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This came to me late one night, and I hope you all enjoy.
EDIT: I've decided that this will be a collection of works similar to that below.
Mainly, so as to reduce my works flooding General Creativity, and to give this thread more purpose.
This is the Cause of the Harvest Cleric:
~ ~ ~
To be a Harvest Cleric means more than to be a healer. We are not white mages - we do not work alone when we heal the wounded and the ill. No, we are allowed the powers of the nature spirits, allowed access to the Greater Source of mana, allowed all of this by the endless kindess of Nheird, the Goddess of Medicine. In becoming a Harvest Cleric, we forsake daggers and clubs and swords and hammers, and all wands and all spellbooks, for the symbol of Nheird: the staff.
All of our magic is derived from what Nheird permits us, and for our loyal adherence to her laws. Should we stray from the code which she imposed upon us, our magic rapidly loses all effect. Nheird is also the Goddess of Art, Literature, and importantly to us, Communication. She allows races which have never tread the same planet to reach common ground, and allows the war-weary innocents trapped between warring rulers to peacefully talk out their disagreements. By her power, we are able to communicate with the unknowable, ancient spirits of nature, those spirits which inhabit fields of flowers, and untainted streams, and trees which have stood longer than animal empires. We ply the nature spirits for their blessings of vitality and rejuvenation, and in their benevolence, they permit us a fragment of their energies for the task of healing.
Beyond the staff we are bound to, and beyond our obligation to protect nature for the sakes of the spirits who have been generous in our history, we must fulfill more roles than healers in our communities. We preserve the history, culture, and native tongues of our peoples, and teach them to others for their benefit. We may not use spellbooks, but we are allowed to make ink on paper records of those things which can only be passed on in pictures and writing. Beyond that, all of that which we know is passed down orally. We keep the laws of our worlds, and while we are not the ones who make them, we are the ones who see to it that they are followed dutifully in both letter and spirit. We supervise charity, kitchens, and crops; in the latter case, conversing with nature spirits to beseech them for assistance in growing a plentiful bounty.
It is also the duty of the Harvest Cleric to prevent injury and illness in the first place. We cast potent healing spells, but we also can enhance the abilities of our allies; to protect them, and to give them a better capacity to protect themselves. We are also gifted with a select few combat spells, but Nheird has limited them to only those which cannot taint us. A Harvest Cleric must not forget his or her duties to heal the injured, to teach the ignorant, to protect the bodies and histories of all peoples, and to uphold the law; should they be given access to the more violent magics, they will forget their calling, and neglect their true duties. Thus, while we are able to use the elements of Water, Air, Wood, and Light, we cannot use the elements of Fire, Earth, Lightning, and Darkness. The number of Harvest Clerics whose own sheer potency gives them lone combat ability can be counted on one hand, and none of them take the role of a combatant.
Among the most vital tools of a Harvest Cleric is their familiar. A number of butterflies, a large beast, or even a small, meek creature, each one is able to provide extra reserves of od for their master to access, and can cast healing spells of their own. They are the Harvest Cleric's closest confidant: dissuading them from giving up when their responsibilities tax them, urging them to rest when their overzealous working endangers their own health, and talking to them about every single thing that they cannot burden others with. It is also well-known that many familiars are keenly adept at comforting the wounded and sick.
In short, while some have called us the pillar of a community and of any group, a Harvest Cleric is not quite such a lofty thing. We Harvest Clerics support everyone around us, yet we also depend on those we heal and nurture. It is the job of a Harvest Cleric to bring out the full potential of anyone around us, whether that is as a carpenter, a baker, a knight, or an assassin. No Harvest Cleric worth their salt is so presumptuous as to shun those who must take up the bloody tasks:
There is always a place for those who must take lives, just as there is a place for those who choose to save lives.
EDIT: I've decided that this will be a collection of works similar to that below.
Mainly, so as to reduce my works flooding General Creativity, and to give this thread more purpose.
This is the Cause of the Harvest Cleric:
~ ~ ~
To be a Harvest Cleric means more than to be a healer. We are not white mages - we do not work alone when we heal the wounded and the ill. No, we are allowed the powers of the nature spirits, allowed access to the Greater Source of mana, allowed all of this by the endless kindess of Nheird, the Goddess of Medicine. In becoming a Harvest Cleric, we forsake daggers and clubs and swords and hammers, and all wands and all spellbooks, for the symbol of Nheird: the staff.
All of our magic is derived from what Nheird permits us, and for our loyal adherence to her laws. Should we stray from the code which she imposed upon us, our magic rapidly loses all effect. Nheird is also the Goddess of Art, Literature, and importantly to us, Communication. She allows races which have never tread the same planet to reach common ground, and allows the war-weary innocents trapped between warring rulers to peacefully talk out their disagreements. By her power, we are able to communicate with the unknowable, ancient spirits of nature, those spirits which inhabit fields of flowers, and untainted streams, and trees which have stood longer than animal empires. We ply the nature spirits for their blessings of vitality and rejuvenation, and in their benevolence, they permit us a fragment of their energies for the task of healing.
Beyond the staff we are bound to, and beyond our obligation to protect nature for the sakes of the spirits who have been generous in our history, we must fulfill more roles than healers in our communities. We preserve the history, culture, and native tongues of our peoples, and teach them to others for their benefit. We may not use spellbooks, but we are allowed to make ink on paper records of those things which can only be passed on in pictures and writing. Beyond that, all of that which we know is passed down orally. We keep the laws of our worlds, and while we are not the ones who make them, we are the ones who see to it that they are followed dutifully in both letter and spirit. We supervise charity, kitchens, and crops; in the latter case, conversing with nature spirits to beseech them for assistance in growing a plentiful bounty.
It is also the duty of the Harvest Cleric to prevent injury and illness in the first place. We cast potent healing spells, but we also can enhance the abilities of our allies; to protect them, and to give them a better capacity to protect themselves. We are also gifted with a select few combat spells, but Nheird has limited them to only those which cannot taint us. A Harvest Cleric must not forget his or her duties to heal the injured, to teach the ignorant, to protect the bodies and histories of all peoples, and to uphold the law; should they be given access to the more violent magics, they will forget their calling, and neglect their true duties. Thus, while we are able to use the elements of Water, Air, Wood, and Light, we cannot use the elements of Fire, Earth, Lightning, and Darkness. The number of Harvest Clerics whose own sheer potency gives them lone combat ability can be counted on one hand, and none of them take the role of a combatant.
Among the most vital tools of a Harvest Cleric is their familiar. A number of butterflies, a large beast, or even a small, meek creature, each one is able to provide extra reserves of od for their master to access, and can cast healing spells of their own. They are the Harvest Cleric's closest confidant: dissuading them from giving up when their responsibilities tax them, urging them to rest when their overzealous working endangers their own health, and talking to them about every single thing that they cannot burden others with. It is also well-known that many familiars are keenly adept at comforting the wounded and sick.
In short, while some have called us the pillar of a community and of any group, a Harvest Cleric is not quite such a lofty thing. We Harvest Clerics support everyone around us, yet we also depend on those we heal and nurture. It is the job of a Harvest Cleric to bring out the full potential of anyone around us, whether that is as a carpenter, a baker, a knight, or an assassin. No Harvest Cleric worth their salt is so presumptuous as to shun those who must take up the bloody tasks:
There is always a place for those who must take lives, just as there is a place for those who choose to save lives.
