It is quite probable that they have magic users in their ranks (or have some in their employ), for the most noteworthy feature of the Faceless Ones is just how frustratingly hard it is to make out any details of their faces. Anyone who attempts to describe a Faceless One is bound to recall nothing so much as a blur where the face should have been.

After the assassination of High Prince Boghaz bar Sabaoth in the latter part of 6099 RTR, his wife, Saraizadze, succeeded him as ruler of Babel (and, by extension, the Ashdod Territories), and took on the title of High Princess. Presumably, her successor will be referred to as "High Prince" or "High Princess".

The High Prince (or High Princess) rules by a coalition of representatives of the various noble houses vying for power in Babel and the outlying lands, and is -- at least in theory -- the head of a monarchy. This function is no different than the previous leader of Babel, known as the Sabaoth. The change in name has largely been political, to signal a break in identity from that previous ruler. (Also, the rumors of the Sabaoth being ageless and several millenia old obviously no longer apply to the new ruler.)

At some point, this "Savanite Empire" collapsed, and over the years, the formerly ruling Savanites became slaves to those races their ancestors had once enslaved. In recent years, however, the City of Hands was rediscovered, and a settlement of escaped Savanite slaves formed there, choosing a woman known alternately as "Jezebel", "Third-Vision" or "Third-Eye" as their leader, as a new "Priest-King". (Sometimes, this is translated as "Priest-Queen", but the original hand-sign is gender neutral.)

5 New Year of 6103 RTR, Xenea became an independent territory, with its capitol situated in the port city of Safar, its first recognized ruler being Priest-Queen Jade-Eyes (also known as "Azhtar"), sister of the former Priest-Queen.

(both plural and singular)

The Slakash (Poison Women - so-named for the toxic brew they consume to enter a berserk rage) are warrior-priestesses of the Yodhblakat (Daughters of Blakat). While all priestesses of Blakat are taught certain martial skills, the Slakash specialize in it, and serve as mercenaries to those supplicants who contribute large amounts of funds to the temple of Blakat. They are not known for having any real self-restraint or particular organization, but rather as berserkers, who work themselves up into frenzies with the assistance of mind-altering substances. Thus, they tend to be employed as shock troops and general thugs, not put up against true soldiers.

A tradition of the Slakash is that they always take trophies of their kills. According to the Blakat mindset, if no trophy exists to commemorate a deed, then no deed worth commemorating has been committed. Likewise, any deed that does not bring with it a worthy trophy is not a worthy deed. Furthermore, they tend to collect their trophies immediately, rather than going back to loot (or maim) the dead later. Distinguished priestesses of Blakat tend to look a great deal like their matron, having plenty of scars and marks, adorned in a shambles of mismatched (and torn) articles of clothing and pieces of armor, with an assortment of weapons, and grisly trophies (scalps, skulls, shrunken heads, finger necklaces, tooth necklaces, pelts, etc.) to testify to their achievements.

The Slakash have generally found work with the nobility of Babel, serving as pawns in their clashes with each other. However, since the dropping of the Boomer on Babel, power has been consolidating under the High Princess, and the nobility has been in decline - and more concerned with survival than ambition, for the time being. Therefore, the Yodhblakat has been forced to look abroad for new "converts". Blakat has a pretty bad reputation amongst those outsiders who even know her name, but that hasn't stopped priestesses of Blakat from trying to present her in terms seen as more favorable and honorable to foreigners, when the situation merits it. As it is, there might well be a petty warlord here or there on the surface who has a Slakash on retainer as an enforcer ... and as an exotic status symbol.

The name "Srinala" is a blending of the Babelite words for Life (Rinala) and Death (Sunala), to make a hybrid word that implies a state of both at once. This is distinctly different from the concept of "undeath", or, that is, animated corpses produced as a result of necromancy, or found in the form of "ghosts" and "revenants".

In Babelite history, there have been claims of "miraculous" births, whereby a child would be born to the Eeee who was essentially comatose, forever sleeping, yet still living. Whatever historical basis there might be for such stories, the tradition has evolved that Life Magic has been used by "hedge wizards" amongst the Sunala priesthood to see to it that an Eeee child is born in the image of Sunala. Traditionally, this means having black fur, white head-hair, and pupil-less white eyes. (This would imply that the child so born is blind.) Also traditionally, the child's wings are shredded, preventing flight, and in the fashion of sacrificial maids who are compelled to hurl themselves off of cliffs or tall buildings.

Sometimes, the child is born in a comatose state, and is declared to be "Srinala" - both a title and name, for such a child born this way is not permitted to be known by any other name. Such a child is incapable of caring for herself, and is generally supported by magical means as well as dedicated care. She is considered to be a good omen and a bringer of blessings to the village ... or, perhaps more accurately, a boon to turn away curses from Sunala upon the village. At some point during young adulthood, the Srinala is to be sacrificed during a fortuitous alignment, usually as part of a magical ritual, to bring some sort of favor upon the people (or, again, to turn away curses). It is unthinkable that a Srinala should be allowed to turn old, or - more likely - to die of natural causes.

Srinala also occupy another role in the worship of Sunala, in that it is believed that they lack souls and therefore may serve as a vessel for the souls of the departed to inhabit, before they are taken into oblivion at last by Sunala. In the presence of a priestess, a Srinala may speak, purportedly possessed by a departed spirit, and offer counsel to the living. (College Esoterica writings on this phenomena subtly suggest that this may be an application of Life Magic to use the Srinala like a puppet of sorts, or perhaps that the priestesses may dabble a bit into other spheres of magic in order to get the desired result.) Beyond speaking, however, the Srinala is never supposed to be animate in any other way, for it is believed that would compromise their unique position on the threshold between life and death.

(both singular and plural)

The Yodhblakat - the Daughters of Blakat - are priestesses serving Blakat, the Goddess of Conflict, one of the Seven Sisters of the mythology of the Ashdod Territories. "Yodhblakat" refers to a priestess of this sisterhood, though "The Yodhblakat" refers to the sisterhood as a whole, and the same word is used for the plural form as well.

While they typically serve in temples of Blakat - the largest being on the mountain of the same name, in the Seven Sisters range of mountains outside Babel - some of their number are hired out as berserker mercenaries to those "faithful" who make appropriate "offerings" to the temple. These warrior-priestesses are known as the Slakash, or Poison Women.

All priestesses of Blakat come into the order not as volunteers, but forcibly chosen by the Yodhblakat. Roughly once every year, there is a "holy day" devoted to Blakat, determined by a complex system based upon the positions of heavenly bodies, so that it does not fall upon any fixed calendar date. During this time, the priestesses go out amongst the commoners, and select young girls, who will be taken to either serve as new acolytes at the temple, or else to be offered up as sacrifices. Young girls with red hair and/or fur are especially prized for this purpose.

This is largely considered quite an honor. Even though the Seven Sisters are the most prominent deities, Babel society is still quite patriarchal, and the loss of a young daughter is seen to be not all that great ... especially compared to the prestige of having a daughter selected from one's household for the goddesses. It is generally believed that this will prompt Blakat to turn her ire away from the household for a time, and there is the more practical benefit that, should the daughter survive and become a priestess, she may well hold loyalty to her former family, and use her connections to help it out in material terms.

There are occasions, however, when the exchange is not so peaceful. A family has the right to refuse to give over a daughter, though this right is rarely exercised. In this case, it is up to the priestesses making the demand to forcibly take the child, using whatever means necessary. If the family successfully fights off the priestess or priestesses - even if this is done by killing them - then there is no retribution expected from the Yodhblakat. The family has kept its daughter, fair and square. If, however, the priestesses prevail, they have full right to put the whole household to death, or to take survivors to the temple as sacrifices - and any loot from the house is claimed by the Yodhblakat as well.

A new initiate into the Yodhblakat is branded with the sign of Blakat - the Dagger - or else has it cut into her hide in a process of ritual scarring. The young priestess is baptized in the blood of sacrifices, and given her sole possession - a crimson dagger. It is up to the initiate to obtain for herself any other possessions she might have need for, and by force or coercion. A priestess of Blakat does not purchase or trade, and any monies that she might acquire - or any possessions she cannot carry herself - go to the temple. It is very common for priestesses of Blakat to dye their hair and/or fur red, if they are not naturally born that way already.

A priestess of Blakat technically has the right to demand things from anyone ... but, in practice, this is not done against nobility or powerful commoners, and a priestess is not wise to abuse this privelege ... for it is up to her to enforce it, without any backing from her temple at all. If a priestess demands something of a commoner, and the commoner refuses, it is up to the priestess to forcibly take the item. If the commoner successfully repels the attempt, so be it. The temple will not take any retribution against him. If the priestess succeeds, she may do with the commoner as she pleases, and the local authorities - if there are any - are obliged not to punish her. However, there is nothing to stop friends or family of the commoner from exacting retribution against the priestess, if she has abused her privilege. In actual practice, this privelege is generally only used for the purpose of claiming right of hospitality to priestesses away from the temple, and to keep them equipped and clothed.

Another important tradition to know is that it is a grave insult to ever give something to a priestess of Blakat - or to Blakat herself. Blakat takes; she is never given. A priestess is within full rights to maim or kill anyone who offends her in such a way.

The proper way to make an offering to a priestess is to simply make it obvious that it is available, and allow her to demand it herself. Pilgrims visiting the Temple of Blakat bring whatever offerings they wish to make, and the priestesses demand it from them. However, they must be careful not to bring anything they are not willing to "donate". If the priestesses are in a particularly foul mood, a supplicant could well be lucky to be able to leave the temple with his skivvies on and his teeth intact.

It should be noted that these traditions of acquisition do not apply within the sisterhood itself. If a sister gives something to another sister, it is no insult, and when an underling resists the request of a superior, the full might of the temple will come down upon her. Blakat does not steal from Blakat; Blakat may freely give to Blakat. That is the rationale behind these exceptions.

In Babelite, "Yodh" means "daughter" or "daughters", and this term is used to generically refer to the priestesses of the various Seven Sisters. They are generally known as the "Daughters of" the various goddesses. So, there are the Yodhinala, the Yodhsunala, the Yodhblakat, the Yodhgorphat, the Yodhrephath, the Yodhzakaro, and the Yodhbarada. "Yodhinala" would mean "Daughter(s) of Inala".

Many of the Yodh are practitioners of magic, and would be classified by the College Esoterica as either hedge wizards or sorcerers, since few of them are accredited by the Mages' Guild. However, due to special arrangement with the Babelite government, and centuries of tradition, the Yodh are exempt from persecution by the College Esoterica for practicing magic as a part of their religion. (Considerable restrictions are placed upon use of their powers outside of Babel, however.)