Peoni: Order of the Balm of Joy

Benevolence, compassion, and industriousness are the hallmarks of the Order of the Balm of Joy, the female clerical order of the Peonian Church. Serving as both complement and counterpoint to the all-male Irreproachable Order, the sisters of the Balm of Joy contribute to the root mission of the Peonian Church in ways that are more secular and temporal than spiritual and dogmatic. The chief aim of the Order of the Balm of Joy is to alleviate physical human suffering by providing direct aid to the sick, the hungry, the poor, and the dying. Priestesses of the order can be found in enterprises ranging from the running of hospitals to missionary work to hard agricultural labor. It is often said that members must be equally comfortable "elbow deep in blood or knee deep in mud."

 

In addition to covering the order's history, present situation, scriptures, and lore, the article details how one joins and lives in the order. Also included are descriptions of three specialist subgroups in the order: the midwives in the Daughters of St. Eaclid, the missionaries of the Shepherdesses of Valon, and the Sisters of Deliverance, also known as the Merciful Sisters, who are dedicated to the care of the dead and dying.