Church of the Eternal March

### Important members

Sandrocus the Eternal, Death Knight Captain Prince Nagash, Death Knight Captain Prince Zahariel, Wraith Lord Prince Wezimus, High Necromancer Nezir

### Symbols and attire

Light blue, light green and ivory white robes topped with a hardened rib cage, various decorative pieces made of bone such as necklaces and bracelets, staffs and wands composed of bony materials and hefty prayer books written in Necril

### Rivals

Order of the Radiant Sun and The Ebony Gauntlet

### Motto

"In death, service begins"

The Church of the Eternal March is the most important organization operating within the Dead Kingdom of Vhenan. All citizens of Vhenan are considered to be members of the church and are expected to follow their teachings and the laws of Vraash, the God of Undeath. The Church of the Eternal March itself was founded by Mortis Mori, a great prophet of Vraash that successfully spread the teachings of Vraash throughout Vhenan and was able to sway king Sandrocus to the side of necromancy and undeath. The original purpose of the church was to enforce these new ideas in Vhenan and this purpose continues to this day, even when most of the population has already been turned into unintelligent undead. Now it mainly serves as a way to control the nevermores, the new half-undead civilian population of the kingdom, as well as minorities of living races that operate within the borders of Vhenan. Another purpose for the church is to obviously provide power and guidance to clerics and other followers who wish to embrace Vraash as their God. The church is also seen as an extension of Vraash himself; as the power and reach of the church grows, so does the power of Vraash. As the sole dedicated worshipers of Vraash on Énelya, the church has a duty to save him from imprisonment within the Bottomless Grave and help him ascend once again.

Following the events of the Second Demon War, Mortis Mori and Sandrocus formed the Church of the Eternal March to promote Vraash as the new God of Vhenan and to help people see the benefits of necromancy in protecting them. The veterans of the war marched through Vhenan, most of them having been turned into mindless undead such as skeletons and zombies and their souls given to Vraash himself. Their appearance horrified most of the populace and raised moral questions concerning slavery and defilement. Mortis and Sandrocus glorified these returned veterans as saviors and heroes, warriors of Vhenan that sacrificed their mortal bodies and souls in order to protect their home. As the people were made to see that only through necromancy could these slain soldiers have risen again to defend their kingdom, many accepted these new ways as harsh but necessary self-preservation. After that, those more interested in these matters were slowly revealed more details of the workings of Vraash and Mortis and his necromancers conducted a delicate and long operation to turn the heads of those still in doubt. Now almost all citizens of Vhenan accept that their corpses are in eternal servitude to Vraash and that their souls have an important purpose in helping their God rise from his grave. Only then can he grant them their final reward; an eternity of solidarity and peace in undeath's embrace where the pains and conflicts of life are no more.

The church largely operates around the capital city of Werdunia as most living subjects of the kingdom are stationed there. Necromancers, also known as necropriests, can sometimes be met around the borders of Vhenan, mostly located on the southern border. Sites and temples dedicated to the worship of Vraash are constantly attended by members of the church and every village and city within Vhenan has at least one temple, whether big or small. Not all belonging to the church are undead, especially new members, but most of them strive towards achieving greater undead forms. Trusted mortal members of the church are often sent on longer missions in foreign lands where they then dig up graves, collect information or search for new suitable followers and practitioners of necromancy such as sorcerers possessing an undead bloodline. When possible, they will attempt to gather various humanoid remains in order to bring them back to Vhenan. These kinds of operations are usually risky and hard to accomplish, which is why the church tries to remain as discreet as possible in their various tasks. Their true power and influence lies within Vhenan and that is where they must stay for the time being.

Of the inner workings of the church, it is known that the church itself is lead by Master Necromancer Moandor who is possibly closely monitored and directed by Sandrocus. Perhaps in its founding, the church had a more independent leader in Mortis Mori but since his disappearance, Sandrocus has been puppeteering subsequent leaders and necromancers. Two of Sandrocus' sons, Nagash and Zahariel, have also taken leadership over most of the new undead being constantly created by the church. As such, they have command over a major portion of Vhenan's military power. The church is also conducting research into restoring Sandrocus' third son, Wezimus, into a powerful graveknight. He died during the Second Demon War, but many of his remains, including his armor, sword and other valuable possessions, were recently recovered from the Wildlands of Angmar. The successful restoration of Wezimus might be a turning point for the church as this could lead into new ways of creating undead which could subsequently pave the way for undead dominance within the Realm of Mortals.