My Matriarchial theocracy

[Sharad9]

Culture revolves around an inverse of the biblical story, in which woman was created by God first in her image and given rule over all of creation. Man came from her womb as a companion to protect her. The ability to access magic was given exclusively to women in order to shape the world as she saw fit, and serves as proof of her divine authority. Magic is combined with technology to form a kind of magitech, which is present in all walks of life. Crystals that provide unlimited sources of power, runes that create heat, transmutation of materials, portals that provide transport to different locations, and healing are just some of the ways magitech is used. It is seen as the bedrock of society and the foundation of the nation's rise to power.

All females have access to this power, and learn to use it to some extent, with some being stronger than others. Despite its power, magic as significant limitations. It is a slow and intensive process, often requiring multiple components. Rituals and spells range in difficulty, and can take minutes to hours to perform. Magic requires energy, control, and concentration, and attempting to speed up the process has potential dangers. This hurts it's practical effectiveness in some ways

One way magic is used extends to biology. Women have the natural ability to control their reproduction by choosing when to concieve. Pregnancy is a more active process, and is relatively easy on a womans body. Death in childbirth is unheard of, and babies usually surive to adulthood. A woman can carry to term, pause, or speed up rate of gestation at will. However, they are magically cut off during the process, as all of it goes to the child to help it develop.

Motherhood is higly valued in this society, and considered a high honor. Religious culture centers around creation, and the process of creating life is considered a sacred form of magic. As the bearer of life itself, the female is viewed as the "stronger" sex, more emotionally stable and more likely to cooperate with each other to achieve long term goals. Female warriors are rare, due to a cultural taboo that one who creates life should not be responsible for taking it, and war is generally seen as a male profession.

The nation is broken up into matrilineal clans, with individuals remaining in the clan they were born into. Each clan is led by a clan mother, who retains final authority on all decisions. Society is conservative and traditional, and gender plays a significant role in a person's life. These values are reinforced through social pressure and religious culture. Responsibilities are divided between male and female councils. The male council is led by a cheiftan, who is elected by the clan mother and is largely responsible for war, security, and things to do with intensive labor. The female council is led by the clan mother directly, and takes care of things attributed to the economy, such as business, trade, magitech technology, adkinistrative tasks, etc.

Men are called to be the protectors and defenders of God's world. They are valued for their strength, courage, and loyal nature. However, they can be emotional and hot headed. Their desire to protect others or prove themselves can lead to reckless mistakes. Men are known to settle disputes with their fists, and need to be guided by a firm hand. The analogy i would make is that of a seth rogen character. Those who conform to society's ideals and reinforce the system and its values rise in power and influence, and considered the alpha males in society. However, they may lose some of the roguish charm that men are known for and are usually seen as an extension of their female relatives.

War is an honorable profession, and is considered to be the height of masculinity. Warriors are valued by society, and celebrated for defending their homeland. This is done because the nation lives in a hostile world and because it gives men a sense of control and authority while preventing them from claiming more power.

Sex is recreational, but procreation is tightly regulated. Corporative breeding between clans is the norm, primarily done to secure alliances or trade deals. For women, it is a rite of passage. For men, it is considered a high honor. Successful men are chosen to represent their clans in this manner, and it can a source of bragging rights. It is believed that men do not pass on their genes, but their "spirit". The spirit is the life force of a human being, the energy that powers the body and the seat of their personality and attributes.

As far as crime and punishment goes: Men are the generally the enforcers in this world. They are the ones primarily responsible for keeping peace and order, such as police officers, security, etc. The court system is controlled by the church, which is made up of dominantly female priests. Judges are usually women, and determine punishment based on religious doctrine and tradition. Violence, outside of certain avenues (sports, gladitorial games, war, etc) is controlled and harshly punished with floggings, imprisonment, exile, or death depending on severity.

While male violence is generally frowned upon, there is an subtle undercurrent of "boys will be boys" mentality that is present in society. As the sex predisposed to violence, it is somewhat understandable and to some degree lightly tolerated. A woman however is expected to "know better" and their primary recourse of restitution is through the court system, or through political means.

Male on female violence is almost akin to heresy. A man killing a woman is generally punishable by death, as he is not just killing her, but robbing her clan of the future generation that may spring from her. The penalty for rape is a special case. The perpetrator is magically branded with a curse mark, similarly to the mark of Cain from the bible. The mark is clearly visible and forces the individual to feel the pain of his victim. The pain is felt in a spiritual, rather than physical, case. It is a source of shame and ridicule, and the mark remains as long as the courts deem it neccessary.

This is what I have so far. I'd like some feedback from people on what works and what doesnt. Any comments or questions would be appreciated?

[zeek0]

Hm. Interesting.

I'll just ask questions to parse out the culture.

1. In a cagematch between the average woman and the average man, who wins? An alleyway duel? Why? How does this influence culture?
2. Do all cultures have female-only mages? Are all cultures matriarchal?
3. Do the female leadership permit a male leader of the armed forces?
4. What specific social pressures keep people within the gender norms?
5. Can a male use magitech, even if they can't supply the magic?
6. What happens when the male military comes in conflict with the female administrators?
7. How is conception regulated? What happens to a female who conceives without the blessing of their clan?
8. You mention that men hold most of the physical authority in this culture, and that men are generally viewed as an underclass. How do female administrators manage possible revolts, or other bouts of violence?
9. How do gender relations work themselves out on the micro-level, say a married farming family?
10. Although admittedly infrequent, how does this culture view intersex people?
11. We might assume that in this culture men and women have comparable intelligences. How are men and women educated, if at all?
12. Since women solely control the judicial system, do they have advantages in general or in specific cases? Do men?
13. If marriage exists, does divorce exist? How are intermarital disputes typically handled?
14. You have magitech for women. Since men don't use magic, do they study the non-magical sciences (physics, engineering, mathematics, etc.)?
15. Is one gender considered to be more artistic?
16. What place, if any, do women have in the military or other male-dominated fields?
17. What happens when the chieftain and the clan mother disagree?
18. How do clans adjudicate between themselves?
19.Does this culture operate under rule of law? If so, how do the laws reflect gender norms?
20. Is the creation myth firmly believed by all?
21. Is it acceptable for either gender to 'borrow' traits of another? How much?
22. What physical differences (shape, fashion) differentiate genders?

You don't have to answer everything; these are just what spring into my head while going through your text. Fine work.