Court of the Dead

Each of Death's children reflects a different aspect of his own nature. It was inevitable that these creations would form loyalties and rivalries based on their individual natures. And so the three Factions of the Underworld were born: Bone, Flesh, and Spirit.

These primary elements are as much philosophy as form in the Underworld, where physicality is mutable, but identity is enduring. Bone is architectural, providing support, but slow to change. Flesh is expression--adapting as needed, and quick to recover. Spirit is imaginative, but sometimes remote. Each has its inherent mysteries, and each serves the greater good of the Court and of the inhabitants of this realm. Though they may be diverse in their purpose, each faction gives strength to the whole. United, the factions represent the growing power of the Underworld.

Bone, Flesh, and Spirit--all in the Underworld find themselves drawn to one of them. Open your heart and you will find you inmate tendencies leading you along the path that best suits you.

"THERE IS NOTHING MORE PURE THAN THE PATH OF BONE, FOR BONE IS STRUCTURE. BONE IS ORDER. BONE IS TRUTH. IT IS ULTIMATE EXPRESSION OF CONVICTION, AND THOSE WHO DEVOTE THEMSELVES TO ITS STUDIES KNOW THEY ARE THE TRUE CHILDREN OF DEATH, AN ORDER OF BEING UNCOMPROMISED BY THE WEAKNESS OF DESIRE OR INDECISION."

Leader: Xiall, Chancellor of Slivers

Notable Affiliations:

1. Council of Osteomancy - Scholars, inquistors, and adjudicators who are charged with overseeing and administrating the laws of the Underworld. There are many who serve the lower levels of the Council, and permanent appointments are rare.

2. The Military - Army of the Dead - While any from all factions enlist into its ranks, the Bone faction acts as its administration. Lead by the Exalted Reaper General, Demithyle, it is broken up into two categories:

A. The Legionnaires make up the greatest body of Death's army, and there are multiple, smaller bands of forces that have their own subgroups and specialties--some act as private military groups for factions. All are trained at Mortiss-Veth and given functional armor, and scythe blades forged in the armories of Voxxingard.

B. The Knights of Mortis are an elite group that serve many tasks, the most important being the harvest of souls in the Mortal Realm. They tame powerful beast mounts , who help navigate them through the Veil of Shadows and onto earth.

3. Private Military Force: The Relic Knights (The Old Bones) - These group of soldiers are masters of patience, assigned to complete lifelong quests with unwavering focus. They are dedicated warriors that serve both Death and the Chancellor.

Headquarters: Voxxingard (located outside of Illverness)

School of Magic: Osteomancy (Reality - Altering Alchemy) - Its principles take on a more intricate, almost mathematical approach, for osteomancers are keen on weighing variables and equations with calculated accuracy. This makes them great strategists and tacticians, for they are able to predict the possible outcomes of an event. By using etherea, they can also create items like weapons and shields, or reconstitute inanimate objects into shapes of their own design, and call upon them to do their bidding.

"THOSE THAT ARE DRAWN TO THE DISCIPLINE OF FLESH ARE NOT RENOWNED FOR THEIR PATIENCE, FOR THE WAY OF FLESH IS SUCH THAT ITS FOLLOWERS ARE DRIVEN TO MOVE QUICKLY AND FORCIBLE AGAINST ANY PROBLEM IN AN EFFORT TO FIND A SOLUTION, AND IF A SOLUTION IS NOT IMMEDIATELY PRESENT? FLESH CHANGES. FLESH ADAPTS. THE DISCIPLES OF THIS ORDER WILL CAST ASIDE BELIEFS AND IDEALS THAT PROVE THEMSELVES NO LONGER PRACTICAL IN FAVOR OF A MORE PROGRESSIVE COURE. FOR FLESH THERE IS ONLY THE NOW. THE PAST AND FUTURE ARE ONLY RELEVANT IN HOW THEY RELATE TO THIS VERY INSTANCE. FLRESH FEELS. FLESH EVOLVES. FLESH LIVES."

Leader: Gethsemoni, Queen of the Dead

Notable Affiliations:

1. Conclave of Shadows - An elite group of Underworld agents tasked to stealth and subterfuge. They are the first line of defense against outside threats, especially the Celestial Realm, and mainly operate as informants for Death.

2. Stitch Coven - A secretive guild that only answers to Gethsemoni. Their members are called Shroudrieves, and they scavenge the graveyards of Illverness to help reshape fleshy creatures. They assist their Queen's necromancy, providing a wide variation of shells for her to transform souls or spirits into an image that represents their faction.

3. Private Military Force: The Red Guard (The Queen's Vanguard) - These elite soldiers of the red garb pledge their loyalty to the Queen, serving as her bodyguards, or embarking on quests on her behalf.

Headquarters: The Cryptus Ahkor (Located neared the heart of Illverness)

School of Magic: Necromancy (Art To Control The Corporeal) - Unlike the mathematical minds of an Osteomancer, a Necromancer excels at focusing on the beauty of the unexpected. While they can summon flesh creatures with their magic, they can also control the physiology of flesh beings against their own will.

"TO THOSE THAT FOLLOW THE DISCIPLINE OF SPIRIT, THERE ARE NO BOUNDARIES BETWEEN THE REALMS. NO BARRIERS BETWEEN HEAVEN AND HELL AND THE MORTAL REALM. THERE IS ONLY SPIRIT, AND WHERE AND WHENEVER SPIRIT NEEDS TO BE. IT IS A DANGEROUS PATH RO DOLLOW, FOR IT IS FAR TOO EASY TO LOSE ONESELF INSIDE THE VAST OCEANS OF UNTEMPERED REALITY THAT SURROUND THE UNDERWORLD.

BEFORE LIFE THERE IS SPIRIT. AFTER LIFE THERE IS SPIRIT. SPIRIT IS ALWAYS..."


Leader: Ellianastis, The Great Oracle

Notable Affiliations:

1. The Executioner's Sentry: Members of this guild answer to Oglaveil, Death's appointed Executioner. He is a feared spirit armed with the dual blades that can wipe a mourner from existence, a death beyond death. The Sentry work as Oglavaeil's agents, who gather information on the accused or are tasked with capturing them.

2. The Saints of Hushhyde: They are healers and caretakers of the broken spirited in Hushhyde Sanctuary.

3. Private Military Force: The Nightshade Hussars - Technically, the nightshade don't adhere to one faction, but they've unofficially vowed allegiance to the whimsical nature of Ellianastis. This task force specializes in dealing with True Spirit horrors, rogue angels, and marauding demons.

Headquarters: The Realm of the True Spirit
School of Magic: Spiritmandering (Manipulating The Fabric Of The Universe) - Spiritmanderers have the ability to possess sentient beings, control objects with thought, control creatures with a feeling, and of the most powerful, can open portals between the Underworld and Mortal Realm.