Selesnya Conclave
White Green
At the heart of the Selesnya faith and philosophy is the Worldsoul, called Mat'Selesnya, which its devotees believe to be a manifestation of nature itself. At the signing of the original Guildpact, Mat'Selesnya was embodied in an elemental form and acted as the guild's first guildmaster. The current guildmaster, Trostani—three dryads fused together with Mat'Selesnya into a single being—is said to embody the will of the Worldsoul in a similar way. The original mission of the conclave involved conservation and charity, but its focus has long been on expanding its community, in which all members are cared for and nature is preserved in harmony with civilization.
Selesnya Characters
Alignment: Usually good, often neutral
Suggested Races: Human, centaur, elf (wood), half-elf, loxodon
Suggested Classes: Bard, cleric, druid, fighter, monk, paladin, ranger, warlock
You might enjoy playing a Selesnya Conclave character if one or more of the following statements are true:
- You like the idea of being part of a huge, peaceful community.
- You like playing druids, rangers, or spiritual monks.
- You believe in victory through respectful teamwork, overwhelming numbers, or both.
- You want a spiritual connection to something bigger than just your character.
Structure
A voda is accessible to all the guild members in her care. You have regular contact with your voda, who knows your name and has a good idea of your interests, goals, and strengths. And since your voda is mystically linked to the guildmaster, Trostani, through communion with the Worldsoul, it's safe to assume that Trostani knows who you are as well.
In addition to the voda, military and religious leaders in each vernadi regularly communicate with its members. Ordinary members of the conclave spend a few hours every day training with a military instructor and studying with a religious teacher.
Public Agenda
The conclave clings to the ideal of a peaceful collective in which individual desires are subordinate to the good of the whole group. The guild wants to see this beloved community grow, flourish, and thrive in peace. But as much as it values peace within the community, it displays incredible ferocity when that harmony is threatened.
Selesnya's vision is centered on the idea of harmony between civilization and nature. To advance the cause of civilized society, the conclave believes in the need for an ordered structure that orients the group toward the pursuit of the common good. At the same time, the guild's connection with the natural world gives the conclave a fervent appreciation for the interconnectedness of all things. Selesnya doesn't tolerate selfishness or ambition, instead urging its members to put the needs of others ahead of their own desires and to use the power of nature—including nature's wrath—to drive away those whose selfishness threatens the coherence of the group.
The greatest danger that Selesnya faces lies in the ambitions of other guilds, which are flourishing in the absence of the Guildpact. Selesnya's way of curbing this grasping selfishness has always been to outnumber the other guilds. Its members aren't naive; they fully realize that the ambitions of other guilds will lead to violence. And they aim to be prepared for that violence when it erupts.
"For my seedlings to survive," Mat'Selesnya says, "we must grow an army capable of overwhelming such ambitions." Some of that army is literally grown, in the case of plant creatures and elementals. A great many members grow up in the guild from childhood and learn their martial skills at the guild's training grounds. And still more join the guild through recruitment—especially in these troubling times, when rumors of war and a sense of imminent doom make Selesnya's message of harmonious community sound ever more appealing.
Assets
In your search for communion with the Worldsoul, you are part of a worldwide community, but you are also part of a smaller local community—an enclave called a vernadi, which is led by a dryad called a voda. Your role in the conclave is specifically oriented toward your vernadi, at least at the start of your career. Your voda helps you in your process of discerning the will of Mat'Selesnya and your place in relation to it.
The Selesnya Conclave is both a community of worshipers and a militia, and thus its leadership includes both military and religious figures.
Military Roles
Selesnya looks from the outside like a peaceful community, but it is also an army. If you are a fighter, a ranger, or a paladin (usually having sworn the Oath of the Ancients), your place in the guild is a military one. Unlike in the Boros Legion, though, the conclave's military ranks aren't highly structured; each enclave has its own forces, with a single commander and one other layer of command (at most) above the troops. A variety of special military roles become available to you as you prove yourself useful to your vernadi and the conclave. You might aspire to be a votary standing watch over the temple gardens, a sagittar archer, a pegasus-riding equenaut, or a wolf-riding Ledev guardian.Religious Roles
If you are a druid (perhaps of the Circle of the Land), a cleric (of the Life or the Nature Domain), a warlock with the Archfey (Mat'Selesnya) as a patron, or a devout monk (who might follow the Way of the Open Hand), you might be drawn to a role of religious leadership. These leaders mediate the relationship between the members of the conclave and the voice of Mat'Selesnya. A number of special roles will be available to you as you establish your place. You might hope to carry the message of the conclave out into the world as an evangel, and great religious leaders are honored with the title of hierarch.History
Guild Background
Selesnya Initiate
You are a member of a blessed community, built on the ideals of harmony. Here, nature and civilization coexist peacefully, living and growing in accordance with the will of the Worldsoul, Mat'Selesnya. As a member of the Selesnya Conclave, you are surrounded by people and other creatures who share your worldview and your longing for deeper spiritual communion with the world, and you have a fervent desire to share the joy you have experienced with Ravnica. Along with the rest of the conclave, you are committed to resisting the ambitions of the other guilds-with military force if necessary.
Features
Conclave's Shelter
You are a member of the Selesnya Conclave, you can count on your guild mates to provide shelter and aid. You and your companions can find a place to hide or rest in any Selesnya enclave in the city, unless you have proven to be a danger to them. The members of the enclave will shield you from the law or anyone else searching for you, though they will not risk their lives in this effort. In addition, as a guild member you can receive free healing and care as a Selesnya enclave, though you must provide any material components needed for spells.Guild Spells
Prerequisite: Spellcasting or Pact Magic class feature
For you, the spells on the Selesnya Guild Spells table are added to the spell list of your spellcasting class (If you are a multiclass character with multiple spell lists, these spells are added to all of them.) You can view these spells in Spells by Guild Tables.Members of the Selesnya Conclave refer to their magic as "doruvati", a Sylvan word meaning "gift". When you use these gifts of Mat'Selesnya, graceful swirls of green and silver light dance in the air around you, and phantasmal green leaves might waft through the air. A sensation of gentle warmth and the smell of spring flowers or autumn leaves might accompany your spells.
Suggested Characteristics
Most members of the Selesnya Conclave are true believers-the tight-knit community allows little room for the cynical or disillusioned. They are spiritual, empathetic, and generally peaceful-unless roused to action. Their flaws and bonds alike grow naturally from their close ties to the community.
Traits
1d8 | Personality Trait |
---|---|
1 | I never raise my voice or lose my temper. |
2 | I feel the pains and joys of everyone around me, friend or foe. |
3 | I would rather make a friend than thwart an enemy. |
4 | I'm always straining to peer into another reality that seems to be just beyond my senses. |
5 | I'm uneasy if I can't see plants growing or feel soil beneath my feet. |
6 | Seeing illness or injury in any creature saddens me. |
7 | I have much to be proud of, but I am still just one strand in the grand, interwoven tapestry of life. |
8 | Nature offers rich and abundant metaphors for understanding the complexities of life. |
Ideal
1d6 | Ideal |
---|---|
1 | Guild. My guild is all that really matters. (Any) |
2 | Harmony. Nothing is more beautiful than voices and actions aligned in common purpose. (Good) |
3 | Order. Like a well-pruned tree, society thrives when everything is kept in good order. (Lawful) |
4 | Life. Preserving life and nature is always a worthwhile endeavor. (Good) |
5 | Humility. Ambition and pride are the roots of strife. (Good) |
6 | Evangelism. When all have joined the Selesnya Conclave, Ravnica will finally know peace. (Any) |
Bond
1d6 | Bond |
---|---|
1 | I would give my life in the defense of the small enclave where I first encountered Mat'Selesnya. |
2 | I love beasts and plants of all kinds, and am loath to harm them. |
3 | A healer nursed me to recovery from a mortal illness. |
4 | I'll sing the invitation of Mat'Selesnya with my dying breath. |
5 | I cherish a leaf from Vitu-Ghazi that changes color with the seasons, even though it is no longer attached to the tree. |
6 | Every member of the conclave is my kin, and I would fight for any one of them. |
Flaw
1d6 | Flaw |
---|---|
1 | I'm terrified of getting into a fight where my side is outnumbered. |
2 | I assume that people mean well until they prove otherwise. |
3 | I enjoy comfort and quiet, and prefer to avoid extra effort. |
4 | I have a fierce temper that doesn't reflect the inner calm I seek. |
5 | I'm convinced that everyone else in the conclave has a deeper connection to the Worldsoul than I do. |
6 | I'm trying to atone for the life of crime I led before I joined the Selesnya, but I find it hard to give up my bad habits. |
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