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
Look for guidance from Fiori in plants and crops. Believe Fiori is constantly giving guidance through how they behave and what happens to them.
Fiori the one who takes people to the afterlife? i.e. when they reach the end of their life, i.e. cycle.
Represents the cycle of life, hence also death.
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.)
Fiori is a mother figure to Marcandria
Seen as Marcandria's caring and nurturing mother.
Also seen as the one who takes care of you when you depart from life?
BELIEFS
Believe particularly Marcandrian urban life often forget the selfless portion of Fiori's tenants. Tend not to blame them, but rather see them as misguided for being so hyper-focused on persevering above all else to gain wealth.
Believe that they must appear as perfect representatives of Fiori's tenants, as someone who has found fulfillment in life and is happy with who they are, even if that is not true?
Strongly believe that people should always seek to grow, and attempt to perfect themselves. They often put themselves under enormous pressure. Those they help tend to see the Greenwardens as exemplars when it comes to Fiori's message of continuous growth and perseverance, with the Greenwardens often finding themselves in a position where they never feel like they can show their own troubles or hardships.
feeling like they always need to improve on the services they provide (remedies, healing, guidance), but since the people who they help often look up to them as exemplars of perseverance in times of trouble (seeing them as a beacon of hope), the Greenwardens often find it difficult to
Maybe have them dislike people who don't seek to improve themselves? Refers to both bad people who don't want to turn a new leaf, but also people who are merely content with who they are. Perfection is typically unattainable, so the Greenwardens are in a race to perfect themselves that they'll never finish, with them having a negative view on those who decide to stay still. (i.e. they reject what they see as a selfish race to the top often seen in Marcandrian culture; but hypocritically have the same notion themselves, just in another form.)
This consequently means that, as representatives of the Great Mother, they often feel pressured to always appear to be growing, and as someone who perseveres through any hardship. They end up being many from the peasant and lower castes of society tend to use as a pillar of hope, i.e. “look at <Greenwarden>, he's doing fine, so I can use that as assurance to keep my own hopes alive”. The Greenwardens thus often find themselves in a position where they can't ever show that they're troubled, or that they've backslided, as that could scatter the will and hopes of those that basically look at them as the reason for not giving up themselves.
The Great Mother's tenants are also extremely altruistic, which can be hard for Greenwardens to live up to.
While they sell non-essential remedies with the reasoning that they'll use the funds to better their other free services, like most humans, it can be hard to cap this income to only what is necessary, and not take in additional revenue from them for their own benefit.
i.e. they cultivate plants for non-essential ointments, and sell said ointments to fund their essential services, which are free. However, many find it hard to balance the amount of non-essential plants they grow to only be enough for what they need, and not make extra for the sake of extra revenue to buy things they don't really need. (i.e. they are not immune to the allure of money and luxury) Some of the most prominent and skilled ones can have quite a bit of money due to the non-essential ointments they sell.
Maybe they tend to give favoritism to those that agree the most with them? i.e. if they are aiding two farmer families, they may give more aid to the family most aligned with them and Fiori?
Tend to dislike selfishness
But have some aspect that makes them, in a sense, also selfish themselves.
Believe humble lives in service to others yields fulfilling lives.
Those who give will be given more in return in the future.
Believe that her visions can be seen all around one, in the crops, flowers etc.
Need a note for how they interpret “perfect yourself”. Shouldn't be entirely altruistic.
Commune through planting seeds. Believe which seeds sprout, and how well they sprout, determines her answer (is used when asking for guidance on specific matters. Slow, required patience.). Also pray in special gardens overflowing with different kinds of flowers, looking for signs in them. Certain flowers blooming has specific meaning, certain flowers drooping also has specific meaning, etc. “violets bloomed, that's a sign off…”
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
See to the health and wellbeing of Marcandrians.
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.)
Would mean ranks are just Greenwarden, and their Apprentices.
Ranks:
Greenwarden
Apprentice
Operations and Endeavors
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.