Church of Endless Night

Culture

RAIMENT

Needless to say, clergymen of the Church of Endless Night, who tend to perform their worship in dark, underground caverns, are not particularly preoccupied with fashion. The vestments of these Knights are always plain, jet black robes. Most clerics of the Dark One own no other clothing save for the terrible masks they wear during ceremonies and rituals. Faithful members are prohibited from intentionally trimming their fingernails, although there is no violation if a nail breaks accidentally.

Tenets of Faith

ADVANCEMENT

To climb the church ladder, one must gather sacrifices and slay members of the Order of Light. Church titles are as shown in the chart. A Sunslayer controls the most prominent three regions of Tellene. Currently these areas are Kalamar, Norga-Krangrel along with Korak and Ek’Kasel, and Western Svimohzia (which shows exceptional promise in the minds of the Knights of the Black Pit).

Ranks

Dark Friend
Night Holder
Day Destroyer
Dark Rider
Darkdeath
Duskmaster
Moon Master
Pitmaster
Sunslayer
Nightmaster

Worship

SACRIFICE & FREQUENCY

Sacrifices are visual organs, preferably from a sentient being. These are used to create divine foci.

PLACE OF WORSHIP

Important places of worship for the Knights of the Black Pit are said to exist both in Bet Kalamar and Balelido. Temples of this faith are often constructed underground. Their worship areas are usually small, close and oppressive. Open pits stand ready to maim or kill worshippers who fail to show the requisite caution. Real or ceremonial stalactites cause comparatively minor bruising and concussions to those who walk into them. If the faith is able to carve out a worship area instead of relying on solely natural works, they smooth the floor, leaving textured guide marks on the floor and walls to prevent worshippers from falling to their death. The temples are always unlit. Cathedrals are multi-leveled dungeons, with deep pits for clerical Cleansing ceremonies. They usually have other pits that contain underground creatures. Bas-reliefs decorate the walls of constructed areas; natural caves stay untouched, except for any work necessary to make the floor passable. The holy seat’s presence in Ashakulagh causes problems for some worshippers who would like to visit it but fear hobgoblin persecution. More than once spies from Korak have attempted to infiltrate the country as pilgrims in search of the temple, and the hobgoblins have killed many legitimate pilgrims over the years in their attempts to prevent spies from reaching their capital.

Priesthood

Knights of the Black Pit

The Knights of the Black Pit dedicate themselves to smothering Tellene in total darkness. They fanatically adhere to the teachings of the Book of Endless Night, an unholy writing from a bygone era. The ancient manuscript speaks of the Time of the Void, a time when Blacksoul will devour the sun and Tellene will be cloaked in eternal blackness. The Church of Endless Night teaches that when the Assembly of Light and its allies are destroyed, this prophecy will come to pass.

Besides vigilantly opposing the Assembly of Light, the Knights of the Black Pit are constantly preparing themselves for the Time of the Void. Because these clerics believe the world will be devoid of light, they regularly practice combat in total darkness and in underground or confined areas. Additionally, clerics of Blackmourn learn the necessary survival skills for life below the surface.

Each potential cleric must undergo a ceremony, known as the Cleansing, before earning a place in the clergy. A group of Dark Friends place the future congregant at the bottom of a dark pit. They then leave the aspirant in the pit, providing only food and water, until such time as the Pitmaster believes he is ready to become a Knight.

The time varies, depending on the individual; however, it is seldom less than a year and never less than two months. The aspirant then trains in the way of the Knights of the Black Pit.

A form of the Cleansing is also performed on unwilling participants, usually children and those whose eyes have been taken for sacrifice. The victim is brainwashed to believe that only Blacksoul can give them the power to see again. As they adapt to their new environment and learn to function in the dark, they come to believe that the Knights are correct. At this time the brainwashing is complete and the victims are admitted to the congregation.

Upon becoming a Darkknight, each cleric must display his unswerving loyalty to Blacksoul by removing his left eye. When a cleric attains the level of Pitmaster, he must remove his right eye. (The Dark One then gives the cleric the blindsense ability.) These acts of reverence are followed by a day-long celebration.

Just as important as the removal of a cleric’s own eyes is bringing the bounty of her god to another. Therefore, when in battle, these clerics will strike for their opponent’s visual organs. A Knight will taunt and goad his opponent into speaking; this allows the cleric to home in on his foe’s eyes.

Blacksoul is extremely popular among underground races such as dark dwarves, dark elves and various humanoid cultures. Knights of the Black Pit adventure to bring the gloom and shadow of the night to all parts of the world. Even when part of a group, the Knight of the Black Pit often prefers to work alone. He often uses his darkness to disrupt enemy spellcaster (who usually need a direct line of sight for their spells) and attacks the eyes of fighters and other direct threats.