Death is Sacred
“If I do not do my duty to Mormekar, what am I? I could
ignore Death’s decrees as others do, I could pretend death is
beyond my ken as they do, but that would make me little
more than a coward. I bear the burdens of duty, and all
who would do what is right will follow in my steps.”
—The fourth decree of the Minister Alonzo d’Eriq
The Mormekim faith is one of duty, followed by few.
While nearly everyone who worships the gods of the tree
comes to the sacristies for funeral services, most leave
other matters of death to these strange folk, who are
completely devoted to its ways. Donations given by the
families of the dead more than fund the sacristies. Some
people believe the more generously they give, the kinder
Mormekar will be to their loved ones, so the sacristies
often have far more money than they can use.
The faith can be explained in three utterances, often
repeated by the Mormekim. Mormekar reportedly made
these three statements to d’Eriq long ago:
- Death is sacred. Minister to all those who have passed this rite I have given you, and you will be blessed.
- Death is sacred. Obey my command: Seek out those who violate that sanctity and destroy them.
- Death is sacred. When you come to my embrace, do not reject it.
Alonzo d’Eriq was the first to administer the rite when
he founded the order of the ministers. He gave the order a
twenty-step rite for preparing the dead, passed down from
Mormekar himself. The rite connects the minister with the deceased’s body and spirit, so
all may be properly prepared for Mormekar.
It should be performed within one day of
death.
Mormekim believe if this ceremony
is not properly performed, the spirit might
become trapped in the world, rising as one
of the restless dead. Knowledge of the rite
leads some Mormekim believe, perhaps
arrogantly, they alone perform a proper and
useful duty for the gods.
If a person dies and does not receive the
rite, most clergy of the gods of the tree can
perform a fair approximation. An approximation is not the rite proper, though, and many
faithful request their bodies be brought to the
Mormekim if they die, even if they are far from
civilization. Different societies have different
notions about what happens after the rite—some
burn bodies, others bury them.
The rite is a preparation, not the entirety of the body’s disposal.
There is more to the faith than the rite, of course.
The obedient brotherhood was formed to focus on the
second utterance, though it is an edict all Mormekim obey.
They stamp out the undead and those who would create the
undead. Death must remain sacrosanct and inviolate.
The final utterance sets the Mormekim apart from
other faiths of the pantheon: They expressly forbid any
magic that brings a person back from death, and counsel
their companions against the use of such magic. For this
reason, it is usually impossible to raise a Mormekim,
unless the deceased would return to perform a greater task
for the sanctity of death.
Mormekim care little, if at all, about mortal society or
matters of good, evil, law, or chaos. They strive to uphold
their divine task. Their scriptures, prayers and everything
else about their faith focuses on death, not life, and it is
often said (and justifiably so) the Mormekim are more at
home surrounded by the dead than by the living.
Finally, there are no holy days, festivals, or celebrations
among the Mormekim. They are a grim people.
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