Cult of the Crimson Blades

In the Kingdom of Lanuch in 781, there was an uprising by a group of women warriors, followers of Asabeth, who turned on the men who governed their lands, and overthrows them. Their leader is Aethelflaed, who within two years sets herself up as Queen of Estwed, gaining independence from the Kingdom of Lanuch.

Queen Aethelflaed and her followers, though they follow the Cult of Asabeth, do not agree with the weakened, softer, side of the cult which had become common over the previous centuries, and rename themselves as the Crimson Blades, holding to the original teachings of Asabeth. The two cults do not agree on methods or teachings, though this disagreement led only to avoidence rather than fighting.

The cult of the Crimson Blades teaches that a sword woman of the Crimson Lady should have total independence and total freedom from men. It is said that they practised male sacrifice, sexual freedom (children were raised by the women, and the men often didn't even know which children were theirs) and a matriarchy.

As practised in Estwed during the 9th century, the cult was both extreme and fanatical. Any who opposed the Crimson Blades within the Kingdom were dealt with harshly, with slavery and death being the most common punishments. By the time the Blades were overthrown, a large proportion of the population of the kingdom were slaves, with no rights or protection. This applied to both men and women.

The Cult Today

The Cult lost most of its members when Estwed was brought back under the control of men in 889, when Queen Osith is assassinated. Fragments of the cult lived on however, and some of the traditions of the cult were followed by the early Queens of Weidany. Possibly, some members of the cult were subsumed into the Daughters of Neya around this time.