The Vagrant Jasmine
The Vagrant Jasmine is the youngest of the cuirizu orders and acts the part. Being singularly unconcerned with the politics of the other orders and who is positioned to take power in the vacuum left by the Deep Undergrowth, the Vagrant Jasmine is content to focus on its own enrichment and pleasure. The only time the order bothers to concern itself with the politics of the orders is either to avoid the Briar Harvest or to exploit one side against another in larger scams. Outside of these reasons, the Vagrant Jasmine doesn't want to hear about what the other orders are up to for the most part.
Other Order's are content to keep the Vagrants at arms length, viewing them as untrustworthy con artists willing to fleece anyone they can get their hooks into. Few orders will do business with them in any form if it can be helped and fewer still will do it without taking considerable precautions to protect themselves. The general rule with such interactions is if the Vagrant came to you, it's a con, but if you happened upon them for a deal...it's probably still a con, but one maybe worth chancing.
Members of the Vagrant Jasmine are the most averse to open conflict and will do whatever they can to avoid it. When cornered, plenty of them are capable, but a relatively small number of cuirizu in the order are skilled enough in a fight to hold up against members of more militant orders such as the Gilded Orchid, Frozen Holt, or Briar Harvest. Even the magic used by the order is housed in objects and enchantments, with magical deception taking precedent over magical combat by far.
Most Vagrants are specialized in seduction and deception, having exotic appearances in coloration and markings. Vagrants tend to have vibrant hair that starts as one hue at their roots and shifts to another. Tattoos are similar to orders such as the Verdant Lust but often with more intricate designs or flamboyant colors. Piercings are always meant to contrast starkly with skin tone, catching the eye with either the metal or the gems, often set to compliment hair or eyes. Another curious thing about the Vagrant Jasmine is that of all orders, they have the largest number of Male Aspect cuirizu within their ranks. This is especially interesting considering their emphasis on avoiding physical confrontation, which is what most cuirizu reserve the aspect for.
Besides being notorious con artists, the thing the Vagrant Jasmine is most known for are Chostrums: Walking wide-trunked trees manipulated with Spacial magic to have larger interiors. The interior of one Chostrums differs from another, depending on what purpose they were grown for, but a Vagrant who attunes to a Chostrum can change that purpose and the interior space over time with their will and through Phyllomagic. Chostrums are resistant to sudden changes though, so such changes take time. Every member of the order gets their own Chostrum upon reaching maturity, but don't get them for free. Shepherds and Experts of the order get to name the price in most instances and seek to extract future favors or wealth from fledgling members of the order in exchange for Chostrums. Vagrants who lose their Chostrums and have to acquire new ones are usually hit with significantly larger sums. Chostrums interiors can only be access through Phyllomagic, though sometimes when camped somewhere a Vagrant can leave the entrance "open" if they so wish. Chostrums appear like other trees albeit with canopies generally lower to the ground with wide squat trunks. They can be infused with numerous enchantments by their cuirizu and commanded to move with a thought at short range, mostly from cuirizu inside of them. When they move, Chostrums physically pull their roots up from the ground and pull themselves along the ground, possessing a limited capacity to jump and lurch over small obstacles. Motion from this movement has little transfer to the space inside allowing for smooth comfortable rides. The interiors of Chostrums are large and decadent, with even the smallest of them being as large as comfortable family homes. Rooms of the Chostrums interior cater to the needs of the cuirizu who owns it, usually for lavish sexual encounters, lounging, and sometimes personal projects. Ports fashioned to look like windows are located in any number of rooms to allow the cuirizu to see outside, but do not actually exist as windows on the outside, indeed they can't be seen at all from the outside. Some Chostrums can be altered to bear fruit for Gardens but doing so requires considerably more upkeep and less mobility. The secret of creating these trees is one tightly guarded by the Order, though there is a rumor that persist among other orders that the first chostrums were unique cuirizathi that the Vagrant Jasmine trained and continued to breed for this purpose. Scrutiny from Phyllomagic and divination fails to confirm this however, making the rumors incredibly unlikely. Few cuirizu of other orders possess Chostrums, but those that due obtained them through some deal with the Vagrant Jasmine and the order keeps track of all non-Vagrant cuirizu to have such prizes.
The Walking Trees
Besides being notorious con artists, the thing the Vagrant Jasmine is most known for are Chostrums: Walking wide-trunked trees manipulated with Spacial magic to have larger interiors. The interior of one Chostrums differs from another, depending on what purpose they were grown for, but a Vagrant who attunes to a Chostrum can change that purpose and the interior space over time with their will and through Phyllomagic. Chostrums are resistant to sudden changes though, so such changes take time. Every member of the order gets their own Chostrum upon reaching maturity, but don't get them for free. Shepherds and Experts of the order get to name the price in most instances and seek to extract future favors or wealth from fledgling members of the order in exchange for Chostrums. Vagrants who lose their Chostrums and have to acquire new ones are usually hit with significantly larger sums. Chostrums interiors can only be access through Phyllomagic, though sometimes when camped somewhere a Vagrant can leave the entrance "open" if they so wish. Chostrums appear like other trees albeit with canopies generally lower to the ground with wide squat trunks. They can be infused with numerous enchantments by their cuirizu and commanded to move with a thought at short range, mostly from cuirizu inside of them. When they move, Chostrums physically pull their roots up from the ground and pull themselves along the ground, possessing a limited capacity to jump and lurch over small obstacles. Motion from this movement has little transfer to the space inside allowing for smooth comfortable rides. The interiors of Chostrums are large and decadent, with even the smallest of them being as large as comfortable family homes. Rooms of the Chostrums interior cater to the needs of the cuirizu who owns it, usually for lavish sexual encounters, lounging, and sometimes personal projects. Ports fashioned to look like windows are located in any number of rooms to allow the cuirizu to see outside, but do not actually exist as windows on the outside, indeed they can't be seen at all from the outside. Some Chostrums can be altered to bear fruit for Gardens but doing so requires considerably more upkeep and less mobility. The secret of creating these trees is one tightly guarded by the Order, though there is a rumor that persist among other orders that the first chostrums were unique cuirizathi that the Vagrant Jasmine trained and continued to breed for this purpose. Scrutiny from Phyllomagic and divination fails to confirm this however, making the rumors incredibly unlikely. Few cuirizu of other orders possess Chostrums, but those that due obtained them through some deal with the Vagrant Jasmine and the order keeps track of all non-Vagrant cuirizu to have such prizes.
Structure
Though the Vagrant Jasmine does utilize Gardens, they do it in a slightly different fashion. The order is mobile by nature, and doesn't settle down in fixed locations, making use of their signature Chostrums to take the Garden with them wherever they go. Vagrants are also more likely to collect into small groups of a few cuirizu, working together on larger jobs as they travel Alkotas. These caravans of cuirizu stay together for years sometimes before breaking apart to go it alone or merge with other caravans. As a result, members of the Vagrant Jasmine have a familiarity with most of the members of their order.
Primogen: The Primogen of the Vagrant Jasmine is the last known cuirizu to be born of the First. Being the youngest, she behaves as a free spirit and has relatively little hands on experience with the politics of her older sisters and what it is they're feuding about. She's often seen as a young annoyance with the other Primogen save for Khatima, who she has a good relationship with.
Within the order Kaos' ability to command respect is actually tied directly to her unpredictability, most members of the order find it difficult to tell what my draw her ire so they tread carefully in her presence. Cuirizu who decide to engage in prolong revelry and celebration with Kaos are perceived to be playing with fire, with praise turning to contempt in the blink of an eye. Still, those who manage to come away from the experience without angering the Primogen too much are often rewarded handsomely, so for some it can be worth the risk.
Expert: The Vagrant Jasmine has few members that would qualify as elders by the standards of other orders, but even those who do are seldom referred to as such by other cuirizu in the order. The Vagrant Jasmine is self aware of its young status and revels in that particular distinction, electing not to emphasize importance of age but rather the level of experience someone might have accrued. Though this often goes hand in hand with age, the two are not always linked. A cuirizu who's lived a long time could have spent much of its time doing nothing while one that has been alive for a short period could be incredibly active to accumulate more experience.
How the rank of Expert is achieved is not fully understood, but for the most part it seems to be a general consensus of peers with the Primogen capable of putting her thumb on the scale at any given time. Once a Vagrant becomes an Expert though, she remains such unless the Primogen explicitly states otherwise. Experts know the ins and outs of the con, which places have been hit before, which are vulnerable to repeat jobs, and which must be stayed away from. As chaotic as Kaos can be in her decision making, the advice of the Experts are taken seriously and she seldom goes against their advice when she deigns to actually seek it out for an organized effort for the order. Experts provide other tactical information as well, usually from their travels or subordinates, that the Primogen might find valuable.
Outrider: One of the most valuable things that any Vagrant can know during her travels is where the biggest threats are, and one of the biggest threats any Vagrant can be made aware of is the Briar Harvest. Like the Vagrants, the Briars are nomadic, and though they make use of familiar routes for travel they will easily change these routes when a significant target presents itself. Outriders keep constant tabs on the movements of the Briars, as well as other threats, and relay the information back to the nearest member of the Order to have to word spread around. It's not unusual for Outriders to move swiftly between caravans and gardens, alerting anyone to threats if they're imminent enough.
Outriders are some of the few cuirizu who know where different Vagrants are at almost all times, keeping meticulous mapping systems and notes on the movement patterns of their kin. Where much of the order is chaotic and whimsical, the outriders are tightly organized and disciplined. This way of life has led many Outriders to be able to perceive patterns where others may see chaos, and makes them exceptional tactical consultants for Experts responsible for dealing with Kaos directly. Because of this ability to cut through the storm of chaos, Outriders are also called in to deal with threats born of the chaotic realms such as the Abyss or Elysium.
Chostrum Shepherd: Very few Vagrants have the patience to remain in one place for extended periods of time, with even fewer being capable of doing it for decades or centuries. Chostrum Shepherds are unique within the order in that the desire to wander and travel is almost completely absent from them. Shepherds instead elect to oversee raising groves of Chostrum, carefully tending to them and providing the upkeep that they need over their years of growth. Chostrum are resistant to most Phyllomagic that could cause them to reach maturity faster, so the process is always one that requires a high degree of patience. There are few shortcuts when tending a grove of Chostrum.
Shepherds maintain their own Gardens during this time, but could be easily mistaken as a member of another order because of their sedentary lifestyle and obsession with the surrounding forest. Shepherds are less concerned with breeding however, and maintain their gardens more for the added assistance it provides and the pleasurable diversions. Shepherds usually reserve any breeding they do for periods when their groves reach maturity and require very little oversight, or often when entire groves are sold off to other members of the order.
Shepherds emphasize Phyllomagic over Eromagic and make heavy use of wilderness stealth tactics when defending their groves. Shepherds have a direct line to Experts in the event they need to report problems with a grove or attacks from others. Attempts at theft of even a single Chostrum are met with excessive reprisal to discourage anyone else from making an attempt. Most would be thieves are tortured, killed, and put on display for others.
Professional: A professional vagrant is any cuirizu within the order who can boast a dozen or so remarkable jobs, usually that can be corroborated by one of the Experts of the order. Professionals usually pick what jobs they do in their travels, but are sometimes approached by Experts or the Primogen to engage in specific jobs to further the interests of the Vagrant Jasmine as a whole. Professionals are smooth, charismatic, seductive, and have refined whatever other magical edge they choose to employ on their jobs. Some make use of illusions, others rely heavily on eromagic, but whatever the case, a Professional has it down to a science. Most are smart enough to have a varied bag of tricks and learn what works in different parts of the world, but some become so skilled at a very specific style that they refuse to break out of the box...usually resulting in them getting caught after a few years of operation.
Professionals run their own Gardens and will sometimes involved trusted members of their Gardens in the con, orchestrating intricate and complicated cons to fleece people of wealth and women. Within caravans of multiple professionals a "lead" is chosen for jobs that involve more than one cuirizu, with the others taking a back seat and enjoying themselves while they play the parts chosen for them. Leads who botch jobs or fail to distribute the wealth at the end of a job equitably are typically driven out of caravans and earn reputations quickly for being unworthy to work with. Some such unfortunate cuirizu never manage to earn their way back into a caravan while others do so pulling only the most unsavory roles in a given job.
Grifter: Some members of the order don't maintain Gardens at all, instead focusing their attention on pulling jobs and traveling the world without picking up any baggage along the way. Such cuirizu take very little with them when they move on from a location if it can't be readily carried on their person and many don't even have their own Chostrum. Grifters seldom engage in large scale cons, looking to swindle only as much as they need to get by or carry them through to their next job, but some that do manage to pull down excessive bounties have been known to gift them to other members of the order of which they have good relations in exchange for later favors. Those who wish to earn standing in recognition within the order may attempt to gift such hauls to Experts or even the Primogen herself, but doing so can backfire if not done with a proper level of finesse and timing.
Mistress/Master: Any Vagrant who has a Garden earns the right to call herself mistress. Unlike with other orders, there are no tests or trials to earn the title, a cuirizu can just choose the title when they have a Garden and move forward with it. The downside to this is that if a Vagrant earns a reputation for being sloppy or delinquent with her Garden, other members of the order will use the title sarcastically, mocking the individual cuirizu with it for years on end. Those who take the title should consider if they're ready to do so and avoid such ridicule.
Cuirizu within the order who use this title either haven't pulled enough jobs to be called professionals or wish to identify with their work in their Gardens more than the jobs they pull in mortal communities. Vagrants who prefer this title over Professional usually pull jobs as necessary rather than for the love of the con. Mistresses usually develop other magical talents geared toward other tasks besides deception, but retain their love for wandering.
The Vagrant Jasmine doesn't have a lot of use for some of the roles presented in the traditional Garden system put forth by the Deep Undergrowth so long ago, and even eschewed it during the time that the order was still present. Some that can be made applicable to the nomadic lifestyle of the order are still used, but those that can't be adapted are simply discarded. The lifestyle itself also creates a few roles that are unique to the way the order lives. Shill: One of the most valuable rolls to a cuirizu is the Shill, a mortal accomplice from the Garden that can deceive others of a community into believing they are one of them. Some shills only require a few hours of prep time to blend in with a crowd, depending on the community, while others will take days or weeks to establish themselves as being at least passingly trustworthy. When the shill's cuirizu mistress arrives in the community with whatever angle she has chosen for her job, it is the shill's job to be an enthusiastic mortal advocate for the Mistress. The more people who believe the shill to be a neutral party won over by the outsider, the better. When the job is done the shill vanishes into the crowd, disappearing over night to rejoin the Mistress and move on. Shill's are handsomely rewarded for their part in a job, with those of a Lead Professional in a large group job even commanding an equal share to the other cuirizu professionals under the lead. A gifted shill has a wide array of skills for the jobs related to acting, crafts, seduction, or magic as well as other talents that make them more convincing. If a Vagrant does not have a First, the Shill often takes the responsibilities of a First when not on the job. If a Vagrant does have a First, the Shill often commands equal respect and is considered roughly equal to that of the First in many situations. A Shill almost never has authority over breeding if there is a First however, and is seldom put into circulation for breeding herself unless the Garden is looking at an extended period of downtime. Spy: Vagrants who have established functional Gardens and risen to the rank of Professional will often have a small network of spies in various communities to funnel information back to the Mistress. These spies usually let the Mistress know when not to approach an area, when it is primed for another job, or any other pertinent news as it pertains to mortal settlements and society. Spies are invaluable in knowing when to move in and when to steer clear and hold a similar position as Scouts within the hierarchy of the Garden. Spies are often provided with a stipend to survive, to take their focus off of the daily grind of survival and pay closer attention to the people around them in the places they have chosen to live. Though members of the Garden, spies often have a very hands off approach when it comes to other members of the Garden besides the First and Shills. Spies are also good candidates for breeding in areas where opportunities have dried up or for Vagrants who choose to live as Grifters. Mole: Similar to spies but far less common, moles are mortals who purposely let themselves be taken into the Gardens of other orders but remain loyal to the Mistress in the Vagrant Jasmine. Moles are usually only found in Gardens of Experts and are sent to high value members of other orders, but sometimes can be tools of Experts to keep an eye on individuals within their own order if they have reason to suspect them of any crimes. For roughly two centuries the Vagrant Jasmine and the Carnal Bloom have been engaged in a game of cat and mouse with moles in each other's Gardens. Stranger still have been the handful of instances where moles from both orders have encountered each other in the field working the same target, namely the Briar Harvest or Golden Sepal. In a few such instances, these moles have worked together before going their separate ways, provided that they're not at crossed purposes in their duties. Moles live dangerously and face the real possibility of having their existences ended by another cuirizu if ever discovered, in exchange moles are typically rewarded handsomely for their work when they return home to their true mistress. Moles have large periods of downtime between jobs though, so when in their home Garden will often take up other roles for the duration to help assist. Moles fortunate enough to come back from multiple jobs will often elect to transition over to a role in the Garden and give up being a mole, letting someone else take over. Few moles reach this point however.
Non-Cuirizu Roles
The Vagrant Jasmine doesn't have a lot of use for some of the roles presented in the traditional Garden system put forth by the Deep Undergrowth so long ago, and even eschewed it during the time that the order was still present. Some that can be made applicable to the nomadic lifestyle of the order are still used, but those that can't be adapted are simply discarded. The lifestyle itself also creates a few roles that are unique to the way the order lives. Shill: One of the most valuable rolls to a cuirizu is the Shill, a mortal accomplice from the Garden that can deceive others of a community into believing they are one of them. Some shills only require a few hours of prep time to blend in with a crowd, depending on the community, while others will take days or weeks to establish themselves as being at least passingly trustworthy. When the shill's cuirizu mistress arrives in the community with whatever angle she has chosen for her job, it is the shill's job to be an enthusiastic mortal advocate for the Mistress. The more people who believe the shill to be a neutral party won over by the outsider, the better. When the job is done the shill vanishes into the crowd, disappearing over night to rejoin the Mistress and move on. Shill's are handsomely rewarded for their part in a job, with those of a Lead Professional in a large group job even commanding an equal share to the other cuirizu professionals under the lead. A gifted shill has a wide array of skills for the jobs related to acting, crafts, seduction, or magic as well as other talents that make them more convincing. If a Vagrant does not have a First, the Shill often takes the responsibilities of a First when not on the job. If a Vagrant does have a First, the Shill often commands equal respect and is considered roughly equal to that of the First in many situations. A Shill almost never has authority over breeding if there is a First however, and is seldom put into circulation for breeding herself unless the Garden is looking at an extended period of downtime. Spy: Vagrants who have established functional Gardens and risen to the rank of Professional will often have a small network of spies in various communities to funnel information back to the Mistress. These spies usually let the Mistress know when not to approach an area, when it is primed for another job, or any other pertinent news as it pertains to mortal settlements and society. Spies are invaluable in knowing when to move in and when to steer clear and hold a similar position as Scouts within the hierarchy of the Garden. Spies are often provided with a stipend to survive, to take their focus off of the daily grind of survival and pay closer attention to the people around them in the places they have chosen to live. Though members of the Garden, spies often have a very hands off approach when it comes to other members of the Garden besides the First and Shills. Spies are also good candidates for breeding in areas where opportunities have dried up or for Vagrants who choose to live as Grifters. Mole: Similar to spies but far less common, moles are mortals who purposely let themselves be taken into the Gardens of other orders but remain loyal to the Mistress in the Vagrant Jasmine. Moles are usually only found in Gardens of Experts and are sent to high value members of other orders, but sometimes can be tools of Experts to keep an eye on individuals within their own order if they have reason to suspect them of any crimes. For roughly two centuries the Vagrant Jasmine and the Carnal Bloom have been engaged in a game of cat and mouse with moles in each other's Gardens. Stranger still have been the handful of instances where moles from both orders have encountered each other in the field working the same target, namely the Briar Harvest or Golden Sepal. In a few such instances, these moles have worked together before going their separate ways, provided that they're not at crossed purposes in their duties. Moles live dangerously and face the real possibility of having their existences ended by another cuirizu if ever discovered, in exchange moles are typically rewarded handsomely for their work when they return home to their true mistress. Moles have large periods of downtime between jobs though, so when in their home Garden will often take up other roles for the duration to help assist. Moles fortunate enough to come back from multiple jobs will often elect to transition over to a role in the Garden and give up being a mole, letting someone else take over. Few moles reach this point however.
Culture
The Vagrant Jasmine are an order of consummate rebels, seeing little need for the organization of mortal society outside of the pleasures it provides and the weaknesses in it that can be exploited. To the Vagrant Jasmine, the obsessive ordered structure of society is something best farmed for opportunities and discarded whenever such opportunities dry up. Many Vagrants started off attempting to exploit the systems and structure put forth by either the Deep Undergrowth or the Elysium Apple and were quickly rebuffed for their efforts. Deciding mortal societies were softer targets, the Vagrant Jasmine shifted and moved away from cuirizu society to place their focus there.
Those within the order relish any opportunity to pull one over on others, often not restricting their sense of deception to just mortals if the opportunities present themselves. Only when vagrants are organized into caravans do they set aside their urges for grand deceptions, restricting them to small games and pranks instead. Those not within a Garden or a Caravan are free game, with victims of scams and deceptions being dismissed simply as not being savvy enough to make it in a world as rough as Alkotas. Mortals are easy marks and often the ones the Vagrants stick to in order to get by or enrich themselves quickly, but those looking for true prestige begin to choose more difficult marks, targeting ancient dragons and venerable outsiders almost entirely for the bragging rights that come with the job upon completion.
Few things move the order to singular action, with most Gardens and Caravans operating independently of one another outside of navigational and tactical exchanges. The Vagrant Jasmine seldom goes to war and rarely participates in any of the conflicts between the orders, but are more than happy to take advantage of opportunities presented when orders become focused on one another. The best targets for the Vagrant Jasmine are the Golden Sepal, Elysium Apple, or Briar Harvest with each order having its unique forms of wealth that can be bled from them when distracted. Sometimes the order will target the Carnal Bloom, but does so out of a sense of pride than anything else, seeking only to pull ahead in the centuries old rivalry between the two and little more.
The Vagrant Jasmine sometimes engages in honest commerce and trade with other orders it sees as being too valuable to screw with or too boring to try and fleece. The Frozen Holt and the Verdant Lust can usually be counted on to pay their debts and keep relations friendly despite the rabble rousing of the Vagrant Jasmine and because of this enjoy tentatively stable relations with relatively little deception.
Assets
The Shambling Grove
The Shambling Grove is the largest grove of Chostrum under Vagrant Jasmine control, making it the most prized and heavily guarded asset of the entire order. The Shambling Grove's main defense is it's constant mobility. While all Chostrum groves have the means to be mobile at all times, most Shepherds find it easier to ensure viable output but keeping the groves stationary for the majority of the groves life cycle before moving it. The Shambling Grove has multiple shepherds however, all of which are seasoned Experts in their own right who meticulously manage to routes the Shambling Grove takes. The Gardens of each of these experts are specialized as well, either serving to curate and tend the trees themselves or to function as ruthless protectors against anyone who would do the grove harm. The size of the grove itself is several hundred trees large, and contains numerous individual chostrum that are specialized in defense and war in order to further assist the shepherds in protecting the grove. Though multiple groves are capable of specializing in any purpose they wish, the Shambling Grove is known to provide the most chostrum dedicated to battle in this way and provides them to any Vagrant actively participating in defense of the order should it become threatened. The Wayfarer's Weave
The Wayfarer's Weave is a specific network of information maintained by Vagrant Outriders and Experts of the order. Though much of the information is relayed through mundane means, a bulk of it is sent and maintain magically through a complex mixture of enchantments, constructs, and spells. Most Outriders do not have to physically travel to an Expert to relay information, instead keeping a enchanted flower of some kind in their possession that allows them to speak with the elder over great distances. Elders in turn have Chostrums capable of recording massive amounts of information spoken within them without having to physically transcribe it, linking them to one another for rapid updates in an ever-changing landscape of the order. The Wayfarer's weave is typically utilized to send information up however, and the lower a Vagrant ranks within the order the less access they have to the precious information held within it. Some branches of the weave are maintained specifically for trade and access with trusted members of other orders or with those who might be at risk of being compromised while behind enemy lines. These sections of the weave are designed to provide only certain types of information at certain levels and are designed to self terminate if compromised. Often with considerable collateral magical damage for the offender. Nomad's Cant
Before the Wayfarer's Weave was established, the Vagrant Jasmine had another means of conveying critical information to each other, it's own language. The language of Nomad's Cant is a unique one, utilizing unique symbols and pictographs meant to be overlooked by others in it's written form and a series of subtle gestures and noises in its "spoken" form, very little of the Nomad's Cant is structured like other verbal languages. The language as a whole is designed to convey ideas and instructions in broad terms with fewer instances of specifics. A couple pictographs found in a tree near a settlement could convey something as broad as "danger" to a Vagrant or could provide specific details as to the nature of the danger such as anti-magic or true-seeing. Similarly, the "spoken" form of the language is couched in gestures and movements that could be mistaken as any number of other casual gestures or physical ticks in a crowd to allow members of a Garden or Caravan to co-ordinate with each other or adapt to a rapidly changing situation. Nomad's Cant is still used in the field in this way with the written form picking up slack with the Wayfarer's Weave in instances where something must be physically inscribed or written. The Cant sees more use with the lower ranks of the order and within Gardens than it does at the higher level of Experts, but all members of the order know the language regardless.
The Shambling Grove is the largest grove of Chostrum under Vagrant Jasmine control, making it the most prized and heavily guarded asset of the entire order. The Shambling Grove's main defense is it's constant mobility. While all Chostrum groves have the means to be mobile at all times, most Shepherds find it easier to ensure viable output but keeping the groves stationary for the majority of the groves life cycle before moving it. The Shambling Grove has multiple shepherds however, all of which are seasoned Experts in their own right who meticulously manage to routes the Shambling Grove takes. The Gardens of each of these experts are specialized as well, either serving to curate and tend the trees themselves or to function as ruthless protectors against anyone who would do the grove harm. The size of the grove itself is several hundred trees large, and contains numerous individual chostrum that are specialized in defense and war in order to further assist the shepherds in protecting the grove. Though multiple groves are capable of specializing in any purpose they wish, the Shambling Grove is known to provide the most chostrum dedicated to battle in this way and provides them to any Vagrant actively participating in defense of the order should it become threatened. The Wayfarer's Weave
The Wayfarer's Weave is a specific network of information maintained by Vagrant Outriders and Experts of the order. Though much of the information is relayed through mundane means, a bulk of it is sent and maintain magically through a complex mixture of enchantments, constructs, and spells. Most Outriders do not have to physically travel to an Expert to relay information, instead keeping a enchanted flower of some kind in their possession that allows them to speak with the elder over great distances. Elders in turn have Chostrums capable of recording massive amounts of information spoken within them without having to physically transcribe it, linking them to one another for rapid updates in an ever-changing landscape of the order. The Wayfarer's weave is typically utilized to send information up however, and the lower a Vagrant ranks within the order the less access they have to the precious information held within it. Some branches of the weave are maintained specifically for trade and access with trusted members of other orders or with those who might be at risk of being compromised while behind enemy lines. These sections of the weave are designed to provide only certain types of information at certain levels and are designed to self terminate if compromised. Often with considerable collateral magical damage for the offender. Nomad's Cant
Before the Wayfarer's Weave was established, the Vagrant Jasmine had another means of conveying critical information to each other, it's own language. The language of Nomad's Cant is a unique one, utilizing unique symbols and pictographs meant to be overlooked by others in it's written form and a series of subtle gestures and noises in its "spoken" form, very little of the Nomad's Cant is structured like other verbal languages. The language as a whole is designed to convey ideas and instructions in broad terms with fewer instances of specifics. A couple pictographs found in a tree near a settlement could convey something as broad as "danger" to a Vagrant or could provide specific details as to the nature of the danger such as anti-magic or true-seeing. Similarly, the "spoken" form of the language is couched in gestures and movements that could be mistaken as any number of other casual gestures or physical ticks in a crowd to allow members of a Garden or Caravan to co-ordinate with each other or adapt to a rapidly changing situation. Nomad's Cant is still used in the field in this way with the written form picking up slack with the Wayfarer's Weave in instances where something must be physically inscribed or written. The Cant sees more use with the lower ranks of the order and within Gardens than it does at the higher level of Experts, but all members of the order know the language regardless.
Founding Date
The Age of Hume
Alternative Names
Con Artists
Demonym
Vagrants
Leader
Leader Title
Comments