Florism

Florism, an ancient faith dating back to the pre-Celtic council days. Recovered barunic texts explain that the trees gave the early clans the ability to speak via the use of making runes out of sticks across the ground. This evolved into a love for the trees and nature as a whole.

' And the trees bent over and shook violently, dropping piles of sticks onto the floor. "Go tell the others of my gift to you, the stick runes shall speak for you..."'

The text goes on to refer to the tree as "Speaker of the Oakengrove" or simply, "Oakengrove". Oakengrove made a deal with the early Basars that, in return for receiving the ability to talk to others, they'll honor the forest by protecting it and paying homage. Later down the line, a moral compass was introduced which provided the foundation for modern laws. Additionally the texts offer up a larger pantheon at work citing that the gift of fire was handed from Klarion, the Lamia god of destruction for whom the desert region is named after. There are several other lesser known deities within Florism

Lesser Deities:
Klarion: Serpentine Sand God of Destruction
Saea: The Slime Goddess of Energy, magic and luck
Enderia: The Goddess of night, fear and beauty

The guiding rules of Florism are simple
1) Honor the Trees: This rule has 2 main interpretations, one being that no tree shall die under Basar care, the other being that any damage must be undone, the latter being the more accepted option

2) Honor the Season: This rule set the basics for the agricultural calendar informing the early Basars of when to plant what for the farms, as well as creating a timeline of what holidays came when

3) Honor Life: Controversial as of the latest era, it was largely believed to have been to deter early Basars from driving themselves extinct with needless infighting but as millennia passed and war became commonplace, the meaning adapted to instead refer to childbirth and cruel punishments

4) Honor the Grove: This rule set the style of worship and where to worship. Early Basars created grove circles within clusters of oak trees in which a large stone was then carved with the runes that spelled "Oakengrove" in Barunic as the original tree was believed to have been burned to death a millenia ago which caused the removal of the "Revitalization Festival" as it was a time where early Basars played with fire, often recklessly. Annual ceremonies dictate that ritualistic dancing and the use of incense and candles to re-bless the shrine in Oakengrove's name. The dancing would be performed by Nymphs, women with a lot of natural beauty and in good health, often handpicked by the Druid.

Druid- A person who represents the will of the Grove, is often picked during the ritual of the Wisp

Ritual of the Wisp- A ceremony in which the Nymphs perform a dance and communicate with Oakengrove and then collectively decide on the next Druid

Life After Death- Those who died are buried with a oak sapling implanted in their chest cavity. This is due to the belief that the person’s soul will be transferred to the tree where they may live a second life, a blissful life. An alternative school of thought believe that those who honored all 4 of the dictations aforementioned would become a plant in the garden of the now spiritual entity of Oakengrove. The tree in their burial would act as a bridge between this life and the next as the soul would be purified through the tree and breathed out of the leaves. This metaphysical garden is presumed to be a heaven of sorts with a caretaker "tree of life" concept on the spiritual level in which plants are often removed and added every time someone died and someone else was born. Life as a "plant" on Oakengrove's garden is a life free of any physical need or want, a life of blissful mindlessness, similar to the first school of thought.

Faules Tal (ᚠᚨᛚᛖᛊ ᛏᚨᛚ)(Rotten Vale): People condemned to death for breaking religious or government laws were buried not with a tree, but rather with ivy. This was done as a punishment to their soul in which they were forced to leech off of other creatures and plants, when unable to find a good spot to grow, the vines would wither and die, destroying the soul with it. It shared similarities to the spiritual thought process. Those who don't follow the ways of the grove are often believed to be reincarnated as the lowliest insects and parasites. Life in this "Rotten Vale" is considered to be one of agonizing starvation, destitution, and rejection. Creatures of this realm are subjected to constant insatiable hunger. They're forced to devour dirt, rock, and feces as if it was a freshly fallen leaf. It is unknown if any can be redeemed from the realm, but legends of old have told stories of some escaping back into the real world in the form of plagues.

Florist Mythos has several claims to big diseases that harmed early Basars, that the high volume of grime accumulated by their society’s flaws

There is believed to be no god of death but rather a gate-keeper for the damned who often gets mistaken as a god of the dead. This entity is known as Nildir and often comes in the appearance of starved and gaunt whaler, holding a harpoon launcher with a retracting mechanism.

Marriage- Considered most sacred, marriage is an indissolvable union between a man and a woman. A marriage ceremony involves wrapping the interlinked hands with ivy (non-rash inducing) and ashes smeared on their foreheads. It is common for the marriage to be consummated the very same night. It is a rare occurrence for gay and lesbian couples to be mated in the grove.

Weekly Cermonies- Similar to other religions globally, weekly ceremonies are done to keep the presence of the faith in the mind of the people. These ceremonies often involved the ingestion of flat greens, otherwise known as spinach or lettuce. It is believed that by eating the leaves of plants, that one revitalizes their spiritual essence and reconnects them to Oakengrove. It is believed that in the early days of the faith, hallucinogenics were taken instead such as hemp or shrooms.

Burials, Funerals and Last Rites- Unlike many other faiths, Florism focused on the return to nature instead of an ascension into a metaphysical heaven. While there is a widespread belief of a metaphysical garden that all the dead are kept in, there’s a second string to this thought in which it is more physical than spiritual. Since the early days of the faith, all who die are buried in the ground roughly one or two feet deep with a single oak seed planted in the chest cavity where it’ll take root around the heart and absorb the soul. Many groves where worship is done are actually former burial grounds.

Followers of Florism are known as Florists