Difference between revisions of "Ice Witch"
| (5 intermediate revisions by the same user not shown) | |||
| Line 3: | Line 3: | ||
The '''Ice Witches''' are women of great magical power and one of the most famed and feared political groups in [[Kislev]]. {{Fn|1a}} | The '''Ice Witches''' are women of great magical power and one of the most famed and feared political groups in [[Kislev]]. {{Fn|1a}} | ||
| − | They are physically and spiritually linked to the seasons, growing weaker in the summer and stronger in the winter being able to command the very elements and bring to bear the might of the land in defence of their great nation. {{Fn|1a}} | + | They are physically and spiritually linked to the seasons, growing weaker in the summer and stronger in the winter and being able to command the very elements and bring to bear the might of the land in defence of their great nation. {{Fn|1a}} |
==History== | ==History== | ||
| + | According to the Ice Witches themselves, long ago a great spirit — called variously ''The Ancient Widow,'' ''Kislev,'' or simply ''The Land''— whispered to a | ||
| + | [[Gospodar]] shaman-priestess. It promised great power if she seized a distant, frozen realm where the spirit was trapped by the Daemon Gods of [[Chaos]]. Desperate to aid her people, the shaman agreed and was granted the power of winter in return. She quickly mastered her new powers and used them to bind the disparate clans into a single people, naming herself herself the first Khan-Queen. {{Fn|1b}} | ||
| + | |||
| + | She then led her people in search of the ''Ancient Widow’s'' land and after generations of bloodshed on the Endless Steppe, a descendant of the first Khan-Queen led the Gospodars across the [[Worlds Edge Mountains]]. There she found a vast snow-covered plain pulsing with icy power. Once there, she immediately collapsed to the ground and wept frozen tears, for she knew her search had finally ended. By this time, there were many women wielding the Khan-Queen’s [[Ice Magic]].{{Fn|1b}} | ||
| + | |||
[[Tzarina]] [[Katarin]] is their most famous and powerful member and some say she is a reincarnation of [[Miska the Slaughterer]], the first ice witch and Tzarina of the early [[Gospodar]]s. Katarin, in turn, favours the ice witches, granting them legal privileges similar to those possessed by the nobility. {{Fn|1a}} | [[Tzarina]] [[Katarin]] is their most famous and powerful member and some say she is a reincarnation of [[Miska the Slaughterer]], the first ice witch and Tzarina of the early [[Gospodar]]s. Katarin, in turn, favours the ice witches, granting them legal privileges similar to those possessed by the nobility. {{Fn|1a}} | ||
| + | |||
| + | ==Propheciess== | ||
| + | The Sisterhood guards a number of potent legends including one that claims a male witch will one day taint the pristine flows of Ice Magic, changing it forever and so ever since the days of Tzarina Shoika, men have been banned from becoming spellcasters in Kislev. {{Fn|1b}} | ||
| + | |||
| + | ==Sisterhood== | ||
| + | The ice witches of Kislev are an organised sisterhood who work together to achieve shared goals. They were formed more than a thousand years ago by the Khan-Queens and have manoeuvred their way into influencing almost all matters in Kislev. They seek to ensure that nothing is beyond their reach and they ruthlessly suppress competing philosophies and magic, promoting instead those sympathetic to them. {{Fn|1b}} | ||
| + | |||
| + | Even the religious cults of the nation are carefully monitored, having been guided through the centuries and the Sisterhood is keen to ensure no Kislevite religion ever gains the same all-encompassing power seen in other Old World nations such as the Empire. {{Fn|1b}} | ||
| + | |||
| + | The ice witches guard the icy magic that courses through Kislev and although most Kislevites believe the ice witches’ first duty is to protect Kislev, they are wrong. However to most ice witches, defending Kislev is simply a means to that end. The magic they work so hard to safeguard movs through a network of leylines throughout Kislev, gathering in nexus points, many of which are capped by standing stones, some of [[Elf]] heritage, others the sacred sites of long dead Human tribes such as the [[Belthani]] or the [[Scythians]]. Most sites now have an ice | ||
| + | witch guarding them, often living in a nearby Gospodar settlement. {{Fn|1b}} | ||
| + | |||
| + | Like the infamous [[Lahmian Sisterhood]], the Ice Witches have infiltrated the noblilty as confidantes, mistresses and wives, mistresses, and manoeuvre their sisters into positions of power. Now their influence in Kislev is almost unrivalled, they are almost always listened to and often obeyed. {{Fn|1b}} | ||
==Status== | ==Status== | ||
| − | They have very little to do with the common people of Kislev, remaining aloof and studying their | + | They have very little to do with the common people of Kislev, remaining aloof and studying their [[Ice Magic]]. {{Fn|1a}} |
| + | |||
| + | ==Quotes== | ||
| + | {| width="33%" align="center | ||
| + | |align="center"|''Now many centuries later, those who practise the old, cold magics of the legendary Khan-Queens are known as Ice Witches, and our power has not been diminished by time.'' | ||
| + | '''~ [[Militsa Lushadoch]], Ice Witch.{{Fn|1b}} | ||
| + | |} | ||
==See Also== | ==See Also== | ||
| Line 17: | Line 41: | ||
*{{Endn|1}}: [[Realm of the Ice Queen]] | *{{Endn|1}}: [[Realm of the Ice Queen]] | ||
**{{Endn|1a}}: Politics of Kislev, pg. 25 | **{{Endn|1a}}: Politics of Kislev, pg. 25 | ||
| + | **{{Endn|1b}}: Religion and Custom, pg. 45 | ||
[[Category: Kislev]] | [[Category: Kislev]] | ||
Revision as of 19:58, 1 August 2020
The Ice Witches are women of great magical power and one of the most famed and feared political groups in Kislev. [1a]
They are physically and spiritually linked to the seasons, growing weaker in the summer and stronger in the winter and being able to command the very elements and bring to bear the might of the land in defence of their great nation. [1a]
History
According to the Ice Witches themselves, long ago a great spirit — called variously The Ancient Widow, Kislev, or simply The Land— whispered to a Gospodar shaman-priestess. It promised great power if she seized a distant, frozen realm where the spirit was trapped by the Daemon Gods of Chaos. Desperate to aid her people, the shaman agreed and was granted the power of winter in return. She quickly mastered her new powers and used them to bind the disparate clans into a single people, naming herself herself the first Khan-Queen. [1b]
She then led her people in search of the Ancient Widow’s land and after generations of bloodshed on the Endless Steppe, a descendant of the first Khan-Queen led the Gospodars across the Worlds Edge Mountains. There she found a vast snow-covered plain pulsing with icy power. Once there, she immediately collapsed to the ground and wept frozen tears, for she knew her search had finally ended. By this time, there were many women wielding the Khan-Queen’s Ice Magic.[1b]
Tzarina Katarin is their most famous and powerful member and some say she is a reincarnation of Miska the Slaughterer, the first ice witch and Tzarina of the early Gospodars. Katarin, in turn, favours the ice witches, granting them legal privileges similar to those possessed by the nobility. [1a]
Propheciess
The Sisterhood guards a number of potent legends including one that claims a male witch will one day taint the pristine flows of Ice Magic, changing it forever and so ever since the days of Tzarina Shoika, men have been banned from becoming spellcasters in Kislev. [1b]
Sisterhood
The ice witches of Kislev are an organised sisterhood who work together to achieve shared goals. They were formed more than a thousand years ago by the Khan-Queens and have manoeuvred their way into influencing almost all matters in Kislev. They seek to ensure that nothing is beyond their reach and they ruthlessly suppress competing philosophies and magic, promoting instead those sympathetic to them. [1b]
Even the religious cults of the nation are carefully monitored, having been guided through the centuries and the Sisterhood is keen to ensure no Kislevite religion ever gains the same all-encompassing power seen in other Old World nations such as the Empire. [1b]
The ice witches guard the icy magic that courses through Kislev and although most Kislevites believe the ice witches’ first duty is to protect Kislev, they are wrong. However to most ice witches, defending Kislev is simply a means to that end. The magic they work so hard to safeguard movs through a network of leylines throughout Kislev, gathering in nexus points, many of which are capped by standing stones, some of Elf heritage, others the sacred sites of long dead Human tribes such as the Belthani or the Scythians. Most sites now have an ice witch guarding them, often living in a nearby Gospodar settlement. [1b]
Like the infamous Lahmian Sisterhood, the Ice Witches have infiltrated the noblilty as confidantes, mistresses and wives, mistresses, and manoeuvre their sisters into positions of power. Now their influence in Kislev is almost unrivalled, they are almost always listened to and often obeyed. [1b]
Status
They have very little to do with the common people of Kislev, remaining aloof and studying their Ice Magic. [1a]
Quotes
| Now many centuries later, those who practise the old, cold magics of the legendary Khan-Queens are known as Ice Witches, and our power has not been diminished by time.
~ Militsa Lushadoch, Ice Witch.[1b] |
See Also
Sources
