Great Matron Council of Mori'tarna
The Great Matron Council of Mori'tarna is the combination of the drow Matron Councils of Zaetron Derraz and Netehdrez, that mostly is considered to work as it's own administrative territory. Like other factions of Silver Shore Island, it has it's part of figuring the Island politics, taking part in United Councils of Silver Shore.
The Great Matron Council is heavily influenced and almost inseparable from Faith of Children of The Dancer, and as such, they can be almost counted as one entity.
Structure
On first glance, it would be easy to consider that Great Matron Council as a form of constitutional monarchy, but in reality, it works more like an oligarchy. It unites the councils of Netehdrez and Zaetron Derraz, with leadership of The Great Mothers: Mother of Moonlight and Mother of Shadows. Councils themselves form from most influential houses in their respective areas, who vote on the issues areas face.
The amount of votes each family has depends on their influence and prestige. This balance creates a class of nobility, often referred to as the "Great houses." Great houses are often defined by them having a seat in one of the smaller councils in their area, or that they have had one in near past. Seats of the family are held by matron, or the family member they have assigned to their stead to present them. This representative is almost always female, with rare exceptions in more curious circumstances.
The Role of the Great Mothers
The role of The Great Mothers is akin to one of a queen or king in a constitutional monarchy. While both of Great Mothers have their specific duties, there are duties they share. These duties consist of things like:
- monitoring the matron councils on their respective cities
- work as the ultimate authority in difficult conflict situations
- protecting their people
- hearing the people and their grievances
They are also capable of voting on issues, having more power votes than the rest of the Matron council. This power should be used with great responsibility, and matrons of the Council can outvote the Great Mothers on a given topic, yet it is very challenging. Most of the time, the position is more like one of the overseer, but when required, Great Mothers are capable of taking the role of a dictator.
Inner workings of a Matron Council
Matron Councils work as a regional governing body in their respective cities and areas associated under the city's influence. Members are the respective heads of their house or family members, the head of the house (almost exclusively the family Matron) has assigned to this task.
To get summoned to Matron Council, the house matron must have enough influence in the area to qualify in, and ideally, have a backing of at least one already existing Council member. Things that qualify as a measure of influence include things like reputation, wealth, connections, supporters in the Council, number of family members living in the area and their success, educational background, and any possible other contributions to the society. The same influence also measures the weight of their votes. In this system, the house must be middle class or stronger to matter, and often the amount of their votes isn't too significant.
Same House can have a representative in both of the cities in Mori'tarna, but in local decisions, only the influence family has in the city they vote in count towards the weight of their vote. When voting for full Great Matron Council of Silver Shore is required, all votes in both cities are tallied to get decision.
Matron Councils mostly share the most important topics and their decisions with full Matron Council, but specific issues are specified to Small Councils that then present their case of the rest of the Matron Council.
Structure of the Small Councils in Mori'tarna
As Matron Councils must deal with several topics, Matron Councils accept four Small Councils among the most prestigious Houses that influence the area. These small councils are devoted to matters of Clerical nature, Arcane, Commerce, and Military. Clerical Council is considered as the most prestigious one and Arcane Council as a close second. These councils can make minor decisions on their own and are responsible for drafting proposals and investigating matters for the rest of the Matron Council considering their specific topic of expertise. Twelve member families sit on each Small Council.
The same family can have a seat in multiple of these small councils, and even have a seat in both Netehdrez and Zaetron Derraz, but never in the same Small Council. It is not possible for the same family to have two seats in Arcane Council, for example, even if those seats are in different cities. I order to have a seat in a city; the house must have at least some of its members living and working in said city. Different metrics are used to count influence for each of the Small Councils, but among the drow of Mori'tarna, those families able to hold seats for extended periods are considered nobility. They have a very specific pedigree and wealth, and the seats can stay in the family for generations.
The member families are ranked by their influence, making the most powerful one the holder of the chairwoman title and most of the votes of their Small Council. Higher the ranking, more authority the family has on the decisions, making several smaller houses rally behind bigger ones to get their voices heard.
Public Agenda
The Great Matron Council of Silver Shore functions as the highest government and Supreme court of area of Mori'tarna. While most matters are decided in local councils, the Great Matron Council always has the last word if any issue goes too hard to handle. Not only the council has power over the secular matters, but its clerical councils have both spiritual and social influence over the locals.
Territories
Military
Religion
"Eilistraee neitar zho'amine."
"Eilistraee never forgets"
Mantle of Motherhood
As a remnant from Llothian times, The Children have kept elements of the female supremacy in their culture. Prominency and severity of the effects of this belief vary through times and from person to person, but females, and most importantly, mothers carry the highest respects of their society. For The Children, one of the biggest reasons for this reverence is the ability of the females to give birth to children and bring life.
As such, the word "Mother" has a connotation of the most prestigious title, used in most formal cases and strictly from those who have reared children. Matron of a great house can be called Mother of the house, but if the matron is currently childless, word Mistress is used instead.
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