Sisterhood of Shards

If one simply glances, there is more beyond strife.

The skies have not darkened, in our Mother courses life.

Good is but an illusion, Evil a fallacy made.

The shadow of Mother is boundless, and cast in shades of grey.

— - An old Sylvar poem.

Public Agenda

by Jana Schirmer

The sisterhood's main goal is to protect and care for the Sylvar people. They provide spiritual guidance, they dictate the laws of the land. The sisterhood decides alliances, international trade. Who is considered a friend to the Sylvar, and who is considered foe. Often, protecting their people means keeping balance in Sylmaneth. The land over which the sisterhood rules is extremely volatile, and the arcane energy, whilst easily accessible is heavily regulated. The sisterhood makes sure that all skilled in the arcane arts are educated enough to be safe to themselves, the people, and the land around them. They see that populations of dangerous beasts are maintained at a healthy number, and that any signs of corrupting energies are investigated thoroughly and then eliminated.

Whilst such a long list of duties leaves little time, the sisterhood also keeps the happiness of their people close at heart. This tends to include local priestesses organising festivals, monthly rituals and providing individual support to those within their care.

Assets

The Sisterhood relies on donations and work of its priestesses for money, and as such is relatively poor in comparison to other organisations in Sylmaneth, and the rest of Varen. Whilst there are shrines and temples in every settlement in the north, the priestesses live rather humble lives. The wealth of the sisterhood lies in the sheer of arcane knowledge they possess, the stored magical items and artefacts, as well as the number of skilled spellcasters they hold, the number lying somewhere between 5 and 6 thousand in the capital alone.

History

The Sisterhood of Shards was formed after the cataclysm which fell upon Varen as a result of the Arenian expedition to the moon. The Sylvar have always worshipped her as their mother, and none living today remember why this is. The Sisterhood came to be as a small coven of powerful witches at first; these were the women who created the dome surrounding what was then northern Sylmaneth, protecting it from hellfire. Naturally, people flocked to this group of women for guidance, and from the ashes of the old world, the first High Priestess of the Sisterhood of Shards was elected. From that point onward, the sisterhood grew rapidly and ever since, the High Priestess of the order has been the Queen protector of the Sylvar, and the face of her kin.

Tenets of Faith

1. One's word is an imprint on their being. A broken word, is a broken soul.
2. Know thy land. Learn it's voice and in need, it shall whisper back to you.
3. Even the mother has a face of shadow. No man is made of virtue alone. To be real, one must keep a balance.
4. A family chosen is a bond of blood and sweat. It is everlasting.
5. Every hand has a weapon to fit, one must simply look - in the right hand, a tome is as deadly as any blade.
6. No bell should ever ring twice. A lesson worth learning must only ever be said once.

Ethics

Unlike their Khord neighbours and their druids of Fire, the Sisterhood of Shards and the followers of the Broken Mother do not believe in the idea of sin. There are very few things that are simply good or evil. Those things are normally crimes of violence and violation against another. The rest is a matter of circumstance. A woman having committed murder on her cheating husband has committed a wrongdoing, and she shall be punished for it. But besides that punishment she is still considered a woman with potential for brilliance.

Not all is good and well with this mindset however. The greatest controversy of the church (mostly considered controversial by outsiders) is its view on necromancy. Whilst in most places, such magic is seen as a horrendous act of violation against the very laws of nature, in Sylmaneth, and amongst the church, it is seen as simply another kind of magic. No different than evocation or illusion, a tool to be used when appropriate. The knowledge of such attitude of course is warped the further it travels, and by the time it reaches Olthambria for example, people hear tales of pale skinned witches raising dead to simply brew cups of tea. Something most actual Sylvar witches and priestesses of the Shards would consider an extremely wasteful endeavour.

Be weary my brother, when you venture north. A merchant in Sepru Medus has told me of the northeners. Their strange magic and their odd ways. He told me, you see, that the women there raise corpses from the ground, order them to walk amongst the living. They worship death itself up there, he said. Oh Mersen. Please hurry home, and douse your pendant in the holy water I gave you. May the sun protect you in that darkened land. Yours loving, Dentha.

— A letter intercepted from a loving sister to a brother on mission

Priesthood

• High Priestess/Shard of the mother: The effective leader of the church, and the whole of Sylmaneth. She creates the laws with the help of a council, and represents her people on the global stage. The Head of State.

• Lesser shard: A priestess in charge of a region in Sylmaneth, its protection and well being. Matrons answer to her and keep in active correspondence to make sure all things run smoothly.

• Matron: A matron of the temple is its administrative head. These women perform monthly rituals, make sure the temple is fully stocked and in acceptable condition. The matron also deals with any disciplinary issues, and is the strongest protection of her settlement. She effectively performs the duties of a mayor/village elder.

• Innan: Some priestesses find their calling to be in caring for other members of the clergy and teaching the children. These Innanae abandon other duties of the church and focus solely on educating and caring for other sisters, providing their expertise and knowledge wherever necessary.

• Priestess: Shortly after their seclusion from the world has ended (normally within one lunar cycle), a little one makes a choice whether to leave the sisterhood, or take the vows and become a priestess of the moon. Initiation to the priesthood involves a long ritual, during which the young women reach out to their mother for patronage, asking to be granted magical power. After this ritual, priestesses become involved in regular activities of the church; Performing sermons, tending to the ill and needy, or involving themselves in a craft of choice to bring in money to the church.

• Maelenka: Meaning "A little one." After at least 10 years of service as an acolyte, those deemed ready by the sisterhood are invited to move permanently into the temple of Moon. Little ones seldom leave the temple, taking a period of 5 years to close themselves off from the outside world, and devote themselves to the mother. In this time, the prospective priestess advances her arcane knowledge, and her personal relationship with the rest of the sisterhood. Some women during this time manage to achieve an extremely close and intimate connection to the shattered mother, and become oracles. This often results in a week wide holiday for the whole settlement.

• Acolyte: At around age 15, when the girls have started entering womanhood, they are introduced to the church wholly. These acolytes spend their time reading scripture and discussing philosophy in classes, attending sermons and learning more advanced arcane theory and applications. During this time it is also expected that the girls will take it upon themselves and go out into the community, often taking on apprenticeships with local professionals in their spare time. The purpose of this is to both enhance the real world knowledge of prospective priestesses, but to make sure they remain humble; and avoid a situation in which priestesses see themselves as above the people they protect.

• Initiate: Often a young girl dedicated to the church by her parents. Whilst dedicating a child is considered a great honour to the family, it is seldom done out of devotion only. Initiate girls are often a fifth daughter who the parents could not afford to take care of, a child born disabled into a family who could not provide the necessary treatment, or orphaned girls picked up from the streets. Their first years in the temple have little to do with religion. Most of these girls are taught literacy and basic arithmetic. Then table manners, basic arcana and home economics.

Granted Divine Powers

by alqohol

Priestesses of the Broken Moon are gifted with a number of magical knacks. But none of these are more impressive than the healing abilities of the Weird Sisters. Outside of Sylmaneth, folk whisper about the northern priestesses regrowing limbs, restoring eyesight with magic and even bringing people back from beyond the veil. Whether or not these are glimpses of truth, or simple gossip based on the general Sylvar image of mysticism... It is hard to tell. After all, the church keeps its methods and potential abilities a closely guarded secret. What is known, is that men and women, children and elderly have gone into many a Temple of Shards broken, hopeless... and leave reborn. Some join the church afterwards, others leave their homes. The church does not perform great feats of healing for free however. A price is always paid, and it is seldom monetary.

Second to the healing prowess of its priestesses, the church members are often granted great divine insight. Divination is a common school of magic in which the witches of Ksieryca specialise. Crystall balls and divining pools are common tools of trade for a sister of Shards; and these services are open to the public, for a small fee. Money made from divination services (from things as simple as a tarot reading to day long Legend Lore rituals) is often used for upkeep of the Temple.

Political Influence & Intrigue

The Sisterhood rules over Sylmaneth; the head of the church is the head of state. The sisterhood makes up the judicial system, provides parts of education and small amounts of trade. It is the face of Sylmaneth and its protector. Amongst the Sylvar, the church and the state are one and the same.

Guided by the Light of the Mother

by Renaud Perochon

Type

Religious, Organised Religion

Alternative Names

The Orphaned Sisters, Keepers of the Weald, The Sylvar wytches, Priestesses of the Broken Moon, The weird sisters

Leader

Lady Zuzanna Jaleńska II

Permeated Organizations

• The Theocratic State of Sylmaneth

Divines

• Ksieryca, the Broken

Location

Sylmaneth

Controlled Territories

• Armiaka
• Newy Themar

Further Reading