Church of the Raven Queen
The aspect of the Raven Queen who sits with us on Reef has a focus and on respecting the dead and protecting their souls, their memories and their nature. Her will protects our essence, while our bodies might be forfeit to be turned to ash, our souls are all that we have control over. The Raven Queen protects and honours the soul. Holding our minds, our likeness and the legacy of our living actions to be sacred beyond measure. As a cleric in her name you are charged with the holy task of protecting the souls of the dead from those forces that may twist or misuse them. It is our duty and honour to go into battle against foul magics that seeks to abuse souls, to cast out this evil and send souls back to the places they ought to rest. In times of quiet and calm, you are charged with learning about the living, so in death they may be remembered truthfully, to listen to their memories and hear the last words of the dieing. We are not like those confessors no! We listen so the souls may be remembered after the flesh has passed. We may see and strike out at evil or triumph the good we wish to be in the world. The Raven Queen though will not tolerate those who twist the truth to label saints sinners or villians heros. Be wrathful to the stirred dead, be objective on the affairs of the living, but above all else watch, listen and be aware of the evils and goods of mortals and difference between.
Structure
The heads of the church are 6 powerful clerics with one paladin, they are named by the aspect of the Raven Queen's will they most closely represent. The Beak, is for instance the paladin, expected to dole out the military will of the Raven Queen, while The Wings, is a cleric who focuses on travelling Reef to maintain connections with all the different churches.
Beneath them are a collection of Clerics often known as Rooks, who run the churches of the raven queen supported by High Priests. The bulk of the work though is done by travelling clerics and paladins, these groups undertake long pilgrimages, the focus of which is generally on seeing all of Reef, bearing witness to deaths and protecting the legacy of significant souls, and putting the dead to rest. Only after these challenges are complete can a Cleric or Paladin ascend to High Priest or Rook.
Public Agenda
The Church of the Raven Queen is most popular in Caspi and the Broken Isles. In these locations, they preach about the importance of the soul and the sanctity of the soul separate from the body. They are also often called in to arbitrate small disputes over wills or other matters about the intent of the now dead. The Church maintains hardline support for the cremation of the dead, however, they also balance this with overseeing death rites, ensuring the rites of the many cultures of Reef are observed as best as can be within the limits imposed by the Tomb Machine.
They also openly oppose and have been known to incite riots and violence against those who try to use souls outside of their respectful rules. A great deal of magic from other worlds harnesses soul energy, and to the Raven Queen this is an anathema, so the few practitioners who try to explore it have been known to have been found dead from mobbing.
No soul to suffer an ignoble rest
Type
Religious, Organised Religion
Alternative Names
The Rooks
Demonym
Ravens
Parent Organization
Subsidiary Organizations
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