Keeper of the Orchard

In the Golden Downs, just south of the town of Hay in Mitwold, near the Mourn border, there's an old stand of trees, mostly apples. There's been a local legend, an old story, an old mummers' tale, that maybe the biggest and oldest apple tree of the lot of them marks the grave of Good Walder.

Overview

The Imperial Senate commissioned the construction of Good Walder's Orchard during the Autumn Equinox 383YE. Built near Walder's Oak in the Golden Downs, Mitwold, work was completed shortly before the Winter Solstice 383YE. Local stories suggest that Good Walder himself is buried beneath the largest and oldest apple tree in the orchard, but there is no actual evidence to support this claim.

Responsibilities

The Keeper of the Orchard has no particular responsibilities; they are recognised as having votes in the Imperial Synod and they receive a bounty of liao from the civil service. If the orchard were to be threatened in any way, it would be the responsibility of the Keeper to deal with those threats.

Powers

A Portion of Liao

The sinecure provides eleven measures of liao to the Keeper each season, to be used as they see fit.

Voice in the Synod

The Keeper of the Orchard may sit in the Imperial Synod, and possesses 22 votes in Synod affairs (or an additional 22 votes if they already have a congregation). They may use these votes in any assembly for which they are eligible.

Bright Red Apple

Each season the orchard also produces a single bright red apple; a unique piece of fruit that can be used to increase the strength of a liao ceremony.

Appointment

This title is appointed during the Winter Solstice. The Keeper of the Orchard is appointed by a judgement of Appointment in the Marcher national assembly.

The title can be held by any Marcher citizen. They can be revoked by the General Assembly, the Marcher National Assembly, and by the Assembly of the Nine.

Good Walder's Orchard

In the Golden Downs, just south of the town of Hay in Mitwold, near the Mourn border, there's an old stand of trees, mostly apples. There's been a local legend, an old story, an old mummers' tale, that maybe the biggest and oldest apple tree of the lot of them marks the grave of Good Walder. Certainly the local friars, have always claimed it was though to be fair dozens of villages across the Marches have a stand of trees that allegedly marks the grave of the paragon.

But there is something unusual about this copse. The old tree at the heart of the copse has never given many apples, but the ones that do ripen are said to taste like none other. Good hearty Marcher apples, the best you ever did taste, for all that they're so few in number. In the summer of 382YE, there were reports of an unexpectedly big harvest from the old tree - that it literally groaned with fruit, and so did its neighbours. Inevitably - with all the rumours of Good Walder flying about at the time - local folk began calling it a miracle. The friars of Hay made representation to the nation at the following Autumn summit, claiming that if the strange harvest was a miracle then it was a miracle of Prosperity. They presented several proposals as to how best to honour that miracle.

In the end the Imperial Senate chose to build a shrine dedicated to Good Walder at the orchard, The shrine offers support and hospitality to pilgrims visiting the orchard and ensures that the Keeper of Good Walder's Grave receives the benefits of a site of pilgrimage in addition to any apples that blossomed.

Further Reading

• Good apples - Summer 283YE Wind of Fortune that introduced the opportunity to develop the orchard.

Summit	Elected	Votes
Winter Solstice 385YE	Tom Appleseed	88 Votes
Winter Solstice 384YE	Tom Appleseed
Winter Solstice 383YE	Tom Appleseed	40 Votes

Recent Elections

This title is currently held by Tom Appleseed; 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.