The Eva

Over the generations, from mother to daughter, the Eva were sanctified. They are the mistresses of lineages and guardians of oaths. In its mercy, the Light gives women a new chance, in opposition to Lilith, to give birth to those who will be responsible for finding the Egg of Wonders
   
     

Matrons of Ink and Spirit

   
 
matron-tattoed
The title of Eva stands as a sacrosanct honorific,
embodying the dual essence of wifehood and
motherhood. It is not merely a name but a station
of profound reverence, bestowed only upon those
who have endured the stringent tutelage of their
lineage. The path to becoming an Eva is paved with
rigorous instruction, where royal daughters, from their
earliest years, are groomed in the arts of calligraphy and
illustration, disciplines that marry precision with inspiration.

This education is not frivolous; it is laden with purpose.
The Evas are the ink-bearers of their bloodline, charged with
the sacred act of inscribing glyphs and sigils upon the flesh of
their offspring marks that carry ancestral blessings,
divine invocations, and the weight of heritage.
These tattoos are not mere decorations but living testaments to the unbroken bond between the mortal and the transcendent.   Only on the eve of their union are these young women anointed with the title of Eva. Marriage, to them, is a culmination of duty and transformation. Draped in veils and crowned in glyphic symbols of their house, they ascend to their new roles not merely as consorts to kings and lords but as matriarchs, weavers of bloodlines, and custodians of the sanctity that binds their world together.
       
 

Duity

   
 
The Eva, pillars of royal houses and bearers of divine purpose, shoulder the manifold responsibilities that ensure the survival and sanctity of their bloodlines. Steeped in tradition, they are entrusted with memorizing the Ancestral Verses, ancient hymns that resonate with the wisdom and blessings of generations. Upon their union, an Eva must also master the sacred words of her husband’s lineage, weaving them into the fabric of her own, binding two houses in the luminous harmony of faith and duty. They have the important task of instructing their children through their religious education. They tell tales thousands of years old about their family's history, to keep the memory of the past alive.
The making of ritual Ink is a craft both arcane and revered, one that demands precision and reverence. The Evas alone possess the knowledge to concoct these sacred tinctures, their pigments wrought from rare herbs and minerals imbued with divine significance. With this ink, they inscribe the bodies of their children with the Marks of Legacy, symbols that bear the radiance of the Light and the strength of their ancestry. Beyond the ceremony, the Evas are caretakers of the wounds, tending to the flesh as it bears the weight of sacred scars.
The role of the Eva transcends the mundane; they are the keepers of balance, the silent architects of stability within their houses. Their duty to bear numerous children is not born of mere expectation but of profound necessity. Each child is a vessel for the Parables of the Light, a living repository of faith to ensure humanity’s perseverance. Sons are raised as seekers of the The Egg, the vessel of divine genesis, while daughters replenish the world after each Vaults, the cataclysmic epochs that rend the realm. Thus, the Evas embody the eternal duality of creation and restoration, their hands crafting futures in ink and life alike, their purpose as indelible as the marks they etch.
     
   
 

Mothers of the Tribes

   
In the First Tribes, the Eva of Adam are venerated as the foremothers of humanity’s myriad clans. It is said that Adam took a significant number of Evas, each becoming a matriarch in her own right. From their union arose over a hundred clans, some of which endure to this day, their bloodlines stretching across kingdoms and eras. Each Eva bore the sacred charge of weaving lineage, ensuring the spread of Adam’s divine essence across the lands.     In the centuries following, the practice of polygamous unions for kings and princes was hotly contested. Some realms embraced the tradition, claiming it was vital for securing dynastic succession. Others, like the Klaes' Realms, forbade it outright, asserting that only Adam, as the First Father, held the divine right to take multiple Evas.     Yet the kingdom of Vielasyn stands apart, ruled by the Eydmadra line, a royal family of matriarchs tracing their ancestry to Vielasyn herself, the fourth sister whom Adam took as his Eva in Klaes. This singular lineage of queens has governed the realm for centuries, their claim to power bolstered by their unwavering faith in their divine inheritance. However, their reign has not been without challenge. The invasions of the older sisters, who sought to seize Vielasyn's fertile lands and ancient relics, tested the resolve of the Eydmadra Eva. Stories tell of queens who defended their cities not only with wisdom but by leading armies into battle, their banners bearing the sacred sigil of Vielasyn.
 
   

Sanctification

   
The sanctification of the Eva stands as one of the most profound traditions among the Tribes of Adam. These venerated matriarchs, pivotal in the foundations of their clans, are honored through sacred altars where offerings are made, and prayers for wisdom and foresight are whispered. Families elevate their founding mothers as symbols of divine favor, binding their lineage to a sanctified heritage. Some Eva achieve sanctification not merely through their lineage but through acts of exceptional grace, wisdom, or fertility. These Evas are believed to bestow prosperity and protection upon their families, extending their divine favor even to those of humble birth.
Villagers and common folk, too, seek the blessings of these revered figures, lighting candles and offering simple tokens in the hope of safeguarding their homes and ensuring happiness. Among these sanctified figures, Raynidayas shines as the holiest of them all. An Eva of the esteemed Eydmadra house, she lived during the tumultuous era of the Ashen Skies. Known for her purity, piety, and the radiance of her deeds, she was graced by the Blessings of the Light and sanctified in her lifetime. Revered as the “Eva of Evas,” Raynidayas is invoked not only by the descendants of Eydmadra but across the realms as the ultimate intercessor of divine will. Sanctification is the ultimate feat for an Eva, the hard work of a lifetime.
     

Commandments

    The Eva carry the burden of sacred oaths, bound by invisible threads to the chains of honour and duty. Their grace, hidden behind veils of modesty, is the reflection of a silent wisdom, a flame guarded in the sanctuary of the home. Modest in their behaviour, virtuous in their words, they followed in the footsteps of their fathers, surrendering their souls to the yoke of their husbands, before yielding to the authority of their sons when old age enveloped them.   In the closed circle of the home, the ancestral tattoos are only revealed on the evening of the wedding, sealing a sacred union. They are the guardians of purity, devoutly observing the rites of ink in the veins, consecrating children to the breath of the heavens and the laws of the sacred. Future generations, forged under their tutelage, receive from their hands the light of divine education, while they watch over the ashes of the ancestors and the continuity of the lineage.    
   

Discarded

     
To be an Eva is to stand as a vessel of both divine blessing and mortal burden, yet the shadow of infertility casts a harrowing blight upon this exalted role. Among the devout, the inability to bear children is not merely a misfortune but an indictment, a rejection by the Light itself, interpreted as a failure to fulfill the sacred mandate of propagation. Those Evas who suffer miscarriages or remain barren are regarded with a pity edged in suspicion, their plight seen as an omen of ancestral sin or divine disfavor. In the courts of men, where alliances hinge upon heirs, such women are cast aside or sequestered, their silence as binding as the oaths they once swore.
eva-tabou
   
Rituals abound to cleanse the barren of their perceived impurity, yet these ceremonies often fail, deepening the chasm between the afflicted and their kin. Tales speak of forsaken Evas who sought forbidden rites, bargaining with shadowy forces in the vain hope of bearing life, only to birth calamity instead. In the eyes of the world, an infertile Eva becomes a living paradox, a symbol of sanctity undone. While some disappear into cloisters to atone, others, bitter with rejection, weave their own paths in defiance of the Light that turned from them, becoming legends of sorrow and resistance etched into the annals of the forgotten.
   

Commentaires

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Apr 25, 2025 21:25 by Dr Emily Vair-Turnbull

I feel so sorry for those who are unable to bear children. It's a hard thing anyway, but to the Eva I feel there is another whole layer of pain to it.

Emy x
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