The Tradition of Ash

The Tradition of Ash

The Tradition of Ash is a Pagan religious order that worships the spiritual growths on the soul caused by the seeds of Ash Trees. They believe that the trees that sprout not on the physical plane, but on the astral plane are our final destinations. The things that make these spirit trees grow are considered holy, the things that stifle it, blasphemy.

Ash Groves

Ash Groves are some of the rarest occurring trees in the Green Sea. They grow into tightly connected groups, with roots completely below the ground. The branches of an Ash tree, when they encounter another nearby ash tree, instead of growing around or halting, the branches grow into the bark of the ash tree- merging with it on a cellular level. This creates a cathedral like space, with naturally forming flying buttresses and large arches that all lead up to domed point. That gives way to a grey canopy of leaves, that seems to sprout from a singular tree. This has led many to argue whether the many trees that pierce the ground are actually the branches of an enormous subterranean growth, or the result of a interesting twist of nature.
The most interesting part about them however is their reproductive cycle. During The Fog, when all plants are budding, blooming and reproducing, the bark from the Ash Groves will peel off like thin pieces of ash and float away, using their light weight to soar above canopy and treetops. When they touch a non-living surface or other plant life, true to their appearance they burn to nothing. However, when they make contact with a living creature or a mortal, these flakes of Ash Bark will instantly adhere to the creature and dissolve down to a small grey spot. No tree will grow from the person that is visible, nor does the spot seem to have any adverse effects. That spot will remain with that creature for the rest of their life, only disappearing at the moment of the Creatures death.

A Birth of Faith

Fetvihn, The First Prophet of Ash and Future Speaker of Paper was the first to see it. Some say that when walking through an ash cloud, their eyes were clouded with Ash seeds, so that they could view past the obstructions of the Mortal world. From those touched by the Ash Seeds were trees-spectral trees growing straight from the bodies of people. No one else could see the roots that entangled, grew in and out of their forms. Some were saplings, some were large ancient boughs that extended weightless above their physical forms, and they were constantly growing. When people lived, truly experienced emotions, loved hard, were joyous, cried at the pit of despair- the tree grew. When someone made a larger name for themselves, did great deeds, or added many small deeds together, the tree grew. Fetvihn thought they were going crazy, until the witnessed the death of their father.
As Fetvihn watched their father take a shaky last breath, the ghostly pine sprouting from their chest grew faint. As the light left their eyes, the world seemed to change completely around Fetvihn, as if a portal had opened in their room. All around them was a misty spectral forest, with trees stretching far far into the distance. Groves of ancient souls were housed in trees of vrying size and species, huddled next to one another in peace. As Fetvihn looked up to the top of this spectral plane of wood, they saw absolutely massive trees- the tops of which pierced back into a realm of color and living light- As if their soul had grown so great that they pierced the mortal plane as their spirit tree once more.
Then, it was over. Fetvihn's father lay still, and the world was back to normal- save for the now missing spectral tree that had sprouted from their fathers chest.

Traditions and Customs

Those of the Tradition of Ash follow the teachings of Growth. If you live your life fully and wholly, you follow the path. Repress or reject your natural emotions, and you stifle The Growth. Alternatively, it is still anathema to become rooted in any one emotional state for too long. Too become rooted in despair is good for the short term, but to allow it to deepen and never work through it is Stagnation. Thus, the Tradition of Ash teaches a custom of emotional understanding, and offers guidance to those that do not know their lives true path or are rooted so deep in a emotion. All twists and turns of a life's course are seen as weather and obstacles that your tree must grow around, it is how you deal with these obstacles that makes your trunk strong and full of vitality.
Clerics of ash will often get tattoos of roots all across their bodies made from a mixture of burnt wood, water, clay and the some mixed in ash from the cremated remains of their ancestors. Many in the Tradition of Ash believe that if you allow your trees roots to mingle with the Ash of your family, you will grow into their grove when you die-joining them in peace.
Whenever a Ash Grove appears in the Sea of Roots, it is Custom for high ranking Clerics of Ash to make a pilgrimage to commune with the Ash Grove. This is often a disastrous ordeal as they will depart with or without protection from Rangers thanks to their devotion to the faith- so the city has taken up guiding them their as safely as possible in exchange for a portion of the tithe they reap for therapeutic services and philanthropic endeavors.

Type

Religious, Organised Religion