Talon Conclave Religion and Rites

Much like the other Templars, the Talon Conclave is bound to their faith in the God-Empress. Each Talonite is expected to be pious and faithful, pledged to the Temple’s holy crusade against the monsters that haunt the World Beyond the Fall.

Talonite FaithS

The God-Empress

The God-Empress is described in the myths and the scriptures of the Temple in many different ways. Regardless of Her form, she is an entity of boundless love for humanity, even at their worst and their most proud. In some texts, she is a many-armed and many-eyed humanoid goddess. In others, she is a sinuous, serpentine dragon wreathed in clouds and in glory. 

However, despite her feelings for humanity, Her power and aspect is beyond the reaches of human imagery. Many scriptures described Her as a veiled, hooded figure whose true presence would shatter the minds of any who looked upon it -- even her Chosen Children. 

Because of this, the Temple usually draws Her symbol as such: two Equilateral triangles, one inside the other. The outer triangle radiates power and is encompassed by a runed circle. 

Creation myth

It is known by all Templars that the universe is but one of many and our planet is a single grain within a nigh-infinite desert. Yet within this vastness, humanity is unique for they are the children of the God-Empress.

The Templars call her the Earth Mother, the All-Goddess, or the World Dragon. She has always watched over Her scions. Indeed, every ancient myth has a spark of Her shadow within it, such is Her mark upon the Human Race. 

With Her power, She who is All made stars and space and planets but proudest was She of Her greatest Children. 

The World Dragon was but one divinity against many during the Ravening, but She fought for Her children with the strength of a thousand Gods. These World-Slayers were born of chaos and power, yet they coveted what the God-Empress possessed or else sought to destroy it all in their hatred. From the depths of space, they bent unwitting humans to their cause and allowed themselves to be summoned by these fools.

The Oracle-Avatar and the Archon-Saints were the last remnants of an ancient order that fought these heretics and worshipped the God-Empress. With the defeat of the Awakened Temple came the Ravening and the Long Fall of the world into ruin. 

Humanity was slain by the millions when the Abyssals defiled the skies with their abominable forms. The earth and seas shivered -- drowned millions more in floodwaters or riven stone. Even the greatest weapons that the ancient sciences had brought to bear simply wounded the Abyssals -- many of these arrows were deflected by foul Arcana into the brightest cities of the Earth. Worse yet, the very presence of the Abyssals fractured reality, allowing lesser entities to invade the world.

Yet, hope was not lost. The God-Empress battled these fell godlings for the fate of Her children. This titanic battle was waged across the face of the planet and entire cities were ravaged in its wake. Ultimately, the She who is All was victorious but at a massive cost: her greatest Aspect fell dead from its grievous injuries even as the Abyssals shattered and scattered with their prime aspects banished into a reality between realities. 

Tenets of the Faith

The Sanctified Temple of the Shattered Mother exists for one reason: to prepare humanity for the next war against the Abyssals and their spawn. This war must be fought by humans and humans alone, with their faith in the All-Goddess to guide them. 

To that end, all Templars must follow the Commandments below:

• The Tenet of Supremacy: The God-Empress is All, let no one stand against Her or her Temple.

• The Tenet of Nurturing: Humans are the Children of the God-Empress and the Templar are Her Chosen. The Templar must protect, instruct, and hone Humanity for the Final Ravening/Last Reaping.

• The Tenet of Purging : The Human Race must be nurtured but the Final Ravening will soon be upon us. Those who defy the Temple or work with the Abyssals must be left behind. 
  
  
  

In addition, the following are the Arch-Sins -- crimes and misdeeds that are punishable by the Temple.

• HERESY is committed when a Templar directly goes against the authority of the God-Empress and Her Oracle-Avatar. This primarily refers to seditious or treasonous activity, and disobeying a direct order from a Hierophant or Archon.

• BLASPHEMY is committed when a Templar profanes a holy object or speaks profanely of the God-Empress or her Oracle-Avatar. 

• DEFILEMENT is the unlawful destruction of other Templars’ property or using unlawful methods to destroy one's own property. To a lesser degree, this is also committed when an Templar takes or misuses what does not belong to them. It also covers the misuse of others' property and the evasion of tithes to the Temple.  

• MALIFICA is illicit magic-use. Magic is the gift of the God-Empress and Templars who wield it must be mandated by the Temple or be servants of the God-Empress herself. Malifica also includes using relics or magics deemed forbidden by the Temple. Harmful or corruptive association with certain baleful entities is considered to be both Malifica and Heresy. 

• MALFEASANCE is the unlawful harm or slaying of another Templar. Certain Templar are exempt from this Arch-Sin within the auspices of their profession, although they often perform Penances in their off-hours to cleanse any stain on their soul.

• TREACHERY is when a Templar breaks a holy oath or lies to the Temple. Other examples of Treachery includes failing to protect those you have sworn to protect, disobeying a direct order from your superiors or misusing those under your command. 

Life Rites

As a culture steeped in martial tradition and in faith, high ranking officers in the Talon Conclave also serve as its clergy and officiants when it comes to their daily lives. These individuals officiate funerals, oversee rites of passage, and lead prayers to the God-Empress.

In the absence of high-ranking officers such as Prelates or Hierophants, Talonites of the Chaplain rank are often relied upon to officiate Sacraments and lead prayers. Indeed, some Warbands and Chapters have specific Chaplains whose presence and speech has made them ritual leaders -- even when superior officers are in attendance. 

In times of desperation or scarcity of Chaplains, the most senior Talonite or the most charismatic Talonite leads the Sacraments and prayers.

Furthermore, the Skull Conclave is well-respected among the Talonites. If they request it, they are allowed to officiate Sacraments and lead prayers -- provided that their rank is of Anchorite or higher. While the Talonites are technically within their rights to decline such a request, courtesy demands that the Skull Templar be allowed their wishes. 

Sacrament of Awakening

Talonite superstition holds that the Abyssals might seek out and abduct the spirits of ancient Talonite heroes before they can be reborn to serve the Temple once more. In the wilder regions of the world, this may hold some physical truth as some etheric monstrosities are drawn to the act of childbirth, because they feed on children or the Sacrament itself. Thus, for Talonites (as opposed to the UnTaloned), the presence of a Cradle-Shield (or three) is important. This role is usually the child’s father, the mother’s partner, or a close member of the mother’s warband present for the birth, with arms and armor. This is considered a mark of personal attachment for the mother and the child, akin to a god-parent. 

When a child is born within the Talon Conclave, it is a time of rejoicing and of thanksgiving to the God-Empress. The mother is honored and given reprieve from her trials. 

The Sacrament of Awakening consists of three portions, performed by the mother or her Cradle-Shield:

The First Severing: The umbilical cord is cut with a Talonic Dagger usually belonging to the mother or the Cradle-Shield. Immediately thereafter, the child or children are bathed with salt-water, which represents the blood of their ancestors and of the Goddess of All.

The First Vigil: The Cradle-Guard must guard the mother and child as they rest. In some Chapters, there are ceremonies wherein masked actors attempt to breach a door through force or words and the Cradle-Shield or mother must prevent their entry. In some territories of the Conclave, this is a quieter and grimmer affair without actors -- they simply await and battle monstrosities as they come (if they come at all). 

The First Awakening: During the battle or at the end of it, the mother or Cradle-Shield prays aloud to the God-Empress for protection and for strength. In ceremonies with the masked actors, these are usually their cue to retreat or for their bodies to fade away. 

Trial of Talons

The Trial of Talons is a Sacramental rite that must be undertaken and survived three times. In each Trial, a group of Novitiates (5-10 individuals) must successfully hunt down a horrific monstrosity or a flock of such horrors from beyond the Fall. 

Those adults that are joining the Talon Conclave must undergo this Trial as well, though the circumstances of them may change. Rare is a Trial that must be undergone alone -- at least a group of three must take this Trial. Special dispensations may be made for a Talonite to help an untaloned through their Sacrament. 

A Talonite Overseer supervises the Trial to ensure the least amount of casualties -- although these do happen. The deceased are posthumously treated as true Talonites… the lost are simply considered so until found. Furthermore, there are ceremonial rites to consecrate the hunt before and after such Trials, though their actual nature depends on the Chapter and the overseer.

Failure in a Trial is an uncommon occurrence but it does happen. Those who fail the Trial must perform a re-consecration ritual and may try anew after a few months or years of re-training. Some resign themselves to becoming Makers. A few Chapters are said to execute failures, but those practices are frowned upon by the Conclave and Chapter leaders are punished when their indiscretions are discovered.

Success and survival through three such hunts awards a Novitiate full membership as a Talonite. Though the ceremony involved differs with each Chapter, all gift the new Talonite with a ceremonial dagger that represents their new status as a weapon of the God-Empress and her Holy Temple. The remainder of the rite may involve a feast, a prayer, an execution, ritual combat, and/or other ceremonies. 

Trial of Conjunction 

The Trial of Conjunction is a Sacrament that must be endured by those who wish to join a Chapter and leave their current one. It is very similar to the Trial of Talon in that a prospective Talonite must hunt a monstrous foe under the oversight of the Chapter they wish to join. However, there is only one hunt and there are tasks that must be performed before the hunt is done.

The prospective Talonite will enact the hunt with the assistance of their new brethren. However, these individuals are there not only to assist but to judge their would-be comrade-in-arms. Performing poorly or being uncooperative is ill-regarded by most Chapters and can result in the rejection of the would be member even if the hunt was successful.  

Trial of Truth

This is less a ceremony of passage and more a right that can be demanded -- the Trial of Truth can be requested by an accused party, almost identical to a Trial by Combat. This is a straightforward yet sacred affair wherein an accused individual with the support of four to six individuals outside their Warband or Chapter may fight the Champions or proxies of the law. 

This requires that the presiding judge accept the accused’s request for a Trial of Truth and in practice, this only occurs when there is not enough evidence to convict the defendant. Said individual must also have enough popular support from outside factions to achieve this. That said, if the accused loses, those who sought to help them also share their fate. 

Sacrament of Respite

This Sacrament is the equivalent of a funeral among the Talon Conclave. It is a simplistic one, colored by the grim lives led by this militaristic culture.

In this ceremony, the body and Talonic Dagger (if they have one) of the deceased is burned. While the flames raze the prepared flesh of the fallen hero, their Warband or a leader among their Chapter or Conclave reads aloud their heroic deeds and prays aloud for the God-Empress’ mercy and protection. Allies and comrades of the deceased may choose to speak their own stories and fondness for the fallen soldier. The officiant ends the Sacrament by praying to the Goddess of All to give the deceased their deserved rest. The ashes of the fallen are then kept in an urn to be kept at their Chapter’s headquarters. 

If the flame is insufficient to burn the bones of the deceased, the corpse can be prepared with a special salve to assist in the destruction of the bones. Without this, the bones must be crushed and powdered so that they fit the urn in internment. 

In times of war, disaster, or mass casualties, Talonites are burned en masse in a huge funeral pyre with chemicals or magics expended to ensure that even their bones are burnt to nothing. While the pyre burns, one or more officiants speaks of the individuals and their service to the God-Empress. Each fallen Talonite is commemorated and celebrated until all have been mentioned -- this otherwise ends as the rite above..In lieu of a funerary urn, an individual’s Talonic Dagger or a similar representative token are interned at their Chapter’s headquarters in a cenotaph (a bodiless grave). 

Disgraced Talonites are decapitated, their bodies left to rot in the wilderness. Their heads grace the local places of law, spiked and upon poles so that all may know the face of sin and dishonor. 

Views of the Afterlife

Temple Dogma describes life after death as one wherein the human spirit is devoured by latent Abyssal essences in the land or fading into peaceful oblivion. The Ravening not only brought immense changes to physical reality in the form of etheric phenomenon and otherworldly horrors, but the realm of death has also been altered.

The only way to avoid this terrible fate is to undergo the Sacrament of Awakening or the Sacrament of Junction, wherein one’s spirit is marked by the God-Empress as one of her Chosen souls. Upon death, this spirit joins with its fellow Templar and with the God-Empress in eternal harmony. The Sacrament of Respite makes certain of this journey to the World Dragon and prevents interference from the Abyssals or other Necrotic entities. 

Talonite Perspective: Though unratified by the Oracle-Avatar, it is a common belief among the Talonites that this harmony strengthens the God-Empress for Her eventual last battle against the Abyssals. Heroic and holy warriors among the Temple are allowed to be reborn into the living world as Talonites to continue their side of the battle.

View of Magic

Like many within the Temple, magic is viewed as a gift of the Empress to humanity, allowing them to strike out at Her enemies. This gift is a double edged sword however -- the Empress’ gift was access to the Etheric Spheres of sorcery and witchcraft,which are primal elements of the universe, much like gravity and physics. The Earth-Mother’s beneficence does not extend toward protecting Her children from the ravages of wielding such energies or warding them from the dangerous aspects of Thergy. As She has given humanity free will, so too does She grant them the capacity to harm themselves using this terrifying, yet sacred gift.