The Dark Wardens

Head Warden   The Head Warden is a devout follower of Lyssras and is selected by the members of her temple in Concorde. The Head Warden determines the length of a person's punishment after they are sent to the Dark Gateway by the Assembly of Concorde and they give and manage the curses placed upon prisoners, which compel them to serve the tenets of the Dark Gateway. Head Wardens do not often remain in power for long as the curses they place are known to be taxing on the soul. To bestow the curse, one must give up a bit of their own life.   Wardens   The Wardens are guardians of the Dark Gateway who protect the ancient portal from misuse and shield the world from the undead that emerge from beyond. They are enforcers and typically choose to serve themselves, though those who have been sent to the Dark Gateway with light sentences and are not given the curse may also serve as wardens during their imprisonment. Those who serve well may either stay as Wardens or finish out their sentences and return to their lives before.   Ferriers   Ferriers are those who are bound by Lyssras's Curse. They are serving sentences given to them for crimes in the Valley of Nova. Ferriers are sent to fight the undead directly and to close the rifts to the Darkened Paths. This work is incredibly dangerous and many do not survive. They must use their own lifeforce to seal the rifts, and the portals--like the one at the Dark Gateway--are impossible to close with Fragmentia's current understanding of these gates.   Researchers   Researchers are bound not only to Lyssras's Curse, but also in chains, where they are forced to read ancient texts, write reports on their findings, and catalogue the new library of the Champions. it is incredibly taxing and difficult work, and is often exploited by the Assembly of Concorde, as much of the work at the Dark Gateway is.

The Dark Wardens make up a small number of Lyssras's followers in Fragmentia, but they have gained perhaps the highest place of any of Lyssras's cults in terms of political position. When the Assembly of Concorde learned of rifts opening to the Darkened Paths and that the undead were breaking free to terrorize the Material Plane, the first members of the cult came forward with some of the research they uncovered from a few of Nova's ancient texts.    A philosopher from before the Shattering wrote extensive notes on the Darkened Paths and potentially reaching them from the Material Plane. In the philosopher's research, he did manage to open a portal and then to close it again, but in doing so, he sacrificed his own life to Lyssras.    The Assembly, desperate to find an easy solution to this new problem in the Valley, allowed the Dark Wardens to begin conducting experiments on the rifts and eventually allowed them permanent residence at what would become known as the Darkened Gateway. In the year 801 FP, the Dark Wardens were fully recognized by the Assembly of Concorde and in the 812 FP, Head Warden Colton Utrielle developed Lyssras's Curse based on his own readings about Lyssras's early past as a Champion. Head Warden Utrielle brought his findings forward to the Assembly and it was his suggestion to use the Assembly's prisoners to serve sentences to the Dark Wardens as a means of protecting the Valley.    There is a large fracture in the Temple of Lyssras in Concorde about the Dark Wardens, and in recent years, more and more priests have begun to renounce all affiliation with the Dark Wardens, calling them a dangerous cult blaspheming the true nature of Lyssras's past. However, the Assembly has become accustomed to exploiting the Dark Gateway's prisoners, and have not yet been swayed to sever ties with the cult. Citizens throughout Concorde have begun to protest against the Dark Wardens as knowledge of their use of Lyssras's Curse has spread and the dangers many prisoners have faced in closing the rifts to the Darkened Paths, especially given new information presented by the main Temple of Lyssras in closing the rifts without a loss of life.

The main tenets of the Dark Wardens are service, closure, and repentance. They believe that everyone has something to repent for, and that the only way to safely traverse the Darkened Paths in the afterlife is to live in a cycle of servitude and closure on the path toward repenting.    They are especially concerned with closing the rifts and portals opening to the Darkened Paths, though this is not the full truth. Much like Colton Utrielle, many Head Wardens since have become obsessed with understanding the Darkened Paths and the ability to harness their energy. Research and experimentation with these rifts is not uncommon, and not fully secret either. The Dark Wardens have become comfortable in their place at the side of the Assembly of Concorde, leading to much revelations surrounding their true nature.

The Dark Gateway   Due to their pact with the Assembly of Concorde, the Dark Wardens have access to weapons, horses, gold, equipment, and prisoners. Many of these resources go into traveling to rifts across the Valley of Nova, and in equipping Wardens and Ferriers with the necessary equipment to perform their duties. They have built a large estate around the Dark Gateway, a massive portal to the Darkened Paths, and it is fortified with a number of things provided to the Dark Wardens by the Assembly. The Dark Gateway is located beyond the Opening, to the east of Concorde, and sits alone within the Whisper Woods.