Five Sisters

Five Sisters

The five women who rule western Matawe together.

History
After Queen Nesa was sentenced to be burned alive in 2868 by her husband, King Hatturigus III, her five daughters are taken to be raised in the Moon Temple.

In 2872, at age 13, Princess Kessara says the Moon God is visiting her dreams, telling her the line of King Hatturigus I passed through her mother Queen Nesa to her. Despite claiming that her father was a usurper, Hatturigus III feared to execute his daughter. Instead, he has her locked inside the palace of Nesate while he remains in his palace in Hattute.

In 2880, after a harsh winter leaves Matawe with half the usual crops and disease begins to spread through the land, Hatturigus III's third wife delivers a stillborn son. Hatturigus III blames the increasingly difficult to contain Kessara, and exiles her. Some say she was stripped naked before she left the palace, though this just may be a more licentious version of the tale.

As she walked through the city to her exile, her sisters Hatturesa, Alassiya, Tarhutesa, and Aleppo followed after her, weeping. Their tears moved others to join in the procession. The five princesses had long been loved and cherished in the city, and soon a hysteria spread over their predicament. Soon a riot broke out that the men loyal to King Hatturigus III were not able to contain. Five lords loyal to Princess Kessara, chose this moment to rise up. By the end of the day, Kessara had returned to the palace and was crowned Queen Kessara I, the Queen of the Mountain.

To maintain stability Kessara and her four sisters married the five lords who had surpported them, and each was given a valley to reign over. Queen Kessara took control of the capitol, Nesate; Hatturesa became the Mistress of Mittata Hapa; Alassiya became the Mistress of Perruna Hapas; Tartuhesa became the Mistress of Harkis Kaldu; and Aleppo became the Mistress of Damais Tiessar.

King Hatturigus III didn't have the resources or a large enough army to take back the western valleys, and so the Five Sisters grew stronger. The Five Sisters work as advisors to the Queen. The positions are hereditary, passing from mother to eldest daughter. While each one has dominion over their own valley, the Queen remains the head of the state, representative of the Moon God, and the power to overrule the other sisters.

Reign of Kessara I (2868 - 2953)

 * Queen Kessara I (2880 - 2953)
 * Hatturesa, Mistress of Mittata Hapas (2880 - 2937)
 * Alassiya, Mistress of Perruna Hapas (2880 - 2962)
 * Tarhutesa, Mistress of Harkis Kaldu (2880 - 2945)
 * Aleppo, Mistress of Damais Tiessar (2880 - 2942)
 * Hatturesa, Mistress of Mittata Hapas (2937 - 2965)
 * Arnuwesa, Mistress of Damais Tiessar (2942 - 2989)
 * Mersise, Mistress of Harkis Kaldu (2945 - 2974)

Reign of Kessara II (2953 - 2957)

 * Queen Kessara II
 * Hatturesa, Mistress of Mittata Hapas (2937 - 2965)
 * Alassiya, Mistress of Perruna Hapas (2880 - 2962)
 * Mersise, Mistress of Harkis Kaldu (2945 - 2974)
 * Arnuwesa, Mistress of Damais Tiessar (2942 - 2989)

Reign of Kessara III (2957 - ?)

 * Queen Kessara III
 * Hatturesa, Mistress of Mittata Hapas (2937 - 2965)
 * Alassiya, Mistress of Perruna Hapas (2880 - 2962)
 * Mersise, Mistress of Harkis Kaldu (2945 - 2974)
 * Arnuwesa, Mistress of Damais Tiessar (2942 - 2989)
 * Nesa, Mistress of Perruna Hapas (2962 - 2969)
 * Nesa, Mistress of Mittata Hapas (2965 - 2989)
 * Suppilesa, Mistress of Perruna Hapas (2969 - 2975)
 * Ashiyashe, Mistress of Harkis Kaldu (2974 - 2985)
 * Huzzesa, Mistress of Mittata Hapas (2975 - 2997)
 * Kessara, Mistress of Perruna Hapas (2975 - ?)
 * Nesa, Mistress of Harkis Kaldu (2985 - ?)
 * Muwesa, Mistress of Damais Tiessar (2989 - 2990)
 * Zidewa, Mistress of Damais Tiessar (2990 - ?)
 * Muwatesa, Mistress of Mittata Hapas (2997 - ?)

Orope
There is mention of the Five Sisters, though they are erroneously believed to all have equal power. "There were also stories of five Queens or, some said, five witches, who wished the tear the kingdom asunder."

Pekari
When Tersh travels to Nesate, she finally meets the Five Sisters and makes a plea to them to follow the old ways to avoid the wrath of the gods.

Physical Description
"[Kessara] was by far the oldest. She looked to be at least two full cycles older than the others, but they were all grey of hair… Muwatesa, the Mistress of Mittata Hapas… wore a crown with a bushel of blackberries made from onyx. Next was Nesa, the Mistress of Harkis Kaldu, and her crown had a silver mountain lion… Nesa was definitely the youngest present of them sitting before him, as her hair still had a few flecks of dark black… Zidewa… wore a crown with a copper eagle."

Of the "Five Sisters, four old crones and one surprisingly young woman," Kessara Perruna is the youngest.