Matron

Women (cis or trans or those whose gender is in the general vicinity of "woman") who have a connection to their ancestors through Aemoa and can wield their matriarchal energies in protection of other women. Often combine this with the lore, curacion, hegnh, yahas, and banaru. They often use labryses.

Note: all uses of "woman" hereafter include those mentioned above.

Matriarchy

Matriarchy, or mother-right, is a social construct present in cultures before they develop patriarchy, class systems, and oppressions. It is not "rule by women", but an egalitarian system where gender is either non-existent or not determinant of one's role in society. Everyone has the right to love whom they please (and to leave as they please), and children rarely know who their fathers are. The entire community raises the children. With some small variations, this system was the predominant one for almost every mortal species and nation on Shem for thousands of years. Only after The Fall, an event that affected the ancestral memory of all living things at the rise of class society as individuals began to develop the ability to have more than others, did patriarchy develop.

On a mystic level, the development of patriarchy created a barrier within the Aemoa of all living things. This barrier prevents many from tracing their ancestry back to the dawn of time, but certain people, matrons, have found ways past the barrier. They can draw upon ancestors dating from before the Fall, and therefore, they can draw on greater power. Because cultures were matriarchal, the familial chains become broader and more inclusive, and the women in these chains are much more powerful.

Mother-Right

Mother-right is the right of women within matriarchal societies to live free of the domination of men. It is their right to choose their partners, leave them, and the disconnection of love from property, ownership, or control. Matrons vow to live their lives as if mother-right were still intact so that one day they might reinstate it. This vow means not owning private property (that is, the means of production: land, business, factories, natural resources, anything that should be communal - distinct from personal property). It means a form of love that does not require monogamy, and in fact generally does not involve it at all. It means communal support and caring, and it means not being limited by perceived gender or the patriarchal demands of a gender. And it means respecting the autonomy of all women over their own bodies.

Covens

Matrons live in covens, much as witches do. Covens can be any size more than three. New matrons are always guided by a sponsor from within the coven who shows them how to be a matron. Covens often live together, or very close to one another. Though some move out to communes to be separated from patriarchal society, most choose to live within patriarchal society in defiance and fight back against it.

Matronage

Once a matron has taken a vow of mother-right, she must live it for a year and a day. At the end of this, her sponsor guides her through a ceremony wherein she washes her own blood, then has a vision. Most matrons will, if they are true to their vow, see the Goddess, who gives them the power to see beyond the barrier of the Fall. She then experiences a journey through her matrilineal ancestral line and awakens as a matron.

Witchcraft

The ancient practice of witchcraft is often part of a matron's life, but it is not required. See the witchcraft page for more information.

Protections

The most common power of a matron is her ability to protect women. A matron may mark a woman with blood (her own) to give her temporary protection against abusers or oppressors. This protection does not free them of oppression, but it gives them strength to not be traumatized or otherwise defeated by it. Any woman a matron has marked will have an emotional bond to the matron that allows the matron to know if she is in distress. She can then take their wounds for them, grant her strength (at cost of her own), or, if near enough, rush to her aid. If a matron is near enough to go to the woman and fight for her, she takes bonuses to combat (if necessary).

Abuse, Oppression, Rape, and Femicide

The four great crimes of patriarchy are abuse, oppression, rape, and femicide (the murder of women). Abuse can be physical, emotional, or sexual. Oppression is the enforcement of misogyny, homophobia, and transphobia by the state (the armed forces of the ruling class). Rape includes sexual harassment and assault. And femicide includes attempted femicide. These four crimes are what matrons vow to fight, and those guilty of them (no matter their gender) are susceptile to a matron's powers (esp. evil eye, birching, and voice of ancestors). A coven will never turn away someone escaping any of these; if they do, they all lose their powers.

Blessings

A matron may grant blessings to other women upon certain special occasions: leaving an abuser, being pregnant or the partner of someone who is, coming of age, returning from the hunt or battle, or achieving a long-term goal. The blessing will always be based on the event. For instance, a woman who has left an abuser may receive a blessing that he may not find her. A woman who has accomplished a long-term goal may receive a blessing that credit for it not be taken by another. A woman who returns from battle might be blessed with relaxation, healing, and peace.

Evil Eye

Among the most powerful abilities of a matron is her ability to use the "evil eye". The term comes from the fact that men have labelled it as such; in fact, the "evil eye" is a look that can hex an abuser. Hexes will usually bring bad things to the abuser, from financial ruin to personal collapse to illness to death. It will almost always look like an accident or natural cause.

Birching

If a coven learns of an abuser who will not relent or is proteced from the evil eye (see page for protections), they can gather together and carry birch rods to where the abuser is, then, collectively, drive him out of town (more further) by whacking him. Each whack causes a wound that he has caused his victim(s) rather than the wound it would otherwise cause. This includes emotional injuries.

Voice of Ancestors

A matron may draw upon the full might of her matrilineal line and speak with the voice of her ancestors if she feels it necessary. This power will make it such that the matron cannot access her ancestors for a year and a day. If they do so before the year and a day is up, they will permanently lose their bond. Using the voice has such power that abusers and oppressors quake with fear to hear it, other women are uplifted, children are soothed, and infernal beings (demons, Eldritch, undead, abominations, Hollow Children, infernal Aeonians and even Divines) are driven away. If used to hex an abuser or oppressor, it will have major bonuses to the hex.

Healing

A matron's blood will heal injuries and illnesses up to the equivalent of the blood loss. That is, a minor wound's worth of blood heals minor wounds, and a mortal wound's worth of blood heals mortal wounds. For illnesses, proximity to death is the determinant. If a matron gives a mortal wound's worth of blood, of course, she will likely die.

Invoking the Trinity

As with witches, matrons are attuned to trinities. Unlike witches, their primary trinity is Mother, Sister, Daughter, not Mother, Maiden, Crone. This symbolic trinity can be invoked with any three matrons, who can take any of the three roles, as they are mother to younger matrons (the only exception is a new matron) or the children raised by the entire coven (the only exception is if no children live with the coven); they are sister to one another; and they are all daughters, either of their mothers or of their sponsor. Only if one of these connections has been severed (i.e., their patron and their birth mother were both abusive) will they not be able to take a role. Invocations of the Trinity are rites that call for communal protections, more powerful hexes, or other major spells.

The Moons

Like witches, matrons have a connection to the Moons. The waxing and waning thereof impacts their powers.

Sex Rites

Sexual rites are practiced by any matron who wishes to participate. Every triple full moon, on certain festival days (especially Beltane), and on the solstices and equinoxes, those who wish to participate gather for a sexual ritual that involves group sex with one another, invited guests, and the invoked Goddesses. These rites create powerful bonds (or yahas) within the coven that give them the ability to take each others' wounds, have moderate empathic connections, and to communicate over vast distances when the moons are out (a single new moon will negate it).

Tools

Matrons have many tools, many of which they share with witches, but they have some that have different uses or that are unique to them:

Labrys

The labrys, or double-headed axe, is the symbol of women's power. In the hands of a matron, a labrys is a powerful weapon (+3/+3 more than normal) due to the symbolic power of the weapon. In some cultures, the labrys is replaced with the chakram, whip, lasso or lariat, bow, or staff.

Bowls

Like midwives, matrons can gather esoteric energies in specially made bowls that have been washed in their blood. They repel unwanted energies and absorb those the matron wants. She then uses the waters made by these energies to wash, strengthening her ancestral bond. She may also use it as a mirror to reflect away dangerous powers.

Birch Rods

Every matron keeps several birch rods handy in case a birching needs to take place. These rods have no special properties until used in the ceremony.

Moonblood

Blood magic is important to matrons. As a symbol of womanhood, a matron may use her menses. If she does not menstruate or does not wish to use it, the equivalent is to draw blood under a full moon. Either way, it is moonblood, and it has potent magic. It is used to prepare bowls, heal, annoint new matrons, give marks of protection, to empower ancestral bonds, and to burn infernal beings.

Ancestors

The ancestral bond of a matron is always matrilineal. She can draw upon the powers, skills, and knowledge of her ancestors, but only through rituals, and only temporarily. The rituals always involve meditation, bloodwashing, and communal connections.

Cross-Species Ancestors

All mortal species are related, save for aliens and Inmortals. If one goes back far enough in one's ancestral memory, one finds beings of other species. This can lead to some surprises, but mostly it just means a chance for a matron to use powers not available to her species. Taking on these powers can have side effects (such as giving weaknesses or causing mental strain) and is not easy to do.

The First Ancestor

The very first ancestor is the Goddess. If one reaches all the way back to her, one can draw upon the full power of Mother Shem herself. This generally ends in the matron merging with Mother Shem (and thus effectively dying), but for a moment, she will have unmatchable power.

Gender and Sexuality

As mentioned above, matrons may be cis women, trans women, or anyone whose gender is generally in the neighborhood of "woman". Feminine non-binary people, various third genders, genderqueer and genderfluid people (at times), and so on all are impacted by patriarchy directly (rather than the indirect way men are), and thus can become matrons. Trans men are also directly impacted by patriarchy and may sometimes, if they choose, become matrons, but they generally find it very uncomfortable. Typically, they become some variation on a shaman instead.

All sexualities are respected in a coven, but it must be noted abusive behaviors are never welcome. Notably, pedophilia is not a sexuality. Pedophiles are guilty of rape and abuse, and thus violate at least two of the four crimes against women.

There is a tendency for an over-sampling of queer women among matrons due to their facing so much persecution.

Skills

Matrons' skills can vary greatly, as they usually come from very different backgrounds, but these skills are especially common in a coven:

• Abortion
• Animal care and husbandry
• Carpentry
• Childcare
• Cooking
• Farming
• Gardening
• Gathering
• Herbalism: like witches, they practice this as an alternative to medical institutions infected with patriarchy.
• Hunting
• Logistics
• Masonry
• Mathematics
• Medicine
• Pottery
• Quilting: a communal work that builds up banaru and/or yahas and can carry ancestral power.
• Sewing and weaving: a potent symbolic practice as well as a useful skill.
• Strategy
• Teaching
• Tracking

Other Esoterica

Matrons do not limit themselves to just Aemoa, banaru, curacion, hegnh, the lore, witchcraft, and yahas. They are also known to take up astrology, branchbearing, collective resistance, dreamreading, flowerdancing, harmonics, lapidary, Long Path, reflection, rerin muse, saputuupe, scrying, solidarizing, vadaszat, and war magic.

Persecution

Matrons face extensive persecution around the world. Almost every class society views them as a threat, and thus, they are scorned. The ruling classes have demonized them for Ages. They are viewed much as witches are, as sources of calamity and disaster, of disease and death, and thus they are often unwelcome in communities. Their view of sex is often seen as deviant and perverse. Their defiance against oppression makes them seem like "uppity women" and their attacks on abusers make them seem to the indoctrinated as abusers themselves. Because they provide abortions, they are seen as childkillers, and because they take in victims of abuse, including children, they are often seen as childstealers. Like witches, they face death penalties in many cultures.

Witchfinders

Matrons are sworn enemies of witchfinders, just as witches are. A coven of matrons will kidnap and kill a witchfinder if they can.

Variations

Cultural Variations

See Also

• Arktos
• Besomer
• Cocotte
• Daughter of Gaia
• Fata Oglinda
• Flowergirl
• Gallae
• Gamine
• Hetaira
• Kunoichi
• Lioness
• Maemd
• Matriadoman
• Midwife
• Mino
• Night Watch
• Pucelle
• Shieldmaiden
• Shirmel
• Sweet Girl
• Voelva
• Witch

Stats

There is great variation in the stats of matrons, but the general rule of thumb for modifications from base for nation/species is thus:

PRO +3
ATH +3
STR +2
AWA +4
WIL +3
STH +1
PRS +6