The Culling

When the The Bloody Screamers conscripts a village, they hold a ceremony known as 'the culling'. Every able-bodied man, woman, and child is given a weapon and forced to fight their family and friends to the death. Those who survive are deemed strong enough - and free from old ties - to join the army of the Archon of Secrets, where they're given a chance to earn a name, a weapon, and some semblance of a future. Similarly, when the Bloody Screamers overtakes an enemy, the survivors are given the choice to join their ranks or perish -- leaving the Chorus mostly populated by those desperate or insane enough to accept the offer.