Kannerez-noz
Basic Information
Anatomy
Kannerez-Noz appear as three women of their intended victim's tuath, most commonly Bediz, which is the form they take when viewed in mixed company. They appear to be slightly taller than average, but have no anatomical differences than the creatures they appear as.
Ecology and Habitats
The washerwoman are traditionally found at communal lavoirs along lakes or rivers when the washing of the day has ended, but can also appear alongside streams and at fords in the river. Historically, these were remote locations removed from the main settlements, but in modern times, as civilization spreads and alternative lavoirs replace the traditional spaces, they may appear in washrooms, laundresses shops and similar locations.
Dietary Needs and Habits
The Kannerez-Noz are predators, drawing creatures in to wring the lifeforce out of their victims and feeding on their Aonoan. They lie in wait at the crossings of streams, preferring men but willing to settle for others if the option is not presented. They often target drunkards and other impaired individuals, seeing these as easy prey.
The Washerwoman are commonly exceptionally loud, working noisily in silence or singing loudly. They do not interact with others outside of their prey, which they will address directly by name, drawing on the victim's Fis to lure the passerby into helping wringing out their washing. The soliciters give a choice to offer aid. Those who stop to assist them, twisting against the motion of the creatures will have their bones broken by the violent action. Those who refuse are pulled into the stream and drowned. The only way to avoid these fates is to turn the laundry in the same direction as the washerwomen, every time, until daybreak.
The bodies are typically found at the ford the next day, with broken bones and draped in a cloth of brilliant white.
Additional Information
Social Structure
The Kannerez-Noz always appear in groups of three.
Uses, Products & Exploitation
Some manage to exploit the fear of the Kannerez-Noz in the populace. One guard stumbled upon a pair of women in white washing at the ford, and was forced to assist in the wringing, noting the high quality of the cloth, continuing to work all night. In the morning, when the pair had vanished, he discovered that the nearby castle had been robbed, the washers a pair of thieves that had made him an accomplice to their crime as they washed their stolen goods.
Geographic Origin and Distribution
Kannerez-Noz can be found from the Fortunate Isles to the County of Tolosa, but are most prolific on The Armorican Peninsula.
Civilization and Culture
Gender Ideals
The vast majority of Kannerez-Noz are female, but a male counterpart, the teurdous (“twister”), first appearing near Dinan, offers washerwomen help in wringing out their own clothing, following the same methods as his female counterparts.
Culture and Cultural Heritage
The Kannerez-Noz often sing while they carry out their washing, with the following song:
Tors la guenille, tors // Le suaire des épouses des morts. (Wring the rags, wring // the shroud of the wives of the dead).
Common Customs, Traditions and Rituals
These malevolent spirits are said to haunt fords and river passings, washing bloody linens in the waters. If encountered they would demand passerby help them wring out the cloth.
Giving help reluctantly would result in the arm of the wringer being broken from the supernatural force of the twist.
Refusal results in the victim being dragged into the water and drowned.
Only by turning with the Kannerez-Noz could one avoid these fates. One must continue this for the entire night to survive, and the Kannerez-Noz never tire. One slip up will result in mangling or death.
Common Taboos
Common Myths and Legends
The origins of these fearsome creatures is not known, but popular tradition places the first as a trio of corrupt washerwoman in the centuries of chaos following The Tear.
One story tells that the women took the clothing of the village, but refused to pay for cleaning agents for their poor clients, instead scraping the cloth with rough stones and ruining the fabric of those who had little to spare. A curse was laid upon them for their greed and they remained, shades at the Lavoirs.
Some stories tie their origin to the drowning of children, either mourning an accidental death or as penance for a child's death at their hands.
Other stories place the blame on improper burial, as the women were buried in dirty shrouds and now spend the afterlife attempting to wash away the dirt rather than crossing Mag Mor
Some theories paint them as misers who refused to give even scraps of cloth to the shivering poor.
Certain elements associated with The Southern Church names the washerwomen as the cursed souls of those guilty of infanticide, trying to wash away their sins in vain.
The cloth they wash is also hotly contested. In Letha, the clothing they wash is said to belong to those who will die at sea (in Letha) or battle (in the Fortunate Isles). In Akitania, they wash their sullied funeral shrouds, and in Gallia, the bloody sheets from past crimes.
Genetic Ancestor(s)
Scientific Name
Washers at the Ford, the Washerwomen
Average Physique
The washerwomen can appear in a variety of forms, depending on the Tuath of their prey, but are typically described as unusually tall and strong for that group.
Geographic Distribution
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