Bramble Church
Tenets of Faith
Protected by Thorns
Brambleites value personal and altruistic safety. They trust that Bramble will protect them if they are in danger, and would rather run and hide than stand and fight. While the Bramble faith is not explicitly pacifist, and outright advocates for protecting what should be protected, it dissuades from taking the battle to others. Thorns do not get up and travel, so be wary and defend if needed, but do not take the fight to unfamiliar ground.Providing through Berries
Looking after yourself and others is very important for Brambleites. One of the absolute non-negotiable rules of the Bramble faith is to never allow someone to go hungry when you could feed them. In the Bunbun Warren, acolytes of the Bramble Church lead by example. Some are gifted with the abilities to create water and/or daylight, allowing the church to cultivate an allotment (called the Tangle), where they grow vegetables (mostly Brambles) to feed the whole community. The food festival of Berryfest takes this a step further, with a whole day devoted to preparing the food, and the following day spent feasting on it.Pretty as Roses
Brambleites believe that simply being pleasing (aesthetically or otherwise) is enough to make something valuable or good, and moreover, argue that even items with a function should still be created to be pretty.Worship
Each evening in the Bunbun Warren, the Bramble Church holds a sermon conducted entirely in Earspeak. The silent Twitcher delivers the lesson, as Bramble Bread Rolls are sliced and passed out to the quiet congregation. It is a time for personal prayers to Brambleson, or for smattered catch up with neighbours (again, only Earspeak is permitted), and the room is filled with a multitude of noiseless conversations, confessions and wishes. The church uses this time to ensure that each member of the community receives at least one meal a day - fulfilling one of its three main tenets. It can also see in the Earspeak what the people of the Warren are most concerned with, or worried about, which guides future lessons and church business.
Twice a year, the Church also celebrates the two-day food festival of Berryfest, in which berry tarts, berry pies, berry muffins and berry mulled wine are all consumed in large quantities. The first day of the festival is spent harvesting, cooking and preparing the food, and the second day is devoted to feasting on it. In these festivities, vocal speech is permitted alongside Earspeak, and music is played during the feasting. The church is therefore generally louder than it is at any other time of year, but still considerably quieter than most non-Bunbun celebrations in the city.
Priesthood
Bramble Matriarch
The highest position in the Bramble Church is held by the Bramble Matriarch. Currently Easter Lindt, the Matriarch rules and reigns in the church and is highest authority on all matters of the Bramble faith.Brers
There are three Brers in the Bramble Church, who have each been given a duty for one of the three main tenets of the Bramble faith:The Brer of the Briar (currently Brer Bigwig Briar) oversees the Brambleknights: a group of Chevaliers and Knights who protect the Church and the Warren from danger.
The Brer of the Berry leads the Tangle Tenders, who Cultivate and Tend the Tangle and ensure everyone in the Warren is fed.
The Brer of the Rose (currently Brer Petallion Rosa) maintains the Petal Archive with his Curators and Archivists, who preserve the mythology and lore of the Church.
Twitcher
The straight-eared members of these three holy orders are often set the duties of delivering the evening sermons, in the role of "Twitcher", so called because the sermon is delivered in Earspeak, which is a sign-language of ear twitches. Floppy-eared Bunbun are unable to speak Earspeak, and therefore cannot deliver sermons (floppy-eared Brambleites are actually not able to talk in church at all, apart from on the feast days of Berryfest where vocal speech is permitted alongside Earspeak).
Protected by Thorns, Providing through Berries, Pretty as Roses
Type
Religious, Cult
Demonym
Brambleite
Parent Organization
Subsidiary Organizations
Related Traditions
Related Ranks & Titles
Controlled Territories
Related Species
Related Myths
