Order of the Hallowed Garden

The Order of the Hallowed Garden is an order that seeks to create safe havens for mortals and changelings alike.

Background
"Life should be approached as a garden. Sometimes, that means protecting a delicate flower. Sometimes, it means pruning weeds"

This order has its origins in the slaves of a True Fae who were ordered to cultivate a mortal environment that would not be injurious to an Other. At the eleventh hour, all changelings involved decided to turn the space instead into a trap to destroy the Keeper. Work completed, the Gardeners decided to continue creating safe havens for mortals and Lost. In modern days, members of the order create quiet, peaceful communities, where those who suffer can find rest; that done, they watch over their projects, doing whatever must be done to keep such places safe.

Organization
Gardeners organize in groups of three to six, with every member bearing similar political and social views. These groups pick a neighborhood to transform into a haven for their ideals, dividing tasks appropriately. They will also keep an eye on previous hallowed gardens, so as to prevent them from backsliding. Since this will eventually eat up time, eventually a group will need to decide when to cut a garden loose to focus on new areas. On a larger scale, groups will communicate, but not cooperate, due to differing viewpoints.

Joining and Membership
Prerequisites: Politics 3, Socialize 3, Wyrd 3 Title: Gardener

Joining the order simply requires that one show admiration for the Gardeners’ work and offer them help. The admirer will be asked to do favors and work for the overseen communities. The admirer will receive favors in turn. During this stage, the aspirant’s decisions and methods will be observed. Should someone meet the Gardeners’ standards, he will be offered a place in the order. Should he refuse, the order will work behind the scenes to persuade him that joining would be in his best interests — but only if it cannot be traced back to the order or cause actual harm.

Social Traits tend to be primary, but every trait is considered valuable. Different Gardeners will often coordinate, with each having an area of expertise. Spring courtiers are the most common members of the order.

Mien
Over time, the fingers of a Gardener are gradually stained green, as though she had been working with plants in the recent past and had not had time to clean. As the Wyrd rises, this becomes noticeable even in the mortal world. Gloves can cover this sign, but most of the order’s members are proud of their affiliations, and don’t care to conceal who they are from their fellow Lost.

Privileges

 * Oath of the Hallowed Ground: The character pledges to care for and shape an area, and the region itself hears her calls. This functions as a special pledge that is sworn upon whatever the character chooses, which must be renewed each month. The character promises not to abandon the region, and will spend time every day looking in on it and working to make it a place she cares for. In exchange, the region promises to help her. The character must define what she wants the area to be. An area can be any neighbourhood with an area not exceeding either a radius of (Character’s Wyrd x 200) yards, or a population of (Character’s Wyrd x 1,000) people. The definition can be anything that can be summed up in a single sentence (e.g. “street free from crime” or “artist’s haven”).

Whenever someone within the area is not aligned with its principles, they feel faintly uncomfortable, needing to make a Resolve + Composure roll. Those not opposed, but also not supportive to the principles gain three bonus dice. those who, either personally or by their goals, are directly opposed gain no bonus. If such an individual succeeds at the roll, he may remain for a number of days equal to successes rolled. If he fails, he may spend one Willpower at the end of the scene to remain for another scene and make a new roll. Supernatural creatures of any sort gain three bonus dice to this roll, regardless of purpose.

People whose desires are in alignment with the area find it calling to them, gaining a +1 die environmental bonus on rolls also in direct alignment with the area’s goals. Furthermore, as long as the area remains pledged, anyone who is aligned with it and spends at least a full day there must make a Resolve + Composure roll every week or else return, for a period of at least a few hours. Most of those who find the area will come back more often than that, and will flourish there.

A character may only swear a pledge to one region at a time. If she forsakes her pledge by not caring for the area, it turns against her. The purpose of the region changes to “make the character’s life miserable”, and all of its effects change to support that purpose. The area will change into one where those friendly to the character feel unwelcome, and the things she hates most in life take root and flourish. This antagonistic region remains in place for three months.