I could use some collective perspective and wisdom concerning the overall hierarchy and structure of the Gnarley rangers. I have perused the following source guides: From the Ashes, Greyhawk: Player's Guide, Complete Guide to Rangers (mainly read about Foregatherings), and Living Greyhawk Gazeteer.
I know this group is only loosely organized, with Ranger Knights as the 'main leaders' with juniors who follow them, and that Corustaith is their main base of operations. Parsimmon Turmercan is listed as the 'leader' of this place, so I am wondering:
1) Is he the (un?)official leader of the Rangers as a whole, perhaps elected by other ranking Ranger Knights?
or
2) Is he only the leader (major type?) of Corustaith itself (perhaps as a founding member)?
That's up to you, of course. My impression is that Parsimmon Turmercan's claim to fame is that he's the only one of the seven Ranger-Knights who stays in Corustaith year round, while the others wander and only gather there every few months. He doesn't have any authority over the others, and in fact probably has less authority than the others. The Rangers of the Gnarley have "no leaders who issue orders or directives" but they meet at Corustaith to share information. Because Parsimmon is always at Corustaith, he has less information to share, and is therefore less influential. But the Ranger-Knights thought one of them ought to hold the fort, and he drew the short straw. Maybe he only runs the town because his brother owns the inn, or maybe his brother owns the inn because he runs the town.
Last edited by rasgon on Sat Nov 18, 2017 6:28 pm; edited 1 time in total
Curious how you came to number only 7 Ranger-Knights...what source guide? Maybe I glossed over that.
I wouldn't say that Parsimmon is less influential actually, but is perhaps MORE influential among the rangers BECAUSE he 'runs' Corustaith, in fact. After all, it is the major hub of activity in the region where goods and services, as well as information, can be garnered. I see Parsimmon as the main diplomat or liaison, de facto 'face' of the Gnarley Rangers, especially to the outside world. If somebody wants to contact the Gnarley Rangers, they come to Corustaith, and there meet with Parsimmon himself.
I agree that Parsimmon doesn't directly tell the other Ranger-Knights what to do, or how to do it, but think that they all collaborate together as how to best defend the forest at large. However, for whatever reason, Parsimmon has a very pivotal role to play as one of the main movers and shakers among this group.
Curious how you came to number only 7 Ranger-Knights...what source guide? Maybe I glossed over that.
From the Ashes, Campaign Book, page 41. "The group is democratic and has no leaders who issue orders or directives, but there are seven Ranger Knights who meet at Corustaith every two or three months to share information at the Gilded Acorn there."
200 Rangers of the Gnarley in total, and there are seven active Ranger Knights (which in 1st edition was a level title for 9th level rangers, but which has a looser definition in From the Ashes; Parsimmon is 13th level, which in 1e terms would be a Ranger Lord).
Quote:
I wouldn't say that Parsimmon is less influential actually, but is perhaps MORE influential among the rangers BECAUSE he 'runs' Corustaith,
Perhaps. It depends on whether he's stationed at Corustaith because they respect him, or because they don't respect him. Perhaps he's valued for his people skills, or perhaps he just isn't very good at scouting around. Perhaps both. Maybe he's too old for active duty. Maybe it's just because his brother owns the inn, and his brother is secretly the one with the most influence.
Thanks for finding the information on the number of Ranger Lords. Yeah, my bad...I glossed over that.
I guess it is up to interpretation. I figure that the Gnarley Rangers act like a type of oligarchy where the Ranger Lords/Ladies (the Knights) meet to discuss matters of importance regarding the forest and 'vote' how best to conduct business to that effect. They then divvy up responsibilities amongst themselves, each Ranger Knight protecting a part of the forest (like a territory), and directing his/her subordinates (Junior rangers, etc.) as they see fit.
The Complete Guide to Rangers discusses Foregatherings as well. I imagine that Corustaith could be the major focal point for most Foregatherings (though not necessarily all of them), primarily those around the festival seasons.
My party's priest of Pelor has been granted lands in the south east of grids W3 & 12, across the Jewel River from Narwell. We're flashing forward a few years on all the PC's, so they can develop their holdings a bit before big adventures come.
With the settlement being near the Gnarley, the info in this thread really helps.
My party's priest of Pelor has been granted lands in the south east of grids W3 & 12, across the Jewel River from Narwell. We're flashing forward a few years on all the PC's, so they can develop their holdings a bit before big adventures come.
With the settlement being near the Gnarley, the info in this thread really helps.
While not directly related to the Gnarley Rangers, I would add "The Gleaming Glade" into the mix depending on when your time line is. Reasoning is it is a group Dynamic that the Gnarley Rangers would most certainly be aware of dealing with druids in opposition to Ehlonna. (See The Marklands-p25).
I would further flesh out the interaction with taking a look at the Knights of Luna, The Knights of the High Forest and Dragon Magazine #317 had an article on the Ranger Knight of Furyondy as well.
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