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Wives of Gozen

by EJGRgunner

"Cats, and bats, and tiger cubs are eating the bones of the Death Flower Man. Mice and lice and herringbones cower and curdle in the Old Lady's Girdle. Folks over by Stone Pine Marsh are in for an ol' mess of trouble."
- Mammy Ramla, most senior member of the Wives of Gozen.

"Look, everyone knows about the 'Smithy' and how he's been showing his 'Daiklaive' to the 'Oliana Blossom' every day while his wife is at the market, but have you heard about the Laughing Monkey that found out?"
- Dohna Silkloom, renowned governess and harpy.

"The Wives of Gozen" (or less politely, "The Widows of Gozen") are nothing more than a loose association of elderly women from all parts of Nexus who happen to enjoy gossip. Once a week, widows, grandmothers, old maids, and heiresses meet in a salon reconstituted from a hotel not far from Crone's Street. Primarily, these women hail from Sentinel's Hill, Bastion, and Cinnabar, but since there is no formal membership and no single hostess, pretty much anyone (including the occasional self-assured man) can walk in and engage in 'polite conversation.' The only requirement is that anyone who attends must bring something to share with the other guests, be it Kokum-spiced finger sandwiches or fabrics and quiltwork for an impromptu sewing-circle.

Literally dozens of aging femmes from all levels of Nexus' social strata consider themselves Wives of Gozen, and regularly make the journey into Cinnabar for meetings. These gatherings are surprisingly egalitarian, and it is not uncommon to find merchants' wives holding court over aristocrats and well-heeled women that normally would not stoop to speak, let alone listen, to a person of such low position. Many people consider the Wives of Gozen to be the most eclectic, if not the largest and most important, gossip-shop in all of Nexus.

There are, however, some Wives of Gozen who are accorded more "senior" status. Mammy Ramla, in particular, is a fixture at the salon, and no one can remember a meeting she did not attend. Most people believe she is senile, as she frequently mumbles cryptic nonsense when no one is talking to her. However, she has a great deal of respect from virtually all other Wives (which is extraordinary considering the level of internecine backstabbing), and many assume that she owns the salon where the Wives of Gozen gather. This affords her a great deal of influence over the Wives of Gozen as a whole, and many women unconsciously assimilate portions of Ramla's prattle into their otherwise coherent conversations.

Rumours

• One of the more popular topics of conversation of late has been the notices requesting information about The Stone of Ebon Blood that were recently posted throughout the neighborhood. The latest gossip suggests that one of the Wives of Gozen might have actually posted the inquiries.
• At all times, Mammy Ramla can be found with a statuette in her lap called the Glowering Bust of Desiccated Ivory. Some think that this statuette may be a representation of Gozen, and that he may be Ramla's late husband, or a possibly a little and/or forgotten god.

Secret

• The Wives of Gozen are, in fact, the unwitting catspaw of a clever Moonshadow about whom nothing is known. He uses proxies that attend the meetings to circulate rumors that breed discord and dissent all across the city. Although he did not found the Wives of Gozen, he has certainly used his influence to increase its popularity and prestige.

Comments

Haha, I love that second comment.
~ Shataina