[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/w0U7Edc.png[/img][/center][b]Faction Name:[/b][indent][color=silver]Brides of Daigon[/color][/indent]
[b]Alias:[/b][indent][color=silver]Openly known as [color=lightgray]The Weeping Widows[/color], casually known as [color=lightgray]The Widows[/color], called [color=lightgray]The Brides[/color] by those with knowledge of their true nature, sometimes referred to as [color=lightgray]The Sirens[/color] by others.[/color][/indent]
[b]Government Type:[/b][indent][color=silver]Strictly hierarchical religious order based on obedience and indoctrination.
[hider=Details]The leaders are known as the Triplets. The highest rank beneath them are the Sisters, followed by the Handmaidens, the Maids and the Widows. Male ordained members are known as Widowers, and while in theory they possess the same rank as Widows they rarely receive the same assignments and are usually found working as missionaries and lay preachers.[/hider][/color][/indent]
[b]Faction Specie(s):[/b][indent][color=silver]Led by a human-centric council, with the leaders of the order three human women who claim to be ancient immortals who were once betrothed to the Dark Lord. All races and species welcomed in the order, but only females are permitted to join the inner orders achieving ranks of Maid or higher, with males acting as missionaries and lay preachers for the faith.[/color][/indent]
[b]Species Descriptions:[/b][color=silver][indent]Although all races and species are accepted into the order, ordained Widows can be identified by the dark coloured veils worn covering their faces. Their clothing is often unadorned, and made from simple fabrics. Higher ranking ministers, known as Sisters, wear white gowns and veils, reminiscent of wedding dresses.

Male ministers of the faith wear simple robes and carry a symbol of their faith, usually in the form of a wedding band worn on the third finger of their dominant hand (dexterous ministers wearing the band on the right hand, sinister minsters on their left.)[/indent][/color]
[b]Territory Details:[/b][indent][color=silver]Their central monastery, known as [color=lightgray]the Fallen Keep[/color], is located on a large island to the southeast of Nagath, surrounded by a body of water known as the Saltwater Sea.
[hider=Details]The tower itself is the ruined remains of one of Daigon's old fortresses, and legend has it that the large lake was filled by the tears shed by the order in mourning to the death of their Lord. However more recent cartographic studies have proven the 'sea' is linked with the Cursed Sea, explaining the saltwater for which the lake is named.

[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/J5g2Hcb.jpg[/img][img]https://i.imgur.com/h4lNC0r.jpg[/img]
[sup]The Fallen Keep[/sup][/center]
Beneath the island lies a great aquifer, filtered through the porous rock of the island itself which filters out all that is harmful and leaving only pure, sweet tasting water behind. The Sisters encourage supplicants to the order to drink freely from the waters, claiming that they bring those who taste it closer to Daigon.

In truth while the porous rocks do indeed filter almost all the toxins from the waters of the Saltwater Sea, they also instil in the waters an unknown chemical compound which acts as an hallucinogenic for all the known races of Nagath. Drinking from the aquifer regularly also has a narcotic effect, filling supplicants with euphoria, making them more easily manipulated by the Sisters and also giving the supplicants an addiction with which the inner order gain more control over their followers.[/hider][/color][/indent]
[b]Faction Religion/Ideology:[/b][indent][color=silver]While on the surface the Weeping Widows present themselves as a peaceful order dedicated to providing aid and succour to all in need, their true motives are far darker. By using their missionaries to recruit and indoctrinate weak willed individuals, the Brides of Daigon spread their influence through the lands, infiltrating all levels of society through the slow spread of their beliefs.
[hider=Details]The core tenets of their faith are that Daigon was not the monster the Justinian Imperium paint him to be in their tales, but instead he was a benevolent ruler wrongly deposed by the foreign invaders. They speak of the good deeds the man did in his lifetime, bringing together the disparate tribes of Nagath to form a union which rivalled that of their neighbours, leading to the jealous Justinians' unprovoked attack.

The rituals used during admittance to the order include fasting and ingestion of strange herbs which allow supplicants to hear the voice of Daigon. Depending on what they hear supplicants may find themselves elevated above the ranks of other believers and accepted into the inner order of the Church, although some are cast out of the Church after the experience, most of whom live short and tragic lives afterwards.

In truth, this is all a ruse with the ritual designed to filter out the smarter and more useful members of the congregation from those who are unwitting patsies of the Triplets. Those who are chosen are let in on the great secret that the entire religion is just a sham to protect the order's existence in Nagath, while those who aren't inducted continue to be taught the 'truth of Daigon', undergoing further rituals which serve to brainwash and further indoctrinate them into service to the Church.[/hider][/color][/indent]
[b]Faction Description:[/b][indent][color=silver]The Weeping Widows are a common sight throughout Nagath, with a few smaller outposts making their way into the Justinian Imperium in recent years.
[hider=Details]Their churches are often rustic and simple, doubling as both bunk houses and cantinas providing food and shelter for any who find themselves in need. Hidden basements contain the true altars to the faith where darker sacraments are formed with any volunteers willing to take up the faith, although the true darkness of the order is only ever revealed to the most trusted of disciples.

Over the centuries, the Brides of Daigon have been slowly recruiting members, spreading over the land with followers and agents finding their ways into as many other factions as they can. Almost every major settlement has some level of their presence, ranging from wandering missionaries to established churches, and the order has eyes and ears throughout Nagath. While some have questioned the order's true motives, in truth the Brides have no true plans other than to establish themselves as a powerful faction hidden within the courts of others, able to influence events from the shadows without ever placing themselves in direct competition to those believing themselves in control.

The order is lead by three women known as the Triplets, who claim to be sister immortal by the Dark Lord many centuries ago when they were betrothed to him as his brides. Their grief in his death has sustained them through the ages, allowing them to continue the good works which were the true legacy of their lord.[/hider][/color][/indent]
[b]Faction History:[/b][indent][color=silver]Publically the Weeping Widows claim to date back to the earliest years of the Daigon's reign, representing the women who were sent as offerings to the Dark Lord and acting as both his harem and the source of his many brides. In truth the order was created over a century after the Dark Lord's defeat by a group of avaricious nomads who settled in the ruins of the Fallen Keep and who created the myth of their connection to the Dark Lord as a means to protect themselves from the predations of the hostile surrounding tribes.
[hider=Details]Over the years, the myths and legends of the order spread, with the best being adopted by the nomads as scripture. Less than twenty years after their first arrival in the ruins the Triplets had managed to gain the fealty of the surrounding tribes, using the influence of the Dark Lord's name to levy favour with the chieftains. In the intervening centuries the followers of the Weeping Widows have spread the myths and lies of the nomads throughout the lands, allowing the rumours and stories of their deeds to be carried by all in order to gain the respect and devotion of the gullible wherever they go.[/hider][/color][/indent]
[b]Important Characters:[/b][indent][color=silver]The Triplets are the joint leaders of the order, and often speak as one in perfectly timed unison when speaking in public. Their true identites are a closely guarded secret, since in truth they are simply Sisters who've been chosen to replace their predecessors upon the elder's death.
[hider=Details]Beneath them are the Council of Sisters, the highest ranking disciples of the order who are fully indoctrinated in the secrets of the Church. Each Sister is responsible for overseeing the different regions of Nagath, helping to co-ordinate the activities of their followers and collating reports and rumours from their followers. They rarely if ever leave the Fallen Keep and the surrounding island, instead living in relative comfort within their sanctum's safe walls.

The next rank of the order are the Handmaidens. These women are amongst those chosen during the initiation rites after having shown the appropriate intelligence, cunning and wit to uncover the truth of the order. Like the Sisters, the Handmaidens are fully aware of the truth of the Church, and act as the handlers to the many believers scattered throughout the world. Unlike their higher ranking Sisters, Handmaidens are a fairly common sight in the Nagath and act as the mouthpieces for the Triplets in dealings with the various powers, political groups and rival religious factions around the world.

Together these three ranks are known as the inner order, with elevation to them usually decided during indoctrination into the order during the arduous rituals and tests the ordained undergo. Beneath them are the Maids, who are ignorant to the true nature of the order and act as 'middle management' around the world. They help to coordinate the spread of the faith, working alongside civic leaders and tribal chiefs in the belief that they truly are doing Daigon's good work.

The lower ranks of the order are the Widows themselves, the rank and file of the Church who do the day-to-day rituals, acts of good within communities and settlements and spreading the 'Truth of Daigon'.

Male ordained members of the Church are known as Widowers and share these duties with their female counterparts, although usually rather than being assigned to one settlement Widowers more commonly act as roving missionaries and preachers, spreading the good works and Truth of Daigon to new lands.

Due to the dangers of these duties, it's not uncommon for Widowers to be skilled combatants, at least skilled enough to protect themselves and their charges from bandit raids and pillagers. When the holdings of the Church are threatened, the Widowers are the ones who raise defenders in the name of Daigon, forming vast rabble armies capable of standing against more organised forces by weight of numbers alone.[/hider]
[hider=Hierarchy][center][color=lightgray]The Triplets[/color]
[sup]Figurehead 'leaders'[/sup]
[color=lightgray]Council of Sisters[/color]
[sup]Main power of the order[/sup]
[color=lightgray]Handmaidens[/color]
[sup]Agents of the Brides[/sup]

[color=lightgray]Maids[/color]
[sup]Upper rank of the outer cicle[/sup]
[color=lightgray]Widows[/color]
[sup]Main representatives of the Weeping Widows[/sup]
[color=lightgray]Supplicants[/color]
[sup]Lay workers striving to join the order[/sup]

[color=lightgray]Widowers[/color]
[sup]General term for male members of the order, may or may not be agents for the inner circle[/sup][/center][/hider][/color][/indent]
[b]Relations to other Factions:[/b][indent][color=silver]As a religious order, the Weeping Widows have believers and followers in low positions throughout most other factions, ranging from casual devotees to full-blown apostles willing to place the will of the Widows above the word of their Lords.

Officially the Widows have no political power, with the only pressure they are able to wield being through their influence over the disenfranchised populations of other nations. However this pressure can be brought to bear in minor, often overlooked ways which can aid in undermining even the greatest of nations.[/color][/indent]
[b]Notes:[/b][indent][color=silver]As their followers and supporters are diverse and mostly uneducated, The Widows' insignia appears in various forms across Nagath often influenced by regional customs and traditions in order to better integrate with the local populations. All of these forms centre around the symbol of an open or half-open eye accompanied by a single teardrop. Some known examples include:[hider=Examples][center][img]https://i.imgur.com/2wsN626.png[/img][img]https://i.imgur.com/lc0PIAc.png[/img]
[img]https://i.imgur.com/mKDkCBU.png[/img]
[img]https://i.imgur.com/kVYW5zE.png[/img][img]https://i.imgur.com/ahScBTH.png[/img][/center][/hider][/color][/indent]