The Daughters of Niss
The Daughters of Niss were a shadowy coven of witches in the Majan territories who worshipped Niss and practised black and baneful magic.
Structure
The Daughters of Niss were led by a Mother, who was the high preistess of Niss.
Culture
The Daughters of Niss were almost always women who'd faced abuse or mistreatment from men. Their core beleif was that women are stronger together, and when they rely on only each other. They were taught curses and spells in order to defend themselves and bring vengence to their abusers. They beleived heavily in the power of anger and retribution, and were often feared by outsiders. Among themselves, they kept few secrets, helped each other, taught each other, and avenged each other. The daughters of Niss beleived that if they followed her, she would protect them for the corruption of man.
Public Agenda
The Daughters intended to be feared, and they were, but they were also held in reverence by some. There were outside of the law, and the rule of monarchs. They held to creed but their own.
History
The Daughters began with Vespera, The First Mother. After being raped and abused her husband, she used witchcraft to murder him, and driven out of her village and into the wilderness. There, she ran into a pair of Nisscats, who instead of killing her, took her in and kept her alive. She lived for many years as a wildwoman, and eventually, other women who'd heard about her came to her for help. She sent them back with the skills to defend themselves, and they started calling themselves the Daughters. Vespera was driven from her wild home and captured by several warriors. She was paraded through the streets of their city as prize, but the Daughters rescued her and she led them in hiding. When she died, she she led a coven of a hundred daughters, and their numbers grew. They spread to other cities, until there estimated to be almost five thousand Daughters.
Divine Origins
Niss is a very old goddess, and the worship of her predates the Daughters, however they were the first organized cult dedicated to her.
Tenets of Faith
There are several commandments of being a Daughter, which include.
- Know thine enemy
- Know thine Sister
- Show your enemy no mercy
- Show your sister all kindness
Ethics
The ethics of the Daughters are simple. One is good to other Daughters, and cruel to men. Some have been known to commit terrible acts of violence justified as retribution, while also being gentle and loving to each other, and sacrifing themselves for their sisters. A Daughter who is in a place of power of wealth is expected to share it with the others, and those who are in need can always depend on their sisters.
Worship
Daughters congregated on the new moon in secret locations for prayer, offerings to the goddess, and to share knowladge. The locations of these gatherings were usually abandioned warehouses, storerooms, homes, and barns. Daughters would bring small dead animals as offerings, spill small amounts of blood, or red wine. Grimoire's written by the daughters were made from blood of the daughters, moonsoaked water, and rust. The ink would fade into the book, only able to be read by other Daughters.
Granted Divine Powers
Though the powers Niss granted her Daughters are unclear, some have been known to communicate with cats, walk unthreatened by Nisscats, see clearly in the dark, and communicate almost telepathically with other Daughters.
Political Influence & Intrigue
In 3000 ME being a Daughter became illegal in Nourhera and Lakloran, punishable by exile. Other clans were more tolerant, but it did not affect which towns were populated. Whether legel or not, the Daughters stayed, coming up with ways to conceal themselves. Illusion Magic also became common for the Daughters, who found ways to move and congregate without being noticed, make sure the weren't regognized, and even assemble in a moments notice. False Face became a common practice. Daughters would use makeup to draw invisibility spells on their faces. If they were seen, the witness would be unable to recall the identity or any features after the fact. Suspicion ran rampent in Nourhera especally after the founding of the Royal School of Magic. This culminated in the reveal that the Princess Melentha was a Daughter.
Sects
In 3080 a schism emerged among the Daughters in Nourhera. Some Daughters beleived that they should take a more active stance, by taking back the power men held in society, and treating the accomplices of their enemies just as if they were the offender. These called themselves the Daughters of Melentha, after the princess, and were beleived to be too bloodthirsty by the other Daughters. The Secret War between the two groups started in 3082 and took place in Nourhera. The Daughters of Melentha were driven out of the area, and it is beleived some migrated north, but they were not seen or heard of again. After this, all Daughters of Niss were demonized and burned at the stake. The coven grew smaller, and were heard from less and less. Though it is unknown whether they died out, there are no known Daughters alive today.
Mythology
The Daughters all worship Niss, and study her magic. The motif of rebirth is strong, so besides the cat as their symbol, there is also the snake. Using runes, the Daughters communicated with each other in secret. They also learned curses, such as The Changeling Curse, the Curse of the Hunter and Prey, the Hex of Silence, Spirit Binding, Curses of Hysteria and Madness, Dream Walking, and more.
The Mother chooses from among the Daughters which she will train and pass on her most powerful spells and curses. Before she dies, she then chooses her successor. The Mother is meant to be the most powerful, and learned in baneful magic.
2890 ME - Unknown
Type
Social, Brotherhood
Alternative Names
Witches of Niss, Sisters of the Wild
Demonym
Daughter
Leader Title
Parent Organization
Subsidiary Organizations
Deities
Location
Related Ethnicities
Related Myths
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