RE: Female Knights

From: Sandy Petersen <SPetersen_at_ensemblestudios.com>
Date: Tue, 24 Mar 1998 10:27:36 -0600


Michael Cule
>I wasn't aware of any Malkioni society that allowed female knights? Am
I mistaken?
OK, here is (my unofficial) current status for Women in most known Malkioni sects:

ROKARI: women belong to the Menena caste but are de facto members of their father's caste and people are scandalized if a wizard's daughter marries a knight.

REFORMED HRESTOLI (Mike Cule's church): women can be knights, but I expect it's rare, even for them.

PERFECTI (a Hrestoli heresy): women are treated the same as men. They don't really have "knights" in the ordinary sense, and think of the Knight caste more as a spiritual battle.

JONATINGS: women belong to the same castes as men. However, a woman born into the Knight caste won't be a fighter. Instead, she will act as a steward or a seneschal.

HRESTOLI: The official Idealist teaching is that women are spiritually equal but different to men, having been created second and thus in some ways more refined than the original (male) form of humankind. Just as a man can achieve salvation through his own merit or through the intercession of a perfected Saint, so a woman can achieve higher social class through her own merit or through marriage. A married woman holds the same social class as her husband, though if she wishes she can rise separately. It's tough for women to handle the rigorous physical requirements for Knighthood, so women with ambitions generally seek to marry a Knight or mercilessly nag their Farmer husband to rise in status, and thus become of this class automatically.

CASTLE COAST: women are of the Menena caste.

CARMANIA: It is in woman's nature to take action and transform it into a new creation. This is why women are of fewer castes, the caram caste for those who pursue the traditional ways and the waleesha caste for those who wish for a less sure existence. (I.e., the waleesha caste is for female warriors and wizards etc.)

BRITHINI: there are female Horali as in every caste.

ARROLIANS: as is fitting for worshipers of the Goddess, women can be knights and bishops, priests and lords.

SYANORAN: Women are fully equal to men in spiritual terms. They can become priestesses and bishops as easily as a man. However, as they are plainly inferior in their physical nature, they are unfit to serve as warriors or lords.

SEDALPISTS: Women are inferior to men spiritually, intellectually, and in strength. Therefore they may not hold positions of responsibility or power. They belong to the same castes as men, technically, but don't do the tough stuff like become Magi, Knights, or Lords.

VALKARISTS: Women and men are equal except that men are usually bigger and women can bear children. But there are special rules we all obey. The God of Gods teaches that women may never never wed below their Order (i.e., class).

        The Order of Spearmen and Singers (the Valkarist equivalent to Knights) is subdivided by sex -- men are always Spearmen, and women always Singers. They are named Singers because they don't often carry spears (but they _can_). Instead, they carry rattles and drums and masks to frighten foes.

IMPORTANT: Saint Elleish!
She is the patron of independent women. Elleish was only a dress-maker at first. When her knight-husband was slain in battle, she begged Hrestol for the right to take his place. Soon she proved herself worthy of the arms she bore. After Hrestol's death, she became a Lord of the City and County of Molene. At last she took a husband, who became Lord in her place, and she became Lady of the City, subject to his power.

        Women who take Elleish as their patron saint are able to ignore gender-specific restrictions. The exact effects vary with sect to sect. All Malkioni who recognize Elleish as a valid saint are required to recognize the legal and moral force of this Blessing, though they are free to begrudge it.

        St. Elleish is widely recognized. Even the Rokari and Sedalpists know about her.  


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