Silent Sisters
| Expanded Unionism Lore | |
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| Part of Unionism lore. |
The Silent Sisters, Sisters of Silence, Order of Silence, and many other titles, is known as the female-heavy organization in Unionism which stands in partnership with their largely male brethren in the Pious Brothers. While the Silent Sisters is also an ascetic order, it often finds itself in urban surroundings far more than the Brothers, and are more politically active. While initially founded to offer women a role in Unionism in rejection of the Evintarian Schism’s exclusion of women from faith roles, the group has since grown to include an array of roles, though it is best known for their job in preparing the dead or dying, as well as the metal or cloth masks they wear upon their faces throughout their time of devotion. OOC Note: It is not recommended players create Silent Sister roleplay characters, as there are many other organizations and options, supported by Proficiency bonuses and core lore, that would be more beneficial to Unionist RP. Additionally, Silent Sisters have very structured, religiously driven lives that will be difficult to RP out in-game. This page is considered Expanded Lore, meaning it is not required reading for a roleplay experience on MassiveCraft but can be used to add additional depth and content to Roleplay.
History
The Silent Sisters emerged in 70 AC following the death of Theomar and the subsequent banishment of the Evintarian Schism from Corontium. One of the issues between the Schism and other Unionist practitioners had been a view that sought to deny women higher roles in the faith, championed by the patriarchy-focused groups that the Evintarian drew on for support. Upon their exile, as part of other changes and reinforcements of the positions held by the members of the Covenant College, a role for women in the faith was stated to be an important goal. Despite this push, there was some hesitancy in the halls of power on defining this role for women, and it threatened to further divide Unionist leadership mere months after the grand Evintarian expulsion.
However, this was averted by the words, or rather the signs, of a notable noblewoman of the fledgling Regalian Empire. Duchess Tellesa Nonnat was a woman of powerful stature, as she reached nearly seven feet tall, and in her old age walked with a cane most people muttered was more like a small tree. Indeed, the Duchess had taken and shaped the staff from the branches of an ancient tree from her family’s lands which had once served as a place of Fornoss worship, only for her to lead the charge in converting to Unionism, and build up a Unionist temple around the tree after significantly pruning it. She spoke with powerful signs (and well-written arguments) about the role women could have in faith, and she envisioned that women could serve as the faith’s healers, and instructors to the laypeople and poor who could not be as easily reached by the Everians serving in their temples. Her arguments, alongside her close friendship with both former Arch Chancellor Eotranna I and the Queen of the Narim, won the day, and the Silent Sisters were declared a faith organization under Unionism. She promptly gave up her role in politics, handing her title down to her only living son, and became the first Silent Matron, the title eventually adopted by all leaders of the young Order.
Initially, the Silent Sisters wore simple robes and swore a vow of silence in mimicry of the Duchess’ muteness. Many mute daughters and young women were also sent into the Order, alongside the daughters of religious devoted families, and its first few decades saw the vow of silence carry on. However, with time, this began to wear on the group, with an increasing number of infractions. The growth of the Regalian Empire saw numerous new peoples joining the powerful state, and silent teachers were not effective in helping to integrate them, nor were they able to effectively communicate with other groups in Unionism or the general public. Finally, in 115 AC, a revolution took place among the Silent Sisters. The Silent Matron elected to the role broke the group’s vow of silence to speak candidly with the Emperor, the Arch Chancellors, and the Supreme Reverend that among her peers, depression was rampant and commitment to the faith was slipping in many. Those with voices felt repressed, while those without felt as though they were living in an unwelcome world of their own making that only underlined their condition. This also, as mentioned earlier, made their work with outsiders difficult, especially as the use of sign language significantly declined as the faith grew, and new regional variants of the universal tongue confused new Sisters not from the same region. The choice was made to “unchain” the Sisters, and that same year, the group reorganized themselves. Those who were mute, or who wished to voluntarily take the oath of silence, still could, but they were largely put to work in a field that needed diligence, and care, as well as minimal discussion: the tending to the dead. As many of the Sisters already cared for the sick and dying, this came as only a small adjustment to many, though it was still often speaking Sisters who handled medical care going forward. This is also when the Silent Sisters first gained their all-important ritual masks, though only those who tended to the dead. Meant to mimic the funerary masks of older days, they also created a fearsome impression on those who saw them, which was part of the point. A woman wreathed in cloth, walking a graveyard at night, could use all of the psychological defenses one could grant her.
Over the coming decades, the Silent Sisters further evolved their appearance. Among the Order, greater specializations came about, with clothing changing to suit the roles and impressions they wished to cast. At the same time, the Silent Mask became more and more common among their number despite it no longer being mandatory. Even among those who still spoke, who were youthful, or did not suffer from any facial injuries wore them, as a mark of respect to their fellow Sisters who tended to the graveyards. It was also somewhat of an aspirational object with time, as to be granted a Silent Mask meant a Young Sister had now graduated to the full ranks and honors among her subsect of the organization. This statement even became fashionable, as contact with Ithania and an influx of Ithanian Silent Sisters saw them adorn their masks with subtle but still notable flair. Now, every one could be personalized, thanks to another Ithanian-born innovation: cloth Silent Masks. Formerly all metal, lesser-ranked Silent Sisters could now wear comfortable, and far more personalizable, Silent Masks, while the higher ranks could more easily customize their masks due to their higher station, while also gaining greater cushioning beneath the metal.
It was around this time that the Silent Sisters began to also be known as Nons, or soon, Nuns, the term evolving from formal religious language labeling certain philosophies relevant to the organization as Nonnatean or Nonnarian after the noblewoman who founded the Order. As time went on, the Silent Sisters further diversified and also united more and more with the male-focused faith-based organization, the Pious Brothers. Monastic centers (formally called Sanctuaries) soon saw the groups sharing common spaces and goals, while they also paired up together while on voyages abroad. With more time, some Silent Sisters even took up the blade, or the harp, becoming warrior protectors for their fellow Sisters or diplomats to act on behalf of the Sisters in political and religious affairs. But, the Regalian Pessimism laid the group low, and the Silent Sisters became a beleaguered bunch.
Diseases ravaged the Empire, with the burden of the grave tenders being doubled, or more, in a short period. Silent Sisters found themselves dealing with increased poverty as well, and many thousands more orphans as children were left without family due to those same diseases, or were abandoned by parents and relatives for a whole host of reasons. However, this was also when the Silent Sisters shone through as beacons of hope. While before their masks had often marked them out as strange, or perhaps even to be avoided or feared, as well as linking them with death and diseases, the thousands raised or supported by these women throughout the Pessimism came to see them very differently. The Supreme Reverend of this era, Armin König, also held up many Silent Sisters as exemplary examples of virtue and faithful service, living simple lives and serving the masses of faithful who needed guidance. The group’s ranks, initially stretched thin, swelled, and a new class of women joined the Order in greater numbers than ever before: widows. Often driven by piety, a meager lot in life, a lack of a husband to grow old with, older women without security, and perhaps even children of their own, joined and helped carry on breathing new life into the Silent Sisters.
In the modern day, the Silent Sisters are extremely well known across the Regalian Empire, their masks are symbolic of devotion and faithful service, and their Order remains populous. The group is also known for being the point of origin for the newly notable Émérites Chapter, made up of conservative Silent Sister warriors and diplomats who joined the Lothar Order to combat the open appearance of Magic in Regalian society over the past several years. Despite these more overtly active elements of the Silent Sisters, they broadly remain a quiet organization, working in the background much of the time without an active pull on politics. Despite this, it is highly likely that every member of the Unionist faith, if not most of the population of the Empire, has at least seen one of these women moving through the Empire’s cities or in lands afar attached to political or religious missions. While many more Sisters are removing their masks for interactions with the average citizen, others keep them on, and the group will undoubtedly remain important for many years to come.
Internal Structure
- Young Sister: The Young Sisters are the broad base of child, adolescent, and young teenage girls who enter the Silent Sisters as the result of religiously devoted parents, rendered orphans at a young age being brought up among the Order, or choosing to join after their twelfth birthday. Young Sisters generally assist the other Sisters in their various tasks, often being trained in certain specializations, or drifting to them naturally due to their interests. They are given a mandatory education in religious topics, but also reading and writing. Few Young Sisters “wash out” so to say, given their relatively young age, and become Maiden Sisters at the age of sixteen, sometimes on their birthday, or at another significant time of year once they have reached this age.
- Maiden Sister: The core of the Silent Sister organization, Maiden Sisters are women often between sixteen and forty who serve to operate the Sanctuaries, and who pursue work as they have been trained. This is the phase where most dropouts from the Order take place, as a result of many factors. Additionally, sometimes new converts to the Order in their fifties or sixties may be found among this group, to gain a quick grasp of the tasks they need to learn before they are usually ranked up to Matron Sister. The Maiden Sisters can command the Young Sisters and broadly have to deal with a lot of children and manual labor, making them tough customers. Maiden Sisters graduate to the rank of Matron Sister around the age of forty to forty-five, as a result of their age.
- Matron Sister: Matron Sisters are technically the elderly of the Silent Sisters, though some may not yet show gray hairs when they earn this rank. Considered venerable and learned older women, some carry on their tasks as they had them when they were Maiden Sisters, but most come to teach the younger generations refined skills. This is the final rank most Silent Sisters reach in life.
- High Matron: These elected leaders of Silent Sister communities are often not singular posts, but exist in a council of between three to seven other women, based on the size of the Sanctuary or place of Silent Sister gathering. While often drawn from the Matron Sisters, there is usually at least one younger member from the Maiden Sisters to help offer a different perspective. High Matrons tend to handle a lot of administration and busy-work regarding finances and more, assisted by particularly bright Young and Maiden Sisters.
- Silent Matron: Elected by private conclave upon the death of the previous Silent Matron, this post is the highest position in the Silent Sister organization. There have been a total of ten Silent Matrons, including the tenth living member today known as Mothar Janima. They serve as the head of the organization and deal with important matters of politics and bureaucracy, as well as direct communication to the religious leaders of Unionism and the Magnus Father of the Pious Brothers. They are also the one responsible for dispatching teams of Blade or Crystal Sisters on missions at the request of other groups. They remain serving on their Sanctuary’s council of High Matrons in most cases, but tend to travel frequently, surrounded by an entourage of Sisters, and others, from male guards, to Everians, to servants.
Suborders
Public Sisters
Public Sisters are the most commonly seen Silent Sisters in Aloria, and make up the majority of the organization. They often wear majority black garments with white lining and more muted tones, and their masks are often simple. Their education was not specialized unlike others, beyond a focus on relating with the community and caring for children, as well as being taught the value of hard work. Public Sisters are often found staffing orphanages and Sanctuaries, the Unionist term for monastic structures, but they also engage in charity work around a community. Most tend to be older women, usually widows newly sworn to their vows, but they are also assisted by many Young Sisters who are learning essential skills.
Grave Sisters
The silent women who prepare the dead, the Grave Sisters are the group that most immediately pops into the heads of any who imagine a Silent Sister. They originated the Silent Mask which is now universal among the Order, and they also wear sleek black or dark gray outfits with form-fitting gloves. On the day of a body’s cremation, interment, or other burial practices, they wear white, and a blank, simple wooden Silent Mask painted white. The Grave Sisters absorb most of the born-mute women who are part of the Order, but they are greatly skilled in sign language as well as writing, allowing them to help keep and organize death records. They are also the watchers of graveyards, a perilous job for many even with assistance from other Sisters, or the presence of guards. As a result, they have a neutral relationship with Burning Choir Undead who sometimes accompany them, a flame-wreathed corpse certain to keep women like them safe at the dead of night from common criminals. They have also been noted recently to have sought knowledge of the Ordial realm, though only for the sake of understanding their duties better.
Crystal Sisters
Crystal Sisters are perhaps the most privileged of the Silent Sisters, owing to a higher birth than many, or natural beauty mixed with excellent sociability. They commonly wear deep or pale blue, known for studding jewels onto their Silent Masks as well as bearing Laqoria daggers, the gleaming material much like the fine, crystalline forms their bearers are named for. They are the most politically connected of the Silent Sisters, serving as religious diplomats and intermediaries between members of the common folk and small groups, to help such parties avoid the court system in favor of religious-backed peace and understanding. They are also fine artisans in many cases, often engaged in the writing or performance of music, with their singers particularly noted for their gorgeous performances of Unionist liturgy. Some of them gained notoriety recently for breaking away, and joining the Émérites Chapter of the Lothar Order of Knights, where they use their political skills to combat what they see as unrestricted expansion of the Occult.
Scholar Sisters
Scholar Sisters are the teachers, tutors and governesses of the Silent Sisters, and are commonly found to wear clothing in hues of brown. They are often the most educated of the Silent Sisters, but they are sometimes also those who were best identified as being able to relate with children. They help operate the orphanages alongside the Public Sisters, but their main focus is on the poorhouse schools and other charity education initiatives, but they are also tapped for the private tutoring of young noblewomen who they often give a good education to. Scholar Sisters also sometimes help run local libraries, and often have good relations with the Scribe Order because of this.
Mercy Sisters
Mercy Sisters are the Silent Sisters who can be found in the hospitals and infirmaries of the world. They wear majority white outfits, and their Silent Masks are noted for possessing sealed mouth areas to prevent miasma from more easily entering their bodies. They are most commonly attached to the medical wings of Sanctuaries where they serve to assist local community members and other members of the faith community who are able to gain their aid. They also sometimes make rounds to orphanages both under Sister care and not. Trained in simple medical arts, most Mercy Sisters are broadly competent medics, with aptitudes for growing and tending to plants, which they use to mix alchemical creations to aid their work. As they often tend to the dying, they are a group who often encounters and interacts with the Grave Sisters.
Blade Sisters
The warriors recruited from the members of the Silent Sisters, some are female warriors who took religious vows later in life, while others were noted for their scrappy nature, and devotion to defending those in need or who were their allies when young. Blade Sisters often wear black fabric with leather or half-armor to accompany their habit and Silent Mask. Some even wear armored helms which meld the Silent Mask design into a faceplate, but this is the group that perhaps most frequently removes the Silent Mask entirely for the sake of combat. They are named for the Blade Brothers, their relative organization from the Brothers of Piety, but unlike that organization, the Blade Sisters are more centralized and fewer in number, instead focusing on guarding Crystal and Grave Sisters. They train in a wide array of combat forms, but are broadly known for fighting with a spear and shield.
Purger Sisters
A more extreme branch of even the Blade Sisters, the Purger Sisters are intense warrior women who have fully embraced their combat role, and wear even heavier armor than normal Blade Sisters, while also being extremely anti-Occult. Some of their number broke away and helped to form the Émérites Chapter of the Lothar Order, and the subgroup overall has started to have worsening relations with the other Sisters, particularly the Grave Sisters. The Purger Sisters hate the Burning Choir Undead, but are usually prevented from dealing with them. The group does have good relations with other groups, such as Purists, and some in the organization are now becoming proficient with Firearms.
Rules
The Sisters of Silence maintain rigorous standards among those sworn to their Order. While there is always variety in appearance or customs among the group given the range of jobs the Sisters can undertake, in general, it is expected that each Sister follows several core rules to govern their actions in the wider world.
- Sisters who have taken the Vow of Silence must adhere to it rigorously. Lapses in their silence require penance. Sisters cannot demean or force one another to take the Vow, as the Vow is a voluntary, sacred practice meant to allow for greater religious contemplation as well as focus on the here and now.
- Sisters are expected to fully respect members of the Unionist priesthood, members of the Pious Brothers, and to offer courtesy to non-Unionist religious figures. They are also expected to remain up to date on religious scripture, yet avoid offense by beginning religious debates (though they may participate if one is triggered).
- Sisters are expected to hide their hair fully beneath their habits, and to keep both their vestments and Silent Masks clean. Additionally, clothing must adhere to the role one has selected or been assigned in life, which is to say, a Crystal Sister should not walk about in leather armor like a Blade Sister would.
- Should a Silent Sister remove her mask for any reason, it must remain on her person at all times via an attachment chain. Theft of a Silent Mask is to be treated seriously, as in addition to possibly being materially valuable, it could allow faithless or lapsed individuals access to private religious areas, shaming the Sisterhood.
- Sisters are expected to be chaste. Offspring of unchaste Sisters are to be taken in by either the Order of Silence or the Order of Piety.
Trivia
- The Sisters of Silence have also recently become emblematic of the Armageddon Cult, a group devoted to preparing for the end times. Celestina, a goddess of this Cult, was a former Grave Sister who rose to prominence due to her close association with Belisarius, the man who founded the Cult.
- Expelled Sisters often have their mask ritually broken, but some criminals and others find the aesthetic of a shattered mask, now repaired, to be quite the statement. They locate and acquire mask pieces, putting them together with metals to often create a terrifying visage.
- The Purger Sisters are at risk of being entirely absorbed by the Lothar Order, though this has been fended off by the elements of sisterhood within the group’s ranks, connecting them to many other women of differing viewpoints who they grew up with in their younger years.
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