Confessor
Revered, reviled, and pitied in equal measure, the Confessors are specialized priests of the Spectral Church who have been willingly taken by the Rot of Saint Vespina. Prolonged exposure to this miasm has turned their flesh into pulp and nested a hive of wasps deep within their bodies. During the ritual of Penitence, the wasps scrawl the whispered words of admittant sinners upon the Confessor's papery skin. This is done to ease the weight of sin upon a person's soul and prevent any further damage to their psyche.
Career
Qualifications
In order to become a Confessor, one must undergo an intense period of decades-long intense monastic study with the Order of Saint Vespina. This time is spent training candidates' mental fortitude, preparing their soul for the wide variety of wretched whispers that might be heard in a Box of Penitence.
Those who are not strong enough to complete this period of training are often trained in the duties of Confessorial Orderlies, who do the rest of the busywork that comes with the trade.
Career Progression
Throughout a course of Confessor's lifetime, they will hear sins innumerable. This necessitates the acquisition of further cases of Vespina, gradually consuming more and more of their flesh as the Confessor rises through the ranks of the Order. This advancement puts them into larger and larger parishes, and past a certain point will give them several opportunities to tour around the country in covered palanquins. Eventually, the Confessor's entire body will have been transmuted into dry plant pulp. At this stage, Confessors are seen as having reached the absolute pinnacle of their careers, and will often go on one last grand tour around the country. This final journey will culminate in an event known as a Devestere. Here, the Confessor makes themselves visible to onlookers for the first time, so that all who look upon the priest may partially relieve their immense burden.
Perception
Purpose
The spiritual consequences of one's unconfessed sins, manifesting as horrific miasms and malignant demons, will wreak devastation and destruction upon an individual and their community if the proper precautions aren't taken. This is why the work of the Confessors is almost essential to the basic function of orderly society within current-day Bastollo.
Social Status
The standing of Confessors in the public eye is a curious one, to say the least. One might even call it paradoxical. There are many who admire these priests for their self-sacrifice and dedication to bearing the weight of the people's sins. However, those same people simultaneously regard these priests with fear and disgust. On a surface level, this is often due to the nature of how one most often encounters a Confessor - as a lowly sinner amidst the unnatural darkness contained within a Box of Penitence. Inside this claustrophobic space, it first appears as though there are only two beings - the Penitent and the Confessor. However, that realization is shattered as the surrounding darkness begins to writhe, revealing its true nature as thousands upon thousands of wasps. While the ritual of Penitence would not be possible without the work of these insects, it is admittedly quite an unsettling experience for a lot of people. As such, most do not want to spend any more time in the presence of a Confessor than is absolutely necessary. However, even if one sets aside the emotional baggage of such experiences, they will still have a hard time not being afraid of a Confessor due the sheer weight of secrets they know. Past that, one will have an even harder time not being disgusted with the horrendous effects of those secrets upon a Confessor's corporeal form.
History
The powers of the Confessors have only been put towards military ends once throughout the entire history of their work, during the Second Catavarran War. Many shudder to even contemplate the magntitude of whatever potential circumstances might bring them to the field of battle again.
Type
Religious
Demand
A staple role, with at least one to be found in each congregational district of the Spectral Church.
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