Perrenland Religion

The Grove of the Old Kerk

The Grove represent nature. They tend to areas of untamed wilderness called Old Seed areas, ensuring that the natural order is not destroyed by over-use or over-settlement of the land. They are commonly druids and rangers.

As custodians of the land, the Grove are, in the traditional Flan world-view, by far the most important part of the Old Kerk. Though they are often overshadowed in the day-to-day life of worshippers by the temples and priests of the Shool, all well-informed people honour and respect the authority of the Grove. The leader of the Grove is called the Quaglands Hierophant, and some speculate that he or she may be a Quagaloogal known as "The Keiper".

Members of the Grove do not necessarily follow a specific deity of the Old Kerk (although many do), as they often see value in the balance demonstrated by worshipping them all. Their primary focus is the preservation of the earth that was gifted by Beory the Oerth Mother in the beginning of time. When defending what they consider sacred and protected they will consign any opponents back to "mother Oerth" quickly and with little remorse.

The Grove is very active throughout Perrenland, advising and assisting farmers and herders to work the land without ruining it for future generations. Communities that work with the Grove find their crops and animals protected, while communities who do not have little protection against pestilence and famine. Ultimately, all land in Perrenland is under the protection of the Grove, and the Grove has the power to declare any area - even a town or city - depleted and in need of rejuvenation, making it a "New Seed" area.

Sacred areas of the grove, the "Old Seed" areas, are locations that the Grove watches over and attempt to maintain as close as possible to wilderness. The Grove strongly discourages entry into these areas, and completely bans hunting and farming on these lands by anyone except the designated Grove custodians and those with traditional privileges (for example, Rosrijders have the ancient privilege to ride across any part of the Feronwold). Often there is a more accessible area on the edge of an Old Seed area that may be visited if one wishes to contact the custodians. These are generally marked with standing stones and other markers that are very easy to identify. The polite ritual to enter the grove is to approach the outer markers, plant a staff or standard, and wait for your request for entry to be answered by one of the Grove residents of the Old Seed area.

Perhaps the most famous Old Seed area is the Castle of Dian, in the Old City of Schwartzenbruin. The only time non-Grove members are invited to enter this structure is during the investment of a new Voormann, and even then there is a limited entourage.

For further information, review the information on membership of the Old Kerk as a metaorganisation.