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  1. Organizations

Blood of Vol

Religion

The Blood of Vol is an idiosyncratic and decentralized religion that worships the "divinity within", rather than an external higher power. The religion was made the state religion of Karrnath by Kaius I at the start of the Last War, but this status was revoked by Regent Moranna. Worshipers are known as "Seekers", short for "Seekers of the Divinity Within."

History

The history of the Blood of Vol is little known. Unlike Vassals or Purified, Seekers do not see their faith as explaining the fundamental mythology of the world. The disjointed and individualistic nature of worship reinforces this, leaving the true history of the faith a mystery.


Ancient History

Long ago, the Qabalrin elves of Xen'drik mastered the necromantic arts. While their civilization in the Ring of Storms has not survived, their use of undeath as a form of immortality persisted into the elven emigration to Aerenal.


The Line of Vol

On Aerenal, the line of Vol arose as political rivals to the Undying Court. The family and its allies drew upon the power of Mabar to create undead, taking from the living rather than relying on devotion like the Court. The Court's ties to Irian made them natural enemies, a tension that only grew when the line of Vol developed the Mark of Death.

The creation of the half-dragon Erandis Vol was a line too far gone. The Undying Court acted in concert with the dragons of Argonnessen to end the threat, killing not only Erandis but every elf who shared her bloodline. This unprecedented purge of political rivals led many elves to flee the island. Some traveled to mainland Khorvaire, while others fled to the Lhazaar Principalities. Minara Vol and her families close allies fled to Farlnen, forming the basis of the Grim and the Bloodsails.


The Faith spreads in Khorvaire

The exiled elven necromancers shared their story with their new human neighbors - that "the heroic family of Vol had sought to attain godhood, only to be destroyed by the jealous gods." This telling was especially popular where cruel warlords propheted the empty promises of the Sovereign. While the elven necromancers drew upon purely the power of Mabar and saw undeath as immortality enough, the newfound Blood of Vol sought something more - the Divinity Within. To the surprise of the elves, these new clerics found divine power.

While Seekers can be found anywhere in Khorvaire, the faith has always been associated with Karrnath. Not only did the land's harsh climate foster belief that the gods were cruel and uncaring, but the faith actually transformed the Mabaran manifest zones of the nation from a blight into a resource.


The Last War

Early in the Last War, Karrnath's overwhelming military might was held back by famines and plagues at home. Seekers today point out that some of the warlords of Karrnath turned temples and towns devoted to the Blood of Vol into military garrisons, heedless of the rituals and practices meant to contain Mabaran manifest zones. Many Karrns though believe the official proclamations of Moranna and Kaius III, that the plagues and famines were engineered by the leaders of the faith to force Karrnath to accept it as the state religion.

The truth of the matter is difficult to ascertain given Lady Illmarrow's secretive involvement. Erandis Vol  forced Kaius to not only accept the Blood of Vol as the state religion (See the "Hierarchy" section), but turned the power-hungry king into a vampire.

Once established as the state religion in 897 YK, the Blood of Vol not only addressed the abundance of disease and shortage of food, but equipped the Karrnathi army with the first major technological development of the war - the widespread use of undead. The then-living Malevanor worked with Gyrnar Shult to create the Odakyr Rites to create more capable undead out of the corpses of Karrnathi patriots.

This all began to fall apart in 976 YK, when Regent Moranna outlawed the Order of the Emerald Claw. She presented evidence of the order's crimes and seized their strongholds and arrested its leaders. While Moranna was not the most popular ruler for these actions, Kaius' III trend of decreasing the influence of the religion in Karrnath removed it from its official status entirely.

Doctrine

  • 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.

The core doctrine of the Blood of Vol is that the promises of other faiths are simply lies - mortality is a curse inflicted by uncaring gods who jealously hoard immortality and the potential of divinity.


Seekers and the Undead

The widespread use of undead by Seekers in both labor roles and the military has caused a great many misconceptions that Seekers worship the Undead in some way. In truth, while Seekers do believe that a person's body belongs to their community after death, and intelligent undead hold prominent roles within the faith, the undead are seen as martyrs - not saints. Seekers believe true immortality can only be achieved by the living, and that undeath is but a pale shadow of that. However, undead faith leaders are respected as martyrs for giving up their chance at true immortality to lead others over time.


Rites and Prayers

Look not to the skies, nor to the depths below, nor even to the distant past or future. Seek the divine within, for the blood is the life, and in its call can be heard the promise of life eternal. One has but to listen.

This mantra is a common to Seeker rites and rituals. Seekers do not pray, as they do not believe in benevolent external forces.

The most important ritual in Seeker communities is the Sacrament of Blood, an irregularly practiced rite which involves each member of the community contributing a small amount of blood by cutting themselves with a bloodfang dagger. After a purification ritual performed by the priest, each member then takes a sip from the chalice to receive a transcendent, revelatory, or even prophetic vision. What many don't know is that leftover blood is stored in barrels of preserving pine to be used in necromantic rituals and to sustain the undead martyrs of the faith.


Symbol

As the Blood of Vol is a highly individualized religion, each cleric chooses their own holy symbol. However, symbols related to blood or souls or colored red and black are popular.

Hierarchy

Most Seekers only understand the faith as a decentralized religion. Secretly, Lady Illmarrow pulls the strings, manipulating the faith towards her own schemes.


The Clergy

Most priests of the faith know nothing about Lady Illmarrow's schemes, simply serving their community by leading rituals and guiding the faithful towards achieving the Divinity Within.

Abactors are priests of particular import, leading temples and presiding over regions. The Crimson Covenant controls the promotion to this status, only allowing those who have been inducted into the "truth" of the faith's purpose to serve Lady Illmarrow and work in concert with the Order of the Emerald Claw.


The Conspiracy

While Lady Illmarrow sits at the center of the conspiracy, she is assisted by a group of thirteen known as the Crimson Covenant. Each member is either undead or a powerful necromancer and directly serves the Queen of Death and furthers her schemes. In return for their service, the Lich Queen provides them with potent resources and magical protections.