Cult of Morr

"We grieve for those who are inspired Their genius stolen, or acquired Who watch with hope, and risk their dreams To see them born as dark regimes" —Songs of the Raven, 'A Threnody for Hope'

The Cult of Morr is one of the most widespread cults in the World. In a land filled with war, disease, and the horrors of Demons, death is a constant companion, an inescapable end. Most reconcile their natural fears and come to accept death as a necessary part of life. The Cult of Morr does not worry about what the world thinks. Everyone comes to the cult eventually, and it has enough to do guarding those who are already in its care. This independence almost always extends to individual priests, as well; those who would start a career in the cult are generally not people who need the support of others for their decisions. Cultists do worry about the world. Some know more of the future than most , while all are surrounded by death, and thus by the newly dead who need to be cared for. Followers of Morr are far from uncaring, but they do not typically see the living as their responsibility. Soldiers tell stories of priests of Morr moving from corpse to corpse on a battlefield, performing the last rites, and ignoring those who are still breathing, until the moment they stop. Morrians take their responsibilities to the dead very seriously, and martyrs within the cult are often those who stayed in a plagueridden town to bury the corpses. This sense of responsibility sometimes extends to carrying out the last wishes of a dead person, or providing some comfort to the bereaved, but on the whole the Priests of Morr have little to do with the affairs of the living. The outstanding exception is the cult’s attitude toward necromancy. Necromancers are the ultimate enemies of Morr: they steal from his realm, violate his protection for their own profit, and circumvent his authority. Morrians also believe that Undead are outside Morr’s protection, and thus vulnerable to the Dark Gods. Thus, even intelligent Undead who claim to be happy with their condition must be put to rest, with the proper rites. Most Morrians believe Morr accepts and protects even the souls of necromancers, once they have been sent to his realm with the proper rites.

Structure

Temples of Morr are completely independent of one another in day-to-day matters. Within a temple, the high priest organises the ordinary activities. The cult teaches that Morr often sends messages telling his priests to comfort or help the bereaved, and priests, and even initiates, act on such dreams without question. Dreams enjoining other kinds of intervention are supposed to be discussed with the other priests at a temple, who study their own dreams for confirmation.

Tenets of Faith

Protect the dead.
Observe all the rites of funeral and wake.
Oppose necromancers and the Undead wherever and whenever they are encountered.
Be respectful and considerate of the dead and their families.
Pay heed to your dreams.
Never refuse to conduct a funeral.
Never allow the dead to be raised, unless given special permission by Morr.

Ethics

Penances Most often, a penance from Morr involves destroying his enemies: necromancers, the undead, or the disciples of Khaine. In other cases, restoring an abandoned or desecrated holy place.

Priesthood

Although Morr’s cultists abide by the fundamental beliefs that underpin their organisation, each group is independent, and over the generations each branch has developed its own set of initiation rites and procedures. Lay followers, though far less common than with other cults, tend to be servants of the priests, digging graves, helping to prepare corpses, or even just acting as guards for their temples Priests of Morr dress in unornamented black robes, which have no indication of rank. A few even train ravens to sit on their shoulders and peer at passers-by. They tend to wear their hair very short, and most are clean-shaven.