Warden of the Trees and Hills
Overview
The Warden of the Trees and Hills is an Imperial title awarded to a Varushkan citizen. Commissioned by the Imperial Senate in Autumn 383YE in response to an influx of refugees from newly liberated Ossium. While the post was initially created to help find homes (and jobs) for former Druj slaves escorted to Karsk by the Thule, the remit also in theory grants a certain degree of responsibility to protect the prosperity of the territory as a whole. The Senate did not specify where precisely to build it - Ivarsgard, Kosti, Moresvah, and Veresk were all mooted - and after some consultation with the people of Karsk the Civil Service decided to lay the foundations in Ivarsgard.
Responsibilities
The Warden is responsible for overseeing the merchant hall built to organise the influx of refugees from Ossium. With those newcomers settled, the Warden is also responsible for keeping the prosperity of Karsk as a whole, and charged with mediating any disputes between mine and forest owners in the territory. If the Warden's Hall itself was ever directly threatened, the Warden would be responsible for dealing with those threats
Powers
Ministry
| Metals | |
| 7 Crowns | 5 ingots of weltsilver, 4 ingots of green iron, and 3 ingots of orichalcum |
| 17 Crowns | 10 ingots of weltsilver, 8 ingots of green iron, and 6 ingots of orichalcum |
| 35 Crowns | 15 ingots of weltsilver, 12 ingots of green iron, and 9 ingots of orichalcum |
| Measures | |
| 7 Crowns | 5 measures of dragonbone, 4 measures of ambergelt, 3 measures of beggar's lye |
| 17 Crowns | 10 measures of dragonbone, 8 measures of ambergelt, 6 measures of beggar's lye |
| 35 Crowns | 15 measures of dragonbone, 12 measures of ambergelt, 9 measures of beggar's lye |
As a ministry, the title of Warden of the Trees and Hills allows the holder to purchase quantities of special materials traded from the north at a set price. The Warden makes their decision on how much money to spend during downtime from their character page. Money is removed from, and resources are placed into, the character's inventory when the downtime is processed.
Appointment
This title is appointed during the Winter Solstice by Varushkans who control forest and mine personal resources. The larger the forest or mine an individual has, the more votes they can allocate in support to a candidate. The voting is handled by the civil servants in the Bourse.
Only a Varushkan character may hold this title, but there is no requirement for them to be from Karsk (the title notionally involves encouraging trade throughout Varushka). They do not receive a seat on the Bourse. As a title appointed through the Bourse, they cannot be revoked by the Imperial Synod.
Warden's Hall
The Hall itself is a three-storey white granite round tower with a black slate roof that stands in the town of Ivasrgard. It is remarkably secure; the windows have mithril-reinforced shutters and the doors can be sealed with heavy oak bars - on the outside as well as the inside. Much of the early work of the Hall involved ensuring that none of the would-be settlers in Karsk were in fact monsters, so the ability to seal the tower quickly was seen as admirable. These days it mostly serves as a place for those with jobs to offer to post notices, or interview potential candidates. The Warden themselves has apartments on the top floor - serviceable rather than luxurious - for when they are in residence rather than out on the roads visiting farms, mines, and forests across Karsk.
| Summit | Elected | Votes |
|---|---|---|
| Winter Solstice 385YE | Askien Alanovich Vesimerov | 102 Votes |
| Winter Solstice 384YE | Zakhar “Crow” Strascovich | 114 Votes |
| Winter Solstice 383YE | Zakhar “Crow” Strascovich | 135 Votes |
Recent Elections
This title is currently held by Askien Alanovich Vesimerov; it will be reelected at the next summit. The table to the right shows the citizens who have been elected to hold this title in the years since Empress Britta died.
The Title in Play
The role does not provide additional information about events in the Empire, nor allow the player holding it to request special reports or downtime actions. These details are assumed to be below the abstraction layer. The title holder is encouraged to create their own stories about their activities within reasonable limits and to get involved in events appropriate to their title during the game, but they do not have any powers beyond those explicitly listed in the section on powers.
These details exist partly to provide context and character to the role - and partly to allow our writers to use the title as a plot hook. Plot that involves the position will be rare - but all the campaign positions in Empire have these details to create the potential for it to happen.