Many months ago, I was in the process of creating a Tenth Divine based on a character I was running named Cecelia. She used a unique form of necromancy, gained a relgious following, and ascended to godhood upon her death, where she was to challenge Arkay for the helm of guiding mortal souls. But due to to time constraints and some pretty significant lore issues, I took it down and stored it somewhere safe for future use. Here's what I had when I took it down:
Origins (v.1.4)
Tenets (v.1.1)
Her Tenets are our strength. Her Ascension, our worship. Her Duty, our inheritance.
I. Peace begets peace. Another’s life may never come under threat lest that life threaten another first.
II. Peace is only maintained by destroying that which threatens peace.
III. Disciples of the Worm by their very existence threaten peace.
IV. Souls are sacred. Any soul given the Glimpse must not be desecrated in corporeal or ethereal form, lest the savior become corrupted herself.
V. Souls given the Glimpse are to be given a warrior’s death at battle’s end.
VI. We are the chains that bind her power; we are the heralds of the Tenth Divine. Act only as She acted.
The Glimpse (v.1.1)
Listen now and learn about our burden to bear, our gift to give. The soul is the very essence of being; that which gives motion and expression, staving off the decomposition of our earthly forms. When released, she who releases its earthly shackles still holds its spritual chains. Set free, the soul continues on. Kept chained, it can be exploited. This is not our way.
We give the gift of the Glimpse, a craft only truly mastered by our Lady of Reclamation whose birth name was forfeited to its earthly origins upon her ascension. As a gift seldom given, it is practiced openly but perfected in secret. Beware of its practice, however - deliberate action is necessary. What we call a gift, the unenlightened may call a blight, no different than necromancy. Yet let it be clear, as outlined in our Tenets - disciples of the Worm Cult are threats to peace and we seek to maintain peace by destroying that which threatens it.
We seek to save souls from their potential abusers and to spare them the harshest judgment in the afterlives. By pulling the chain that binds the soul to its liberator, the soul may temporarily reenter its earthly bonds to be given a chance at redemption by fighting alongside the righteous and betraying the corrupt ways of its life.
Make no mistake - the Glimpse inflicts immense suffering on the soul, though it is but a fraction of the suffering it would endure eternally without it. The Glimpse offers but a taste of the pain that awaits the soul that does not reform, and a taste of prosperity should it pick up arms on the side of sanctity. The soul that proves itself worthy of forgiveness by our Lady passes through her gates and into its promised land.
But what of Arkay, who recycles the souls of the detestable and morally weak? His priests and his prayers still protect the dead and will be respected for their valuation of life and hatred of exploitative necromancy. But our cause is too great to allow interference. By chaining the soul and giving it the Glimpse immediately after death, the body never truly dies, and the soul never truly leaves. To put an end to the recycling of corrupted energies, we must work around him, for forgiveness must come with a price.
Concept art of the Children of Reclamation's pendant
Letter to High Queen Elisif, 4E, 272 (v.1.1)
High Queen Elisif,
I write you to ask for your most-fair judgment in a matter that has been plaguing your nation’s citizens for far too long. The reports of walking dead have become too frequent and far too damning to ignore anymore, as I’m sure my previous letters have indicated. In my own studies of these specimens, I’ve concluded that these corpses are most likely the result of the soul magic employed by the Children of Reclamation. A report was passed to me concerning one such instance in a Hall of Dead, where a corpse was said to have “awoken” from its death and proceeded to wander the halls, as best it could, shrieking and thrashing briefly before collapsing once more. The Priest of Arkay and the Priest’s assigned Child were both present when it happened. Neither were injured, though the Priest was blamed for not performing her rituals correctly when my repeated tests have shown that no known prayers nor rituals seem to be able to prevent this.
My studies on a sample of corpses that have been put through the ritual known to the Children as, “The Glimpse”, reveal that it is a form of necromantic magic designed to force a recently-released soul back into its body for a short duration, where it remains at the mercy of the one who performed the ritual. The soul would appear to leave once more, but incompletely so.
My theory is that a small part of the conscious soul still exists - trapped within the body - the rest of the soul unable to pass on until complete. As a consequence of this, the body will, at times, reawaken in a delirious state and experience what appear to be random memories from that soul’s life. I was only able to ascertain this through the observation of the freshest corpses that had undergone the Children’s ritual. Typically, the muscle deterioration was not severe enough to hinder speech, but every subject showed severe physical and cognitive impairment. What is perhaps the most damning detail of all this is that the corpses seemed to maintain some degree of self-awareness throughout each episode. They responded to external stimuli, albeit in a delayed and desensitized fashion, and, understandably, would become frantic when touching and observing themselves.
I believe the that the shrieking and thrashing behaviors that these corpses have exhibited are manifestations of the self-aware soul attempting to escape an experience that we know by the Children’s own admittance is, “unspeakable torment”. The mind simply becomes overwhelmed from reliving memories at random while maintaining a present self-awareness. A self-awareness which has increased in some subjects after each subsequent episode.
The burden these souls suffer is immense. But the strangest occurrence I have yet observed is the experiencing of another’s memories. At first, I wasn’t certain. But when a recently deceased woman stood up and began reciting Jarl Lucia’s final public speech before her death, imitating her motions and cadence almost perfectly, I could not help but fear that the practices of the Children of Reclamation have a corrupting effect beyond just those they perform their rituals on.
It is not yet clear where the larger part of the soul goes when not in its body, nor is it clear if the soul ever stops returning. I have observed spontaneous magical activity in the bones of the long-deceased, and even powder made from said bones seems to possess some sort of magical properties, but whether the soul remains conscious in such a broken-down state is unclear as of yet.
I do hope you understand my caution and secrecy surrounding this matter, and why Children of Reclamation deserves your immediate attention. Their place in your court does not grant them immunity to their immoral actions, but they are powerful and dangerous people. Openly defying them isn’t an option. Return this letter to the courier enclosed with the amulet they gifted you and I will lend you my assistance. A prompt response is necessary, High Queen. Should I not receive your response, I will leave you be. Though for everyone' sake, I pray I do not have to.
Many months ago, I was in the process of creating a Tenth Divine based on a character I was running named Cecelia. She used a unique form of necromancy, gained a relgious following, and ascended to godhood upon her death, where she was to challenge Arkay for the helm of guiding mortal souls. But due to to time constraints and some pretty significant lore issues, I took it down and stored it somewhere safe for future use. Here's what I had when I took it down:
Origins (v.1.4)
Tenets (v.1.1)
Her Tenets are our strength. Her Ascension, our worship. Her Duty, our inheritance.
I. Peace begets peace. Another’s life may never come under threat lest that life threaten another first.
II. Peace is only maintained by destroying that which threatens peace.
III. Disciples of the Worm by their very existence threaten peace.
IV. Souls are sacred. Any soul given the Glimpse must not be desecrated in corporeal or ethereal form, lest the savior become corrupted herself.
V. Souls given the Glimpse are to be given a warrior’s death at battle’s end.
VI. We are the chains that bind her power; we are the heralds of the Tenth Divine. Act only as She acted.
The Glimpse (v.1.1)
Listen now and learn about our burden to bear, our gift to give. The soul is the very essence of being; that which gives motion and expression, staving off the decomposition of our earthly forms. When released, she who releases its earthly shackles still holds its spritual chains. Set free, the soul continues on. Kept chained, it can be exploited. This is not our way.
We give the gift of the Glimpse, a craft only truly mastered by our Lady of Reclamation whose birth name was forfeited to its earthly origins upon her ascension. As a gift seldom given, it is practiced openly but perfected in secret. Beware of its practice, however - deliberate action is necessary. What we call a gift, the unenlightened may call a blight, no different than necromancy. Yet let it be clear, as outlined in our Tenets - disciples of the Worm Cult are threats to peace and we seek to maintain peace by destroying that which threatens it.
We seek to save souls from their potential abusers and to spare them the harshest judgment in the afterlives. By pulling the chain that binds the soul to its liberator, the soul may temporarily reenter its earthly bonds to be given a chance at redemption by fighting alongside the righteous and betraying the corrupt ways of its life.
Make no mistake - the Glimpse inflicts immense suffering on the soul, though it is but a fraction of the suffering it would endure eternally without it. The Glimpse offers but a taste of the pain that awaits the soul that does not reform, and a taste of prosperity should it pick up arms on the side of sanctity. The soul that proves itself worthy of forgiveness by our Lady passes through her gates and into its promised land.
But what of Arkay, who recycles the souls of the detestable and morally weak? His priests and his prayers still protect the dead and will be respected for their valuation of life and hatred of exploitative necromancy. But our cause is too great to allow interference. By chaining the soul and giving it the Glimpse immediately after death, the body never truly dies, and the soul never truly leaves. To put an end to the recycling of corrupted energies, we must work around him, for forgiveness must come with a price.
Concept art of the Children of Reclamation's pendant
Letter to High Queen Elisif, 4E, 272 (v.1.1)
High Queen Elisif,
I write you to ask for your most-fair judgment in a matter that has been plaguing your nation’s citizens for far too long. The reports of walking dead have become too frequent and far too damning to ignore anymore, as I’m sure my previous letters have indicated. In my own studies of these specimens, I’ve concluded that these corpses are most likely the result of the soul magic employed by the Children of Reclamation. A report was passed to me concerning one such instance in a Hall of Dead, where a corpse was said to have “awoken” from its death and proceeded to wander the halls, as best it could, shrieking and thrashing briefly before collapsing once more. The Priest of Arkay and the Priest’s assigned Child were both present when it happened. Neither were injured, though the Priest was blamed for not performing her rituals correctly when my repeated tests have shown that no known prayers nor rituals seem to be able to prevent this.
My studies on a sample of corpses that have been put through the ritual known to the Children as, “The Glimpse”, reveal that it is a form of necromantic magic designed to force a recently-released soul back into its body for a short duration, where it remains at the mercy of the one who performed the ritual. The soul would appear to leave once more, but incompletely so.
My theory is that a small part of the conscious soul still exists - trapped within the body - the rest of the soul unable to pass on until complete. As a consequence of this, the body will, at times, reawaken in a delirious state and experience what appear to be random memories from that soul’s life. I was only able to ascertain this through the observation of the freshest corpses that had undergone the Children’s ritual. Typically, the muscle deterioration was not severe enough to hinder speech, but every subject showed severe physical and cognitive impairment. What is perhaps the most damning detail of all this is that the corpses seemed to maintain some degree of self-awareness throughout each episode. They responded to external stimuli, albeit in a delayed and desensitized fashion, and, understandably, would become frantic when touching and observing themselves.
I believe the that the shrieking and thrashing behaviors that these corpses have exhibited are manifestations of the self-aware soul attempting to escape an experience that we know by the Children’s own admittance is, “unspeakable torment”. The mind simply becomes overwhelmed from reliving memories at random while maintaining a present self-awareness. A self-awareness which has increased in some subjects after each subsequent episode.
The burden these souls suffer is immense. But the strangest occurrence I have yet observed is the experiencing of another’s memories. At first, I wasn’t certain. But when a recently deceased woman stood up and began reciting Jarl Lucia’s final public speech before her death, imitating her motions and cadence almost perfectly, I could not help but fear that the practices of the Children of Reclamation have a corrupting effect beyond just those they perform their rituals on.
It is not yet clear where the larger part of the soul goes when not in its body, nor is it clear if the soul ever stops returning. I have observed spontaneous magical activity in the bones of the long-deceased, and even powder made from said bones seems to possess some sort of magical properties, but whether the soul remains conscious in such a broken-down state is unclear as of yet.
I do hope you understand my caution and secrecy surrounding this matter, and why Children of Reclamation deserves your immediate attention. Their place in your court does not grant them immunity to their immoral actions, but they are powerful and dangerous people. Openly defying them isn’t an option. Return this letter to the courier enclosed with the amulet they gifted you and I will lend you my assistance. A prompt response is necessary, High Queen. Should I not receive your response, I will leave you be. Though for everyone' sake, I pray I do not have to.
