Strider

Role  ·  Gardener-mentor

Place  ·  The Tiered Gardens

Tradition  ·  Way of the leaf

"Walk lightly. Leave the branch stronger than you found it."

Strider is the name the gardeners use for the mentor who trained Valentro in the way of the leaf. Among the terraces of the Tiered Gardens and the Gardener's Guild, that means more than pruning and patience: it is a discipline of attention, quiet movement, and knowing when not to disturb what is growing.

What Is Known

Strider works within the culture of the Gardens rather than above it. The gardeners speak of them as someone who knows old paths, old trees, and the small signs by which a living place shows stress before anyone else notices.

Valentro learned beside Strider before his recent memories of swordwork began surfacing. Whether Strider recognizes those reflexes as something ordinary, dangerous, or familiar has not yet been established.

Connections

• Valentro - Student in the way of the leaf.
• The Tiered Gardens - Strider's work and teaching ground.
• The Gardener's Guild - The craft tradition around the Gardens.
• Liminal House - Part of the web of people and places that raised Valentro.

Gallery