[[evans]]

Eva - The Mother

In the Times of Pain I was born.
Of your need for relief I grew out.
With my Sisters I came to free you, my children,
of the Beasts that call themselves Z'bri.
You are safe with me.
- From the word of Eva

Eva is the embodiment of family, of clan, of the bonds that build a nation. She handed down this to her children and from them to the other tribes. She is the life that flows through all the people of the Tribes and she is mother to all her children.

Her body is made of leather and fur, the bones of long dead people and the wood of the trees once full of life. Hers are the eminences of life and Empathy

The Tribe

They are the mothers, the caretakers and the carers. They protect those who don't know any better and see life as precious and a thing to be nurtured. Life is sacred in all its forms and must be protected. To deny life to something is to sin against the Mother and yet also for new life to appear there must be death to make way for it - to know when life is at an end, when the old must be harvested to make way for the new is taught to the most dedicated Shamans to whom the rest of the tribe looks for guidance.

The family is perhaps the most important unit within the Evans. Each family belongs to one of nine clans. The nine elders of the clans (one from each) form the Circle from which the tribe is led. The decisions made by the Circle are passed down to the councils of each clan. These clan councils are formed from two elders from every family. In this way the wishes of Eva are passed down to every member of her family.

The tribe is the largest of the seven and is growing more every day. The Evans are the main farmers of Tribal society and provide food to for all of the other clans to supplement what they grow themselves. They are the most skilled healers of all the tribes and are called to be in attendance at nearly all births where possible.

The roles fulfilled within the tribe are not limited by clan but by calling and wherever you are from, you can find yourself in any position.

Every year there is a festival of rebirth where young girls who have come of age to womanhood and are formally welcomed into the tribe. They are taught the ways of life and birth and family better to usher in the life of the tribes. To mark this connection with the mother the youngest child over the age of two is taken and sacrificed so that their blood may be used to anoint the new women come of age, their heads newly shaved as if they were newborn themselves. They drink deep of the blood of Eva and are granted visions of their lives to come and discover their true calling.

The Unwritten Rules

Life is sacred but it is hard to know what life should be encouraged and which should be removed to allow new life and growth to come through. That knowledge is handed down through those most experienced and connected to Eva. Mother knows best and it is up to the Evans to ensure that the tribes are kept safe for their own good. A mothers' love can be tough and sometimes the children do not always appreciate it but that is irrelevant as it is still just as necessary.

What does she think of her sisters?

The Yagens are honoured elders and the only ones worthy of such respect although their obsession with death is worrying and there is a need to match it with the Evan's love of life. Magdalites and Agnites are the younger siblings and children respectively - full of life and seeking after the next great reward, but they lack wisdom and are strongheaded and niave - they must be looked after. Dhalia is full of spirit and brings soul to the seven tribes with their music and song, yet there is pity there for perhaps the Evans are the only true friends they have, misunderstood as they are. The Shebans are stubborn and quick to punish, they have not the love for the children of the Goddess that is necessary and so they seem to love power more than life, blinded to the fact that they are just as fallible as all the others. The Joanites are merely dogs following their Sheban masters, no thought of their own and to be pitied.

The fallen are to be mourned for they are lost to the Fatimas and thus lost to the Goddess. They are beyond help and should be remembered initially but then allowed to fade from memory. The space they leave is ready to be filled by more verdant and deserving life.

Guilds and Cliques

  • Tenders: The youngest Evans, aside from the Seeds. They are the workhorses of the Tribe, the farmers and gatherers who grow and harvest the food of the Nation. They are usually just past adolescence but not yet ready to become a Nanny or a Nurse.
  • Seeds: Older than Tenders but not yet a Nurse or a Nannie. They too tend the fields and look after the children, educating them in the ways of the tribe and ensuring that proper discipline is maintained. Some will always remain Seeds and they serve Eva through their service and their sacrifice, often giving part of their crop or their work to Eva to demonstrate their loyalty.
  • Nurses: Master herbalists and ritualists, Nurses focus on the more mundane rituals and processes of life. They are experts at making balms and healing potions to aid the ill and infirm, and are storehouses of knowledge about the body and its functions. They are most often recognised in their role as midwives, but are also doctors, advisers and counsellors.
  • Nannies: Experienced Evans who have advanced past their growing stages as Seeds and Tenders. Nannies are widely respected, and serve as hunters and defenders of their Tribe.
  • Matrons: The elders, leaders and advisors of the Tribe. Matrons have lived to an advanced age and therefore command great respect.
  • The Forgotten: Standing outside the age-related hierarchy of the Tribe are the occasional sterile Evans. They are looked down upon and often serve in the crèches of Bazaar, or else are sent into the Outlands. They are viewed as expendable.
  • Shaman: The other Guild outside the age hierarchy of Eva’s Tribe. They are selected based on potential skill in Synthesis and understanding of the River of Dream. They focus on living and vibrant spirits, and are experts on spiritual matters within the Tribe.

Influences

  • Mother Gothel from Tangled
evans.txt · Last modified: 2014/11/13 10:59 by joe
Except where otherwise noted, content on this wiki is licensed under the following license: CC Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported