A place of danger and darkness naturally draws people together, to survive and to find hope under cursed boughs. It is only through combined effort and combined faith that the Baronies have risen in the first place. While appearing a standoffish people, the Hearth binds the Weald together and the people of the Baronies know that they will only hold back the dark through their collective light.
When creating a Greenweald group, we recommend that players take a story of collective effort and hope and temper it with secrets and darkness. Groups of notable power in the Weald have gotten there through collective suffering and strength. Through pulling together and doing what needs to be done to preserve their faith and their people.
Bands in the Greenweald Baronies
See Greenweald Guilder and Greenweald Haven
Many Band concepts work within the Greenweald Baronies setting. Martial groups could find footing as mercenaries, monster hunters or militias. The Weald includes a fully functional market with artisans crafting fine wares and trading them both within the Weald and outside it, so merchant compacts and artisan groups are also valid. The only group style that may feel out of place is that of a political conspiracy, given the Weald’s history as a firm autocratic nation and the dispersed nature of its settlements, political leadership is hard to come by and mostly focused inside the powerful Guilds that control the notable functions of the Weald.
There are two specific kinds of Bands that exist within the Weald that The Concord team recommends as they fulfil important social and cultural roles. They are Guilders and Havens.
Guilders are outposts of skill and learning focused around the Greenwealds archetypes. Acting as schools, redoubts and hidden places, they enable the skilled heroes of the Weald to hone their craft against the dark. Playing in a Guilder is about focusing on your archetype with similar characters, on tackling Guild politics and doing your duty.
Haven is the term for the fortified hamlets and villages that are dotted all over the Weald. Led by wise and intense Hargraves, Havens are settlements that struggle against the darkness with their own monsters, curses and traditions to see both of them off. Playing a Haven is a communal experience about tradition, survival and making difficult decisions.
To create a band you must submit your group concept through the Group Submission form, found Here.
Sects in the Greenweald Baronies
The Greenweald Baronies are a place built by faith. For many, both in the early days of settlement and now, arcane magic was an unreliable and corrupting presence while resources were not guaranteed among the boughs of this cursed place. For the Wealders, faith and religious power was a lifeline to civilisation and survival.
This history has lead Greenweald sects to be more direct than those found in other Realms. Greenweald priests tend to be (counter to other elements of the Greenweald personality) very aggressive and clear. Sects less often contain mages due to the perceived overlap with Wealdish magic and include more fire and brimstone in their preaching.
The Spheres of Lumos, Arcadian and Cervitas are most common within the Weald as they preach to hope, strength and communal survival. Some old Greenweald churches bear the mark of hooded figures carrying a flaming torch and a sword, said to represent the light, the blade and the people that would survive in the dark.
The Spheres of Panoply, Anarch and Stallia are by all means present but are often found in combination with other Spheres or in smaller sects. The pursuit of wealth and power in Panoply is often at odds with the Greenwealds matter-of-fact authoritarianism (likely the reason why many Panoply priests have drifted towards the role of peacemakers and diplomats, giving rise to the tradition of Diplomats of Coin). Anarch’s constant change makes many Wealders uncomfortable, but the history of rebelliousness against power in the Weald does give it some purchase.
Stallia deserves special mention due to its relationship with knowledge. For many Wealders, knowing too much is as dangerous as any curse or beast, for knowledge brings corruption. Priests of Stallia in the Weald often struggle to overcome this prejudice. Those that do tend to focus on teaching and the sharing of knowledge rather than the pursuit of it.
When creating a Greenweald Sect it is recommended that you look at how your sect supports Wealders in their day-to-day life. Priests are sources of hope in a place that can feel hopeless. Every sect should have a small series of observances that they can perform to bring warmth, hope, and control to the people they minister to. Your sect should dedicate some time to seeking out Wealders and hearing their fears, providing guidance for how to understand, and overcome it. Most of all, your sect should have an iron courage. Greenweald priests lead their people by example without fear. Your sect should be a staunch opposition to the dark things in the world and should be willing to call out corruption and evil wherever they find it.