DiabloFans

I've been working on this since last January, so it's been a year now. This was originally much shorter and I was going to send it as my submission for the fanfiction contest Blizzard started, but I didn't think I actually did Brend justice. I've always been interested by the Druids of Sanctuary but have been conflicted by a sense of abandonment by Blizzard as far as their own presence in the Diablo series. They were only introduced with the expansion for Diablo II, and I haven't even seen them mentioned in the books I've read so far. So, here's a tribute, an indulgence, an adventure.

The story is split into three parts, which I'm posting as I finish drafting them. My first attempt at this story had no focus on character and was very plot-centric. I'm hoping this version addressed the issue and feels more natural in this regard.

Driven By the Winds is focused on addressing several points I believe could have been expounded upon but were not, including, but not limited to, the Druids' communication with nature, the creation of the Great Oak, and how the Druids responded to the Dark Exile. A lot of my "supplementary" lore will likely conflict with whatever is released with the new game, but I still believe it to be, at the least, interesting.

In many ways, this is a story of coming of age, both for the main characters and for the Druid race as a whole. The Druids have been a migrant people for centuries, perhaps longer, but I believe that they have as much of a right of nationhood as any other race, including the Amazons of Skovos, the Zann Esu of the Eastern Jungles, and so on. As such, there is a great focus on movement, on maturing, and on family.

I'm not open to any "there's a period missing on page 23" comments. Arguably, punctuation is relative, anyway. If you found anything overly confusing or ambiguous, that is what I am more concerned about; however, please read the entirety of whichever section before asking any questions of that nature. I will answer your questions as best as I can unless I have to spoil something.

Just as an aside, this work is important to me because I promised myself one year ago that I would start something and finish it. This is the fruit of that promise. If you want your comments to be met with kindness, respect, and so on, show it in turn. I don't have the patience to deal with petty squabbles.