Rampant Sects

(This is a repost.  This article was originally posted on November 24, 2008.)

In my last post, I talked a little bit about how religions are rarely monolithic in reality — how they splinter into a network of related sects, some of which can believe very different things.  Today I offer a brief illustration:  three sects I’ve developed for my game, all based on my interpretation of the Raven Queen, the fourth edition’s new and ever-intriguing goddess of death.

The Most Ancient and Honorable Order of Deathspeakers is a militarized splinter faction of the church, whose warrior monks seek to destroy the undead and oppose the machinations of Orcus and his minions.  Many of these are fanatical in their beliefs, and enough are reckless in battle that the common folk often call them the “Deathseekers” (but not to their faces).

The M.A.H.O. is actually not very ancient, having been established within the past century — it claims the adjective through a dubious philosophical connection with an earlier sect of a similar name, which was eradicated centuries ago by a combination of Orcus cultists and their own infighting.  It isn’t terribly honorable, either, for that matter, although its activities are largely confined to crusading against the undead and related enemies (necromancers, Orcus cultists, etc.).

The Deathspeakers have only one large monastery devoted to their order — in the wilderness north of the kingdoms of Tir Eselyn and south of Ravenspire.  Few rulers are willing to support a large independent army of religious fanatics on their soil.  Smaller chapterhouses of perhaps 20-50 members are scattered throughout the region, though, and itinerant crusader groups of 3-7 warrior monks and acolytes are a reasonably common sight throughout the north.

The Sisters of the Veil is an order with a three-thousand-year history, devoted entirely to the purpose of observing funerary rites and keeping records of the dead.  They officiate over almost all state funerals in Tir Eselyn and the north, and their order has spread to lands as distant as Jalar.  Though relatively few in number, they are highly respected by the common folk, and a Sister can expect to find hospitality in any city or village among the civilized lands.  This is important, for many members of the order constantly travel, moving from village to village to add the names of the dead to the rolls and to perform the rituals that keep the departed from rising as undead.

The Sisters always go veiled while performing their official functions among outsiders.  Faceless and nameless, they answer only to the title “Sister,” although in rare cases where multiple Sisters are present and need to be distinguished, they will adopt pseudonyms — Sister Mercy, Sister Stillness, Sister Chronicler, and so forth.

As their name suggests, the Sisters are traditionally an all-female order, but in recent decades, a handful of the more liberal chapters have begun to ordain Brothers, sometimes known as Brothers of the Shroud.

They are a relatively pacifistic order, believing that violence is warranted only in self-defense.  Although optional, most Sisters take vows of poverty and celibacy.

The Falkyrion are dedicated to the battlefield.  These female warrior-priests, clad in their black mail, often seek to attach themselves to armies, either individually or in small companies.  While their ferocity and skill in battle is unquestioned, they are not always welcomed, because of their practice of walking the battlefield after the fight, putting to death those injured combatants they encounter — they are not especially particular about which side the injured soldier fought upon.

The loyalty of the Falkyr is unassailable; they have never been known to switch sides or betray their temporary allies in battle.  However, their first loyalty is to their own:  in the circumstance that two different groups of Falkyr pledge themselves to two opposing armies, they will avoid coming to blows with each other.

The Falkyr rarely join forces for more than one siege or battle, though at times a group of Falkyr has been known to pledge itself to a great general or hero and serve as a personal guard and warband.  Most assume, correctly, that these Falkyr wish to observe the moment when the hero finally falls in battle, should it come.

A typical Falkyr contingent wears black plate or chain armor and carries a spear and a shield emblazoned with the Raven Queen’s sigil.  Some Falkyr prefer a sword or axe.  Most will carry a ranged weapon of some sort — either a couple of javelins, a short bow, or a crossbow.  They are often skilled riders, and usually possess an ability akin to the feat Channel Divinity: Raven Queen’s Blessing.

Valkyr are particularly common in Ravenspire and the north, and are widespread in the east.  Tir Eselyn sees a fair number of them, but there are few in Jalar or the south.

Related posts:

1. Seeking the Raven Queen
2. Encountering the Raven Queen
3. Stealing, By the Numbers
4. Defining the Raven Queen
5. What Religion Means