Category:Church of Mortaebius

The Church of Mortabius was the organization dedicated to the worship of Mortaebius, god of the dead. It combined the sacred ritual of worship along with practices of caring for the dead, such as funerals and care of graves.

Less commonly known activity of the church was the defense of the graves, the temples and the congregation, by force of arms and magic.

Establishments
The church maintained a Central Hall of Records.

There had been several temples in the Marquisate of Avengene, but they were destroyed by Avengene soldiers disguised as bandits, or abandoned, by 723.

The church had a number of temples in the Barony of Bristol, and one of them was also attacked by the "bandits".

There was a temple in a riverside settlement on the way from Norwit to the Town of Vargrend; Guardian Sandis served there. There was also a temple or a chapel at the Bristol Academy.

There were two temples of Mortaebius in the south of the Barony of Daelrath. Possibly one of them was in the Town of Springville.

The was also a temple in the City of Rosehaven. It was probably the main temple.

Order of Death's Peace
A common funereal order that specializes in the maintenance and protection of burial sites. It was also described as ''militant arm of the church of Mortaebius ... They specialize in protecting the church, and protecting tombs from grave robbers.''

The members of this public order were occasionally also members of the clandestine Order of the Shroud. The members of Death's Peace included:
 * Thane
 * Calvin Rames
 * Baladus Vargrend

Order of the Shroud
The Order of the Shroud was a secret order. When meeting together (and not otherwise known to each other), the members wore illusion robes and masks so that if they were ever interrogated they could not reveal each other. Its main mission was to protect the church using magical and covert means, while letting the legitimate face of the church use legal channels.

The church's official position on the order was ''The Order Of the Shroud does not exist. It is just a footnote in history, an extinct order for which there are mysteriously no records, and an order that germinated and grew only when the blood of Mortaebius' priests was spilled on a grand scale.''

Deacon

 * Deacon (Deaconess) of Mortaebius: a lay preacher, formally addressed as Life of Death. A follower of Mortaebius can become one by passing an examination and having the rituals of sanctification performed by a priest of Mortaebius.  Brianna Barter became a Deaconess.

Mortician
most common priest, trained in rituals related to death, especially funerals. Morticians included:
 * Galveston
 * Wellman
 * Abraham
 * Ranal
 * Hagston

Guardian
a priest trained in the duties of guarding the graves, temples and the church in general; much like a Mortician with training in arms and/or magic. Priests who held the rank of Guardian included:
 * Thane (later became a Mortancer)
 * Calvin Rames
 * Rittle
 * Sandis
 * Moore
 * Baladus Vargrend
 * Alistair Vargrend
 * Kowal
 * Grailings
 * Headmaster Bristol

Mortancer
A Necromancer of Mortaebius, the highest rank, able to perform high-level priestly magic. The very existence of Mortancers was not well known; they appeared to others in magical disguise and used names different from their "everyday" ones.

They made important decisions in a council of Mortancers. Mortancers included:
 * Greel
 * Ashe (Thane's name as a Mortancer)
 * Ember
 * Bain