Dromui 754 Share Posted February 16, 2015 The Origin of Mortem and his Cult It has been said, only three aspects of the realms are absolute: time, space, and death. For as long as the descendants have walked the material plane, time has ticked by, space has been traversed, and lives have ended. Whether it be through bloody battle or the decaying effects of disease, thousands have come to the end of their journey, to face the final adventure; that which is beyond life itself. Some go without choice, others willingly, accepting what fate has assigned them with no words or tears. But one would ask, why is death? What do the Aenguls and Daemons achieve through the ending of life? Those who ask must look past such foolish questions, one must not blame the effects of death on those above, but instead, accept it’s cold grasp, for the ending of life is as natural as the woodlands of our world. As this realm came to be, as the descendents first explored what they’ve come to call home, no matter how often it is changed, death was at all times absolute. Though it was saddening to watch loved ones and enemies alike fall, no one has truly questioned why it is so. But for those who do, for those who find themselves approaching Death’s Door, they may come to find their answers, as horrifying as it may be…. ~ It has been said for centuries by those who’ve walked the fine line between life and death, that an unknown figure would approach the dying as they take their final breaths, and an offer would be made. For obvious reason, these tales would be marked as delusions, dreams of those near death. But that is far from the truth. Those select few approached by this unknown creature were chosen, chosen to do the will of Death itself. Now, it is time to look past those simple questions of why? But instead one must ask, who? Who is Death? Once more we must return to the chosen view, visited by Death itself. And what is this offer? The concept of death is the ending of life. As life draws to a close, many must say goodbye to what they hold dear. Those who accept what they are leaving behind, who say their goodbyes without fear of the beyond, are visited by the mysterious entity that is titled Death and ushered forward, to what awaits them in the afterlife. Others who are not willing to say goodbye, who are not ready to pass on from the material world, are returned through the mystical powers of the monks. But what of those not yet prepared to pass on, but have given up on the world or have made peace with life? They are given a third option. Something both similar, but vastly different from the return to life. They are given the title of Reaper, and they serve Mortem, the Aengul of Death. “He who embraces death oft comes to cherish life…” From the Journal of the Arch Reaper The Beliefs of Mortem Death is the absolute end to life. Those who deny death are not yet ready to pass through the threshold into the afterlife. Those who taint death via the corruption of the dark arts are the greatest of enemies to Mortem. Necromancers, Death Knights, Ghouls, and creatures of the Spectral persuasion are all considered enemies to Mortem. The Spectral creatures are not of immediate threat and those of the cult can make an attempt at aiding them in passage to the afterlife. Self sacrifice is our tool to stop the defilement of death. We who accept this role give our soul, body, and mind to the Lord of Death. Though we serve death, we cherish life. For those who are not yet ready to die, are to be preserved and helped through the best of our ability. Through self sacrifice and the gifts of our god, we take on the pain, the weakness, and the corruption of this world so those living, can continue to live in happiness and tranquility. Life is the ultimate gift bestowed onto all creatures Death is the ultimate end, willing or unwilling. We come upon this great blessing through great trauma. Those who’ve given everything but lost it all are visited by Mortem and given his blessing. Reapers are only to raise arms in self defense, or against those that taint death. All Reapers are to remain neutral. If you are incapable of saving the life of the dying, do not throw your life away over it. Instead, one must ease their passage from our realm. We serve Mortem, not ourselves. Personal relationships must remain that, personal. From the Teachings of the Arch Reaper The Gifts of Mortem Through Mortem, we receive his blessing. Through his blessing, we cleanse this world, protect it’s inhabitants, and protect the most sacred of truths: death. To use Mortem’s blessing, we must first commit self sacrifice, whether major or minor, we inflict harm to ourselves to aid those most in need. Each blessing requires ritual components to work. The Ritual of Healing Through Mortem’s blessing, we take upon the wounds inflicted upon those we intend to save but heal them of their ailments. The petals of a rose are required to begin healing. As one progresses through their training, they become more capable in healing more severe injuries, to the point one can make the ultimate sacrifice and end one’s life for another. Tier 1: One can heal minor injuries. Cuts, bruises, small burns. This causes great strain and pain to the healer. Tier 2: It is possible to heal the minor injuries at a greater rate, with less strain and pain. The healer can begin to heal fractures to bones and minor illnesses. As before, it would cause great strain on the healer. When healing fractures, great pain will be felt in the bones of the healer. The effects of the illness will be felt, just weaker. Tier 3: The healing of fractures and minor illnesses causes less strain on the healer. Tier 4: Broken bones can be healed but it'll cause great pain, as if the healers own bones were breaking. More serious illnesses can be healed, but as before, the healer will feel the effects on their own body. Tier 5: All forms of healing before this point are much easier, and are much less staining on the body. The Ritual of Purification With the blessing of the Lord of Death, we cleanse the tainted, but through doing so, we take the taint upon ourselves. The ritual components required are a bar of gold, the tainted object, the petals of a daisy, and salt. Tier 1: Only minor purification can be done. Examples being small animals and plants. Tier 2: The corruption taken in from minor purification is reduced greatly. Tier 3: The purification of people is possible, but in minor amounts. This causes great strain on the healer and is irreversible. At this point, the healer will be forced to wait out the taint or corruption. Tier 4: The corruption taken in from purifying people is reduced. Now purifying land and people in greater amounts can be done. As before, it will cause great strain on the body and if over done can and will result in death. Tier 5: It is now possible to purify a creation of corruption, the Undead creation of a necromancer being an example. In doing so will cause great sickness to the Reaper. The Ritual of Banishment This is a ritual made solely for wardomg undead from a person or location. It in other words, is a form of exorcism. If a ghost or creation of necromancy is causing problems in a location or to a person, this ritual can be done. It causes a form of holy energy to be released around the location or person, causing the warding away of the undead. Ghosts or necromatic creations. It causes discomfort for the undead creature. This can only be done by a Reaper that is both tier five in healing and purification. Components needed for the ritual include: the blood of a dead man, golden dust, and the petals of a lilac. Resistance to Corruption and Taint This is self explanatory. The body is blessed with a natural resistance to corruption and taint. The Reaper is still capable of dying to the taint or corruption, but you are capable of taking more into the body and healing over time. It is much like a normal illness. From the Teachings of the Arch Reaper Advantages and Disadvantages of the Magic Through some odd hours of work, I believe I’ve come across a way of making a darker clerical magic, that creates true meaning to self sacrifice. This server’s clerical magic is very diverse as is, but it leans towards a lighter road of Rp, so I thought it be quite interesting to introduce a more neutral magic that is meant to preserve life and worship death, while bringing a darker form of Rp to the table. With that being said, I believe the disadvantages and advantages are relatively close, leaning more towards the disadvantages outweighing the advantages. Advantages You have the ability to heal the wounded, tainted, or corrupt. When the Reaper does the healing, they take on minor versions of the injury, instead of the full on injury. This magic gives an interesting spin off of emotional trauma. Instead of suicide ending it all, or character losing themselves to depression, they can be visited by Mortem, allowing for a darker type of roleplay, that is not immediately evil. Unlike other clerical magics, this is not focused around combat or power. Now I understand that sounds odd as an advantage, but I feel it brings a strange twist of clerical magic to the table. Something that I’m hoping many can appreciate. Corruption does not affect the Reaper as strongly as others. Mortem has blessed them with the ability to slowly heal through corruption and taint. It can still kill them, but it can be overcome. Disadvantages Through the healing, your character sustains minor versions of the injuries that are healed. The more severe the injury or corruption, the more severe the injuries sustained to the healer. If the healer crosses the red lines, they are signing a death wish. Not all injuries can be healed. Unlike the clerical healing of say Tahariae, where you can heal a stab wound to a vital organ, the healing of Mortem cannot do the same. If a Reaper of Mortem were to make an attempt at healing say a heart or lung wound, they would take on the wound in full and die. The followers are a neutral party, that for the most part, are not meant to do either good or evil. The healing is not as powerful as Tahariae’s. Clarifications on the Magic and Mortem This is not a dark magic. It is a form of healing that leans more towards the neutral goal of protecting life and preserving death. Mortem is not death, but instead an Aengul that respects death and wishes to see it both respected and safe. The above writing is from the beliefs and knowledge of the Arch Reaper. With that being said, what is there is not immediately the truth. I’m willing to discuss with the Lore Team if they have questions or if this is accepted, what Mortem does. But for now, imagine all writings above as the beliefs of a fanatic follower. Mortem has nothing to do with souls. See above. The term ‘Reaper’ is used to describe a cleric of Mortem. If you cross a red line when it comes to the healing or purification process, you literally die, as you are welcoming too much into one’s body to handle. Though, the ultimate self sacrifice can be made for the greater good, I suppose. The ‘Cult’ of Mortem is a very conservative religion or following. This ‘Cult’ does not hold death above life. They hold life above all, but accept death as the ultimate ending and protect that through their actions and faith. I understand the tier system is out of date, but I find its the best way to measure abilities. Progressing through the magic is based entirely on how often it is used. As it is used, the body becomes more used to the suffering. I ask that if it's accepted, I nurture and watch over the magic, to keep it from being abused, metagamed, or powergamed. Mortem is a minor Aengul. Red Lines for the Magic Making an attempt to heal injuries that will end lives, examples being injuries to vital organs, will result in your death. This magic is not offensive in any way. It is used purely for healing and purification of people and the world. To use it offensively would break the lore. The only way to come across this magic is through the cult of Mortem. Though the wounds inflicted through healing are weaker versions of those inflicted directly, those doing the healing cannot simply ignore it or shrug it off. It will still hurt like hell if severe enough. Just because the magic allows for the purification of corruption does not mean you can just instantly purify undead and they fall apart. The purification sticks to people or the land, unless one is tier five at both healing and purification. It is impossible to heal a mental, emotional, or spiritual wounds. This magic isn't based on stamina or concentration. It's based on how much the body can take. Once it has reached it's limits, you either stop or die. Wounds suffered directly still affect the Reaper. All injuries are not suddenly made weaker, but instead, wounds only received through the healing process is weaker to the body. Edits From this point forward, all edits to this thread shall be noted, for the sake of the Lore Masters and myself. Edit 1: 3:08 PM EST, Wednesday, February 18th, 2015 I was notified that the healing of Xan was not nearly as powerful as I originally believed. For the sake of not confusing any who read, it has been changed so the healing is only weaker than that of Tahariae. More beliefs were added, to specify on neutrality and those who are enemies to the cult. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lyuin 65 Share Posted February 16, 2015 Didn't Iblees curse the Humans to short lives? Thus why would Mortem then be a separate entity for death? Still seems balanced...I can deal with it... +1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dromui 754 Author Share Posted February 16, 2015 Didn't Iblees curse the Humans to short lives? Wouldn't Mortem be the one to decide such a thing? Still seems balanced...I can deal with it... +1 As clarified, Mortem is not Death. He does not decide how and when people die. He is simply an Aengul that respects and means to preserve death. His followers just BELIEVE he is Death, because that's what the Arch Reaper would teach. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThumperJack 923 Share Posted February 16, 2015 I would love to play one of these guys, seems pretty balanced. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dromui 754 Author Share Posted February 16, 2015 I would love to play one of these guys, seems pretty balanced. Anything you like in particular? Is there any more information you'd like put in? That sorta thing. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
~ Fiend ~ 610 Share Posted February 16, 2015 Sounds like blood magic healing from back in the day. I miss that. That said, it reads just like cleric magic with a different moral system and a disadvantage slapped on. I can see what you're going for, I just don't see it being accepted because it's so similar to an existing magic. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dromui 754 Author Share Posted February 16, 2015 Sounds like blood magic healing from back in the day. I miss that. That said, it reads just like cleric magic with a different moral system and a disadvantage slapped on. I can see what you're going for, I just don't see it being accepted because it's so similar to an existing magic. I suppose. You are correct about it being clerical magic with a different moral system, but it's meant to create a different form of atmosphere than what is currently done on the server, with current clerical magic. Nothing wrong with having different forms of healing and a different deity attached, it just creates a different atmosphere surrounding the magic. Yeu Rthulu is no different from Tahariae and his magic, it's just about compassion instead of justice. Same with Xan, it's more battle-based, but healing ensues. I was hoping to speak to LMs about slapping other forms of rituals involving the undead onto this magic, if they were willing to speak to me before accepting or denying it. And when I say undead, I mean undead creations... Not uh... Iblees dudes. I personally believe denying magics purely because it is similar to something else is not exactly a smart deal. As I said, I'd love to speak to more LM's about focusing this magic around rituals based around the purification of taint/corruption and the undead that wander the world. This would bring forth another type of clerical magic, with a darker atmosphere, but it also brings more ritual based casting to the table. The server currently lacks that, I feel, as I've never encountered much ritual casting. With that being said, this is a work in progress and I will be adding more ritual stuff, as I iron them out. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dromui 754 Author Share Posted February 16, 2015 Updated lore, added in ritual components for each 'spell.' I realized I wasn't coming off the way I wanted to, as I didn't properly explain each spell requires a ritual. Now components are there and if asked, I can go into more detail on how each ritual is done. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
~ Fiend ~ 610 Share Posted February 16, 2015 I've never encountered much ritual casting. Have you met a chantry cleric recently? They chant and light candles and wave their arms in the air now. Sure, they're not sacrificing goats, but you should check it out. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dromui 754 Author Share Posted February 16, 2015 Have you met a chantry cleric recently? They chant and light candles and wave their arms in the air now. Sure, they're not sacrificing goats, but you should check it out. *Getting disconnected from Tah* It's not that their ritual casting is not ritual casting, but it is not necessary. I'm trying to create a magic that requires it, thrives on the aspect of gathering the ritual components and undergoing the rituals. By the way, thank you for the criticism. It is helping me greatly <3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dandan1350 479 Share Posted February 16, 2015 Well technically their rituals/prayers/chanting is necessary as holy magic often requires the utterance of a hymn/prayer or something or other. -Flies away- 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dromui 754 Author Share Posted February 16, 2015 Well technically their rituals/prayers/chanting is necessary as holy magic often requires the utterance of a hymn/prayer or something or other. -Flies away- You got me there xD I just hope what I'm saying makes sense. I'm working on a school project while surfing the forums, so if I sound jumbled, I apologize. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swgrclan 2633 Share Posted February 17, 2015 To banish undead creatures beyond the spectral breed seems a bit too broad. Perhaps instead of outright banishment, a priest of Mortem may use their powers to ward them away - or try to. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dromui 754 Author Share Posted February 17, 2015 To banish undead creatures beyond the spectral breed seems a bit too broad. Perhaps instead of outright banishment, a priest of Mortem may use their powers to ward them away - or try to. That makes sense. As you said, outright banishment of say, a ghost is a little unfair to those ghost roleplayers. But instead of that, it can ward them away or cause discomfort. Good call, editinggggg 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThumperJack 923 Share Posted February 18, 2015 Anything you like in particular? Is there any more information you'd like put in? That sorta thing. Well, they have that "Anti-Cleric" vibe about them, but far from it being "Anti". Just thought it'd be an interesting kinda group. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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