Rooted in ancient beast-kin tradition, the Verdant Force believes in the supremacy of nature and reveres great elemental beast spirits from the dawn of the world.
Widely spread throughout the Grasslands and Deepwood, this philosophy has also grown popular amongst non-beastkin who feel awe and gratitude for the natural world. Many believe that the souls of the spirit beasts are entwined forever with the world, and are the ultimate source of all primal power in Alm.
Followers of the Verdant Force typically eschew heavy artifice and avoid large population centres, preferring small sustainable communities or nomadic banding. They are not against progress on principle, but advocate strongly for all people to respect nature, and for civilisations to develop only with care for their impact on the natural world.
Some do take the extreme view that the world must be “returned to nature”, but these are met with resistance by the majority. Most Verdant Force believers hold that nature and civilisation need not be in conflict, and use what power they have to encourage harmony between them; for example, using ritual magic to create food in place of extensive farming, or cleanse water waste before it drains to the ocean.
Alignment: Any, usually not lawful
Domains: Death, Earth, Life, Moon, Sea, Storm, Sun, Wilderness, Winter
Concepts
The Verdant Force are not given to an overabundance of rules, or to defined hierarchy. Generally, they can be described by the following ideals:
- Show gratitude for the land. The world has given us everything; we should treat it with respect and care.
- We, too, are natural. We are as much a part of the world as trees and beasts, and we share the right to thrive.
- Change is nature. Nature contains no immutable truths, only an unceasing process of growth and diversification.