Order of the Ashen Tree

Clerics of Drasil

When traditional medicine fails, the Clerics of the dark cloaks step from the shadows to ply their craft, aiding the sick in somewhat unconventional ways. Laid across the coffins of rotting corpses and decayed bones, the still-living await the casting of a magic that should help them, but there is never a guarantee. For those that are ill, this is a last attempt at survival, a cure that other Clerics and healers were unable to provide them. The woman with the silver tongue and the purple cloak gave them home when no one else could.
The Clerics that call the catacombs known as Death's Landing home do not practice the traditional magic that other Clerics of the world do. Their magic is dark and often twisted, harnessing the feel of death surrounding them to provide life but that provided life is something to question, something that is not always guaranteed. The leader of the Ashen Tree makes promises with her sweet voice and silvered words but even she knows that she cannot promise everything to those who ask for even the smallest thing.
The Order of the Ashen Tree established themselves in the catacombs of Stronghold, using the place of long-forgotten death to empower their magic and aid their practices. Here, with the Witch Queen and her pet vampire, the mistakes of the order go unnoticed, those touched with Tainted Blood written off as those inflicted with the Vampiric Curse. In this city with so many other things going on, the twisted practices of a handful of necromancers are little to worry about but is still an answer for those that have hit the end of their desperation.

Culture

Those in the Order of the Ashen Tree are a very tight-knit group, rarely allowing new members into their ranks without the acceptance of their leader. Those that are part of the group were often once Clerics or followers of Ygg, but converted one way or another, often through the help of Liliana Marduke. Many here do not see their newfound beliefs too far removed from their previous thoughts due to the fact that both Ygg and Drasil are halves of the tree of life.

Ethics

For most casters, the use of necromancy on other races of the world is seen as unethical. Few will allow the use of necromancy on animals and more still are not opposed to using necromancy to raise an army of undead for certain purposes. How necromancy is viewed often depends on what groups one surrounds themselves with. Often it is a precarious tight rope walk to be a necromancer, but those of the Ashen Tree do not see it that way.
The Order of the Ashen Tree are some of the most blatant practitioners of necromancy in Vóreios. These people see it as a way of life, an extension of the tree of life that many ignore in favor of the more optimistic teachings of the god Ygg. For them, necromancy is the only way to solve illnesses that speed death and extend lives that seemed to have been forsaken by traditional medicine and healing. In their minds, there is no question whether what they are doing is ethical, it is a necessity for the world.

Through Death, There is Life

Founding Date

256 EA

Type

Religious, Cult

Alternative Names

Order of Death

Leader

Liliana Marduke

Deities

• Ygg & Drasil

Location

Stronghold

Controlled Territories

• Death's Landing

Notable Members

• Liliana Marduke