misc
"NOTES ON VALKISE:
"The god worshipped is Valkise, but the religion name is Valkarin. Common places of worship include wherever people congregate in large numbers, and especially in poor districts or where healers are hard to come by. Temples and churches are always hidden.
"There are three primary sects of the religion. These are the PAR'AKMA, the DASKORNOK, and the JARSHA. Notes below:
"* PAR'AKMA (Plague Knights)
- Focus: Temple Guards, shields of the innocent.
- Symbols & Icons: Shield with crossed bones upon it.
- Practices: Healers and Warriors of Valkarin, the Plague Knights defend the temples and priests of there religion. Most rituals involve a great deal of meditation and discipline. Salvation of others and self sacrifice to the point of personal damnation make up a Plague Knights life and death.
- Background: Created by order of Valkise himself, the Plague Knights are the second oldest sect of Valkarin. A Plague Knight is chosen for his fierce devotion, and unswerving discipline. The Plague Knights are trained in combat and most commonly fight with lance and shield. They have the unique ability to absorb any disease into their bodies and keep it there dormant through rigours self control. Should a Plague Knight's control slip, he is instantly afflicted by the sicknesses held within him and dies painfully. A Plague Knights corpse is always incredibly toxic and is avoided by all.
- Forms of Worship: Meditation, self purifying rituals, and the salvation of the afflicted.
- Dominant Figures: None, there is no hierarchy amongst the Plague Knights.
"* DASKORNOK (True Believers)
- Focus: To protect the world from Valkise
- Symbols & Icons: A rat skull with burning eyes.
- Practices: Each Chapter of Daskornok believes it is right, and all others are corrupt. Thus they are on a constant quest to save humanity from Valkise's grasp.
- Background: A new splinter group of the Jarsha, they see Valkise as a God to be feared. They worship him out of fear of his wrath, scrupulous attention to his will and following his commands will save the world.
- Forms of Worship: Most chapters of the Daskornok practice the sacrifices of animals in order to appease Valkise. But some groups have gone as far as human sacrifice.
- Dominant Figures: Each chapter has its own ideas and beliefs; no chapter agrees with each other all believing the others are corrupt. Daskornok is not recognized by the rest of Church of Valkarin.
"* JARSHA (Untouched)
- Focus: To comfort those fatally ill and save all those that can be.
- Symbols & Icons: An open rat paw.
- Practices: Primarily healers and priests. This Sect gives comfort to those who have felt Valkise's touch and have no chance to recover. They help when they can but in most cases they make victims last few days comfortable.
- Background: This group was the original formed by Valkise himself after he discovered the pain that his influence caused. The Jasha are absolutely immune to all disease and sickness even those of magical nature. The Jasha are the true priesthood of Valkarin they are his chosen.
- Forms of Worship: Commonly found in plague ridden villages, and other areas of pestilence, giving comfort to those who need it. Normally they are feared and thought to bring plague, for this reason every priest will have at least one of the Par'akma
- Dominant Figures: The Jarsha Hierarch is the most important man in all of Valkarin and is revered to be the hand of Valkise himself."
-- Excerpt from a study of religion by Bridget Mondieu, religious scholar, c. 1282
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