avaeavalley

[avaeavalley]

Obsessed with the Aerin/Baldur fic so I’d love to hear more of your thoughts about them/the Valleros Family

My blades hyperfixation is kind of swimming back to me so i'm scrambling to get this answer done before it leaves me again lmaooo (and I'm sorry if this took so long!)

The Valleroses are a dynasty and the way Arlan is, at least, they do not seem to have mighty aspirations. He rules over a period of peace, does not attempt to usurp the general lifestyle of Morellians and does not add anything to the plot besides being a sort of right-hand man for the church. They have a symbiotic relationship, not just in a typical Church and State fashion, but as a king who has pledged fealty to the Temple of Light. He holds them accountable not as a king toward a head a religion, but rather a king against one of his subjects. He is largely subservient to the Light, awards quite liberally to those that protect the realm and his kindness, though ample, is also fickle.

I really like addressing the family aspect of it more because the Valleroses are, unlike a typical dynastical kingdom, a very small family. It makes sense why his focus is more on Baldur - grooming him to be a rigid ruler and keeps Aerin as a safe spare. Arlan's blatant favouritism and excuse of Baldur's behaviour can be read as a father encouraging his son to appear more masculine. Arlan, the gentle king will not prefer to be gentle while raising his son. Baldur is proud, unkind and cruel - what we stereotypically associate kings with. He hunts for fun, collects hides of monsters as conquests and is leagues differnet from his father who vouches outwardly for peace. A king who does not command respect, is no king and Arlan knows his voice has softened and he cannot win wars now, but he can groom his son, arm him with phallic-shaped swords, teach him to sow his seeds everywhere, teach him lessons that Arlan himself, cannot implement.

In a way, Arlan has claimed Baldur as his sword, as much as he's claimed Aerin as the son who will be prey. Perhaps he has attempted to rectify Aerin's own behaviours in the past, to no avail. Perhaps he was a hopeless case from the time of his birth. Aerin learns all that he knows from Aurinae - who teaches him how to poison and how to hide - something that may reflect Aurinae and Arlan's relationship -- the gentle king and his queen that never shows her face. Though we do know little - still, little is a lot, about their relationship, it is never entirely specific. It is entirely possible Arlan had loved Aurinae once, but in an attempt to control and "keep the peace" - a lesson he will pass on to his more violent son, Baldur who exercises fierce control on Aerin.

It is unclear if Baldur and Aurinae shared a relationship beyond a few words, but it is clear Arlan's teachings has had an impact on Baldur who equates quiet, meek people as Aurinae - the most important woman in his life. When he tortures Aerin, Baldur may think of it as getting revenge for his father against Aurinae - to penetrate into his "mother" as taught by his father.

Penetration and possession are taught to the children. As Aerin "penetrates" Nia's body and possesses her of shadow, the entire act is taught to him not only by the Dreadlord but also equally enhanced by his upbringing. Aurinae's poisons possess all men, while Arlan engages Baldur in penetrative combat. By virtue of this, the parents have equally claimed their children's bodies and minds. Aurinae prepares Aerin to be a vessel to the Dreadlord and it can be likened to Arlan's preparation of Baldur to be the next heir - both preparing their children for penetration and possession.

Blood is sacred to kings, as much as their own manhoods in a patriarchal setup. Arlan's viewing of Aerin as the prey, the spare, the forgotten daughter sets him to that of illegitimacy. Mayhaps the same can be said for Aurinae, who clubs both Arlan and Baldur as people she does not associate with - as idiots, essentially (i think it was in that one scene w sarenya when she says that???) who takes Arlan's insults toward Aerin, as insults meant for her. The way she has given Arlan a son who brings valour and a spare, who brings none. Aurinae, as a staunch believer of Possession, seeks to have Aerin for herself - as she owes him that much as her creator and one made of her flesh and blood.

I love fucked-up family dynamics so I'm 100% convinced Aurinae has sexually abused Aerin - between his voluntary intake of her poisons, to being attached to her hip - he takes pride in taking after his mother more than his father. Arlan must have also abused Baldur, as the cycle of abuse continues. Arlan would have also abused Aerin, who does not fit into his neat definition of an heir - and with Aerin experiencing visions from the Dreadlord at a young age, going against the family's services to the Church, he may be very well seen as a monstrous feminine-equivalent - (yknow the horror movie trope where women and/or girls experience visions and possessions at such a young age?)

I would love to write a fic about this. Hopefully my hyperfixation stands long enough so I can like, write it and get it up and running!

[avaeavalley]

sad colourism is not a thing in the blades canon - like imagine the layers to the story, esp nia's where priests and priestesses are expected to have like, the fairest of skins, palest of complexions for the light to pass through them?? compared to shadow magic, the people being referred to as the "ashen", how valax, vali are grey; the shadow court of dark skin to reflect their "impurities" - corrupted by shadow - like colourism is practically a natural consequence of the purity system reinforced by the prophets of light

[avaeavalley]

some of blades discourse is so... american/europe-centric like i cant w some of yall glossing over obvious undertones of colonialism like no problem, fuck your fav war criminals but like, it is just soo glaringly obvious what u choose to ignore conveniently and "miss" some really important context ykwim

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sorry but i love when fictional characters are obsessive and controlling and play sick love games and withhold affection and take ownership and act "unfeminist" and are cruel and punishing and make unreasonable demands and can't separate their lover from themselves and lie to preserve a sense of normalcy in relationship. all of this is romance and when traditional love stories are discredited because they feature these things and therefore aren't morally pure. it's like. okay. your ideal relationship is between two christian therapists.

[avaeavalley]

Knockemstiff, Donald Ray Pollock

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general blades hyperfixation kinda left me sooo uhhhh strange anyways still very much obsessed w a hierophilic reading of nia btw <3

[avaeavalley]

[avaeavalley]

starfurycest pleaseeeeee 😁😁😁

Incestrous readings are everywhere to those with eyes to see, I firmly believe in it lol. While on a surface level incest seems plausible given the Elves’ nature to protect their blood, perhaps to  avoid bearing Elves with no magical traits in their blood - deemed betrayers of Nifara's cause and children not borne from her womb, and to also secure their bloodline, there exists a deeper understanding that concerns the very foundation of Light, as opposed to it being a quirky custom. 

I'll take the Starfurys, the Starfuries (?) as a case study. In Elven society, marriage is seen as a political affair and sexuality seen as a means to further the genealogy of the Houses. Each House takes pride in its ancestry and the Starfuries are no exception - termed one of the oldest, wealthiest and most powerful families in Undermount. Their flesh is made of Light and thus, they are all Nifara's children. Kilvali - romantic attraction is a primary marker in a matrimonial affair as newlyweds partake in tests to prove their kilvali is strong as the honour in their blood. Whereas dinvali is not so strictly regulated and is kept as a means to satiate one's sexual appetite whilst creating a new generation of Elves. With the already declining population of Elves, the system seems almost convenient if not entirely made for incestrous sexual relationships.

One can take a kilvalir outside of the family for marriage while taking multiple dinvalirs within their family to secure a future for the House. Kilvali is largely involved in the merging of Houses, forging powerful political alliances and ensuring both Houses sustain as they are populated by the children of one's sexual partners. 

It is also said Tyril and Adrina are unfamiliar with their dinma, and that their father, Valir had intended for it to remain that way. The Kilmas - much like Sarenya, tend to raise their non-biological children as their own. The family structure of the Elves is dependent on the silence that is expected from the dinmas who readily provide their wombs and their milk for the nourishment of the next race of Elves.

Sexuality, though not as regulated as the emotional loyalty and bond that binds romantic unions, is still unspoken of as if the children born out of such a carnal sin can only be raised by one that did not give birth to them, i.e Sarenya with respect to the Starfuries. 

This is a very volatile family structure in itself, as a child's parentage is put to the test and who is responsible for the child is also equally contested. The purity of the Light is gatekept, which Undermount as a society also reflects and thus vessels for the Light must also be carefully maintained. The Elven social structure is literally built on one's affinity to the Light, rightfully so as it is Nifara's own gift and thus it is understood that whomever is blessed with her gifts have somehow earned the Mother's good graces. 

Hence, Elven family roles are restructured and defined by one's affinity to Light. Motherhood is a rung below godhood and conception is a rung below motherhood, as we see Sarenya become a servant of Light in Elhalas, perhaps rewarded for her maintaining her purity despite not having birthed Tyril and Adrina herself. Gender roles will be written around a mother's unwavering emotional loyalty and a womb-bearer's purity of blood, for if a Lord plans to conceive children, he must choose a woman whose blood is personally blessed by Nifara and a womb free from impurities. When the idea of sexual desire is rooted in religious appeasement, incest becomes a pillar that offers sanctuary from more perverse ideals. Incest is seen as a way to honour Nifara's own sacrifices, her gift to the Elves and her determination to preserve and protect.

Partly the reason why monogamy is seen as a rarity, not because Elven society is just that progressive, rather it directly goes against Nifara's own wishes as it is stated in the books, making her envious of a relationship that is both romantic and sexual in nature and hence, insisting the splitting to ensure nobody can achieve a “monogamous haven”. Incest of the sexual nature is not only seen as means to preserve bloodlines but to directly pleasure their Great Mother Nifara.

Everything they do is for her and her alone.

The Elf Lords might be inclined to compare his younger sister or daughter coming of age to that of Nifara's own self. A female Elf sacrificed herself the way Nifara proclaims herself to have done. The Lord sees the woman in his family attain Nifara's shape - a golden corset hiding her pure, voluptuous breasts, eyes of the Lord, a womb aching for a child and purity in between her legs. The Lord may select a dinvalir accordingly and rape her if he must, to have her bear him a child so sacred it carries the blood of Nifara herself. He must have her quickly before she invites the perverse nature of the Shadow or loses her affinity to magic. She is then discarded, having given birth and the Lord collects the fruits his seed has borne, pure of blood for she is merely an object for his sexual desire. Sexuality is kept quiet, not as loud as romantic declarations of love. Lord Valir Starfury himself could have plausibly had children with his own next of kin.

Seldom do we see any half-Elves and with a dwindling population of purebred Elves, it is clear the imperial nature of their society also bleeds into The Family in the form of incest. 

My personal favourite headcanon is Tyril being forced to take Adrina as a dinvalir, in tandem with his own failings to marry and ensure the security of the House of Starfury. Adrina is a woman in Elven society, made fully aware of her duties and the sacredness of her sexuality. Tyril's own honour can be exploited; his loyalty questioned and his blood debated over extensively. The boy grows up and Valir grows older, ailing even. The girl is made fully aware of her likening to Nifara's motherhood and her fertility is not hers anymore. Tyril and Adrina try, perhaps to elicit a sexual desire for each other to appease the Gods they so clearly devote their lives to only to realise the fractured familial bonds that their incestrous relationship is sated to fix.

Tyril goes on a self imposed exile to avenge a friend but mostly to seek the true meaning of Light while Adrina learns of other ways to prove her loyalty besides being bred to breed and takes care of the House, only to soon be named its Head by Tyril himself. 

The possibility of them sharing an incestous sexual relationship does not easily escape their minds, for it nags Tyril as a "what could have been". It brings them closer to the prospect of understanding what Light means to them personally, perhaps undergoing a journey similar to Nia's spiritual arc. However optimistic and positively defiant it might sound, it is still very much apparent. Tyril and Adrina, once brother and sister cannot simply return back to their childish innocence - not when their own father insists Tyril fuck his own sister to secure a future for the crumbling House, albeit giving up in the cause and resigning to a more neutral position. We know Valir as "one of the good parents" when really, he is as much a product of generational incest and thus, reinforces a similar idea - or a similar future for his own children. Kind of pisses me off when the fandom tends to idolize the Starfuries as the epitome of a good family, when really the infrastructure of family in itself is rotten to one's tongue.

[avaeavalley]

All those ships fuck wtf I’m obsessed??? Love to hear about Nia and Valax and their mommies 😁 but Midys/Nithrax were truly something else in Blades 3 so either (or both) is good

Slightly NSFW so I'll put my answer under the cut

Nia and Valax is one of my favourite ships mostly because they are just so intrinsically similar - not only in their loyalties to the Light and Shadow respectively but how well they mimic their mothers. Nia takes Nifara as her patron, her guiding compass, her north star and her mother - whom she ritually prays to, whom she's dedicated her entire life to and whose Light she seeks refuge in. She's her child, therefore she willingly gives herself up to be a vessel for Nifara's seed - Light in itself. Much like Valax, who repeatedly seeks Vali's love and is willing to be her weapon, her sword and shield.

The incestuous relationship that Vali and Valax share is akin to the relationship between Nifara and Nia. A devotee and an idol. A mother and a daughter. A creator and her creation. A seed and a womb. 

My personal headcanon is that the relationship between Valax and Nia is one of pure physical bliss alone. Their emotional loyalties are left at their mothers’ altars and when they pleasure themselves, they scream their mother's name. When they join their bodies together, it is not a mere dance of the Light and Shadow or a homage to Nifara and Vali, or the joining of the Realms, rather it is read as a symbolical cry of devotion to the Mother Gods, the Matriarchs and the wounds they carry within them. When they consummate their union, they can only mimic their Mothers - Nifara's possession of Vali in tandem with Nia's claim to Valax's maidenhood and Vali's rejection of Nifara, in line with Valax purging the Light from Nia's eyes, filling her body with blackened Ash. 

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Midys and Nithrax remind me a lot of Cersei and Jaime from ASOIAF. Twins brought to this world and will remain together even at death. The intimacy that they share is neither purely romantic and wholesome the way Ittar and Bakshi share or possessive and overpowering like Vali and Nifara. Destructive magic is not gendered, for we see combat mages of all genders in Blades wield such powerful magic but since the Light seems to favour and possess women, it is rather interesting to see Midys's magic-wielding abilities and how controlled her destruction can be compared to her brother's chaotic, “masculine” nature in combat with enchanted weaponry.

Blades is notorious for subverting gender expectations and while that is a welcome breath of fresh air, I really think it would benefit the writing more if gender and sexism, to put it simply, was discussed - especially at certain poignant moments. Midys and Nithrax are perhaps one of the only examples where the man assumes the role of a 'rugged, chaotic combatant’ while the woman shows her aggression through her Mother's gift of Light. While both do share an affinity for magic, it is interesting to see the roles each takes in this 'battle dance’ and the gendered encoding of it. The woman's aggression is contained within the confines of her own abilities, her magic is hers but it was never hers to begin with at the same time. The man with his phallic-shaped weaponry can afford to be as destructive as he liked. The Elves ask the man to bless their weapons, invoke the man to allow them to rain blood on their enemies while they ask of the woman to not drain their lifespan and their aim be as pure and sharp as their very beings, whilst defeating their enemies. Both of them belong to Nifara and under Nifara, their relationship is declared holy and their devotion to each other declared a matrimony, blessed by the Mothers themselves.

[avaeavalley]

Jumping off the previous ask, I’d also love to hear your thoughts of Valax as a product of Valifara and that family unit

Valax is a product, much like how Nia and the other servants of Light are also a product. Weaponised at birth, they're bred to serve one cause of furthering the values of their makers. It is interesting to note how a matriarchal society like the Old Gods tends to bleed into what the Gods themselves expect from their children.

Valax could have easily been a boy, a mother's boy, a weapon - the ideal warrior and a successor to the Ashen Kingdom and the destroyer of Light.

But the family structure, despite being progressive in face value, still in a way thinks of daughters as ideal and obedient. The matriarchal structure in Blades prefers girls, not to fill a boy's shoes, rather let her mother - or generally, her maker - assume her body. The Light can itself be thought of as an extension of Nifara, possessing Nia and gifting her with magic - deeply powerful magic at such a young age. 

There's a certain need that those conferred upon the title of a “mother” in the series, (or can be thought of a matriarchal figure), have that consists of them possessing their daughters’ bodies. It is congruent to how the Party is nearly possessed by her and the rest of the Pantheon in order to return to the mortal realm - their bodies and souls belonging to the Mother, for they’re made of Light. The way the younger Gods and the rest of the realm are all her children ripe to be possessed by her, giving up their own bodily autonomy to their Mother. 

The Mothers, plural, Nifara and Vali have varying interpretations as to what their creations owe them. Vali accepts her creations, even going as far as to give the Elven populace their long lives - sacrificing herself, meanwhile Nifara expects a degree of loyalty for she blessed the Elves with the gift of Light. Of course, the lore tablets are, if not, a product of Bakshi’s writing- meant to be looked at through Nifara’s lens, on the whole. The womb of the Mothers is sacred, for motherhood takes different forms between Nifara’s and Vali’s. Nifara dons robes of purple and gold while Vali, of grey skin, wears dark purple.

 Nifara exudes purity from her neck till her stomach, beyond which her legs are obscured in robes of ashen purple - as if to imply the very act of enwombing is pure, as long as she does not give birth from in between her legs. It explains why her creations are usually the ones she “made” and “gifted” as opposed to giving birth to them; largely likened to the concept of ‘impurity after childbirth’. Vali follows suit, having termed as “another aspect of Nifara” in a Lore Tablet, Book 2, Chapter 8 - which can either be interpreted as Vali being Nifara’s own child, her womb’s creation or revered as a Nifara-like figure in the Shadow Realm. 

Shortly after her rebellion, Vali is banished to the newly-created Shadow Realm - which can also be read as Nifara’s Possession of Vali, the way the Realm was born out of Nifara’s own desire to protect the sanctity of Light - and thus, a product of her womb and exiling her wife to the confines of her creation can be read as Nifara enwombing dissent itself; largely echoing how abusive mothers tend to say, “I made you. I can also unmake you.” the children at the mercy of their makers. Valax grows up with this generational trauma, inherited from her Mother of Grey who is willing to “make” and “unmake” her as she grows up in Nifara’s womb - possessed by the Shadow whilst seeking refuge from the Light. Vali, of grey skin, wearing the purple robes of sin, colours Valax’s skin a similar hue - as if to possess her as her own, to never let her forget herself.

We tend to see this theme of identity largely echoed in Blades  - specifically maternal identity. We see Sarenya raise Tyril as her own, despite never giving birth to him. We see Nia claim Nifara as her mother. One’s maternal identity seems sacred, as is the act of motherhood - especially a mother who is deemed a virgin, a Madonna-figure.

We also see the likes of Valax, being “created” by her mother - wear her impure mother’s wounds despite not being born of her womb, but born of Nifara’s womb in the Realm of Shadow. We see Aurinae give birth to Aerin, die when he was a child as if the mere act of giving birth is rendered sinful and we see Aerin deal with the wounds she left in him. We see Tyril and Adrina are not told of their dinma’s identity as the act of sexual intercourse and sexuality is kept a secret, never to be known or spoken of. 

The Family in Blades is largely built on the idea of female sexuality and a mother’s purity. We see this tendency to bleed into the Party’s treatment of its female characters : the MC is an exception for their gender and sexuality are determinant and their faith is left ambiguous as an adventurer from Riverbend, a town that does not follow the Light closely. Nia, deified and revered as a protector, a nurturer and a carer - qualities of a virgin mother. We see Valax being regarded as someone with only one purpose to fulfill, that of their mother’s and when we see her join the Party, she is regarded as “pure” in the sense, she has not been “corrupted” of the “sin” of perversion. Imtura is given “masculine” traits to wear when discussing her sexuality and since Orcish culture revolves around individuality, the way both Orc men and women get pregnant and their child only ever belongs to one parent, her sexuality when discussed is still obscured, in the Lore Tablets, by an ambiguous Joining of One - where orcs “bind” their souls together regardless of the nature of their relationship - familial or romantic.

This can be interpreted as a way to subvert the conversation of sexuality itself.

[avaeavalley]

the concept of a kilvalir/dinvalir is so convoluted because ultimately it centers monogamy - the idea of both ur kilma and dinma being one person, is still considered divine and sacred - akin to the gods and it says "here's a system which has u pick a sexual & romantic partner and if u are FORTUNATE enough to find that in one person then u are practically like, super rare and also we hate u for mimicking us" - which is so in tandem with the exploitative culture of the nobles in undermount who have likely taken many sexual partners, some even amongst their own families, to ensure their house has a heir in the next generation and it can be swept under the rug as if it never happened. monogamy is still considered "pure and god-like" and iirc this whole splitting was birthed out of nifara's own jealousy. it still considers monogamy as sacred and unattainable and like, a secret little own form of rebellion which trivialises the system in itself - not progressive as u think it is.

[avaeavalley]

which so-called "problematic ship" smh everything's a ship nowadays, whatever, should i talk abt

aerin and baldur

valax and the ash empress

nia n valax especiallyyyyyy in the context of their mothers i.e nifara and vali

starfury-cest in the context of dinvali and kilvali

midys and nithrax

[avaeavalley]

Flora (detail, 1559) Jan Massys

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'The Mosaic Floor'. Ralph Heimans. 1995.

[avaeavalley]

Would actually love to hear about your thoughts about the Old Gods themselves and how they’ve created a family structure for themselves with Nifara of course as the matriarch and the rest being referred as children at some points. Esp interesting is how Vali is considered a mother figure alongside Nifara but is said by Midys to be more of a sister figure (which says a lot about Vali’s power within that family structure).

I'd like to think that the Temple and the Blades society at large, with the exception of sects that don't follow the faith, are scaled down simulacrums of the Old Gods and their structure of familial governance. The Matriarch is largely the Creator, whose Light is birthed out of their own bodies. Nifara is her creation, much like how the Party themselves hoist up Nia as their priestess of all-magic. It is unclear what Vali's role initially was, though she could be thought of as a rebel leader, banished as punishment. Vali is made an example of by the Gods, by the matriarch in an almost patronizing way - as if Vali were a child on a time-out. 

For the Matriarch, nurturer of the womb, there are protectors and this is where Midys and Nithrax come into picture. The protectors are aggressive by nature, hence the family structure calls for heightened degrees of masculinity to counter the Mother's pardons. It is of course, a given fact that the societies in Blades, though corrupt, are “progressive” and hence, do not interpret mothers as caregivers and fathers as protectors. While that does seem apparent, it is still built on the fundamental principle that there must be an aggressive, masculine protector against a divine feminine. 

The inherent association of divinity with the feminine, Nifara's anger and aggression appears holy against the savage nature of the Ashen and their childish ruler, Vali. It also trivializes and infantilizes the designated Creator in families - such as Nia herself. In the party, she's protected and pampered and sometimes it comes off as a way to treat her as a “pure” child that can do no harm. Counter it with Aerin, who is in a state of exile much like Vali, and is ostracized every chance the Party gets. I'm not defending or critiquing this rather I'm pointing out the roles and duties the Gods take that influence society, even multi-racial Adventuring Parties. Ultimately this boils down to the notion that families largely, are composed of the Corrupted and the Pure. Anything that follows the doctrine of the Gods is considered pure, while anything that questions it, assumes the role of an Impurity. 

Taditional family notions are also pushed - down to Ittar and Bakshi's monogamous bliss, the ideal relationship portrayed in the mythos despite Elven culture not opposed to polyamory; all-power concentrated at the hand of the Matriarch, who can wield it to her will. Magic and Light are rendered soft and religious, while the Shadow is seen as a more sinister means of magic. Light is “purifying” while the Shadow “corrupts” and this reinforces how the family of Gods are also children of Nifara in a way. I completely agree with this, how Nifara, with her all-knowledge, banished her only equal to the Shadow Realm. The children are subservient to Nifara, fearing banishment but enjoying the benefits of being a God. It might also explain why Nia's own Corruption was read as a death sentence to the Party back in Book 1; that there is no coming back from this - until the Dreadlord was defeated. 

The family structure does not thrive on how quickly you can populate the earth with your seed, but solely depends on delaying the fall of the Matriarch. From the Creator's needs stem the other Gods, akin to Nia needing a protector on her journey. It was never about creating Gods with the intention to have the people follow, as if they are the building blocks to society- rather more about how well one can serve, enough to be absorbed into the family. We see this structure in the Temple, how the priests kidnap young children to force them to preserve the sanctity of the temple. 

Who are the creators, the protectors and the preservers, more than who's the mother, the father and the children? In a way the Creator dictates who her children can and cannot be, but is granted an illusion of power - that is so fragile and weak without her children protecting her throughout and the moment they stop serving her is the moment she withdraws from them her blessings. 

[avaeavalley]

would luv to hear your take on - the temple of light & them taking in children to use their bodies & lives, etc etc. i feel like with how so much of it obv takes from christianity it can easily be seen as a parallel to the child abuse rife in the church (esp catholic church) but what do u think!!

love this question- my interpretation of the temple is that it is almost as if they are speakers to God themselves. I highlight that idea in this fic here. essentially priests, priestesses, scholars, etc are all servants to the Light yes, but through which they enforce this notion that since they're chosen by the old gods to wield light, they are somewhat gods themselves - of divinity if not of divine blood. probably why they are pretty much unquestioned and act as a church in the “church and state” situation in morella. they're the only way humans and mortals can dream to preserve and protect the Light, they learn this craft to sustain humanity while giving up their own life - sounds good, right?

nah, it just makes them more susceptible to deifying themselves, in a way the divine right of kings exist, as in the reason why they're put here and learn the art of magic is because they're chosen by God themselves and hence they possess absolute power to do, rewrite laws and morality. They're still a rung under the gods but they give off such an impression that they serve the realm, they serve the people and if you follow the doctrine of light, be prepared to serve them first.

it is such a breeding ground for exploitation of children and women, who can be deemed impure lest they follow the Light and take it in their heart to purify themselves. most of blades’ religion is associated with purity. the purest of all is determined by a patriarchal society. whatever nia does will never be enough because as a woman, she will always be viewed as nothing but a womb that can foster both the pure and the impure - which is a gamble. so they convince priestesses like nia to face the abuse of the church, undergo this in the name of being uncorrupted- i.e the Blessed Virgin. this extends to children and women as well - taken in by the church as refugees turned into vessels to furthen this purity propaganda. this belief that they are all never pure, that they will not be chosen by god, they've sinned beyond repair and only following the messengers of God can lead them at least to the gates of Elhalas, if not into the city itself. 

I'd like to think the temple did partake in a lot of pedophilia - the way they claim a fatherly ownership over Nia should tell you everything and how they chasitise her for the smallest of errors in her ways. they claim to be doctors, to heal the sick but it is clearly clothed in a robe with the real intention to pick off plucky children and women and indoctrinate them into the church of Light. I would not be surprised if there were instances of corrective rape, young girls of the church bearing kids borne out of sexual assault and carrying it to term because they're all “children of the light” and those children being plucked away from their young mothers and enslaved in the name of the church. Abuse is everywhere because such a Temple with its rigid beliefs and morales and their definitions of purity cannot remain pure of heart themselves. since the high priests, scholars and pundits all have a certain power over their tutelage of students, they can bend and twist the truths to their whims and fancies. Rape and abuse, with incestrous undertones of a father/child relationship becomes apparent once the Father i.e the priest/the tutor/etc considers their crop of students as family and them, the head and only they can control the messages that reaches Nifara's ears and children, wanting to actually do good, learn their religion are led astray. They will be raped, murdered, tortured and their cries will be of utmost pleasure to the perverted scholars since this is one of the only ways they can derive carnal pleasure in a highly purified sect of society. Then there's of course, a more sinister take where their schools - imposed upon the people of Morella in the form of temples, rewrite the story of the Gods and their followers - mystifying themselves and earning cults wherever they go. this might explain nia's vexation over how she does not want the temple deifying her for defeating a bunch of shadow gods - because it is really that simple because the environment is conducive to such stark manipulation of its followers to lead them into believing Nifara will actually choose them. 

The Temple, much like the deity it is dedicated to, is genocidal in nature. The distinction between pure and impure people leads a stark prejudice against what Solerne calls “a useless group of people”. We see them in tattered rags, as the life is taken out of them to trade to keep the shards pure. Solerne is charged for his crimes only after our good righteous MC charges him with it, but the temple goes largely unchecked most of the time. It is the religion, the ruling dynasty and the lifestyle at the same time and its very foundation is taking life away from a group of people the church is prejudiced against and giving it to the Light. Enslavement is at the heart of the operation in the name of “spreading the message of Nifara” - giving the Temple plenty of means to make their own wealth for generations, survive wars and bloodshed and still have the means to run this. Though it is unclear whom this erasure of a population are committed against,  it is safe to assume that it is whomever the church deems unworthy of the Light's grace, which is an easy, flexible definition to act as a militaristic “enforcement” wing of sorts, to eliminate whomever the State sees as the enemy. This means large vulnerable groups will be targeted, termed enemies and traitors, sacrificing them for rituals to heighten their own powers.

I also think the temple is very partial towards young girls. I did talk about rape, purity and everything else, but given the matriarchal nature of the Gods, pure-blooded girls will do them much good as to appease the Gods. The institution uses guilt as currency, built on the backs of goodness and atoning for your sins - the “sins” translating to a subjective “whatever you have done to displease me” if such absolute power is given to a few hands alone and it is. This helps the church be a wing of propaganda for the state - that since the current reigning Valleroses are of Godly blood, they are to be deified much like the priests. We don't see the Gods until Book 3, the only means of worship restricted to idols and the messengers who would get them there. 

An ideal family structure preached by the Temple will largely be congruent with how the pantheon of Gods function but with a larger emphasis on women taking on creator roles and their bodies being used as a vessel to birth new generations of Light-wielders. As is the nature of Nifara, the mother of creation. A matriarchal pantheon does not always translate correctly to female empowerment. We see this quite strongly in Nia, her desire to “do” goodwill as a priestess giving up her own life. Being a woman, she is subjected more to the scrutiny of the church to Create more and more; to fulfill her role as a woman in this society. 

The Temple operates as a family structure to be more conducive to children kidnapped to serve it. The family operates with the grand patriarch at the head of the table. Young boys are trained to be scholars, preservers of text while young girls with magical abilities, taught to nurture it. Young girls are subjected to more scrutiny if they wield it for themselves or think for themselves. The family structure works brilliantly for the Temple because it infantilizes its magic wielders to “children”, hence making the abuse even more personal and apparent for since it is familial, it follows the pantheon to the T and hence, any abuse must be tolerated for it is a direct reenactment of what Nifara would practice daily. The Temple, though we don't see it directly, would most definitely preach monogamy akin to Ittar and Bakshi's respective love stories - how their love was pure as the earth and the soil itself. While same-sex marriages are technically canon in the mythos of Nifara and the Mother of Grey, it is still a relationship that echoes heteronormative ideals - the idea that there must be a preserver and a creator in any relationship. And if the love story was any indication of a “doomed” relationship, with the Mother of Grey being exiled to the Shadow domain, it keeps young girls under check to never rebel against the Gods who put them there and by Gods, I of course, mean the priests of the Temple. 

The idea of the preserver and the creator also normalises and perpetuates sexual abuse by priests against their children. Creators are not controllers of their own destiny, unlike Gods and hence, most wielders of magic often fall to the priests for their duties. Creators are given a task to work on - whether it be mothering a child at a ripe pre-pubescent age or being enslaved by the church at the altars of God in the name of “creation of a new generation” - it doesn't matter as long as the priests continue to exercise control over their children.

It is such a shame we don't meet more people like Nia who have struggled whilst working at the Temple, it would've been very helpful to get some of their perspectives - an NPC of sort, or heck a lore tablet with some mention of it. 

[avaeavalley]

if y'all want me to share some of my takes on blades societies as a whole - on incest, pedophilia, family dynamics etc my ask box is open <33 would love to share some more w yall