1. Organizations

Blood of Vol

Religion

Life is pain, a ceaseless struggle against hunger, disease, and despair. Every day we’re one step closer to the grave, and all that lies beyond is Dolurrh and the disintegration of the soul. What just god would create such a world? What benevolent Sovereign would condemn their creations to such misery?

But what if mortality is something that can be overcome? Perhaps we all have a spark of divinity within us, a spark that can become a force to rival the Silver Flame. Perhaps one day we can end the cycle of death and misery, so all can live long enough to find their divinity within. Until then, the best we can do is to hold our family and friends close, defy cruel fate, and fight to live as long as we can. This is the message of the Blood of Vol. Life is suffering and death is annihilation, but you can defy this cruel fate— and perhaps even break the cycle for good.

Source: Exploring Eberron


Historically a fringe cult, fewer than one in ten Karrnathi citizens were Seekers before the Last War. State support of the Blood of Vol over the span of eighty years dramatically increased this number, and by the time Moranna took the throne as regent in 973 about five in ten Karrnathi citizens identified with the faith. Shocking revelations about horrific practices and the stripping of its official status immediately shook the faith of many, and the population of its practitioners has continued to gradually decline to reach its current levels of about three in ten.

Source: Cultures of Karrnath


  • Everyone has a spark of divinity. Find that power within.
  • Death is the end, Dolurrh is oblivion, and if the gods exist, they are cruel. Stand with those you care for; all we have is this life and each other.

What just god would allow death and suffering? The Blood of Vol teaches that we all have the potential to become divine beings—and that death is a curse, designed to kill you before you can unlock the divinity within you.

The Blood of Vol is a grim faith, founded by Erandis d’Vol, an elf from Aerenal. It asserts that death is oblivion, that the universe is uncaring, and that if the Sovereigns exist, they are cruel. Its followers study the secrets of blood and life, and because they believe that death is the end, they see nothing wrong with using the bodies of the fallen to serve the living. Seekers of the Divinity Within (as the faithful call themselves) are glad to be reanimated after death; at least they can do some good.

Because of this association with necromancy, many believe the Blood of Vol embraces death and its followers want to become undead. Both ideas are false. The Blood of Vol sees death as the ultimate evil. Seekers don’t want to become undead; they want to become divine beings. The faith teaches that divinity is tied to blood and soul, and the undead can never fully harness that power. The mummies and vampires of the Blood of Vol have sacrificed their chance at divinity to guide the living. They’re martyrs, not something to envy.

In addition to a general revulsion toward the undead, the public opinion of the Blood of Vol is colored by the actions of the Order of the Emerald Claw. This extremist sect serves a lich known as the Queen of Death, and it employs necromantic magic in acts of terror. However, most Seekers don’t support the Emerald Claw.

The Blood of Vol has its strongest following in Karrnath and the Lhazaar Principalities. For a time, it was the national religion of Karrnath. Though fallen from favor, the faith is still practiced openly in that nation.

Source: Rising from the Last War