The Blackfrock Society 

The Blackfrock Society was a loose-knit group of women in Ambarak during the High Uzdamalian era known for their passionate politics and charming fashion sense. While they were widely believed to be lesbians, or at least indifferent to men, this is factually unknown.  Politically, the Blackfrocks were often dismissed as internally inconsistent and meritless.  However, it is likely that this was a misongynistic thin reading of their platforms, which were often based on the utopian ideals of Mueschler (yrs 200-267 of the Early era.)

Blackfrocks

A blackfrock is a diamond shaped cloth, with two opposite corners folded to the center of the garment, and then a single seam which run s asymmetrically from the one folded corner to it's opposite:

With the eight ties, this garment boasted unusual versatility, hyperbolically spoken to have one thousand uses. Known functions include as a dress, an apron, a filter, a bag, and baby-carrier. It is estimated that there were 30 distinct uses in all.

Culture and politics

The women of the Blackfrock Society were extraordinarily charming dressers, often carrying a black umbrella and incorporating it into their gestures, giving them a frolicking, musical sense of expression.  Aside from the staple garment, they also wore a variety of garish hats and large flat shoes which seemed to mock traditional notions of feminity.  Often clothes were worn to the point of theadbare holes, again rejecting conventional notions of the well-turned-out woman.  Women of the Blackfrock society prided themselves on their activity and vigor, and saw torn clothes as a sort of battle scar.

Culturally, the Blackfrock Society might be characterized by its utter self-absorbtion.  A sort of runaway cultural selection seemed to occur, producing more and more active and outrageous women, all massively indifferent to the larger Uzda  empire.  (This is the probable cause of the rumors of indifference to men. Sexually, this is unlikely to be true, given the voracious appetites of these women in all aspects of life. See:Houses of Untethered Youths)

Politically, the Blackfrock Society produced volumes of essays detailing opinions agreeing or dissenting with almost every current event. However, it was rare that a member took steps towards office or position of power.  We speculate that this is the product of an entrenched patriarchical system and indifference to interacting with people outside of the society.

The Society achieved peak numbers during the Later period.  In the Last period, throwbacks ("Frockies") often cited the political literature generated by their foremothers, in an effort to staunch the tide of Targhanism. Generally their efforts were of little avail.

For related readings, see:

Ambarak

Houses of Untethered Youths

Mueschler