The Golden Sepal
The Golden Sepal is one of the Oldest orders of the cuirizu, and for millennia stood as the record keepers and archivists of the race as the behest of the Deep Undergrowth. The Sepal was unrivaled in it's knowledge not just of the cuirizu, but in many of the early races of the world which they studied obsessively in order to find the best compatibility for breeding. When the last War of Trees brought down the Deep Undergrowth and moved onto the Gilded Orchid, the Golden Sepal closed it's vaults to every other order, appropriated everything within and began to strike deals with Orders in exchange for the contents of those vaults.
Sepals are known for their decadence, sensuality, and feminine allure. Nearly every Sepal in the order pierces it's flesh with extravagant gold pieces, often hanging the finest fabrics or gems from them to highlight their near achingly beautiful physical attributes. Those among the order who mark their flesh with tattoos, usually choose to do so using material that is rare or valuable, some even using gold for this purpose as well. Nearly every inch of a Sepal's body is meticulously managed for maximum appeal, just as their collections are meticulously managed.
Cuirizu of the order are equally known for their keen intelligence, knowing more about whoever they choose to meet with than can possibly be known of themselves. Sepals always seek to have the upper hand in negotiations but never overstate the value of what it is they have to offer. The knowledge, wealth, and power contained within the vaults is typically traded off for breeding stock or territory, as the Sepals dislike to spend the time in acquiring them for themselves and leaving their collections and vaults unattended. Those with something particularly rare to offer can command much better trades from the Sepals, who are always on the lookout for a means of making their collections a cut above that of their peers.
Seldom to the Sepals even fight their own battles, choosing instead to have members of their vassal order, the Gilded Orchid, do it for them. When Andronika, the Primogen of the Gilded Orchid, was slain by Thorne, Andronika's next in line was forced to seek out the Golden Sepal for aid. The bargain struck between the orders is not fully understood by those outside the two orders, but within short time every Golden Sepal vault was bolstered with the remains of the Gilded Orchid's forces. Though either may have been easy for the Briar Harvest to pick off on their own, the complimentary talents of the two orders proved to be too much when the Briars were spread so thin.
If forced to take up arms for themselves, Sepals rely on their magic, having a masterful command not just of Eromagic to entice or Phyllomagic to shape and protect, but various other arcane arts to devastate their enemies. Within the Golden Sepal is the most diverse range of magic that the cuirizu have to offer, even having various powerful magical items to shore up their weakness against flame and turn the element upon their enemies if need be.
When left to their own devices, Sepals prefer to study and experiment, always seeking to increase their collection of lore, stories, and art or increasing their command of whatever magical arts grabs their interest. Sepals are viewed by other cuirizu to be the most removed from breeding and bolstering their numbers, though this is far from the case. Much of what the Golden Sepal does to breed more of it's kind happens within it's vaults, behind closed doors, at the end of extensive breeding programs thoroughly researched under the tutelage of Elders. While other orders consider the Sepal numbers to be dwindling with the passing centuries, the truth is that their numbers are holding just as steady as they were thousands of years ago... just out of plain view.
The Golden Sepal do not place a high emphasis on Gardens the way some other orders do, instead maintaining grand vaults to house the wealth and secrets of the order. These Vaults are typically set into the sides of mountains or extend deep into the earth, sometimes even into the Darklands themselves. Each Vault is protected by various arcane measures, traps, and members of the Gilded Orchid that function as guards. Nearly all Sepals take great lengths to keep the entrances to vaults concealed, and even when found are incredibly difficult to penetrate. On the inside, Vaults are a combination of bank, library, reliquary, breeding pen, and luxury manor, each of which are typically on different floors with the most secretive and protected items located the furthest from the surface. Instead of keeping themselves the farthest from harm by residing near the bottom of the Vault, Mistresses are usually located closer to the top in order to interpose themselves between any would be intruders and their horde. Some vaults contain more than one entrance, making the layout considerably more complicated. Some vaults in control of the Elders are said to even be extra-dimensional spaces, either located in pocket dimensions with entrances on Alkotas or warped on the inside with spacial magic as to be larger than a given area could normally contain. The sheer volume of resources, whether in the form of coin, artifacts, vessels, or knowledge, makes the Vaults coveted by every other order of cuirizu. For another order to obtain just one of these vaults, even minor ones, would represent such a material gain for an order as to merit committing several cuirizu to obtaining. As it stands, most orders have to settle for brokering deals with the Sepals just for scraps, with the only order getting more than that being the Gilded Orchid as per the agreement laid out between the orders.
Golden Sepal Vaults
The Golden Sepal do not place a high emphasis on Gardens the way some other orders do, instead maintaining grand vaults to house the wealth and secrets of the order. These Vaults are typically set into the sides of mountains or extend deep into the earth, sometimes even into the Darklands themselves. Each Vault is protected by various arcane measures, traps, and members of the Gilded Orchid that function as guards. Nearly all Sepals take great lengths to keep the entrances to vaults concealed, and even when found are incredibly difficult to penetrate. On the inside, Vaults are a combination of bank, library, reliquary, breeding pen, and luxury manor, each of which are typically on different floors with the most secretive and protected items located the furthest from the surface. Instead of keeping themselves the farthest from harm by residing near the bottom of the Vault, Mistresses are usually located closer to the top in order to interpose themselves between any would be intruders and their horde. Some vaults contain more than one entrance, making the layout considerably more complicated. Some vaults in control of the Elders are said to even be extra-dimensional spaces, either located in pocket dimensions with entrances on Alkotas or warped on the inside with spacial magic as to be larger than a given area could normally contain. The sheer volume of resources, whether in the form of coin, artifacts, vessels, or knowledge, makes the Vaults coveted by every other order of cuirizu. For another order to obtain just one of these vaults, even minor ones, would represent such a material gain for an order as to merit committing several cuirizu to obtaining. As it stands, most orders have to settle for brokering deals with the Sepals just for scraps, with the only order getting more than that being the Gilded Orchid as per the agreement laid out between the orders.
Structure
The Order of the Golden Sepal has a structure similar to the Garden structure laid out by the Deep Undergrowth but began to diverge from it long before the order's destruction. The Sepals were once the cuirizu trusted with the riches and treasures of the cuirizu race. The order kept a careful tally of the Deep Undergrowths finances, namely its war chest, as well as the treasured lore and dangerous magical items best kept under lock and key. Sepals organize themselves into "Vaults", and each vault used to be distinctly different from one another in that each was designed to hold a single particular category of item. But over the years the Sepals began to expand their vaults, regarding them as places for personal treasures of which many were appropriated from other orders.
Today, Sepal vaults are indeed personal collections, mixing monetary wealth, magical treasures, and forgotten lore. The Sepals remain secluded within their vaults for long periods conducting intricate magical experiments, studying races in depth through convoluted breeding programs, and hoarding monetary wealth. Though the Sepals started out with the riches of the Deep Undergrowth and that of other orders, much of what they have now has been acquired through tireless effort.
Primogen: The Primogen, as with all orders, sits at the top of the order. Within the Golden Sepal though, Alliyah is regarded as the owner of all knowledge and wealth held within the vaults of the Golden Sepal, with those of her order simply maintaining it and keeping it well organized. Most Sepals refer to the contents of their vaults as their own, but in reality Alliyah could arrive at any moment and empty it entirely. The Primogen has a near eidetic memory and can recall to the digit every coin of wealth that has ever been reported, every location of each secured magical item, and every forgotten bit of lore ever recorded among the cuirizu. More concerning for many Sepals is the fact that Alliyah even seems to have knowledge of newly acquired wealth and items that have been moved for one reason or another... before such changes have been reported.
High Treasurer: The High Treasurer of the Golden Sepal is charged with the accounting of all things in terms of monetary value and wealth. Though this typically includes coin, finances, and other capital, it also includes with valuating certain magical items and territories. The High Treasurer uses this information to form risk assessments and move assets around, if too much of value is in one place it presents a higher risk of becoming a target, even if the Sepals think that no one knows the true nature of what's contained within a given vault. The High Treasurer works closely with the High Curator in determining how best to protect these assets. Every Sepal within the order is required to report the whole of her finances to the High Treasurer not just as a matter of business but as a matter of survival, as strategies cannot be formed without complete data.
High Curator: The High Curator is responsible for cataloguing all of the information and knowledge houses within the vaults of the order. Whenever possible, the High Curator will attempt to make copies of particularly valuable volumes and tomes, but many in the order's possession have magic upon them that resists being copied.The High Curator herself keeps the most valuable and ancient knowledge and magic in her own Vault whenever possible, but placing too much in one vault presents too high of a risk to make this entirely possible. Where the Treasurer evaluates the numbers, the Curator evaluates the content and properties of things. The two work together on magical items but the Curator holds sole domain over the innumerable volumes of written knowledge in the vaults.
Elder: Within the Golden Sepal, Elder cuirizu are regarded highly for their extensive knowledge and experience in their given fields. Elders will often slow down on breeding, leaving much of it to the younger generations, instead focusing their efforts on guiding them. Some Elders do still breed if they find an exceptional vessel that catches their eye, but more often than not people who catch the eye of an Elder become a Cultivar instead. Elders are consulted at length on matters that concern the order as a whole and the High Curator and High Treasurer are always chosen from the ranks of the Elders. Elders still engaging in active research and experimentation as Cultivators will often consult with one another or with Alliyah herself and don't make the findings available to the lower ranks outside of special circumstances.
The Black Lotus: Once the High Commander of the Golden Sepal's defensive forces, the Black Lotus is now a position that exists as a bridge between the Order of the Golden Sepal and the Order of the Gilded Orchid. The Black Lotus is a cuirizu born of both orders and works not only as a liason between them but as the pinnacle of magical combat ability. Trained in both magic and martial techniques, the Black Lotus is the highest authority on matters of defense in the Golden Sepal and may override the Gilded Orchid's directives at any time in an emergency. The Black Lotus also maintains the vault with the most amount of weapons and armor, be that mundane or magical, enough to supply the entire order in times of war. Protecting this vault is a full squad of Elite Gilded Orchids, the most contained in any vault besides Alliyahs.
Cultivator: Cultivators are special distinctions given to any Mistress who has a focus on research and experimentation over actual breeding. Though the research is often to further the ends of breeding, the Cultivators are usually focused on combinations between members of a race, with different races, and the traits that can be passed between them or enhanced through breeding. Cultivators do often eventually utilize their research for themselves but this can take decades or even centuries depending on what is being researched and how many generations it requires to carry out. These findings and those of the exhaustive experiments performed on individuals are typically reported to the High Curator, usually for record keeping more than anything, receiving guidance from Elders who have been charged with guiding their work. Cultivators refer to the subjects of their experimentation as cultivars.
Mistress/Master: Though most Sepals must hold a vault to be considered a Mistress, there are a few who maintain standard Gardens without vaults that are still awarded the title. Mistresses are required to train either with another Mistress or an Elder for a period of a decade or more, helping to accumulate knowledge and wealth in that time. What form this wealth or knowledge takes is subjective, but once a sufficient amount is accrued with the assistance of the cuirizu they may be awarded a vault of their own, taking a portion of what they've earned with them as startup capitol.
The Golden Sepal uses many of the roles for Gardens in their vaults, typically in the same fashion. Though there exist other roles within the vaults that are dedicated more to how Vaults are run specifically. Cultivar: A Cultivar is a mortal held within a Sepal Vault that is specifically designated as someone to experiment on. Cultivars will sometimes just be individuals dedicated to breeding with other Cultivars, but often Sepals will experiment on them in other ways. These experiments can range from testing sexual prowess and feats to outright arcane and alchemical trials run on the individuals. Prima Vessila: An incredibly rare distinction among vessels, a Prima Vessila is won by any vessel who has been able to carry a cuirizu child to term multiple times. Prima Vessila are considered the most durable mortals available and are highly sought after by any cuirizu looking to increase the amount of progeny they have. Some cuirizu have been said to trade entire Gardens for a single Prima Vessila. At conclaves such individuals are given special positions of honor and are the only mortals who experience a degree of autonomy during the events, being approached by several cuirizu who wish to catch her eye. A Prima Vessila is allowed to change Mistresses at a Conclave if a petitioning cuirizu wins her over, with only the Primogen allowed to overrule the decision.
Non-Cuirizu Roles
The Golden Sepal uses many of the roles for Gardens in their vaults, typically in the same fashion. Though there exist other roles within the vaults that are dedicated more to how Vaults are run specifically. Cultivar: A Cultivar is a mortal held within a Sepal Vault that is specifically designated as someone to experiment on. Cultivars will sometimes just be individuals dedicated to breeding with other Cultivars, but often Sepals will experiment on them in other ways. These experiments can range from testing sexual prowess and feats to outright arcane and alchemical trials run on the individuals. Prima Vessila: An incredibly rare distinction among vessels, a Prima Vessila is won by any vessel who has been able to carry a cuirizu child to term multiple times. Prima Vessila are considered the most durable mortals available and are highly sought after by any cuirizu looking to increase the amount of progeny they have. Some cuirizu have been said to trade entire Gardens for a single Prima Vessila. At conclaves such individuals are given special positions of honor and are the only mortals who experience a degree of autonomy during the events, being approached by several cuirizu who wish to catch her eye. A Prima Vessila is allowed to change Mistresses at a Conclave if a petitioning cuirizu wins her over, with only the Primogen allowed to overrule the decision.
Culture
The Golden Sepal are considered by many older cuirizu of other orders to be scam artists and thieves, or sometimes simply as selfish hoarders. Much of what the order holds within it's vaults were not the Golden Sepal's to keep, but were the accumulated wealth and knowledge of the race as a whole, or at least of the Deep Undergrowth which had been the backbone of their society for ages. Within the order however, the Sepals consider themselves saviors of their people's culture, locking it away in places of safety before the Briars could burn it all to the ground. Though the cuirizu of the Golden Sepal do have a penchant for hoarding and collecting, regarding the contents of their vaults as their own, most know that if the Briar Harvest were to disappear tomorrow they would be put into an unfortunate position of making the contents of their vaults available to the other orders again as per the wishes of the Primogen.
The Golden Sepal will trade off the contents of their vaults piecemeal to members of other orders, but not entirely because of value or greed, though a measure of that does play a part. Sepal's assess risk, and assign risk values to what the cuirizu are willing to trade and what is being asked. If the risk or sacrifice being taken by the petitioner is sufficiently high enough, than the risk or sacrifice of opening the vault is deemed worth the trade. Risk plays less of a factor when it comes to acquiring vessels or research subjects, as these are considered needs that the Sepals cannot do without.
The only order that has a reasonable understanding of the true motivations of the Sepal are the Gilded Orchid, who serve the Golden Sepal as protectors and security for each of the vaults. The Gilded Orchid, realistically, could have been fleeced for much more in it's time of need when it came to the order but were given shelter and assistance for what actually amounts to a relative bargain. This is not to say that the Sepal are particularly benevolent, just that the perceived greed of the order is not it's sole motivator.
The Auric Agora
This event, which occurs only once every few decades, is the primary means in which the Golden Sepal makes its bargains with members of other orders. The event is effectively a marketplace where Sepals bring samples of what they have to offer from their vaults and allow members of other orders to browse and trade, usually with the bulk of exchanges happening off-site at prearranged times and places. Other orders look forward to the Auric Agora, considering it to be the time to catch the Sepals at their most agreeable and when to obtain the best deals. Outside of this event, the Sepals often only do business with trusted contacts, but during the Auric Agora any cuirizu or non-cuirizu who has found their way to the market is able to do business. Sepals use this event as a means to gain new contacts, strengthen bonds with existing contacts, and justifying full inventories of every vault. The Auric Agora lasts for a week, with the event being announced a year in advance through trusted channels and is held in the same place each time, the defense of which is personally overseen by the Black Lotus. After the last day of the Auric Agora, the Sepals who have assembled each go their separate ways to do final inventories of their vaults and report the results to the High Curator and High Treasurer. Before the fall of the Deep Undergrowth, the Auric Agora was held in a different location, said to be close to where the Primogen was originally born. When the Briar Harvest and it's allies turned on the cuirizu, the Sepal's refused to hold another Auric Agora for a century and a half before pressure from the other orders convinced them to establish a new location.
This event, which occurs only once every few decades, is the primary means in which the Golden Sepal makes its bargains with members of other orders. The event is effectively a marketplace where Sepals bring samples of what they have to offer from their vaults and allow members of other orders to browse and trade, usually with the bulk of exchanges happening off-site at prearranged times and places. Other orders look forward to the Auric Agora, considering it to be the time to catch the Sepals at their most agreeable and when to obtain the best deals. Outside of this event, the Sepals often only do business with trusted contacts, but during the Auric Agora any cuirizu or non-cuirizu who has found their way to the market is able to do business. Sepals use this event as a means to gain new contacts, strengthen bonds with existing contacts, and justifying full inventories of every vault. The Auric Agora lasts for a week, with the event being announced a year in advance through trusted channels and is held in the same place each time, the defense of which is personally overseen by the Black Lotus. After the last day of the Auric Agora, the Sepals who have assembled each go their separate ways to do final inventories of their vaults and report the results to the High Curator and High Treasurer. Before the fall of the Deep Undergrowth, the Auric Agora was held in a different location, said to be close to where the Primogen was originally born. When the Briar Harvest and it's allies turned on the cuirizu, the Sepal's refused to hold another Auric Agora for a century and a half before pressure from the other orders convinced them to establish a new location.
Assets
Mistfall Vault
Located in a remote location of Vastan concealed behind raging waterfalls and set directly into the side of a mountain, Mistfall Vault is under the charge of Cultivator Eliria, who specializes in experimentation on the local population of Nagin. Eliria's research began as an exploration of cuirizu intermingling with more bestial sentient races, namely those that were not humanoid or bipedal. Currently, her work focuses on the nagin, who have a diverse morphology and could make for powerful vessels. Eliria is under the age to be considered an Elder, but has been respected in the order for her findings in the past. Mistfall holds a great deal of research material from Eliria herself but has even more lore and treasures under her care. The Vault reaches deep down into the mountain with a secondary entrance letting out into the Darklands in case of emergency. Eliria's vault is well guarded not just by Gilded Orchid Guards but by the powerful hulking Nagin in her thrall. Black Lotus Vault
Located in a remote part of Ivalia, the Black Lotus Vault is passed from Black Lotus to Black Lotus, providing them with the keys to the armory of the entire order. While the main entrance, a massive set of carved black doors, is located in Ivalia, there are numerous exits out to Alkotas directly to allow for rapid deployment in the event of war. These portals are one way, maintaining the vaults defensible position in Ivalia. The vault is filled with high end arms and armor, magical and mundane, from all over Alkotas from various periods in quantities sufficient to outfit the whole of the Golden Sepal and the Gilded Orchid many times over. More exotic equipment from other planes can be found her as well, alongside relics and antiques from the earliest days of the cuirizu and even from other orders. Few Sepals have the ability to enter the Black Lotus vault on their own, though many of the Gilded Orchid have been trusted with the means of entry due to their position as the protectors of Sepal Vaults. Indeed an entire squad is charged with the vaults protection, ensuring that should anyone actually locate the vault in it's hidden location, it will never be breached. The Long Library
So named for it's extensive length, this vault is located in the Thicket region of Ivalia on the former site of a Deep Undergrowth Stronghold. Believed destroyed by the Briar Harvest, and by extension most other orders, this hidden Vault contains the backbone of Sepal knowledge concerning the cuirizu. The Long Library was constructed a thousand or so years before the fall of the Deep Undergrowth and was commissioned by the order to maintain the lore and other knowledge of the race as a whole. The Sepal's maintained it meticulously until news began to spread of the Undergrowth's fate. Before the Briar Harvest arrived at the doors of the stronghold the Sepal's shut the doors to the long library and fled, locking anyone inside with the endless rows of scrolls and books. Only recently has the Sepal felt it safe enough to return to the Long Library, lifting the powerful magic that kept it hidden and locked, finding that many of those locked inside still remain, tending to the stacks. The High Curator has taken this vault as her own and guards its location zealously. Even though the common practice is to distribute high value items across multiple vaults, the Sepals have not been able to bring themselves to move anything from the vault due to a crippling paranoia that the Briars are still waiting for a chance to strike. The Aureate
The Vault of Alliyah herself, the Aureate was the first vault of the cuirizu race constructed for the primogens themselves before any of them had formal orders. The Aureate was created to house the treasures of the Primogen sisters and to keep them safe and secure against the marauding of other fiendish races or other outsiders who sought to prey upon the cuirizu. The Aureate's location is only known to a few, namely those of the Eldest Primogen and supposedly by the Elders of the Golden Sepal. Some believe it to be located in the Nadir of Ivalia while others think it situated beneath even the furthest reaches of the Darklands. The Legend of the Vault holds that the doors are made of solid gold set with emeralds and that two dragons, one yellow and one green, so ancient as to have forgotten their own names guard the treasures of the vault itself. The vault is also said to possess it's own intelligence, and that only through this intelligence or the eidetic memory of the primogen can anything specific actually be located or the vault itself properly navigated.
Located in a remote location of Vastan concealed behind raging waterfalls and set directly into the side of a mountain, Mistfall Vault is under the charge of Cultivator Eliria, who specializes in experimentation on the local population of Nagin. Eliria's research began as an exploration of cuirizu intermingling with more bestial sentient races, namely those that were not humanoid or bipedal. Currently, her work focuses on the nagin, who have a diverse morphology and could make for powerful vessels. Eliria is under the age to be considered an Elder, but has been respected in the order for her findings in the past. Mistfall holds a great deal of research material from Eliria herself but has even more lore and treasures under her care. The Vault reaches deep down into the mountain with a secondary entrance letting out into the Darklands in case of emergency. Eliria's vault is well guarded not just by Gilded Orchid Guards but by the powerful hulking Nagin in her thrall. Black Lotus Vault
Located in a remote part of Ivalia, the Black Lotus Vault is passed from Black Lotus to Black Lotus, providing them with the keys to the armory of the entire order. While the main entrance, a massive set of carved black doors, is located in Ivalia, there are numerous exits out to Alkotas directly to allow for rapid deployment in the event of war. These portals are one way, maintaining the vaults defensible position in Ivalia. The vault is filled with high end arms and armor, magical and mundane, from all over Alkotas from various periods in quantities sufficient to outfit the whole of the Golden Sepal and the Gilded Orchid many times over. More exotic equipment from other planes can be found her as well, alongside relics and antiques from the earliest days of the cuirizu and even from other orders. Few Sepals have the ability to enter the Black Lotus vault on their own, though many of the Gilded Orchid have been trusted with the means of entry due to their position as the protectors of Sepal Vaults. Indeed an entire squad is charged with the vaults protection, ensuring that should anyone actually locate the vault in it's hidden location, it will never be breached. The Long Library
So named for it's extensive length, this vault is located in the Thicket region of Ivalia on the former site of a Deep Undergrowth Stronghold. Believed destroyed by the Briar Harvest, and by extension most other orders, this hidden Vault contains the backbone of Sepal knowledge concerning the cuirizu. The Long Library was constructed a thousand or so years before the fall of the Deep Undergrowth and was commissioned by the order to maintain the lore and other knowledge of the race as a whole. The Sepal's maintained it meticulously until news began to spread of the Undergrowth's fate. Before the Briar Harvest arrived at the doors of the stronghold the Sepal's shut the doors to the long library and fled, locking anyone inside with the endless rows of scrolls and books. Only recently has the Sepal felt it safe enough to return to the Long Library, lifting the powerful magic that kept it hidden and locked, finding that many of those locked inside still remain, tending to the stacks. The High Curator has taken this vault as her own and guards its location zealously. Even though the common practice is to distribute high value items across multiple vaults, the Sepals have not been able to bring themselves to move anything from the vault due to a crippling paranoia that the Briars are still waiting for a chance to strike. The Aureate
The Vault of Alliyah herself, the Aureate was the first vault of the cuirizu race constructed for the primogens themselves before any of them had formal orders. The Aureate was created to house the treasures of the Primogen sisters and to keep them safe and secure against the marauding of other fiendish races or other outsiders who sought to prey upon the cuirizu. The Aureate's location is only known to a few, namely those of the Eldest Primogen and supposedly by the Elders of the Golden Sepal. Some believe it to be located in the Nadir of Ivalia while others think it situated beneath even the furthest reaches of the Darklands. The Legend of the Vault holds that the doors are made of solid gold set with emeralds and that two dragons, one yellow and one green, so ancient as to have forgotten their own names guard the treasures of the vault itself. The vault is also said to possess it's own intelligence, and that only through this intelligence or the eidetic memory of the primogen can anything specific actually be located or the vault itself properly navigated.
Founding Date
The Age of Mithral
Demonym
Sepal
Leader
Leader Title
Subsidiary Organizations
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