View source for Wardens of The Emerald Grove

The mysterious and rarely-witnessed Wardens of The Emerald Grove are barely more than shadows roaming the forests of [[T&27Nanshi|T’Nanshi]].  Reports of their whereabouts surface quickly and usually involve a heroic rescue or last-minute aide in a battle gone wrong.  However, any attempt to trace the members’ quick exit from the scene usually fails leaving doubt even in the minds of those that tell the story.  Some say the Wardens are part of the [[Guild:GreenOrder|Green Order of The Forest]].  Others say they are only loosely associated with that mage order.  The truth of the relationship may lie somewhere in between, but what is known is that whatever the truth is for the existence of the Wardens, it must involve magical means to hide it or to perpetuate the lie.

One elaborate tale about the Wardens of The Emerald Grove portrays them as an ancient order not originally associated with The Trust or its predecessor, the old Fold of Nine.  The legend tells of a pocket plane created by early elves in [[T&27Nanshi|T’Nanshi]] as a place of escape in case a being like the [[Negerai Prime]] ever returned to [[Avlis]].  The pocket plane, resembling a grove environment, could act as a temporary refuge for the elves or any stray ancient spirits they found in the event of a disaster.  According to sages familiar with the legend, the Emerald Grove, as the pocket plane is called, has several exits to other planes of existence, such as the plane of Faerie, the Happy Hunting Grounds, and later an outlet to the Celestial Dragonlands provided by [[His Most Splendid Majesty]] who rules a small pantheon to the south of [[Negaria]].  

If this is true, the Wardens of The Emerald Grove are in charge of safeguarding an ancient secret and a valuable means of escape.  In the wrong hands, such a place could also serve as a means of travel to other coveted planes for maleficent purposes. Even with a hint of such a legend, the [[Guild:GreenOrder|Green Order of The Forest]], which has deep roots among the elves and the forests of [[T&27Nanshi|T’Nanshi]], would take a keen interest.  Setting up a relationship between the two organizations to provide material support and aid for keeping secrecy would make sense.  Indeed, the Wardens of The Emerald Grove in modern times may in fact be a sub-group of the [[Guild:GreenOrder|Green Order]], absorbed over time and populated with mages from there.  However, no Archmage of the [[Guild:GreenOrder|Green Order of The Forest]] has confessed to such.

Accounts of the Wardens of The Emerald Grove tell of wizardry mixed with archery or powerful magics of protection and hiding.  It seems such skills would be necessary for getting into position and escaping without detection.  Moreover, since few stories of the hidden group have ever mentioned direct hand-to-hand struggles with living members, it serves to reason that ranged methods such as archery and magics that augment it would be a likely tool favored by the Wardens.  

The Chaotic portrayal of the group’s actions also suggests that there is likely little order or protocol observed among the Wardens compared to the more highly-organized Nine Orders of Magic.  It is thought that senior members who are more skillful with melding magic and bow are responsible for the group’s actions and the mentoring of newer recruits.  Whatever figure leads the Wardens most likely also has secret association with the upper echelons of both the [[Guild:GreenOrder|Green Order]] and The Trust.  Beyond that, it is anyone’s guess how the organization’s internal workings proceed.

The other orders of magic seem to have the same sense of confounding frustration when it comes to pinning down the Wardens’ actions.  For orders serving the Evil aspects of magery, finding out the location of the rumored pocket plane known as the Emerald Grove would be a boon.  Controlling such a crossroads would bring a lot of power with it.  Orders of Good and Neutrality would of course oppose such actions, and for the same reasons:  to keep such a disaster from ruining the affairs of the world, and to prevent the Evil organizations from spreading into the connected planes from the grove.