Obsidian Covenant

A grim and exalted religious order within the Noctavian Empire, the Obsidian Covenant stands as both priesthood and custodial force over death, undeath, and the eternal hierarchy of souls. Founded under the divine authority of Empress Malvera, it operates as the Empire’s official necrotheocratic institution, merging state loyalty with sacred duty.

Structure

• The Archon Mortem: Supreme spiritual authority of the order; speaks on behalf of the dead and answers directly to the Empress.
• Soulwardens: High necromancers and spirit-binders who oversee rituals of resurrection and revenant command.
• Crypt-Virgils: Guardians of tomb-fortresses, mausoleums, and ossuary archives. Often undead themselves.
• Ashborn Acolytes: Initiates trained in both doctrine and necromancy, tasked with embalming and record-keeping

Public Agenda

The Obsidian Covenant’s authority is vast and feared. They are priests, judges, and executioners in one. No burial, resurrection, or soulcraft within the empire occurs without their sanction. Even the military and noble houses yield to their word when it comes to death.

In the empire's darkest hours, it is the Covenant that raises the fallen, binds the restless, and ensures that service never ends.

Assets

• The Obsidian Seal: A rune-etched medallion worn by all full members—said to bind their soul to the Covenant eternally.
• Books of Bone: Grimoire-codices made from enchanted bone, containing spells, rites, and judgments.
• The Soul Pyres: Black flame braziers used in rites of soul-weighing, where spirits are judged by their flickering shadows.

Tenets of Faith

• Death is not an end, but a transition—a gateway to enduring service under the Empress.
• The soul must be judged and preserved, not wasted in the dirt or released to the chaos of oblivion.
• Order is eternal—in life, in death, and beyond.
• Empress Malvera is the divine steward of the soul’s journey.
• King Vorath is honored by some sects as a patron demigod of the enduring will and martial death.

Worship

• Soul-Binding Ceremonies: The Covenant binds the spirits of the worthy into enchanted vessels, armaments, or revenant bodies for continued imperial service.
• Embalming & Preservation: The dead are mummified in black salts, obsidian resin, and arcane oils—each corpse prepared as if it might rise again.
• Death-Judging Rites: In grand, public funerals, high-ranking Covenant priests determine whether the fallen warrior shall rest, rise, or be forgotten.
• Eternal Vows: Those who serve the Covenant directly swear eternal oaths of loyalty that bind them even beyond death.

Type

Religious, Organised Religion

Leader

The Archon Mortem

Ruling Organization

The Bleak Iron Throne

Deities

• Malvera Noctara
• Vorath Bloodbane