The Treestriders

We are the caretakers and sworn protectors of the natural realm, the wilderness and its brethren. We are the healers of the world, the menders of reality. We are the keepers of a sacred balance, the meeting point between divine power and arcane magick. The blood of the goddess flows strong in her faith, and she entrusts us with her secrets. We are the weavers of the Aether, the menders of the Veil and the ones closest to natures very roots. We protect and nurture the roots, the basis, the foundations of the cycle, as is our sacred duty and trust.

From the annals of a holy text called Of Tree and Limb, Page 7, Paragraph 2, Oathsworn of the Leaves.

Structure

The faithful of Talia are broken up into many covenants, small select groups scattered about Valerick, their houses of worship oft out in very rural areas. They have an overarching structure in theory, but in practice there is a greater looseness to it all. Very broadly this faith does have two distinct arms, as any of the Ascended Faiths do. These two distinct arms, the two orders as it were, are;

The Wyldespeakers

The Wyldespeakers are oft seen as an odd bunch for Templar Orders, prefering quite often to handle the sort of business of a militant nature via more subtle and unseen means. They are far less militant than most Templar Orders in practice, seeming more a sort of civilian volunteer outfit when compared to some of the other Templar Orders amongst the various faiths of the Ascended. Regardless of that, they are in fact templars, even if they rarely look or behave the part. Rosalie Vanafel, a Koltani woman in her forties or so, sits as the head of the order, such as it is recognized in such a decentralized power structure.

The Leaf-Callers

The clergy and cloth of the faith, the Leaf-Callers are also well regarded by even the Magisterium, one of the only religious orders and instiutions that is. This is because of the close tie the two share, because of Talia's own story and history, having been what in the modern day would have been called a Magister. One of their saints, the figures venerated and seen as sort of one step below the god or goddess themselves, is in fact the founder of the Magisterium. The clergy of Talia are also well respected publically almost anywhere they are found and known. They are often herbalists, healers, medics, and very often work with the poor, destitute and less fortunate, seeking to help those they can. Within the clergy, there is a functioning hierarchy of sorts, and the individual sitting in authority currently is Oakenspeaker Fri'sillis An'morin, a Woad Elf priestess of some three and a half centuries in age.

Public Agenda

The followers of Talia are a charitable caretaking sort, whom see themselves as the nurtering and caretaking side of the natural order, seeking to maintain its stability and balance at its foundations. They greatly respect the followers of Boran the Bloodhound, given the religious connection between their faiths, the stories of the Ascended, regardless of which version of that myth, all note Boran and Talia became and stayed lovers and partners. They even remain so in divinity, so dictate the scriptures, claiming they share a balance, the divine realm of each of them intwined with the other. Whereas Boran, and by edict his followers, enforces the natural cycle at the top in the sphere and context of the predators and the cycle of life and death, followers of Talia work at the lower foundations of the cycle, protecting the cycle by caretaking it at the point of entry so to speak. Keeping a healthy, loving balance. This also ties into their connection to the arcane and those whom practice the Arts of Arcanis, for arcane magick, though dangerous, is key to maintaining the balance of the Material Realm, keeping the Aether in good health. As such the Treestriders, the followers of Talia, are the most friendly religious institution with the Magisterium

Assets

The Heartwoad, located in Kelethan, the capital of Depenwood, is the center of power of the this religious group. However they have many shrines and churches spread all about the lands of Valerick, especially through farming communities, frontier towns and villages, and other more rural settings where communities may rely more on natures harvest and bounty. It is also common for her faith and Boran's to have dual churches or temples, which ties into the mythos of their married natures, as one might expect.

Tenets of Faith

Those whom worship Talia all follow their own best practices, but also live by a core set of principles, tenets of faith that they simply call Entiras or 'The Balance'. Under the umbrella of these basic principles, naturally different circles or sects may have different secondary rules or methods of embracing these conceptually unique to them. By and large these five points make up the core of the faith, and are known and understood by all within the fold. The tenets of The Balance are as follows;

1. Protect and nurture the Aether



2. Respect and care for wilderness and wild lands



3. Take only what you need, harvest only what is needed to survive



4. Nature provides, so keep her well



5. Do not usurp the natural order

Healing and Growth, Blessed Gifts Both

Type

Religious, Organised Religion

Worship and Divinely Inspired Powers

Following the Balance is the most important part of worship. Like any religion there are other practices depending on location and circle/clergy, but by and large the most important is that core set of tenets, the Balance. Along with this comes the divine understanding of the importance of those whom can practice the Arts of Arcanis. Those of Talia's faith, above all others, understand a fundamental truth of the Aether, which is that it is actually maintained and strengthened by those that can wield the Arts of Arcanis. Without them, the Void would eventually rip it to pieces. Their very existence, and the arts themselves, are required to allow the Aether, the buffer between the Material Realm and the Void, to exist and to even remotely do its job.

Magicks of Faith

The prayers and scriptures that grant her most faithful their divine powers do not get the name that they have for naught. The similarities can sometimes be quite striking.