Jadwiga

A White Witch: the ruling class of the Jadwiga

The Jadwiga are the direct descendants of the Witch Queen Baba Yaga, who travels to Golarion once a century to install a new daughter to the throne of Irrisen. Even though Baba Yaga hails from somewhere else in the Great Beyond, the Jadwiga appear and seem to be fully human. They are the ruling class of Irrisen, with the descendants of Elvanna, the former queen of the land, once holding the highest political and social positions.

This changed in 4713 AR when Baba Yaga returned to remove Elvanna and the first generation of her children from Irrisen and replaced them with a new daughter, Anastasia Nikolaevna, and progeny.

The term Jadwiga comes from Queen Jadwiga, the first ruler of Irrisen, but is often mistranslated as "children of the witch-mother".

Hierarchy and psychology

Most Jadwiga are proud and arrogant people who gleefully lord their higher position over anyone below them. The direct descendants of the current queen are of the highest social order, with the progeny of previous queens relegated to lesser positions. Those who have no lesser Jadwiga to look down upon take their frustrations out on the Ulfen peasants of that frozen land. Although technically part of the same, enormous family, Jadwiga often oppose one another.

Gender roles

Even though there are exceptions, Jadwiga males are expected to take active roles in Irrisen's armed forces, whilst females rule the land.

Naming convention

Most Jadwiga take their surname from the Queen of Irrisen who is their ancestor. The descendants of the current queen Elvanna (known as the Jadwiga Elvanna) for instance, include such individuals as Duchess Weneschia Elvanna, the ruler of the province of Bleakmarch. Some have dropped this tradition for various reasons, and have taken surnames taken from larger Irriseni culture. Some do this to hide their own lineage from others (even though they themselves are almost always aware of their genealogy) not wishing to draw negative attention from other Jadwiga.

References

For additional as-yet unincorporated sources about this subject, see the Meta page.