Deathmother Orusis
Deathmother Orusis
Orusis is known by humans as the Deathmother and the clergywoman of an undead religion in the Catacombs of Gathuram. She is swathed in a cloak made of the fur of Oru-bats - a subspecies of the large Creeper Bats bred by Orusis’ tenders to grow thick furs of grey, a colour that represents the mix of life (white) and death (black). The symbol of a grey bat between two arcs of white and black is the crest of the religion. All followers are humans in a state of undeath, created by the Rite of Twin Passage - a ritual that tricks the soul into thinking their deceased vessel remains alive. This keeps the soul from becoming lost and is said to strengthen the bond of body and soul, preserving humanity. Some consider it a peek into immortality, as the feeling of pain is lost while the soul yet heals despite this; and the passing of age ceases. The concept of keeping your soul in your corpse is not foreign to other places, an example where a similar ritual is performed is the Burial Mounds of Western Ithon. Their purpose differs however, as they use the mounds akin to a draped birdcage for restless souls of great figures, letting their body and soul slumber without outside disturbance, and without the soul infusing with a weaker vessel - something which is considered humility for the great. Life-bound Fallen such as these are named Relics.
Motivation
The Deathmother herself is an adorer of the False God of Decay, believing his true ambition was to bring balance between life and death by eroding the abundance of living presence; to bridge the divide between soul and body and to turn all who walks into beings of pure connection to the Spirit Realm.Roles of the Religion
Orusis has numerous servants, from highest to lowest in the clergy are the Ritual Aides, the Flock Tenders, the Emissaries, and lastly the Followers. The Ritual Aides help perform the Rite of Twin Passage by holding the follower down on the altar and using daggers made of the fangs of Oru-bats to lacerate the bodies as Orusis clenches their soul. A cut is performed on their chest, pelvis, and thighs, causing a slow death via blood loss so they may be reborn in undeath. The cuts on the chest and pelvis are arced to signify the religion’s crest, while what would be in place of the grey bat is the hand of Orusis as she keeps the soul within the body. Orusis’ flock tenders are breeders of Oru-bats, a subspecies to Creeper Bats with grey fur. They also attend to the matters of defanging them to construct daggers and shaving them for their fur. The Emissaries are seekers of the misfortuned living, travelling beyond the catacombs in search of those willing to become Relics. There is also a side-group of emissaries known as the Grey Stiflers, whose goal is to assassinate the humans whose hatred towards the undead is lurid and pronounced. Lastly, the followers are the prey of the religion who have had the rite performed on them and are now Relics.Physical Description
Apparel & Accessories
Cloak made of the grey fur of Oru-bats.
Specialized Equipment
Oslia Dagger - A ritual dagger made of platinum and onyx with a small gem of blue in the handle. Used in the Rite of Twin Passage to carve a rift upon the spiritual form of followers, Orusis would then plunge her hand inside and clench their soul as the body gets lacerated by her aides.
Muyaoru Cathedral
Oru-bat
Oru, Goddess of Promise
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