Holy Mother, High Priestess of The Lady

Holy Mother unknown

“Yes.  My betrayal…  but of what?  Would you rather die?  That would be the ultimate betrayal of your mother, your country, and your Goddess.  When you are older, daughter, you will learn what a mother will do to protect her child.  I am a priestess of the Mother of us all.  She knows what I do is not a betrayal, but a necessity.  Our Goddess does not demand the sacrifice of her children.  She is our sacrifice.”  The High Priestess stopped suddenly and put her face close to Aisha’s “Know this, daughter.  I take no joy in any of this, but it is what I must do FOR my Goddess and FOR my Queen.  To do otherwise would be the true betrayal.”

Excerpt from Blood of the Goddess: The Locust King

Physical Description

General Physical Condition

She is in good physical condition for a woman of her age.  However, after injuries sustained when Mahleck The Locust King took power over the Temple, she becomes weaker, needing a cane to walk properly.

Mental characteristics

Personal history

The Holy Mother has spent her life dedicated to the service of the Goddess.  She has been in her position for 32 years at the beginning of the siege of Adyll, having taken office upon the death of the previous Holy Mother one week after the birth of Queen Mila XI in the Temple.  Upon ascending to the office of high priestess, she gave up her name, becoming known only as the Holy Mother, or High Priestess.
The Holy Mother has twin sons who serve as bodyguards for Queen Mila.  These two men were born only five years before the Holy Mother took her place as high priestess.  She raised them within the Temple among the priestesses and priests employed there.  Eventually both became part of the order of warrior priests who protect the Temple and the royal family.  Both are renowned for their beauty and ability in battle.  Neither have married or started a family, which she greatly regrets.
More than all things, the Holy Mother is cunning and a pragmatist.  She believes that the best way to save Adyll's populace is compromise and intrigue - by feigning cooperation with Mahleck, she hopes to gain his trust.  She realizes too late that there is no trust to be gained, for she is a woman, and Mahleck believes all women are filled with deceit.
Having lost her trust in her own abilities, and desperately clinging to a belief in a Goddess that has not delivered them from this great evil, she finds herself in a struggle to reconcile her belief in a loving, all powerful Goddess with the cruel reality surrounding her.

Gender Identity

The Holy Mother's role is to exemplify the positive traits of womanhood as shown by the life of a wise older woman.  She sometimes struggles with this identity as things fall apart around her, becoming judgmental and critical instead of a wise teacher who guides her students to greater closeness with their Goddess.

Sexuality

As with most Adyllians, the Holy Mother has loved both men and women, though never choosing one long term love.  No one knows who fathered her twin sons, but in Adyll, this is not an uncommon or taboo arrangement as long as the children are properly cared for.

Education

The Holy Mother was trained for her role at the Temple, first as an acolyte, then a priestess, then as assistant to the previous Holy Mother.  She is well versed in the history and religion of Adyll and the Goddess, although she has not sought out any of the older texts to understand more than is taught in the orthodox accepted theology of the Temple.  She was trained to be a good administrator, not an Oracle or Librarian.

Intellectual Characteristics

The Holy Mother is above all things a pragmatist, as well as a master of manipulation and intrigue.  She is not a visionary or an imaginative person, focusing on what can be done in the here and now to keep her people safe.  She can be judgmental and cruel when challenged.

Morality & Philosophy

While the central tenant of the religion of the Lady is to care for the Lady's children, the Holy Mother believes that she knows what is best for the Lady's children.  She has been tasked with their care, and these children should listen and obey without question.  She believes that she alone can save her people from destruction, and that her decisions are final.  She also struggles with her faith in the Goddess, but will not admit to these struggles.

Taboos

The Holy Mother will not allow a child of a man from the Swarm to be born to a woman of the Temple.  She will go as far as administering an abortifacient to women who have had sexual relations with one of Mahleck's men, regardless of if those relations were consensual or not.

Personality Characteristics

Motivation

The preservation of Adyllian culture and religion is all consuming for the Holy Mother.  Everything she does is fueled by her need to keep the Lady's people safe.

Social

Religious Views

Serves the Lady, Mother of Adyll

The Locust King Serial chapter 1 will be released January 2023!

Current Status

Attempting to save the women of Adyll

Ethnicity

People of Adyll

Honorary & Occupational Titles

Holy Mother High Priestess

Age

late 60s

Current Residence

The Temple of the Lady/Locust

Sex

Female

Gender

Woman

Presentation

Feminine

Belief/Deity

The Lady