not only for failing Arannis, but for forsaking the blessing of the Moon as well.  As such, I have no last name, as I have no pack to call my own.

I'm hoping that by travelling to the new world, I can escape the hunters from The Silvered Shield.  A lone target is a dead target, after all.  And while I only dare to dream of it, I may even find a pack to call my own... assuming there are any that would dare to take a failure such as myself.