The silver ladies were an order of specialty priests of the Church of Selûne who held many responsibilities within the organization.[1]
History[]
The silver ladies were established to better accommodate the many factions that Selûne's highly varied faithful might fall into. They emphasized the Moonmaiden's role in watching over women. They were active by 1369 DR.[1]
Requirements[]
Due to their role in defending and caring for women, silver ladies could only be female. The organization placed no restriction on romantic relationships otherwise, and many members were married.[1]
At the beginning of her service, a silver lady had to choose one means of divination for use throughout her career. Her options were reading cards, performing astrology, tossing bones, using a scrying pool, rolling dice, and even reading tea leaves.[1]
Activities[]
Silver ladies served as healers and midwives, as defenders of women and lycanthropes, and as diviners and fortune-tellers. Their many responsibilities kept them busy.[1]
Dedicated to the protection of women, silver ladies took great pleasure in hunting down and bringing justice to men who discarded, cheated, harmed, bullied, or oppressed women, and endeavored to make them compensate their victims in some way. When they witnessed mistreatment of women, they were known to react with violence in their efforts to stop it.[1]
Attitudes[]
They were naturally highly distrustful of cultures, cities, or nations where women were not treated as equals with men, that is, were mistreated, disenfranchised, or owned by men. In turn, because of the public commotions they caused, the silver ladies were unwelcome in places where such things were accepted.[1]
Silver ladies were generally very sympathetic regarding lycanthropes, particularly those who were infected and remorseful of their condition.[1]
Receiving visions of the future and often out on moonlit nights, silver ladies were often regarded as a little off or unconventional. They appeared preoccupied with intangible matters and struggled to care about practical, immediate issues, which tended to frustrate others.[1]
Although hardworking, they were still able to enjoy themselves as priestesses.[1]
Abilities[]
During the full moon, three days each month, a silver lady was completely immune to lycanthropy. In addition, once a month at this time, she could try to predict someone's future within the next month using her chosen means of divination, growing more successful as she advanced. This power functioned similarly to the divination spell, but this only worked within the next week.[1] This was a form of lunar magic.[2][note 1]
However, during the week of the new moon, silver ladies suffered a slight weakness against followers of the goddess Shar.[1]
Silver ladies could see in the dark as well as if they had infravision.[1]
They learned the healing arts and herbalism, and some the techniques of astrology.[1]
Strangely, silver ladies could not turn undead, unlike the mainstream clergy. The reasons for this were unknown.[1]
Possessions[]
The silver ladies donned robes of silk or satin with silver threads, under white hooded cloaks. For protection, they wore chain mail beneath their robes and preferred the smooth-headed moon's hand mace favored by the church.[1]
Appendix[]
Notes[]
- ↑ Given the close similarity and association with the Selûnite faith, this is assumed to be lunar magic.
References[]
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.15 1.16 1.17 John Terra (February 1996). Warriors and Priests of the Realms. Edited by Steven E. Schend. (TSR, Inc), p. 102. ISBN 0-7869-0368-6.
- ↑ Eric L. Boyd (June 2005). City of Splendors: Waterdeep. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 144, 146. ISBN 0-7869-3693-2.