Children of Mors

The Children of Mors are a highly stratified Cedrist religious order that answers to Mors himself. They live on the island of Mirioth, and their sect is based in a large, six-sided castle. They are not to be confused with the Cult of Mors, a penitential Cedrist order active within the Benacian Union.

The Rule of Six

Mors sees six as a holy number, and the Children of Mors see it as such as well. There are six ranks within the Children of Mors; six Houses responsible for the six different kinds of death; six Thrones, the leaders of the Houses; even the mark of the Children of Mors is six interlinking rings.

The Six Commandments of Mors

Mors gave to the first six Thrones six clay tablets with inscriptions on them. He did not say what they held or what order they went in. As such, each House holds one rule as the most important. The Six Commandments are as follows:

• Be not afraid to die, as in doing so you will join with your God.
• Be knowledgeable of death in all of its' forms.
• Do not grant death in instances where it is not deserved; also, do not spare death when it is truly deserved.
• Death comes to all things, and you are no exception. Do not fight when your time comes.
• Do not use the powers granted to you for any purpose other than what is intended.
• Do not use heathen magics.

The Six Holy Weapons

Mors also gave armaments to the first six Thrones, each of which has magical properties and a direct link to Mors himself. They are kept by their respective Houses, and are rarely used in modern times. An interesting property of the six holy weapons is that each of them automatically delivers the souls of those slain by them to Mors himself.

The Claymore of Blood is held by the House of Blood. While it is being wielded, it grants the user to correctly identify every potential target in their vision, and how to go about dispatching them all in the safest, most efficient way possible. Unfortunately, while in this Bloodwrath, the wielder is unable to tell friend from foe. Perhaps even more unfortunate, the wielder is unable to remove themselves from the Bloodwrath until they either drop the sword (an occurrence that does not happen unless it is physically knocked from their hands) or they rationalize themselves into having no fear of anything. The smallest bit of fear will force the bearer to stay in Bloodwrath, even if there are no more potential targets. If that happens, the only eventuality is that they turn the blade on themselves.

The Stiletto of Betrayal is held by the House of Betrayal. Its wielder is both blessed and cursed with the power to see the last moments of any corpse they set their eyes upon. In addition, they are compelled to visit anyone who dies within 100 yards of them. This is difficult for anyone, especially in a battlefield, where one is assaulted with vision after vision of dying.

The Dire Mace of Revenance is held by the House of Revenance. Its bearer may strike down any undead creature with a single touch. This includes vampires, zombies, ghosts, and all other forms of undead. Unfortunately, the undead can sense its power and swarm towards the

wielder like ants to honey. In addition, the weapon is utterly useless against living beings.

The Wakizashi of Despair is held by the House of Despair. It creates a magically dead-zone surrounding the bearer. Unfortunately, the bearer is also unable to contact any of the gods, including Mors himself.

The Staff of Nature's Curse is held by the House of Nature's Curse. When touched to someone who is currently ailing, their ailments are removed and stored in the staff. However, if they are not ailing, all the stored ailments in the staff are released into them in one blow. In addition, if the staff is used to heal someone, the bearer's rate of aging is accelerated slightly, usually aging them a few months (for minor diseases) to a number of years (for major diseases or wounds).

The Throwing Knives of Tears are six throwing knives held by the House of Tears. When they strike a target, they will instantly kill whoever they strike...unless the target is pure of intention. In the latter case, the thrower is struck dead instead, and their soul claimed by Mors.

Internal Structure

The Houses

The House of Betrayal

Murder

The House of Betrayal is a group who is responsible for collecting the souls of those who die by murder. This differs from warfare as there is no actual combat declared, simply a knife to the ribs. They hold that Mors' Commandment, "Be knowledgeable of death in all of its' forms" is the most important. As such, the Betrayers make it their personal penchant to learn about every form of death, ranging from minute differences in toxins to the effectiveness of different daggers to the speeds of diseases. They traditionally wear robes of black. Their leader, Jenna Brecht, is, strangely, a young girl of fifteen who worked her way up the ranks of the House using "unconventional methods".

The House of Blood

Warfare

The House of Blood is a warlike group who is responsible for collecting the souls of those fallen in combat. They hold that Mors' commandment, "Be not afraid to die, as in doing so you will join with your God" is the most important. As such, they are known for their fearlessness and bravado. The Paladins frequently wade into battle themselves, though whose side they are on is often indeterminable. They traditionally wear robes of red.

Their leader, Fiona Lanten, is an extremely attractive woman: blonde, in her mid-twenties, often seen in a slinky-yet-not-restraining red dress and carrying a variety of small bladed weapons. In actuality, she is nearly a hundred, but she finds it easier to start fights with her current appearance. She wades into battle and collects souls herself: unlike any other Throne, she is totally unconcerned with her position. She's just another one of the guys.

The House of Despair

Suicide

Most of the House of Despair are reclusive, brooding souls who write poetry and paint. They are responsible for collecting the souls of those who die by their own hands. They hold that Mors' Commandment, "Do not use the powers granted to you for any purpose other than what is intended" is the most important. Because of this, the Despairing only call upon the powers of their god when absolutely necessary, and make much ceremony out of it. They traditionally wear robes of faded blue.

Their leader, Sckithe, is an old man, apparently in his late seventies to early hundreds. He is gaunt and constantly broods. An aura of depression seems to surround him, so most members of other Houses tend to stay back from him at gatherings.

The House of Nature's Curse

Natural

The House of Nature's Curse is a pacifistic group who is responsible for collecting the souls of those who succumb to old age or disease. They hold that Mors' Commandment, "Death comes to all things, and you are no exception. Do not fight when your time comes" is the most important. Most of them are, ironically, doctors or healers. However, if a patient requires an inordinate amount of work for them to survive, Naturalists instead give them a dose of relaxant and help them ease their way into death. They traditionally wear robes of white.

Their leader, Jonathan Smith, is an average-in-every-way man. He is totally nondescript: brown hair, brown eyes, average height, weight, and build. Most people forget he was even there.

The House of Revenance

Undeath

The House of Revenance is a militant group who is responsible for destroying heathen undead creations. They hold that Mors' Commandment, "Do not use heathen magics" is the most important. Because of this, the Revenants totally shun any form of magic, up to and including the powers of their own god. They traditionally wear robes of gray.

Their leader, Talrex Sortan, is, ironically, a lich lord granted eternal undeath by Mors to better understand the heathens. He is feared, but is also frequently ignored when the Thrones meet.

The House of Tears

Accident

The House of Tears is a group who is responsible for collecting the souls of those who die in accidents, whether by their hand or simply by bad luck. They hold that Mors' Commandment, "Do not grant death in instances where it is not deserved; also, do not spare death when it is truly deserved" is the most important. Most of the Tearful will actively try to prevent accidents, but will always be there when one happens as part of the clean-up crew. They traditionally wear robes of faded purple.

Their leader, Richard Lyons, is a sleek businessman, dressed in the finest clothing and always grinning. People often mistake him for a lawyer or a salesman.

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The Orders

Initiate

Initiate is the lowest level within the hierarchy of the Children of Mors. All those who are welcomed into the sect start here. At this level, they have no House affiliation yet. That is not determined until later, when they are chosen by the Houses based on their skills. Most Initiates advance to the next rank, Apprentice, within a year.

Apprentice

Those who have been chosen by a House but have not learned the ways of the House yet are Apprentices. They remain as such until their superiors recommend them for promotion. Apprentices rarely do field-work, though they are taught about "capturing crystals" and the basic ways of death. Frequently, they are onlookers when a Master claims a soul.

Master

A Master has been recognized by their House as one who is capable, intuitive, and a paragon of their selected Prime Rule of Mors. At this level, they receive their own "capturing crystal" and begin collecting souls for Mors. One Master watches over six Apprentices. Sadly, some Children never make it to Master, remaining at Apprentice their entire lives due to ineptitude or simple bad luck.

Lord

Lords have learned enough about politics and death to work their way to a position where they no longer have to physically collect souls themselves. Instead, they direct Masters and their Apprentices, as well as recruit new Initiates. One Lord watches over six Masters. Some Masters refuse the promotion to Lord, preferring instead to stay "hands-on" and collect souls for Mors.

Paine

Paines are the second-in-commands of their given House. There are six Paines per House, and each is responsible for a different aspect of the House itself. For instance, one Paine may be responsible for the House Tower and its maintenance, while another may be responsible for directing Lords into new areas. One Paine watches over six Lords. Most Children don't achieve the rank of Paine. It is considered a great honor.

Throne

Thrones are the heads of Houses. There is one Throne per House. Thrones are responsible for their Houses as a whole, though they often designate specific areas to their underling Paines. They are also responsible for physically delivering collected souls to Mors in a thrice-yearly ritual. One Throne watches over six Paines.