Children of Tella Matre
The Children of Tella Matre (Cathalonese: La Filla da la Tella Mâtre is a charitable magico-religious order which provides aid to those in need in the name of Tella Matre. They are primarily known for their role as healers, but they are called to serve the needy in any way they can and provide a number of other services, such as aiding the poor.
The Children are a sister organization to the Church of Tella Matre. Though the two organizations operate independently, most Houses run by the Children are affiliated with local temples. (The Children do not maintain their own temples.)
Individual Children are called Sons or Daughters of Tella Matre and are addressed as brother or sister.
Culture
The Children are devotees of Tella Matre, the goddess of healing and life magic. They dedicate themselves to humbly serving others and deeply respect all living things, as Tella Matre commands.
The Children live amongst those they serve. Their Houses (which may consist of one or many buildings) keep their doors open to the sick, poor, and needy.
Children profess three vows. The first is faithfulness: that they will faithfully serve and obey Tella Matre. The second is service: that they will humbly serve anyone in need to the best of their ability. The last is poverty: that any wealth they acquire will be used to serve those in need, whether directly or through their House. Celibacy is not required, though Children may only marry within their religious communities, so that marriage does not distract them from their ministry.
As healing is one of the primary services the Children provide, initiates are trained in healing magic (life and/or divine magic) and educated in medicine. Those who can't use life or divine magic, or who feel called to serve in other ways, are exempt from this training. They may train or study (possibly outside the House) for a different role, or they may choose to serve in unskilled roles.
Public Agenda
The purpose of the Children of Tella Matre is to serve all who are in need. Their Houses provide, at minimum, healing, food, and shelter to any who enter seeking them. They also provide spiritual guidance and care, though Children are not trained as clerics and may direct requests for spiritual aid to the local temple.
Services provided by the Children are always free of charge, though donations are accepted.
History
Tella Matre's temples have always provided aid to the poor, sick, and so forth. In ancient times, they were reliable places to find aid. They also served as the precursors to hospitals, where people sought healing from the goddess (via priests or priestesses trained in healing magic).
However, as time went on and populations grew, this became unsustainable. There were too many people in need, and the temples couldn't keep up. Overcrowded temples had to turn people away. Many faced financial troubles. Some began charging for services, either to ease financial burdens, limit the number of people coming to them, or both.
Other temples expanded during this time. Those that had the means built houses that provided shelter, food, and healing to those in need; these houses were run by the temples but staffed with volunteers. This was the first separation of religious functions from charitable functions, but these houses were often short-staffed and costly to maintain.
(I WILL FINISH THIS LATER BECAUSE I STILL HAVE 4 MORE ARTICLES TO WRITE BY TOMORROW. My idea is that, basically, things got bad. Some traveling healer was appalled at the state of one of these houses and offered to take it off the temple's hands. She and her followers raised money by soliciting donations and basically bought it from the temple and took over its management. Having no prior homes and needing to remain in the area, they lived where they served. She eventually left to reform other houses but left that one in the care of her followers, and that was the start of either the Children or their precursors.
Also, that was in medieval times. Later on, under the stewardship of the Children, these houses expanded. Some split into specialized buildings, including the first proper hospitals. It was primarily the Children who ran hospitals, though I guess hospitals eventually became secularized. The Children still provide magical healing, though, and they do it for free.)
Type
Religious, Other
Demonym
Son/Daughter/Child of Tella Matre
Deities
Controlled Territories
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