Lore - Realms of Bosom / Bossotuhrs

“I smite the enemies with the wrath of polar winds,

For I am the forger of death.

Mine armor is my duty, mine weapon is my art.

Her Light have purified mine flesh,

And my will is mend by steel.

My body will fight even when dead.

For I am the wall;

We – are the Fortress.”

Ancient Kingdom of Bosom is the birthplace of the Knights of Creation, yet here they are known as Bossotuhrs – mighty, selfless defenders. And unlike other nations, the Realms still adhere to iron rules and require exceptional natural qualities to bestow such a venerable name – only those who have earned Her Deathly Visage deserve to be called Bossotuhrs. For this, very few candidates of the Realm are given the official title of Knight of Creation, which the Bosomians see as a reputable act and accuse other nations of belittling the good name of estimable heroes by lowering their own qualifications.

To be one of them is a road of tremendous endeavor, but not everyone is worthy of walking it. Exclusively the descendants of the Muneles and Yeomams families with exceptional busts, and who are the Engifted of a grade from Blaze to Luminant, hold a privilege to even try.

However, the young candidate should first receive the appropriate basic training and schooling until she reaches the appropriate age, after which a decision will be made by the authorities as to recognize whether she will be a suitable Aspirant. If approved, she then will dedicate ten restless and grueling years of her life to the physical drilling and education of the Engifted Doctrines: under the Lady-Mason her body will become a chiseled masterpiece, and Lady-Winter will carve her Gift into an impeccable weapon. Equally important – throughout all these years will be tested the calmness of mind and purity of thoughts to ensure the Aspirant’s absolute love for the Allmother and unwavering resolve against the seductive whispers of the Envy.

Depending on the Fortress City, or even the predetermined Fellowship, the conditioning experience may vary, but in most cases these deviations mount further hard work rather than differences. While Aspirants from the Fortress Cities will be initiated where they are born, those who come from Milkland will permanently migrate based on the ancestry of their own family or the family to whom they are subordinate.

After the first six years, if the Aspirant is yet rejected, the final decision on her ensuing development will be made based on already achieved results, after which she will finally get personalized with the Bossotuhr’s arsenal – through the maintenance and understanding of the majestic designs already worn by her superiors.

When the final four of the ten years are conclude, an Aspirant will be invited into the Casern of one of the Fellowship to complete her initiation trials. Failure of these trials is shameful… not just for the contender, but also for her mentors, who after so many years have failed to forge a proper warrior of Her Light, for the only way to fail these trials is through death – Bossotuhr is a wall, and walls either stand or scattered into rubble.

If the trials are passed, then the Aspirant should patiently await the next Envasion, when she will finally don the armor of Bossotuhr for the first time and march along with her new Battle-sisters for the official Battleborn Ceremony; and when the last heinous creature has been smeared into the ground, the Lady-Smith will strike her anvil eight times, and each time the Aspirant will recite a line from the Oath, and when the last line is spoken, she will be officially proclaimed a new member of the Fellowship – the Aspirant becomes an Esquire, and one step closer to becoming Bossotuhr.

***

People outside the Realms see no difference between Esquires and Bossotuhrs, but it is an insult to think of them as equals. Still, this also doesn't mean that you should dare to dismiss Esquires because of their title, for that is all that separates them from being officially recognized as the Knights of Creations. After all, they have been given equal privileges, armaments, training and Doctrines, and fight no less mighty as the heroes they are striving to be.

For many decades to come, the Esquire will serve her Fortress City and defend the Realms, and eventually one day, after many hallowed battles, admirable feats and exemplary endeavor, she would be invited behind the General-Governor’s Army House into the Cemetery of the Perfect. There, surrounded by the Herquisitorial Choir and the marble busts of the Bossotuhrs who already given their lives for the Allmother, she will repeat the oath, quaff the milk mixture made by the sistren Bossotuhrs who have honored her with their presence, and then soak in a bath of mammoth milk, waiting for Lady-Smith to complete Deathly Visage. After Lady-Smith has finalized her new masterpiece, Esquire will submerge in milk completely and re-emerge with the mask on – exalted as the legitimate Bossotuhr – as the Knights of Creation.

Having said that, only a person of the venerable Munelity social class is worthy of the name of Bossotuhr, for so Yeomams may remain Esquires forever, unless their deeds are tremendous, duty unbroken and breasts are bouncy – then, a suitable marriage or adoption into a Munele family may be found, which will open the way upwards. But for a person who has already achieved so much, the founding of her own minor Munele house happens more often, and much sooner, than you might think.

• Bossotuhr Fellowships:

Each active Fortress City maintains numerous Fellowships based on population and the number of Knights of Creation, ranging between young Esquire, experienced Jagers, Cult-hunters, or the Elite of a fief. These Fellowships take no orders from anyone other the General-Governor or the Bossomotohrs of the Milky Retinue, and are thus free to carry out their own missions and follow their own decisions, as they deem best for the safety of the City.

Fortress Cities lavishly provide their Fellowships with all they require and demand, sparing no resources for their most valuable defenders, and each is housed in their own Casern inside the walls with immediate access to the battlefield surrounding the City. There, between Envasions, Battle-sisters live, train and practice their art. If the need arises – arenas would be constructed for the Fellowships to compete, improve and entertain the citizens.

Generally all Fellowships agree that the betterment of the City comes through the betterment of future Bossotuhrs, and to this end, each Fellowship dedicated its own members for the training and education of Aspirant, even if none join them in the end.

Since most Fellowships number barely a hundred Bossotuhrs and Esquires, they follow a flat hierarchy – aside from the Milky Mistress at the head of the Fellowship, there are only a handful officers at her round table who lead dozens of Battle-sisters of equal rank, but some members are entrusted with additional responsibilities within the Fellowship.

A Lady-Mason is a specialist officer responsible for the corporeal excellence of the Fellowship. She ensures proper diet, combat training, physical fitness and well-being of each Battle-sister. Additional duties include fortification and defensive strategies on missions outside the Fortress City, as well as the physical training of Aspirants.

A Lady-Winter is the master of the Gift. She aids the Esquires in the Fellowship to explore their own mind – its natural wiring and preferred fantasies – an understanding that helps them reforge the Gift into the arsenal that makes the Knights of Creation who they are. But no less significant is her role as a seeker of corruption. Anxiety, fear, anger… she will help to shatter these dark thoughts and bring warmth to the minds to her sisters.

A Lady-Smith is the Fellowship’s armorer. She assures the quality, conformity, fit and proper repair of the wargear worn by her Battle-sister. Each weapons, plate of armor, and exo-muscle will be inspected, each dent will be smoothed and malfunction repaired, and any servant who fault to perform restoration duties will be punished. Too, the Lady-Smith is responsible for the ceremonies and rituals within the Fellowship.

A Lady-Duty is the second-in-command, a Seneschal in charge of general supplies and servants, but also a dedicated historian who keeps the memories of past Battle-sisters alive. During battle, she hold the Banner of the Fellowship as its supreme protector and uses her Gift to amplify melody of the war-musician.

Ladies of Drums are Bossotuhr war-musicians: a group of five half-naked drummers encircling Lady-Duty during intense Envasions, enforcing the rhythm to the righteous slaughter. Like thunder, their melody reverberates across the battlefield, imbuing the Battle-sisters with heroic thoughts and adrenaline, and devitalizing Jealous Beastiary with the sounds of orderly beauty.

Upon request, additional personnel are pledged to the Fellowship as servants to assist in tasks that are below the noble hands of the Bosomian Knights of Creation.

Bossotuhrs and Esquires are not exempt from Dairy Duty, and this is the most precious reward that defenders of the City-Guardians can dream of: traditionally, milk is only given out after Envasions, and it is awarded to those Knights who have contributed most to the in extermination of the Hellish Spawn. Otherwise, they share milk only among themselves.