The Mabrigash

“…But above all, beware the Mabrigash, renegade Witch-Warrior women who practice the dark magics.”

–Andilo Thelas, Dunmer Savant

Within the bleak and barren climate of the Ashlands, food is scarce and danger is constant, so much so that the various tribes of unsettled Dunmer are said to live on a razors edge between life and death. It is here, where the dust blows across the landscape, that the concept of “tradition” is emphasized perhaps more so than anywhere else on Tamriel. Honor is their currency. Ritual is their lifeblood. But what happens when an Ashlander chooses to break with that tradition, not only to forsake the Ashlander way of life in favor of another, but to abandon an important position within the tribe and break the taboos that such people hold sacred?

Ashlander society is governed by a strict tribal hierarchy, family ties, and an ancient code of honor. Within this hierarchy, gender plays an extremely important role. It should be said that the extent at which these rules are enforced within a tribe is by no means uniform amongst the Ashlanders. Much depends on a specific tribe’s traditions, the discretion of the local Ashkhan, and any extraneous circumstances. The Ashlanders, after all, are nothing if not adaptable.

An Ashlander’s gender imports a series of traditions the individual must follow, as well as determining the possible positions within society available to them. Women, for instance, cannot become warriors, or serve in the Ashkhan’s retinue (known as Gulkhans amongst the Ashlanders.) Likewise, the position of Wise Woman is an exclusively female role. Amongst the Ashlanders, the Wise Woman is a repository of culture and traditional knowledge, serving as equal parts councilor, storyteller, seer and healer. Each tribe usually has a primary Wise Woman conducting affairs, who may take on several other Wise Women as her apprentices. The Ashkhan, the Warrior-Chief of the tribe, is a traditionally male position, but it is not unheard for a woman to assume the title. A female Ashkhan is almost pointless, however, as they are prevented from carrying out most of the crucial activities of the position, such as leading the tribe’s warriors into battle, conducting raids on other tribes, or engaging in duels to defend the tribe’s honor. As such, a female Ashkhan is usually only named at times when the previous Ashkhan has died and left no clear successor. Healers, when not Wise Women themselves, are traditionally female. The tasks of herder, hunter and scout are open to both sexes.

As one can see, gender does play a large role in organizing Dunmer tribal hierarchy. This information, however, should not be misconstrued to view all Ashlanders as incapable of equity amongst the sexes. Quite differently, many Ashlanders hold the women of the tribe in great respect. The position of Wise Woman is considered an important and vital one, and many times women are treated with the same courtesy and respect as men, especially amongst the northern tribes. However, one cannot generalize such attributes of respect either. There exist a number of cases where things are quite the opposite.

Amongst the more warlike bands, the position of women within the tribe is significantly decreased. This is most exemplified in the position of the local Wise Woman. If the Ashkhan is powerful and greedy, the position of Wise Woman is reduced to a totally ceremonial role. Similarly, the position of all women in such tribes is held below that of the men, especially the Ashkhan and the Gulkhans. In such tribes, abuse and slave-like conditions are commonplace. The Wise Women are often exempt from the worse of this (many suspect this to be due to possible traditions of chastity surrounding the position of Wise Woman). Still, to see the members of her clan beaten, raped and humiliated can be too much for the proud Ashlander to bare. Some say that it is out of such an environment that a Mabrigash is born.

Mabrigash (The term is often used for both the singular and plural forms) are the Witch-Warriors of Ashlander legend. They are Wise Women who have abandoned their position within a tribe and forsaken the traditional rules of conduct. They break the provisional taboos preventing a Wise Woman from wielding weapons, and train in the use of the War Axe (a weapon normally reserved for Gulkhans) along with other tools of war. They are well versed in various aspects of dark magic, while retaining the Wise Woman’s proficiency in both the alteration and rejuvenation colleges of magic. Ashlander magic, and by extent Mabrigash magic, differs from western magic significantly, in that Ashlanders emphasize a combination of charms and incantations that strengthen their user, while opting to wield curses that damages the life force of their target directly, rather than using the elemental magics of destruction. Mabrigash have delved deep into the study of these curses more so than any normal Wise Woman, and as such they are incredibly powerful. The source of their power supposedly comes from the vital essence of men which, they drain from their bodies through the use of the Ghost Snake, a subject which will be elaborated upon later.

To break with a tribe and become a Mabrigash is no simple event. Ashlander society knows only two forms of punishment for trespass; banishment and death. The punishment for a Wise Woman practicing the dark arts is normally death, but many tribes opt for exile, for they fear the Mabrigash’s power. What separates the Mabrigash from other outcasts is the fact that this exile is often mutually approved; The Mabrigash want nothing to do with the men of the tribes, and the tribes want nothing to do with the fearsome witch-women. As such, and uneasy truce is often forged, with neither group explicitly bothering the other without provocation.

The Mabrigash draw exclusively from the ranks of Wise Women, and as such there are exclusively female. It is speculated that many Mabrigash were once simply rebellious seers in training, who found the restrictive life of a Wise Woman unsavory, but it is more reasonable to assume that a number of them were full-fledged Wise Women who took issue with the way a tribe was being run by a disrespectful Ashkhan. Whatever their reason for become Mabrigash may be, the change is a definitive and irrevocable one, for once a woman becomes a Mabrigash, there is no turning back. The point at which a Wise Woman becomes a Mabrigash is usually pinpointed at their first use of the Ghost Snake, signifying a full break with the tribal ways, but it is unknown how the Mabrigash themselves what constitutes a ‘real’ Mabrigash. Mabrigash will often arrange themselves into small groups, numbering around two or three, and are known to camp near roads and tribal settlements, so as to ensnare passersby from which they can drain energy to fuel their practices.

To outsiders, the Mabrigash may appear to be another simple variant of the common witches found all over Tamriel, but according to most research, lumping them in with a series of diverse magic-users with a penchant for stealing traveler’s clothes would be a grave mistake. The variances between more common Western magic and Ashlander magic, as illustrated above, mark a key difference between the two. Mabrigash, like all other Ashlanders, also abstain from the conjuration of spirits, which is considered profane in Velothi culture. It is unclear whether the Mabrigash are capable of enlisting the same level of voluntary support from their ancestor-spirits as their Wise Women cousins, or if the process of becoming a Mabrigash severs some link with the ancestor clan. What’s more, while many witches may seek out and target men with their abilities for personal reasons, a Mabrigash is distinct in that they seek out male targets to serve in themselves as a source of power. The Mabrigash directly drains the power of their target, and grow stronger as a result.

The method by which a Mabrigash drains the vital essence of her target is known as the Ghost Snake. The exact nature of the Ghost Snake is unknown; it is a closely guarded secret amongst the Mabrigash, for whose way of life it is essential. Most mages who have studied it describe it as a regular (albeit advanced) form of magic. Still, it is uncertain if this magic represents the Ghost Snake in its entirety, or if it is simple one part of a greater ritual. Some rumors link it with an almost religious significance amongst Mabrigash, going so far as to suggest the Ghost Snake is actually a representation of some deity (Boethia, perhaps,) but again, this is extreme speculation. What is known, due to careful documentation, are the effects of the Ghost Snake. The Ghost Snake draws out the vital energies of its target, their very life force, and by doing so increases the power of the Mabrigash. Only women are supposedly able to utilize the Ghost Snake, although why this is exactly is unknown. No documented cases of its use by any other than the Mabrigash exist. There are speculated to be two main variants of the Ghost Snake, one fast acting and one slow acting, but both are theorized to simply be variations on the same technique. The fast acting method directly paralyzes the target, and drains their bodily strength for a short period of time. This can leave the target extremely weak for a period of time, usually long enough for the Mabrigash to either kill or capture whomever is unlucky enough to be her prey. The use of the Ghost Snake in this manner has not been shown to affect the physical strength of the Mabrigash in any noticeable way. The slow form is not nearly as well understood as the fast form, with most of the descriptions of its workings being relegated to rumor. It is believed, like the fast form, to drain the strength of its target, leaving them weak and servile while preventing them from running away. However, it acts over a much longer period of time than the short form, and its effects on the target are not as immediately severe as the short form (although over the long term the effects can be much worse.) The long form also differs from the short form in that it is said that the draining of strength from the target somehow serves to empower the Mabrigash, somehow transferring the ‘vital essence’ of one unto another, allowing the Mabrigash to practice their dark magic. Stories often list captives being held for long periods of time to be slowly drained by the Mabrigash, much in the same way that Vampires have been rumored to keep stock for blood (it should be noted that a connection between Vampirism and the Mabrigash has not yet been theorized.)In such stories, the use of the long form is often tied in with an increase in the strength and vitality of the Mabrigash, sometimes even suggesting the Ghost Snake can be used to artificially prolong the lifespan of the Mabrigash into immortality (although this is largely rumor, and can in many cases be attributed to a misunderstanding of the female Dunmer’s long lifespan.) While examples of the short form being practiced on targets of both sexes exist, the rumored targets of the long form are exclusively male. Amongst a few variants of the rumors surrounding the long form of the Ghost Snake are notable sexual undertones, which seem to suggest that the male captives of the Mabrigash serve as items of pleasure for these witch-warriors, who drain their life force though cardinal rituals, giving the term ‘vital essence’ a whole new meaning. These stories are largely lacking in evidence, however, and are mostly attributed to the storyteller’s use of poetic license to add entertainment to the tale.

Through the collection of firsthand accounts from lucky (or unlucky, depending on how one looks at it) survivors of the technique, one is able to piece together the sensation of what it feels like to be on the receiving end of the Ghost Snake. At first, when the paralysis takes hold, the body feels as if it is on fire, with the sensation of spasms and seizure coursing through the body, despite the fact that the person cannot actually move. As this continues, the physical energy of the man begins to wane, until the muscles are limp and the body is useless. The blood feels as if it drains from the limbs, and then is turned into bile and poison. The sensation is akin to being on the receiving end of one the mystical poisons employed commonly by many mages throughout Tamriel, although with none of the associated physical damage, as the feeling exists solely in the senses. After a few short seconds, the paralysis wears off, but at this point the man is so incredibly weak that they are often unable to move. The energy for action is removed from the body, and a sensation of extreme lethargy takes hold. Finally, a chilling cold sensation enters through the throat before spreading out through the rest of the body. First one feels frozen. Then one feels numb. Then one feels nothing at all.

All of these descriptions are notable for the fact that they come exclusively from outside observers, rather than directly from the mouth of a Mabrigash. Much of this is due to the Mabrigash, like many Ashlanders, not using writing as a way of recording information. Interviewing a Mabrigash directly presents many problems due to their hostile nature, but it is not unheard of for a person to be able talk with a Mabrigash and live. When asked about their way of life, Mabrigash have a tendency to be tight-lipped. They too say that only women are able to use the Ghost Snake, saying as well that they are unbound by the man’s rules of behavior within mainstream Ashlander culture. They seem to revel in their own notoriety, which seems to suggest that they are not actually as hostile as rumors make them out to be, but rather allow such rumors to spread so as to keep meddling hands out of their business. Many also find many of the stories surrounding them, especially those told by men, to be quite humorous and foolish. When asked about the Ghost Snake, Mabrigash seem to indicate that the subject is far more complicated than many of the stories surrounding them make it out to be. The Mabrigash do not talk about the Ghost Snake in terms of ‘long form’ or ‘short form’ either, suggesting that the distinction is a misnomer, or that perhaps the long form does not actually exist. Mabrigash find the idea that they ‘drain the vital essence of men’ to be missing the point, and seem to suggest that the truth of the matter is far more complicated than a simple transfer of power from one person to the Mabrigash. From these accounts, many have come to believe that the true nature of both the Mabrigash and the Ghost Snake are largely misunderstood by outsiders, but also that the Mabrigash are perfectly happy with the reputation this misunderstanding has given them. Even the less violent among them are incredibly secretive, and direct discussions with a Mabrigash serve to clarify very little about their nature.

When examining the Mabrigash, it is important not to force the idea of what the Mabrigash represent into a pre-made dialectic or organizational structure. It is very easy to see them as some form of symbol for the ‘battle of the sexes’ within Ashlander culture, but to view them as such disregards much of what we actually know about the Mabrigash. As illustrated above, gender is very important amongst both the tribal Ashlanders and the Mabrigash, but it is far too simplistic to view their existence as simply a reaction to gender relations within Ashlander society. One must remember that a Mabrigash begins her life as a Wise Woman, with the abilities and responsibilities of that position. More than almost any other trait, the Ashlander Wise Women are known for the deep empathy they harbor for their clan and their people. Could it perhaps be, then, that the Mabrigash are simply Wise Women who have forgotten how to care, who have abandoned their responsibilities in favor of the pursuit of power? Perhaps, but this is an overly simplistic view, which leads one to believe it to at least not be the entire truth of the matter. The desire to help is born into the Wise Women of the Ashlands, and they are trained to assist their people from the moment they are born; such habits would not disappear so easily. The Wise Women of the Ashlands are said to be seers, capable of viewing the future through their dreams. Was it some obscure vision which drove them to live the way they do, or are they fulfilling some forgotten prophecy the likes of which we cannot grasp? Could the talk surrounding them be simple myth, and they are really just witches by a different name? Or is the true nature of the Mabrigash something more?

None but the Mabrigash themselves know for certain, and it doesn’t appear as if these Witch-Warriors of the Ashlands will be revealing the truth any time soon. For now, they remain shrouded in mystery, ready to strike fear into the heart of any man who so much as hears the word ‘Mabrigash.’