Sisters of Sanctity

Written by Paul King
Illustrated by Matt Lichtenwalner

“It was through the indulgence of physical urges – though not our own – that we were left broken and abused.  It is by the mastery and control of those same urges that we shall reclaim this land, and free ourselves from the shackles of depravity that have been placed upon every man, woman and child – though not all can recognize the danger.  And, where restraint and self-control cannot overcome, we shall take up the enemy’s sword and show her that it can cut both ways.” – Katherine Buckner, Sister Superior

Background

It is said the temptress known as ‘The Desire‘ exists to inflict pain and humiliation upon men of power.  But there is another group of victims rarely considered when yet another desiring admirer is brought to ruin: the victim’s wives and daughters.  These innocents not only find themselves humiliated and disgraced by association, but separated from the men they once loved. Without warning, they found themselves without any means to support themselves and, far too often, without a roof over their heads.  They suffered for the sins of another.

In their shame and destitution, a group of women, all separated from noblemen whose shameful indiscretions had been made public, came to realize that their only hope of survival, and perhaps healing, lay in banding together to support one another.  In the early days, they struggled to make ends meet and saved what little money they could. In time, they eventually purchased a small house and from there began to draw in individuals who had experienced, or were currently in, similar situations.

In sharing their stories, these women came to recognize a common thread: the source of all their shame and suffering appeared to fall at the feet of one particular, pale-skinned noble woman – Lady Desirae Turpis.  It was soon concluded that, as their bonds of poverty and pain strengthened, so too would their resolve to bring about the downfall of this vile woman who continued to ruin so many lives.

Motivations & Goals

The Sisterhood sees The Desire as the source of all the carnal vices that have become so commonplace and prevalent in their city.  It is their belief that, should she leave – through exile or worse – then the city might be restored to its former glory and once again be looked upon again as a example of virtue and decency in the world.  While the Sisters realize that restoring the public’s sense of decency and personal responsibility will not take away the scars of the past, they rejoice at every marriage that is saved and every family that survives the depredations of The Desire and her ‘agents of lust and depravity.’

There is another, deeper motivation that drives those of the Sisterhood whose husbands and lovers were stripped from them, along with their self-esteem and security. These Sisters would be loathe to admit it, but they too have within them a burning desire that yearns to be satisfied: Revenge.

Organization

While not a religious organization, the Sisters do feel that they are set apart from society by their commitment to a highly disciplined lifestyle.  They operate on the level of a guild or a well-organized civic group.  Their size and influence have grown to the point that they are able to lobby for reform within the local aristocracy and royal court with varying levels of success.  Of course, The Desire and her agents also work to gain the ear of any and all in power, and the two diverse interests are frequently clashing.

The group is comprised primarily of women from two backgrounds: the aforementioned victims of infidelity and broken families; and a younger generation of girls raised in the Sisterhood who have not been personally hurt by broken relationships, but have been given a deep and abiding animosity towards The Desire (and society women in general) as well as an inadvertent distrust of men – though curiosity remains.

There are two branches to the Sisters of Sanctity: First is the ‘official’ branch of the Sisterhood, which engages in outreach programs and stages protests and gatherings in and around the community.  The majority of Sisters is active in this branch and easily recognized by their modest dress and behaviors.  They strive to show kindness and generosity to all – especially disenfranchised women and children, but have a very low tolerance for those who work in or patronize houses of ill-repute.

It is the goal of these women to turn public opinion against those businesses and individuals who profit from feeding the vices of men. For every program or event the Sisters participate in, a committee is formed to see it through.  Each committee has a manager, and each manager reports to the head of the Sisters, who, in turn, must report to the Senior Council, chaired by the Sister Superior.  Every position in the organization is democratically elected from a pool of qualified nominees.

A second, lesser known, branch of the Sisters of Sanctity is comprised of undercover agents who infiltrate the brothels, gambling parlors and drug dens, collecting information and looking for evidence that will tie The Desire to the criminal activity in the kingdom.  These women, often left bitter and jaded by a previous failed relationship, take a solemn vow to protect the secrecy of the Sisterhood in these endeavors at all cost.  They are under no illusions that about what this role may require of them, and have committed themselves to the ruination of The Desire by any means necessary.  These agents each have two contacts, a primary and a back-up (should the former be compromised), with whom they meet and pass along information.  These contacts then report back to the head of this branch who, as in the public branch, reports to the Senior Council and the Sister Superior.  The majority of the Sisterhood knows little or nothing about this side of their organization.

Hooks

A terrified prostitute approaches the PC’s.  She has overheard from the mercenaries that frequent her brothel of a plan on the king’s life, and The Desire is involved.  Her contact has missed their scheduled meet-up and she fears the worst.  If her identity has been compromised, she will most likely be killed.  Should she fail to deliver her information, the king may very well be assassinated.  If she succeeds, the Sisterhood will gain standing with the king and a powerful blow will be dealt to The Desire and her schemes.

The PC’s arrive in town and happen upon a band of heavily armed mercenaries bearing down on a group of unarmed women staging a protest.  They have been working to shut down the brothel/gambling hall/drug den and the owner has had enough of their interference.

The PC’s reputation precedes them as champions of justice – they are contacted by a member of the Senior Council.  She fears that an agent of The Desire has infiltrated the Sisterhood and is feeding them information on all their operations.  This could potentially lead to the death of every undercover operative and undo years of careful espionage.  The mole must be discovered and (preferably) apprehended – but the PC’s must be absolutely certain of any accusations made.

Combat Tactics

The Sisterhood does not engage in violence.  They prefer to pass information along to the proper authorities and allow those charged with upholding the law to do their job.  However, if a specific or persistent threat against the Sisterhood is identified, hiring a security force might be considered.  Caution must be taken, however, as most of the sell-swords in the area are under The Desire’s influence and cannot be trusted.

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Sisters of Sanctity by Nevermet Press is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License. Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at http://www.nevermetpress.com/contact.