The Ishtaritu (sacred prostitutes)

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Kobold Avenger's picture
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The Ishtaritu (sacred prostitutes)

{An idea I came up with when fleshing out one of my 'iconic' characters Frelassa Lucette (her rough stats are [NG, Female Yugoloth Tiefling, Bard/Sublime Chord]) is that she becomes to an organization known as the Ishtaritu.}

Overview:
Part guild and part secret society the Ishtaritu have existed for eons on Sigil, Elysium and many other places across the planes.

Now the Ishtaritu is the actual name of the priesthood or sacred prostitutes of the goddess Ishtar. They aren't exclusively a religious sect to Ishtar, as many of their members are non-religious or revere other goddesses such as Freya, Aphrodite and the like. Their mostly matriarchal, but they aren't exclusively female; it's just that most of their members are female. They are also a support and advocacy group for prostitutes.

While they do have an agenda of their own, they aren't exactly a sect of faction, but their members to lend to lean towards the Society of Sensation and Revolutionary League. They're against the any of the taboos and prejudices held against sexuality and gender (such as prudishness, sexism and homophobia), and are also against any of the perversions of sexuality (such as rape and pedophilia).

{In some ways they do resemble (and are inspired by the) the Companions of Firefly/Serenity, as well as the Bene Gesserit & Honored Matres of Dune.}

Membership and Initiation:
The Ishtaritu are a society that does exist out in the open, but they have many of their own secrets. First of all they don't take anyone in as one of their members; one has to be chosen by the Ishtaritu to become one of them. What they look for in their members is that they are insightful, intelligent, sensual, compassionate, open minded, self-sufficient and show some sort of potential to bring something that adds to the guild. Many members of the Ishtaritu were common prostitutes before joining, but not all of them are, and they can in fact come from many varied backgrounds.

If their prospective member accepts entry into the guild, they become an initiate. Initiates are taught many of the secrets of the guild, such as etiquette, art, psychology, rituals, martial arts, magic, psionics, and more. They are trained in the arts of seduction, conversation, and of passions. Initiates when training in the practice of sex often do with each other, and with their instructors, as they aren't prepared to take on clients of the guild just yet.

Eventually they become apprentices, and do entertain clients that the guild has set them up with. Apprentices don't necessarily have sex with all the clients they have, as it isn't the point of their training. Mainly they are learning and getting experienced when with these clients, and they are being monitored at this stage by their mentors.

After a few years, apprentices are ready to become full disciples of the Ishtaritu, where they can take on clients by themselves and strike out on their own if they desire.

The Ishtaritu has a wide collection of lore, including a secret history which they keep from all outsiders. They have a large number of rituals (Incantations from Unearthed Arcana) and spells and techniques among their secret knowledge. Their secret lore and prophecies speaks of an idealized and transcendental age to come, in which they can bring about by manipulating people towards their goal. They don't seek to rule above all, but they intend to be the architects of this new age to come.

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The Ishtaritu (sacred prostitutes)

I like this idea, it's interesting - although your use of society and guild makes it confusing as to what their structure is.

In the 7th Sea camppaign setting (AEG, D20 version is called Swashbuckling Adventures) there is a secret society called Sophia's Daughters that has a similar setup to your description.

What are the long term goals of the Ishtaritu?
Do they have any dirty secrets that would cause a major upset if it became known amongst the majorit of their members?
What are their views of the current Sects and Factions?
Are they aiming to create a seamstresses guild in the post-Faction War Sigil?

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The Ishtaritu (sacred prostitutes)

{I was eventually get a little more into details about them, anyways here's a bit on their operations.}

Presence & Background:
The Ishtaritu have chapterhouses in many major planar metropoli. The Ishtaritu themselves started out on Elysium in the City of the Star, Ishtar's realm, but have since then expanded beyond a sect devoted to her. One of their primary chapterhouses of interest has always been in Sigil.

In Sigil the Ishtaritu's main chapterhouse is located in the Guildhall Ward, though many of their members operate in the Lady's and Market Wards, and have a few fronts set up their. They do keep a presence in the Hive and Lower Wards, as one of their major concerns has always been looking out for common prostitutes, making sure they are safe and have a voice.

The Ishtaritu don't always become the power behind the throne, many of their members can and do come into positions of power. Some of them in such positions do downplay their ties to the Ishtaritu however. Around Sigil a few members do own large trade companies or happen to be among the golden lords themselves.

During the time of the 15 factions the Ishtaritu maintained a lower profile, as they were just a guild. They served in some ways as an unofficial mediator between the interests of the Sensates and Anarchists, as many of their members were members either factions.

After the end of the Faction War, the Ishtaritu started to come a little more to the forefront. There was certainly more of a sign that their members have more of an agenda, and rumours started to spread of their hand in manipulations and influences across Sigil (including some of the events leading to the war). The Ishtaritu would of course deny any of this.

Still they have many interests in influencing culture, fashion and how people relate to each other. They do concerns with seamstress guilds, as well as the companies that sell their work.

{Now considering they are based on the Bene Gesserit a bit, the Ishtaritu could have their own Kwisatz Haderach, however that's something I'm leaving out in the open whether or not they have one. It's possible they may have already had their Paul or Lady Jessica, and now have their analogue for Sionna or Sheeana as well.

Though unlike the BG or Honored Matres they aren't completely about power from behind the scenes, they don't have armies of minions they control through the perfection of their skills, and they aren't completely about creating and controlling religions, or having their own breeding program.}

They do have rituals for transferring their High Matriarchs (and Patriarchs) consciousness into new bodies or extending their lives some of them involving something creating a new body and using something like True Mind Switch.

Some of their rituals certainly have elements some people may find unsettling as they involve an amount of sado-masochism. One of their secret rituals recreates the descent of Ishtar/ Inanna into the underworld before Ereshkigal.

The transcendental age they seek to create is often shrouded in mystery, to many it's just a hope for the future, except that the council of matriarchs has a detailed and concrete plan for moving ahead into this age.

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The Ishtaritu (sacred prostitutes)

I'm just writing things as I go along...

Though I've gone back and made the previous part more readable, corrected some spelling and grammar, and indicated which parts are really out of character.

Anyways here's some of the notable members of the Ishtaritu:

Anda Urlemin – (NG, female Human, Psion[Seer]) Anda appears to be in her 50’s however many say she’s much older than that. Anda is a wealthy businesswoman who has a well established empire in Sigil, which deals in fashion, design, textiles and food that she created herself. She has a family of her own, and a couple of her children are also in the Ishtaritu. She happens to be one of the high councillors of the Ishtaritu in Sigil, and as a mature woman still happens to take in a lot of clients.
Anda knows of everything that happens in the Lady’s Ward and is often at the front and centre of many of the things that happen there. She’s the one that many go to in Sigil, whenever they seek out the Ishtaritu, and as a result she directs many of their activities across the city. As a Seer Anda is a keeper of the lore and prophecies of the Ishtaritu’s transcendental age.

Atherixiya – (N, female Elan, Psion[Telepath]) Atherixiya is a high-ranking Ishtaritu that’s the most involved with the Sensates. She has a very wide network of spies, many of them unwitting sleepers which she uses in her personal mission to collect interesting experiences. Atherixiya then seeks out these people with such experiences and uses her psionics to store them in memory crystals. She uses them these experience to train members of the Ishtaritu, and to share with the Society of Sensation where she happens to have the task of maintaining their sensoriums. As a result Atherixiya can be mainly found at the Civic Festhall.

Carlos Khan Dar – (CN, male Aasimon Aasimar, Bard) Carlos is an accomplished stage actor and performer, who rose from rags to riches with the Ishtaritu. He’s a famous actor through out Sigil, and has gone on many tours with his small theatre troupe through the planes. He’s really smooth with words, even more so having learned some of the secret words of creation. Carlos does serve as the eyes and ears for the Ishtaritu wherever they need him. He has many admirers across the planes, and has manipulated them into serving as his spies.

Derossa Lyno – (CE, female Tanar’i Tiefling, Rogue/Assassin) Derossa is said to be an urban legend, however she is very much real. She’s said to be responsible for quite a few unsolved random murders across Sigil and many other cities. She does indeed kill for sport when she’s not taking in clients, however she never targets other members of the Ishtaritu or prostitutes ever. Derossa is the top assassin among the Ishtaritu, as she is often called upon to kill those who trouble or molest the members of the guild.
She views killing as an art, and always tries to vary her methods, and as she happens to be the monster among the Ishtaritu, they like to pretend she doesn’t exist.

Frelassa Lucette
– (NG, female Yugoloth Tiefling, Bard/Sublime Chord) Frelassa is one of the more infamous members of the Ishtaritu. She was born from a noble family, as an illegitimate daughter. Despite her noble upbringing she was unwanted and abused, and ran away to the streets of Sigil after being raped by her own father. She struggled as prostitute a bit; as it seemed to be the only way she seemed to fit in on the often dangerous streets until the Ishtaritu took her in and saved her.
Frelassa has a natural talent for music, having a heavenly and ethereal singing voice, and she’s very skilled with string instruments and is a graceful dancer. She’s perhaps one of the Ishtaritu’s most skilled and passionate performers, and is just as passionate with her partners. Though on the inside this fey-like blue skinned tiefling beauty has a tough interior, she’s a survivor and is a dangerous spy with the ability to mask her identity through illusion. Frelassa Lucette is an active agent of the Ishtaritu who’s associated with the Revolutionary League and of her own agenda seeking to right wrongs and fix injustices.

Hu Mei Yuan – (CN, female Hu Xian, Swashbuckler/Sorcerer/Eldritch Knight) Mei Yuan is said to be the eldest member of the Ishtaritu in Sigil, this beautiful yet fiendish fox spirit is said to be more than thousands of years old. Described by many to be a vain, cruel and deceitful mistress, however she has another side that is caring, dedicated and passionate to those she cares about. Mei Yuan has sat of on the Sigilian Ishtaritu high council for as long as anyone cares to remember.
She’s drained the souls of many outside of the Ishtaritu (sometimes intentionally sometimes not), but sees the guild herself as her own litter of children. Mei Yuan is perhaps the most mentally unstable among the high-ranking Ishtaritu, but can be always relied upon the members of the Ishtaritu. She's a very good teacher, but she has many tales of tragedy from her past experiences.

Kallisti Hurlani – (CG, female Cansin, Beguiler) Kallisti was a talented street kid from the Hive brought into the Ishtaritu along with Frelassa. She’s trained in the more mystical aspects of the Ishtaritu, learning many of the sacred rituals of the guild, as she holds one of their positions in their cult. Kallisti has a zest for life, and is often at the centre of parties thrown through out Sigil. She’s established more than a few of her own parties and gatherings as well, having a great sense for setting up such events.
However she did cause a few to question her choices when she became the wife of crime lord Anatoly Mirov, and that’s caused more than a fair share of trouble for her. However as the wild (and definitely non-exclusive) wife of a crime lord, she has some influence over the gangs of Sigil.

Karlandyn Urith – (CG, female Hill Dwarf, Rogue/Ranger/Vigilante) Karlandyn is the Ishtaritu’s overseer in the Hive Ward. She actively looks for new recruits and fights to defend prostitutes from the molestation of those who take them for granted. As such in addition to having her own clients, she has a brothel of her own where she can keep a watchful eye on those she feels she needs to protect and a shelter for prostitutes who have been victimized. Karlandyn hunts down those who harm prostitutes, and offers bounties for the ones she can’t catch.

Marris Urthangu – (N, female Hobgoblin, Rogue/Fighter) Marris is perhaps the most skilled dominatrix out of the Ishtaritu, and she’s been responsible for training many of their members in the art of domination and submission. She happens to be known quite wide and far for her skills, having brought many under whip and tender mercies. As she’s quite renowned she has a club of her own in the Lower Ward, where she takes many clients in, and trains many of her students of are almost always at her side.
This exotic and athletic hobgoblin has a sense of business savvy and has her line of fashion and other equipment which she also markets. Marris can intimidate just about anyone to her will through her cold stare. Less known about her is that Marris is also one of the fighting instructors of the Ishtaritu, and is one of their sentinels, ensuring that their members and those under their protection are safe from harm. She does have a reputation as a cruelty against those who oppose the Ishtaritu and the many she cares about.

Princess Pymi’dera - (LG, female Human, Noble/Paladin) Pymi’dera is the heir to the throne of an empire on the Material Plane that spans a few worlds. She was recruited into the Ishtaritu as a teenager when she took a visit to Sigil during summer trip. Quickly they began to take over and co-opt most of her training among her noble upbringing. Pymi’dera is now a driven crusader and champion, vanquishing wrongs across many worlds, while taking in many lovers and setting them on to the right path. Her ascension to the throne is coming soon, and will become one of the Ishtaritu’s most highly placed disciples.

Saniyya Al-Janni – (N, female Janni, Bard/Dervish) Saniyya is the Ishtaritu’s overseer across the Inner Planes, travelling between the City of Brass, Citadel of Ice and Steel, City of Glass, Great Dismal Delve, and Citadel of Ten Thousand Pearls as an emissary of the Ishtaritu and the elemental courts. She’s an ancient being that’s been with the Ishtaritu for centuries and has been a partner of many genie rulers and nobles. She is perhaps the greatest guide and escort anyone could get among the courts and cities of the Inner Planes, as she is quite well-reknowned.

Syndora Lux – (N, female Changeling, Rogue) Syndora prefers to take in special clients who fantasize about the unattainable ones they long for. She’s a good impersonator thanks to the fact she’s a changeling, a very good listener and judge of character. While there are certainly many other shapeshifters among the Ishtaritu for those sorts of clients, Syndora is the one who empathises the most and relieves their obsessions, sometimes even setting up them up with the one that they desired. Though on the other hand Syndora is one of the most successful spies of the Ishtaritu, as she shares many of the secrets she learns from her clients with the guilds councillors.

Wynde Di’Surris – (N, male Human, Cleric [Ishtar]) Wynde is a really ancient members of the Ishtaritu, who has existed in many incarnations and forms (and genders), though he currently appears as a human male in his 20’s. He hails from the plane of Elysium and travels between the City of the Star and Sigil on a regular basis. Wynde is another of the high councillors in sigil, a bit of a hidden power as he likes to keep his true nature secret with outsiders.
Wynde teaches many of the secrets of the Ishtaritu to members he feels is worthy of his knowledge. It was said at one time he was a proxy of Ishtar herself, who gave up his position so that he could operate inside Sigil.

Yrrlea Rilawn – (CN, female High Elf, Rogue/Wizard[Enchanter]/Arcane Trickster) Yrrlea is perhaps the highest ranking Ishtaritu that’s linked to the Revolutionary League. She pushes the agenda for advancing the transcendental age by bringing down any who would oppose the Ishtaritu. One of her personal crusades is against a sect known as the Regulators based out of Union, which she seeks to ruthlessly destroy. As such she spends her time between Sigil and Union. Yrrlea is also a well-travelled member of the Ishtaritu, having many lovers, husbands and wives across many worlds. She’s very old preserving her youth through magic and the arcane lore of the Ishtaritu which she is a keeper and teacher of.

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The Ishtaritu (sacred prostitutes)

There's a sacred prostitute prestige class in the Book of Erotic Fantasy. Several, in fact, but there's only one with that specific name.

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The Ishtaritu (sacred prostitutes)

*snicker*
erotic DnD

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I've never used or referred to anything in the book or erotic fantasy simply because I don't have it, and it's sort of a hard one to find.

I just pulled out the name Ishtaritu, because I wanted to use a name that had some historical weight. All the actual gaming terms I've used refer to stuff in my own houserules (the planetouched subraces), various WotC products, a monster from previous editions (and spelled differently), or Dragon Magazine.

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The Ishtaritu (sacred prostitutes)

'princessbunny99' wrote:
*snicker* erotic DnD

It is a funny book. It's hard for me to imagine using much of it in a game, but it would be useful for fleshing out the ideas in this thread.

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The Ishtaritu (sacred prostitutes)

'ripvanwormer' wrote:
'princessbunny99' wrote:
*snicker* erotic DnD

It is a funny book. It's hard for me to imagine using much of it in a game, but it would be useful for fleshing out the ideas in this thread.


I thought all the hype (and drama) about the book was really funny, but I haven't read it yet.

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The Ishtaritu (sacred prostitutes)

I'd highly suggest downloading the PDF file. those are legal to keep for 48 hours or something like that, i believe.

i would never put down a cent for it, though Laughing out loud

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re

Actually, it is a decent book which attempts to introduce the idea of eroticism into DnD without making it immature. It discusses how the differing alignments tend to perceive sex and go about practicing it. There are prestige classes designed around individuals who use the varied elements of sex to pursue their goals; secret societies, healers, tormenors, and wizards who utilize the carnal to increase or focus their power.

>>I've never used or referred to anything in the book or erotic fantasy simply because I don't have it, and it's sort of a hard one to find.<<

If you actually find yourself interested in purchasing such, my local game store carries it and I'd be willing to ship you a copy for the cover price + shipping if you happen to be outside the US. (I wouldn't charge for shipping in country)

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Oddly, I found the mentioned in my local Borders bookstore last time I was there. I wasn't even LOOKING for it. I just saw it and thought "Huh, I've heard of this. Mixed opinions about it, mostly, and it seems rather pointless overall..."

Perhaps you need to check in a store that ISN'T a FLGS sometime? (a lot of game stores might try to avoid material like the Book of Erotic Fantasy just so that they don't have to worry about problems with families complaining that young kids are exposed to sex...) As much as I LIKE my FLGSes, (I know one game store owner and would prefer to buy from him, but don't ever have much to spend, and am not near him ATM.) were I in the position of owning a store, I'd probably be somewhat leery of selling that particular book, seeing as it's not likely to sell terribly well, and is probably more of a problem than it's worth.

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