The Cascadian Lama
Perched on a mountain overlooking the Cispus and Cowlitz Rivers lies the Taidna Palace so named after the mountain upon which it lies. Originally consisting of just a single hall and a short pagoda tower, after earthquakes and hundreds of years, is now a sprawling fortress monastery complex of great halls, pagodas, courtyards and gates. It's location is particularly holy because of the views afforded to the palace, three of the holiest peaks in Cascadia; Rainer, St Ellens and Adams. Furthermore, whenever the volcanoes emit purifying ash, it usually falls upon these hills, cleansing the palace and it's inhabitants.
Purifying Ash about to be wet and slathered over the body of a pilgrim
The palace itself contrasts with the landscape. Its blood reds, pure whites and golden yellows standing out against the deep forest green and bright blue sky. Pilgrims come here to take part in purifying rituals in full view of the high Mountains. The palace is full of druids, praying for good harvests and bountiful fish as well as studying the creation around them, praising the holy lands that surround them. The Lama lives here all year round, venturing out only for important druidic conclaves.
The Taidna Palace
The Cascadian Lama can afford such a large palace and the maintenance required to keep it standing from offerings that pilgrims leave, as well as tithes from the merchant families. Officially most of this money is supposed to go to supporting the poor and much of the money does, but how is the Lama supposed to lead a life as prominent religious figure without skimming a bit off the top? Furthermore, go without paying your tithe and the Lama might brand you as a polluter and defiler of mother Earth. But pay the tithes required of you as a good Buddhist, and the Lama will grant you gifts and approve your environmentalist credentials.
The Lama, as the head of the Druids is able to direct the druids with specific edicts. However though, due to the spread out nature of the druidic order, most edicts are only obeyed when issued at great druidic conclaves. In fact it was one of these great conclaves where Lama Ellenia the 2nd, issued the Eastern Purification Edict, ordering the destruction of infidels in the Columbian Basin with a crusade.
When Lamas die, druids from across the world will gather at Taidna and choose a new Lama to lead them. In order to choose a lama a process is followed beginning 9 months after the death of the old lama. Prior to their death, the lama will have stated a city in the Buddhist world where he shall be reincarnated. 9 months after his death all the babies born in the intervening 9 months in that region are gathered. The babies are placed in the middle of a circle of chairs. One of these chairs was the old lama's. If the child is able to crawl to the correct chair and then stay in front of that chair for a sufficient length of time, they are then deemed the new Lama and will be raised in accordance to their title.
However with the growing size of the buddhist world and the invariable problems arising from separating a newborn from their (usually peasant) family meant that the druids went back and reanalyzed the scripture. They determined that they had misread the literature and instead, they had to choose from an orphan child placed in the care of the holy orders and various monasteries, who was of the right age. The reasoning being that, all other children could not be the next Lama, they were born into families that wanted them, their lives are defined by their families and social class.
However orphans given to various holy bodies were fated to be abandoned, they were to be given to the earth. This makes their fates blank slates/ destined to be holy, and thus are the right vessels for the spirit of the Lama. And if their bodies do not host the Lama's spirit, they serve as druids and monks spreading the original word and greening the world.
The young Lama being carried by a temple Druid during his 5th birthday. Their grey robes evoke the purifying ash of the volcanoes.