Speak softly and carry a Big Stick, how the Stewards play politics.
Korus' primary followers are split between the Stewards of the Dominion who focus on Korus as the god of nature and the Stewards of the Gift who focus on Korus as a god of agriculture.
They disagree on a lot of things, but all Stewards are alike in that they advocate for the long term health of the land. That's the number one thing they want in politics, to make sure that peasants and princes alike respect the land and preserve it for future generations.
They want to make sure farmers don't plant things that deplete the soil beyond recovery. They want to make sure that lumberjacks don't fell too many trees, so that the forest cannot recover. They want to make sure that no one over hunts or over fishes or over harvests reagents.
In this way we ensure we reap Korus' blessing and not reap his anger. This is why I'm happy to throw a quarter into the Steward's collection cups from time to time."-Havro the peasant farmerby me with Midjourney"We farmers are not idiots. We are know there are limits to what the land can take, but we don't know EXACTLY what the limites are. Where is the line is between 'proper use' and 'sinful use of the land'? We COULD be extra cautious and use the land lighter than we guess the line would be but if we don't use the land enough, our families go hungry. We let the village elders tell us where, when, and what to plant. In my village cluster and many others, either the council of elders includes a Steward or the elders at least talk to a Steward.
History
Korus is a pretty friendly and mellow deity, and doesn't get angry often, but the few times he gets mad, he gets really mad.
This the unspoken threat that the Stewards use to persuade Scarterrans to listen to them. With both peasants and princes, the Stewards play Good Cop, Bad Cop. Korus is Bad Cop and the Stewards are Good Cop.
Korus has a bunch of horrifying monsters that he can unleash on mortalkind if he gets mad. Such as the dreaded Tarasconus. There are lots of legendary stories and historical accounts about Korus wreaking devastation on mortals who didn't respect him or the land. Most of them are very old stories, but the stories are never forgotten. The Stewards keep retelling them.
Even without monsters, Korus can influence whether farmers have a good year or a bad year for crops, and to the average peasant farmer, this is scarier than a monster because the threat of hunger is real and immediate for most Scarterrans.
Korus, named by Zeta Gardner
Components and tools
Korus' potential wrath is a large stick the Stewards dangle over ordinary Scarterrans, but the Stewards have a carrots too.
The Stewards of the Gift are experts in all things related to agriculture and horticulture. The Stewards of the Dominion are experts on all aspects of wilderness lore. Their knowledge of hunting, foraging, overland travel, and wilderness survival is unsurpassed. Both are happy to share their knowledge with those they deem respectful to Korus.
Most Scarterrans take on their parent's trade and most Scarterrans work in some kind of farming, so sharing knowledge has a limited shelf life since the Stewards' tips and tricks quickly become common knowledge among the locals, but nature is always changing, so the Stewards' lore will never stop being needed entirely. The Stewards' knowledge is especially highly sought after whenever new land is settled or a new crop is introduced.
Besides lore, the Stewards have many powerful theurgists in their ranks, and most Stewards would rather use their theurgy to help people who uphold Korus' values than to punish people who do not. While the Stewards are not limited to one sphere, they are more famous for their Plant theurgists. The Stewards control far more powerful Plant theurgist than the rest of Nonagon combined. This and the Stewards careful stewardship of the land means that they use their imagine to help store food longer and increase overall crop yields.
Participants
Most Stewards are moderate and peaceful...most.
As mentioned before, the Stewards like to play Good Cop, Bad Cop. Korus' himself can play both roles but usually lets the Stewards play Good Cop. But there is a middle level.
Every religious faction has some militant hardliners, and the Stewards are no exception. There are some Stewards who choose to play the role of Korus' bloody enforcers.
Even when the Stewards retaliate brutally against a despoiler of the land, they still often claim they are being merciful. Better to eliminant a few sinful individuals than wait for Korus to unleash devastation on the nation or tribe at large.
The Stewards have some very powerful holy warriors and theurgists under their banner. Stewards who take on the path of a holy warrior usually focus on stealth and guerilla warfare tactics. When you have a faction full of nature experts, they can brew a huge variety of deadly poisons.
When you throw in theurgy, they are even more terrifying. They can magically blight crops, summon swarms of vermin, transform into mighty beasts, and augment their strength and resilience.
by me with Midjourney
Mediation, the Stewards Secondary Political Endeavor
-Reverend Hahn, of the Fumayan Stewards "It is widely believed that Korus acts as a peacemaker helping smooth out the rough edges of the Nine's eternal rivalries quietly solving problems before they can become problems. Whether or not we deserve it, we among Korus' followers have a reputation for being wise, calm, and able to look at the big picture without bias. Much as Korus helps mediate many divine disputes, we often mediate on mortal disputes whether two farmers are disputing a fence line or two dukes are disputing a shared border. We Stewards view mediation as a worthy endeavor to endeavor to honor Korus' name, but we rarely actively insert themselves into the conflicts of others. We usually just wait for one or both disputing parties to knock on their temple doors and ask for help. I'm not one to brag, but when citizens of King's Lake need mediation, they often ask for me by name."by me with Midjourney
Primary Related Location
Related Organizations
Comments