Kaarak

Sovereign of Death and Decay.

When a soul dies it goes down to Dolurrh and forgets itself, memory by memory, until nothing is left but a grey mist that once was someone. Kaarak is the one power that offers another end.

He is the great hoarder of souls, and what he takes he keeps — the way a miser keeps coin, holding it close and doing with it as he likes, for as long as there is a world to hold it in. To be taken into his hoard is no kindness; but it is not oblivion. Better to be a soul kept whole in the dark than dissolving away into nothing.

His clergy are called Talons, and they are necromancers as well as priests. The dead are their study and their servants — they may raise a corpse that never tires only to make it dance for as long as they please.

Traditions that teach him: the Antiquarian.

His worship day is Sar, the week’s end, shared with Baaldra, when the household gathers and remembers its dead.

Strictures

The antiquarians of Kaarak have deep strictures, as outlined below.

Antiquarian

• A Talon of Kaarak must keep a token of the dead upon his person — his jade fang, or a coin or bone taken from a corpse.
• A Talon of Kaarak must not needlessly destroy the dead. To burn, dissolve, or ruin a corpse past use without cause is to squander what belongs to Kaarak.
• Each day, a Talon of Kaarak must spend one hour (6 turns) in prayer, renewing his pact with Kaarak to keep his soul from Dolurrh.
• Each time a Talon animates an undead he must secretly bury in its stead an appropriate offering (of coin, gems, or goods). The Talon must not attempt to retrieve this payment, nor through aid or negligence enable another to do so.
• A Talon of Kaarak is bound to the master who taught him. Until he reaches 7th level, his master may lay a duty upon him each month, which he must serve without a corresponding favor.
• A Talon of Kaarak’s soul is secure. He may not be raised, resurrected, reincarnated, or by any means restored to life, unless his return is bought with a sacrifice of equal value.

The price of the dead

The payment buried with a raised undead must be worth the animated creature’s experience value for a permanent animation, or ten percent of that value for a temporary servant . A Talon may never recover a coin he has given to the dead, and should guard the secrets of these burials jealously, for they are the payment that keeps his bargain with Kaarak secure.