Blood ofVol
Everyone has a spark of divinity. Find that
power within.- Death is the end, Dolurrh is oblivion, and if the gods
exist, they are cruel. Stand with those you care for; all
we have is this life and each other.
What just god would allow death and suffering? The
Blood of Vol teaches that we all have the potential to
become divine beings-and that death is a curse, de
signed to kill you before you can unlock the divinity
within you.
The Blood of Vol is a grim faith, founded by Erandis
d'Vol, an elf from Aerenal. It asserts that death is obliv
ion, that the universe is uncaring, and that if the Sover
eigns exist, they are cruel. Its followers study the secrets
of blood and life, and because they believe that death is
the end, they see nothing wrong with using the bodies
of the fallen to serve the living. Seekers of the Divinity
Within (as the faithful call themselves) are glad to be
reanimated after death; at least they can do some good.
Because of this association with necromancy, many
believe the Blood of Vol embraces death and its follow
ers want to become undead. Both ideas are false. The
Blood of Vol sees death as the ultimate evil. Seekers
don't want to become undead; they want to become
divine beings. The faith teaches that divinity is tied to
blood and soul, and the undead can never fully harness
that power. The mummies and vampires of the Blood of
Vol have sacrificed their chance at divinity to guide the
living. They're martyrs, not something to envy.
In addition to a general revulsion toward the undead,
the public opinion of the Blood of Vol is colored by the
actions of the Order of the Emerald Claw. This extrem
ist sect serves a lich known as the Queen of Death, and
it employs necromantic magic in acts of terror. However,
most Seekers don't support the Emerald Claw.
The Blood of Vol has its strongest following in Karr
nath and the Lhazaar Principalities. For a time, it was
the national religion of Karrnath. Though fallen from
favor, the faith is still practiced openly in that nation.
SYMBOL
The power of a cleric of the Blood of Vol comes from
within them. As such, every cleric chooses a unique
holy symbol-an object that resonates with them. More
generally, the faith is represented by a tear-shaped red
gemstone or shard of glass. Priests of the Blood of Vol
wear robes of red and black.
RITES
The services of the Blood of Vol focus on drawing the
faithful together as a community and encouraging peo
ple to find power within themselves. The most import
ant ritual of the faith is the Sacrament of Blood. After a
sermon, each member of the congregation sheds a small
amount of blood into a basin. This is a symbol of unity,
and a message that members of the community would
shed their blood to defend one another. In some temples,
this blood is donated to vampire champions of the faith.
... •,THE VOICE OF��(LAN�
CORPSE CLERIC
CONDEMNS CLAW
Last month, the Emerald Claw took credit for the ghoul
outbreak in Wroat. This terrorist organization has a new
and unusual critic: Hask Malevanor, an "abactor" of the
Blood of Vol and high priest of the Crimson Monastery,
a temple in the city of Atur in Karrnath. Something else
you should know about Abactor Malevanor: he's been
dead for over fifty years! This putrid priest says that
there's nothing unholy about his condition, swearing
that his people revere all life. Despite the fact that the
terrorists included priests from his church, Malevanor
insists that his parishioners despise the Emerald Claw
and harbor no hostility toward Breland.
While we'd like to take the abactor at his word, our
research shows that Malevanor was personally involved
in the program that produced the infamous Karrnathi
undead soldiers. After decades of driving the Karrnathi
war effort, this foul creature expects us to believe that he
has nothing to do with the necromantic attacks on our
people? Here at the Vo ice of Breland, we think something
about this smells rotten, and it's not just the mummy.TEMPLES
A shrine devoted to the Blood of Vol requires only an al
tar and a means for collecting ritually spilled blood.
Temples of the Blood of Vol are fortified structures,
built to serve as sanctuaries. In contrast to the Silver
Flame, such temples are stark and functional. Temples
include vaults or catacombs, designed to hold undead or
to store corpses.Cults of the Dragon Below
- A paradise exists within the world, a vale bathed in
the light of the Inner Sun. Earn your passage with the
blood of worthy foes. - Our existence is a chrysalis state, preparing us for
transcendent immortality within the bowels of the gib
bering mouther. - The Lord of Eyes sees all secrets. Its gaze elevates
the worthy and slays the unbeliever. Drive doubt from
your heart, and you will see reality through new eyes.
The Cults of the Dragon Below are wildly diverse. The
tenets above describe the beliefs of three different
cults. Warlocks draw power from demon overlords, and
daelkyr cultists serve mind flayers and beholders. Oth
ers embrace deep convictions that others see as mad
ness. Outsiders use the term "Cult of the Dragon Below"
as a blanket term to describe these disparate beliefs,
but the cultists don't use this name or see themselves as
part of a greater whole.
CHAPTER 2 / KHORVAIRE GAZETTEER(^145)