The Deep Undergrowth
Nearly every order owes something to the Order of the Deep Undergrowth in one way or another. When the cuirizu were still few and targets of various other outsiders, it was the Deep Undergrowth that organized their people to repel these assailants and establish for the cuirizu a society of indulgence and pleasure. But today the Deep Undergrowth is a mere echo of its former greatness, doing what it can to retain its decadent and luxurious lifestyle behind a thick curtain of secrecy.
Nearly every cuirizu alive today knows about the Deep Undergrowth and all of them believe it to be a thing of the past, destroyed by the Briar Harvest in the Last War of Trees. None of the orders like it, and many actually mourn it, but none consider the idea that the order still limps along somewhere out of sight, slowly rebuilding its strength to claim the right to rule once again.
The Deep Undergrowth exists in secret, moving behind the scenes of mortal and cuirizu society alike, picking up scraps of its former holdings in the hopes of turning them into something viable for later use. The order is set on taking back what is theirs but has to settle for little things for now. Any revelation that the order still exists as an organized entity, even as small as it is, would bring the focus of every horde of the Briar Harvest down upon it, which they simply cannot stand against now.
Once the protectors of the cuirizu against outside threats, the Deep Undergrowth has been forced to lay with those former enemies and seek their aid. By opening themselves up to business and breeding with other outsiders, the order hopes to gain a degree of power not available to the likes of the Briar Harvest and match their numbers with overwhelming force. In the meantime, the order keeps any trace of its passing a secret and erases the memory of those who might compromise them.
Members of the Deep Undergrowth often are the exemplar of the cuirizu race, covered in piercings, marked with tribal tattoos, and possessing exotic coloration. Much of what one sees in members of the order can be seen in the Deep Undergrowth, collected all in one place. Recently, the cuirizu of the order have begun to include iconography from other sources such as hell or show more occult influences in their magic. This influence grows with each passing year as the order commits itself more to the pursuit of power.
Structure
Though the Deep Undergrowth Pioneered much of the current order and Garden system in place today, not much of the order remains in order to truly implement it the way it was intended. Certain changes have been made to reflect the orders considerably reduced numbers.
Primogen: The current Primogen of the Deep Undergrowth ascended to the position years after Dionaea was slain, due to the amount of time it took for Belladonna to locate any of the disparate members of the order that still remained in the furthest reaches of Alkotas. Originally a rogue cuirizu from an extinct order, Belladonna became Dionaea's Consort during the Age of Law. Regarded by most within the order and the other orders at the time as a mere shadow of the Primogen, Dionaea herself and her Dominas regarded Belladonna's skills quite highly. Belladonna herself was responsible for organizing the swelling ranks of the Deep Undergrowth into the Sects they were in for ages, including what would become the Carnal Bloom.
When the Deep Undergrowth fell, Belladonna's guilt at not being present to protect Dionaea against her sister and the grief she felt for her loss was immense and the cuirizu did not take the role of the new Primogen until nearly half a century later when she learned of other survivors from the order. Instead of forming an order from the Sect with which she'd had the most affinity to, Dionaea chose to carry on the legacy of her fallen Consort and reform the Deep Undergrowth. Belladonna is a fierce leader with many of the same values as Dionaea, though the altruistic outlook for the cuirizu as a whole has soured with time. Belladonna has begun to scour the world looking for a means to increase the strength of every member of the order and place herself on the level of a true Primogen.
Belladonna keeps close tabs on members of the order, emphasizing her mandates for secrecy and recovery, while poring over methods of obtaining enough power to reclaim the order's rightful place at the head of cuirizu society.
Domina: Few Dominas of the order remain, having been targeted specifically during the last War of Trees by the Briar Harvest. Dominas were designated as the next likely individuals to ascend to the position of Primogen in the absence of Dionaea, something the Briar Harvest wished to prevent. Though the vast majority of the Primogens daughters were slain, there were a few who were able to escape this fate. Most Dominas today are young, as Dionaea was still actively breeding even in her final days, so few of them hold much standing within the order other than their innate talent. A few are of Elder rank and spend most of their time looking after their sisters, ensuring that they receive proper training in the old ways. Once a Domina has finished training, the two will go their separate ways and the newer Domina will obtain a consort to begin working with.
When not training younger Dominas, the role of such cuirizu is to meticulously manage the disparate members of the order that are left. With most members of the order tasked with finding means to breed, uncover magical knowledge to assist the order, and recover lost relics and knowledge from before the Fall, Dominas have a great deal to co-ordinate. Dominas themselves will take on such tasks, as leaving the work to others is simply not an option. Cuirizu of this rank, even the youngest, have the most potent magical talent of all the cuirizu and some have been known to manifest other more esoteric powers not typically associated with the cuirizu such as psionics.
Diartha: The Order of the Deep Undergrowth has always had cuirizu who served as go-betweens with other fiends, even leveraging their position as native outsiders to even summon and bind fiends who could not be brought to the table otherwise. But the current state of the order has made the Diartha a more crucial role than it ever was before the Fall of the order. The Diartha now spend less time negotiating with outsiders and more time binding them or taking their power, making use of ancient contracts recovered through the efforts of other members of the order. Diartha possess considerable magical power in their own right, but multiply it several times over by the powers they have either bound into the order's service or taken into themselves.
Diartha's have a special affinity for Devils, being able to utilize the contracts of such entities much more easily than the esoteric rituals and rules of other fiends. As a result, Diarthas appear more devilish at times, but especially in their unbound states. Some Diarthas take on other fiends as specializations, be they Demons, Kytons, or others, while some delve into the world of the more neutral outsiders such as elementals. Diarthas typically report to Dominas, but those tasked with obtaining a specific contract by the Primogen bypass their usual Domina and report to Belladonna directly.
Kathari: In order to maintain the secrecy of the order, it's sometimes imperative to have individual cuirizu go and cleanse all evidence of a Undergrowths passing. Kathari specialize in erasing all signs of someone's presence ranging from simple intimidation or elimination of witnesses to magical erasure of memories or auras. Kathari are assigned by Dominas whenever the presence of a member of the order has been detected by others. Kathari quickly assess the situation and implement whatever measures need to be taken.
Not every instance requires a Katharis attention, as the Deep Undergrowth does delight in seeing the Briar Harvest chase shadows. Only events that may point to specific individuals, their agendas, and their whereabouts are usually considered for a Kathari's attention. Some cuirizu of other orders have even been permitted to interact with members of the Deep Undergrowth and keep their memories of it, usually if they're deemed reliable allies to the order. Some members of the order will deal with other cuirizu in secret though, specifically to avoid having them targeted by the Kathari. Memory manipulation is difficult to maintain on a wide scale and threats from other orders are sometimes handled by assassination, using the Carnal Bloom as a cat's paw.
Reclaimer: When the Deep Undergrowth fell, much of its holdings were destroyed or looted by other orders, even the allies of the Deep Undergrowth. Now that the order has begun to rebuild itself, it has a vested interest in seeing much of what it held returned to it. Reclaimers specialize in locating lost Deep Undergrowth artifacts, items, magics, and properties and returning them to the order if possible. Not everything that is found can be reclaimed, some properties of the Deep Undergrowth are simply too large to be managed with so few numbers now, but they often can be purged of anyone who's taken them as their own.
Reclaimers try to look for things "in the wild" to reclaim first, rather than trying to seek out what might be in the hands of another order, but will not hesitate to take something back if its deemed a priority by a Domina or the Primogen. The order of the Golden Sepal and the Order of the Elysium Apple are among the most egregious transgressors, styling themselves as rightful successors to the Undergrowth and using whatever they've kept from the Order to further those goals. The Apples tend to make use of property and sites while the Sepals tend to make use of smaller items, texts, and magic. Recovering from either comes with it's own unique challenges but Reclaimers are patient and driven, observing behavior of targets for months or years in order to seize an opening. In situations where Reclaimers have to use more overt tactics, they alert a Domina or a Kathari directly for immediate cleanup.
Consort: Though the Deep Undergrowth is largely responsible for how Orders are structured, there is one designation within the order that was unique to it: That of the Consort. As the order continued to expand and Gardens of the Deep Undergrowth were becoming multi-generational fixtures in their areas, the Order was looking to refine the process of the Garden further. Consorts were secondary Mistresses attached to existing Mistresses, tasked with complimenting the skill set of the established cuirizu and gaining access to the Garden as a Mistress in return. Eventually if the Primary Mistress wished to retire or be elevated in rank somewhere else, the Secondary Mistress would take over.
Many cuirizu of the order resisted the idea when it was introduced, despising the concept of sitting beside their replacement and subverting the function of the First within a Garden. Those who took Consorts though, reported positive results with productivity going up and protection of Gardens becoming easier to manage. Soon Consorts were implemented for nearly every member of the order, whether they had Gardens or not and the concept of Undergrowth pairs being inseparable quickly became a hallmark of the order. Today, Consorts are harder to come by and highly sought after. Not only do Consorts provide a level of added protection to members of the order but also a degree of companionship in a perpetually secretive existence. Cuirizu of the order who lack Consorts usually spend the bulk of their time trying to find one, even going so far as to seek out any rogue cuirizu and induct them into the Order to have one. Though Consorts used to share the same ranks as the cuirizu they were partnered to, the ability to do so now is incredibly limited.
Mistress/Master: The Deep Undergrowth used to train cuirizu extensively before allowing them to have their own Gardens, putting them through rigorous preparation similar to what's seen in the Order of the Verdant Lust. These days, time is not a luxury that the order enjoys. Training of younger cuirizu is much shorter and to the point, with less emphasis placed on breeding practices and more emphasis on remaining hidden and maintaining secrecy. Provided a Mistress can keep her activities secret, Dominas will often look the other way on sloppy Gardens with the intention of improving them little by little over time. Some cuirizu, who show a distinct lack of commitment to a Garden, are encouraged to take on another role in the order without a Garden and to come back to it later. Some do this willingly, wishing instead to spend their youth rebuilding the order in ways other than Breeding.
Culture
The Deep Undergrowth was once the absolute center of cuirizu society. Much of how orders are structured is thanks to the Deep Undegrowth with later additions being contributed by the Elysium Apple and the Golden Sepal. The face of the entire race was one that of the Deep Undergrowth but today, they are hardly even known and the order needs it to stay that way a little longer.
The Deep Undergrowth is believed to be dead and gone by most other orders. There are some rogue cuirizu who still keep the Deep Undergrowth in their names, but are regarded as scant remnants of what once was. These individuals are hunted mercilessly by the Briar Harvest and most cuirizu believe it's just a matter of time before these individuals are caught and slain and the remainder of the Undergrowths will be gone forever. The order can not afford to correct them and have turned this preconception to their advantage as they rebuild in the background.
The order functions entirely in secret, using powerful magic to cover up their passing and powerful bindings with other outsiders to obfuscate their movements. The Deep Undergrowth has even been making use of the Carnal Bloom, a former Sect of the order, to execute certain objectives without their knowledge. The distance with the Blooms isn't solely for manipulation or even to protect the Deep Undergrowth, but to actually protect the Carnal Bloom. Keeping things compartmentalized is how the Blooms seem to prefer doing things and the Undergrowth is more than happy to oblige. Eventually, when the Deep Undergrowth retakes it's seat at the head of the table, they intend to bring the Carnal Bloom back in and reward them handsomely for carrying a torch for them.
The Primogen of the order stays involved with the regular activities of the Dominas, encouraging them to maintain Gardens whenever possible as they represent the most power the order has to offer and would like to see it bred back into the order. The Dominas do what they can to comply, but often have their hands full with the various moving parts of the order and either keep their Gardens very small or rely heavily on their Firsts to make sure things go smoothly. Recently Dominas have observed interesting results with Diartha integrating fiendish blood with their breeding and have begun to do the same to bolster their power.
The Infernal Caucus
Though binding outsiders, namely Fiends, is always an option for the Deep Undergrowth, the order prefers to retain the extended services of such fiends through other means when possible. The most amiable to these efforts have been the devils residing in Hell. The Deep Undergrowth has even gone through the process of establishing a specific event for the devils called the Infernal Caucus, designed specifically to woo and seduce the fiends for their own purposes. The Infernal Caucus is a grand event, held every 6 years during a full moon and lasts for 3 nights with the intention of securing infernal contracts to lend aid and power to the Order of the Deep Undergrowth. Dominas, Diartha, and even the Primogen will offer themselves and their Gardens up as companions for the evenings, treating their guests to nights of debauchery and revelry the likes of which they have seldom known... all while negotiating contracts. The Infernal Caucus is typically held in Ivalia deep in the Nadir, but has been known to be moved to Hell if one of the higher ranking Devils being courted is particularly adamant. In addition to unforgettable sexual encounters with the cuirizu, the devils are able to obtain exotic magic of their own, noteworthy slaves, new souls, and most importantly direct passage to the material plane to do their own corrupting. The Deep Undergrowth likewise benefits by adding the power and blood of the devils to their Gardens as well as whatever other boons they can eke out of them. Every Infernal Caucus that has been held has steadily grown larger than the last, adding to the power and influence of the cuirizu order in Hell. The Outer Seeding
Outside of devils, most outsiders are wary of the cuirizu and their intentions when approached peacefully. Few of those who agree to anything can be counted on to hold up their ends of bargains as the devils tend to be the ones who respect contracts and law the most. Instead, there exists a separate process for introducing the blood of such outsides to the Deep Undergrowth, and that's by force. The Outer Seeding is a ritual performed on top of another ritual, specifically whatever ritual is needed to summon and bind the outsider that serves as the "guest" to the Seeding ritual itself. When the outsider is summoned, it becomes the target of a group ravaging by the cuirizu who performed it. In some instances, the summoned outsider is forced to bed members of a cuirizu's Garden, but more often times than not it's a group of cuirizu who ravage a demon, elemental, or other outsider. The outsider is then held on the material plane until it births a cuirizu, or returned to its native plane to be summoned once more at a later time. The ritual is treated as a social event and can be held by any member of the order with a few connections so long as there is a Diartha in attendance and Kathari if cleanup is necessary. Dominas will often gather together and perform the Seeding as part of other business with one another, using summoned outsiders as mere play things and entertainment before attending to other matters.
Though binding outsiders, namely Fiends, is always an option for the Deep Undergrowth, the order prefers to retain the extended services of such fiends through other means when possible. The most amiable to these efforts have been the devils residing in Hell. The Deep Undergrowth has even gone through the process of establishing a specific event for the devils called the Infernal Caucus, designed specifically to woo and seduce the fiends for their own purposes. The Infernal Caucus is a grand event, held every 6 years during a full moon and lasts for 3 nights with the intention of securing infernal contracts to lend aid and power to the Order of the Deep Undergrowth. Dominas, Diartha, and even the Primogen will offer themselves and their Gardens up as companions for the evenings, treating their guests to nights of debauchery and revelry the likes of which they have seldom known... all while negotiating contracts. The Infernal Caucus is typically held in Ivalia deep in the Nadir, but has been known to be moved to Hell if one of the higher ranking Devils being courted is particularly adamant. In addition to unforgettable sexual encounters with the cuirizu, the devils are able to obtain exotic magic of their own, noteworthy slaves, new souls, and most importantly direct passage to the material plane to do their own corrupting. The Deep Undergrowth likewise benefits by adding the power and blood of the devils to their Gardens as well as whatever other boons they can eke out of them. Every Infernal Caucus that has been held has steadily grown larger than the last, adding to the power and influence of the cuirizu order in Hell. The Outer Seeding
Outside of devils, most outsiders are wary of the cuirizu and their intentions when approached peacefully. Few of those who agree to anything can be counted on to hold up their ends of bargains as the devils tend to be the ones who respect contracts and law the most. Instead, there exists a separate process for introducing the blood of such outsides to the Deep Undergrowth, and that's by force. The Outer Seeding is a ritual performed on top of another ritual, specifically whatever ritual is needed to summon and bind the outsider that serves as the "guest" to the Seeding ritual itself. When the outsider is summoned, it becomes the target of a group ravaging by the cuirizu who performed it. In some instances, the summoned outsider is forced to bed members of a cuirizu's Garden, but more often times than not it's a group of cuirizu who ravage a demon, elemental, or other outsider. The outsider is then held on the material plane until it births a cuirizu, or returned to its native plane to be summoned once more at a later time. The ritual is treated as a social event and can be held by any member of the order with a few connections so long as there is a Diartha in attendance and Kathari if cleanup is necessary. Dominas will often gather together and perform the Seeding as part of other business with one another, using summoned outsiders as mere play things and entertainment before attending to other matters.
Assets
The Radiant Array
After centuries of pursuing various avenues of power and experimenting with outsiders, the Primogen of the order has constructed an intricate ritual housed within a dedicated tower for one purpose, harnessing the power of a celestial and breeding it into the order. Long considered incompatible with cuirizu physiology, the Radiant Array is designed to focus the will of the Primogen into changing that. Once Belladonna realized that it was possible for Fiends and Celestials to breed, she began to research the rare phenomenon to harness for her own purposes. The tower is located at an auspicious part of the world at a conflux of leylines in Farodyn with the whole of it covered in various arcane symbols. Numerous circles are layered upon one another on every surface the tower has from floor to ceiling and channels the will of the mistress of the circle. The body of Dionaea is buried at the base of the tower, adding further power and focus to Belladonna for her final goal, to seed a Celestial and keep it until it births a cuirizu. Belladonna believes that if celestial power can be harnessed by the order, there would be little the Briar Harvest could do against it upon its return. Blackthorn Garden
Blackthorn Garden is the personal Garden of Belladonna, the Primogen of the Order of the Deep Undergrowth. Located deep in the wilds of Farodyn, the Primogen experiments on radical new breedings when not engaged with the order's overall goal of reclamation of it's former standing. Blackthorn Garden is housed in a dense grove of unusually large Blackthorn trees against a treacherous cliff with it's own waterfall. The Garden was once used as a retreat by Dionaea when not attending to matters of the order and was mostly overlooked in the Last War of Trees because of its lack of development and fortification. Since then, Belladonna has built the Garden up, providing numerous security measures in the surrounding forest and implementing a staggering amount of layered wards to ensure that no one she does not wish to see is able to enter the Garden. Belladonna does not take typically receive visitors unless they are there to assist her with her work directly. The Primogen often moves between bouts of melancholy and fits of rage, so everything in the Garden, down to the mortals kept there, are geared specifically toward bringing her out of one of these episodes as quickly as possible. The Devil's Snare
Located in the vast forest of the sixth layer of Hell known as Malebolge, the Devil's Snare is the only cuirizu Garden on the entire plane. The Garden serves as a place of diplomacy and temptation for the occupants of Hell, as well as a place for the Damned to be captured and turned to a purpose other than that of the local devils'. Whenever the Infernal Caucus is held within the plane of hell, it is typically held at the Devil's Snare. As a Garden, the Devil's Snare is large and heavily staffed. A great deal of resources of the order of the Deep Undergrowth is poured into making sure the Garden is well defended and well outfitted with the finest carnal pleasures a devil could hope to find. Though there is one pair of Mistresses in charge of the Garden, multiple pairs of other Diartha are present to ensure the Garden is ready to accommodate any guest or repel any threat. Further bolstering these defenses are various other captured and bound fiends who obey their Mistresses without question. Various mortals are held here as well, providing visitors with a taste for mortal flesh that can otherwise be difficult to obtain without passage to the material plane, of which can also be obtained for a price.
After centuries of pursuing various avenues of power and experimenting with outsiders, the Primogen of the order has constructed an intricate ritual housed within a dedicated tower for one purpose, harnessing the power of a celestial and breeding it into the order. Long considered incompatible with cuirizu physiology, the Radiant Array is designed to focus the will of the Primogen into changing that. Once Belladonna realized that it was possible for Fiends and Celestials to breed, she began to research the rare phenomenon to harness for her own purposes. The tower is located at an auspicious part of the world at a conflux of leylines in Farodyn with the whole of it covered in various arcane symbols. Numerous circles are layered upon one another on every surface the tower has from floor to ceiling and channels the will of the mistress of the circle. The body of Dionaea is buried at the base of the tower, adding further power and focus to Belladonna for her final goal, to seed a Celestial and keep it until it births a cuirizu. Belladonna believes that if celestial power can be harnessed by the order, there would be little the Briar Harvest could do against it upon its return. Blackthorn Garden
Blackthorn Garden is the personal Garden of Belladonna, the Primogen of the Order of the Deep Undergrowth. Located deep in the wilds of Farodyn, the Primogen experiments on radical new breedings when not engaged with the order's overall goal of reclamation of it's former standing. Blackthorn Garden is housed in a dense grove of unusually large Blackthorn trees against a treacherous cliff with it's own waterfall. The Garden was once used as a retreat by Dionaea when not attending to matters of the order and was mostly overlooked in the Last War of Trees because of its lack of development and fortification. Since then, Belladonna has built the Garden up, providing numerous security measures in the surrounding forest and implementing a staggering amount of layered wards to ensure that no one she does not wish to see is able to enter the Garden. Belladonna does not take typically receive visitors unless they are there to assist her with her work directly. The Primogen often moves between bouts of melancholy and fits of rage, so everything in the Garden, down to the mortals kept there, are geared specifically toward bringing her out of one of these episodes as quickly as possible. The Devil's Snare
Located in the vast forest of the sixth layer of Hell known as Malebolge, the Devil's Snare is the only cuirizu Garden on the entire plane. The Garden serves as a place of diplomacy and temptation for the occupants of Hell, as well as a place for the Damned to be captured and turned to a purpose other than that of the local devils'. Whenever the Infernal Caucus is held within the plane of hell, it is typically held at the Devil's Snare. As a Garden, the Devil's Snare is large and heavily staffed. A great deal of resources of the order of the Deep Undergrowth is poured into making sure the Garden is well defended and well outfitted with the finest carnal pleasures a devil could hope to find. Though there is one pair of Mistresses in charge of the Garden, multiple pairs of other Diartha are present to ensure the Garden is ready to accommodate any guest or repel any threat. Further bolstering these defenses are various other captured and bound fiends who obey their Mistresses without question. Various mortals are held here as well, providing visitors with a taste for mortal flesh that can otherwise be difficult to obtain without passage to the material plane, of which can also be obtained for a price.
The Age of Mithral - The Age of Tranquility
Alternative Names
Forlorn
Demonym
Undergrowths
Leader Title
Subsidiary Organizations
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