Daughters of Misfortune

The Daughters of Misfortune (also known as the Daughters, or DoM) are a small, extremist sect of the cult of Lyvianne, Goddess of Misfortune. Comprised of Lyvianne-specialist Servants of Ironies who - though centered in Bunker Primus - have adopted a quasi-itinerant lifestyle, the Daughters are inquisitors responsible for persecuting the Biocosmist heretics wherever they may be found.

Demography and Population

While the name of the organization implies that all its members are female, the Daughters of Misfortune are only a majority female. Male Daughters are able to leverage this misconception to better conceal their affiliation for the purposes of shadowing those suspected of Biocosmist leanings. Daughters must be drawn from the populations in which they will operate to maintain secrecy, meaning that most are New Voxelian or Elovisian in ethnicity. Even with their progressive recruitment policy in terms of sex and ethnicity, the reach of the organization is limited by their numbers: at any given time, fewer than a thousand Daughters are operating in the Manifold Sky as of the year 10,000 AR.

Divine Origins

The Daughters of Misfortune came together in 9930 AR as a response to the desire of the church to supress the growing Biocosmist heresy.

The Way of the Biocosm, being descended from the cult of Lyvianne and rejecting Unexpector Linearism in favor of a Epicyclist ideology, was drawing followers away from the cult of Lyvianne in increasing numbers at that time. This, in turn, was weakening the Voxelian grasp over its far-flung regions - a serious concern in the time of the War of Reunification, as the War started over similary 'schismatic' cultural tendencies among the Coalition states. Indeed, many New Voxelians in the Manifold Conservation Society percieved the creation of the Way of the Biocosm as a weakening of Voxelia's influence over the MCS.

Biocosmism by BCGR_Wurth

While most Lyviannites were distressed by the schism caused by the Way of the Biocosm, there was initially little appetite to persecute the wayward Biocosmists beyond social rebukes and increased Unexpector apologia. After all, many reasoned, the Way of the Biocosm could become yet another component of the already syncretic Unexpector faith with enough persuasion.

Voxelian Standard by BCGR_Wurth

Sokalyx the Learned had done something similar with the Old Voxelian tribal gods, so why not do the same with the Biocosm?
Ultimately, it took a degree of manipulation from covert Bards-Recursant provocateurs within the cult to inspire the formation of militant inquisitorial forces. The Daughters of Misfortune formed out of the Bunker Primus temple in response to divisive propaganda specially tailored by the College of Bards designed to create an 'us-versus-them' mentality within that temple. These pieces of Voxelian propaganda specifically drew a distinction between the organized, well-established, Linearist Church and the disorganized, 'un-substantiated,' Epicyclist covens of the Way, implying that the later were 'dangerously ignorant' of how to 'maintain Lady Luck's merciful attentions' in particular.

Political Influence & Intrigue

The Daughters of Misfortune are a militant sect, though - like their Bards-Recursant forebearers - they only engage in harsh anti-Way rhetoric when the eyes of the public are upon them. The real work of the Daughters takes place in the shadows, where members of the operation stalk and harry members of the opposing faith through a wide variety of legal and illegal methods. Daughters undermine Biocosmist gatherings, events, and financial interests wherever they are found, proselytize to those who are 'weak in faith' to keep them from falling to the covens' influences, and keep a close eye on Unexpector congregations for signs of heresy. In extreme instances, the Daughters have been known to kidnap recalcitrant Biocosmists for 'in-depth intervention,' which often includes interrogation, sleep deprivation, beatings, or even more extreme torments - including murder. Victims of the DoM inquision are often found with a Vyozha card (the intermediate domain of the orange maple leaf suit, also known as 'Circumspection') or a leaf-shaped brand applied to them as the organization's 'calling card.'

While the Voxelian Council of Liars turns a blind eye towards the less extreme DoM activities and the MCS Administrative Council can be cowed by accusations of religious bigotry if they intervene, Coalition governments will dissolve any Unexpector temple and arrest all Servants within if they are known to harbor the Daughters of Misfortune. Coalition governments do this both as a punitive action against the criminal activities of the Daughters and as a way of getting at the Bards-Recursant who might use the Daughters to infiltrate the Coalition though its religious institutions. These actions have severely limited the reach of the Daughters in Coalition territories, though it has not eliminated the Daughters' influence entirely.

Coalition Insignia by BCGR_wurth

In an appropriately ironic twist, members of the Daughters of Misfortune will usually be expelled from mainstream Church of the Unexpected temples whenever they are discovered - especially if the Daughters in question are itinerant generalists or specialists in a non-Voxelian state. The Church requires all Servants of Ironies to take no strong political position except in the capacity of a private citizen within the state within which they hold citizenship. This is done to ensure the freedom of Servants of Ironies to move, speak, and minister freely in all parts of the Manifold, regardless of national boundaries. Because many states - including the MCS and the Free Faces League - politically enforce a right to freedom from persecution for religious beliefs, the activities of the Daughters are per se political in nature. Therefore, in a twist of fate, the heretic-hunting Daughters stand opposed to established Unexpector organizational doctrine.
Temples have been known to approach local authorities directly if it is believed that Daughters are operating in the region; this is done as a sign of good faith towards the temples' host polities.

Commonwealth of C Flag by BCGR_Wurth

In one notable case, a group of three Daughters in Register were turned over by a surreptitiously-operated household temple to the Commonwealth intelligence apparatus. This incident led - with the aid of computer-enhanced public records analysis - to the discovery of a previously hidden Voxelian spy ring in the city.

Because of this one act, the temple was allowed to openly operate within the city despite its connection to a traditionally New Voxelian faith, as the loyalty of its Servants (or at least their geopolitical neutrality) was now proven.

Founding Date

9930 AR

Type

Religious, Holy Order

Alternative Names

Daughters, DoM

Demonym

Daughter(s) (to outsiders Sister(s) (to eachother)

Parent Organization

Church of the Unexpected

Deities

• Lyvianne, Goddess of Misfortune

Location

Bunker Primus

Related Ethnicities

• New Voxelian

Order of Lyvianne

-50

Daughters of Misfortune

-50

Way of the Biocosm

-100

Daughters of Misfortune

-100