Remains of Father Nikolas

"Our beloved Founding Father, may he rest in peace eternally, continues to bless us long after his departure. Come, comrades, let us bask in his radiance and feel his warmth. It is from his bones that he will speak his truths into us." Miroslav Chekoy, addressing the Bishops of The Red Clergy.

Nikolas was one of the Founding Fathers that led the first group of settlers into what is now Nechestivy. It was during that venture that he encountered a dark presence underneath the earth that gave him the first recorded case of Nechestivan Taint. The Taint twisted his body into a monstrous figure, causing the growth of several appendages and bone deformations that plagued him throughout his long life. These are most evident in his skeletal remains held in a glass display case within the Great Chapel of the Red Clergy in Korona.
The case itself is made of wide glass panes framed by dark mahogany wood and gold filigree. It stands vertically with wooden supports to hold up the body of the deceased Founding Father. The remains show just how malformed his body became as well as the extent he went through to make life more tolerable through surgery. The skull is bloated with excess bone matter and holds extra sockets within it for another set of eyes on the side of his head. His teeth were enlarged and pointed with his mouth sitting slackjawed as it could not close itself properly. Father Nikolas' body bulged out at its left side where two smaller arms formed from odd joints between his ribs. The ribs themselves were spread much farther than normal, where it is believed his tentacle appendages sprouted from the muscle between. His legs ended with high ankles that caused him to walk on extended clawed toes, more similar to a bird than a Risen. Several of his joints and parts of his skull are held together with golden plates and crude sutures.
Father Nikolas' remains have been on display for the Red Clergy ever since his death, serving as a place of austere worship amongst the members. The body of their founder who conquered all of the odds and took on such a burden to give their people a home inspires those who can see it themselves. For others within the clergy, it is a relic of great contention. The remains are said to bless those who visit it, believing that the mundane might grow signs of the Nechestivan Taint while those who already have it might feel their afflictions lifted, being able to reap the benefits of their condition without any of the downsides. Members of the Red Clergy who approach the remains with the Taint already inside of them have reported whispers coming from the case, giving them odd instructions alongside dark visions. It was after these reports that Miroslav Checkoy, the current Arch Bishop, has limited visitation rights to the case and prohibited visits without himself being in attendance.