The Friars of the Flora

The inhabitants of the nation known as Oot live in balance with the natural world around them. Their buildings have no windows, so they can hear, feel and experience the plants, the animals, and the wind all around them. They respect plants and animals, so they don't keep pets, they don't have zoos, and they don't build gardens or greenhouses. They leave Nature alone, wild, unpolluted, and unspoiled.
However, the nation's religious caste, the Friars of the Flora, have taken the concept of living in harmony with Nature to an extreme degree. They built a massive temple in the deepest, darkest jungle, isolated from the rest of society. It is called "The Hallowed Temple of Oot." The friars regard plants as an extension of their nature god and goddess. They sacrifice their enemies to giant pitcher plants and Venus flytraps. They research ways to enhance plants, to make them bigger, stronger, and more vigorous than they already are, and possibly to awaken them and make them sentient.
The friars may have succeeded in their efforts to enhance the plants around them. At some point in the very recent past, the temple emptied, very quickly. There are no signs of humanoid life, nor any signs of a struggle. What may not be apparent to the casual observer is that, all of a sudden, the plants and vines surrounding the temple reached out, grabbed all humanoid life forms, killed them, and hid their bodies. The plants then receded back into the jungle, as quickly as they attacked. This left the temple empty like a Roanoke-style ghost town. No one knows what happened. Many people doen't even know that the priests are gone yet; it may take a while for word to get around.
The Friars of the Flora literally became one with nature; it just didn't happen in the manner in which they hoped.

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