The Dryad Circle(Organisation)[ | ]
The Dryad Circle was the original governing organisation of all the Dryads in Terraria. It was based in the Great Tree on the Twilight Island. There was a point in time in which all the Dryads had a global union, and was a single organisation. The Circle was formed to combat the threat of Corruption and other evils during the Scourge of the Corruptor. With the Dryad Circle, the Dryads could coordinate large scale operations and carry out cleansing rituals on scales thought of as impossible before. However, the institutionalization of the religious order would bring about many problems, most notably elitism and all the other 'material ills'.
Early Days[ | ]
The Dryad Circle was founded by Tabatha the Elder, a name renowned in Dryad lore to this day. She was the first to gather her brethren, stepping out of their self-imposed indifference to politics and affairs of the world in order to form an alliance with Hallowstone, and soon, the rest of the world. From there, the Dryads formed their union, which eventually became the Dryad Circle, in order to combat the threat of Corruption as it encroached on the land. The Circle henceforth was a pivotal player in the great Scourge of the Corruptor, where the free factions fought the threat of the dark land. Without the Dryads, Terraria would have capitulated and been turned to waste. It was their effort that allowed the advance of the land to be stopped, and finally be pushed back.
Structure[ | ]
The Dryad Circle consists of a council of Arch Dryads, who were the best of the best and democratically elected by their kin. However, once elected, they would stay on the council indefinitely unless the Council itself votes them out. Most of the time this does not happen, and council Dryads are given more leeway than others. However, in rare cases(Eg: Arcen), it still does occur. The council would plan large scale activities and coordinate the Dryad Order itself. They were also the recognized ruling body of the Twilight Island and would command other Dryads to take care of the overgrowth and let nature thrive. Under the council, there exists three lesser groups that consisted of individuals that were still above normal Dryads. These were the Purifiers - masters of rituals and whose sole goal in their thousand-year long life was to spread as much purity as possible. The Cleansers - who fought conventional wars against the Corruption forces always trying to undermine the Order and destroy them. Lastly, the Communicators were responsible for the Dryad Circle's relationships with outside factions such as Hallowstone. Nearing the dissolution of the Circle, when Kobblin technology had been fully integrated into all aspects of Dryad society, a fourth branch was proposed that governed Kobblins but never realised.
Downfall[ | ]
As by the modern-ish era, most of Dryadkind had relied on the seemingly mindless and weak golems known as Kobblins to do all manner of tasks, it was only a matter of time before something went awry with these artificially created helpers. A nameless Kobblin, created with unnatural intellectual capabilities, would soon rise in influence among his fellow Kobblins. Eventually, he would inspire them with the message that they were meant to be much more than just the slaves of Dryads. Launching a revolution, the forces of Kobblins were pitted against the Dryads. The Dryads were quickly overwhelmed and a state of emergency was declared by the Circle from the Twilight Island. However, since so much of Dryadkind had depended on the Kobblins, now that they were gone, the Dryad Circle was left as a spine without flesh. Eventually, the Kobblins would catch up and destroy the Dryads, marking the end of the Dryad Circle. Several Dryads did survive - mainly those who did not depend on Kobblins and whom lived mainland. In place of the Circle, the Kobblins declared independence and formed the Union of Kobblin Socialist Republics.