The Church of Scarcon

Worship

Holy Days
The Feast of the Dead
Lantern Night
Years Mourning

Priesthood

The Church
The Church of the prince of the underworld is one of the oldest organised religions known to humankind. His faith is pervasive and persistent wherever humankind has travelled. Even where undead reign and death is spurned, small rebellious cults turn to whispering the reaper's name. His faith has stood the test of time watching empires rise and fall, all the while ministering to the dead and lost souls with quiet and adamant devotion.
The faith is renowned for its polite internal affairs with members of rival ideologies preferring polite discourse to violence. To most of Scarcons faith death wears many masks and the idea that one sect alone knows all truths of the reaper is alien to the faith. In fact this acceptance that all are equal in death leads to a rare level of tolerance and acceptance of the pale princes grim clergy.
Most holy rites mimic local funnary affairs with the local clergy being either solemn and contemplative or a boisterous celebration of life. It can be surprising for those accustomed to one type of veneration to encounter the other. What matters is that the custom is a celebration of the dead and honours their passing as local respectfully as customs demand. If there happens to be a funeral then the affair becomes more than just an observation but a true and holy event for none will deliver a funeral with as much gusto as the faithful of Scarcon.
With a zeal rarely seen the Pale Princes priests send off souls of man or animal alike to their gods realm. Such rites never involve the sacrifice of a living creature, Scarcon prefers the burning of subtle increases, the offering of undead who have escaped his domain and poems and prayers. However he does happily aid in the animal sacrifices of other faiths when permitted and his darker clergy will also offer aid with living sacrifice to their god to ensure the spirits of the sacrificed are properly granted their just reward in the next world.
Among the clergy there are many small personal rituals often coloured by local custom and the teachings of older clergy members. They change from region to region but a small number of rites and customs are held sacred in the Black Scrolls of the Reapers holy Cannon.
Passing of the last breath This is a strange rite that the faith believes grants them calm and understanding of the mercy of death. Before sleep or when preparing for a deep meditative trance a priest of Scarcon prays and takes deep slow breaths clearing the mind of all thoughts until there is only empty and stillness. Most consider this a cleansing meditation to rid themselves of the burdens of the day and consider the stillness and its contemplation as bringing them closer to appreciating the stillness of death.
Baring the Black Lantern This ritual has become a much more common practice as lanterns have become more widely available and less expensive. After the defeat of spectral undead (sometimes others) the faithful light a lantern and ask that the wayward, lost and suffering be drawn to Scarcons embrace. It is said if the flames of the lantern burn bright blue then the reaper himself has arrived to guide the lost to their eternal rest.
Temples
Scarcon has countless holy sites, from small shrines in the homes of grave keepers, to elaborate temple funeral homes to grand mousliem cathedrals and dark labyrinthian Catacombs. His greatest temple and oldest is a testament to the gods ability to endure change unphased. The Great Hall of the Dead in Ziberia is one of the only temples to have been built on the bones of its predecessors over thousands of years. A grand Cathedral stands where once an ancient temple of soaring pillars stood and it stands where henge stones were once raised.
In truth the most fantastic sight lies in grand catacombs where aeons of human remains have long been entered. The most vast and beautiful parts are the grand catacombs built during the old kingdoms era when the truly honoured dead had their very bones and ashes mixed with the concrete to create stunning visual displays of macabre artwork. It is common for many of the faithful to make a pilgrimage here to pay honours every year.
Larger temples and groves of the few druids who praise him always have a place where the dead can be put to rest and no one is ever denied a proper burial. King, queen, serf, or slave all are treated equally in death. Even enemies of the faith are given respectful last rites and those who do not treat fallen foes with respect are known to be stricken with bad luck as a warning. However it is of a strange note that undead often serve as guardians of such halls with agreements having been made that their bodies will be treated with care and that the undead serve Scarcon and must abide by a mysterious set of laws known as The Compact of the Returned.
Scarcons older temples are renowned for their vaults and treasures with many tales of their hidden secrets luring foolish adventurers to venture into abandoned temples and brave their traps and guardians for the promise of the wealth of the Underworld. It is of a strange Irony that the faith often puts its most deadly defences not on its treasure vaults but on the crypts where the honoured dead slumber.
A priests role
A priest of Scarcon has many possible jobs, Scribe of dead names, keeper of contracts made with the dead, Necromancer, Funeral Director, Assassin, Monster Hunter, and dozens of others. The Pale Princes Clergy have always taken it upon themselves to record, understand and administer to the dead and the living second whether it is quelling the undead or removing someone who has stolen from and defied Scarcon for too long.
The faithful do also provide counsel and aid to the living families of the departed though this is not a requirement and some of his faithful forgo this aspect of the religion entirely. The Faith has many orders who owe allegiance to the Pale Prince ranging from countless walks of life all of them sharing in common that death is a common aspect in their trade. These orders are generally treated as valued allies of the faith and treated with respect and differance.
Adventurers
Not surprisingly most clergy of Scarcon who take to the adventuring path do so either to silence the walking dead. Better understand the abundance of death that tends to surround successful adventurers or seek undead to force into contracts of service to themselves and by extension Scarcons Will.
Clothing
Ritual clothing tends to be sombre with black cloaks and robes common though attire may be subject to local funnerary clothing. Jewellery is neither shuned nor required with a priest adorning themselves mostly as they feel is appropriate and respectful. Adventuring attire varies though followers of Scarcon favour motifs with skulls, bones and death imagery when they can afford such. Scrimshaw and ivory are among the most treasured objects especially if they depict the dead.

Divines

• Scarcon