![]() ![]() Needles These were the rangers of the church. It was open to all humans, demihumans, and woodland beings of good and neutral character, but the majority were human and half-elf women who displayed a passion for their work, combat prowess, and adventuring habits. They were dedicated to protecting the forests. Arms of the Forest Also called the Forestarms, or simply Arms, and made up of the clerics and druids, this was the main body of the priesthood and its spiritual center. Heartwoods Comprising dryads, hamadryads, and treants, these beings served as the voices of the spirits of the very trees and were considered the heart of the church. In the new church, there were three great branches: the Heartwoods, the Arms of the Forest, and the Needles. Druids were reintroduced and either joined the clerics as part of the new hierarchy (though they were still few in number in the years immediately after) or else established druid circles of their own dedicated to Mielikki in the North. Then, in 1369 DR, to halt the decline of her faith, Mielikki herself called for the church to be restructured. Perhaps surprisingly, there were no druids at all by 1358 DR, but the church was on good terms with them. Rangers who were members of the church or who were in direct service to it were a laity treated as an auxiliary force or adventuring division that could be set against enemies of the faith. They had little-to-no formal hierarchy, with senior clergy simply assembling networks of allies who could gather and disseminate information and would work together to realize the church's goals. Initially, the Walkers of the Forest Way were composed almost entirely of clerics. They were serene in their understanding of the natural balance. Both Needles and Forestarms alike were apt to be the most adventurous of those who lived in the wilds, and tended to be easygoing by nature. Attitudes īy and large, Forestarms were practical folk who were disinterested in fuss and had little time for overmuch ceremony, yet they were reverent in their prayers by the campfire. ![]() However, they were not to push their ways on others, but to help and lead by example. But Mielikkians must also encourage others to respect and love forest life rather than fear it and teach them the ways of the forest and how to live in harmony with it too. Moreover, they should disrupt and even punish people who hunted only for sport and were cruel to wild animals. They should not let trees be cut down without purpose or let fires spread, and when a tree was felled by disease, logging, or fire, they should plant another to maintain their numbers and the balance. They were invited to dwell within the forest and be a part of it and be at peace with it, rather than exist in lasting conflict with it. ![]() In particular, Mielikkians were asked to protect the life of the forest and defend every tree. They also saw complete freedom as the natural state, reasoning that as animals would go where they willed, then so should people. They were to learn the hidden ways of all life maintain the balance of natural cycles and of wilderness and civilization, and protect forests and nature in general against the forces of ignorance and evil, of which ignorance was the more damaging, and act not just for the good of the natural world, but the world as a whole. Hence, the Walkers of the Forest Way were taught that the ways of the wild were the ways of good, and they should not fear the wild but rather welcome and embrace it. Moreover, they desired to live in full harmony with nature, and not by becoming beasts themselves but by being conscientious stewards of the wilderness and friends to all beasts. It upheld the idea of harmony between nature and civilization, believing that intelligent beings could indeed live in peace with the wilderness, without one needing to destroy the other to survive, and that people could enjoy the fruits of nature without excesses or exploitation. Although it had a similar ethos to the church of Silvanus, whom the Forest Queen served, the church of Mielikki emphasized the positive and beneficial aspects of the wilderness. ![]()
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