The Tenders

So large and powerful they were—but gentle as the spring. Those who come after may not know of their kindness, nor of their great sacrifice, yet it is because of them that we still dwell in Humblewood. We owe them a debt that cannot be repaid.

When the fires of the Great Calamity blazed out of control, it was the treants who rose to our protection. They came from all over the Wood to surround the accursed conflagration. Skilled in the primordial magic of the very first druids, the eldest of their kind used their awesome power to form a barrier against the inferno. Their leaves burned to ash, their bodies charred and splintered. Through it all, the treants stood tall and firm, sheltering the Wood until a ritual abated the Calamity... though who knows for how long.

I suspect that, to whoever reads this, it may be hard to believe that treants were once a common sight in the Wood. Indeed, they could often be seen strolling through the hillsides. Each treant had its own grove and tended to all things living within it. The old stories say we took our name from the treants, for we too aspired to be Tenders of the forest. Being long-lived, the treants knew much of the Wood’s history, and, though they were towering creatures, not even the smallest seed escaped their notice. Above all else, they were teachers, and that is what we Tenders must strive to be. With the eldest and wisest of the treants lost to the flames, we must take their place, not only as keepers of lore and stewards of nature, but as those who tend to the very spirit of this world.

Althander of the New Leaf, Autumnal

From a weathered journal kept in the Tenders’ archives

Heading inwards, tunnels from the Market lead to a large fungus grove in front of a root-like building shaped into the tunnel walls. This is the headquarters of the Tenders.

You can usually find acolytes tending to the fungus grove. Though it might seem odd to let fungi grow on the Great Tree, Tenders have concluded that these naturally occurring fungi provide Alderheart with important nutrients and help to ward off harmful fungi. The building behind the grove is a lodging home for acolytes and traveling Tenders. It also contains an archive, one of several the Tenders have spread throughout the Wood. The Tenders welcome visitors with or without appointments.Although not technically a guild, another organization you’ll see around the city is an order of nature-speakers known as the Tenders. The order existed long before the city of Aldeheart was founded. Some of the first birdfolk who came to commune with the spirit of the Evertree were Tenders. Nowadays, folks in Alderheart see the Tenders in one of two ways: as useful druids who keep the city in balance with the Great Rhythm or as a collection of odd folk who ought to spend more time in the treetops than with their feet in the dirt. Regardless of what you may think of them, the Tenders have a strong presence in the city, and the doors of their headquarters in the Trunk Market are always open should you wish to hear what they have to say. You can find groves across the Trunk level where Tenders cultivate medicinal plants and fungi that grow naturally within the Evertree. The Tenders are knowledgeable herbalists, and folks regularly purchase their potions, tinctures, and salves. These cures are the Tenders’ main source of income. Nevertheless, should you ever find yourself in dire need of healing, no Tender worth their robes will turn you away. The Tenders are also scholars and teachers, and they’re always willing to help folks learn about the art of healing or natural magic. Shaped buildings within their groves house archives of knowledge accumulated over the generations, though you’ll need to speak with a Tender for access, as some of these texts are reserved for experienced members of their order.

All Tenders are united by a shared set of goals, despite how different Branches might approach them. Tenders view them - selves as wise teachers, dedicated to guiding others toward a life in balance with the Great Rhythm. They are also diligent sentinels, dedicated to foreseeing and averting threats to this balance, both natural and manufactured. This duty extends to safeguarding hazardous magics and powerful artifacts lest they fall into the wrong hands. When nature summons up storms, floods, or other life-threatening events, the Tenders work to lessen their harm, providing help for those injured or displaced and repairing the damage wrought to the natural world. Finally, the Tenders have a duty to tend to areas that have been scarred or corrupted by strong elemental energies. This includes shielding people from the monstrous creatures that live in such areas and gradually restoring the balance of elemental energies to help the land return to a natural state. Everden is home to many Branches of Tenders.

Characters who are part of the Tenders are usually good-aligned and are rarely evil, as one of the tenets of the order is compassion for all life. Those who act maliciously often find themselves shunned not only by their fellow Tenders but also by the forest itself. Tenders also embrace neutral alignments, for they are taught to respect the balance of nature.

While characters of all classes and backgrounds can make good Tenders, the order counts a large number of druids, monks, rangers, and wizards among them. As an organization with strong ties to the Amaranthines, especially Hanera and Henwin, clerics are often found in their ranks.

You should consider playing a Tender if:

l You like the idea of being a member of an order that works behind the scenes to avert threats before they manifest.

l You want to play a spellcaster with a deep respect and curi - osity for nature’s mysteries.

l You want to play an active part in saving humblefolk and birdfolk from the ravages of forest fires, floods, and other natural and unnatural disasters.

l You wish to work toward a world where birdfolk and humblefolk live in harmony both with nature and each other. 

 There are a variety of roles within the Tenders that members can fill. These roles denote a member’s primary focus within the order.

Wardens

Wardens work as field medics and rescuers during natural disasters. They provide relief in the aftermath of such events by setting up temporary shelters for creatures who have been displaced and using natural magic to heal surviving flora and fauna. They also go on missions to survey dangerous areas or investigate situations that could pose a danger to nature. Classes with an aptitude for both healing and athleticism excel at this role, especially rangers and paladins of nature.

Emberwardens

A role unique to the Tenders of the Scorched Grove, ember - wardens dedicate their lives to the revitalization of the flame- cursed wastes. Many emberwardens are clerics and monks, as their lifestyle is one of monastic discipline and contemplation.

Heartbraiders

Heartbraiders serve as mediators between people and nature, and they spread the Tenders’ teaching that the two are insep - arable. Usually, they are employed as shapers in Alderheart or as groundskeepers in protected groves. Heartbraiders are frequently druids.

Woodsages

Rather than take on an active role, woodsages work behind the scenes. They oversee the Tenders’ archives, ensuring that both new and old records are cataloged and preserved in accordance with the order’s wishes. Woodsages are often wizards or other spellcasters with scholarly inclinations.

Tenders teach that the Great Rhythm exists in a delicate balance. If this natural balance is ever broken, the Rhythm will correct itself in time, but the ensuing chaos will cost many lives and irrevocably alter the natural world. According to the Tenders, nature need not be cruel; it is far better if nature’s harmony can be maintained without needless bloodshed.

Joining the Tenders is not difficult as new recruits are always needed. Anyone who shows proper devotion to the tenets of the order is welcome among their ranks. 

Whereas roles in the Tenders describe the focus of a member’s efforts, ranks denote different levels of responsibility and trust within the order. Higher-ranking members have demonstrated a deeper understanding of the natural balance of the Great Rhythm and their place within it. The higher the member’s rank, the more they are encouraged to round out their experience through contemplation, study, in addition to direct experience in the field. Adopting this doctrine, a Tender learns to balance the spiritual, scholarly, and practical elements of the order’s teachings.

These ranks are not meant to be advanced through quickly. Generally, the transition from one rank to the next should accompany a major story beat.

The first riddles are a collection of thought experiments that can be posed to seedlings to give them a chance to ruminate on the teachings of the Tenders. A riddle is given to a new member who shows promise or a desire to advance further within the order. Upon giving an answer that shows an understanding of the cycles of nature and the great balance that keeps the world together, they become eligible to progress to the next rank. For example, when asked, “Is the hawk mightier than the rabbit?” a simple answer might be that the hawk is might - ier because it is a terrifying predator, but an answer that shows an understanding of the forces of nature would be that neither one is mightier. The hawk relies on the rabbit to live, and when the hawk dies, its remains nourish the soil, which grows the grass that the rabbit eats. A few sample riddles are given below, and whether or not an answer is accepted is up to the GM.

l Why must the leaves die in autumn?

l How is a tree like a community?

l Which came first, morning or twilight?

l What is the drop of water to the stream?

You have attained the lowest rank in the Tenders, representing the first stage of growth. You are granted access to most of the Tender archives, excluding texts guarded by the autumnals. If you show promise in the order, you will be posed with a sacred riddle to provoke thought on the balance of nature and your place within it.

As a seedling, you are taught a ritual that allows you to commune with nature and befriend a minor forest spirit. The forest spirit takes on the form of a Small or Tiny beast of chal - lenge rating 0 of your choice. The forest spirit has the statistics of the chosen form, though it is an elemental, fey, or plant (your choice) instead of a beast.

The forest spirit acts independently from you. It is friendly toward you and generally follows your instructions, but if you willingly harm nature or act in ways that are malicious or evil, the forest spirit abandons you. In combat, it rolls its own initiative and acts on its own turn. The forest spirit disappears when it drops to 0 hit points, leaving behind no physical form. It reappears after you spend an hour communing with nature.

Your forest spirit can communicate with you telepathically as long as you are within 100 feet of each other. Additionally, your forest spirit can communicate with any creature with which it shares a type.

You can’t befriend more than one forest spirit at a time. If you perform the ritual while you already have a forest spirit, you instead cause your forest spirit to adopt the form of a different Small or Tiny beast with a challenge rating of 0 of your choice. 

Prerequisites: Seedling rank in Tenders, and must have answered one of the first riddles of the order

You have answered one of the first riddles and begun your journey along the path to true wisdom. Sproutlings are encour - aged to study magic, to understand how it emerges from the primal energies of nature. This is where many internalize the “slow way is the best way” approach advocated by the order and where some begin to branch off into studies of the arcane. Sproutlings are likewise encouraged to supplement their independent learning with wisdom sought from more experienced members of the order.

As a sproutling, you will never find yourself wanting for a teacher. You can ask a Tender druid of sapling or higher rank for help with a problem you are currently facing. The GM will decide which NPC you have access to and the NPC’s rank. The NPC makes every reasonable effort to assist you but may only be able to offer information or advice. In some situations, the NPC may explain that they must step back to allow you to learn through adversity. In other situations, an NPC may insist on accompanying you or bringing the matter to the attention of higher-ranking members of the order.

Prerequisites: Sproutling or higher rank in Tenders of the Scorched Grove, and must have taken the Oath of Flame.

In attaining this special role, you have dedicated your life to healing the imbalance in the Scorched Grove, watching over areas that have been claimed by it, and understanding the strange creatures that make the Grove their home. As an emberwarden, you can still advance in ranks as normal, but your charge requires that you return to the Scorched Grove when not adventuring to continue your vigil.

You learn how to speak, read, and write Ignan (or another language if you already know Ignan). Additionally, you have advantage on Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charismachecks you make related to fire-based creatures of the Scorched Grove.

The Oath of Flame

This oath is recited in a special ceremony by those who wish to take on the mantle of emberwarden and dedicate themselves to tending the Scorched Grove.

I pledge upon the roots of the world,

to watch the flame that blights this land,

To revive the green where ash now swirls,

to shepherd fire with steady hand,

To keep safe all who do here tread,

to learn the secrets ash can teach,

To honor treants charred and dead,

to keep their final hope in reach.

This pledge I make becomes my oath,

a covenant with errant flame,

To Humblewood and nature both,

and all life in the Rhythm’s name.

Prerequisites: Sproutling rank in Tenders, and either the ability to cast the spell cure wounds or proficiency in the Medicine skill.

You now have the experience and wisdom to apply your knowledge in the practical service of natural balance. You are also expected to help lower-ranking members who ask for your advice.

As a sapling, you may be tasked with journeying across the Wood as an official warden of the Tenders. While acting in this capacity, you can usually count on villagers to offer free lodging. When assigned a mission, you can ask a summerblos - som to lend you a treasure of the order to help you complete your task. You can choose from among antlers of the true path* , a belt of the weald* , or a ring of animal influence. Whichever object you pick must be returned once the mission is complete. The GM decides which of these treasures, if any, are available to you.

Prerequisites: Sapling rank in Tenders, and a completion of a valorous deed for the order.

You have shown your ability to combine study and experience in the service of nature and demonstrated that you have both the courage and the wisdom to lead. As a summerblossom, you are tasked with mentoring others in the order, directing the movements of lower-ranking members, and leading wardens in the field when necessary. While you don’t have the same ability to communicate with the treekeeper as autumnals, any concern you pass onto an autumnal will be taken seriously. You may also access the most heavily guarded lore in the Tenders’ archives, though you must first obtain permission from the autumnals, who safeguard it. You are responsible for directing the efforts of lower-ranking members of the order based on information shared with you by the autumnals. You lead a team of 2d6 acolytes and 2d4 druids of sapling rank or lower. You have the authority to task these NPCs with specific missions, though any mission you assign must be of relevance to the goals of the order. You may call upon 1d4 acolytes and a druid from among these to assist you directly with a task for the order. In these situations, you are responsible for their safety, and you may be held accountable should anything go wrong.

Prerequisites: Sapling or higher rank in Tenders, and the ability to cast at least 4th-level spells.

Your contemplation on the nature of magic has granted you insights that are recognized by your peers. You are now seen as among the wisest of your order, and you are responsi - ble for utilizing your vast knowledge for the good of Everden.

As an autumnal, you are on equal footing with summer - blossoms, but where they have committed themselves to practical matters, your responsibilities focus on the contempla - tive. You have access to the most restricted lore in the archives, and you are charged with ensuring that dangerous objects kept safe by the order do not fall into the wrong hands. You are also appointed to a circle composed of autumnals who regularly convene to determine the future of your Branch. The decisions made in these meetings are shared with the summerblossoms, and you are expected to offer guidance to a summerblossom whenever it is requested. You can also communicate directly with the treekeeper, wherever their journeys have taken them, using a scroll of sending. The treekeeper may not reply imme - diately, but they welcome your insights and will reply when they are able.

Prerequisites: Summerblossom or Autumnal rank in Tenders, and must complete a special test (decided by the GM)

Legends say that long ago, Tenders who wished to attain the rank of treekeeper would be submitted to a trial in the Scorched Grove to ascertain the purity of their intentions. This title is awarded to only one member of each Branch, and only when either the previous treekeeper has fallen or when a new Branch of the Tenders is created. Having passed a great trial, you have now become the leader of your own Branch. While you don’t have the authority to issue directives to other Branches, your position grants you respect among all Tenders as a leader. Your responsibility is not only to issue general instructions to your Branch’s circle of autumnals but also to obtain information that can be shared with them to help uphold the natural balance in the region your Branch is sworn to tend. Some Branches, such as the Tenders of the Scorched Grove, use this information to manage or heal threats to the natural balance, while other Branches must instead keep a vigilant watch for signs of impending danger.

Treekeepers generally aren’t present as leaders, delegating the bulk of administration to their circle of autumnals. Instead, they work to further the goals of their Branch through their own actions. Some spend their time in contemplation and study, communing with nature, as well as doing research and experimentation. Others journey to uncover lost knowledge, which may help predict threats or find solutions to heal areas scarred by elemental imbalance.