Magdalen - The Lover

I have no skin but I can still feel your eyes upon my body.
They tickle me like the fingers you wish you could trail upon me.
I am the Lover, the inward explorer
Through my tribe, I feel, I know, I am.
- From the Word of Magdalen.

Magdalen the third of the Fates, along with her sisters Baba Yaga and Eva. She is Love and she is Desire. She is Wonder and she is Experience. She wants to feel everything and she wants you to feel it too.

Magdalen is twisted wire, sheet thin metal and silken gauze in which one may be enveloped and lost forever. Her's are the eminences of Conflict and sensuality

The Tribe

The children of Magadlen may seem odd to outsiders at first, they do not sow seeds or keep livestock. They are not as martial as the Joanites or keep order as the Sheban's do, but theirs is still an important role within the tribes. They hold the heart of the tribes in their hands and keep it whole, tending to its needs and desires. They are diplomats, spies, companions and alchemists searching for an inner truth.

The Magdalites see the necessity of looking within in order to understand ones self and make sense of the world around them. To understand what lies within is to know ones strengths and weaknesses and to know how to exploit them both in yourself and in others. To understand, one must explore and experience and it is the role of the Magdalites to help others understand themselves. Magdalites never force this insight upon another, but will offer it to those of an age to understand it.

Magdalites know the ways of pleasure and sensuality. They grant it to all those who would seek it amongst the seven tribes and many spend their time helping others on the spiritual path to self discovery. During their festivals all pleasure and sensuality is available to be experienced by any who would offer it and for any who would seek it. The festival begins after a week of fasting and denying of the self. The great tower of Xstasis where Magdalen makes her home is shut to all comers. At the start of the festival the doors are flung open and those inside and out mix once more to experience all that they have withheld from themselves. For days the land around Xstasis is a place of lust and love and joy and celebration with many from outside Magdalen's children attending to taste what it is like to be one of Hers. On the final day, Magdalen appears amongst the sea of flesh that is her people, she moves with them, hears their cries of joy and returns their caresses. She brings them to the hight of ecstasy and for a single shining moment the whole of Xstasis is united. This is a transformative moment for those present and can be so intense that those who are too old or frail often die from the experience, but they die happy.

Magdalen's children are also the diplomats of the tribes, they send envoys to the other tribes, to the Squats and even to the Z'bri when commanded. They know when to speak and what to say, they study the inner nature of those they visit and from that draw forth a greater understanding of the passions that drive a person and how to manipulate them. They can often be found as envoys in many different guises from official ambassadors, to unofficial peacemakers, and as performers, guides, companions and spies.

The Unwritten Rules

Children have an innocence that must be maintained and for anyone else to truly understand themselves, what we show them must be by their consent. To break these rules is unthinkable and unforgivable.

Everything we experience, she experiences, our pleasure is her pleasure, our joy is her joy our passion her passion, for she cannot experience that herself. Every herb we smoke, drink we drink or lover we caress is done for her… but to turn away from that, to turn away from all she offers, or to push those she watches over beyond their boundaries is to invite vengeance born of scorned love.

What does she think of her sisters?

The Evans still see fit to mother the Magdalites, seeing us as misguided, young and foolish and trying to keep us at the sidelines. At least the Shebans are open with their motivations and their desire for control when the look down on us. The Yagans are not without their critisisms of us but they deal in inner mysteries and secrets and are worth taking seriously. The Joanites are often overlooked and that is a mistake, there is a nobility behind their eyes and perhaps a true understanding of what sacrifice means. The Agnites are concerning, they grow up differently and are never quite right - they spend too much time looking out and never look within to learn what is important about themselves. Dhalians are so very good at pointing out the flaws in others they do not see how much they are damaging themselves.

The Fallen are misguided but they are not lost. They are disobedient children who will not accept their punishment but we are more gentle than our sisters children in our desire to see them accept their place.

Keepers, Squats, they have all lost their connection to the Goddess. They have lost the ability to look within, to see things as they truly are. The are barbarians, it's just some are better at hiding it than others. The keepers talk nicely but they're no different from the squats - they all stink the same.

The Z'bri and their serfs are true abominations. They twist pain into pleasure, they hate their bodies and those they possess. Magdalen may send her diplomats to entreat the Z'bri but to go there is to become a martyr, never to be embraced by Her love again.

Guilds and Cliques

  • Bloodied Roses: Assassins of the Tribe, they are used almost exclusively for political killings. Their victims’ fear and paranoia are as much a part of the punishment as the act of killing itself.
  • Concubines: Entertainers of the most carnal sort; their ministrations allow for release and anonymous pleasure not often found in the other Tribes. However, they are also very good at gathering intelligence from their clientele.
  • Diplomats: Second only to the Sirens in prestige, their task consists not only of acting as emissaries for their Tribe or the Nation as a whole, but also of spying on their hosts.
  • Ecstatics: Most Ecstatics brew intoxicating potions and hallucinogens, although a significant minority work as jewellers and other crafters. Many Ecstatics test their creations on themselves, and thus develop all sorts of eccentricities.
  • Gatherers: Operating almost solely in the Outlands, their task is to gather raw materials for the Ecstatics and to spy on the Squats.
  • Maskers: Entertainers, they have much in common with their Dahlian counterparts. Their dances conceal deadly secrets, as each rhythm is a fighting style in itself.
  • Sirens: Once sent to lure the Z’Bri to their doom, Magdalen’s priestesses now live a comfortable existence at the Fatima’s right hand. They tend to the Lover and fulfil her every whim.
  • Voyeurs: Dwelling in the shadows, they watch for breaches of Magdalite law, and instances of “impropriety” that runs counter to the interests of the Tribe.

Please Note: despite the Magdalites’ focus on Sensuality and their sexual proclivities, this absolutely does not give you (or anyone else!) any license to make unwanted sexual advances, whether in-character or out-of-character, to any other person. If you do so, we will ban you from the game. DON’T BE A DICK.

We very, very keen for players to simply “fade to black” in any IC sexual situation – see Nobody Gets Hurt. You shouldn’t subject other players to descriptions of what you’ve been up to. This is absolutely not a license to be creepy.

magdalites.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