Faction symbol/insignia: Blooming rose over grain
Tend to be of humble origin, or are people from the mid to high echelons whose felt the need to step back.
The Greenwardens revere The Heartmender, cherishing her teachings on agriculture, empathy, perseverance, growth, healing, hope, and life. Known throughout Marcandria as wise healers and counselors, they are committed to lives of simplicity and service, finding profound fulfillment in aiding others.
Believing that fulfillment comes from the act of giving, the Greenwardens hold that assistance should be offered freely, without expectation of reward. This ethos is evident in their commitment to providing medical aid and healing at no charge, especially to those unable to afford care. Withholding aid when capable of helping is anathema to them, reflecting a profound disdain for selfishness. By extending their support universally, they strive to embody Fiori's nurturing spirit, ensuring no one is deprived of care due to lack of wealth or status.
The Greenwardens advocate for relentless personal growth, viewing stagnation as contrary to The Heartmender's cycle of renewal and growth. They encourage everyone to strive toward self-betterment, not just for personal gain but as a moral duty to enhance the collective well-being. However, this pursuit often leads to an overly critical view of those who seem content with their current circumstances or those who prioritize stability, labeling them as lacking ambition or spiritual depth.
Living under the pressure to embody Fiori’s virtues perfectly, Greenwardens often feel compelled to present themselves as paragons of growth and resilience. While they aim to serve as beacons of hope, many internally struggle with doubt and personal setbacks. Admitting these difficulties is taboo, risking their spiritual authority and the hope they inspire. With The Heartmender's signs often subtle and open to interpretation, some Greenwardens use public perception of their deeds as a proxy for divine favor, equating their popularity with spiritual approval. Despite their firm belief in persevering through challenges for long-term benefits, they too face moments of seeming impossibility, just like everyone else.
The Greenwardens revere the Great Mother as a maternal figure who blesses the land with fertility and guides her followers with patience and wisdom. At life's end, they believe The Heartmender guides the soul to the afterlife, underscoring her role throughout life’s cycle.
The Greenwardens believe The Heartmender communicates through nature, particularly during rituals involving the planting of various seeds. They interpret Fiori’s will based on which seeds germinate and how they grow, reinforcing values of patience and contemplation. Beyond these rituals, they discern Fiori’s guidance through natural responses—observing which plants bloom or wilt during prayer to gage divine insights. This deep connection with nature serves as their primary medium for divine communication.
While prioritizing essential healing services, the Greenwardens also cultivate and sell quality-of-life remedies like skincare and vitality treatments to fund their operations. This practice, though profitable, sometimes diverts resources from basic care, posing a challenge in balancing lucrative endeavors with their mission of healing and nurturing. Struggles not to become addicted to the comforts and luxuries that can be afforded by the revenue from non-essential remedies are common among them.
Fiori's Tenants:
The Greenwardens are dedicated to fostering the health and well-being of Marcandrians, with the aspiration that every member of their community may thrive. Through their efforts, they not only seek to enhance the lives of others but also to find fulfillment in their own lives. As devotees of the Heartmender, their mission extends to expanding her worship and influence, and safeguarding the values She cherishes.
All endeavors of the Greenwardens aim to nurture and protect that which is dear to the Heartmender. Given that the Heartmender often receives less attention from the upper echelons of Marcandrian society—except by those who have directly benefited from the Greenwardens' healing and medical services—the Greenwardens are also committed to raising her profile and importance within these circles.
Each Greenwarden operates independently, without a central governing authority. However, when multiple Greenwardens share a temple or are located in temples close to each other, they often establish agreements regarding collaboration and responsibilities. In these cases, Greenwardens who cohabitate within the same temple typically maintain private sections for their personal endeavors, both in the temple and the gardens, while also cooperating in communal areas. They commonly delineate responsibilities and select specific remedies and ointments to specialize in, ensuring they do not compete with one another. They provide counsel to each other, leveraging diverse expertise to enhance the quality and efficacy of their services. Greenwardens tend to cooperate in the making of high-demand services and essential medicines—especially those provided free of charge as part of their commitment to the Heartmender’s teachings.
As each Greenwarden is considered a sovereign entity, there are no hierarchical ranks beyond the title of Greenwarden. Greenwardens may mentor one or more apprentices, who retain the title of apprentice as long as they remain under tutelage. The process of becoming an apprentice is straightforward and begins when a Greenwarden recognizes potential in an individual and extends an invitation to them. If accepted, the individual becomes an apprentice, learning under the guidance of the Greenwarden. The transition from apprentice to a recognized Greenwarden occurs when the individual leaves their mentor’s tutelage and establishes their own practice. This transition is based on community recognition of the apprentice’s skills and capabilities, affirming their readiness to operate independently. The traditions and practices of the Greenwardens are as such passed down from mentor to student, resulting in a diverse range of priorities and methods among them.
Greenwarden temples are typically more modest than those of the Joybringers or the Meranzeum, yet feature extensive gardens. It is common for several temples to exist within a single settlement, sometimes even sharing a large, communal garden. Temples are often established by noble families to attract Greenwardens, thereby enhancing the services available in their domain. Alternatively, Greenwardens might repurpose abandoned buildings, particularly those with ample space to cultivate their expansive gardens.
Financially, each Greenwarden is responsible for their own affairs, although those sharing a temple may arrange to manage finances collectively. Nobles and occasionally the Meranzeum provide funding for specific services, such as during health crises, recognizing the essential services Greenwardens provide to the community.
Ranks:
Greenwardens too fractured to have any real influence. Connection people have with the Greenwardens tend to be more on an individual level. Specific Greenwardens may be very well liked in a community, mostly with farmers, lower cast people, and those who have needed their aid. However, since each Greenwarden basically only has the authority of themselves, plus whoever likes them enough to support their stance, they tend to have very little impact on Marcandrian politics etc. The very nature of how the Greenwardens operate is counterproductive to gaining influence in society.
No faction-wide influence since there are no structure in it. What influence the Greenwardens have is instead based on what influence each has as an individual. Greenwardens are often well respected among the communities they serve, which typically mean the those of the lower castes. They often end up in the role of speaking on behalf of small rural communities, voicing their concerns to the local lord or other governing entity. Multiple Greenwardens may decide to work together to increase how much sway they have in a matter both deem important, though never in Marcandrian history have enough Greenwardens pooled together to have a significant influence on the nationwide scale. Should that ever happen though, where they'd all band together and speak with one voice, then they'd have a substantial influence due the sheer amount of peasant and rural inhabitants they'd have at their back.