The Sun Maidens
The Kingdom of Tanish is ruled by a deceased king who relays his wishes through an oracle. This oracle is one of the most significant roles in the kingdom, and she is selected from a group of girls known as the Sun Maidens.
Girls are chosen between the ages of 3 and 6. The searching branch of the organization is responsible for supplying the Maidens with at least 5 new girls per year. They make circuits through the kingdom, visiting every small village once every couple of years. When they arrive, they round up every girl between the ages of 3 and 6 in the local temple. Every girl is given a small amount of highly concentrated tea made from the seedpod of an Ishud Tree. Most girls have no reaction to the tea and are then free to leave. A girl with the sight will experience a strong reaction to the tea, wracked by visions and a terrible headache. In the midst of the reaction, she will be unable to respond to simple commands such as "Raise your hand" or "State your name". Any girl who reacts this way is immediately taken from the temple to be escorted back to Zedda. She is not permitted to see her family or pack any belongings before leaving.
Tanishites consider this a great honour and the majority of them are pleased if their daughter is taken. Those with higher social status in particular are often allowed to say their farewells, because there is less of a risk of a family member interfering and trying to stop them from taking the child. Those of the lower classes or subjugated groups, such as the Kalians, see this practice as nothing more than outright abducting their daughters and see the arrival of searchers as something to be feared. Many families try to caution daughters to ignore the vision and hide any sign of reaction in case she has the sight, but it is very rare for such a young child to effective mask a reaction, and would only be possible if their gift was minimal to begin with.
Structure
The head of the order is the Igu-Gase, the Sun Mother. She is a former maiden taken as an apprentice by the previous Igu-Gase after aging out of the order. The apprentice is titled Ruta, aunt. The Igu-Gase is the mother of all the maidens and the ultimate authority, who answers to the King in Waiting alone. In rare occasions, there may be a Sun Father instead if a man with the power of sight is around. Men with the ability are very rare and will always rise to prominence.
Beneath the Igu-Gase are two parallel hierarchies.
The Maidens
The Ruta has no political powers the way the Igu-Rash does, but oversees the day to day care of the girls. Maidens have more direct interaction with the Ruta. The Ruta is assisted by a variety of matrons, who are not sighted themselves. These women provide all of the care for the girls that would be expected from a parent. Beneath the matrons are the maidens themselves. There are three groups of maidens. The first are the Dawn maidens, girls between the ages of 3 and 12 who are in training to hone their divining abilities. At the age of 12, they are put through a gauntlet of tests to see if they have the ability to potentially become the Oracle. Those who fail are moved into the Twilight group. These girls are no longer trained and will not be in the running to become the Oracle. They spend their days weaving fine textiles, preparing ritual food for use in temples, or - particularly the older ones - serving as concubines for the King in Waiting or given to nobles as wives. They are also the primary source of sacrificial victims. Those are have not been sacrificed or married off by the age of 24 leave the order, at which time they may return to their home villages. Girls who pass the test becoming Shining Maidens. They are marked by a tattoo of the sun across the backs of their hands. If a King in Waiting dies, the next oracle will be chosen from among this group. While waiting, the Shining maidens serve as soothsayers at temples in Zedda, continue their training, weave textiles, and assist in religious rituals. At the age of 24, they leave the order by being given as wives to especially prominent nobles, taken as a wife by the King in Waiting himself, or return to the home villages to serve as priestesses or local soothsayers.The Guardians
The guardians are the men charged with protecting and finding the maidens. The leader is the Iray, "uncle", who answers directly to the Igu-Gase. The Iray controls the two branches of guardians. The first are the standard guardians, who protect the residence of the maidens and ensure no one gets in or out. They are both to keep outsiders from getting in and to keep maidens from sneaking out. The others are the searchers, who travel the kingdom searching for new girls with the sight to become maidens. There are 12 searcher captains who lead groups of 10-20 men around the kingdom, rounding up potential girls, testing them, and taking the children back to Zedda if they find one with the sight.
Type
Religious, Monastic Order
Parent Organization
Notable Members
Related Ethnicities
