High Priestesses

> [...] For ordinary gifts were not enough. Only those possessed of exceptional magical power could ever hope to be one of The Nine.
>
> Gaius about the High Priestesses

The **High Priestesses of the Old Religion**, also known as the **High Priestesses of the Triple Goddess**, were one of the most important figures in the Old Religion, a group of nine Witches who devoted themselves to the Triple Goddess, held control over the other wielders of magic, and were worshiped by them.

The High Priestesses are extremely powerful magical beings: As High Priestess, they have the power of the heavens in their hands. No mortal weapon can kill them. They are the female equivalent of High Priests.

## History

The High Priestesses were the chief servants of the Triple Goddess. They are a group of highly skilled and powerful sorceresses, mistresses of magic and spells and detained the power over life and death. They lived on the Isle of the Blessed, where they guarded the Cup of Life. They are served by the Blood Guard and they guard the Rowan Staff, a powerful magical instrument carved from the Rowan Tree that grows at the very heart of the Isle of the Blessed. The Rowan Tree was of much significance to them and is the symbol of the Blood Guard.

On Samhain Eve, at the time of the Old Religion, the High Priestesses performed a blood sacrifice to open the Veil between this world and the Spirit world and release the Dorocha. They also used dark magic to summon from the depths of the Underworld the Fomorroh, a creature that they revered. This would allow them to take over the minds of their enemies, binding them to their will.

The Crystal of Neahtid was kept and guarded by the High Priestesses on the Isle of the Blessed, before it was taken by Uther and locked into the vaults of Camelot. The many sorcerers who died trying to protect it, the High Priestesses and their followers.

A long time ago, a war broke out between the High Priestesses and the ancient Kings. The whitches took the blood from a girl and mingled it with that of a serpent. The creatures they created had ferocious powers. They could control the mind of a man, suck the life from him and transform at will into hideous monsters. Eventually, the High Priestesses themselves lost control over the Lamia, which lead to the deaths of many lives .

Although being extremely gifted seers, according to Kilgharrah the vates' power of prophecy was unrivaled, even by a High Priestess.

Certain mysteries of the Old Religion were revealed only to a handful of female initiates, destined to become High Priestesses. Among these was the ancient ritual of the "Teine Diaga", the "*sacred fire*", which used the mandrake root to bring unimaginable terror to the victim (their screams could be heard twenty leagues away). When it was finally over, their will was no longer their own, they were slaves of the High Priestesses for eternity.

In the old days the sorceresses also used to perform a terrible punishment known as Ragaid, the ultimate warning from the High Priestess to her enemies. The disfigurement was the result of extremely powerful magic and caused the skin to grow across the victim's face until they suffocated.

When Uther and Camelot turned against magic and the Old Religion with the Great Purge, most of the High Priestesses were wiped out and slaughtered. The ones that survived hid themselves away, and from that moment they used their powers to try to bring about Camelot’s downfall.

## Known High Priestesses

It is unknown how many of the nine High Priestesses are left after The Great Purge. Known High Priestesses are:

* Nimueh
* Morgause Garlot
* Vivienne Garlot†
* Niede (Disir)
* Atorloppe (Disir)
* Befelen (Disir)

### Morgause

During the Great Purge, Uther ordered many people to be drowned, including children who had inherited magic from their parents. Morgause, who was born before the event at a time when magic was still allowed in Camelot, had inherited magical powers from her mother Vivienne. She was smuggled out of Camelot as a baby by Gaius, who gave her to the High Priestesses of the Old Religion.

This is because there is a rule that high priestesses aren’t supposed to marry but Vivienne gave up her position as high priestess to marry Sir Gorlois, out of love. However this meant there was one less high priestess and so she promised the others her first born daughter to take her place. However she knew Gorlois would never agree to this so she faked Morgause’s death and had Gaius take her to the high priestesses to be trained in secret. She would visit her as much as she could which is why Morgause knows what her mother was like and how she has her bracelet.

This is why Uther was led to believe that Morgause had died shortly after her birth and did not discover the truth for at least twenty eight years until Morgause returned to Camelot.

Morgause is an extremely powerful witch, skilled in many different aspects of magic, with a particular brutal force (Sorcery). She is able to wield the Cup of Life and mirror life and death.

Nimueh has asked Morgause to not interfere in Camelot, until she as revenge for the Great Purge.

### Nimueh

    Nimueh was a hydromancer and is the last remaining High Priestess oher than Morgause. She had been a friend of Uther and Camelot before The Great Purge and the court sorceress. Her bargain with the King and the following death of the Queen started Uther’s war against magic.

Nimueh is an extremely gifted and powerful Priestess. She watched over the Isle of the Blessed and guarded the Cup of Life. With this magical vessel, she could summon the gods of the Old Religion and alter the balance of the world, harnessing the power over life and death to her own.

## The Bendrui

The **Bendrui** was a group of priestesses who trained to become High Priestesses, but failed to meet the exceptionally high standards.

Before the time of the Great Purge, girls would be chosen at birth for the priesthood. They'd be taken away from their families and brought up as initiates in the Old Religion. Although many tried, few succeeded in becoming a High Priestess, for ordinary gifts were not enough: only those possessed of exceptional magical power could ever hope to be one of the Nine.

Finna is the last priestess of the Bendrui . She was practiced in potent magic and Gaius believed she could feign any look she wished. Finna regards High Priests as her masters, even onto worshiping the figure of Emrys. She is spending her lifetime running from Uther, however she is waiting for a time when she will be able to help bring about Albion's golden age.

## Powers and Abilities

High Priestesses are exceptionally powerful and skilled at Magic. A High Priestess could not be killed by a mortal weapon, only magic.

## Trivia

* Vivienne, Morgana, Elaine, and Morgause’s mother, was a High Priestess.