The Church of The Fertile
The Church of The Fertile is known for spreading the old ways of love and harvests. "The Fertile" refers to both land and love. They teach lost methods for agriculture, ancient magic, and advice for those in love. Rumor has it that to become a full member, you must partake in a sexual encounter known as The Ritual of Divine Passion.
The Church is a nomadic group that goes from town to town within the Shattered Isles. Areas they visit produce higher quality and higher quantities of crops and a higher fertility rate in the following years.
Mythology & Lore
Liebita was one of many ancient Goddesses in the old world. Her role was the Goddess of harvests and love. She would walk around the world, continent to continent, giving her blessings to all the lands in the world. With her power, hunger was never an issue.
Her breath carried rains and spread seeds to perfect the soil, making lands abundant with high-quality crops. Her song wove through the hearts of people across the world, binding hearts together in love. Over time, the Goddess became corrupted. It started with her beginning to eat the crops she would grow, leaving little for the people who relied on her powers. Her songs took on a twisted form, sparking insatiable lust, hunger, and need to dominate in those that heard it. As time went on, her corruption grew. She went from eating crops to eating the helpless subjects where she went, and eventually sought to use her fellow Goddesses to sate her hunger.
The corrupted Goddess took on a new name, Averlyst, and went on a campaign of domination and gluttony. She traveled the world, singing songs of corruption that twisted the faithful servants of other Goddesses into her minions of lust, hunger, and domination. Those who did not turn were consumed. As faith in each Goddess wavered, they would weaken. When they were at their weakest, Averlyst devoured them, absorbing their power into hers. The last Goddesses gathered to stop her, pooling their power in a battle that shattered the land below. At the end, Averlyst was vaporized, purifying the essence of the former Goddess and spreading it across the world.
Divine Origins
Recently, a woman known as The Enchanted Mistress began preaching that she heard the word of Liebita, and could make miracles out of barren soil. Her claims seemed true, after her meager farm in the tundra produced more than her entire town. Her advice for lovemaking and herbal cures also helped alleviate a baby drought the region had been going through. Word of these feats spread, and she began to form a following of young women from the surrounding area. Claiming that the Goddess had given her new purpose, she began a mission to spread her miracles in service of the whole world. Taking on the name The Church of The Fertile, these women moved from town to town, region to region, sharing their power as Liebita once did.
Tenets of Faith
The Church of Fertile has three main tenants:
1. Care for the land, so it may care for you in return
2. Spread food to those who hunger
3. Share love with those who are loveless
These tenants guide their everyday actions. At night, they tend the fields while townsfolk sleep, and by day they spend time at their field churches, spreading their ideology and providing food for the homeless and tourists. They also share love advice, and for the truly lonely some may share their love more intimately.
Priesthood
The priests and priestesses of The Church are small in number and they all travel together with The Enchanted Mistress. Priests are not often seen, with only one noted in the history of The Church's travels. That said, the priestesses are very open about the process required to join their ranks. First, you must do 3 acts of service on behalf of the church to show that you embody their three tenants. After this, you take part in The Ritual of Divine Passion. Those who pass the ritual are welcomed into the ranks of The Church.
Political Influence & Intrigue
Most of The Shattered Isles view The Church as a fringe cult, and as such they have little influence on politics. They are well regarded by the towns they've improved, and receive an overall warm welcome when they return. However, not everyone embraces them. There are rumors of disappearances that follow The Church. People who supposedly passed The Ritual of Divine Passion and joined their ranks, and were never seen again in other towns or following visits. The Church claims these people left to find their own way or were lost to bandits.
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