Warden

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Overview

The warden brotherhoods of Varushka travel the Imperial roads across the Empire. They often have a romantic reputation, being seen as dashing and heroic figures – in stories they often turn up just in the nick of time to help a band of beleaguered schlacta protect their vale. Most wardens combine skill at arms with a knowledge of magic, creating and using amulets, talismans and other items against the threats of the Varushkan wilderness.

The warden's motto, “I am ready” refers both to their willingness to take charge of difficult situations, and their belief in making sure they have right tool for any job. As a consequence many wardens build up broad skills with a number of weapons, adjusting their weaponry to the needs of the battlefield.

Many wardens are champions of Imperial Law actively pursuing lawbreakers and criminals to bring them before Magistrates for judgement. Some chase criminals across national or even Imperial borders. Wardens may be hired to deal with particularly difficult supernatural threats and are sometimes seen as reckless as a result. Regardless, most are sensible enough not to needlessly arouse a sovereign, and a warden who causes a problem and then ignores it is likely to be cast out of their brotherhood.

The group of exclusively changeling wardens known as the Company of the White Stag are considered a liability by their peers, leaving some wardens a little leery of working with any changeling. Their group actively seeks out dangerous monsters to challenge, and often causes more trouble than they prevent.

Creating a Warden

Wardens usually have martial skills, but they also tend to pick up crafting skills as well so that they can equip themselves and their allies with useful items such as amulets, talismans, weapons and armour.

If you intend to play a warden, it is important to appreciate the large scale of the PD Empire events. You will have epic opportunities for battles as part of a great army fighting the orcs, but you won't be going off on a lone quest to slay a monster. It isn't possible to create that kind of experience for characters at an event where hundreds of players are attending.

Other activities that have clear resonance with the warden characterisation might include helping the Magistrates in their investigations, especially those that seem to have a magical flavour to them; keeping abreast of and involving oneself in events on the field that concern any sort of supernatural evil, regardless of where those stories originate.

Creating a Warden Brotherhood

A warden brotherhood is a good way to create a Varushkan group that is more interested in plot than politics and trade. Warden brotherhoods concern themselves with helping the vales deal with the threats of Varushka, helping the magistrates enforce Imperial Law and keeping the nation together.

Most characters can be part of a brotherhood, there is a place in any brotherhood for schlacta, wise ones and volhov. Lacking a vale to control the group will not need a boyar, most groups of wardens pick one of their own to lead the brotherhood as needed, but they rarely claim the title of boyar, as doing so can make their dealings with the boyars who run the vales and outposts more difficult.

Your brotherhood may be larger than the characters portrayed by the players in the group - if members of the group wish to take small military units as their downtime resources these can represent small groups of schlacta and wardens who serve the botherhood.

Most brotherhoods endure over several generations and have a history of their own. Many begin as a consequence of a conflict with a sovereign, a figure that may be long defeated or that still exists as a threat to be dealt with.

A warden brotherhood is usually based out of an old castle, ruin or similar. You'll want to pick a territory where your brotherhood's is based. If you're having trouble choosing, we recommend picking the territory with the fewest active groups in-game. If you are the only brotherhood group in that territory you can assume a degree of responsibility for what happens there, if there are other brotherhoods based in the territory then it is worth trying to work with them.