The Verdant Guild

We don't like hunters around here, berk. So put that bow away before some critter feeds it to you.

- Anonymous Wylder

"It has been said that the elemental planes provide the basic blocks from which the multiverse is built. That's true up to a point. But those building blocks are merely that. They could provide, and do provide, the substances around us; the air, the stones and so on. But they cannot provide life. And ultimately that's the most important feature of the multiverse. Not that it exists, because its existence would be meaningless without living creatures in it to appreciate it. So life is the single most important feature of the multiverse. And life is natural; built by, provided for, and sustained by, nature. And before someone says it, yes I am aware that there are unnatural creatures in the multiverse. Creatures such as golems (if such can be said to possess life), the undead, or magical combinations (such as the manticore almost certainly was originally). But nature is still at the centre of these beings too. The manticore and the golem, if you wish to include it, may not have been natural in their creation. But their creator was natural, so they are still beings that would not exist without nature. And as for the undead, well obviously before you can become undead you must have once been alive. There is no single creature in the multiverse today that does not owe its existence, at some stage, to the power of nature. People can debate the virtues of law or chaos, the merits of good or evil, but the most powerful force in the multiverse is, always has been, and will always remain, the force of nature.   And this is why we must act to protect nature from the ravages that we would, in our foolishness, impose upon her. Think of the bread you eat each day. Where would that come from, if there was no arable land left to grow it on? And those of you who say that you would eat meat instead, where is that coming from? Because there will be no grazing land left for herd animals to eat, so there will be no herd animals left for us to eat. Nature may be the most powerful force in the multiverse, but in life she has created a force that she cannot protect herself against. How can she, against her own children? So we must do it for her. And that is where the Verdant Guild belongs."  

Sect History

The Verdant Guild was formed, over 9 centuries ago, by a ranger named Angeliika Silvermane. As such it is one of the oldest surviving sect, although a couple of sects still around today are related to sects that predate the Wylders. These sects have changed their purpose and philosophy somewhat, however, whereas the Verdant Guild still stand for exactly the same thing it did when Silvermane first gathered together a group of a dozen like-minded people.   In that time, the sect has grown, and become very influential on its home plane of the Beastlands. In fact, although membership of sects is often difficult to calculate exactly, the Verdant Guild is probably the largest sect currently around. As such, it commands the most power, and is treated with the most respect by the factions of Sigil.   Recently, however, the sect has been heavily challenged. The creation of the Vile Hunt has given the Wylders a direct enemy for the first time, and they have not responded well under the pressure. Of late the Vile Hunt have been involved in a plot by some worshippers of a prime God called Malar to free the power from his prison on Carceri. In addition, they were attempting to subvert the nature of the Beastlands themselves; to make them more evil. Fortunately the danger was averted, but the narrowness of the escape was clear to all the Wylders.   Although it emerged that the Vile Hunt had been little more than pawns in the plot, the attitude of the then leader, Aaronatok, towards the Vile Hunt came under renewed scrutiny. A challenge to his leadership was made by a ranger called Karleona, which was successful. Aaronatok was unwilling to accept his defeat, however, and a power struggle has developed within the sect. For more details on this, see the Current Chant.

Sect Headquarters

The headquarters of the Verdant Guild always used to be a large, impressive building located near to the gate to the Beastlands in Faunel. Although it has no official name, most sect members refer to it as 'Home' (not to be confused with 'home' - where they live). It is here than Karleona currently calls kip, and from here that she runs the Guild. However, Aaronatok's actions have meant that many Wylders no longer acknowledge Home as their headquarters. Those that follow Aaronatok would refer to his travelling camp on the Beastlands, known to most people as Sanctuary, as their headquarters. Consequently, the location of the headquarters of the sect depends on who you acknowledge as its leader.

Role-playing the Wylders

Generally speaking, members of the Verdant Guild are more interested in nature in general than in humanoids in particular. However, how they approach that belief can differ remarkably from member to member, and consequently their attitude will differ as much. Some sect members are strongly of the belief that the animals live better lives than humanoids do, as they are not dominated by issues about 'good' and 'evil'. Others see themselves as the protectors of animals (and to a lesser extent nature as a whole - the Guild are more concerned with animals than with plant life, which is a generalisation that could also be said about the Beastlands), and will defend the life on any animal with their own. Others try simply to keep a balance between the actions of mortal beings, and nature's wishes. How an individual member of the Guild should be played therefore depends on how they would view the importance of nature, and their role within it. As an example, some members would stop all hunting of animals. Others believe that it is natural, so long as the hunting is within certain limitations (often along the lines of; it is acceptable to kill one stag for food when you are hungry, as that is a natural act that other predators would do. It is not acceptable to kill a dozen stags for sport, as there is nothing natural about that). Despite differences of opinion, sect members have, in the past, got on with one another.   This is, unfortunately, no longer the case. Once sect members, on meeting, would greet each other, and possibly ask where they came from, how they were doing, when they were last on the Beastlands, etc. Now, the first question a Wylder asks on meeting another Wylder is "Karleona or Aaronatok?".

Sect Membership

Applying for membership of the Verdant Guild is actually pretty easy. All you have to do is to tell a current member that you are interested in joining the sect. Being accepted is slightly tougher. Firstly you must be nominated for membership by an existing member. As there are no punishments for members who nominate failed candidates, all this entails is convincing a member that you feel strongly enough about the sect's philosophy to be worth trying. The next stage is that you must spend three days and nights on the Beastlands, alone. Where in the Beastlands you do this is entirely optional. An experienced Wylder will normally be close by to observe the actions of the potential member, but they will rarely act in any way. On successful completion of this, you are a initiate in the sect. The last task is the assembly of your mask. The exact process by which this occurs is still a sect secret (and probably differs from member to member), but generally takes at least one month, often longer. Once the mask is completed, the candidate is a full member of the Guild.   It is also worthwhile mentioning the Guild's system for leadership challenges. All the candidates declare themselves, and why they should be the leader of the sect (there is no specific title attached to this post). 20 members are then chosen at random (their names are quite literally pulled from a hat), and questioned as to who they would prefer to be the leader.   Traditionally, the members selected thus should come to Home if possible. The person who keeps the tally is a neutral, often paid for the task. Such people are generally members of the Signers or Guvners, though the only qualification is that all the leadership candidates must be satisfied with the choice. If someone gains two-thirds of the votes, then they are declared the winner. If there is no clear winner, then 100 members will be consulted, through exactly the same process. If no winner is found here, 500 members will be asked their opinion, and is necessary, after this the entire sect will vote. If it comes to this stage, then the candidate who achieves the most votes is the leader, there is no longer a need to get two-thirds. It is rare that things go this far, but in the recent leadership challenge, Karleona beat Aaronatok only when all the members were consulted, and even then she only achieved 53% of the vote.

Allies and Enemies

The most obvious enemies of the Verdant Guild are clearly the Vile Hunt. The two sects believe a philosophy so diametrically opposite that it seems likely that their enmity will continue until one sect has been destroyed. The conflict between them continues to escalate. However, there are other groups that the Wylders find that they cannot agree with. Although they dislike those groups, however, open conflict is unlikely. Those groups include the Dustmen, the Doomguard (both of whom glorify the death and decay that is so repulsive to a sect that loves the beauty of nature and life), and also the Fated, whom the Wylders find to be too wrapped up in their own world to appreciate the world around them.   That said, the Wylders have a number of powerful allies. The Signers are at their most prominent on the Beastlands, and the Verdant Guild are close friends with this faction. Their other main ally in Sigil is the Society of Sensation. The Sensates, as far the Wylders are concerned, at least have enough sense to enjoy life. Conversely, the Sensates take the attitude that nature has an almost uncountable array of differing forms and therefore experiences. Many Sensates will visit the Beastlands at least once, because becoming closer to your 'wild' side is regarded by most of the faction as an experience that should be felt.   Although not as close an ally as the Sign of One or the Sensates, the Verdant Guild maintains good relations with the Ciphers. Many Ciphers just want to 'be', something that the nature-loving Wylders can relate to. Besides, nature rarely philosophises too deeply on its actions; it just acts. The Ciphers admire this trait in nature, and most animals.

Eligibility

Any nonevil, nonlawful being can join the sect. Few evil cutters are interested in saving the trees, as the trees have little to offer such self-centered berks in return. The sect is often forced to act covertly against the forces that destroy the wilderness in the name of "progress." This fact rubs most lawful beings the wrong way.

Benefits

Sect members are always aware of the directions around them, regardless of how many dimensions the plane has and how the dircetions are called.
Upon joining a cutter must choose the animal that his mask depicts. The process of gathering the components and assembling the mask is a secret, but it takes at least a month. Once the mask is complete, the wearer gains a speak with animals spell once per day with the type of animal on the mask.

Restrictions

Cutters who belong to this sect may not learn any "civilized" proficiencies like smith's tools. Wilderness skills such as survival and nature are permitted. Also, when forced to visit any centre of civilization (anything bigger than a small village), Wylders operate at a disadvantage, suffering a -4 penalty to all charisma skill checks.

The Chant

All of the stories currently circulating about the Verdant Guild concern its internal divisions. Although the change of leadership was known to most people (at least, to most of those who pay attention to events) within a few days of it occurring, just how badly Aaronatok took his defeat was not. The Guild played down Aaronatok's actions as much as they could. However, three months ago the inevitable happened, and it became open knowledge that Aaronatok was refusing to acknowledge Karleona's leadership, and had formed a splinter group based on the Beastlands. More recently, it has become clear that this splinter group is very nearly in large in number as those who follow Karleona.   The sect is clearly split almost exactly in two; behind either Karleona or Aaronatok. Which one a Wylder follows depends upon their view on how to act against the Vile Hunt. Those who favour an open war with the Hunt support Karleona; those who believe that they must protect the Beastlands against the Hunt as a priority support Aaronatok. Neither leader is willing to speak to the other, and it appears that the chances of a reconciliation are fading, despite the efforts of both the Signers and the Sensates to foster just such an event.   As mentioned, Karleona is based in Faunel, at Home. Aaronatok dwells on the Beastlands, roaming the plane with those who follow him. They tend to travel to an area, set up a temporary encampment for a few days (at most a week), then move on again, occasionally travelling for more then a fortnight before next camping. This roaming army (for in practice that is what it is, waiting until the Vile Hunt appear so that it can go to war with them) is probably the closest thing that the Beastlands has ever seen to a permanent settlement, and has acquired the nickname Sanctuary.   Impartial observers believe that matters are rapidly coming to a head within the Verdant Guild. The deep split between the two leaders of the sect is widening, and many people have predicted that it is only a matter of time before the Guild, currently the largest and oldest sect, tears itself in two. The biggest crisis in the sect's history is almost upon them, and many believe that the sect cannot survive it, at least not in its present form. Already some refer to the Defenders of the Wild (Aaronatok's faction) and the Crusaders of Nature (Karleona's faction). Those that do so clearly believe that the Wylders will shortly fragment into two completely separate sects.

The Dark

Virtually all the stories circulating about the troubles within the Wylders are true (the only ones that contain no truth are the ones that state that followers of the two leaders are openly fighting; matters have not degenerated that far. Yet). There is little effort being made within the faction to keep it together, as most of those with influence in one or the other faction are unwilling to talk with their rivals. Both the Signers and the Sensates are desperately trying to persuade the two sides to meet and discuss their differences, and to find a mutually agreeable settlement. They are also sending messengers between the two sides, and hiring couriers to carry messages across the Beastlands.   Meanwhile, Karleona has been uncovering more and more of the Vile Hunt. Her actions have actually hurt the Hunt (which is a young sect, and fairly small in numbers) quite badly, and they have begun countermeasures. These come in three main types; promoting the split in the Wylders (which includes sabotaging the Signer / Sensate peace talks hiding its most powerful members where Karleona can't find them (many have relocated to the Lower Planes, or gate-towns to the Lower Planes, although Karleona has sent a few groups of mercenaries after Hunt members in these places) and putting spies into the Wylders. This last tactic is beginning to pay dividends. Sanctuary contains two Hunt spies, and they have recently managed to place a spy in Home. These agents not only can report back on the plans of the two Wylder groups, but can also encourage the disintegration of the sect.