The Meadow

"Are you looking for anyone in particular my lord? Hmm? Oh, I see. Well, go have a seat over there and I'll send him over with a couple of drinks and you two can talk and find out how compatible you are. Is this your first time...it is, I can see. Just keep in mind, that no means no, and I dislike having to repeat myself."

— Maestro Devore

The History

The Meadow is many things to many people depending on the circumstances. The Meadow can be a safe haven, a savior and protector, a guardian, an educator, a place to go for a good time, a place to challenge yourself, a place to explore who you are, a dire enemy, a force to be reckoned with and for some, perhaps, the last thing they ever see. The Meadow is, ostensibly, a well-run collection of loosely established brothels scattered all over the world. Each one is owned and ran by a Master or Mistress. There are those who will go their wholes lives never learning or caring to learn more about The Meadow than this.

To those who look a little deeper there is a community that exists within each brothel and these smaller communities are in turn part of a larger community that connects them all. The point of these communities are friendship, love, connection, and protection. Should you look even deeper than that you will find a deep well of faith and reverence as well as worship of L’iaris, The Goddess of Love. While The Meadow is not exactly a religious order, they do fervently worship the Goddess of Love and hold true to her belief that love is meant to be freely offered and freely accepted. L’iaris tends to have a small temple or a house of worship in almost every city, town, and village in the world. Those places are the ones with which her name is widely associated. Her association with The Meadow is not a secret, but nor is it loudly proclaimed, because sometimes love is quiet and subtle.

The Meadow has its origins in the unlikely place of the Theocracy of Ordina, a nation ruled over by the Chorus of Harmony, the vast religious order which pledges fealty to Yshirea, The God of Order. It is a land which, for better of worse, has adopted an orderly lifestyle. Chaos is discouraged or outright removed, and this has painted Ordina with a brush of restriction and the crushing of free spirit. This painting is not entirely inaccurate either, but nor does it tell the whole picture, and it is not a picture we will delve into here. Let us just say that there are more shades of grey within Ordina than the Chorus might prefer. It was during a time of fierce fighting against the forces of chaos, or reorganization within the ranks of the Chorus, that The Meadow came to be.

Until this point in time the question of other gods and their worship within Ordina was considered to have been decided, but the Chorus itself was rent with a schism as some among the Chorus felt that certain gods were being unjustly persecuted by the Chorus. There was a meeting called, The Third Grand Oratorio, and when it concluded the places of the other gods was considered to be settled. Worship of the other gods, those not considered chaotic, were allowed and among them was L’iaris. Before this point the Chorus had handled the joining of those who wished to be together for all their lives. This was not the traditional marriage ceremony of those who loved each other, but it was a union ceremony or two becoming one. It was in this aftermath that other aspects of Ordinan society came under the scrutiny of the Chorus and with all such scrutiny it was the capital city that first felt the watchful gaze.

According to the story written down in the Choral Records, a brothel known as The Meadow had existed for a number of years and was well frequented by many in the city. It was called such because the man who ran it referred to all the men and women who worked their as pretty flowers. The Da Capo of the capital city, a man working directly under the Impresario, issued a notice to the brothel that it was to close its doors within a fortnight and to not further engage in chaotic activity during this grace period. The man who ran the brothel, a deeply devout member of the Chorus, took offense to this and challenged the accusation. Given he was a man with many friends he called in favors and there was a hearing before the Impresario himself within that fortnight. He spoke before the assembled countering the accusations levied against him by the Da Capo and by the end of the evening his eloquence had convinced the Impresario that brothels are not chaotic, not inherently. Chaos comes from people and if the people within are orderly, then a brothel can be orderly as well.

In the following months and years, the owners of other brothels approached the man for advice on how to ensure that their brothels would be looked at in a favorable light as well. He taught them everything he knew, for as long as he lived, about how he saw the world and how one should love others, what it meant to love and what was not love no matter what others might claim. Maybe claimed he was blessed by the Goddess herself for when he perished, owners of brothels all over Ordina pitched in to pay for not only his burial in the most prestigious of plots but also the statue of L’iaris which presides over his rest. They called him Maestro and to honor him they took on this title as well. As time passed it became the normal for those who ran a brothel to be called Maestro and for them to be run in this orderly and loving way.

These methods and their praise and worship of the Goddess of Love resulted in her favor and so she took these values with which they held dear and spread them among others in other lands. This continued as the various lands began to discover and interact with each other once more and knowledge of their counterparts began to filter back and forth among them all. The Maestros began to communicate with each other and establish more permanent methods of communication. They eventually adopted the name of The Meadow, to encompass them all for they were all flowers in the meadow under the warm light of their Goddess, L’iaris. As time marched on their influence spread until people in need knew if they were in need, if they were in danger, they could go to The Meadow to receive help and protection.

Values

There are many values and ideals that The Meadow hold dear, but they all stem from a single, simple tenet. Love must be free. Freely given and freely taken, freely offered, and freely accepted. If it is not, then it is not love. The consent of all parties involved is a must, and this extends to those who offer their companionship for money. The Meadow does not predate upon those who work there, for they are just as worthy of love as those who come to them seeking it. Love is not necessarily a lifelong experience, not in the eyes of The Meadow. It certainly can be and often will be among those in whom it burns strongly, but it can also last for a short while; or several short whiles spread out over a year. Love does not need to exist as a rock upon which you build, it can be the water in which you swim now and then, or the meal you partake of regularly. Love exists in so many forms and The Meadow finds validity in all of them.

For those who do not or will not abide by their central tenet, sometimes there is a warning issued, but only ever one. Should they break this trust again, show signs of going to break the trust, or should those of the Meadow dealing with it decide that a warning will not help, the offender is made aware that their presence is no longer tolerated among The Meadow. Simple ostracization, with word spread far and wide, is the lightest of judgements made by The Meadow. The more severe judgements ensure that the offender will not offend again. To protect another is a sincere expression of love, after all. To those who might call the Meadow hypocrites for their harsh judgements, those who do not show tolerance deserves none in return.

Every house belonging to The Meadow is a place of safety and sanctuary for those in danger of abuse and violence. They also act, quite often, as places where the community can voice concerns to those in power that isn’t through the normal public channels. The differences that exist between each house are reflective of the flavour and aesthetic that each Maestro desires. These differences do not matter so long as those who engage are willing and that true harm does not come to them. Love has many forms and sometimes it comes with teeth and claws. Softness is not a requirement.

Members

Those who count themselves as among The Meadow can be roughly divided among a few simple categories. There are the Maestros who each preside over one of the houses of The Meadow. It is their job to care for, provide for, educate, and direct those under their shelter. While not always the case, often a Maestro will find themselves in a position of social power and influence. They are almost always trustworthy people, for the Meadow does not tolerate otherwise. The petali are those who serve love to those who seek it. This love can be as simple as company, a warm smile and a friendly ear, or it can be as complicated as enjoying the delights each others’ bodies have to offer.

The steli are easily spotted among the others within a Meadow house for they will be wearing red silk around their throats. A kerchief, a ribbon, a scarf, etc. this is the sign that they are there to serve but are not open to expressions of love. How permanent this sign is lays entirely on the individual bearing it. The dornen are those who protect and guard, like the steli they wear similar sign around their neck, but theirs is of black silk instead of red. There are many flowers in the Meadow and some of them have thorns. Lastly there is the suolo and these may not all consider themselves part of the Meadow, but to those of the Meadow they are family. They are the community, the people who live all around them, the people who visit and experience the pleasures of love with them. The Meadow can not exist without fertile ground to grow in.

Within the Meadow there will form groups, men and women and others who desire each others company and who wish to recognize this as a bond between them all. Due to the requirement of consent, such groups tend to form around shared desires. Those which form for the purpose of engaging in erotic passions tend to be referred to as a camellia troupe. Those which form for the purpose of engaging in dominance passions tend to be referred to as a wildrose troupe. And lastly, those which form for the purpose of engaging in platonic passions tend to be referred to as a lotus troupe. These troupes may be stationary and remain in a city or town, or they may journey from place to place, from Meadow house to Meadow house.

Structure

When it comes to the structure of the Meadow as a whole, it is most similar to a vast web stretching across the world. Wherever a house resides, there a node in the web and each gossamer strand in that web is a line of communication. On the whole, each house is separate, owned and staffed by those who live and reside in the community. When the lines of communication are open, however, word is able to spread quickly…especially word of someone not welcome. In all Meadow houses, enchantment magic is expressly forbidden, as is using illusion or alteration magic to hide your identity.

There are three main types of Meadow houses; a Teatro, a Spielhaus and a Chaya. The Teatro is the most common and the most similar to a normal brothel though they go one step further and offer live and erotic entertainment to enjoy. Passion plays up on the stages to show those frequenting what love can be like, for them if they so desire. The Spielhaus is much like a Teatro, having passion plays and offering love, though a Spielhaus has a distinct edge to it. Their passion plays tend to include dominance and submission, bondage and painplay. A Spielhaus is a place to truly explore the depths of love, but only if you are willing. Such passions run the risk of true harm and so systems are used to ensure that all are cared for, before, during and after.

Lastly, there is the Chaya, and it is these where more subtle forms of love are found. Those who find themselves undesiring of sexual pleasure will find love among the petali here. Companionship, song and story, gentle touch, and comfort, all are found here. Should those who desire a little more truly want it, it can happen when all are ready for it to. The Chaya are places of rest and calm soul-searching.

Affiliations

While the Meadow does have its origins in Ordina, it’s spread throughout the world has given it a broad affiliation with all of the nations of the world. No one nation can be said to truly rule over it, not even Ordina. The spindles of the Light Elves will often carry messages for the Meadow and in return the Meadow will ensure them safe places to stay. The exchanging of news and stories is second nature to them both. Of course on a higher level, L’iaris is a strong supporter of The Meadow, but so are Zolaris and Lunaria as well. Murien is said to favor them, but not Cendar. Beyond these the Meadow general acts on its own.

Excerpt of the Choral Records audience for Sir Cocca (Maestro Cocca)