Blood Moon's Nexus
The Blood Moon's Nexus is the elaborate ceremony in which the worst criminals of Dancamort are publicly and brutally executed in a sacrifice to Hades and his devils.
History
"Give to Hades his due within his kingdom, and the city shall prosper. Let the blood of the enemies of death flow into the stone below ye, and the city shall forever stand strong."The Blood Moon's Nexus has its basis in the Dancamortian Charter and its imperative regarding the enemies of Hades. The priests of the Company of Hades interpret this as a tax owed in mortal blood to the god himself. The "enemies of death" are most traditionally resurrectionists, high blasphemers, and others who commit acts of treason against the church and the crown. This definition has expanded over the years to apply to those who kill high-profile citizens, priests, or chainguards, thieves caught with significant amounts of gold, and occasionally lower-class citizens who are merely suspected of petty crimes (though this is fervently denied by the Chain of Charon).
—Dancamortian Charter, article IV, clause 17
Execution
The populace of Dancamort gathers within the Hall of the Daemon Ascendant; the wealthy exchange tickets for box seats and other prime seating, while ordinary citizens are led to seats assigned by arrival time. Once everyone is gathered, the Rex Terrestrus is formally greeted by the Speaker for the Dead and the Master of Rituals, and the Hymn of the Caverns is sung by all in attendance as the damned are led out in chains by the priests of the Company. A musician or musical group chosen in the days before the Nexus performs a final song for the dead as the priests lay the runes to summon angels chained into Hades' service. The priests and angels summarily execute the damned with specially blessed ceremonial blades by first slitting their throats, then puncturing their hearts. The crowd sits in total darkness, lit only by the flashes of the souls of the dead (both those executed on that day and those allowed temporary passage to Elysium in the Conservatory of Souls) returning below the caverns to Hades. The Speaker for the Dead intones a final prayer, and the Master of Rituals releases the crowd in silence to return to their homes.
Participants
All people of sound mind and body within the city of Dancamort are required to attend the Nexus monthly, a practice strictly enforced by the Chainguards as well as by wards placed by the city's Enchanters.
The ceremony is jointly performed by the Master of Rituals and the Speaker for the Dead, and presided over by the Rex Terrestrus. Additional high priests from the Company of Hades join in the sacrifice, and the entire arena is closely monitored and guarded by chainguards.
Observance
The Blood Moon's Nexus takes place each month when the moon is in its waxing crescent-- typically on the last day of the phase, though this is known to change slightly if it would intersect with a major holiday or civic event.
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