A week into her new life, Nihem found herself walking as close to the monastery as she had been since she left the Sisterhood. She hadn’t told anybody she had gone, nor had anybody attempted to locate her- at least as far as she knew. Nihem was a free woman, one able to experience and desire as much joy as could be had. She was happy now.

In the week since she’d left, Nihem had already found a job, a place to live, and a beautiful woman who was unbelievably understanding when Nihem had told her the truth. Marge was a saint. If Marge would have gotten violently angry when Nihem had told her that her name wasn’t ‘Tyn,’ that there was no family up north, that she’d been living as a monk in Castle Town all this time, then Nihem would have understood. Instead, Marge had been understanding, happy to learn about who her new fiancee really was after all those nights of pretending to be someone else in Marge’s presence. As it turned out, Marge loved who Nihem really was. It was the first time she’d been able to really open up to anybody before in her adult life. The only time anybody had ever taken the time to learn about who she was, the first who actually cared about her. Who actually listened to her. Sure, the sex was nice, but she’d had that in the monastery in spades. What she hadn’t had was a companion, a lover rather than just a warm body who wanted to indulge in a little joy.

A large smile crept up on Nihem’s face as she neared the monastery and pulled up the hood on her blue cloak. Blue! Nihem was wearing blue for the first time in forever! The hood was large and thick enough that- even if any of her former Sisters would be out in the vicinity- they wouldn’t recognize her. The layers of fabric she wore staved off the cold much better than her single layer of threadbare robe ever could. And her shoes, oh the shoes! They had fur lining on the inside and didn’t cause blisters on the bottoms of her toes if she walked around too much.

As Nihem passed the monastery, she saw a few small sheets of paper nailed to the door. She almost hadn’t even looked at the place- too many painful memories- but that unusual sight made her slow, eventually diverting her course after ensuring nobody she recognized was around. The papers were an announcement of some sort, and Nihem wasn’t the only one to be standing there reading. They were wrinkled with a few creases and minor tears, as though they’d been out for a few days now.

“What…” Nihem wondered alout as she began reding the topmost one.

Concerning the Teachings of the Sisters of Sorrow

It has come to our attention that the Sisters of Sorrow are something of a relic, a movement that was more popular in previous times and that has little in common with the women of today. The citizens of Castle Town appreciate our efforts to better our surroundings while not being understood by them. It is the belief of those in the Sisterhood- by unanimous vote- that we ought to be the ones to change. To that end, we in the Sisterhood have the following announcements:

That the practice of foregoing a Primary Suffering- that which initiates to the Sisterhood identify as the thing that brings them the most joy in life- is no longer to be observed. Both former, current, and future members of the Sisters of Sorrow are no longer barred from partaking in these activities.

That the Sisters of Sorrow fully subscribe to the teachings of Sister Denaria, who taught that suffering for suffering’s sake is meaningless, and that any suffering undertaken must be purposeful. Any members of the Sisters of Sorrow will only be required to partake in suffering if it leads to a greater good for either herself, the Sisterhood, or for the good of society.

That those who have left our order in the past have our sincerest apologies. The Sisterhood was a stifling environment of minimalism and subsistence. Those who have retreated from our order to pursue lives outside these walls are forgiven for their actions, and- if after reading these words wish to return to us, will be able to do so with no questions asked.

That those who wish to join our number should know we are no longer practicing extreme suffering in all things. We have always allowed Sisters to have families within the order and within these walls, but now, we wish to extend that joy to the outside as well. Any Sister is free to marry any whom she chooses, and may also live outside these walls. 

That the Sisters who have suffered with us before the writing of these words are free to experience the many joys life as to offer. Our current membership will be allowed to live in Castle Town or the surrounding lands, mandatory visits to the monastery only one week per year- which week will be the choice of each Sister unto herself.

That those who had no interest in our order and our suffering read these words and understand our error. Life is about joy, suffering for the sake of others is a noble goal where suffering merely to suffer has no place in the minds of the Telbud of today. Know that membership will not require your whole being, everything that you are and could be. We require selflessness, works of charity, and the pursuit of the joy of others.

Sincerely,

Eldest Sister of the Sisters of Sorrow, Dwenne of Renclohr