Kierella was born of an illicit affair her mother, Cordelia, fell into. Her husband, Kash, had gone away on a once-a-decade pilgrimage as part of his role as High Priest of Maute. He would be gone at least a year. Cordelia found herself whisked away by the whims of a traveling merchant, known only as “Thorn.” Jerma, Kierella's older brother, walked in on the two in-the-act, a fact he never forgot and never failed to mention to Kierella up until his death.
When he returned and the truth came out, Kash lost himself in fury. Although it is technically illegal to divorce, he invoked all of the privilege and reputation he had grown since his posting to host a very public trial. Cordelia was to be questioned and investigated as to whether she broke their sacred union, but when she reached the dial before the judges, she admitted guilt. Kash wanted the children taken away, but because Cordelia confessed to her crimes, the ring of religious-lawful judges, the Fair Six, allowed her two concessions: 1) although Jerma would be taken to live within the Cathedral under his father, Cordelia could see him, and 2) she could have custody of Kierella, the bastard child. Although it was known to happen, few in the country had ever seen or heard such a jarring and public divorce--of a High Priest, nonetheless. Only the claim that Kash was in communication with the gods could save his position and his children from scorn.
Cordelia, however, received a harsh label of adulterer. She had been branded with the metaphorical Scarlet Letter within the eyes of her people. Growing up, Kierella felt deeply confused and torn between the “sinful” reputation of her mother and the nurturing, if not frustrated woman that babied her. Jerma’s angry, temperamental attitude, which could not be fixed even by his father, also sent Kierella into fits of tears. In Kierella’s early adolescence, she even sank into bouts of hysteria. This habit was only broken when one day, when Kierella had just turned five years old, Kash brought her directly into the Cathedral. He forced her to sit at the altar and stare at the stained-glass face of Maute, the supreme goddess, for an entire hour.
Much of Kierella’s upbringing has been forgotten—-either naturally by time or because of trauma. When she was three years old, her older brother died of a skin disease that had been broken out at this time. She cannot remember her brother’s death, but she does remember that for years afterward, her mother degenerated. She left Kierella often in either the care of the Cathedral Priestesses or, increasingly, the care of her own mother, Kierella’s grandmother. During these times, Cordelia drank herself into a stupor at the local tavern and spread her legs for anyone and everyone. She became pregnant again in that time and miscarried.
These dramatic childhood events had a significant effect on Kierella's growing personality. Later on in her life she would recognize that most people within the capital of Brai struggled with torn and debased families, but Brai citizens had learned to (mostly) hide their brokenness. For Kierella's family, however, secrecy was not an option. Everyone knew the sins Cordelia had committed against her husband, and everyone knew that Kierella was the evidence. Few blamed Kierella herself--a young girl who had no bearing on the circumstances of her birth--but that did not stop them from avoiding her or looking upon her with pity. As a result, Kierella had no childhood friends to play with. She did not enter into an apprenticeship, and with her mother's degeneration, she did not learn so much of the woman's arts, such as housekeeping and sewing.
Fortunately, with her adopted father's status and wealth, Kierella had the opportunity to learn reading and writing. While a woman reading and writing was deemed acceptable given this would allow her to read and understand the goddess’s words directly, it was considered “out of fashion” for her to learn science and history. As such, Kierella knows little of her own country’s natural and philosophical states, excepting what stories made the run of local spots.
part 4
Kierella was born of an illicit affair her mother, Cordelia, fell into. Her husband, Kash, had gone away on a once-a-decade pilgrimage as part of his role as High Priest of Maute. He would be gone at least a year. Cordelia found herself whisked away by the whims of a traveling merchant, known only as “Thorn.” Jerma, Kierella's older brother, walked in on the two in-the-act, a fact he never forgot and never failed to mention to Kierella up until his death.
When he returned and the truth came out, Kash lost himself in fury. Although it is technically illegal to divorce, he invoked all of the privilege and reputation he had grown since his posting to host a very public trial. Cordelia was to be questioned and investigated as to whether she broke their sacred union, but when she reached the dial before the judges, she admitted guilt. Kash wanted the children taken away, but because Cordelia confessed to her crimes, the ring of religious-lawful judges, the Fair Six, allowed her two concessions: 1) although Jerma would be taken to live within the Cathedral under his father, Cordelia could see him, and 2) she could have custody of Kierella, the bastard child. Although it was known to happen, few in the country had ever seen or heard such a jarring and public divorce--of a High Priest, nonetheless. Only the claim that Kash was in communication with the gods could save his position and his children from scorn.
Cordelia, however, received a harsh label of adulterer. She had been branded with the metaphorical Scarlet Letter within the eyes of her people. Growing up, Kierella felt deeply confused and torn between the “sinful” reputation of her mother and the nurturing, if not frustrated woman that babied her. Jerma’s angry, temperamental attitude, which could not be fixed even by his father, also sent Kierella into fits of tears. In Kierella’s early adolescence, she even sank into bouts of hysteria. This habit was only broken when one day, when Kierella had just turned five years old, Kash brought her directly into the Cathedral. He forced her to sit at the altar and stare at the stained-glass face of Maute, the supreme goddess, for an entire hour.
Much of Kierella’s upbringing has been forgotten—-either naturally by time or because of trauma. When she was three years old, her older brother died of a skin disease that had been broken out at this time. She cannot remember her brother’s death, but she does remember that for years afterward, her mother degenerated. She left Kierella often in either the care of the Cathedral Priestesses or, increasingly, the care of her own mother, Kierella’s grandmother. During these times, Cordelia drank herself into a stupor at the local tavern and spread her legs for anyone and everyone. She became pregnant again in that time and miscarried.
These dramatic childhood events had a significant effect on Kierella's growing personality. Later on in her life she would recognize that most people within the capital of Brai struggled with torn and debased families, but Brai citizens had learned to (mostly) hide their brokenness. For Kierella's family, however, secrecy was not an option. Everyone knew the sins Cordelia had committed against her husband, and everyone knew that Kierella was the evidence. Few blamed Kierella herself--a young girl who had no bearing on the circumstances of her birth--but that did not stop them from avoiding her or looking upon her with pity. As a result, Kierella had no childhood friends to play with. She did not enter into an apprenticeship, and with her mother's degeneration, she did not learn so much of the woman's arts, such as housekeeping and sewing.
Fortunately, with her adopted father's status and wealth, Kierella had the opportunity to learn reading and writing. While a woman reading and writing was deemed acceptable given this would allow her to read and understand the goddess’s words directly, it was considered “out of fashion” for her to learn science and history. As such, Kierella knows little of her own country’s natural and philosophical states, excepting what stories made the run of local spots.