Adapted From Its Not Easy Being Green and The Philosophy of Green
"Tradition is not the worship of ashes but the preservation of fire."
Listen to the rustle of the leaves in a Mana-rich bio-dome, the whisper of the winds on a nascent terraformed world, and you will hear the words of Green. This is a devotion that looks to nature for guidance, as it holds all the answers. There's no need to complicate things; we are products of the cosmos, and because of that, it is within each one of us. Even in our modern age, a time where we move further and further away from her, the cosmos still calls to us and impacts our very existence.
Green Devotion
Embraces nature, cycles, and the natural order. Can lead to deep wisdom and harmonious coexistence, or to a brutal Darwinism that sees only the strong surviving and the weak being culled.
Allied Devotions White and Red
Rival Devotions Blue and Black
Mana Current: Nature, cycles, harmony with brutal truths
Virtues: Wisdom, coexistence, sustainable growth, adaptation
Vices: Brutal Darwinism, "might makes right," callousness
Affinity: White (shared community focus), Red (shared authenticity)
Rivalry: Blue (natural vs. artificial), Black (ecosystem vs. exploitation)
Narrative Role: Green accepts that life includes death, struggle, and natural selection. In Starfall, Green appears in the Viridian Ascent's bio-engineering, druidic circles maintaining Rift-corrupted ecosystems, and traditional societies.
Character Examples:
Viridian Ascent cultivating living starships
Druids balancing Rift-tainted biomes
Hunters understanding predator-prey dynamics
Shamans channeling primal Mana
Mechanical Application: Circumstance bonus with nature-focused groups, traditional societies, bio-tech organizations, and ecological preservationists. Bonus against synthetic beings and "unnatural" entities.
Green Magic When spellcasters manifest Green aligned spells, they may feel a sense of longing for belonging and camaraderie. Sometimes they feel a deep sense of harmony with the world around them.
Green Devotion: The Cosmic Garden
Green understands this and instead of pursuing a purpose that is fabricated, it instead looks within and to the examples laid before us by nature. We were not meant to be surrounded by alloyed structures and temporal data-logs, as this life erodes the purity of our soul. Green states that our instincts will guide us, and if we listen to them, we'll have everything we need. There is a sort of greed that takes over our soul when we believe we deserve more than we need to live, and in that way, we strip away our true purpose.
To be Green means to hold on to traditions and the old ways of doing things. In following proven paths, we will lead a more balanced life. It is a simplicity found at the heart of our souls; the tragic part is that we are aware of this, but fear the loss of our conveniences. This mindset, masked as ambition, is what drives us further away from what we were meant to be.
If I were to define Green more plainly for you, I would say this: Green is the devotion of balance, harmony, stability, and tradition. It is the slice of the color pie that does not seek out its purpose; it is, instead, confident in the one it finds itself within. This does not mean there is no room for quiet introspection. No, instead it means searching for your purpose through the examples laid out by nature and being confident in your place once you have found it, and in that way, a true peace is found. A peace that can only be achieved through accepting one's own destiny and their place within the wider cosmic ecosystem.
Many devotions act to enforce what they believe to be the one truth onto the world around them, while Green instead goes with the flow and finds a rhythm in the cosmos's sweet song. It can be hard not to speak in such abstract terms when talking about Green, and that is because there is no rigid definition. Each person's purpose is different and is dictated by their environment, but when you do find yourself wandering from your path, step back into the wilds of a forgotten world; she will guide you through example. Therefore, things like tradition are important in that tradition represents a system which has worked for millennia and guides us to where we need to go. What this means is looking to the past and present for answers, not the future.
The Green Utopia
It would be simple to just say that the utopia for Green would be a world that was wild and left untouched by fallacies such as progress. But let's change our perspective and talk about how we, as a people, could achieve this utopia, or what examples there are out there of this idea. For one, it would require us to shed our rigid society and move closer to nature. In this way, we would make a new home for ourselves—one that does not impede on the land around it, a place furnished with only what we need to live an adequate and happy life. We would hunt and forage for what we need and use every bit of what we've taken from the earth. There will always be a hunter or a gatherer; the issue arises when you take more than you require, thus upsetting the ever-important balance we all depend on.
Cosmic Relations
Let us now continue the tradition of discussing the placement of Green on the devotion wheel—of its enemies and allies and how their proximity helps shape this devotion, as it does with every devotion.
I like to start with the enemies first, as their defiance of those colors shapes much of its own ideals.
Black: a devotion of pure self-interest, one who will use up all around it for even an ounce of satisfaction. This, in Green's mind, is the greatest sin. Green does not believe that the individual has more importance than that of the wider cosmic environment around them. We must act with each entity in mind; the sentient being is no more important than the animal, and the animal no more important than the planet's core. For where would we be if one of those things were to be removed? Everything would fall apart.
Blue: a devotion of ambition, manipulation, and logic. Green cannot understand what would drive a person to believe they know more than the cosmic mother herself. We cannot apply cold logic to that which dictates everything around us. Also, if we do not believe that the ecosystems that have worked for us for millennia aren't already perfect, then what is perfection? Blue lies to itself and doesn't see the truth right in front of it, one that is ever so simple.
On the allied side, let's first talk about White. A devotion who understands that there is a need for acceptance and collectivism. Another core ideal of White is the concept of order, and even though the way White goes about this is all wrong, Green can see the merit here, as order is very much a neighbor of balance. The difference here is that White's order is achieved through rigid structure, and Green's balance is maintained organically, as the cosmos, if left untouched, will always find balance.
Finally, there is Red. A devotion who understands that things need not be so complicated. Red finds its purpose through impulse, while Green finds it through instinct. Green may not always agree with Red's approach, but it does teach Green to be in tune with the feelings inside of itself.
Green is the devotion that sees the bigger picture and through this perspective, finds its destiny and solidifies it through traditions. Life does not have to be chaos or order; it simply must be harmony and balance—ideals which can be achieved naturally. We simply must be willing to forgo things like greed and ambition and instead aim to live a life that does not take more than it needs and is an active member of the cosmic circle of life, not one who interrupts it for their own gain. What Green means is that if we continue to take and take from this cosmos and not put back in with equal measure, then we do not deserve our place within it.
What Represents Green Devotion
Life (birth)—One of the most potent forces of nature is the creation of new life. Green recognizes this as a key strength, and does everything it can to foster and honor the ability.
Growth—Green is not about doing nothing. Nature itself is very active. As others twiddle their thumbs, the world is slowly but constantly growing. This unstoppable force of change is another very powerful element of nature, and it's something green taps into whenever possible.
Nature (and natural things)—Green makes a big distinction between things that are naturally made and things that are artificially made. The first is a great gift from the world, and the second is an abomination. The world is creating amazing things. Green admires them and is always on the lookout for ways to make use of them to aid in green's quest.
Reality (in contrast to illusion)—Truth is another potent force in the world. Green promotes truth because it reveals what actually is. Other colors try to misrepresent life, using lies and propaganda to mislead individuals to keep them from seeing the truth. As such, green is adamant about shutting down anything that misrepresents reality.
Community—We are not isolated individuals but an interconnected web. Part of embracing green's philosophy is understanding the importance of how each of us figures into the lives of the others. Grasping the role this larger group plays is a vital piece in understanding how the world works.
Interdependence—Nothing exists in a vacuum. Each individual's actions have consequences to the individuals around them. Part of accepting the message that green is trying to share with the world is realizing that you co-exist with so many others.
Spiritualism—Green leaves religion to white, but it very much believes in the importance of accepting higher forces at play. Things don't just happen, they happen for a reason. The interconnectivity of nature doesn't just occur on a physical level, it happens on a much higher plane of understanding as well.
The Past—Of all the colors, green is the most backwards-looking, as it believes that your future is very much determined by your past.
Wisdom—Blue looks to the future and seeks knowledge, green looks to the past and seeks wisdom. Green believes that the secret to success today is understanding the successes and failures of those who came before you.
Ancestry—If who you are is in your genes, then who you come from is of utmost importance.
Tradition—Green believes that we need to be constantly touching the past, and a great way to do that is through traditions where you get to continue activities passed down through time by your ancestors.
Instinct—Nature provides motivation through biology. Most creatures, for example, don't think about what they're going to do. They just do what comes naturally to them. To embrace green's philosophy is to understand that that those feelings are found not just in animals but in every living creature.
Animals—The less civilized you are, the more you instinctively understand the role of nature. Animals, especially wild ones, connect with nature in a way that is hard for more sapient creatures to understand.
Plants—Green's connection with living things doesn't stop with animals. Green is just as concerned about the flora as it is about the fauna.
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