Protector's Blessing

Trigger Warning: Contains opportunity for abusive behaviour.

Background

The Townsfolks separated from the Nomads and created The Towns to escape from the barbaric practices and the threat of Nature. The Religion of The Towns states that there is the constant threat of The Forces, which often take the form of women and are set on tempting people away from the path of The Protector.
Women who are identified as being overcome by The Forces may be sent to The Old Church, Stoneham Town to be cleansed by The Protector's Cleric and return to the comfort and protection of The Towns. This can be quite a pilgrimage passing through the dangerous land between The Towns to reach Stoneham Town.

Execution

In order to remove whichever of The Forces has taken control of a woman, they must be cleansed, blessed and brought back renewed. It is carried out by The Protector's Cleric and takes place in the blessing chamber at the back of The Old Church. This only requires the presence of The Protector's Cleric and the woman in question for the first two sections, however, The Protector's Cleric may choose to invite other men to be part of it if they feel it's required.

Cleansing

First, the woman is stripped of all her worldly possessions, her clothes and her inhibitions and is washed by the hands of The Protector's Cleric.

Blessing

Next, the woman swears their allegiance to The Protector and, once he is satisfied with their sincerity, they are blessed by The Protector's Cleric.

Renewal

Finally, the woman is renewed. She is then presented to a group of clerics of The Protector's Cleric's choosing and she seeks their blessing too.

Outcome

Generally, the outcome of this ritual is to free the woman of the influence of The Forces. This is of great comfort to the family of the woman who has been impacted and gives her the opportunity to re-enter society. She may return to the love of her family and take pleasure in knowing that she has now been blessed by The Protector.

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