Eternal Order in Darkon

[Jennifer]

Dear brothers and sisters of the Fraternity,
I desperately need your help!

About a year ago I started a new Ravenloft campaign (yes yes, I will send in some journal soon) and one of my players is a paladin in Darkon who thinks he is part of the Eternal Order. So he is attached to a small neighbourhood temple and helps the priests out with stuff they can't handle themselves. (bringing unfortunate souls to their last resting place for good).

But he keeps asking questions about the nature of the eternal order. What do the locals in Darkon believe about the eternal order, the role of Azalin Rex and the priests in Darkon. What will happen if people stop coming to church? that sort of thing.

If you could help me out, it would be greatly appreciated.

Jennifer

[cure]

As I recall, after the Requiem misadventure the Eternal Order has fallen on rather hard times.

In Martira Bay it has been wholly eclipsed by the Faith of the Overseer. In Nartook the temple that was the birthplace of Death has been abandonned. In the East Ezra and tales of the Time of Unparallelled Darkness spread like wildfire.

Azalin wasn't around in the Necropolis years to fortify the faith and the death of Il-Aluk, the weight of the Shroud before it was finally gather within and contained to Il-Aluk, the ravages of the Horsemen, and the general fear that the Hour of Ascension was imminent if not already here, greatly damaged the faith in the Eternal Order. It had failed in its mission and its priests were fleeing rather than preparing a last stand.

The relative residing of all these threats probably means that a local church of the Ethernal Order that did conduct itself well might still command a significant following, but that would be something of an exception to the rule.

Also there is the matter of Azalin. If he wants the Eternal Order restored to its former prominence, that could well happen.

[Jakob]

The only place where currently the Eternal Order is still strong is the Neblus area (due to the macabre nature of the city).

[Rotipher of the FoS]

According to the Eternal Order's public-relations brochures , the role of the church is to appease the dead and discourage them from invading the world of the living. Azalin isn't regarded as a priest, but his powerful magics make him the church's greatest earthly ally in that endeavor. The priests, themselves, act as the intermediaries between mortals and those deities who (if properly placated/persuaded) can also assist in keeping the dead at bay.

Out of the public eye, the Eternal Order is an extortion racket, in that the clergy actually create most of the Walking Dead that frighten the populace into piety, and then put on a show of "banishing" or "bringing to heel" the menace, once the church's pews and collection-plates are full. At least in the 2E products, individual EO clerics generally have a patron death-deity of their own, though they all work together to perpetuate their common hoax and keep Darkonians submissive.

If this paladin PC's been working with the Order for any length of time, and hasn't caught on that it's all a scam, you might want to rule that the temple in question is administered by a cleric of Wee Jas, Kelemvor, or some other LN death-god. Such a priest might have suspended the practice of using Walking Dead to compel the faithful to worship, before the Requiem struck, and made an honest effort to protect people during the Shrouded Years. That way, the paladin's suspicions won't have been roused and the local parish's citizens can still think well of their church, unlike most Darkonians.

[DocBeard]

Personally, I want to see an Eternal Order monk styled on El Santo. Fighting vampires with drop kicks-awesome.

[JinnTolser]

*Gasp* Do I see a reference to Jesus Christ: Vampire Hunter?

[Garudos Celestar]

If this paladin PC's been working with the Order for any length of time, and hasn't caught on that it's all a scam, you might want to rule that the temple in question is administered by a cleric of Wee Jas, Kelemvor, or some other LN death-god. Such a priest might have suspended the practice of using Walking Dead to compel the faithful to worship, before the Requiem struck, and made an honest effort to protect people during the Shrouded Years. That way, the paladin's suspicions won't have been roused and the local parish's citizens can still think well of their church, unlike most Darkonians.

Or, depending on how old the paladin characer is, he may be working with a church that was close enough to Il Aluk that they've stopped the extortion racket since they need to focus their efforts on the undead wandering out of the Necropolis. Therefore, the paladin would have been exposed to "true" undead menaces, as opposed to the scams, during his teen/adult years, simply because the local branch can't afford to accidentally create more undead that could break free from their control.

[Jennifer]

Hello all,
Thank you for your replies. I should have told you that the campaign is taking place in the year 735, so Azalin is still firmly in power and the other religions not yet that popular. Furthermore, the paladin may think he has been a part of the eternal order for all of his adult life, but it is more like 12 -18 months.

How are the Kargat and the EO connected?

(EO is also the name of an evangelical broadcasting company in the Netherlands, I just noticed it now )

Jennifer

[HuManBing]

I get the impression that the Eternal Order may have had some sort of core religion to begin with, but later got co-opted by Azalin as a means of controlling the populace.

Certainly by the time of the Grim Harvest, the Eternal Order had several Kargat members as high ranking clergy members.

If it's early days as yet, say, 735 (stock "Black Box" timeline) then I'd say you have a lot of leeway about how you want to portray this cult. It could still be in its beginning phases, with Azalin taking only a passing interest in it. Thus, PCs in it will probably not run afoul of the Kargat too often.

If you really want to make your PCs become a part of history, then let them observe the EO doing something so noteworthy that Azalin sends the Kargat to keep tabs. This would be similar to having your PCs standing by while the Titanic is launched, or maybe watching as Mr. Gavrilo Princip goes and assassinates the Archduke of Austria.

By 755, the canonical history had been retconned (or perhaps just reinterpreted) to read that Azalin had originally founded the EO as a means of societal control. But it also states that Darkon has long had a fear of undead and a practice of appeasing the dead. There's no reason why the cult could not have been an insignificant little religion before Azalin endorsed and co-opted it.

Have fun letting your imagination run wild with this one!

[DocBeard]

Personally, I like the idea of the EO being something that kind of spiraled out of Azalin's control: He tried to convert the domain's folklore and traditions into something he could use to rule the people, and...it didn't really work out, so he went, "Feh! I didn't want a church anyway!"

Mostly because I think the EO is a very cool alternative source of a few classes, especially Druids: it's a nice break from the 'Nature avenger!' thing.

[cure]

I think, but I am not certain, that this would be back in the days when the Eternal Order was charged with gathering up magical weapons lest they be permitted to fall into the hands of the dead/undead. Of course from a metagaming perspective that was never popular and was lain to rest in subsequent editions.

[ewancummins]

I'd say Wee Jas should be a big part of the EO. Azalin originates on Oerth, after all [ in AD&D 2nd Ed Ravenloft, anyway].

Jergal, from the Forgotten Realms, might also be a good fit.

[ChrisNichols]

The Eternal Order is a syncretic religion, blending the death gods of many different faiths (i.e. Wee Jas, Myrkul, Hades, Arawn, Kiaranslee, etc.) into a single pantheon of aspects of Death, and focusing on the appeasement of death and the undead. (At least based on the description from the Death/Requiem series.)

Legendary or historical individuals that have played important roles in the history and mythology of the Eternal Order are called mortisants, and are prayed to, to intercede on behalf of the faithful. (From VRA.)

Chris Nichols

[HuManBing]

So, any particular dogmas and theological axioms that would go down well for color and stylistic purposes?

I'm thinking off the top of my head and these seem workable:

• Certain terms for "death" are off limits to mortals. Don't want to tempt fate.
• Those who were particularly wealthy, loved, or active in their communities might have especially extravagant funerals ("Heroes' Wakes") conducted by the priests of the EO. These supposedly promote their souls to be "warriors" who help hold back the undead invasion. In practice, the EO does this just to earn a tidy commission on the burial. Theologically speaking, there's a certain very large number of hostile undead in the Gray Realm gone before, but if everybody from here to eternity born is faithful, then the number of Heroes' Wakes will aggregate and may eventually even outweigh the faithless dead precursors.
• The opposite of death is birth, and perhaps conception. The EO may secretly encourage sex rituals among its faithful as a means of societal control, as its priests now know secrets about individuals that they'd rather not make public. They're quick to capitalize on any disconnect between what the religion nominally allows, and what public opinion still does not.
• Another religious rationalization for a practice of societal control: somebody who has been tortured to death will then go on to communicate its fear of the living to the other dead, thus further forestalling the invasion. (These are the "Messenger Spirits" for they bear the message to the dead that the living are defiant.) This means that the EO meets less resistance for flogging a miscreant to death, because the community literally believes "better one should die and save the many".
• A high birth rate of faithful serves the EO church very well, as it ensures a greater flow of tithes and influence over increasing flocks. Thus, families are encouraged to have as many children as possible to bolster the ranks of the living. Family planning and any form of birth control are frowned upon, and barren individuals are made to feel deeply ashamed (and may even resort to allowing their spouse to have sex with another person or some similar arrangement just to have a child in the house).
• The current living generation is "tainted" and will never be pious enough to resist the dead, but the coming generations may yet be saved because they are not yet living and thus death has no fear for them. The only way to ensure this is to make sure as many as possible are inducted into the priesthood, the church, and are buried in Heroes' Wakes as possible.
• King Azalin is a powerful ally indeed, but the Gray Realm is jealous of him because he has found a way to infinitely delay his own death through magic and will never abandon his people. But even the greatest champion is just one person, and King Azalin needs his people to repay his love and protection by taking on the mantle of resistance themselves - to all pitch in with faith and their strength. Some day when the number of Heroes or Messenger Spirits on the other side outweighs the existing vengeful dead, humanity can rest in peace, knowing that the invasion will be forever forestalled by the church's practices.
• Magic, being the means of mortals to transcend death, automatically attracts the vengeful dead's attention. One must be as strong in the ways of Magic as King Azalin himself to successfully hold them at bay. Each time Azalin weaves his magicks for the good of all people, he places himself in terrible risk of the vengeful dead, who plot and scheme to one day claim him. Be glad that such a brave heart beats with lifeblood in the kingdom! If you or anybody you know is dabbling in magic, they are in great danger and may have attracted a vengeful shade already. They should report to Azalin's police as soon as possible so the King can send help immediately.

[Rotipher of the FoS]

I like this idea, HMB! In fact, a collection of comparable practices, dogmas, and quirks for all of Ravenloft's indigenous religions would make for a great QtR article.


As for the examples you give, about the only concept I'd disagree about is the sex/fertility rituals. While birth is, theoretically, an opposing force to death, the Order's morbid internal culture (bone decor, etc) suggests that keeping births hidden, lest the emergence of new life offend and antagonize the dead, is more in keeping with their creed. (IIRC, an EO priest in one of the Death modules referred to it as "blasphemy", when he discovered a Kargat weretigress had given birth to her cubs in the Grim Fastness!) The Order doesn't actually claim it can defeat the dead, only placate their overwhelming numbers and thus, buy time for the living.

Besides, if the Eternal Order already know all the dirty, kinky secrets of the faithful, Azalin wouldn't have to bother throwing those twisted parties of his.