Voluntarist Verdial
Voluntarist Verdials (or simply Voluntarists) are a subset of the Verdial species. Voluntarists are those who are descended from other ethnic groups (particularly New Voxelians) and who choose to remain in the Caudal Tesseract or otherwise interact closely with Verdials until they have acquired a Caudal lichen symbiote of their own.
Voluntarists chose to become Verdials out zeal for the Biocosmist faith and in spite of the prejudice Verdials face in non-Verdial territories for the 'virulence' of their 'condition.' As both adherents to a schismatic religion and members of a minority not welcomed by either Human or Verdial societies, Voluntarists are often forced to flee into the Caudal or Distal Tesseracts for their own safety. Many Biocosmist monasteries have Voluntarist Verdials as parishioners.
Culture
Major language groups and dialects
Most Voluntarists are native Vozendi or Eliov speakers. Individuals looking to become Voluntarists often try to learn Valespeak out of a need to interact with Verdials in order to acquire Caudal lichen symbiotes. In truth, Vale Verdials often regard Voluntarists' clumsy adoption of Vale Verdial language and cultural imagery as a sign that the Voluntarists haven't really engaged yet with what it means to be Verdial.
Shared customary codes and values
Because becoming a Voluntarist entails a high degree of openness to unusual experiences, Voluntarists are usually quite liberal with regards to other matters as well. Among Voluntarists, drug use and open relationships are common under the guise of 'following the flow of nature.' A narrow majority of Voluntarists are part of the anti-technology strain of Biocosmist thought, believing that the strictures imposed upon individuals sever the connection between the individual and their place in the divine flow of the Biocosm's life processes. This rejection of social norms puts the Voluntarists at odds with their (much more traditionalist) adoptive Vale Verdial kin.
Parent ethnicities
Encompassed species
Related Organizations
Related Locations
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