GLRP E&H Plentyn O' Coeden: Misguided Roses: An Anthology
Title: An Anthology
Author: Bainlyn the Sage
Volume Sixteen:
The Plentyn o' Coeden
"Mother's Little Helpers"
Plentyn o' Coeden
began as a branch of a
drudic cult which was
centered around
Avatar Island. When
power struggles arose
in the group, a portion
of the brethren split
apart and took hold in
the islands to the
west.
Though Avatar Island was not exactly civilized, it did enjoy the benefits of some semlance of villages and organized society here and there. In their new home, the men were unprepared for the harshness of jungle life. Many died of exposure, starvation or were consumed by the wildlife.
Those of cunning and strength who survived learned to blend in and adapt to their surroundings. They built their hut-like shelters in the treetops and swung from vines as a quick and favorite means of travel. Thus, the term "monkey men" was often used as term of reference in early texts which mention them.
As years passed and the group withdrew from society's mainstream, they began to develop an overzealous care of the island, killing anyone they found adventuring there, calling them "outlanders" and "infidels".
Occasionally, they would permit a trespasser to stay, provided he could prove his worth to them and embraced their beliefs.
They built a temple and began their bizarre worship practices which are rumored to have included human sacrifice and serpent kissing.
Though unconfirmed, it has been said that some ages after the construction of the temple that a portal was opened which provided passage into lands beneath the lands, long forgotten. As a group of scouts explored this new territory, rejoicing at the unspoiled beauty surrounding them, they discovered an ancient tree.
One among them claimed to have heard the tree speak to him. Thus were borne the cult's new philosophies and their devotion to what they named "The Mother".
Judging by the scant literature available and studies conducted by horticulturalists and botonists over the ages, the cult's claim that the tree is the "first and oldest tree in the lands" has been repeatedly refuted. However, the group has become so alienated from society and its truths that they withdrew even further into themselves, calling the research falsefied and the scientists "outright purveyors with venomous intent."
Over time, the group gained popularity with others of their ilk. The cult grew under its new name "Plentyn o' Coeden," a phrase loosely based on an ancient language they had adopted and adapted from their former druidic period. The term means "Children of Mother."
The Plentyn of today continue to live as their predecessors, the "monkey men," swinging from vines and running naked in their tree-top villages.
Their hierarchy is simple. Priests, the lowest rank in the cult, are the messengers, workers and warriors of the group. Bards are the historians and shaman. Vates, the Plentyn prophets, are the only members of the cult who are allowed to be in the presence of The Mother or even have knowledge of the tree's whereabouts.
The inspiration to rise up in the ranks from priest to vate is the belief that they can become one with The Mother upon their deaths.
According to Plentyn burial rites, when a Plentyn vate passes away, his remains are put upon a pyre, with the brain and heart reserved. The corpse is burned to ash. These ashes are spread around The Mother's root base, then the heart and brain are buried there. The Plentyn believe that as the root system of the tree absorbs the decaying matter, the deceased is drawn up into the tree. How high up he rises is dependent upon his devotion to The Mother and her "children" during his lifetime.
The Plentyn will sometimes still employ the ritualistic killing of their enemies or even members of their own ranks. Being killed as a "Gwaedu Cyfarws," or "blood gift" is a way of atonement, the ultimate apology for having offended their diety or cult. The ashes are not spread around the tree as are those of the vates are, but rather the blood is drained from the vivisected victim and used to "water" the ancient tree. It is believed that through this, they will please The Mother and nourish her.
With the rise of Minax, the Plentyn fled to the new lands of Trammel, disgusted with her effects on the lands they treasure though unable to thwart her themselves. They still have holdings in Felucca, however, at their original temple (rebuilt in the same Trammel location) and in the Hidden Valley west of Trinsic. It is believed that the Hidden Valley is used as a sort of supply station. The Plentyn, though largely self sufficient, have never achieved complete independence from resources available to them only on the mainland or from industrialized regions. It is theorized that this is because not all of the necessary reagents needed for their magic practices are available on the island.
For the most part, the Plentyn are not considered an evil group, despite their bizarre practices and rather unorthodox convictions. When they feel that they have been wronged, that The Mother is threatened or that the natural world is being tampered with, there is no limit to the lengths to which they will go to stop those responsible.
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