Watchers
The Watchers are a sect of the Cult of the Fifteen that exclusively worships Nex Szar, the god of death. Their primary duty is to perform death rites for all other faiths when called upon to do so. Watchers are forbidden to take a life except in cases of self defense and honoring the wishes of those who seek Death for 'acceptable reasons'. Still, after doing so they are expected to enter a short period of pennance. The leader of this church is called The Guiding Light and is solely responsible for overseeing the organizations standards of training and appearing to political functions. Just like their god, the Watchers are misunderstood and frequently avoided except when their services are being sought out. The life of a death priest can be a lonely one, but each is given the respect that the position deserves.
Honor the Dead
Watchers are well-versed in the rites and customs of all cultures and faiths of Illiria and are expected to stand in for those priests where none can be found. Unique among the dedicated faiths of a single god, the priests of Nex are thus expected to pray to nearly every other deity at some point in their careers. When a corpse cannot be identified, the Watchers perform a standard ritual of guidance for the lost soul. In cities across the continent, Nex worshippers maintain graveyards, tombs, and monuments to the fallen. The presence of a death priest is usually enough to deter grave robbers and necromancers. A few death priests in a generation are blessed with the Death Sight, a gift that allows them to interact with ghosts and the Restless, and these dedicate themselves fully to guiding these to the next life at the expense of all other duties, honored above all other Watchers.Guard the Living
Mortal souls are under the protection of Nex, and by extension Watchers. Those in danger can seek out death priests and expect protection, at least as long as it takes the full situation to become clear. It is not uncommon for constabulary to seek out the aid of death priests in murder investigations. This tenet also binds Watchers to oaths of healing, they are obligated to ensure that the sick and injured are cared for to the best of their abilities, including expensive magical healing where possible. Some death priests are so dedicated to this cause that they are vegetarians.Protect the Boundaries
Corporeal undead and malicious spirits are reviled by Nex, and so his priesthood train in fighting them. Outside of the Order of the Archer, no one is more versed in defeating the undead than the Watchers. Death priests tend to carry light weapons such as small maces or sickles to deal with the threat where they find it. Consecration of graves is a very important duty (usually delegated to apprentices) and defeating necromancers give a Watcher much respect. While they are barred from taking lives, they do not undergo pennance if a necromancer is killed in battle. A sub-order of Watchers are called Reapers, and they travel from city to city seeking out rumors of the undead in order to destroy them. Some Reapers are known to be overzealous and have caused tensions with political entities in their righteous quest.Structure
Each city has a full temple of death priests that send reports to the Guiding Light. Temples are responsible for ensuring that each settlement has at least one Watcher. The death temples have regional maps of responsibility and influence that do not line up with political borders, instead being split by population.
Each member of the Watchers is considered a death priest in their own right. Because not many volunteers come forward, the church frequently adopts orphans and sickly children into their temples. These become apprentices, only slightly less honored than a full priest. All non-magical death priests defer to those who have been blessed by the god with powers, and these are outranked by even the non-magical with the Death Sight. Reapers are chosen by their own order for reasons unknown to the rest of the church, and these are exempt from the normal power structure.
"Watchers of the living. Shepherds of the Dead."
Type
Religious, Organised Religion
Successor Organization
Demonym
Watcher
Parent Organization
Deities
Notable Members
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