Vesper of Exoneration

The Penitent Guard differs from the other Seeker fellowships in that it is comprised of sinners; murderers, frauds and other ne'er-do-wells, all atoning for their past misdeeds.

When a new Seeker is inducted into the fellowship, they are given a bell dubbed the Vesper of Exoneration, a symbol of the sins they bear and a tool with which they can measure their progress towards redemption.

Purpose

A neophyte that arrives to Contrition Lodge goes through an initiation process during which they are stripped of all of their mundane possessions and are given the purple tunic, armor and weapons of the Penitent Guard. Then, their crimes are read back to them and they lash themselves for each one.

After this self-flagellation, the total number of misdeeds determines the size and material of the bell that will be forged for them. The more a neophyte has to atone for, the larger the bell and the heavier the material it is made of. Once made, the bell is given to the newly-initiated Seeker who is to keep it on their person at all times, excluding rest times. For larger bells, neophytes are given a chain harness to wear the bell on their back.

In this way, the vesper is a stand-in for their sins, quite literally weighing them down. At the end of each day, a neophyte has to ring the bell a number of times equal to their misdeeds in a rhythm of one strike per minute. This means, of course, that the more sins they are burdened with, the longer they have to spend performing this atonement ritual.

When a seeker demonstrates exceptional valor, courage or compassion or personally sacrifices something for the benefit of others, one or more of their sins are absolved and they will have to ring their bell fewer times each day. As they cross off their past mistakes, they are gradually given smaller and lighter bells. Once they have no more sins left and therefore have no more to be forgiven for, the final symbolic ritual takes place, during which the seeker is tasked with destroying the bell.

After this point, the seeker is no longer bound in service to the fellowship and is allowed to return to a life outside repentance at the lodge if they so choose. To date, not a single seeker of the Guard has abandoned the fellowship after their redemption had been completed.

Construction

Due to the purpose they are made for, vespers are forged from rather dense metals and alloys such as lead, iron or brass. Each bell is ornamented with carvings unique to the individual seeker, depicting their crimes and serving as reminders to the penitent of the life that they had led before their transferral to the fellowship. All sorts of chains and harnesses are also forged regularly to help in the carrying of the heavier burdens.

Extollers

There are those within the ranks of the fellowship who wish to take a more proactive approach to their absolution. These seekers of the guard, known as Extollers, choose to fashion their vespers into weapons, heavy flails with the bells acting as the heads. These men and women earn their forgiveness through combat, with each Hateling slain counting towards their eventual redemption.

There is a price to this fast-track redemption, however. Extollers are required to join on all patrols that their rest cycle allows them to, meaning that they spend most of their waking hours within the Black Forest, embroiled in the purgation of evil. Due to this, Extollers are some of the most fanatical members of the already quite zealous fellowship and have little in the way of social graces.

The bells of Extollers are not switched for smaller ones as they work towards their pardon, as that would be counterproductive considering their usage as a weapon.

Toll the bell.
Let them know fear.

–Extoller of the Penitent Guard

Item type

Religious / Ritualistic

Weight

Varies

Dimensions

Varies

by Midjourney

_{Two vespers of different sizes.}

by Midjourney

_{A Seeker of the Penitent Guard with his vesper tied to his belt.}