Sisters of Eisha

The Sisters of Eisha (Sisterhood) is a religion that has never significantly spread beyond the boundaries of Eishen. Several times the sisterhood has tried to build convents outside of their islands, but each time they have been sacked and destroyed during the summer when Eisha returns to the ocean depths.

The sisterhood is a religion that holds that women are meant to rule and the only purpose of men is for breeding. Each convent, often called a fortress by outsiders, is led by a Queen who has sole control over all things within the convent. She obtains this title during a challenge by combat from other full sisters.

The Queen commands those of the convent and is responsible for all within her lands. Each Queen may only rule one convent and is independent of all other Queens. The Queen is the only one in the convent that can own property, even some of the foli may be owned by a queen. A Queen may bestow upon any that she wishes a gift, but that gift can be taken away at any time. Even is a systir should be given a gift by one Queen the next Queen can always demand that it be returned.

The dragon riders are those systirthat have bonded with a dragon. This dangerous ritual takes place deep within the convent where Eisha's eggs are kept. Any systir may step forward and claim the chance to claim a dragon when an egg is close to hatching. Given that new hatched dragons are still very dangerous and the women must confront Eisha's children naked means that many systirs are injured or killed during the process. Those that do bond with a dragon become Reiðmaður.

The Reiðmaður live within the convent, but are no longer consider a part of it. They partake of food gathered however they have on responsibilities except to their dragon. They live outside of the word and rule of the Queen, only listening to the will of Eishsa as expressed through their dragons. No Reiðmaður may ever challenge a Queen during the Akkurat.

These are the full sisters and comprise the majority of the convent. Only the systir are allowed to mate and bear children.

These are mostly young girls and older women who are newly arrived to a convent. They have not yet become joined to the sisterhood so they have very little control over their lives. To an outsider the lives of a stelpa may seem like that of a slave, but unlike a slave a stelpa may leave at any time. Eisha will take none that are not committed within their heart to her.

Any stelpa who wishes to leave may do so although she must leave everything behind including all of her clothes. She will be taken to a spot one day's walk from a heretic settlement by the Reiðmaður.

The men who are kept within the convent are there for only one purpose - breeding. Those men incapable of breeding are removed from the convent and most never survive long enough to reach any other settlement. A foli is not allowed to own anything nor allowed to receive gifts from the systir. They must at all times be naked except for a metal collar that is place around their neck. Only the Queen may claim any foli as her sole property although any Queen that takes all of the strongest foli risks weakening her convent. A Queen will often take a foli as her property then grant use of that property to a systir that has her favor only to return the foli to the convent when everything is done.

Male children born to systirs will be kept by the systir until they have been weaned when they will be given to the foli. Most will not survive to reach maturity as the foli are given the worst food and must build their shelters outside of the convent using only those supplies that are discarded by the systir or scavenged from nearby lands. Those who do reach their breeding age are desired by all of the systir for their seed has been blessed by Eisha.

The Sisterhood has only a few rites with most worship occurring daily during a sister's waking hours. Although each convent will often have its own rites, the ones below are those used by all convents.

This is the rite of rule and takes place within each convent upon the new moon when the proving grounds are covered with snow. The Queen takes her place in the center of the grounds and calls for any who challenge her leadership to step forward. If none step forward then she continues to lead the convent. If someone does step forward they will fight to the death, with the winner holding the title of Queen. Only one challenger may step forward, if more than one wishes to challenge the Queen then the challengers must first battle although not to the death.

If there is no Queen then all challengers fight in an open battle to the death with the survivor being named the new Queen. Once they become Queen their wounds immediately heal as the power of Eisha flows into their body granting them strength and a long life. The only time this power leaves the Queen is when she is challenged during the Akkurat.

This winter rite begins at the full moon and ends at the new moon when a girl or new arrival is to become a full sister. During this time the stelpa is only given ice, which she must melt into water to sake her thirst. Those that survive has the blessing of Eisha and will be named a new systir at the festival that follows.

This ritual is rare, but there are women and girls that will never in their heart become a systir. When any girl or woman reaches this decision the Queen will call of a Skömm so that her decision may be judged truthfully. For one day the Stelpa must stay outside of the convent with no food, shelter, or clothing. If after a full day in contemplation she still wishes to leave she will immediately be bound and blindfolded and put upon the back of a dragon like a sack of grain. The Reiðmaður will take her to a heretic settlement and leave her there for the people of the settlement to find. If the Queen should judge the stelpa's decision duplicitous she may ask the Reiðmaður to leave the stelpa in a settlement where the stelpa will find no comfort.

The Eishen weren’t created they were simply shown the true path. Eisha visits women during the heart of winter at the dead of time and breaks free the bonds that make them slaves to the laws of man. She gives them a place where they could live apart, where they would grow strong and powerful, where no man will ever have dominance over them.

There will come a day when Eisha will rise from the frozen waters and swallow the gods that feed off this world as parasites feed upon the strong. The gods destroyed she will cover the world and bring upon an ice age never before seen. Her children will move from their homes in the north, sweeping all others aside. The Eishen will fly down from the mountains to destroy the Gothar, dwarves, and orcs.

Those who follow the will of Eisha will rule over a land forever bound in snow and ice. Those that fail or falter in this most important tasks will be swallowed by the earth and cast down into the sea of fire at its heart.

Each stronghold is a giant shrine to Eisha. Inside, there will me statues to her, and each of her children. The stronghold is shaped like a giant stone dragon, and at the top is found the sacrifical alter. Only the stronghold's Queen is allowed to visit the alter - all others will be destroyed by the frozen breath of Eisha.

Those who worship the gods are weak and will be destroyed along with any who oppose the will of Eisha. These clerics who say they speak for the gods are only binding the people of this world tighter into slavery. An animal in a slow-boiling pot does not understand the danger they are in and so it is for the people of this world. The Sisters of Eisha seek to open the eyes of the women of the world to the danger before it is too late.

Main Article: Eisha

This is the goddess-dragon that lives beneath the great icy seas. Her breath is the cold northern wind, and her body is the ice floating atop the water. Her words hang as fog in the morning air and whisper dreams of conquest to her children.

Just before the deep winter the Eishen sacrifice a fifth of their livestock to Eisha so that she may grant them strength to overcome their enemies. Eisha has no mercy for the weak or cowardly - she respects only power.

Eisha has given to this world many children to both strengthen her followers and destroy her enemies.

Main Article: Vaepna

This giantess is shown with twenty arms on her torso. Thrust through her body are twelve glistening swords. Each sword represents a badge of honor among the Eishens. When a woman receives honors she is allowed to draw from a diamond statue of Vaepna. If her hand is guided and her will strong she will be able to draw forth the weapon. There is no loss of honor if the woman cannot draw forth a weapon. The hand of Vaepna is fickle.

Main Article: Fryste

The largest of Eisha’s children, Fryste is a great dragon that lives far to the north. From her eggs are both the powerful ice dragons used by the Eishens, who saved her from being destroyed by the men of fire (see Goth). They may have saved her life, but even the Eishens wish to avoid drawing her attention for Fryste hates all that is not herself. Once a year the Eishens travel to her lair and search for any eggs she may have laid. Most of the trips end up either in disaster when Fryste discovers the intruders or no eggs are found. Typically the Sisters find only a single clutch each decade.

If any are found they attempt to take them back to a special incubation hollow with their fortresses. Unlike the eggs that are hatched in Fryste's lair, the Eishens ensure that the dragons do not immediately consume each other until only the strongest survive. They cage each of the dragons as they are born and feed them so they will not kill their clutch mates. It will take decades to train and bond with them, but after over a century the dragon and its rider are ready for battle.

Main Article: Steinkull

This large man has a head of pure fire, arms as black as coal, and his legs are the fiery mountains. He is trapped beneath the earth by the freezing breath of Eisha. Occasionally he gets free to destroy the world, until Eisha once again drives him back beneath the earth. It’s his body that keeps the springs warm and the valley warm during the bitter winter. Bathing in the warm water is a sin that only the flatlander men do.