Cult of Morr
The Cult of Morr is one of the most widespread cults in the Old World. In a land filled with war, disease, and the horrors of Chaos, death is a constant companion, an inescapable end. Most Old Worlders reconcile their natural fears and come to accept death as a necessary part of life.
In fact, some might say that Old Worlders, specifically people of the Empire, have an unhealthy fascination with it, incorporating symbols of death in all things. From the skulls that decorate their banners to the martial culture that infuses the Empire’s society, death is everywhere, and its master is Morr.
However, Morr is the God of the Dead, not the God of death. One legend says that, at the beginning of time, Morr, Taal, and
Ulric divided the world up between them. Taal and Ulric both demanded the living world, and fought for it, but Morr said he
would settle for the empty realm of the dead. The other two Gods ignored him, until he passed through their realms, killing to populate his own. Then Taal and Ulric confronted the God of the Dead, and demanded that he confine his attentions to his own realm, and not trespass on theirs. Morr agreed, on the condition that Taal and Ulric ultimately send all the inhabitants of their realms to him.
Another legend relates that Morr appeared after the first Human died, and defended his soul from the servants of the Dark Gods
that sought to consume it. As more Humans died, Morr took them under his protection. Still others tell of the murder of Morr by
Khaine, and of Morr’s foundation of his realm among the dead.
Those who sleep approach death, and death is the future that awaits all. In this way, Morr is also the God of Dreams and Prophecy. Outside funerals, most people pray to Morr only in this capacity. Only the dead can
seek his protection, and the dead do not pray.
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 Humans, 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
Initiation
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—the sombre Gardens of Morr. Acquiring new initiates is not something the cult actively pursues, since all come to Morr in their own ways—either in life or in death. For the most part, the signal event occurs in the realm of dreams, with a candidate experiencing a vivid, or even shocking nightmare involving the Lord of the Dead. Shaken, the candidate flees in all haste to a local temple, prostrating himself before the priests and begging for acceptance into the cult. Rarely, these dreams may be experienced by someone already ensconced within the cult, whereby the priest receives explicit instructions to recruit a particular candidate. Initiates generally find themselves doing prolonged, boring tasks that require constant concentration. They are also subjected to lectures on the inviolability of the dead, and the duty of a Morrian priest. Initiates are allowed to quit; this is how the cult weeds out the unsuitable who make it this far. Most initiates do persist, however. There are very few reasons to join the Cult of Morr other than sincere devotion, after all. As a result, the priesthood is perennially short of applicants, let alone recruits, and standards sometimes slip.Cultists
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. Augurs are likely exceptions, and can be slightly wild. Most people think that priests of Morr are all dour, solemn, quiet individuals. This is because they only meet them at funerals. Humour, hobbies, and even a select circle of friends are not uncommon among the priests. Interests that promote steady hands, good sewing skills, or produce plenty of sawdust are all encouraged by the cult. It is true that social butterflies, the frivolous, and hedonists tend not to join the cult of the God of the Dead, but priests of Morr are more likely than most to surprise those who get to know them well.Structure
Temples of Morr are completely independent of one another in day-to-day matters. Once every ten years, the priesthood gather in conclave in Luccini to agree on burial rites and matters of doctrine. In theory all priests should attend, but leaving the temples unstaffed and unguarded is not to be countenanced. Every temple sends at least one representative, officially chosen by Morr in a dream. Generally, only the representative has the relevant dream, although sometimes the high priest dreams that a particularly irritating underling should go. Within a temple, the high priest organises the ordinary activities. These depend on the order, and Morr’s orders differ so much that they must be considered separately.Order of the Shroud
Temples of the Order of the Shroud are places of burial, so daily activities consist of taking in the dead, performing the necessary rites, interring the remains in the Garden of Morr, and guarding the dead from grave robbers and necromancers. Junior priests deal with most of this, although a larger donation presented with a corpse ensures the service of a higher-ranked cleric. Naturally, the corpses of local nobles are accepted by the high priest himself. Urban temples tend to be constantly busy, while rural temples may only have one burial per day, depending on how many villages they serve.The Augurs
Temples of the Augurs are places where people come for guidance. Activities centre on the priest (or priests) with prophetic abilities, who may not, in fact, be the highest-ranked cleric. Other priests greet visitors, receive their donations, and conduct them to the prophet. The fame of the prophet determines the number of visitors to such places. Very few temples are so busy that the priests have no free time at all. The cult permits simple relaxation, and priests of Morr often have a few friends outside the temple. However, the cult also believes Morr sends dreams with instructions for his priests, and these often require actions out of the ordinary. 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. Songs of the Raven does state that sometimes Morr sends a message to a single priest, to test the discernment of the other priests, so a dream might be from Morr even if none of the other priests have similar ones. If the dream only requires action by the dreamer, then he is almost always permitted to act on it. Actions that threaten the temple, or require cooperation from other priests, are assessed much more rigorously. If the interests of the temple, or its resident priests, are threatened, almost all the priests have dreams requiring action to defend themselves. At least, they all say that they have had such dreams. Political struggles within a temple of Morr are often phrased in terms of dreams condemning the opposing priests. Temples whose priests are related to the nobility are also significantly more likely to be told to intervene in the affairs of the living, while those with friends among the merchants are more likely to be told to intervene in mercantile affairs. Officially, the cult holds that Morr sends messages to those best equipped to deal with them. Unofficially, other temples sometimes hire agents to make sure that the “dreams” have not been fabricated to cover up political corruption. Of course, sometimes other temples hire agents who are instructed to discover that the dreams are fake, generally on the excuse that a dream from Morr has told the hiring priest that the other temple is corrupt.Sects
The primary division within the Cult of Morr is between the Order of the Shroud, who revere him as God of the Dead, and the Augurs, who revere him as God of Dreams and Prophecy. While the Order of the Shroud is much larger, there is almost no tension between these groups, as all followers acknowledge Morr’s differing aspects. There is another division within the cult, which does cause some tensions. Almost all priests of Morr remain at one temple, travelling very little. Others, however, travel across the Old World, often following their dreams. This group is small, but no temple has authority over these wandering priests, and, as travellers, they all attend the conclave in Luccini, meaning they have never been declared heretical. Still, most sedentary priests of Morr dislike them, and encourage them to move on quickly. The wanderers are generally happy to oblige.Lesser Orders
Two lesser orders are important within the Cult of Morr: the Doomsayers and the Black Guard.The Doomsayers
The Doomsayers are a subsidiary order within the Augurs, responsible for travelling to remote areas to perform Doomings and funerals when there is no local temple of Morr. Some Doomsayers are closely linked to a particular temple, which is as likely to be of the Order of the Shroud as of the Augurs, and travel a fixed route. Others wander apparently at random, visiting temples as they pass them. These Doomsayers always claim to be following their dreams. Two kinds of Doomsayer really do seem to be guided by Morr.- The first kind arrives in a settlement the day before a child’s tenth birthday, or just as someone has died, precisely in time to perform the necessary rites. In some cases, this is due to a good network of contacts and a fast horse, but in others there seems to be no natural cause.
- The second group is guided to places where many people are about to die, whether from battle, plague, or natural disaster. Members of this group claim to have dreams they cannot ignore, and argue about their meaning. Some, the majority, believe it is impious to try to prevent the deaths, as Morr has decided it is time for those people to enter his realm. They believe they are sent to perform funeral rites. Others believe Morr sometimes directs them to places where there is a danger of many people entering his realm before their time, so it is their duty to try to prevent, or at least mitigate, the disaster. A handful suggest Morr does both, choosing agents who act appropriately in each situation.
The Black Guard
The Black Guard are the templars of Morr. Their primary role is to guard the Gardens of Morr and watch over the priests. People normally join the Black Guard because of some significant event in their lives. Most often, this involved a loved one who was released from great suffering by death. The experience teaches the potential Guard the importance of Morr’s role, and makes him sympathetic to the cult. Other members join after an encounter with the Undead. They are a minority, and they are often discontent with merely guarding tombs. Some priests agree; these priests may join the Black Guard, and lead small groups of the more militant templars against the unquiet dead and necromancers. An important funeral is generally attended by a guard of honour drawn from the Black Guard. The templars make no sound during the rites, even seeming to move silently despite being in full armour. The importance of a funeral is generally determined by the amount of money spent on the rites, but the Black Guard have the right to decide which funerals they will attend. Most groups occasionally attend the funeral of a random pauper, just to keep people guessing, but for the most part they follow the direction of the priests.
Culture
The fundamental belief of the cult is that the dead face grave perils if they are not sent to Morr’s protection with the proper rites.
Most believe such souls would be seized and tortured by Khaine, Morr’s jealous brother, or even devoured by the Ruinous Powers, and souls know this at an instinctive level. Thus, the spirits of the unburied dead cling to this world, remaining present as Ghosts. Burying
the body, or performing the rituals over possessions, or even just a name, places the soul under Morr’s protection and allows it to
leave safely.
Of course, active Undead often have to be driven out, but the burial rites are still important. No soul, not even that of the
foulest follower of the Ruinous Powers, should be left without the protection of Morr, and Morr’s care extends to all.
Dreams and portents are typically seen as Morr’s way of warning the living of grave threats. Death itself, of course, is not such a threat; prophecies of one’s own death merely provide the chance to get your affairs in order first. Portents are rarely absolutely clear, and Morr relies on the intelligence of Humans to unravel their mysteries.
Mythology & Lore
Morrslieb
A common legend tells that daemons once preyed upon the people of the world from a gateway in the sky, until Morr inflicted a great death upon them. Afterwards he fashioned the second moon from the corpses of the daemons, so that mortals would never forget how he had saved them.Seat of Power: Luccini, Tilea
Head of the Cult: None
Primary Orders: The Augurs, The Order of the Shroud
Festivals: Hexensnacht, Geheimnisnacht
Popular Holy Books: The Book of Doorways, Songs of the Raven
Common Holy Symbols: A Black Rose, A Raven, A Portal
Head of the Cult: None
Primary Orders: The Augurs, The Order of the Shroud
Festivals: Hexensnacht, Geheimnisnacht
Popular Holy Books: The Book of Doorways, Songs of the Raven
Common Holy Symbols: A Black Rose, A Raven, A Portal
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