Holy symbol of Fiori, in the form of a pendant. (Generated by Dall-E. Prompt: "Cinematic oil painting of a bronze pendant. The pendant depicts a single rose above two wheat stalks. The background is a soft, dark velvet.")
Faction symbol/insignia: Blooming rose over grain
Members
Tend to be of humble origin, or are people from the mid to high echelons whose felt the need to step back.
Visual Identifiers
Members List
Beliefs
The Greenwardens revere The Heartmender, cherishing her teachings on agriculture, empathy, perseverance, growth, healing, hope, and life. Known throughout Marcandria as wise healers and counselors, they are committed to lives of simplicity and service, finding profound fulfillment in aiding others.
Believing that fulfillment comes from the act of giving, the Greenwardens hold that assistance should be offered freely, without expectation of reward. This ethos is evident in their commitment to providing medical aid and healing at no charge, especially to those unable to afford care. Withholding aid when capable of helping is anathema to them, reflecting a profound disdain for selfishness. By extending their support universally, they strive to embody Fiori's nurturing spirit, ensuring no one is deprived of care due to lack of wealth or status.
The Greenwardens advocate for relentless personal growth, viewing stagnation as contrary to The Heartmender's cycle of renewal and growth. They encourage everyone to strive toward self-betterment, not just for personal gain but as a moral duty to enhance the collective well-being. However, this pursuit often leads to an overly critical view of those who seem content with their current circumstances or those who prioritize stability, labeling them as lacking ambition or spiritual depth.
Living under the pressure to embody Fiori’s virtues perfectly, Greenwardens often feel compelled to present themselves as paragons of growth and resilience. While they aim to serve as beacons of hope, many internally struggle with doubt and personal setbacks. Admitting these difficulties is taboo, risking their spiritual authority and the hope they inspire. With The Heartmender's signs often subtle and open to interpretation, some Greenwardens use public perception of their deeds as a proxy for divine favor, equating their popularity with spiritual approval. Despite their firm belief in persevering through challenges for long-term benefits, they too face moments of seeming impossibility, just like everyone else.
The Greenwardens revere the Great Mother as a maternal figure who blesses the land with fertility and guides her followers with patience and wisdom. At life's end, they believe The Heartmender guides the soul to the afterlife, underscoring her role throughout life’s cycle.
The Greenwardens believe The Heartmender communicates through nature, particularly during rituals involving the planting of various seeds. They interpret Fiori’s will based on which seeds germinate and how they grow, reinforcing values of patience and contemplation. Beyond these rituals, they discern Fiori’s guidance through natural responses—observing which plants bloom or wilt during prayer to gage divine insights. This deep connection with nature serves as their primary medium for divine communication.
While prioritizing essential healing services, the Greenwardens also cultivate and sell quality-of-life remedies like skincare and vitality treatments to fund their operations. This practice, though profitable, sometimes diverts resources from basic care, posing a challenge in balancing lucrative endeavors with their mission of healing and nurturing. Struggles not to become addicted to the comforts and luxuries that can be afforded by the revenue from non-essential remedies are common among them.
Fiori's Tenants:
(Growth, Agriculture) Always seek growth, and your future will reap its abundant rewards. Strive to cultivate your mind and body, for in perfecting yourself, you echo The Great Mother's decree. Become fertile ground for the blossoming of new ideas and endeavors, contributing to the world’s bounty. Nurture growth in the fields, within yourself, and in others. Scatter seeds wherever you tread, for life's true purpose lies in continuous cultivation. Embrace the cycle of sowing and reaping, reflecting the endless journey of growth and renewal vital to all existence.
(Perseverance, Hope) Never give up on hope, for those who persevere through adversity sow seeds for future success. Through challenges, we plant the seeds of future triumphs. Each obstacle, faced with courage, paves the way for a flourishing and prosperous future, enriching both your life and those around you. Let your actions nurture the world, spreading prosperity and hope among all. Be the bountiful harvest, where your efforts bring fulfillment not only to yourself but also to the lives you touch.
(Healing, Empathy) Those who nurture others find fulfillment within themselves. Let the spirit of nurture guide every action. Tend to the world The Great Mother has gifted, spreading prosperity and hope to all. In acts of healing and kindness, discover the fulfillment that nourishes both the giver and the receiver. Plant seeds of hope and foster the growth of others, for the beauty of life lies in helping one another flourish. Through kindness and communal service, find fulfillment and purpose, healing both your wounds and those of others. Seek to rebuild and mend, for true growth comes from nurturing and renewal. Empathy heals a broken heart, both yours and those you bring aid. Find solace in the knowledge that you're never on your own, for the Heartmender tends to us all.
(Life) Embrace life's eternal cycle, and revere the wonders of all that lives. Embrace the eternal cycle of sowing and reaping, for within it lies the very essence of existence as ordained by She Who Shapes All. Seek fulfillment in life’s ever-turning wheel and honor the transition at life's end as another phase of growth under Her watchful guidance. Protect and nurture life in all its forms, and cherish the lands She has gifted. Be fertile and plentiful, allowing all to be enveloped in the wondrous bounties Her land has given.
Goals
The Greenwardens are dedicated to fostering the health and well-being of Marcandrians, with the aspiration that every member of their community may thrive. Through their efforts, they not only seek to enhance the lives of others but also to find fulfillment in their own lives. As devotees of the Heartmender, their mission extends to expanding her worship and influence, and safeguarding the values She cherishes.
All endeavors of the Greenwardens aim to nurture and protect that which is dear to the Heartmender. Given that the Heartmender often receives less attention from the upper echelons of Marcandrian society—except by those who have directly benefited from the Greenwardens' healing and medical services—the Greenwardens are also committed to raising her profile and importance within these circles.
Organization
No organization? Basically just communal cooperation, with each member basically operating independently, taking on their own apprentices, and then those who congregate at the same temples basically just cooperating while doing their own thing. Their temples are mostly gifted to them by nobility to have them there to provide their services. They tend to barter and sell goods they grow to get the things they do not make themselves. Goods include herbal remedies etc (both against sickness, other conditions, but also those aimed just at improving their health in some aspect – be it stamina, sex life, etc.)
Such a structure would also mean there's quite the variance in what each temple prioritizes, often based on which Greenwarden acted as their mentor.
Would mean ranks are just Greenwarden, and their Apprentices.
Ranks:
Greenwarden
Apprentice
Operations and Endeavors
Help with crops and harvests. Blesses them. Also mentors and cooperates with farmers on methods for having as good a harvest as possible.
Healing and medicine+ remedies, for free
Cosmetic and luxury remedies for money in order to fund their other free services.
The Greenwardens believe the Heartmender communes with her followers through nature, particularly through crops, flower fields, and bountiful gardens. When praying for guidance, the Greenwardens will perform a ritual involving the planting of various seeds, interpreting Fiori’s will based on which seeds germinate and their growth patterns. This method reinforces the values of patience and contemplation, mirroring Fiori’s deliberate and thoughtful nature. Beyond such rituals, the Greenwardens also believe that the Heartmender's guidance and will can be discerned at all times through the natural world. By praying in a field of crops or flowers, or in a lush garden, and then observing how the plants respond, they believe they can gage her divine insights. Which flowers blossom and which start to droop around you while praying are all part of the puzzle they try to decipher to gage the Heartmender's divine insights. This belief underscores their deep connection with nature and their reliance on it as a medium for divine communication.
Fiori emanates a sense of wisdom and tranquility, eschewing ostentation and extravagance. Known for her patience and thoughtfulness, she seldom acts in haste, preferring a contemplative approach. Her vibrant and caring nature reflects her love for her worshippers, and she finds joy in guiding them towards a more fulfilling life by nurturing the land she bestowed upon them. Often considered the peaceful and loving mother of Marcandria, her benevolence and compassion inspire adoration and reverence among her devotees.
Rather than engaging in direct communication, Fiori communicates through subtle signs scattered amidst fields and flowers, decipherable only through attentive observation.
Note for two points above: Greenwardens plant seeds when communing with her, desiphering how they grow as her answer. This means communing with her takes time and requires patience. However, the Greenwardens also believe that her wisdom and visions are always among the crops and flowerfields, subtly using them to communicate with those who know what to look for.
Greenwardens will place the seeds from each prayer in their own pot. Once they've grown enough for the answer to have been discerned, they're transplanted to their permanent place in a field.
Maybe: Different flowers and herbs the Greenwardens grow are believed to indicate different things when it comes to her communication. If one suddenly starts blooming, that has one meaning. If one starts drooping, there's another meaning. Greenwardens could have very dense gardens, that are basically untamed and a tangled chaos, where they go to meditate and seek guidance from Fiori.
This would basically give 2 methods of communing: Meditating in the gardens to her, looking for signs in the plants for replies; or plant a seed as an offering in a pot, and have what happens to it be the answer (could also be that they plant several type of seeds in the same pot, where you interpret the answer based on which type germinates, and how good their growth is.)
Locations
Tend to lean on having multiple more modest temples rather than one large. Several independent temples might even be neighbors. The few grander temples have all been commisioned by others and essentially handed to the Greenwardens (i.e. nobles creating grand temples for each of the deities in their city for example.)
Relations with other Factions
Greenwardens too fractured to have any real influence. Connection people have with the Greenwardens tend to be more on an individual level. Specific Greenwardens may be very well liked in a community, mostly with farmers, lower cast people, and those who have needed their aid. However, since each Greenwarden basically only has the authority of themselves, plus whoever likes them enough to support their stance, they tend to have very little impact on Marcandrian politics etc. The very nature of how the Greenwardens operate is counterproductive to gaining influence in society.