The Order of the Blossoming Almond

On many worlds, the line between religion and magic is usually quite distinct. Abilities gifted by a deity tend to manifest completely differently than magical abilities that one develops independently of one's aid, for a start. But on Earth, the fact is most organized religions predate magic's arrival on their world, so any magical sect would have either developed afterwards or modified itself to fit with the new narrative. The Order of the Blooming Almond is an interesting case of the latter.

Saints or Witches?

The Order of the Blooming Almond is a Christian sect that is interested in finding modern-day saints. Since the early 15th century, they have been scouring news stories looking for miracle-workers, snatching them up to find out everything there is to know about them. Most of these turn out to be relatively fake or over-exaggerated, but they do occasionally find someone who has done the impossible. They then determine whether the event was caused by witchcraft (which they abhor and want to see destroyed) or a holy miracle, which they celebrate. Their list of "saints" discovered by these means is only about a dozen in total.
Most of these "saints" since the latter half of the 19th century tend to be mages who got caught by mundanes and then tried to justify their abilities through religious means. This makes the Order a common target for espionage by Terran mages of the Seven. Considering that those accused of witchcraft by the order tend to "mysteriously disappear" not long afterwards, there is also a sense of urgency in trying to spirit away anyone who is being targeted by the Order.

Locations and Prominent Members

Strangely enough, the Order's modern-day members don't tend to hide their allegiances in any way. Many of them are Americans of significant wealth, such as the anti-witchcraft scholar George Waterfield, but others are various priests and concerned citizens across the globe.
Their main office is located in Odessa, Texas, where Waterfield lives, and the building is located near one of the town's Baptist churches. An attempt by the Seven to break into the complex to rescue a mage accused of witchcraft ended in a violent altercation that brought many of the town's population over to the Order's side. In addition to this office, prominent members often hold discussions, interrogations and other Order meetings at their properties, although that doesn't necessarily mean in their own homes.

Founding Date

1423

Type

Secret, Religious sect

Location

Earth

Why the Almond?

וַיְהִי מִמָּחֳרָת, וַיָּבֹא מֹשֶׁה אֶל-אֹהֶל הָעֵדוּת, וְהִנֵּה פָּרַח מַטֵּה-אַהֲרֹן, לְבֵית לֵוִי; וַיֹּצֵא פֶרַח וַיָּצֵץ צִיץ, וַיִּגְמֹל שְׁקֵדִים
And it came to pass, that on the morrow Moses went into the tabernacle of witness; and, behold, the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded, and brought forth buds, and bloomed blossoms, and yielded almonds.

— Numbers 17:8

Christians put a heavy emphasis on their religious texts, namely the Bible. In it, the high priest Aaron is chosen from among the heads of the rest of the twelve tribes because his staff miraculously sprouts almonds. This plant became associated with their deity's favour, which the Order believes to be the source of their abilities.

All images in this article were created by me, EmperorCharlesII, unless otherwise credited.