Peaceful Ones

Oh noble sons and daughters of good families! The world is full of pain and suffering and loss. Death assails us and pulls apart love and families. War and destruction bring ruin and sickness of the soul. You can't be healed by taking more. If you love the flower, plucking it kills and destroys it. Our Lord, Worrozhi loves all and everything, and laments every passing and death. We serve him and the world, and our enemy is death and suffering.

Teaching of the Order of the Peaceful

In The Order of Heaven the God Worrozhi is the left handed God of Death, the keeper of tombs and the king of the Undead. The God is almost identical to the Centaur God Mermalin- likewise a patron of undead, but also seen as a symbol of pride and rejection of the natural order.
Worrhozi is a god of love. He loves everything and mourns the passing of everyone and everything. Undeath is Worrozhi's attempt to prevent things from dying and passing away, being lost and turned to dust. The God loves everything just the way it is- good, bad, beautiful, ugly, young and old and none should ever be lost and gone. The monks of the Order of the Peaceful Ones reject killing and see glory and wonder in all. Because of this they have developed practices and philosophies in line with the God.

Structure

The order is based in the south of Eseret, near the Dwarf lands and the Fae Commonwealth. The High priests have emissaries to the Imperial Court and Church offices.  The High Priests oversee the temples of the Peaceful all over the empire.  Under the High Priests are Archons who maintain the separate temples and grounds.  Priests of the 4th rank are instructors, trainers and maintainers of the cells of the Penitent. 3rd rank keep records and oversee the various sections. 2nds are doctrine trainers and overseeing ministers to the needy. 1st rank train the initiates and new conversions and work under the seconds. Initiates do the cooking, cleaning, mending and other works in the temples.

Culture

The Peaceful will not kill if at all possible. It is wrong to call them Peaceful - because they can and do fight well. What they refuse to do is kill. The order has developed techniques of nonlethal combat and self defense. They practice vegetarianism that spares the plants, taking leaves, fruits and nuts primarily but will eat crab legs (where a leg or two might be taken and the crab freed to live and regrow limbs). Milk and eggs are also acceptable. Undead such as vampires are viewed as the favored and blessed- freed from death, suffering and unchanging.

The Peaceful believe that everyone, and every living thing is sacred.  They say that even the worst crimes and criminals should not face death, but rather confinement, punishment and a path of penance and redemption.  To the Peaceful the undead are blessed - free from simple death and given eternal life, though misused.  Obviously even monsters should be spared by them.

Public Agenda

The sworn enemy of the Peaceful is Death. They fight suffering and death with healing and care for the dying. They wear pale robes and smear their faces with ashes.  They plead for criminals and offer penitentiaries and sanctuaries for the condemned and monsters in their temples.  This is the great trial - to see past surfaces and that all are worthy of love and respect. All are beautiful in their own ways and all are ultimately the One, broken, isolated, abandoned and lost.  The God loves all just as they are and asks his followers to do the same.

History

Originally formed by veteran Legionaries who had grown sick of death and loss in the Dwarf rebellion of 708 and the years following. They mourned lost compatriots and expressed sympathy and condolences to dwarven losses. They were mocked as weak and foolish.
The priesthood adopted the movement and a large part went to the Peaceful path.

Religion

The monks follow the Order of heaven, but specifically their diety :

Worrozhi: Cohort on the Left: God of Death (Corrupted), patron of Pride, memory and memorial, Lord of Undead. Protector of tombs and crypts. The Dragon Flower. His Symbol is a coiled vine with a rose flower bud. His color is Indigo Blue. All are precious to Worrozhi - least to greatest and none should pass and be gone forever. Worrozhi denies the natural order to try to keep things the same, stable and stale forever. The God appears as a vine with a flower bud head which opens to reveal a dragon skull. He favors Necromancers, mortiary keepers, the undead and the dying.

None forgotten

Founding Date

Imperial Year 743

Alternative Names

Ashen. Madworms.