The Custodians – Code, Uniform & Articles of Faith

Code of the Church of Norelexus

You will see to the will of the dead, executing it to the extent of the law, you are the wishes of the dead upon the land and only through you should they speak.

You will seek to assist in the writing of the will of those soon to die no matter where they should be found to assure them that they will cross over well and that their lands and title would be safe in hands of the clergy and the Custodians.

You will offer yourselves as intermediaries between the living and the dead that ancestors may pass on that which is theirs to the next realm, their children and their children’s children.

You will seek those ancestors or Undead that are not bound to the will of Notelexus and offer them contract to the God wherever you may find them.

Those Undead that refuse the contract of Notelexus are enemies of the Faith, the Clergy and the Royal Basin and will be eradicated.

You will treat with reverence and respect any spirit or ancestor that is summoned to your aid unless they are under punishment and from the hells.

You will not betray your God, the Clergy or the people of the Royal Basin over blind faith and arrogance.

Priestly Vestments

The Clergy wear traditional Black during most major ceremonies but various chapters of Notelexian churches have adopted Reds, purples and even yellows in some cases. However they return to the black for official ceremonies and it is usual for Black to be featured on their regalia in some respectful tradition. Travelling Priests are expected to wear the Skull of Notelexus regardless of the animosity that it might spread.

Articles of Faith

As a Notelexian there are some clear guidelines that are to be followed; as a Holy Warrior or Barrow Soul you should follow the code below. This code is the guidance by which you set examples to the world that you strive to protect, a Barrow Soul is the shining example of the faith, one who is given great power by the Grim and to break their tenets would be to break favour with the deity and lose not only the power that he has gifted but more, the very purity of their souls. Following these tenets are a guideline to how piety works and how.

Tenets of The Barrow Souls

You will preserve the Church and the tenets of Notelexus bowing to those Pure of faith and obeying his enlightened in all things.

You will not raise your hand to those Ancestors or Undead that are created or given right to be summoned by our Lord nor his followers.

You will move to protect those Undead created or given right to be summoned by our Lord and his followers low even unto your death and bring righteous vengeance against those that would slay his children.

In all things you will act through with the power of fear and terror, reaching deep into the hearts and minds of thy opponents and enemies, never showing them fear.

You will respect all traditions of Death, those that are dying will be shown the proper respect and ushered to the side of our Lord with dignity and grace, no matter their disposition.

A dying Foe will be offered death before a long and lingering suffering that will keep them from the side of our Lord.

You will use the gifts of our Lord to summon the assistance of his children only when your own skills prove insufficient to a task yet you will offer yourself up as a vessel for any ancestor that wishes to speak through your lips to the ears of their descendants.

You will offer the rights of last will and testament to any dying individual of any land and will have learnt the Law that will allow you to bind that which is not the dead to the land of the living.

You will not hesitate to lay down your life in the service of our Lord Notelexus. To partake of his gift and to be at his side is all that matters. The time that he grants you upon the mortal world should also be cherished and your time spent wisely however.

When charged to bring the gift of Death to an enemy of the faith thou shalt not falter until the task is complete. You are the instrument of his will upon this land “There is no door I cannot pass nor is there any guardian who can withstand me” Shall be your guide.

Day to Day Activities

Given the fear that they invoke in the general populace it is easy to see that they have very little opportunity to practise many of the rites and rituals that one would expect to accompany the God of Terror Death and Decay. Indeed most of their tasks are now locked solidly in the portfolio of death: They are expected to officiate over the rites of the dead, speaking to their spirits, preparing for the journey to the limbo of the spirit world there to await judgement. Even now people begin to attend the new temples of Notelexus hoping for a brief word with their dear departed.

Notelexians are also used to enter plagued areas or battlefield areas to tend to the dead; their own personal lack of fear regarding death means that they have no qualms against wandering such sites. Once there however it is their task to take the last rites of any dying individuals or ensure a peaceful death. Quite often this leads to the passing along of wills and decrees and the growth of Notelexian power through such means. Such activity has not been seen in the basin for some time, at its height the Notelexian church had stakes in virtually every merchant house and tavern ownership across the face of the Basin.

In recent days they have taken up more spiritually difficult tasks: They are responsible for speaking to the dead of family members long since passed over and passing on the knowledge that they have to their progeny. Equally, in this much more relaxed atmosphere regarding the deities, they are there to grant a guiding hand to the sick, the weak and the infirm to pass on the litanies. To seek the truth of blood through family lines and to carry those family lines through all time in written record and with proper record.

Holy Days and Important Ceremonies

There are two outstanding Holy Days that are involved in the Church of Notelexus: The Day of Dusk, during Watersdown celebrates the day that St Lucien was taken beyond the point of Undeath and into immortality as the power of the Gods was shared with the High Priest of Notelexus. Every year the higher echelons of the church gather to worship. During the festival the senior members of the Church decide upon the leadership of the church for the coming year.

Slaughterfields takes place during the midsummer festivals that take place across the Royal Basin and commemorates the massacre of the Gabrakian army as it attempted to emerge from Dreff Wood during the First Daemon Wars. To the Notelexian community the Slaughter at Dreff represents the passing over of almost 100 of the most powerful Priests of that time. It is a great honour to bask upon the land where the blood of such Holies was spilt.