Editing Ardarvia (section)

==Enemies==

The followers of Ardarvia share most of the enemies that their fellow worshippers of good and lawful deities fight against, though their priority and reason for fighting may differ.

Slavers of the unwilling are treated as blasphemers by much of the clergy, who see the practice as a mockery of their sacraments. Some suspect that this hatred also stems from shame over Ardarvia's past, or even in the roots of their own faith. Regardless of the reasoning, Ardarvians strive relentlessly to either free slaves or to subvert slaving practices to their own ends.

Mindless undead are universally despised by Ardarvians, particularly for their unnatural chaining of souls. Most intelligent undead are seen in the same light, particularly those with the ability to turn living victims into undead slaves. While most followers of Ardarvia strive to destroy these pitiful creatures so that their souls may pass on to their just reward or punishment, some sects acknowledge the existence of non-evil intelligent undead. What must be done with such beings is a matter of much debate within the church, much as it is in others. However, the existence of Ardarvian methods of purification and redemption for fiends has led to a higher frequency of opportunities for repentant undead to find their way into the houses of the holy. Some are given similar treatment and trials as repentant fiends. The most common results of these trials however, are either their willing imprisonment in specially made vaults, as eternal ascetics in Ardarvia's name, or the willing ritual cleansing and destruction of their undead forms, offering their souls directly into Ardarvia's forgiving, binding embrace. Exceptions do exist, but they are incredibly rare.

Of particular note is the vehement hatred between Ardarvians and the Helotry of Xiombarg. The two faiths, so similar and so diametrically opposed, see each other as perversion of their own beliefs. The often explosive rivalry between the two groups has for the most part not helped the reputation of Ardarvians, who are all too often mistaken for or confused with the Helots and Cerebrectomists of Xiombarg. While some Ardarvians strive to lead members of the Helotry towards redemption, many are fearful of their seductive, corrupting influence upon their own faithful. The fact that the Helotry of Xiombarg's and the Ardarvian's tactics are of little use against each other only further inflames the rivalry between the two.