The Verdant

The Verdant is less of a singular entity, and more a system of instincts, thoughts, and connections that has existed since time immemorial, and that create a great, unified force of nature. Its influence can be found in every natural living organism on the planet, from a single blade of grass to the most powerful of giants. The Verdant holds no morals, no opinions, no grudges, it acts only in the interest of preserving life and purging corruption.

Those that worship The Verdant are more or less motivated by their own interpretations of how nature is to be represented. Some believe that all life is sacred, some simply wish to enjoy their relatively brief span of sentience, while others still will attack those who would harm nature on a wide scale with merciless zeal. Regardless, as long as their worship is devoted to the wellspring of life energy that is The Verdant's influence, they are able to draw power from it.

## History

From the very moment the first living being found its way to Utharia, the Verdant has held influence over the land. Some scholars theorize that the Verdant itself was that which planted the seeds of life, while others believe that it was born from the same primordial soup, and attached itself to life as a symbiotic relationship. Where there is life, there is The Verdant.

As the creatures of Utharia grew into their own, creating countries, borders, and culture, so too did worship of The Verdant evolve. Circles of druids sprung up as people came to understand the connected nature of their world, channeling the power of their benefactor in order to further its simple, yet vital interests. Protecting vital forests from deforestation, cleaning up environmental disasters, and purging the lands of entities deemed unnatural to the cycle, such as Undead and Aberrations, are just a few of the various charges given to those that serve The Verdant, with various levels of discretion and rigor in how each Circle chooses to practice their faith.

At any given time, there is only ever one faithful who truly understands the great work. There exists within the Circles a fable that many presume to be whispered from the Verdant itself. By freeing yourself from worldly tethers, achieving self-actualization, and emptying yourself of mind, body, and soul, one is capable of turning themselves into a suitable host for the formless entity, allowing it to influence the world in a more direct and focused manner. Those that achieve this are known as The Guide. Eras that have existed with a Guide for the Verdant have known great prosperity, marked with great harvests, new species evolving and diversifying the world, and relative peace and unity within the Circles of the Verdant. Those without are marked with inner strife, famine, and general lack of focus.

## Home

While not much is known of the Verdant, it is a well-documented fact that it resides outside of the Material Plane, thus requiring a conduit in the form of The Guide in order to influence the world. In truth, it resides in many planes at once, having no preference or discrimination for how life is formed, so long as it is allowed to grow and adapt naturally to the stimuli around it. Thus, it has a distinct hatred of the Abyss, where abominations of alien design are allowed to flourish, and permits as little as possible to grow their by its own design.

## Relationships

#### The Festering

The Verdant despises the Festering's apparent overstep into corrupting the very essence of life itself, and actively seeks to oppose its machinations and followers at every turn.

#### The Outsider

The Verdant treats The Outsider as a foreign entity, one that is antithetical to its own designs, and opposes its influences any time it can detect them.

## Worship

The Verdant has no set scriptures nor guidelines, nor does it knowingly even facilitate its own worship. Those that follow The Verdant do so out of their own personal enlightenment, and following their own unique interpretations. Just as there are druidic circles, so too are there secluded monasteries and even traditional academies, where those who devote themselves to the study of the natural world may find refuge and kindred spirits.

Though rare, there are times in which one person may truly become in tune with The Verdant's strange, esoteric motivations, opening themselves up to become a conduit by which the Verdant may make its will known on the Material Plane, thus becoming what is known as The Guide. The followers of The Verdant become more unified and moderate under the tutelage of The Guide, and slowly drift apart back into their own interpretations in its absence. The current Guide is a Halfling woman by the name of Juniper Eranholly who, even as a vessel for the Guide, retains a surprising amount of personality and free will.

## Symbols

Just as there are no strict scriptures or teachings by which the Verdant's worship is unified, so too are there no symbols by which every single faithful is able to channel its power. So long as the Divine Focus is made of something born of nature, such as wood, bone, or leather, and it holds significant meaning to one that still draws breath, it may be used as a Divine Focus.