Court of Feathers
The Court of Feathers
Though the three aspects of the Ward vary greatly in their roles, those drawn to work within this section of Galvia tend to be empathetic, wise, and charitable souls with a desire to give back to their community. All three parts of the Ward work directly for the people in some way: physicians attend to injuries, those sick both physically and mentally, and work on the mind and body aspects of cleansing Touched; the clergy preach and teach of Rhystian and Galvian history, uplift the people’s morale, and attend to the spiritual aspects of cleansing Touched; and oracles look beyond to the future within the skies and scry what is to come so that all may reap a better tomorrow.
While this is especially true for the clergy, the Ward also tends to attract the most devout to its ranks. The Earth Dragon Paludrex sees the most worship as the grand guardian and patron deity of Galvia. Other than Paludrex, his children, the Greater Earth Spirits, see the most worship in Galvia: Delta, Hysena, and Sylva in that order. As the people who directly attend to Galvia’s past, present, and future, the Ward knows it is vital to represent and embrace the great Dragon’s values. In accordance with Paludrex, those of the Ward put great emphasis upon valuing order, endurance, responsibility, longevity, and the preservation of humanity. No matter how the outside world changes, Galvia has a duty to its patron and people to remain steadfast in protecting what is right, yet being willing to change for the greater good just as Paludrex made the first push to end the Convergence.
Despite the Ward’s tireless noble work and intentions, the downside of such fidelity means that those of the Ward tend to be sticks-in-the-mud prone to all the flaws of bureaucracy. In practice they may come off as holier-than-thou, snobbish, and pedantic. It is important for those of the Ward to maintain an esteemed reputation, for what good can physicians, faith leaders, and diviners of fate do if their people do not trust their expertise or intent? This, in turn, can make the Ward feel as though they are unappreciated by the people they serve. Performing thankless work can have negative effects on the mind, causing the Ward to treat the people more coldly, and thus the cycle continues. It’s often a balancing act to stay true to one’s values, act as a role model, and encourage others to behave accordingly without making them feel small or lesser. Discordance shall lead to the death of Galvia.
Though no one knows for certain the exact events that led to the creation of the Ward, it is commonly accepted as a snowball effect brought on by the Reflecting Well. Though faith and healing are both concepts central to even the most rudimentary societies, the third aspect of the Ward does not share that trait. While the stars themselves were always bearers of reverence and conduits of prophecy, their importance was lesser-known. The Reflecting Well changed that.
Faith has always been strong in Galvia, and remains so in the modern day. The same can not be said of the city’s physicians; many were tied to the churches themselves, or functioned as one or few in small-scale clinics. Neither of these situations support the creation of the unified hospitals of modern Galvia- but they formed anyways. It’s for that reason that the following theory is the most commonly accepted one as to how the Ward came to be, and it is tied closely to the creation of the Reflecting Well.
Oracles have existed in Galvia long before the Well was created, for it was through them that it was made; and yet, it was only after this event that they were thrust into public perception. Little is known of their activities before this time, especially as their groups swiftly went from unknown to common knowledge. The allure of divination is grand, and so many who had no ties to the stars began to seek out the tenders of the Well to see what their future held. There were more petitioners than oracles, however- vastly more.
This is where it is thought the clergy join the growing Ward. With so many people seeking prophecy and so few oracles, many were left disappointed; an environment fit for proselytization. This indirectly began to bring the physicians tied to faith together, resulting in wounded citizens beginning to gravitate towards the reaches of the Well- for if one doctor was unavailable, there were likely to be more. This, in-turn, attracted healers not associated with the faith- and when even that proved insufficient to properly care for the citizens of the city, eventually resulted in the formation of the hospital that continues to tend to the city of Galvia as a whole.
As the Ward is itself a conglomeration of three different groups, it is one of the districts most prone to internal disagreements. It is itself this disunity that allows it to address as many problems as it does; in modern Galvia, it acts as the city’s bastion against plague, faithlessness, and uncertainty.