⸰☽ Path of the Priestess ☾⸰
This guide was primarily created as a means to flesh out Tinwëtar’s backstory and help in imagining what her training to become a Priestess might have looked like. We do not have a lot of lore in regards to what the Sisterhood’s training is like, but what little there is has been incorporated into this guide. The rest is pure headcanon and we do not expect anyone else to adhere to it. But if anyone wishes to use it, feel free!
The Sisterhood of Elune is one of the oldest kaldorei religious and magical orders. Formal worship of Elune dates back around 15,000 years and the Sisterhood as a religious organisation existed well before the Great Sundering. As the name implies, the Sisterhood of Elune is an order of Priestesses dedicated to the worship and servitude of the moon goddess Elune. Kaldorei society is a theocracy and as such the Sisterhood is also the main ruling body for the kaldorei people. The Priestesses do not only serve as healers, they also act as political and spiritual guides, diplomats, archivists and elite warriors, among other things.
The Sisterhood is, as far as we know, an organisation that has a set hierarchy (more on that in a separate chapter) and in order for a candidate to become a fully fledged Priestess they have to undergo intense training. The Priestesses of Elune are the de facto leaders of kaldorei society, and as such they need to be experts in many different crafts, many of which takes years, if not decades, to master. Because of this, the training has been divided up into different Cycles of Devotion, each pertaining to a specific rank and with its own themes and sets of subjects to study. The Cycles of Devotion will each be explained more in-depth in their separate chapters, but a brief overview will be provided below.
First Cycle of Devotion – It takes 9 months for a Novice to complete this cycle and it lays the foundation of what is to come, as well as tests the Novice’s motivations for wanting to become a Priestess in the first place. The length of the cycle symbolizes a full pregnancy and Motherhood, and thus the embrace into the Sisterhood.
Second Cycle of Devotion – It takes 9 years for a Disciple to complete this cycle and it continues to build upon the foundation created in the first cycle. It also deepens the Disciple’s connection to the Goddess. The number 9 is considered a perfect number in mystical lore and various religions in the IRL world, and that is the reason it has been used as the length of this cycle.
Third Cycle of Devotion – It takes 99 years for an Acolyte to complete the third cycle and once it has been completed successfully the Acolyte may undergo the Priestess Challenge in order to become a fully fledged Priestess. The reason it takes 99 years to complete is because the number 99 is made up of two perfect numbers and 9 plus 99 is 108, which is considered to be a semi-perfect number with deep mystical properties and significance, which is fitting for this third cycle of devotion.
Each of the cycles are explained and explored further in their own chapters, which are linked above, along with an overview of the Sisterhood hierarchy and an explanation of the Priestess Challenge.