El Convento De Brujas Verdes

We will help you grow...

"Look at the stones of our church." The old tree said the branches pointing to the wall. "Do you see it, how the vines twist through the stone? Does it not remind you of circuitry?" He paused, taking his time as his grabdson turned a page of the book in the pedestal, "No, 'human nature' is a concept bred from pride. All animals on this earth wage war, it matters little what they fight for. We all know love, it matters little how strong it is. Ignorance? Without it many species wouldn't be able to catch their prey."
"Stupidity," he laughed. "That may well be a staple of 'human nature.' Wisdom is as well, I suppose. If that be the case, then I'm confused."
he stared into my eyes, the knot holes in the tree growing smaller as if he was glaring at me, "You say we have lost our humanity. I assure you: we've retained our humanity more than most."

Without the presence of humans, they say, nature will always reclaim what is rightfully hers. This is a fallacy. Humanity is as much a part of nature as anything else. On a fundamental level, very little of what we humans do differs from what other creatures do. We all communicate, to varying degrees of complexity, we fight, we gather, and huddle together for warmth.
It's a mistake to assume that anything humans create in their time is anything but natural. We are the product of nature. We're dependent on it. None understand this more than the cultists of El Convento De Brujas Verdes, The Greenwich Convent. Their lesson was learned through harsh experience.
The Green Witch Convent is small stone church built in Mexico. Established as a Catholic mission during the conquest of Hernán Cortés, its history goes hand in hand with the cult. Now, the cult holds a complex blend of Catholic and Aztec traditions that speak of sacrifice and the death of ones ego.

The Convent

The convent is a literal representation of the Cult's primary beliefs. It is a blend of old and new, the natural and the artificial. There are several key locations within the church, each with its own purpose, design, and importance.

The Black Door

The first thing one sees, after the church itself, is a stone cut out fitted into the entrance of The Convent. This is the black door, named for the black stains on the outside surface of the door. The stains are the offerings of those who entered before, those who have nothing more than the blood in their own veins to share.
The Convent is open to anyone who is capable of entering, and anyone who enters is treated with the utmost hospitality, provided they follow the rules. As such, the door is often coated in blood that dries overtime to a black dead color. The door is a symbol of the sacrifices the cult made, as well as the failures brought on by their hubris.

The Mangrove

The Mangroves are both a name for a place and a title held by the oldest and wisest members of the cult. These members once appeared human, but fragility and poor health brought on by old age or some ailment led them to a final form of transformation.
Members of The Cult too often undergo various transformations. These Transformations are caused by ingesting La Sangre Verde. Ingesting too much always leaves to becoming a mangrove.
They are trees alarmingly human in shape. They have face, and can move with alarming speed. They are the beating heart of the cult and retain the knowledge and cultural history of the movement. There are a few old souls within the grove that claim to be the original founders of the cult. The mangroves litter the inner courtyard of the convent, surrounded by bookshelves and pedestals.

The Garden Of Snakes

The rooms surrounding the mangrove are all linked together into The Garden of Snakes. These are the cultists, and probably many unwilling participants, whose transformation forced them to flee the light of the sun. Exotic Flora resides within the garden, each bearing some tform of bioluminescence.
The Garden of snakes is tended to by the cultists. It's a dangerous job, as many of the plants also developed a taste for blood. Some routinely attempt to kill the cultists who are keeping them alive. Once their thirst has been satiated, they're quite docile. Few of these plants can speak, and each possess biomechanical traits, much like the cultists themselves.

Rules of The Convent

There are rules that must be adhered to while inside The Convent. Failure may lead to a punishment worse than death. Some are sacrificed to The Feathered Serpent, others find themselves involuntarily changed by La Sangre Verde, or the green blood. It's an unsettling thought should you realize some of the strange flora around you is there against its will.

• No Flames:Fire is forvidden within the temple. It's lit by the bioluminescent flora decorating its halls. This is to avoid the potential of a fire breaking out, as many cultists in the mangroves are immobile and can't escape.

• Offerings: to enter and leave The Convent, one must offer something in exchange. Food is welcome, fertilizer is as well, but nothing beats the old ways. A gift of blood will open the way if the hand is cut and spread across the Black Door. It must be a decent wound, clean and painful. No mere pinprick will do it.

• No Foreign Flora: No one is allowed to offer plants, or seeds to enter. No one may carry flora within, either. The Convent goes to great leangths to keep their gardens pure. Foreign plant life can bring disease or insects that may cause damage to the flora inside.