Blood of Vol - Revision history

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2023-06-20T14:22:32Z

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2A0C:F040:0:2790:0:0:0:4E: /* Not Your Average Evil Cult */

2022-02-04T21:15:30Z

Not Your Average Evil Cult

← Older revision		Revision as of 21:15, 4 February 2022
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	==Not Your Average Evil Cult==		==Not Your Average Evil Cult==
	So, with the blood magic thing, and the undead everywhere, and the faith's popularity with necromancers, you're thinking that the Blood of Vol is your classic evil cult, right? Well... yes ~~and~~ no - subverting alignment cliches like that was kind of Eberron's thing.		So, with the blood magic thing, and the undead everywhere, and the faith's popularity with necromancers, you're thinking that the Blood of Vol is your classic evil cult, right? Well... yes but no - subverting alignment cliches like that was kind of Eberron's thing.

	See, thing is, whilst Vol herself is evil, and she is using the religion to muster dupes, the average member of the church is very much ''not'' evil. After all, it's an observable fact in Eberron that Dolurrh, the [[plane]] of the dead where almost every soul goes upon death, is a really shitty place; it's a dreary, misty limbo where the souls of the dead slowly lose their memories and then ultimately fade away into nothing. It's not exactly an evil reaction to learn this and decide "nope, what else is there?" And the Blood's relationship with the undead is very different to, say, the [[Whispering Way]]: unlike your standard necromancy cult, the Blood of Vol does ''not'' worship undeath or pursue it as their goal. They have a necro-utilitarian viewpoint, believing the bodies of the dead are empty shells with no particular holiness inherent to them - which is, after all, a reasonable view when you know the souls of the dead are dissolving into nothing in Dolurrh - and thus animating corpses as [[Walking Dead]] is just creating a tool, one that can potentially save a lot of lives or effort. Free-willed undead who are loyal to the Blood of Vol are viewed as sainted martyrs; the aim of the Blood of Vol is to achieve ''true'' eternal life, and undeath, with its myriad losses of the subtle aspects of life (like enjoying pleasure), is seen as a poor substitute. So, the sapient undead of the faith are viewed with equal parts respect and pity; they have cheated death, but sacrificed life, and thusly cut themselves off from achieving ''true'' divinity. They are respected for having the courage to damn themselves so they can continue to offer wisdom, guidance, and protection to their living flock, but the whole point of the Blood's teachings is to NOT end up like them. Sapient undead NOT affiliated with the church are seen as the potential predators and threats that they are - while they are aware that not all sapient undead are evil and might give some sapient undead not affiliated with the church the benefit of the doubt, they're not idiots and won't hesitate to destroy them if they endanger the community. One interesting point is the fact that Erandis Vol's dragonmark no longer works because she is undead - this fact is likely the origin for their belief that Divinity is in the blood and that undead can not become truly divine.		See, thing is, whilst Vol herself is evil and she is using the religion to muster dupes, the leadership of the faith isn't completely under her control, and the average member of the church is very much ''not'' evil. After all, it's an observable fact in Eberron that Dolurrh, the [[plane]] of the dead where almost every soul goes upon death, is a really shitty place; it's a dreary, misty limbo where the souls of the dead slowly lose their memories and then ultimately fade away into nothing. It's not exactly an evil reaction to learn this and decide "nope, what else is there?" And the Blood's relationship with the undead is very different to, say, the [[Whispering Way]]: unlike your standard necromancy cult, the Blood of Vol does ''not'' worship undeath or pursue it as their goal. They have a necro-utilitarian viewpoint, believing the bodies of the dead are empty shells with no particular holiness inherent to them - which is, after all, a reasonable view when you know the souls of the dead are dissolving into nothing in Dolurrh - and thus animating corpses as [[Walking Dead]] is just creating a tool, one that can potentially save a lot of lives or effort. Free-willed undead who are loyal to the Blood of Vol are viewed as sainted martyrs; the aim of the Blood of Vol is to achieve ''true'' eternal life, and undeath, with its myriad losses of the subtle aspects of life (like enjoying pleasure), is seen as a poor substitute. So, the sapient undead of the faith are viewed with equal parts respect and pity; they have cheated death, but sacrificed life, and thusly cut themselves off from achieving ''true'' divinity. They are respected for having the courage to damn themselves so they can continue to offer wisdom, guidance, and protection to their living flock, but the whole point of the Blood's teachings is to NOT end up like them. Sapient undead NOT affiliated with the church are seen as the potential predators and threats that they are - while they are aware that not all sapient undead are evil and might give some sapient undead not affiliated with the church the benefit of the doubt, they're not idiots and won't hesitate to destroy them if they endanger the community. One interesting point is the fact that Erandis Vol's dragonmark no longer works because she is undead - this fact is likely the origin for their belief that Divinity is in the blood and that undead can not become truly divine.

	So, yeah, they're creepy and they're spooky, but they're very much not evil - in fact, their underlying philosophy is surprisingly positive and optimistic, teaching that life is sacred and all who live hold the spark of divinity. Vol herself and her immediate underlings are exploiting the church, but the Blood of Vol itself is not evil. Even back in 3e, it was slapped with a "Lawful Evil" alignment mostly because all necromancy spells carried the Evil descriptor, and even though Eberron stated that church alignment & faithful alignment didn't have to be the same, that meta-rule still stuck.		So, yeah, they're creepy and they're spooky, but they're very much not evil - in fact, their underlying philosophy is surprisingly positive and optimistic, teaching that life is sacred and all who live hold the spark of divinity. Vol herself and her immediate underlings are exploiting the church, but the Blood of Vol itself is not evil. Even back in 3e, it was slapped with a "Lawful Evil" alignment mostly because all necromancy spells carried the Evil descriptor, and even though Eberron stated that church alignment & faithful alignment didn't have to be the same, that meta-rule still stuck.

1d4chan>Dunefish: /* Origins */

2021-11-12T01:54:17Z

Origins

← Older revision		Revision as of 01:54, 12 November 2021
Line 22:		Line 22:
	Throughout the history of Aerenal, [[dragon]]s would periodically wage war upon the elves. Partially in an attempt to put an end to the wars between elves and dragons, and partially to refine the mark of death, the matriarch of House Vol and a cabal of dragons led by a green dragon named Emerald Claw decided to create a breeding program to transfer the dragonmark to dragons. The culmination of this breeding program was Erandis Vol, a half dragon with the mark of death. The line of Vol and Emerald Claw's cabal presented this [[half-dragon]] with a mark as a means to end the war. Instead, the discovery of this child's existence pissed off both elves and dragon so royally that they joined forces to eradicate House Vol for birthing such an abomination - along with the much more important fact that Erandis had manifested the most powerful dragonmark in existence, an Apex mark of death far more powerful than even a Siberys Dragonmark. Desperate to preserve the only thing she had, the matriarch of Vol decided that the only way to save her lovechild was to turn her into a [[lich]].		Throughout the history of Aerenal, [[dragon]]s would periodically wage war upon the elves. Partially in an attempt to put an end to the wars between elves and dragons, and partially to refine the mark of death, the matriarch of House Vol and a cabal of dragons led by a green dragon named Emerald Claw decided to create a breeding program to transfer the dragonmark to dragons. The culmination of this breeding program was Erandis Vol, a half dragon with the mark of death. The line of Vol and Emerald Claw's cabal presented this [[half-dragon]] with a mark as a means to end the war. Instead, the discovery of this child's existence pissed off both elves and dragon so royally that they joined forces to eradicate House Vol for birthing such an abomination - along with the much more important fact that Erandis had manifested the most powerful dragonmark in existence, an Apex mark of death far more powerful than even a Siberys Dragonmark. Desperate to preserve the only thing she had, the matriarch of Vol decided that the only way to save her lovechild was to turn her into a [[lich]].

	Though the rest of House Vol and the Mark of Death they carried was eradicated, Erandis herself (~~who's~~ dragonmark no longer functions) fled as a teenage lich. The surviving supporters of the line of Vol were allowed to survive in Farlnen and continue their traditional beliefs, and a bastardized version of their beliefs and practices became the foundation for the Blood of Vol. The story of what happened to the line of Vol itself was garbled through the ages, and the nascent Blood of Vol used a misremembered version of history as a story important to their faith - Vol had found a way to defeat death, so the gods destroyed her because she could threaten their rule. Thus the Blood of Vol formed, and Erandis, now known as Lady Illmarrow, later used the faith to further her goals.		Though the rest of House Vol and the Mark of Death they carried was eradicated, Erandis herself (whose dragonmark no longer functions) fled as a teenage lich. The surviving supporters of the line of Vol were allowed to survive in Farlnen and continue their traditional beliefs, and a bastardized version of their beliefs and practices became the foundation for the Blood of Vol. The story of what happened to the line of Vol itself was garbled through the ages, and the nascent Blood of Vol used a misremembered version of history as a story important to their faith - Vol had found a way to defeat death, so the gods destroyed her because she could threaten their rule. Thus the Blood of Vol formed, and Erandis, now known as Lady Illmarrow, later used the faith to further her goals.

	==Not Your Average Evil Cult==		==Not Your Average Evil Cult==

1d4chan>The Hat That Was at 18:47, 12 September 2021

2021-09-12T18:47:20Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 18:47, 12 September 2021
Line 16:		Line 16:

	==Origins==		==Origins==
	The religion known as the Blood of Vol is a bastardized version of the beliefs of the elves of Farlnen (also known as the Bloodsail elves) in the Lhazaar principalities. The elves of ~~Farlen~~ themselves are exiles of Aerenal, cast out because of their allegiance to the Line of Vol and their greatest Scion, Erandis Vol.		The religion known as the Blood of Vol is a bastardized version of the beliefs of the elves of Farlnen (also known as the Bloodsail elves) in the Lhazaar principalities. The elves of Farlnen themselves are exiles of Aerenal, cast out because of their allegiance to the Line of Vol and their greatest Scion, Erandis Vol.

	Once upon a time in Aerenal, House Vol was an [[elf]] [[Dragonmark]]ed House with the now-lost Dragonmark of Death. The line of Vol had differening religious beliefs than most elves on Aerenal. Most Aerenal elves were followers of the Priests of transition - necromancers that used positive energies from the plane of [[Irian]] and the devotion of mortal to create deathless. The line of Vol prefered to use negative energy based necromancy from [[Mabar]] as a means of immortality because they were not dependant on the devotion of living elves to sustain themselves - they could take what they needed from the world of the living to survive. The priests of transition, now known as [[The Undying Court]], claimed that the mere existence of negatively charged undead slowly killed the world. The Line of Vol viewed this as a blantant political ploy to undermine their elders. The appearance of the mark of death exacerbated the conflict between the two groups, so the Line of Vol moved to what is now the island of Farlnen.		Once upon a time in Aerenal, House Vol was an [[elf]] [[Dragonmark]]ed House with the now-lost Dragonmark of Death. The line of Vol had differening religious beliefs than most elves on Aerenal. Most Aerenal elves were followers of the Priests of transition - necromancers that used positive energies from the plane of [[Irian]] and the devotion of mortal to create deathless. The line of Vol prefered to use negative energy based necromancy from [[Mabar]] as a means of immortality because they were not dependant on the devotion of living elves to sustain themselves - they could take what they needed from the world of the living to survive. The priests of transition, now known as [[The Undying Court]], claimed that the mere existence of negatively charged undead slowly killed the world. The Line of Vol viewed this as a blantant political ploy to undermine their elders. The appearance of the mark of death exacerbated the conflict between the two groups, so the Line of Vol moved to what is now the island of Farlnen.
Line 22:		Line 22:
	Throughout the history of Aerenal, [[dragon]]s would periodically wage war upon the elves. Partially in an attempt to put an end to the wars between elves and dragons, and partially to refine the mark of death, the matriarch of House Vol and a cabal of dragons led by a green dragon named Emerald Claw decided to create a breeding program to transfer the dragonmark to dragons. The culmination of this breeding program was Erandis Vol, a half dragon with the mark of death. The line of Vol and Emerald Claw's cabal presented this [[half-dragon]] with a mark as a means to end the war. Instead, the discovery of this child's existence pissed off both elves and dragon so royally that they joined forces to eradicate House Vol for birthing such an abomination - along with the much more important fact that Erandis had manifested the most powerful dragonmark in existence, an Apex mark of death far more powerful than even a Siberys Dragonmark. Desperate to preserve the only thing she had, the matriarch of Vol decided that the only way to save her lovechild was to turn her into a [[lich]].		Throughout the history of Aerenal, [[dragon]]s would periodically wage war upon the elves. Partially in an attempt to put an end to the wars between elves and dragons, and partially to refine the mark of death, the matriarch of House Vol and a cabal of dragons led by a green dragon named Emerald Claw decided to create a breeding program to transfer the dragonmark to dragons. The culmination of this breeding program was Erandis Vol, a half dragon with the mark of death. The line of Vol and Emerald Claw's cabal presented this [[half-dragon]] with a mark as a means to end the war. Instead, the discovery of this child's existence pissed off both elves and dragon so royally that they joined forces to eradicate House Vol for birthing such an abomination - along with the much more important fact that Erandis had manifested the most powerful dragonmark in existence, an Apex mark of death far more powerful than even a Siberys Dragonmark. Desperate to preserve the only thing she had, the matriarch of Vol decided that the only way to save her lovechild was to turn her into a [[lich]].

	Though the rest of House Vol and the Mark of Death they carried was eradicated, Erandis herself (who's dragonmark no longer functions) fled as a teenage lich. The surviving supporters of the line of Vol were allowed to survive in ~~Farlen~~ and continue their traditional beliefs, and a bastardized version of their beliefs and practices became the foundation for the Blood of Vol. The story of what happened to the line of Vol itself was garbled through the ages, and the nascent Blood of Vol used a misremembered version of history as a story important to their faith - Vol had found a way to defeat death, so the gods destroyed her because she could threaten their rule. Thus the Blood of Vol formed, and Erandis, now known as Lady Illmarrow, later used the faith to further her goals.		Though the rest of House Vol and the Mark of Death they carried was eradicated, Erandis herself (who's dragonmark no longer functions) fled as a teenage lich. The surviving supporters of the line of Vol were allowed to survive in Farlnen and continue their traditional beliefs, and a bastardized version of their beliefs and practices became the foundation for the Blood of Vol. The story of what happened to the line of Vol itself was garbled through the ages, and the nascent Blood of Vol used a misremembered version of history as a story important to their faith - Vol had found a way to defeat death, so the gods destroyed her because she could threaten their rule. Thus the Blood of Vol formed, and Erandis, now known as Lady Illmarrow, later used the faith to further her goals.

	==Not Your Average Evil Cult==		==Not Your Average Evil Cult==
	So, with the blood magic thing, and the [[undead]] everywhere, and the faith's popularity with ~~[[necromancer]]s~~, you're thinking that the Blood of Vol is your classic evil cult, right? Well... yes and no - subverting alignment cliches like that was kind of Eberron's thing.		So, with the blood magic thing, and the undead everywhere, and the faith's popularity with necromancers, you're thinking that the Blood of Vol is your classic evil cult, right? Well... yes and no - subverting alignment cliches like that was kind of Eberron's thing.

	See, thing is, whilst Vol herself is evil, and she is using the religion to muster dupes, the average member of the church is very much ''not'' evil. After all, it's an observable fact in Eberron that Dolurrh, the [[plane]] of the dead where almost every soul goes upon death, is a really shitty place; it's a dreary, misty limbo where the souls of the dead slowly lose their memories and then ultimately fade away into nothing. It's not exactly an evil reaction to learn this and decide "nope, what else is there?" And the Blood's relationship with the undead is very different to, say, the [[Whispering Way]]: unlike your standard necromancy cult, the Blood of Vol does ''not'' worship undeath or pursue it as their goal. They have a necro-utilitarian viewpoint, believing the bodies of the dead are empty shells with no particular holiness inherent to them - which is, after all, a reasonable view when you know the souls of the dead are dissolving into nothing in Dolurrh - and thus animating corpses as [[Walking Dead]] is just creating a tool, one that can potentially save a lot of lives or effort. Free-willed undead who are loyal to the Blood of Vol are viewed as sainted martyrs; the aim of the Blood of Vol is to achieve ''true'' eternal life, and undeath, with its myriad losses of the subtle aspects of life (like enjoying pleasure), is seen as a poor substitute. So, the sapient undead of the faith are viewed with equal parts respect and pity; they have cheated death, but sacrificed life, and thusly cut themselves off from achieving ''true'' divinity. They are respected for having the courage to damn themselves so they can continue to offer wisdom, guidance, and protection to their living flock, but the whole point of the Blood's teachings is to NOT end up like them. Sapient undead NOT affiliated with the church are seen as the potential predators and threats that they are - while they are aware that not all sapient undead are evil and might give some sapient undead not affiliated with the church the benefit of the doubt, they're not idiots and won't hesitate to destroy them if they endanger the community. One interesting point is the fact that Erandis Vol's dragonmark no longer works because she is undead - this fact is likely the origin for their belief that Divinity is in the blood and that undead can not become truly divine.		See, thing is, whilst Vol herself is evil, and she is using the religion to muster dupes, the average member of the church is very much ''not'' evil. After all, it's an observable fact in Eberron that Dolurrh, the [[plane]] of the dead where almost every soul goes upon death, is a really shitty place; it's a dreary, misty limbo where the souls of the dead slowly lose their memories and then ultimately fade away into nothing. It's not exactly an evil reaction to learn this and decide "nope, what else is there?" And the Blood's relationship with the undead is very different to, say, the [[Whispering Way]]: unlike your standard necromancy cult, the Blood of Vol does ''not'' worship undeath or pursue it as their goal. They have a necro-utilitarian viewpoint, believing the bodies of the dead are empty shells with no particular holiness inherent to them - which is, after all, a reasonable view when you know the souls of the dead are dissolving into nothing in Dolurrh - and thus animating corpses as [[Walking Dead]] is just creating a tool, one that can potentially save a lot of lives or effort. Free-willed undead who are loyal to the Blood of Vol are viewed as sainted martyrs; the aim of the Blood of Vol is to achieve ''true'' eternal life, and undeath, with its myriad losses of the subtle aspects of life (like enjoying pleasure), is seen as a poor substitute. So, the sapient undead of the faith are viewed with equal parts respect and pity; they have cheated death, but sacrificed life, and thusly cut themselves off from achieving ''true'' divinity. They are respected for having the courage to damn themselves so they can continue to offer wisdom, guidance, and protection to their living flock, but the whole point of the Blood's teachings is to NOT end up like them. Sapient undead NOT affiliated with the church are seen as the potential predators and threats that they are - while they are aware that not all sapient undead are evil and might give some sapient undead not affiliated with the church the benefit of the doubt, they're not idiots and won't hesitate to destroy them if they endanger the community. One interesting point is the fact that Erandis Vol's dragonmark no longer works because she is undead - this fact is likely the origin for their belief that Divinity is in the blood and that undead can not become truly divine.

1d4chan>The Hat That Was: /* Not Your Average Evil Cult */

2021-09-12T10:56:02Z

Not Your Average Evil Cult

← Older revision		Revision as of 10:56, 12 September 2021
Line 27:		Line 27:
	So, with the blood magic thing, and the [[undead]] everywhere, and the faith's popularity with [[necromancer]]s, you're thinking that the Blood of Vol is your classic evil cult, right? Well... yes and no - subverting alignment cliches like that was kind of Eberron's thing.		So, with the blood magic thing, and the [[undead]] everywhere, and the faith's popularity with [[necromancer]]s, you're thinking that the Blood of Vol is your classic evil cult, right? Well... yes and no - subverting alignment cliches like that was kind of Eberron's thing.

	See, thing is, whilst Vol herself is evil, and she is using the religion to muster dupes, the average member of the church is very much ''not'' evil. After all, it's an observable fact in Eberron that [Dolurrh, the [[plane]] of the dead where almost every soul goes upon death, is a really shitty place; it's a dreary, misty limbo where the souls of the dead slowly lose their memories and then ultimately fade away into nothing. It's not exactly an evil reaction to learn this and decide "nope, what else is there?" And the Blood's relationship with the undead is very different to, say, the [[Whispering Way]]: unlike your standard necromancy cult, the Blood of Vol does ''not'' worship undeath or pursue it as their goal. They have a necro-utilitarian viewpoint, believing the bodies of the dead are empty shells with no particular holiness inherent to them - which is, after all, a reasonable view when you know the souls of the dead are dissolving into nothing in Dolurrh - and thus animating corpses as [[Walking Dead]] is just creating a tool, one that can potentially save a lot of lives or effort. Free-willed undead who are loyal to the Blood of Vol are viewed as sainted martyrs; the aim of the Blood of Vol is to achieve ''true'' eternal life, and undeath, with its myriad losses of the subtle aspects of life (like enjoying pleasure), is seen as a poor substitute. So, the sapient undead of the faith are viewed with equal parts respect and pity; they have cheated death, but sacrificed life, and thusly cut themselves off from achieving ''true'' divinity. They are respected for having the courage to damn themselves so they can continue to offer wisdom, guidance, and protection to their living flock, but the whole point of the Blood's teachings is to NOT end up like them. Sapient undead NOT affiliated with the church are seen as the potential predators and threats that they are - while they are aware that not all sapient undead are evil and might give some sapient undead not affiliated with the church the benefit of the doubt, they're not idiots and won't hesitate to destroy them if they endanger the community. One interesting point is the fact that Erandis Vol's dragonmark no longer works because she is undead - this fact is likely the origin for their belief that Divinity is in the blood and that undead can not become truly divine.		See, thing is, whilst Vol herself is evil, and she is using the religion to muster dupes, the average member of the church is very much ''not'' evil. After all, it's an observable fact in Eberron that Dolurrh, the [[plane]] of the dead where almost every soul goes upon death, is a really shitty place; it's a dreary, misty limbo where the souls of the dead slowly lose their memories and then ultimately fade away into nothing. It's not exactly an evil reaction to learn this and decide "nope, what else is there?" And the Blood's relationship with the undead is very different to, say, the [[Whispering Way]]: unlike your standard necromancy cult, the Blood of Vol does ''not'' worship undeath or pursue it as their goal. They have a necro-utilitarian viewpoint, believing the bodies of the dead are empty shells with no particular holiness inherent to them - which is, after all, a reasonable view when you know the souls of the dead are dissolving into nothing in Dolurrh - and thus animating corpses as [[Walking Dead]] is just creating a tool, one that can potentially save a lot of lives or effort. Free-willed undead who are loyal to the Blood of Vol are viewed as sainted martyrs; the aim of the Blood of Vol is to achieve ''true'' eternal life, and undeath, with its myriad losses of the subtle aspects of life (like enjoying pleasure), is seen as a poor substitute. So, the sapient undead of the faith are viewed with equal parts respect and pity; they have cheated death, but sacrificed life, and thusly cut themselves off from achieving ''true'' divinity. They are respected for having the courage to damn themselves so they can continue to offer wisdom, guidance, and protection to their living flock, but the whole point of the Blood's teachings is to NOT end up like them. Sapient undead NOT affiliated with the church are seen as the potential predators and threats that they are - while they are aware that not all sapient undead are evil and might give some sapient undead not affiliated with the church the benefit of the doubt, they're not idiots and won't hesitate to destroy them if they endanger the community. One interesting point is the fact that Erandis Vol's dragonmark no longer works because she is undead - this fact is likely the origin for their belief that Divinity is in the blood and that undead can not become truly divine.

	So, yeah, they're creepy and they're spooky, but they're very much not evil - in fact, their underlying philosophy is surprisingly positive and optimistic, teaching that life is sacred and all who live hold the spark of divinity. Vol herself and her immediate underlings are exploiting the church, but the Blood of Vol itself is not evil. Even back in 3e, it was slapped with a "Lawful Evil" alignment mostly because all necromancy spells carried the Evil descriptor, and even though Eberron stated that church alignment & faithful alignment didn't have to be the same, that meta-rule still stuck.		So, yeah, they're creepy and they're spooky, but they're very much not evil - in fact, their underlying philosophy is surprisingly positive and optimistic, teaching that life is sacred and all who live hold the spark of divinity. Vol herself and her immediate underlings are exploiting the church, but the Blood of Vol itself is not evil. Even back in 3e, it was slapped with a "Lawful Evil" alignment mostly because all necromancy spells carried the Evil descriptor, and even though Eberron stated that church alignment & faithful alignment didn't have to be the same, that meta-rule still stuck.

1d4chan>The Hat That Was at 09:23, 12 September 2021

2021-09-12T09:23:19Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 09:23, 12 September 2021
Line 16:		Line 16:

	==Origins==		==Origins==

	The religion known as the Blood of Vol is a bastardized version of the beliefs of the elves of Farlnen (also known as the Bloodsail elves) in the Lhazaar principalities. The elves of Farlen themselves are exiles of Aerenal, cast out because of their allegiance to the Line of Vol and their greatest Scion, Erandis Vol.		The religion known as the Blood of Vol is a bastardized version of the beliefs of the elves of Farlnen (also known as the Bloodsail elves) in the Lhazaar principalities. The elves of Farlen themselves are exiles of Aerenal, cast out because of their allegiance to the Line of Vol and their greatest Scion, Erandis Vol.

	Once upon a time in Aerenal, House Vol was an [[elf]] ~~Dragonmarked~~ House with the now-lost Dragonmark of Death. The line of Vol had differening religious beliefs than most elves on Aerenal. Most Aerenal elves were followers of the Priests of transition - necromancers that used positive energies from the plane of Irian and the devotion of mortal to create deathless. The line of Vol prefered to use ~~negatively~~ energy based necromancy from Mabar as a means of immortality because they were not dependant on the devotion of living elves to sustain themselves - they could take what they needed from the world of the living to survive. The priests of transition, now known as ~~the undying court~~, claimed that the mere existence of negatively charged undead slowly killed the world. The Line of Vol viewed this as a blantant political ploy to undermine their elders. The appearance of the mark of death exacerbated the conflict between the two groups, so the Line of Vol moved to what is now the island of ~~Farlen~~.		Once upon a time in Aerenal, House Vol was an [[elf]] [[Dragonmark]]ed House with the now-lost Dragonmark of Death. The line of Vol had differening religious beliefs than most elves on Aerenal. Most Aerenal elves were followers of the Priests of transition - necromancers that used positive energies from the plane of [[Irian]] and the devotion of mortal to create deathless. The line of Vol prefered to use negative energy based necromancy from [[Mabar]] as a means of immortality because they were not dependant on the devotion of living elves to sustain themselves - they could take what they needed from the world of the living to survive. The priests of transition, now known as [[The Undying Court]], claimed that the mere existence of negatively charged undead slowly killed the world. The Line of Vol viewed this as a blantant political ploy to undermine their elders. The appearance of the mark of death exacerbated the conflict between the two groups, so the Line of Vol moved to what is now the island of Farlnen.

	Throughout the history of Aerenal, ~~dragons~~ would periodically wage war upon the elves. Partially in an attempt to put an end to the wars between elves and dragons, and partially to refine the mark of death, the matriarch of House Vol and a cabal of dragons led by a green dragon named Emerald Claw decided to create a breeding program to transfer the dragonmark to dragons. The culmination of this breeding program was Erandis Vol, a half dragon with the mark of death. The line of Vol and Emerald Claw's cabal presented this [[half-dragon]] with a mark as a means to end the war. Instead, the discovery of this child's existence pissed off both ~~elf~~ and dragon so royally that they joined forces to eradicate House Vol for birthing such an abomination - along with the much more important fact that Erandis had manifested the most powerful dragonmark in existence, an Apex mark of death far more powerful than even a ~~Syberis~~ Dragonmark. Desperate to preserve the only thing she had, the matriarch of Vol decided that the only way to save her lovechild was to turn her into a [[lich]].		Throughout the history of Aerenal, [[dragon]]s would periodically wage war upon the elves. Partially in an attempt to put an end to the wars between elves and dragons, and partially to refine the mark of death, the matriarch of House Vol and a cabal of dragons led by a green dragon named Emerald Claw decided to create a breeding program to transfer the dragonmark to dragons. The culmination of this breeding program was Erandis Vol, a half dragon with the mark of death. The line of Vol and Emerald Claw's cabal presented this [[half-dragon]] with a mark as a means to end the war. Instead, the discovery of this child's existence pissed off both elves and dragon so royally that they joined forces to eradicate House Vol for birthing such an abomination - along with the much more important fact that Erandis had manifested the most powerful dragonmark in existence, an Apex mark of death far more powerful than even a Siberys Dragonmark. Desperate to preserve the only thing she had, the matriarch of Vol decided that the only way to save her lovechild was to turn her into a [[lich]].

	Though the rest of House Vol and the Mark of Death they carried was eradicated, Erandis herself (who's dragonmark no longer functions) fled as a teenage lich. The surviving supporters of the line of Vol were allowed to survive in Farlen and continue their traditional beliefs, and a bastardized version of their beliefs and practices became the foundation for the Blood of Vol. The story of what happened to the line of Vol itself was garbled through the ages, and the nascent Blood of Vol used a misremembered version of history as a story important to their faith - Vol had found a way to defeat death, so the gods destroyed her because she could threaten their rule. Thus the Blood of Vol formed, and Erandis, now known as Lady Illmarrow, later used the faith to further her goals.		Though the rest of House Vol and the Mark of Death they carried was eradicated, Erandis herself (who's dragonmark no longer functions) fled as a teenage lich. The surviving supporters of the line of Vol were allowed to survive in Farlen and continue their traditional beliefs, and a bastardized version of their beliefs and practices became the foundation for the Blood of Vol. The story of what happened to the line of Vol itself was garbled through the ages, and the nascent Blood of Vol used a misremembered version of history as a story important to their faith - Vol had found a way to defeat death, so the gods destroyed her because she could threaten their rule. Thus the Blood of Vol formed, and Erandis, now known as Lady Illmarrow, later used the faith to further her goals.
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	So, with the blood magic thing, and the [[undead]] everywhere, and the faith's popularity with [[necromancer]]s, you're thinking that the Blood of Vol is your classic evil cult, right? Well... yes and no - subverting alignment cliches like that was kind of Eberron's thing.		So, with the blood magic thing, and the [[undead]] everywhere, and the faith's popularity with [[necromancer]]s, you're thinking that the Blood of Vol is your classic evil cult, right? Well... yes and no - subverting alignment cliches like that was kind of Eberron's thing.

	See, thing is, whilst Vol herself is evil, and she is using the religion to muster dupes, the average member of the church is very much ''not'' evil. After all, it's an observable fact in Eberron that Dolurrh, the [[plane]] of the dead where almost every soul goes upon death, is a really shitty place; it's a dreary, misty limbo where the souls of the dead slowly lose their memories and then ultimately fade away into nothing. It's not exactly an evil reaction to learn this and decide "nope, what else is there?" And the Blood's relationship with the undead is very different to, say, the [[Whispering Way]]: unlike your standard necromancy cult, the Blood of Vol does ''not'' worship undeath or pursue it as their goal. They have a necro-utilitarian viewpoint, believing the bodies of the dead are empty shells with no particular holiness inherent to them - which is, after all, a reasonable view when you know the souls of the dead are dissolving into nothing in Dolurrh - and thus animating corpses as [[Walking Dead]] is just creating a tool, one that can potentially save a lot of lives or effort. Free-willed undead who are loyal to the Blood of Vol are viewed as sainted martyrs; the aim of the Blood of Vol is to achieve ''true'' eternal life, and undeath, with its myriad losses of the subtle aspects of life (like enjoying pleasure), is seen as a poor substitute. So, the sapient undead of the faith are viewed with equal parts respect and pity; they have cheated death, but sacrificed life, and thusly cut themselves off from achieving ''true'' divinity. They are respected for having the courage to damn themselves so they can continue to offer wisdom, guidance and protection to their living flock, but the whole point of the Blood's teachings is to NOT end up like them. Sapient undead NOT affiliated with the church are seen as the potential predators and threats that they are - while they are aware that not all sapient undead are evil and might give some sapient undead not affiliated with the church the benefit of the doubt, they're not idiots and won't hesitate to destroy them if they endanger the community. One interesting point is the fact that Erandis Vol's dragonmark no longer works because she is undead - this fact is likely the origin for their belief that Divinity is in the blood and that undead can not become truly divine.		See, thing is, whilst Vol herself is evil, and she is using the religion to muster dupes, the average member of the church is very much ''not'' evil. After all, it's an observable fact in Eberron that [Dolurrh, the [[plane]] of the dead where almost every soul goes upon death, is a really shitty place; it's a dreary, misty limbo where the souls of the dead slowly lose their memories and then ultimately fade away into nothing. It's not exactly an evil reaction to learn this and decide "nope, what else is there?" And the Blood's relationship with the undead is very different to, say, the [[Whispering Way]]: unlike your standard necromancy cult, the Blood of Vol does ''not'' worship undeath or pursue it as their goal. They have a necro-utilitarian viewpoint, believing the bodies of the dead are empty shells with no particular holiness inherent to them - which is, after all, a reasonable view when you know the souls of the dead are dissolving into nothing in Dolurrh - and thus animating corpses as [[Walking Dead]] is just creating a tool, one that can potentially save a lot of lives or effort. Free-willed undead who are loyal to the Blood of Vol are viewed as sainted martyrs; the aim of the Blood of Vol is to achieve ''true'' eternal life, and undeath, with its myriad losses of the subtle aspects of life (like enjoying pleasure), is seen as a poor substitute. So, the sapient undead of the faith are viewed with equal parts respect and pity; they have cheated death, but sacrificed life, and thusly cut themselves off from achieving ''true'' divinity. They are respected for having the courage to damn themselves so they can continue to offer wisdom, guidance, and protection to their living flock, but the whole point of the Blood's teachings is to NOT end up like them. Sapient undead NOT affiliated with the church are seen as the potential predators and threats that they are - while they are aware that not all sapient undead are evil and might give some sapient undead not affiliated with the church the benefit of the doubt, they're not idiots and won't hesitate to destroy them if they endanger the community. One interesting point is the fact that Erandis Vol's dragonmark no longer works because she is undead - this fact is likely the origin for their belief that Divinity is in the blood and that undead can not become truly divine.

	So, yeah, they're creepy and they're spooky, but they're very much not evil - in fact, their underlying philosophy is surprisingly positive and optimistic, teaching that life is sacred and all who live hold the spark of divinity. Vol herself and her immediate underlings are exploiting the church, but the Blood of Vol itself is not evil. Even back in 3e, it was slapped with a "Lawful Evil" alignment mostly because all necromancy spells carried the Evil descriptor, and even though Eberron stated that church alignment & faithful alignment didn't have to be the same, that meta-rule still stuck.		So, yeah, they're creepy and they're spooky, but they're very much not evil - in fact, their underlying philosophy is surprisingly positive and optimistic, teaching that life is sacred and all who live hold the spark of divinity. Vol herself and her immediate underlings are exploiting the church, but the Blood of Vol itself is not evil. Even back in 3e, it was slapped with a "Lawful Evil" alignment mostly because all necromancy spells carried the Evil descriptor, and even though Eberron stated that church alignment & faithful alignment didn't have to be the same, that meta-rule still stuck.

1d4chan>Nubnuber: Undo revision 726249 by Lord Of The Lemmings (talk)

2020-12-05T21:58:58Z

Undo revision 726249 by Lord Of The Lemmings (talk)

← Older revision		Revision as of 21:58, 5 December 2020
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	\|Favoured Weapon = Dagger		\|Favoured Weapon = Dagger
	}}		}}
	The ''Blood of Vol'' is essentially the general faith that many [[necromancer]]s in [[Eberron]] adhere to, focusing primarily on the divinity within the self rather than believing in any particular gods. Cheating [[Dolurrh]] via becoming [[undead]], is just one of those great feats.		The '''Blood of Vol''' is essentially the general faith that many [[necromancer]]s in [[Eberron]] adhere to, focusing primarily on the divinity within the self rather than believing in any particular gods. Cheating [[Dolurrh]] via becoming [[undead]], is just one of those great feats.

	Its believers claim that all religion is a delusion (or that the gods are cruel) and the the only thing that is indeed real (or worth worshipping) is what exists in the material world and whatever afterlife lies beyond it. Blood is the true proof of divinity to them and thus with the power of blood do they believe that they can potentially become literal gods. Those beings that manage to cheat death, though usually revered for their powers to defy the natural order, are also considered no longer eligible for this perfection.		Its believers claim that all religion is a delusion (or that the gods are cruel) and the the only thing that is indeed real (or worth worshipping) is what exists in the material world and whatever afterlife lies beyond it. Blood is the true proof of divinity to them and thus with the power of blood do they believe that they can potentially become literal gods. Those beings that manage to cheat death, though usually revered for their powers to defy the natural order, are also considered no longer eligible for this perfection.

1d4chan>Lord Of The Lemmings: Undo revision 726200 by Nubnuber (talk) Undoing a Nubnuber edit, see his talk page

2020-12-05T20:04:03Z

Undo revision 726200 by Nubnuber (talk) Undoing a Nubnuber edit, see his talk page

← Older revision		Revision as of 20:04, 5 December 2020
Line 11:		Line 11:
	\|Favoured Weapon = Dagger		\|Favoured Weapon = Dagger
	}}		}}
	The '''Blood of Vol''' is essentially the general faith that many [[necromancer]]s in [[Eberron]] adhere to, focusing primarily on the divinity within the self rather than believing in any particular gods. Cheating [[Dolurrh]] via becoming [[undead]], is just one of those great feats.		The ''Blood of Vol'' is essentially the general faith that many [[necromancer]]s in [[Eberron]] adhere to, focusing primarily on the divinity within the self rather than believing in any particular gods. Cheating [[Dolurrh]] via becoming [[undead]], is just one of those great feats.

	Its believers claim that all religion is a delusion (or that the gods are cruel) and the the only thing that is indeed real (or worth worshipping) is what exists in the material world and whatever afterlife lies beyond it. Blood is the true proof of divinity to them and thus with the power of blood do they believe that they can potentially become literal gods. Those beings that manage to cheat death, though usually revered for their powers to defy the natural order, are also considered no longer eligible for this perfection.		Its believers claim that all religion is a delusion (or that the gods are cruel) and the the only thing that is indeed real (or worth worshipping) is what exists in the material world and whatever afterlife lies beyond it. Blood is the true proof of divinity to them and thus with the power of blood do they believe that they can potentially become literal gods. Those beings that manage to cheat death, though usually revered for their powers to defy the natural order, are also considered no longer eligible for this perfection.

1d4chan>Nubnuber: Undo revision 726179 by Lord Of The Lemmings (talk)

2020-12-05T16:34:02Z

Undo revision 726179 by Lord Of The Lemmings (talk)

← Older revision		Revision as of 16:34, 5 December 2020
Line 11:		Line 11:
	\|Favoured Weapon = Dagger		\|Favoured Weapon = Dagger
	}}		}}
	The ''Blood of Vol'' is essentially the general faith that many [[necromancer]]s in [[Eberron]] adhere to, focusing primarily on the divinity within the self rather than believing in any particular gods. Cheating [[Dolurrh]] via becoming [[undead]], is just one of those great feats.		The '''Blood of Vol''' is essentially the general faith that many [[necromancer]]s in [[Eberron]] adhere to, focusing primarily on the divinity within the self rather than believing in any particular gods. Cheating [[Dolurrh]] via becoming [[undead]], is just one of those great feats.

	Its believers claim that all religion is a delusion (or that the gods are cruel) and the the only thing that is indeed real (or worth worshipping) is what exists in the material world and whatever afterlife lies beyond it. Blood is the true proof of divinity to them and thus with the power of blood do they believe that they can potentially become literal gods. Those beings that manage to cheat death, though usually revered for their powers to defy the natural order, are also considered no longer eligible for this perfection.		Its believers claim that all religion is a delusion (or that the gods are cruel) and the the only thing that is indeed real (or worth worshipping) is what exists in the material world and whatever afterlife lies beyond it. Blood is the true proof of divinity to them and thus with the power of blood do they believe that they can potentially become literal gods. Those beings that manage to cheat death, though usually revered for their powers to defy the natural order, are also considered no longer eligible for this perfection.