Dark Herald

Though all of the Tribes of Ruin instill fear in those that live within raiding distance, none inspire as much disgust as the Vulture Tribe. Their practices, which include eating the dead and preying on the weak, seem barbaric to outsiders even by Tribes of Ruin standards.
The Vulture Tribe’s Totem God is the vulture, known to them as Mashalish - the Corrupted. They worship death, disease, decay, and the inevitable end of life through their totem.
Just as vultures single out the weak and dying to circle and eat when they pass, the Vulture Tribe has an uncanny ability to find the weak and ill to prey upon. When they can’t, their Mystics, called Dark Heralds, use their magics to weaken their opponents so their Clan may safely strike.
The vulture Tribe has a reputation for cunning, manipulation, and underhandedness that turns the stomach of those they raid. Children, the infirm, and the elderly seem to be the targets of Vulture Tribe aggression.
They have long been known to avoid fighting whenever possible or engaging in hit-and-run tactics that allow them to confront their enemies without threat or danger. This, coupled with their propensity to single out those that can’t keep up, makes the Vulture Tribe one of the most feared and hated of the Urdaggar Tribes.
The Dark Heralds of the Vulture Tribe are especially reviled, their Vulture Magics causing dismay, disdain, and death wherever they are encountered. Their black feathered headdresses, vulture skulls, and other gruesome paraphernalia mark them as worshippers of death and decay.
Through their roles as divinatory for the Clan, a Dark Herald discerns which of a Chieftain’s proposed targets is weakest or most vulnerable. At their word, the Clan goes to war or holds back until a suitably weakened opponent can be found. Death takes us all; they often remind their Chieftain; there is no gain in hurrying it.
In 987, a respected Dark Herald divined a plague that swept through the Varkraalan shepherd villages of the western Dorsang Danar. She announced the words that every Vulture Chieftain wants to hear: Mashalish Sagla’an - the Corrupted Circles - the traditional Dark Herald ascent to go to war.
The already weakened shepherds of Varkraal were killed or taken prisoner in droves. At the same time, their herds were stolen and carried back to Vulture lands. This continued for a month before sufficient Varkraalan forces were mustered to drive the raiders back into Urdaggar lands.
And though this is harsh, the Vulture Tribes are no less severe with their own. The Dark Herald holds the power of life and death in their Clans. This is where they earn their moniker. At their pronouncement, care is withdrawn from the sick and elderly. After a celebration of what this person brought to the Clan, they either make their way into the wilderness or are taken there by the Mystic Circle.
There, they die as an offering to Mashalat, their Totem God, or in lean times, feed the tribe after their passing. The Dark Mystics teach death is the inevitable turn of life’s wheel and that the body is weak and prone to disease and decay. In life, the Vulture Clan takes advantage of this in others. Near death, they capitulate to the certainty and finality of their body’s demise. This is celebrated as the shedding of weakness and decay, and the One who oversees this process, and in some instances controls it, is their Totem God Mashalish.
While the other Kingdoms of Faelon see the vulture as a pest or a negative omen of impending death, the Dark Herald sees an opportunity. The circling vultures, often seen on the plains of Urdaggar lands, are hailed as bringing the blessing of death (which is the release from weakness and decay), the nourishment of those that thrive on that death, and the opportunity to enrich the Clan at the expense of a person or creature that will soon only exist in spirit.