The Fellowship of the Garden of Love
By Jamie 'Trotsky' Revell
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Note! This is a fan contribution. The information may be
contradicted by official material.
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The old world is over, but all you need is love.
During the Ban, many new institutions were established to help promote the word and ideals
of the New Hrestoli Idealist Church. Among them was the Fellowship of the Garden of Love,
named for its central meeting place, a great landscaped park in Hingswell, complete with
streams, fountains, hedge mazes, rose trellises and discrete meeting places. The Garden
had been created specifically for the Fellowship, and was imbued with a powerful magical
essence of harmony and love, that affects all those who visit.
Since that time, the Fellowship has become popular amongst knights and damsels alike, as
a means to promote some of the highest ideals of the Church and the new Loskalmi culture.
Even the Thaw, with its concurrent exposure of the Loskalmi to the harsh realities of
outside life, has done nothing to dent the enthusiasm of many young lovers who wish for
a proper framework for their wooing, not to mention the chance to spend time alone in an
enchanting and beautiful setting.
| Form: |
Loose knit chivalrous and courtly association. |
| Cultural Context: |
A popular Loskalmi institution, supported by the nobility. |
| Ideology: |
Hrestoli Idealism, with an emphasis on spiritual self-improvement through unselfish
romantic love. |
| Look and Feel: |
A courteous and refined association of knights and damsels; Mallory meets Jane Austen. |
| Purpose: |
To promote the ideals of romantic courtly love throughout Loskalm. |
| Headquarters: |
The Garden of Love, Hingswell. Smaller 'gardens of love' are located in or near other
major cities. |
| Reactions: |
The Fellowship is regarded by most as a glowing example of Loskalmi chivalry. More
practically minded knights, and those from neighbouring kingdoms, believe it to be soft
and decadent and that it detracts warriors from their true calling. |
Resources
| Leader: |
The Fellowship has no leader as such; Lady Lysette of Umbrin is perhaps the most
significant sponsor, and provides for a major part of the upkeep of the Hingswell
Garden of Love. |
| Renowned Members: |
Couples who have previously achieved fame through the Fellowship include Sir Durvik
the Carpenter and Lady Petrina and Sir Loriman the White and Lady Temperance the Pure.
Sir Ulric of Linderthorpe is perhaps the most famous of the Fellowship still to be single;
he has won many tournaments and dedicated the victories to his mysterious paramour (whose
identity is a matter of much courtly gossip and speculation). |
| Membership: |
Around 400, evenly divided between men and women (excluding sponsors). |
| Other Contacts: |
The funding for the Fellowship's gardens and for major social events that it sponsors
is provided by a number of nobles throughout Loskalm, especially female followers of
St Palenna. |
Organisation
The Fellowship of the Garden of Love is a very loosely organised institution. All members
are of equal standing, and have equal access to available facilities and social functions.
The various sponsors are the closest thing the Fellowship has to leaders, since it is their
funding that provides for it's upkeep, and the nature of their personal interests inevitably
shapes how that money is spent. However, they receive no direct benefit from this association -
although they may well gain a number of useful allies and heightened social recognition!
Sponsors may occasionally hold informal meetings to decide on how joint bequests should best
be handled, but otherwise there is no leadership structure.
Beyond this, the older and more experienced members of the Fellowship induct new members and
carry out similar administrative duties on a semi-formal basis. If serious problems arise that
require formal censure, they make use of the regular Loskalmi legal system rather than dealing
with matters internally.
Membership Keyword
| Membership Requirements: |
A male applicant must be a member of the knight, wizard or noble classes (the vast
majority are knights), and a member in good standing of the Hrestoli Idealist Church.
Female members must dedicate themselves to St Palenna, although they may also have other
patron saints. In practice, this latter rule makes membership very difficult for working
women to attain - the dedication required takes up too much time, so that almost all
female members are the daughters of upper class parents who have never taken a career of
their own. |
| Mental Abilities: |
Compose Love Poetry, Dancing, Make Small Talk |
| Typical Personality Traits: |
Passionate, Romantic |
| Magic: |
Membership of the Low Order of St Palenna, the Patron Saint of Romantic Love is
compulsory for women, and encouraged for men. |
Guardian Being
| Method: |
Emanation |
| Form: |
The Garden of Love, Hingswell. Both the vegetable and mineral components of the Garden
(including statuary, gazebos etc.) compose the physical form of the guardian being. |
| Membership Requirements: |
Members must dedicate themselves to the ideals of romance, and, if male, must swear
never to allow a defenceless woman to come to harm. They must also take a vow to never
betray their true love, and to remain chaste with all others. |
| Awareness Function: |
Sense Lover's Peril (men), Sense True Love (women) |
| Blessing Function: |
Honour Lover by Heroic Combat (men), Sooth Lover's Pain (women) |
| Defence Function: |
Remain Alive (men), Defend Chastity (women) |
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