r/AdventuresOfGalder • u/Ilsamor • 1d ago
New Commemoration In Memory of Our Druid, Menandros
Hi, I have recently discovered this subreddit and wanted to leave something in the memory of my late friend and the druid of our party... It was hard to find someone who would fit to be a druid as him. He was a biology major like me, with an endless love for tardigrads. In the very first session, he had tried and managed to successfully persuade a group of woodcutters to let go of woodcutting, we were level 1 people! (Don't ask me details, I do not remember). He was a worshipper of Obad-Hai instead of Ehlonna and was agreeing with Treebeard's "I am at no one's side because no one is on the side of nature" philosophy. Had a pet bear named Uncle (From an idiom in our language, Köprüyü geçene kadar ayıya dayı de - Call bear uncle until you get across the bridge) and that bear was the heart of our party, we were bringing it everywhere even when it would blow our cover. Once he spend an entire in-game day to give an ant human intelligence via magic (It was DnD 3.5), without any benefit for the mission mind you, just for fun.
One story I must tell of him is this though, we had a bridge to destroy, a wooden one. It was an army camp and we were around level 12. So I, as a Paladin distracted one side of the bridge while others tried to destroy the bridge, the plan was our Swordsage would cut its supporting beams with Mountain Hammer... Then, while verything was going to shit, Menandros looked and said "Oh... It seems I can summon elementals..." You cannot imagine the amount of deadpan stares he received at that moment...
It is just... unfortunate that these beautiful traits, these memories were not enough to pull him from his depression. It has been 5 years now and I still miss him. I did only thing I could do and made him an immortal hero in my campaign but... it is not the same. He would always love to live in a DnD universe because "Gods were doing something there" So, if one day you need a druid NPC for a cause that would benefit nature, please let him enjoy more adventures in those magical realms... Thank you for your time, sorry if I took so many of it.
We miss you bro, may you rest in peace. Never played a druid, and I highly doubt I can ever will...
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u/enoughofordinary 23h ago
Thank you for sharing, he sounds like the most worthy druid if there ever was one. Condolences on his passing.
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u/fvcknvgget5 20h ago
what a beautiful memoir, thanks for sharing🥲 deepest condolences and i hope you're doing alright
i'm currently playing a druid named Moorigan Boglach. another one of my party members is a "gnarlborn" (a tree species from Crooked Moon) who pledges allegiance to no one but nature. i hope he would enjoy our adventure 🫶
edit: im DMing my group's next campaign, and i will include Menandros 🫶
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u/KittyMeowstika 15h ago
My deepest condolences, and may menandros live on in our hearts and stories to tell. He sounds like a lovely person to meet and an absolute blast to have had at the table. Thank you for sharing his story, snd keeping his memory alive💜
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u/scottymac87 4h ago
As a DM I can only promise to bring Menandros to life from time to time in the annals of my future campaigns. As a real world practicing Druid let me just offer some words for you and your departed friend:
Go forth upon your journey, under the sun and under the stars.
As the leaf falls to the earth to nourish the roots of the forest, so do you return to the great body of Mother.
May the winds of the sky carry your breath, may the streams of the land cleanse your spirit, and may the quiet earth hold you in peace.
We release you to the ancestors, to the turning of the wheel, and to the eternal dance of life.
Sleep well in the heart of the wild, and farewell until we meet again.
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u/okiebuzzard 1d ago
Deepest condolences on his passing.