Description

 

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 Great Mother, Fiori, cherishing her teachings on agriculture, empathy, perseverance, growth, healing, hope, and life. Known throughout Marcandria as wise healers and counselors, they have committed to lives of simplicity and service, finding deep fulfillment in aiding others.

Fulfillment for the Greenwardens comes from the act of giving itself. They hold a fundamental belief that assistance should be offered freely, without expectation of reward. This ethos manifests in their commitment to providing medical aid and healing without charge, particularly to those unable to afford care. To the Greenwardens, withholding aid when one has the means to help is anathema, reflecting a profound disdain for selfishness. They strive to embody Fiori's nurturing spirit by extending their support universally, ensuring that 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 constant pressure to exemplify Fiori’s virtues, Greenwardens often feel compelled to present themselves as paragons of growth and resilience. While they aim to serve as beacons of hope, internally, many struggle with doubt and personal setbacks. Admitting these difficulties is taboo, risking their spiritual authority and the hope they inspire. With Fiori’s signs often subtle and open to interpretation, some Greenwardens use public perception of their deeds as a proxy to gauge divine favor, equating their popularity with spiritual approval.

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, the Greenwardens believe The Heartmender guides the soul to the afterlife, emphasizing her role in every phase of life’s cycle.

To commune with Fiori, Greenwardens 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 this ritual, they seek signs of Fiori’s guidance in the natural world, believing that the health of plants in their sacred gardens can provide divine insights. This belief underscores their deep connection with nature and their reliance on it as a medium for divine communication.

While they prioritize essential healing services, the Greenwardens also cultivate and sell remedies that enhance quality of life, such as skincare and vitality treatments, in order to fund their endeavors. This practice, though profitable, sometimes strains their resources and commitment to providing basic care. The challenge lies in balancing these lucrative endeavors with their fundamental mission of healing and nurturing, with many struggling not to get addicted to the added comforts they can procure with taking in more funds.

 

 

 

 

 

The Greenwardens are devoted to the Heartmender, and as such hold her tenants of agriculture, empathy, perseverance, growth, healing, hope, and life in high regard. They are seen as the wise healers in Marcandrian culture, who offers council and aid to those in need. They have sought a simpler in service to the Heartmender, where they can find fulfillment in service to others.

(Care should be given freely) Believe fulfilment is achieved through the gratitude of aiding others. Believe one should always offer one's council, and to help when able. Refusing to help when you're able to is to them anathema. Dislikes selfishness, and believes aid should be given freely to all, not only to those with wealth and means. They therefore offer medicine and healing to those in need of it free of charge.

(Perfectionism) Believe one should always seek to grow, and to perfect oneself. The Greenwardens emphasize a doctrine of perpetual growth, viewing stagnation as antithetical to Fiori’s teachings of continuous improvement and the natural cycle of growth and rebirth. They believe that everyone should strive to better themselves, not only for personal fulfillment but as a moral obligation to contribute positively to the community. This belief can manifest as a disdain for those who appear content with their current state or those who do not actively seek to improve, whether morally, spiritually, or socially. This judgment can extend to those who prioritize stability over growth, labeling them as lacking ambition or spiritual depth.

(Have to be flawless. Proxy perception with favor) This emphasis on perpetual growth also puts the Greenwardens under a lot of pressure. As visible representatives of The Great Mother, Greenwardens feel pressured to embody her ideals flawlessly. They are expected to always appear in control, fulfilled, and growing, serving as beacons of hope and perseverance for the lower classes. Beneath this facade, many Greenwardens may struggle with their own doubts, setbacks, or personal growth plateaus. However, admitting these struggles is taboo, as it could undermine their perceived spiritual authority and the hope they inspire in others. As the Heartmender's visions and communications are often very vague and hard to discern, some Greenwardens also use the perception and favorability  they have among those they've aided as a proxy for Fiori's perceived favor.

(Views on Fiori) Seen as a nurturing mother figure, who is the one who blesses Marcandria with fertile land. Seen as wise and tranquil, patient and thoughtful, preferring a contemplative approach. Also believe that when one's at the end of life's cycle, then the Heartemnder will be the one guiding them to the afterlife.

(Communing with Fiori) Ritual of planting several seeds in a pot to commune with her. Her answer to said prayer is discerned depending on which seeds sprouted, and how well they grow. These sprouts are planted in the ground when they think they've managed to discern her answer. Greenwardens value patience and thoughtfulness, and believe Fiori communicating in this manner is to teach her followers to be the same. This method of communicating through sprouting seeds is slow, and season dependent. The Greenwardens also believe the Heartmender's visions and guidance can be discerned from crops, flower fields, and dense gardens, where one can pray and receive answers by looking at which plants bloom or droop. 

(Essentials vs cosmetic cultivation, and wealth dilemma)

 

 

 

 

 

I think I want to use the financial dilemma of using too much resources on non-essential goods, which will give them more revenue than they actually need to operate, causing there to potentially be a larger shortage of essential supplies than it could've been. ("Believe in selflessness, and that their aid should be available to all. Essential services thus free, but they provide paid non-essential goods as well in order to finance the essential ones.)

I also think gaging Fiori's favor would be rather difficult, as the way she communicates is quite vague. It could therefore be that they use how much others look up to them, and how many do so, as a replacement -- falsely linking how others see them with how well they're doing in terms of growth and improvement. Basically a need for acknowledgement that is difficult to get from Fiori herself due to how hard it is to interpret her favor.

Two above can let one make them a bit hypocritical about the selfish nature of focusing on appearances and wealth in Marcandrian culture, while being guilty of the same temptations themselves.

 

 

 

Fiori's Tenants:

  1. (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.
  2. (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.
  3. (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.
  4. (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

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:

  1. Greenwarden
  2. Apprentice

 

Operations and Endeavors

Locations

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.

Stance of Succession Conflict