|
The Crimson Dancer An Overview
by James Chokey
|
 |
Introduction
The Crimson Dancer is a fighting order sponsored by the clerical order of the Kukshin. The headquarters of the order is Quimen castle, located in Orbaal, in northern Hârn. Most members are stationed in and around Quimen but small chapterhouses and garrisons may also be found at Kukshin temples in Geldeheim and Thursa (in Orbaal) and at Beleka and Harling (in Ivinia) Members of the fighting order typically accompany travelling priestesses as well.
The order's Akarata is Baliela of Shernath. A strong and merciless woman, she is also the sister of Brenlyn of Shernath, the assassin of Queen Eriel of Kanday during Ezar's War. The order has one Tenaka, Tamyne of Chukris. Known as “the cruelest woman in Seldenbaal”,she oversees the Ivinian branch of the order from Beleka.
* [Author's Note: According to the “Agrik” article in Gods of Hârn, Tamyne holds the rank of Akarata. I personally don't think it much makes sense for a single order to have two independent grandmistresses, just because it is spread out over two regions. Rather, it seems far more likely to me that Tamyne is a Tenaka who happens to enjoy a great deal of independence.]
History of the Red Shadows of Herpa
The history of the Crimson Dancer is so closely intertwined with its sponsoring clerical order, that it is difficult— if not impossible— to separate the two. A summary of the Crimson Dancer's history may be found in the Kukshin History (above). An extended and more detailed account of that history may be found here.
The Order's Name and Relevant Myths
The name of the Crimson Dancer, though partly derived from the body's original moniker (i.e. “The Sisters of Crimson”), is traced by the order to a curious event described in the Balefire Chronicle. Briefly summarized, the circumstances of the event are as follows:
Once, a woman was brought for judgement before Ilpylen. She was said to have struck her husband with a knife, killing him. Ilpylen's judgement upon her comes through a metaphor-laden speech that ends with the following two rhetorical questions: “Shall the woman slay the man instead of serve him? Shall she cast aside her veil and dance, crimson-spattered, above the holy fires?”
Ilpylen's command is that, the next day, she shall be taken up to the mouth of a nearby volcano where, armed only with the knife she used to slay her husband, she will battle him to test her fitness as a warrior. The fight is no contest. Ilpylen, a skilled warrior wearing blessed armour and armed with both mace and shield, slays the woman instantly, bursting her skull open with a single blow of the mace. He then rolls her remains into the volcano's mouth as a sacrifice.
Traditionally, Agrikan orders have interepreted this passage as a statement of women's inferiority: the unnamed woman could not even stand against Ilpylen even for a second. But the Crimson Dancer interprets this passage differently (or rather, the priestesses of the Kukshin interpret it for them differently). They contend that the fact Ilpylen was willing to fight the woman in holy sacrifical challenge is proof that women are indeed able to serve Agrik as priests and warriors.
At the same time, they point to the inequality of the circumstances: Ilpylen was fully armed and was a trained warrior, the unnamed woman was not. The point of the story, as the Terahni of the Crimson Dancer learn it, is that men fear women's strength and are willing to deal with them only on unequal terms. A trained women warrior, armed properly, could not be defeated so easily as Ilpylen defeated this woman. It is the duty of a female servant of Agrik, they learn, to be trained so that she will not be at a disadvantage, but will in fact be superior to her male opponents.
Rituals, Customs, & Practices
Like its sponsoring clerical order, the Kukshin, the Crimson Dancer is not overly concerned with theology. Its rituals and customs tend to be practical, intended to further concrete goals rather than to illustrate abstract points of dogma. Most orderial rituals are oriented towards combat. Many ceremonies are, in fact, no more than military drills accompanied by chants and war dances. Other rituals have equally practical purposes: some involve individual combat (to promote individual skill-at-arms and resolve disputes through both lethal and non-lethal duels), torture (to aid in interrogation and to punish enemies), and sacrifice (either to pray for— or give thanks for— victory in battle).
The Crimson Dancer, however, does share the Kukshin's theological misandry. This is evident in its brutal treatment of male captives, who are typically humiliated, raped, and tortured repeatedly before being flayed to death. Female prisoners, by contrast, are executed without quite so much torment. They may still be tortured beforehand, but this is done more for purposes of interrogation than for sport.
Occasionally, the order will 'show mercy' to male captives by giving them freedom after mutilating their bodies. This is often done to 'send a message'— both literally and metaphorically. In 717 TR, for example,a member of the Aenghysa made a failed attempt to assassinate the order's Akarata. He was captured and imprisoned for four months at Quimen during which time the order castrated him; cut off his ears, nose, fingers and thumbs; extracted his teeth; slit his tongue; and hideously scarrified his face. They also hamstrung one of his legs, burned out one of his eyes, and branded the words “Thank you. Please send several more!” upon his chest and back. They then released him so that he might carry this mocking message back to his fellow rebels. Such mutiliation is almost never done to female captives.
Like the priestesses of the Kukshin, members of the Crimson Dancer do not marry. They may, however, take lovers of either sex. This freedom may help the order to attract Ivinian women who, though martially minded, find the Sarajinian requirement that shieldmaidens be virgins too onerous.
Combat & Warfare
The Crimson Dancer trains its warriors in a variety of unarmed combat techniques and styles. Its Terahni are masters of Sashata, a style of fighting that emphasizes fast, highly focused punches and kicks; they are reputed to have developed several unusual techniques unknown to other orders. It also practices a form of wrestling that teaches one how to use an opponent's strength and mass against him. The latter is deemed especially useful by the order, because men generally have higher body mass and physical strength than women.
On the battlefield, Crimson Dancer warriors use a variety of weapons. The mace and the morningstar are the favorites among Haragki, while the shortsword, spear, and handaxe are dominant among the Laumaks. (The last of these revals just how much Ivinian customs have taken hold within the order).
Regardless of rank, Terahni of the Crimson Dancer tend to be lightly armored— at least compared to members of other Agrikan fighting orders. This gives them greater speed, grace, and freedom of movement in combat. Orderial battlefield tactics, consequently tend to involve speed and surprise: ambushes, as well as sudden charges and retreats, are common.
Politics
Though the Crimson Dancer is theoretically subordinate to the Kukshin, its officers, rather than the Kukshin prietesses, usually call the political shots and set the practical agenda for both orders. This is not to say, of course, that Kukshin priestesses have no influence whatsoever over such matters— or that they are happy about being the 'weaker' partner in the relationship. As a general rule, howeverl the priestesses do not seek to force the issue.
The Crimson Dancer has similar attitudes towards the other Agrikan orders as does the Kukshin. Anger and resentment exist towards the largely male orders of the Fuming Gate, Herpa the Mace, and Mamaka the Master of Steel. Members generally feel a bond of kinship with the priestesses of the Eight Demons (espepcially because of their emphasis on the sexual torture of men), bit have mixed feelings about the Eight Demons' all-male fighting order, the Cohorts of Gashang.
The Crimson Dancer has so far remained relatively isolated from Orbaalese and Ivinian politics, though it is regarded as a reliable source of troops by King Alegar II.
The order's main political involvement however is within the Kingdom of Rethem, where it has reached a tentative agreement with the Earl of Tormau. In exchange for sending troops to aid him in his struggle against King Chafin III, the Earl has promised to give the Crimson Dancer extensive landsthere once he prevails.
Land and Wealth
The Crimson Dancer holds Quimen castle in Orbaal and the nearby village of Brenlyn (named for the assassin of Queen Eriel of Kanday). Quimen is its main 'power base', while troops train at Brenlyn. The Crimson Dancer also receives tribute from three nearby Ivinian-held villages: Delmon, Quolden, and Tyber. It holds no land in Ivinia.
Though small, these holdings serve the Crimson Dancer well, as the Quimen Valley has perhaps the most fertile land in all of Orbaal. They also tax their Jarin subjects/slaves as much as they can bear. The order also profits from a nearby iron mine that is run with Jarin slave labor.
The order occasionally takes in money from booty, caravan raids, and for-hire assassination.
Quimen is held directly by the Crimson Dancer's Akarata, Baleila of Shernath. Brenlyn is overseen by a Telmen of the order. The chapterhouses attached to the various Ivinian temples are generally overseen by Telmen.
This page is part of the Hârn
Religion Team
Page last updated on July 29, 2002 by Jim Chokey