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Medieval Matriarchs

Important Note

• I have reformatted the Google document[docs.google.com] to make it easier to read. It has a much more detailed list of features and includes compatibility details of what files and database entries are overwritten.
  
• The document is out of date as of 1.16. Will update after I get the mod in a more 1.16 feature-complete state.
  
• In this discussion thread I will discuss my plans for the immediate future of this mod.

Updates
05.23.2025

• Content update for 1.16.2.1. To be frank, there's too many changes to list here. Check the change notes page instead.
  
• I'll try to get screenshots updated for new information tomorrow.

05.11.2025

• Content update for 1.16.0.
  
• New faith added: Tabitism, of the Scythian religion. Works similarly to Heraionism, in that if you have the Scythian religion, Amazons recruited or generated via event will be of the same faith, so long as it's acceptable to the Amazons.
  
• Many reworks to how Scythian culture interacts with various Amazon decision, events, realm formation, etc.. Basically, trying to make Scythian culture behave mostly similarly to Amazonian culture.
  
• New decision: Reforge Scythia, available to Scythian nomads. Allows you to start a big war to settle Scythia, fighting everyone who has counties in the region in a big war. If you win, you claim the Western Pontic Steppe region, seizing all the county/duchy titles therein, and form the realm of Scythia as a settled character. You may choose tribal, feudal, or clan as your government, provided you meet some appropriate prerequisites.
  
• New decision: Adopt Scythian Nomadic Ways. Allows you to settle in a county occupied by a herder as a Scythian adventurer. If such land is paying tribute to a man, you will have the choice to defy them and receive a powerful modifier for doing so (but making yourself a tempting target), or become his tributary, losing a lot of status in the process (and some of your Amazon courtiers).

See the discussion thread for a bit of information on my plans for the next update or two.

Feedback
Feedback is critical to helping with mod development, so please leave comments if you have any to give. I read all Steam comments, and you can also contact me directly on Discord. If you have suggestions or encounter bugs/strange behavior, please leave a comment.

Overview

• This mod was inspired by Lesbocracy for Crusader Kings 2. It's something of an experimental project, me playing around with the modding capabilities of CK3 while trying to adapt features from that mod into CK3.
  
• The primary features of the mod aim to give flavorful and mechanically interesting ways to elevate the status of women in a world that (under default settings) is primarily male-dominated. It also has features which emphasize lesbian romance and sexuality.
  
• Though this mod has a lot of changes and content, it does not fundamentally alter gameplay. I want to preserve the standard gameplay of building a dynasty living the life of a Medieval ruler.
  
• Regarding game rules, note that this mod is designed around the historical/default settings for Gender Equality and Same-Sex Relations/Marriage. If you adjust these settings some parts of the mod may become redundant or weird (though it should still work).
  
• Though the two focuses of the mod; matriarchies and lesbian relations, are synergistic and work well together, they do not depend upon each other. You can have a Matriarchal dynasty without any special emphasis on lesbian relations, and you can form a faith with lesbian doctrines without ever putting any points into the new legacy track or even using the Matriarchal dynasty decision.
  
• There is some material in the mod that toes the line of mature content for CK3, but I don't feel it's out of line for the base game, considering the existing events and interactions. This is not a sex mod and there are no explicit descriptions or images (some images feature artistic nudity from old paintings).
  
• Personal thanks to Buzhidao for making Lesbocracy, and for giving me permission to publish this mod based on their own work.

Main Features

• Adds a decision to start a Matriarchal Dynasty. This gives you certain bonuses, as well as access to a new Dynastic Legacy track. The track and the modifier are meant to enable female-favored succession regardless of faith or culture, and give bonuses to female dynasty members.
  
• Adds a series of new decisions that allow you to change your faith (if your faith meets certain prerequisites) to be more Equal.
  
• Adds a new doctrine category focused on Lesbian Relationships. Because these were generally not considered in the Medieval era, they are unlocked in a unique way: a woman can experience a revelation after consummating a lesbian relationship. Otherwise, the category is not shown for any religion.
  
• Adds a new activity for a women-only gathering. If you know Lesbocracy, you can probably guess what this is.
  
• Adds a new scheme for homosexual or bisexual women to awaken an interest in women in heterosexual or asexual women.
  
• Adds a lot of new content focused on Amazons, including traditions, titles, and a new faith.
  
• Player characters playing as women can change their own character's sexuality by seducing women.
  
• Some other misc features and events for followers of faiths with the new doctrines.

Compatibility

• Most religious mods should be compatible.
  
• The exception is mods that affect homosexual marriage or the homosexuality doctrine category.
  
• I can't guarantee compatibility with big total overhaul mods.
  
• Try to look at the Google doc for more compatibility information.
  
• I'm willing to try and make this mod more compatible with other mods if it doesn't interfere with its own features.

Known Issues

• Some events may pop up regarding the children of camp consorts that suggest they will be born bastards. The child will not actually be a bastard nor should any negative things happen, but the events may be dramatic about it. For now I'm letting this be since the alternative is to overwrite all the birth events; a hefty job that limits compatibility.

Other Mods
Tenets to Doctrines, changes some tenets with more minor effects into doctrines, allowing you to do more with your faith while keeping three core tenet slots.
Traditional Tenets, takes the ideas of Tenets to Doctrines and runs a bit further with them, adding extra tenets to the base game partially inspired by CK2's Holy Fury doctrines.
Sappho's Daughter, not my mod but has used some of my code. A more fantasy/extreme take on some aspects of this mod that fundamentally alters the game.

[ko-fi.com]