What is a Living Campaign?

What is the Green Regent?

By Eric Menge and Stephen Radney-MacFarland

Those of you new to Loudwater and the Delimbiyr Vale may be asking yourself, "What is the Green Regent?" Well, my friends, the answer is delightfully easy and yet tricky. For the answer is, "It depends."

The Green Regent is a Dream

A dream made manifest. The Delimbiyr Vale is dear to the goddess Mielikki, who watches over the land, and protects it from those who would despoil its verdant beauty. Mielikki dreams of a harmony between civilization and nature, and seeks to make the lands around the River Shining a haven for her ideals and her worshippers. This dream is the rule of the Green Regent.

Rule may be a misnomer. The Green Regent holds no real temporal power, but rather rules over the hearts and minds of the good people of Loudwater. Holding no castles, owning no land, and lacking the allegiance of any real army, the Green Regent's rule is symbolic, but with some very real effects.

Under the Green Regent, hunters are careful to maintain the animal population. Timbering is almost unknown, with most firewood coming from deadfall. When timber is needed, loggers selectively harvest the forest and replant saplings when it thins too much. The rangers and druids provide guidance as needed, and the clerics of Mielikki keep a watchful eye on the Delimbiyr Vale.

The Green Regent traditionally guards the valley from incursions, invasions, and other threats to the Forest Maiden's harmony. This protector is served by scions: an oathsworn few who share the dream. Bards liken the lands around the River Shining to a lush garden-where natural beauty is carefully pruned to produce an almost supernatural paradise. Much of this is due to the tireless efforts of the Green Regents and their scions.

If the Green Regent's rule is this dream's manifestation, Loudwater is its reflection. The City of Grottos's gardens bloom with flowers amid lush grass. Ivy climbs over the buildings pulling the town deep into nature's embrace. Beyond the city's wards and earthen ramparts, fields are exceptionally fertile and farmers raise outstanding vegetables. The meadows are bedecked with wild flowers throughout most of the year. The forests are the province of fey, centaurs, and unicorns.