The Mothers

The mothers are a holy order made by Gibbou and Artifex to be the guardians of peace in and around the city of Ha-Dûna.

## Titles

### Moth-body II

The Mother gains the antenna, and wings of a moth gaining flight and enhanced nocturnal senses as a result. They also develop a neck ruff, patches of moth fur and a fluffy tail styled after a moth's abdomen which provide primarily

aesthetic benefits and a touch of insulation against the cool night air.

### Drowsy Dust I

The wings of a Mother produce a faint dust that induces calm in low doses and sleep in high ones

### Silk Spinners II

Mothers can produce a fair amount of silk thread which makes for a useful building material, adhesive or fabric. The silk, when spun under the light of the moon, can be woven into moonlit silver, a strong and hardy metal comparable to bronze, though it is poor at holding an edge. This metal makes for excellent Armor and will glow softly when exposed to moon light. The highest quality moonlit silver is forged beneath two full moons on an anvil of metal that fell from the lantern moon eons ago.

### Diplomatic Adepts I

the order have a basic innate talent for negotiating deals and agreements between towns, cities or whole civilizations

## Becoming a Mother

   In-order to become a Mother a woman must embody a number of traits desired by it's founder gods. They must be protective, kind-hearted, generous and selfless as well as possessing the skill and wisdom necessary to use their gifts, resilience in the face of hardship and the desire to nurture others. Only one who embodies these many traits will be able to complete the ritual necessary to transform into a mother.
This process involves the construction of a highly personal shrine:

> it was a deeply personal thing, cluttered with keepsakes and carved with images of those she held dear, of what good she had done, and what she had wished she had the strength to do. At its center sat a round shield with Gibbou’s crescent moon carved upon on half, mirrored by a crescent of thorned horns on the other.
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Within this shrine the hopeful as the meditate upon what in means to be a Mother beneath the light of the moons.

> She was a guardian - a shield that would defend those who could not defend themselves; a rescuer - she would save those in danger, even if it would cost her her life; a negotiator - she would be a diplomat between parties in disagreement.
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## Initiates

The traits desired in a Mother can, to an extent, be trained and nurtured into being. As a result Mothers will often

adopt, individually or as an order, initiates into their ranks. Initiates do not gain any of the abilities of the Mothers, as all these are tied to the transformation. Instead they will receive Moonlit Silver armor Woven by their Mother and be expected to either aid her in her own quest while also learning all that she needs to know to become a Mother.

These lessons will be on everything from the philanthropic philosophy of the order, public speaking and rhetoric, silk spinning, smithing, medicine or structural repair. Not all Initiates become Mothers, some lack the correct temperament or knack for learning required to gain the gifts of the gods. Initiates that give up still walk away with useful skills and, hopefully, at least some of the Mother's philosophy imparted upon them, so while the Mothers are sad to see them goes there is little disgrace or enmity between the order and former Initiates.

It should be noted that the level of sheer resilience required to keep going when most would quit is often rewarded, so it is very very rare for an initiate to reach old age without receiving the gift. Naturally, the other reason that an initiate might never reach Motherhood is dying. Any who do so are posthumously remembered, and if possible buried, as fully fledged Mothers.

## Equipment

Mothers are able to forge a special kind of metal, known as moonlit silver, from silk they can spin. With the toughness of bronze and a light weight it makes for excellent armor, but it's inability to hold edges makes it a poor base for weapons. it also takes a long time to produce in large amounts due to the complicated forging conditions required to make the highest quality metal. As a result, their armor is often piecemeal, with Mothers slowly building up their own armor, while Initiates get either hand me downs or small parts whenever the mother is able to custom forge them.

That said, a fully armored Mother is a formidable force, able to shrug off blows while soaring with speed and grace through the air to wherever she is needed.

for weaponry, there are two schools, light and nimble or blunt and heavy. light weapons consist of short sword or long knives, with the signatory weapon being a rapier of moon lit silver tipped with a sharp point of another metal attached to the end. These weapons synergies with the Mothers speed and maneuverability do deliver quick stabs, sometimes backed up by a shield to give extra protection for both the mothers and those she is defending.

The other option involves heavy weapons like hammers, maces and the like, which take advantage of gravity, the mother crashing down on her foe to deal a single decisive blow and remove a threat before it has a chance to fight back.

Due to their wings, Mothers are unable to make use of traditional ranged weapons such as bows, slings or throwing spears while flying as the wings get in the way. Knives and darts can be thrown, and heavy objects dropped however, allowing them to keep taking advantage of their lofty locations.

## Work

While the most obvious way mothers help is as warriors of justice, they also assist in a number of different ways. Mothers can act often act as arbiters, neutral parties or negotiators during tense situations or when groups have grievances with on-another that could escalate into violence. They may also assist in local infrastructure projects where their smiting and silk spinning skills make come in handy, or help locals with their own personal structural issues such as leaky roofs or unstable structures. Their silk also makes for good bandages and wound sealant.

The Mothers will sell their talents to those that can afford to pay, and give them freely, or at greatly reduced cost, to those who cannot. They also sometimes receive donations, either in gratitude from people they have helped in the past, or in a religious fashion due to being the chosen of the moon.