Gardeners

Nestled deep into the woods of Widud, a secret group protects an area of trees. Cultists, witches, wildlings and madmen. Opinions of the Gardeners is often low among outsiders. The Gardeners are technically foreigners on the land of Widud, but having existed there longer than the country, and the... rumors... that travel from the area means that the group has stayed rooted in the area. Festering, some might say.

Of course, the Gardeners hold no such views of themselves. The Gardeners are an eclectic group of people, always accepting of new members regardless of background. Most who are interested in joining the Gardeners have a naturalistic or religious background, but others are fighters or mages drawn by curiosity or duty. They all are connected by a desire to protect The Roots, a strange dense forest, with a secret at the heart. The heart of the forest, as it is generally referred to, is sometimes described as Rhina's heart.

Most descriptions of the Gardeners are a mixture of the Widud's distrust of the strange mystical group and the religious undertones that describe the groups intended actions. Interwoven, of course, are the rumors of Willow-bark disease, and the strange magical floura of the are. Thus, someone looking to devote themselves to the land, either naturalistically or religiously might seek the Gardeners, as well as those interested in studying the magical properties of the area. The later type rarely succeeds in joining, though, as membership is for life. Most are forbidden to leave the area, although pilgrimages may be granted in rare circumstances.

Structure

The Guardians have a loose hierarchy. The organization is a few hundred large, essentially a small town.
There is one leader, the Pith , with a chosen group called the Heartwood. The pith and Heartwood compete every seven years against other rivals to maintain leadership. Competitions are provided by the labyrinth surrounding the roots, typically requiring a combination of martial prowess and problem solving. It is rumored by the other gardeners that while acting as the pith, the person may visit and understand the heart of Rhina, but are hexed from speaking or writing of it. This is of course an un-provable rumor.
The pith and Heartwood are the leaders of the entire organization, but the organization is unofficially ruled in smaller subsections based on residency; each villages or clustered villages have their own organizing leaders. These vary by village, but are typically an appointed leader, an elder, or a trusted group. They are colloquially known as the crown (named for the top of the tree, but often mistaken as claiming to being akin to a kingdom). The pith and Heartwood typically back the crown, giving them credibility, although there has been some tension in the past with less official crown. They exist only to provide substructure to the group, and have grown organically. The Pith may assign a duty to a village, and the existence of the crown helps facilitate completion of that task. Many push for the crown to become an official recognized part of the ruling structure, but because crowns are structured differently throughout the organization, attempts to codify appointments have led to resistance. Without a single way of appointing crowns, many consider codification pointless.
Some refer to the rest of the organization as the leaves, although mycorrhiza is sometimes (less commonly) used as well.

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Joining the Gardeners is, theoretically, very simple. Anyone may ask to join, and after spending a season in the periphery of the organization, may enter the labyrinthine Roots. The Roots, more so than should be possible, are a living entity, twisting and changing depending on the scenario. The Roots understand when a new recruit is being tested. The forest will shift, producing a cryptic path of dangers, but also temptations. Those who succeed are returned to the Gardeners village. Those who fail are either consumed by the forest, never to be seen again, or find themselves endlessly lost, disoriented, and forced to navigate back without the Root's assistance. Most eventually are found by the Gardeners, and led to a road to get them back towards true civilization.

Culture

They sometimes joke about being gUardeners.

Location

Mirror Forest