The Wardens

Summary

The Wardens are a faction headed by Viscount Levan Borgar, a minor noble who garnered greater attention when he began courting Ilona de Brasov, Count Farkas' eldest daughter. This faction operates as a military organization where Borgar is the lead, holding the title of Grand Marshall, though it is widely debated just how influential Ilona is in decisions made by the order. Regardless, the organization is a powerful one, having the largest standing army in the realm, and having Borgar as lead, who has already shown himself to be an excellent commander and strategist.

History

Their name, The Wardens, is short-hand for a name borrowed from near-ancient history. Avardon natives will know the tale of the Wardens of the Willow, an ancient military and religious order that was founded by the man who settled the country's mainland from savages and monsters; an ancestor of the de Brasov family and a heroic, near-messianic, figure to loyal countrymen. Though they have borrowed the name, there is little connection between the modern-day Wardens and their historical counterparts, making a split in belief where some feel the faction to be the return of an old order and a reason to hope, but others believe it to be armored thugs disrespecting the memory of old heroes.

Regardless of such scandals, The Wardens gained quite a bit of sympathy when those hiding behind Livarun's walls dared to trek into the open wilderness and attempt to resettle the surrounding areas. It was bands of the newly-organized Wardens that acted as spear-heads, which engaged monster, beast, or bandit, and cleared much of the farmlands surrounding Livarun and beyond. In years to come, the Wardens were able to settle the central lands, the viscounty that just so happened to belong to their Grand Marshall, Viscount Borgar. On the ruin of the old Borgar family fort was their headquarters built, and the faction has operated from behind its walls ever since.

Organization

Despite having dropped any focus on religion and replaced it with a duty to resettle and perhaps save Avardon, the Wardens still organize themselves like a religious order. There are three divisions members are placed in. By order of seniority, these divisions are Officers, Knights, and Auxiliaries:

• Leading the Officers, and the order as a whole, is the Grand Marshall. Beneath that rank is the Seneschal, the leader's right-hand man. There are several honorary or duty-specific ranks in-between, but the most notable below this is the Prior, who acts as the link between the Officers and the Knights.
• Leading the Knights is the Knight Commander, who reports to the Prior. Under that rank is the Knight Major, who acts as the Commander's right-hand man. Below these two are all the Knight Captains, who operate their own 'lances' of knights. Lances tend to be between ten and twenty knights, not including supporting Auxiliaries, and can attach to other lances to form companies.
• The Auxiliaries are something of a special division, as an auxiliary can be anything from a hired soldier to a camp follower. Knight Captains are given the freedom, and a very low sum, to hire any assistance they feel appropriate. This can mean hiring mercenaries when numbers are needing reinforcement, or taking on healers after a defeat. The Commander is known to hold Captains responsible for anything Auxiliaries do, so one can expect heavy scrutiny when being considered.

Locations

• Desert Castle; the castle in the central desert, probably their HQ.

Notable Figures

• Levan Borgar; Grand Marshall of the Wardens and Viscount of the central territories.
• Ilona de Brasov; eldest daughter and heiress of Count Farkas, and known lover of Viscount Borgar.
• Malkolm Kossutt; Seneschal of the Wardens and explicit loyalist of the Grand Marshall.
• Bertalan Telzki; the Prior, a once-knight, and perhaps the oldest member of the Wardens.
• Artur Kossutt; the recently-appointed Knight Commander, after his predecessor died.