Linnea III

Linnea the third, Head Gardener to the The Order of the Fallen Leaves, and as the leader of the de-facto state religion wields considerable power from atop their diasys. They are though shrewd and selective with how they elect to wield this power. It is no secret that the church yearns for the day that they retake the The Silver Council and end the farce that has been allowed to occur. Linea is the one to accomplish such a feat and with the full might of the church behind him there is every possibility that he might succeed.

"What power we do have we must use wisely, gone are the days when we could simply hack away at our problems like some crass butcher carving up a pig. Today we must act as surgeons only cutting out what needs removal." - Linnea III Head Gardener of the Order of the Fallen Leaves

Appearance

Although they are the head of the most powerful church in Arbor they are far younger than any previous Head Gardeners being barely into their 30s. They wear the traditional green cossack of their order though with the silver musketeer cloak of their station at most times. They have short silver hair that stands nearly straight up and piercing red eyes the mark of one who has spent several years in close proximity to The Great Tree. However because of the unnerving nature of their eyes they often wear goggles to make it easier for them to converse with the general populace. In addition to this their arm has been completely replaced from the shoulder down, in its place is a prosthetic arm made of Great Tree Wood inlaid with silver.

Personality

Linnea gives the impression of one far older than his apparent age would seem to suggest indeed, his words and actions carry the wisdom and sagely advice befitting of one in his station as the leader of a church of millions. He will speak slowly and with a measured tone in most cases especially to those who have sought out his council specifically. He is not perfect though and is a fiend for any new piece of information boasting that he has read every book in the church's libraries and most of the ones in the Collegiate Arcanum. He handles his leadership well though perhaps because of the vast amount of knowledge he has acquired he can come across as arogant to those who do not know him well. In the church's inner circle he is known as as a purist and wants to bring the organization back to its glory days of ruling. This is where his methods can take a turn down a dark road as he will not stand for any amount of heresy or questioning of the faith, to the point where acolytes have been subjected to intense "re-affirmation" sessions. It is well known that he is quite liberal with his use of punishment for clergy perhaps he even enjoys inflicting pain who can truly say.

Background

Not much is known of Linnea's early life their name of course like most Head Gardener's was changed upon their ascension to the office, as such it becomes difficult to know who they were before the transition. But there has been much speculation about who they might have been and how they ascended to the title. The most widely believed tales you will find below:

The Former Seeker

Linnea or as he was known before, Amos Lever, was part of The Seekers and a damn good one as the stories go making it to the rank of Black. As the rumors go one day Amos was scouring The Great Sky Highway looking for any sign of a creature known as the Twilight Walker, a horrible thing that had plucked several young children from their beds while they slept swallowing them whole. The worst part about the creature was according to reports the faces of the missing children could be seen in agony pressed into the creatures bloated grey stomach. Amos had tracked the creature far up into the branches avoiding other things that made their home here while single mindedly in pursuit of his quarry. Amos though had not counted on how smart the creature was it got the jump on him and before he could pull his Preserver Blade the foul creature slapped it from his hands sending the blade sprawling. Fearing he would soon join the screaming children in the belly of the beast Amos made to jump from the branches shoulder tackling the creature and taking it with him. The leap into the dark abyss caught the creature off guard and they both plummeted from the canopy down heading for the Inner Ring before they were to crash into the hard rocks something grabbed Amos by the arm breaking it badly but saving him from a more terrible fate. When he looked to see his saviour he saw only a branch that had somehow wrapped itself around his arm saving him. The branch then grew into his arm mending his broken limb and replacing it with the prosthetic he currently has. Amos left the Seekers behind and joined the church from there it was a meteoric rise to the top.

The First Reborn

Linnea was always Linnea or more precisely Linnea I a dark and terrible ritual performed by the church to bring back one of their best and most powerful Head Gardeners from times long past. The exact nature of which is something that few but those highest in the church would know. Upon their resurrection they killed those who were responsible for returning him to life and set about the long and arduous task of restoring the church to its former glory.

As the High Gardener

However none of this really matters and is more of the idle musing of those who love a good conspiracy theory. During their first year as Head Gardener they have taken many steps to begin seeding the populace with more hardcore religious rhetoric and more radical ideas. He has preached and instructed his flock to question the silver council and whether they are truly there to serve the tree as the silver council of old once did. That how can they truly know what the Great Tree wants when most are not even member of the church.

Relationships

Linnea as you might imagine for one is such a position of authority has few friends, and you would not be wrong it is lonely at the top after all so few know the heart of the Head Gardener.

Allegiance

As the Head Gardener it is their duty to maintain cordiality with all the company Majora of the city and while on a surface level this is true many regard the church and by extension Linnea as a vestige of a bygone era.

Abilities

Linnea III is a powerful spell caster maybe the most powerful holy man in the city, however he rarely has need in his position to utilize his full potential instead having the various members of his congregation perform such services for him. Listed below are some though not all of the known abilities of Linnea:

• Powerful Divine Spell Caster (8th Circle)
• Trained Swordsman
• True Sight
• Extremely knowledgeable about the Church's history
• Limited Control of the Great Tree

Equipment

• Priestly Cossack
• Silver Musketeer cape
• Silver goggles

Prosthetic Arm

The Arm that currently replaces his right is a thing of radiant beauty. Comprised entirely of Great Tree Wood and the purest silver it is as much a work of art as it is a functional limb. Notably this is not a creation of The Gilded or any other company. When asked about the limb Linnea simply states that it was a gift from the Great Tree itself in recognition for his hard work for the city.