Blood Iris Sisters

The Blood Iris Sisters are a race of beings found only in the realm of Magicians' End and only in the Lake Oxylium region. Few in number, in our current time, they all belong to an organisation known as the Sisterhood of the Blood Iris which combines some of the qualities of a religious cult with a political and social philosophy and apparently provides the sole current expression of their civilisation, although their stories do tell of ages in the deep past when their species was not always so united. Broadly humanoid in appearance, the Blood Iris Sisters all superficially resemble beautiful young women but they do not really belong to the commonly distrubuted model of mortal humanity, bearing a closer, though obscure, kinship to the Fey. They are secretive by nature but vagueries in their anatomy and peculiarities in their behaviour and life style have caused many to wonder about the exact strength of the link between the name they give to themselves and the flowers the sisters seem to resemble. In truth, the sisters are magical beings, with an arcane association to an aquatic species of plant, also called the blood iris, that blossoms in the waters of Lake Oxylium. The plant is similar to a species of the same name found on Earth Zero. The sisters are thought to be immortal, (or at the least, very long lived). Although they have no known contemporary associations with the Fey, the Blood Iris Sisters almost certainly share a common origin with that species. According to their own legends, they are all descended from one they call, "The First Iris" who was probably but not certainly a Fey.

Blood Iris : The First Iris by DMFW with Midjourney

Whatever the relationship between them once might have been, the sundering of the Fey and the Sisters of the Blood Iris is told in no story and the details must remain forever shrouded in the deep prehistory of the age of the Dawn of the Fey.

Basic Information

Anatomy

The Blood Iris Sisters resemble lovely young human women but only in a rather superficial way. Their anatomy is quite variable and gives them an uncanny and wierd beauty. In other ways they seem to look like the simple blood iris plants that grow in profusion in the lake where they live.

Genetics and Reproduction

All Blood Iris Sisters are born from the First Rhizome, an ancient living skein which is cultivated in the water gardens of the Temple of Aluph. The Cutting Nurse brings them to independent consciousness in a secret ceremony which involves the fusing of blood with the rhizome.

Growth Rate & Stages

Young Blood Iris Sisters are educated at the Nursery at Aluph and only travel to other centres of their civilization when that basic eduction is complete.

Ecology and Habitats

The Blood Iris Sisters only live in the northern part of Lake Oxylium. They have a close relationship with a simple non-sentient plant, also called a blood iris, which grows in the shallow waters of the lake.

Dietary Needs and Habits

Blood Iris Sisters are capable of photosynthesis and can draw nutrient from the soil of the lakebed. Sometimes they will stand and meditate for hours in groups in shallow pools close to the shores of the lake, absorbing the chemicals and sunlight they need. They also rely on a form of magical power to sustain them, drawing mostly on this when they need to move. Finally, they are capable of consuming traditional human forms of food, both vegetable and animal and although they indulge this habit more rarely, they do supplement their diet this way on occasion, mainly using produce farmed at Xeld Island. Contrary to some beliefs, the Blood Iris Sisters do not need blood to survive but they do use human blood in some of their more powerful magics and it is essential to their reproduction.

Biological Cycle

Blood Iris Sisters appear to be immortal or certainly very long lived, but they can die in accidents or by malicious intent. The population is maintained at a sustainable level by cutting new individuals from the First Rhizome under the directions of the Council of the Irises. This process is managed by the Cutting Nurse and requires secret arcane knowledge and the provision of fresh human blood.

Genetic Ancestor(s)

Geographic Distribution