The most notable and impactful role of the Greenwardens within Marcandrian society is their function as healers and doctors. Those endowed with divine gifts use their abilities to heal and cure, though even these gifted individuals rely heavily on medicinal ointments and remedies prepared from plants cultivated in their temple gardens. These gardens are expansive, hosting a myriad of plant species used in various alchemical processes to create medicinal compounds. Greenwarden principles dictate that essential medicines be provided free of charge to anyone in need. A Greenwarden who refuses treatment over payment issues faces ostracism from both their peers and Marcandrian society at large. Producing these medicines requires careful balancing, as resources are finite and the complexity of remedies varies. Thus, not all requests for treatment can be fulfilled, especially for labor-intensive compounds. A Greenwarden may end up in a position where they have to deny supplying a resource-intensive medicine due to having to prioritize simpler medicines that more people will be in need of.
-In addition to essential medicines, Greenwardens cultivate plants for non-essential remedies such as skin treatments, vitality tonics, sleep aids, and pain relievers. The sale of these products helps fund their operations and cover costs for necessary but unproducible materials like beeswax, animal fats, alcohol, salts, and clay, as well as basic necessities like food and clothing. The production of these non-essential remedies often competes with the creation of medicinal ones, creating a challenging balance as Greenwardens strive to fulfill their healing mission without succumbing to the temptation of unnecessary luxuries.
+The most notable and impactful role of the Greenwardens within Marcandrian society is their function as healers and doctors. Those endowed with divine gifts use their abilities to heal and cure, though even these gifted individuals rely heavily on medicinal ointments and remedies prepared from plants cultivated in their temple gardens. These gardens are expansive, hosting a myriad of plant species used in the various alchemical processes needed to develop these medicinal compounds. Greenwarden principles dictate that essential medicines be provided free of charge to anyone in need. A Greenwarden who refuses treatment over payment issues faces ostracism from both their peers and Marcandrian society at large. Producing these medicines requires careful balancing, as resources are finite and the complexity of remedies varies. Thus, not all requests for treatment can be fulfilled, especially for labor-intensive compounds. A Greenwarden may end up in a position where they have to deny supplying a resource-intensive medicine due to having to prioritize simpler-to-make medicines that more people will be in need of.
+In addition to essential medicines, Greenwardens cultivate plants for non-essential remedies such as skin treatments, vitality tonics, sleep aids, and pain relievers. The sale of these products helps fund their operations and cover costs for necessary materials like beeswax, animal fats, alcohol, salts, and clay, as well as basic necessities like food and clothing. The production of these non-essential remedies often competes with the creation of medicinal ones, creating a challenging balance as Greenwardens strive to fulfill their healing mission without succumbing to the temptation of unnecessary luxuries.
Greenwardens also dedicate themselves to continuous research in herbalism and medicine, seeking to discover new or improve existing remedies through study, mentorship, and experimentation. They utilize texts from the Meranzeum’s archives, collaborate with peers, and experiment with new plant combinations and alchemical techniques.
Actively involved in agriculture and nature conservation, Greenwardens are invaluable to Marcandrian farmers facing crop or livestock issues. They offer guidance on crop rotations, companion planting with natural pest repellents like garlic or marigolds, and other sustainable farming practices. Their expertise comes from a mix of teachings and experience, together with the guidance they discern from the Heartmender in the crops and animals. Greenwardens will pray and perform rituals in the fields shortly after sowing, beseeching the Heartmender for healthy growth and a bountiful harvest. Greenwardens also serve as counselors, offering advice and wisdom to small communities, particularly those less fortunate.
Moreover, Greenwardens serve as environmental stewards. They often task themselves with cleaning up waterways, planting saplings, and restoring natural habitats in the region they operate, while opposing practices that harm or exploit the land. They actively lobby against destructive activities like excessive logging without replanting, often becoming a thorn in the side of those who engage in such practices. However, attempts at forceful intervention are rare and reserved for extreme cases of environmental exploitation.
-Greenwardens also perform ritual services, including weddings and funeral ceremonies, often in collaboration with Marcandria’s other major clergies or independently for those who cannot afford the more lavish ceremonies that comes with involving the Joybringers and the Meranzeum. Their services are particularly valued by the lower classes, who appreciate the modest yet meaningful ceremonies the Greenwardens can provide. A tradition for weddings involving the Greenwardens is for the newly wedded couple to spend their first night together in either a crop field or flower field, a tradition which is more commonly followed by lower class newlyweds than upper class ones. It is believed that the Heartmender will bless the newlyweds with a fertile union as they spend the first night in the field. Greenwardens typically participate in funeral services, as the Heartmender is seen as the one who'll at the end of your life's cycle, to guide you to the afterlife.
-Greenwardens spend considerable time in prayer and meditation within fields or lush gardens, seeking deeper connections with the Heartmender and looking for signs in the responses of plants. Greenwardens believe the Heartmender communes through crops and flowers, discernible from which plants bloom or wilt during their prayers and meditation. How close a bond a Greenwarden has with the Heartmender is often equated to how well versed they are at desiphering these puzzles
-The Greenwardens also conduct rituals of prayer involving planting a number of different seeds in the same pot, often together with someone whose come to them seeking the Heartemender's guidance. The person will pray for guidance as they plant the seeds, with the Grenwarden tending to the seeds while waiting for them to sprout. The patterns in which these seeds germinate and grow are interpreted as messages from the Heartmender, offering slow but profound insights that the Greenwardens believe are meant to encourage patience and contemplation among her followers.
+Greenwardens also perform ritual services, including weddings and funeral ceremonies, often in collaboration with Marcandria’s other major clergies or independently for those who cannot afford the more lavish ceremonies that comes with involving the Joybringers and the Meranzeum. Their services are particularly valued by the lower classes, who appreciate the modest yet meaningful ceremonies the Greenwardens can provide. A tradition for weddings involving the Greenwardens is for the newly wedded couple to spend their first night together in either a crop field or flower field, a tradition which is more commonly followed by lower class newlyweds than upper class ones. It is believed that the Heartmender will bless the newlyweds with a fertile union as they spend the first night in the field. Greenwardens typically participate in funeral services, as the Heartmender is seen as the one who'll come at the end of your life's cycle to guide you to the afterlife.
+Greenwardens spend considerable time in prayer and meditation within fields or lush gardens, seeking deeper connections with the Heartmender and looking for signs in the responses of plants. Greenwardens believe the Heartmender communes through crops and flowers, discernible from which plants bloom or wilt during their prayers and meditation. How close a bond a Greenwarden has with the Heartmender is often equated to how well versed they are at deciphering these puzzles
+The Greenwardens also conduct rituals of prayer involving planting a number of different seeds in the same pot, often together with someone whose come to them seeking the Heartemender's guidance. The person will pray for guidance as they plant the seeds, with the Grenwarden tending to the seeds while until they sprout. The patterns in which these seeds germinate and grow are interpreted as messages from the Heartmender, offering slow but profound insights while believed to encourage patience and contemplation among her followers.
Greenwardens often identify potential apprentices through their interactions, inviting those who show promise to learn their ways. The Greenwarden will teach the apprentice about the Heartmender, the different rituals and ceremonies the Greenwardens conduct, how to look for and discern Her guidance in the plants around one, how to cultivate different medicinal plants, and the processes they go through to turn raw materials into medicinal compounds. An apprentice will often remain with their mentor for a time even after they've been taught everything there is to know, assisting their mentor's endeavors. After an apprenticeship, when an individual is ready to operate independently, they leave to establish their own practice, often seeking small rural communities that lack a Greenwarden's presence.