Vininial Rodinail

"Can't harvest what isn't tended - whether by you or the Gods. Let's get to the fields, Cousin. Harvest is coming."

The Vininial Rodinail, or 'Tamed Growth Family,' is a group dedicated to the worship and practices of Cousin Vine, one of the seven major gods of Lialin's pantheon. The group is comprised mainly of nomadic wanderers, but unlike the Kyrvi, they do not travel in bands. Instead, the members of the Vininial Rodinail travel alone or in very small groups. They are often referred to by a shorthand version of the group's name, 'Vini.'
Individual members of the Vininial Rodinail are addressed either as 'Vini' or 'Cousin' interchangeably.
The Vininial Rodinail are responsible for the keeping of regional seed stores in the hearts of their groves - archives of years of crops from different settlements, wild herbs and flowers, and preserved supplies in case of blight or famine. These seeds are exchanged among the Groves in order to promote crop diversity and cross-breeding, though some farmers call them seed theives for the practice.

History and Foundation

During the Field Age, when Cousin Vine was said to have taken mortal form during their portion of the Godswalk, the individuals linked to their presence are documented as having roamed the land 'with a basket on one hip and determination on the other.' In the years that followed the awakening of magic and the destruction of the Storm Age, it was these manifestations of the agricultural deity that restored order.
Cousin Vine's godsforms are not accredited with the great surges of power or dramatic displays of some other godsforms. Instead, they are said to have primarily organized work getting back to tending the fields. They brought seeds from different parts of the land to restore those which had been lost, taught villagers and townsfolk and refugees what plants were edible and which were not, and showed them how to preserve food stores for the times to come. They usually stayed no longer than a season, from planting through to harvest, before leaving to take their winters elsewhere. Those who attempted to follow them uninvited never returned.
In the latter half of the Field Age, these wandering farmers began asking others who showed some affinity for the wilds and fields if they would like to join their family for a winter. Those who accepted rarely returned to their home village, but were often seen in later years doing the same as the one who had recruited them - sometimes alone, and sometimes at their side. Now, though the manifestations of Cousin Vine have all left Lialin, the Vininial Rodinail continue the traditions. 

Organization and Practices

There does not seem to be any hierarchy among the Vininial Rodinail, at least to outsiders. They must gather, because they all seem to know each other whenever multiple Vini meet, and the teachings they give are the same. However, they profess to no clear leader or title among them.
In truth, there are no titles amongst the Vininial Rodinail, but there is a sense of leadership about some of its members. Leadership is voluntary, and coordinated each winter by individual groups. The more experienced and wise members of the family are heeded by the others, and dissidents or those who cause trouble may find themselves unwelcome come winter. The similarity in their structure to that of the Kyrvi has been noted by a few Rodinail, who wonder if the original godswalk forms or recruits might've come from a Kyrvi band. 
While on the road, a Vini carries most of what they need in a pack and walks, though the use of wagons or horses is not unheard of. Aside from basic supplies, the Vini brings with them a small selection of seeds, a sketchbook or notebook, and a carved walking stick. The seeds are a donation to the place the Vini is bound, while the sketchbook or notebook is meant for recording or preserving samples of new plant life they encounter. The walking stick is typically simple for most of its length, with a section roughly two thirds up reserved for personalized carvings. These indicate how long a Vini has been on the road, though the signs are often incomprehensible to those who are not a part of the Vininial Rodinail.
A Vini will make their way through any settlements they come across during the planting season, offering their aid depending on the state of the fields. If accepted, they will do what they can to help assess, advise, and organize planting and tending. When the fields are not in need of immediate care, they offer to teach the settlements inhabitants about local flora and fauna, and seek to learn any local remedies or cures or mixtures themselves. They also usually tend the garden at the local Cairnhouse, where they will stay if not offered lodging elsewhere.
After the harvest, a settlement will usually make a donation to the Vininial Rodinail, to keep them and their kin through the winter. This donation traditionally includes seeds for the next season's plantings. At this point, usually during the last harvest festival, the Vini may offer for a member of the settlement to join them for the winter. These are not propositions of marriage (though many perceive them as such) but rather of lateral adoption. Then they depart, and a different Vini may wander down the road the next planting season, or one may not come for several years.

"It's something of a family secret."

- A Vini, asked where they go during the winter

During winters, members of the Vininial Rodinail return to what they refer to amongst themselves as the Groves. These settlements are usually woodland, though there are a few in the deserts around Dawnfall or other plains regions. Each Grove is named for a particular plant, and used to identify themselves to other groups of the Vininial Rodinail. Individual Vini are not bound to any particular Grove, and most will travel to several nearby Groves during their lifetimes, to learn more and exchange portions of the seed stores.
Winters are spent learning and exchanging tales. If news needs to be spread, messengers or messenger birds may be dispatched from Grove to Grove - such as warning that more seeds will be needed after a crop blight in one region, or an offering of plenty from another. New members are inducted over the hearth fires with shared brews and winter celebrations, while those who are reported dead are mourned.

Type

Religious, Druidic Circle

Alternative Names

Vini

Demonym

Vini

Deities

• Cousin Vine

Divines

• Cousin Vine