The Blessed of the Leaf
Quintus Bartholomew Marion joins a cult.
Venevia Sil Galachus , Savin Kilvane , and several others await you at the edge of the creek on a moonlit night. Amongst them the 15 who returned from the forests just a month ago. Cole has come with you, ever your friend, and eager to find some faith in this broken land.
You can hear it, as they profess to, there is something in this glade, a presence - if not manifest in words than in simple being, which itself is wondrous. A feeling of energy fills you, welling up form the ground below you. They chant, the 15 standing near the center, a glow coming from... their torsos, stomach, abdomen, their mouths open as the glow pushes up - the people around chant, in a language unknown to you but now as a part of you as your mother tongue. The lights rise up, humming with light an life, emerging from the 15's mouths now open to the sky.
You take the seed inside you and are filled with golden light. Your pains lessen and your body and mind are infused with renewed purpose, the colors of the world greet you with a new vibrance and the sounds of the woods dance in your ears. The Blessed of the Leaf continue to grow in strength and number, their gatherings more vocal, less meant to blend in with the region and more to confront and evangelize. Venevia Sil Galachus greets you each day with renewed passion. 'To touch the divine, we are the blessed ones' Recruitment becomes a core tenant of the faith, but tension and wariness already grows especially amongst the newcomers. One evening as you return your sister Julia Herelia Marion waits for you. 'Like it or not you have become a figurehead here, a man of influence. Your father has plans for us, plans for our family. I don't know what you're playing at with these... cultists... but you're looking to squander it all.'
After the death of David Galway Shoshanna spends an increasing amount of time with her father and family. Weeks pass and with no sign of your nuptials and your increasing 'devotion' to this strange faith Shoshanna decides to move back in with her father. Silently, and without official notice, your relationship comes to an end.
Venevia Sil Galachus , believing you the reincarnation of the Privii, takes to you like stink on shit. Your "relationship" with her is... interesting? At least you both glow from the inside when you're together so that's creepy hot. Venezia tells you of her belief that the Lord of the Wood is the Father that once made us and that now we are becoming our true selves after the horrors of Waxwing and our trials in the homelands. She believes that the more people they bring into Communion with the Father the greater our blessing will be. She has had no "direct" communcation with the Lord of the Wood so you aren't sure if she's got the crazy or... no no... she got the crazy.
The communes of the Blessed of the Leaf grow larger, the spirit of the Lord of the Wood passes freely amongst the parishioners, with many beginning to exhibit the wondrous druidic powers that shock and awe the neophytes. Some members feel drawn to wander, heading out to far flung settlements where, days later, new shoots of the Grand Tree take root. The power of the Lord of the Wood brings peace to wild beasts, nourishment to crops, and fecundity to the domestic animals of the new settlements. In the face of these powers many settlers begin to work with the Blessed as even if they do not share their faith they share the need to flourish. Several incidents are reported - attacks, but mostly just violence without murder. However, a group sent to the Western Plains, near the old Aelfinn settlement, goes missing in its entirety.
Venevia burns.... with intensity... with passion.. and doubtless with some form of crotchrot. Her fanaticism grates on your practical materialsm but her ever increasing worship more than compensates. She seems well enmeshed in the workings of the Blessed of the Leaf and spends hours each day at the Grand Tree claiming to commune with the Father. What is real and what is madness becomes harder to discern as, with you watching, she sinks slightly into the tree, the roots and vines curling up about her, the deep glow in her form seeming to meld with a light from the tree itself. She is released shortly after, and speaks of seasons, of seeds to be planted, then harvests and reaping.
Your pursuit of the strange woman known as Ahmygna Yasylia leads you one of the hundred quickly built flophouses where settlers stay before finding a permanent place to live. Attempts at following her further prove futile, she vanishes without a trace on her many excursions - only by tracking her back from her meetings with Saficus Anuluii do you identify where she lives. You identify the Basari Sellsword as Sebilla , an obviously talented mercenary. Speaking with the inhabitants of the flophouse they say she rarely leaves her room for more than an hour and can often be found practicing her bladework behind the building. After observing her schedule you get into the shared room but find only an old book of tales 'Samara's Follies', a comical interpretation of the tales of Samara. If there's anything of interest here it is kept on their persons, or elsewhere. Julia informs you that the gold-wrapped swords you saw are a mark of honor for the Divocai, the sacred guard appointed to the emissaries of the Sigil of Mane.
Julia Herelia Marion meets with you one night after you receive the message from your father. She seems tired.... tense. She sits in your office at the tavern, drinking more wine then you have seen her consume in the past. "The real storm is coming Quintus, you best be ready - Father doesn't know it, but this family will need you in the days to come" She speaks nothing further of it, but you feel yourself growing closer to her.
As wealth flows through the settlement you find your tavern/inn/gambling den a source of enrichment, significantly so. While there are those you owe for their labors it still leaves you comfortably well above the majority of the settlement, including your former compatriots on the leadership council and the guardians. This wealth should, or can, go somewhere - but where?
"From whence came this fire, dear brother? Oh, I know - it is blood that fires your spirit, be not fooled by faith. No god made you a Marion. Why do you see miracles in the falling of fruit when flames consumed thousands from an errant artifiact." Julia also asks that you relinquish the Ancient Ivory Rod to her, Radko Clavik has offered a significant sum for it and their may be political ramifications for not surrendering it. She notes, irked, that Joey the Sorcadin pointed the Diplomat in their direction.
Your men discover what they can about the strange figure named Shrike . Updated information.
Venevia Sil Galachus continues to adore you, taking it above and beyond what you have come to expect as an indolent lordling. The Blessed of the Leaf look to you as a divine protector of the Groves and the Faithful, and ask that you intervene to protect their divine mission to spread the seed to other communities. With the deaths in the SW and the murder in Ravenwood they fear that some are fouled and working against redemption. Venevia Sil Galachus reveals that she is pregnant, YAY. Increasingly she speaks of the blooming to come, of the groves sinking deep into the community. It's definitely a little off. You still feel the warmth inside you from your communion with the Lord of the Woods, each time you are near the Grove you feel invigorated and you find minor miracles manifest themselves at your whim - goodberries here, goodberies there, goodberries everywhere.
The Qwynn attracts a crowd of many shapes and colors, breaking through the tensions masses without into an explosion of color and culture. The ever expanding complex reaches further around the main square of the city, weaving into and around the Garden and Grove and running up to the edge of Guildhall under construction. Fights are common but rarely bloody, as are displays of diction and debates on theological merit. Men meet in shady corners or plush booths to secure contracts or measure out the worth of another man's life. Above it all however is the Gran Celebre of the back stage, the dramatic promenade of plays, dance, and song of every culture of the old world. With Renfred the Lark in attendance your attractions expand, none more resplendent than an Ashlander dancer of legendary beauty going by the name of Adelara . The allure, the splendor, the majesty of the show spreads in legend in step with that of the Guardians. Their is no rival to the Qwynn in the North, and some say not even the mighty halls of pleasure in Nova Caryll can rival the wild nights and sheer variety of entertainment to be had here. This of course leads to numerous administrative snaffus and political... opportunities, but you find a useful talent in Pullo a former Innkeeper and operative from Van Myr who seems a loyal sort, vetted by your sister.
Taverns appear throughout the settlement, none a threat to your dominance of civic life in the settlement but each attracting a distinct element of society. Despite your own "royal" heritage the citizens of Van Myr stay far from the conflux of native and old world life that is your Inn. With the arrival of several peacekeepers you find more citizens of Van Myr frequenting your establishment, but never partaking of the festivities, simply sitting, and watching. At times you catch peacekeepers in their distinct green leather armor watching you from afar as you leave the tavern or head to the new government center, they always retreat at your advance.
A strange figure named Able approaches you at the Inn, claiming to represent persons unknown who would like to come to an arrangement. HMM?
First from the ash
take us as your being
a vessel unto divine
dreamers of the dream
Cole screams and books it, smashing through the trees, dropping his crossbow behind him.
You take the seed inside you and are filled with golden light. Your pains lessen and your body and mind are infused with renewed purpose, the colors of the world greet you with a new vibrance and the sounds of the woods dance in your ears. The Blessed of the Leaf continue to grow in strength and number, their gatherings more vocal, less meant to blend in with the region and more to confront and evangelize. Venevia Sil Galachus greets you each day with renewed passion. 'To touch the divine, we are the blessed ones' Recruitment becomes a core tenant of the faith, but tension and wariness already grows especially amongst the newcomers. One evening as you return your sister Julia Herelia Marion waits for you. 'Like it or not you have become a figurehead here, a man of influence. Your father has plans for us, plans for our family. I don't know what you're playing at with these... cultists... but you're looking to squander it all.'
After the death of David Galway Shoshanna spends an increasing amount of time with her father and family. Weeks pass and with no sign of your nuptials and your increasing 'devotion' to this strange faith Shoshanna decides to move back in with her father. Silently, and without official notice, your relationship comes to an end.
Venevia Sil Galachus , believing you the reincarnation of the Privii, takes to you like stink on shit. Your "relationship" with her is... interesting? At least you both glow from the inside when you're together so that's creepy hot. Venezia tells you of her belief that the Lord of the Wood is the Father that once made us and that now we are becoming our true selves after the horrors of Waxwing and our trials in the homelands. She believes that the more people they bring into Communion with the Father the greater our blessing will be. She has had no "direct" communcation with the Lord of the Wood so you aren't sure if she's got the crazy or... no no... she got the crazy.
The communes of the Blessed of the Leaf grow larger, the spirit of the Lord of the Wood passes freely amongst the parishioners, with many beginning to exhibit the wondrous druidic powers that shock and awe the neophytes. Some members feel drawn to wander, heading out to far flung settlements where, days later, new shoots of the Grand Tree take root. The power of the Lord of the Wood brings peace to wild beasts, nourishment to crops, and fecundity to the domestic animals of the new settlements. In the face of these powers many settlers begin to work with the Blessed as even if they do not share their faith they share the need to flourish. Several incidents are reported - attacks, but mostly just violence without murder. However, a group sent to the Western Plains, near the old Aelfinn settlement, goes missing in its entirety.
Venevia burns.... with intensity... with passion.. and doubtless with some form of crotchrot. Her fanaticism grates on your practical materialsm but her ever increasing worship more than compensates. She seems well enmeshed in the workings of the Blessed of the Leaf and spends hours each day at the Grand Tree claiming to commune with the Father. What is real and what is madness becomes harder to discern as, with you watching, she sinks slightly into the tree, the roots and vines curling up about her, the deep glow in her form seeming to meld with a light from the tree itself. She is released shortly after, and speaks of seasons, of seeds to be planted, then harvests and reaping.
Your pursuit of the strange woman known as Ahmygna Yasylia leads you one of the hundred quickly built flophouses where settlers stay before finding a permanent place to live. Attempts at following her further prove futile, she vanishes without a trace on her many excursions - only by tracking her back from her meetings with Saficus Anuluii do you identify where she lives. You identify the Basari Sellsword as Sebilla , an obviously talented mercenary. Speaking with the inhabitants of the flophouse they say she rarely leaves her room for more than an hour and can often be found practicing her bladework behind the building. After observing her schedule you get into the shared room but find only an old book of tales 'Samara's Follies', a comical interpretation of the tales of Samara. If there's anything of interest here it is kept on their persons, or elsewhere. Julia informs you that the gold-wrapped swords you saw are a mark of honor for the Divocai, the sacred guard appointed to the emissaries of the Sigil of Mane.
Julia Herelia Marion meets with you one night after you receive the message from your father. She seems tired.... tense. She sits in your office at the tavern, drinking more wine then you have seen her consume in the past. "The real storm is coming Quintus, you best be ready - Father doesn't know it, but this family will need you in the days to come" She speaks nothing further of it, but you feel yourself growing closer to her.
As wealth flows through the settlement you find your tavern/inn/gambling den a source of enrichment, significantly so. While there are those you owe for their labors it still leaves you comfortably well above the majority of the settlement, including your former compatriots on the leadership council and the guardians. This wealth should, or can, go somewhere - but where?
"From whence came this fire, dear brother? Oh, I know - it is blood that fires your spirit, be not fooled by faith. No god made you a Marion. Why do you see miracles in the falling of fruit when flames consumed thousands from an errant artifiact." Julia also asks that you relinquish the Ancient Ivory Rod to her, Radko Clavik has offered a significant sum for it and their may be political ramifications for not surrendering it. She notes, irked, that Joey the Sorcadin pointed the Diplomat in their direction.
Your men discover what they can about the strange figure named Shrike . Updated information.
Venevia Sil Galachus continues to adore you, taking it above and beyond what you have come to expect as an indolent lordling. The Blessed of the Leaf look to you as a divine protector of the Groves and the Faithful, and ask that you intervene to protect their divine mission to spread the seed to other communities. With the deaths in the SW and the murder in Ravenwood they fear that some are fouled and working against redemption. Venevia Sil Galachus reveals that she is pregnant, YAY. Increasingly she speaks of the blooming to come, of the groves sinking deep into the community. It's definitely a little off. You still feel the warmth inside you from your communion with the Lord of the Woods, each time you are near the Grove you feel invigorated and you find minor miracles manifest themselves at your whim - goodberries here, goodberies there, goodberries everywhere.
The Qwynn attracts a crowd of many shapes and colors, breaking through the tensions masses without into an explosion of color and culture. The ever expanding complex reaches further around the main square of the city, weaving into and around the Garden and Grove and running up to the edge of Guildhall under construction. Fights are common but rarely bloody, as are displays of diction and debates on theological merit. Men meet in shady corners or plush booths to secure contracts or measure out the worth of another man's life. Above it all however is the Gran Celebre of the back stage, the dramatic promenade of plays, dance, and song of every culture of the old world. With Renfred the Lark in attendance your attractions expand, none more resplendent than an Ashlander dancer of legendary beauty going by the name of Adelara . The allure, the splendor, the majesty of the show spreads in legend in step with that of the Guardians. Their is no rival to the Qwynn in the North, and some say not even the mighty halls of pleasure in Nova Caryll can rival the wild nights and sheer variety of entertainment to be had here. This of course leads to numerous administrative snaffus and political... opportunities, but you find a useful talent in Pullo a former Innkeeper and operative from Van Myr who seems a loyal sort, vetted by your sister.
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