The Grey Order are a group of people who follow the Dras customs of the Two Fold Queen and traditional Dras burial where they leave the bones of the ancestors to decompose naturally in the elements. The Grey order are the Dras Morticians, Priests that perform the funeral rites and carve the runes into the bones of the deceased once the natural decomposing has finished. The Grey Order received the name from the clay that the priests coat themselves in to perform the burial ceremony, doting grey as the mourning colour.
The Grey order are called upon when there is a death in the family, The bones are laid in the bone hollows of the town of Roston's Rest and the priests and servants of the order arrange the bodies so that they can decompose naturally, performing simple funeral rites so that the families can mourn the dead, They are also the priests summoned when a Dras is on their deathbed, Offering simple comforts to the dying as they prepare for the next cycle of life, Whether it be a simple blessing, a comforting hug or small errand. Then the order’s priests gather accolades of the deceased to carve when the bodies have naturally decomposed. The bodies are left exposed on mounds surrounded by traditional funeral herbs, Stuff to help the soul continue the circle of rebirth and honor their memory. Items of great importance like swords, shields are left with the body so that they are kept with the soul as they transition into the rebirth. Once the bones have been exposed naturally as is custom, the engravers then inscribe runes of the deceased life onto the bones, then take the bone of importance and engrave it for the next of kin to wear, Taking the memory of the ancestor with them. The Grey Order also offers humanitarian aid to the sick and poor, Giving food to those who need it, Shelter and healthcare to the sick, a symbol for hope for many of the struggling Dras.
The Grey Order are comprised of the followers of the Two Fold Queen, So Dras and Waerd believers are the dominant presence in the Order though other races are welcome as long as they uphold the balance. As common with the followers of the Two-Fold Queen, The Grey Order priests are often misunderstood or mistrusted by outsiders of the religion as they do not comprehend the motivations that the order possesses.
For those who do not know of the worship of the Two-Fold Queen, She is the keeper of balance, The giver, and taker, the hand of judgment and the granter of mercy. The rare individuals who have claimed to convene with the goddess have claimed that she is both a beacon of light and also the dark abyss. Natural Phenomenon are often said to be her will and signs of change in accordance to the Goddesses desires.
One of the main divine truths that the order acknowledges is the universal law of extremes. Which states "When two counterbalancing forces are carried to their extremes they are seen to be identical. In that, one is blinded as effectively by a brilliant light as they are by darkness."
The Grey Order as servants of the Two-Fold Queen seek to maintain balance in all aspects of their life, for instance seeing death not as they end, but rebirth of life, That Darkness is just the shadow cast by the light so both good and evil need to coexist for the circle of life to be complete.
Since the The Grey Order are mostly Dras, They follow the heavy worship of life, light and living the life to the fullest, and encouraging the growth of fellow Dras to do the same. If there is too much abundance, The Dras will disperse it evenly so that the community grows, where there isn't enough they will band together and help push for growth, Balance is key to Dras way of life, as is the sense of community. To A Dras, a life lived to its fullest is the best way of showing pure devotion to the Twofold Queen than to die and meet the queen with an unfulfilled life.
As members of the Two-Fold Queen’s worship, the followers of the order follow the Drasean custom of wearing a pair of bracelets in symbol of their faith, one jet, and one bone, The order adds two additional ornaments, Necklaces and headdresses to symbolize the order and the work they do, The headdress made of both Jet and Bone, as is the necklace, Yet it dons the symbol of the order. The exception is the Mergoin, who don shawls instead to show their faith. So The Order welcomes warriors who choose to defend the order and allow the swapping of bracelets to shawls for practicality.
Now The Grey order’s main belief or common practice, what they are called upon for in the community is burial rites. They follow the unique ritual that is custom to Draseans, that they carve the runes into the bones of the deceased with symbols and images that depict what the person and their eventful life. These mementos are usually then hung in the family's home, or worn as a way of keeping the ancestors in their thoughts. The Bone collection takes a great deal of patience and time, Since the ritual requires that the body decomposes naturally, The Grey Order’s Morgue is really just an open building with no windows or roof, exposed to the will of the Two-Fold Queen and kept there till they are bone dry.
Currently, The Grey order are recruiting:
Please Contact Brighid for information on joining this organization~
This is a really interesting idea and I like it a lot. The funerary customs of the Dras are one of my favorite parts of their lore, and I'm really excited to see you're exploring that, not only from the lore standpoint but also in a functional way. Lovely post too, it's clear a lot of thought went into this.
This is fantastic! Very well done. I'm thrilled to see another detailed organization in Blackheart, and an essential one at that. Life and death is all a matter of time and at the end of the journey you will be there waiting with open arms. That will be a great comfort to many.
