Wreathkeeper

Overview

For the nomadic people of Andashi, both in the past and in the current age, culture, history and knowledge were essential. From the mundane nature of travelling to best-known water or grazing land, to the esoteric understandings of the stars or the arrangements between Clans that shift as surely as the sands. For any settled peoples this would be a matter of little concern - simply put quill to parchment and pen a new tome. List your people's knowledge and needings in paper for all to read. But things are seldom as simple for the Nomad. In simple fact, books are heavy, large, and a poor thing to justify in comparison to next week's meals.

But this knowledge must be retained, and these lessons cannot go unlearned. Over centuries of wandering this conundrum was addressed by hundreds of tribes and they shared their methods at clan councils. Over time the metropolitan wilderness of Lost Andash refined this role like a stone tumbling through a river; a keeper of history, but not books, a keeper of culture, but not a leader, a keeper of hope, but not a priest. Festooned with their own unique ‘wreaths,’ these part-sages, part-advisors keep the lessons and wisdom of the nomadic Andashi clans so that the future does not fall to the maladies of the past.

Need:

Nomadic Andashi

The role of Wreathkeeper arises from the particular concerns of the nomads. It draws hundreds of years of history into its role, drawing lineage of learning through the Clans and Tribes of the Nomadic Andashi. It is not a role for the cityfolk. Your character should ideally only have an Nomadic Andashi name, and not maintain an investment that is sedentary within one of Andash’s cities.

The Wreathkeeper acts as the cultural and intellectual heart of an Andashi Clan. They keep the history, lessons, cultural significance and diplomacy of the Clan on record in their wreaths and their memory. A Wreathkeeper should be a part of a Clan wherever possible, and if they find themselves ‘undone’ (rendered without a Clan), they should seek out a new people to prove their worth and loyalty to, starting a new wreath with them. However the reverse is also true - no Andashi Clan that means to survive does so without at least one Wreathkeeper.

Shouldn’t:

None

Wreathkeepers are as varied as the lands of Andash. Some fight, their knowledge swirling around them like a storm, others keep to themselves, hidden away in their learning, and some even mix the role of the Keeper with the faith of the Spheres. The only matter of note is that being a Wreathkeeper must always take precedence. You are not a merchant and a Wreathkeeper, you are a Wreathkeeper who dabbles in trade. Such is the importance of being a Wreathkeeper.

Costume Marker:

Andashi Wreaths

The easiest solution to a Nomad’s plight with books is memory. A keen mind can hold many tales and with constant use they can remain reasonably sure of their veracity. But his mental library is hardly infinite and requires support. This support comes in the form of the Wreaths that give Wreathkeepers their name

In simplest form, a Wreath is a loop of cord. This loop is festooned with objects, knots, beads and colours to help form a section of pseudo-text meets memory prompt to assist the Wreathkeeper in retaining knowledge. For example:

The journey from Nazafeza to Abqala is a long one, travelling from the sea to the resting place of many Andashi people. Starting in Nazafeza you will follow the salt road. There is little water, so plan accordingly. The Salt Road will lead you to Obregon, a great city with much to trade, but it is expensive. Once done in Obregon, follow the Golden Road until it curves South. There you will leave the road and travel due north. The True Wilds are dangerous, with many beasts, plan accordingly. Eventually you will come to the waterfalls of Abqala, where your lost ones can be laid to rest.

A wreath of this journey may be:

A long cord, half blue (representing Mukarrem) and half yellow (representing The Tribelands). It begins with a shell, a bead and a clay skull (travelling from the ocean to the place of burial). A piece of sailcloth is followed by a salt-parched stone and dried grass (travel from the place of ships by the salt road, beware its lack of water). Then it crosses into the yellow cordage with a rook chess piece and two coins (you will arrive at a city, it is expensive). Then a yellow stone with an upwards arrow (take the golden road north) and a small carving of an angry face in bone (into the wilds) and a wooden sword (it is dangerous). A bright star in silver (recognised as the symbol for north) and a river rounded red stone followed by a skull (until you reach a place of water and red stone where you will find the dead).

A completed wreath is then tied into a loop and hung from the person, normally off a belt. This allows them to be quickly grasped and thumbed through will recalling the information. Over time a Wreathekeeper will become covered in such pieces of knowledge, carrying with them in their mind and on their person the equivalent of a whole library's worth of information.

While each wreath is personal to the individual keeper, certain symbols have been universally adopted to make some knowledge transferable, they can be found HERE.

Crafting a Wreath should be a constant activity and can be used for everything from diplomatic deals, children's stories, memoirs and religious texts. If it is of importance to the Wreathkeeper or their clan then it is worthy of a wreath.

There is also a vague hierarchy in importance of text and how it is worn. If a Wreathkeeper is so experienced that they have too many wreaths to wear on the belt, then they will often create a mantle, hanging more wreaths around their shoulders. Particularly ancient keepers with wreaths telling long histories may even turn them into cloaks. In general, the wreaths on the belt are of the most use, easily accessible by retelling hands. The wreaths on the mantle are of the most meaning, close to the heart, head and tongue. The wreaths on the back are of the most mystery, long in length for maximum detail.

Wreaths are such an important piece of equipment that they are treated with great respect, not just by their keepers. Finding a lost wreath is a matter of importance to any Nomad and they should endeavour to bring it to their Clan’s Wreathkeeper, so that they might decipher the meaning of the one who initially wove it, hopefully preserving their knowledge and sharing it with their Clan.

Finally, the importance of clarity and veracity cannot be overstated. In many cases, a Wreath can be the difference between life and death, such as for a journey, treatment of injury or dealing with enemies. With this in mind, Wreaths that store lies within them or distortions of truth are forbidden. Known as ‘Dustwreaths’ (for how they cloud the mind and choke the tongue), the appropriate disposal for a Dustwreath is to burn it, take the ash and adorn replacing wreath with its ash, to mark this new knowledge as ‘grown from falsehoods’.

Becoming a Wreathkeeper:

Like many lives within the Andashi Nomads, becoming a Wreathkeeper is both a slow process, wrapped in centuries of tradition and culture, but also a matter of practical necessity.

Functionally, you are a Wreathkeeper when you complete your first wreath and wear it upon your person, symbolising that you are dedicated to the role of preserving that knowledge within your clan. The seniority and quality of a Wreathkeeper will often be judged by three elements:

The number of wreaths they keep, reflecting the breadth of their knowledge.
The length of those wreaths, showing the density of that knowledge.
The age of those wreaths, reflecting knowledge that has not needed to be revised.

For many, their first wreaths are copies of others, sharing knowledge and joining the path of Wreathkeeper from the wise steps of those taken before. This is traditionally the path most Wreathkeepers take, functionally apprenticing to a Wreathkeeper within their clan, learning their knowledge and wreaths before eventually branching off and tying their own knots.

However, sometimes it is necessary and someone must simply take up the title of Wreathkeeper. For them it will be a journey of trial and error, desperately attempting to learn the hidden language of the wreaths from other keepers when they pass them in life.

In particularly large or powerful Clans, you will often find specialised keepers, focusing on one element of their people’s knowledge. For example one might keep record of all the dealings, grudges and debts of a Clan, their body festooned with the ties that bind them to the other people that wander this world. Another might keep the life stories of their Clan, ensuring that no one is forgotten. Their belt might be adorned with dozens of untied wreaths, only tying them into a loop once that life has ended, where they will join other loops about their mantle and cloak.

History:

In a tendency of cruel misfortune common to the nomadic Andashi, the history of the Wreathkeepers is not well known. Such is its commonality and connection to the Andashi history that it could be said the history of the Wreathkeepers is the history of Andashi. Despite this, there are a few commonly held truths:

The use of Wreaths began in Northern Andash, near where the Basalisk Gate separates Aguinaldo from Zatiri Zan. Trade and good grasses within this region supported the variety of ties that are required for the tradition.

The practice of Wreathkeeping is widespread, being found in every corner of Andash. Even Corsair Clans that align themselves with the Nomadic nature of sea life often keep a Wreathkeeper aboard, their knots carrying all matters of nautical knowledge.
In two separate circumstances, ‘Great Wreaths’ have been discovered. Massive cords of rope as thick as an adult's arm and longer than a wagon, these great wreaths are as old as Grand Andash, showing that the history of this task predates the fall. One of these Great Wreaths can be found in the meeting hall of the Andashi School of Gifts in Obregon, the other was burned when it was found to contain lies about the fall of Grand Andash, although the nature of these lies have since been lost to time.

It was through the Wreathkeepers that the Church of the Spheres entered Andash. Particularly through the Spheres of Stallia and Lumos. Many Wreathkeepers were supported, patroned and indulged by wandering priests of the Spheres of Stars and Light, adopting the faith as their own with time.

It is the ardent hope of all Wreathkeepers that they will discover more of their own history in time and many great Wreathkeepers have unfinished long wreaths dedicated to this task.

Three Things Wreathkeepers Are:

Keepers of Lore

The first duty of a Wreathkeeper is to discover and preserve knowledge. Wreathkeepers should always be seeking out information of all kinds, be it personal, academic, spiritual or esoteric. Whenever you begin to discover something new to you, if it feels important, you should immediately start a new wreath.

Keepers of the Way

Wreathkeepers are also the cultural historians of the nomads. While the immediate survival and needs of the people are preserved by the clan leaders, their guides and others, it is the role of the Wreathkeeper to ensure that they are true to their history, that the lessons of the past are not forgotten and that they are not corrupted by the world around them. In this, Wreathkeepers are often important advisors, and it is often deemed essential to seek the advice of a Wreathkeeper before undertaking any new venture, journey or making an important decision. It is not uncommon for a Wreathkeeper to be overwhelmingly bothered by city folk when their Clan rests on the outskirts of a town, looking for the sage advice of a ‘Nomadic master of wreaths’ before some proposes to their love, buys a new house or finishes schooling.

Keepers of Hope

While knowledge and clarity are of great import, so is the ability to share it. Wreathkeepers are teachers and storytellers as much as they are librarians. If you cannot decipher and communicate your own wreaths then you are of little use to your Clan. Wreathkeepers should be skilled at weaving tales as much as weaving knots. Be it telling children morality tales to guide them through the sands, wreaths of woe at a funeral, or reports from the frontline at a military council, Wreathkeepers should refine their craft as orators, storytellers and performers as much as they sharpen their memories.

One Things Wreathkeepers Aren't:

Necessarily Leaders

While the role of Wreathkeeper is essential to any Tribe worth its hope, their role is often all consuming. It lacks the required decisiveness and world-presence required of a leader. While it is not unheard of for Wreathkeepers to lead a Clan, it is not common. They are often far greater advisors and sages than they are commanders or decision makers.