Warden

Warden is the title given to the matriarch of an Eihlarian clan.

Qualifications

Eligible women are evaluated for a quality Eihlarians refer to as "sand". Sand encompasses many attributes valuable in a clan leader: self-awareness, empathy, stamina, equanimity, confidence. Women deemed to be of high sand rotate through the role of neo-Warden, in which position they must meet with the clan and Warden's approval to be considered for later Wardenship.

Requirements

Wardenship is retricted to female adults nearest the clan's matriline, known as "central blood". Generally, that means any woman who is a daughter, granddaughter, or great-granddaughter of a past or present Warden. If the pool of candidates is too small, that limit may be extended back further generations.

Duties

As head of the clan, the Warden is responsible for its continued existence. She makes decisions on matters that affect the clan as a whole and must maintain cordial relationship with other clans.
Within the clan, a Warden is expected to know each family member's personalities and preferences, and is treated as a mother by all in the clan whether or not she has children of her own. As such, she can overrule parental decisions made by other clan members, but must be careful not to overuse that privilege.

Responsibilities

The Warden arbitrates, advises, assigns major duties, allocates resources, and leads ceremonies.  She also meets with the other clan Wardens twice annually, or more often if issues arise that affect multiple clans.

Grounds for Removal/Dismissal

Traditionally, one is named Warden for life. Frequently, however, a Warden will step down voluntarily if she feels no longer capable of fulfilling the demands of the role. Far more rarely is a Warden forced to retire if the clan believes her leadership is harming them. In some cases, an aging Warden in denial about her declining faculties could be quietly usurped. She would still perform ceremonial duties and make some non-critical decisions, but the clan would look to the neo-Warden for final authority.

History

The rank of Warden has its origins in the middle of the Oceanic Era, when Eihlari's coastline was originally divided up among the tiderider families that stopped there as part of their trade routes. As the largest known island at the time, Eihlari was the ideal place to stock up on provisions and keep excess supplies, but competition and mistrust between the families necessitated having some crewmembers on the shore at all times to protect their resources. As the outposts grew into settlements, the wardens took on a leadership role as well as a custodial one. By the second Volcanic century the tiderider families were no longer visiting Eihlari regularly, leaving the Wardens as the highest authority in the settlements.

Type

Nobility, Hereditary

Equates to

Mother Captain

Length of Term

lifetime

Current Holders

• Davili Rruend

Related Locations

• Eihlari