Raiments of the Repugnant

Raiments of the Repugnant is a book uncovered through use of Study-related Inquiries.

## Description

Following their encounter with the black dragon Sharzorgok within the ruins of the Anorcorian city of Ancruor, Rover Custard Augustine found himself in possession of a number of Anorcorian relics - and thus, keen to learn more about their potential cultural significance - reached out to Bona LeChaney and the archives of the House of LeChaney in an effort to gain a greater contextual understanding.

## Reading

### Completed by Rover Custard Augustine

To many, the lands of Anorcor, hidden behind the shifting sands and supernatural insectoid swarms are a place of mystery, majesty and malice alike in equal spades. Those that find themselves delving into that which is known surely do so with horror - for even beneath the vilified tales exaggerated for sake of ego and grandeur, there is something deeply rotten about the Uncharted Lands, our understanding of it gained only by means of those that have found some means to flee, of which naught more than a handful have managed to, or by those that have found some means to enter and explore the lands of swirling dunes and glass cities for themselves. The information contained within this tome is courtesy of the famed Raq adventurer Famakan, whose integrity is well-proven and accounted for, but nonetheless, should be observed through the lens of a single soul - and thus, amusingly, taken with a pinch of salt (or rather, sand!)

Famakan claims to have spent the best part of three years within the walls created by the Dustlords, the trio of individuals that held mortal dominion for centuries, and continue to do so to this day. Having claimed to have been guided by both the Eternal Minstrel and the Avid One, they spent this time gathering much and more - their concise findings reflected subsequently, this particular topic presented through the lens of the significant objects in each Anorcorian's life, from birth to death - and beyond!

#### Birth

Central to the rituals associated with the arrival of a newborn is the *Qaharqa*, the *"Passing of the Legacy's Edge"*. Said to be a physical act symbolising the union of blood that has brought about the new life, it is traditional for each parent to spill a drop of blood onto the brow of the infant, drawing it by means of a specifically made or provisioned matching set of knives. The handles of each of the blades are then pressed into the hands of the baby, in acknowledgement of their role in strengthening the Realm of Anorcor - whether as a warrior, a scholar of people, places or power, or labourer. It is said that those newborns that grip tightest are destined to be the formermost, while those that immediately shirk the offerings are destined for the lattermost. The quality of the knives varies significantly, ranging from simple affairs of locally-sourced wood and bronze for commonfolk, to ornate pieces shaped from starmetal, decorated with electrum and precious gemstones for those revelling in high society. Regardless, it is traditional for an individual to retain the blades throughout their life, and in time, be buried with them.

#### Coming of Age

A notable symbol within the Anorcorian Faith, iron spikes and stakes play a significant role within the coming of age rituals for Anorcorians destined for lives as warriors. Only one that might be deemed worthy of the god to which they are attributed and associated - Rak Tulkhesh, the Storm of Rust - may have their ear or brow pierced with an iron spike, an act that declares them to be suitably strong to exude an aura of power as to sow terror in their foes. By contrast, those destined for a life as a labourer might be gifted items shaped from cattle horn or precious ivory, with said items varying from small pendants to bracelets to helmets, belts and boots, in reference to the Anorcorian goddess of agriculture, construction and toil.

#### Marriage

Compared to elsewhere upon the Ahlusian continent, less weight is placed on marriage ceremonies within the Realm of Anorcor. Most are arranged shortly after birth with the intent to tie families together for sake of property and belongings, usually from within local social circles. Ceremonies predominantly focus on matters of fertility to come in the prompt future, with blessings - once again featuring liberal use of iron stakes - to encourage strength, vigour and vitality in the children of the union as a blessing from the Everstretching Tempest. Amongst nobility or the otherwise wealthy, gifts to mark the event moving forwards may often be given, with objects such as a paint pots (to encourage a vibrant and bold life), polished gemstones (to encourage success and plentifulness) and ornate models of lavish households and estates (to encourage aspirations and determination) often exchanged between the families.

#### Professions

The tools of the professions used to ensure the operation and continued strength and prosperity of the Realm of Anorcor are, predictably, highly variable - as highly variable as professions are like to be. For most, the tools are purely functional, but in some few cases, more ceremonial pieces may be commissioned, created or otherwise utilised. Such pieces are associated with the esteemed and the greatest in society, the items likewise exemplary and ornate. Warriors may be granted ceremonial weapons and armour - often with powerful enchantments associated with the School of Evocation - whereas scholars and philosophers wear headbands of precious metals decorated with symbology of the gods, such as stakes, horns, beetles and stars. For many, these tools might be multigenerational, having been inherited from family or friends over time, a tradition also echoed amongst the upper echelons of Anorcorian society as to preserve and bolster the storied history of such items.

#### Death

The Anorcorian understanding and appreciation of death is far divorced from that acknowledged elsewhere on the continent as guided by the Ahlusian Pantheon's teaching. Anorcorians seem to acknowledge some consideration of the soul, but instead maintain beliefs that the weight of one's accomplishments and assets is not a burden for said soul, but rather a blessing - for it will more readily pierce through the sands underfoot to the afterlife below if properly weighted, and thus less likely to be caught and consumed by the horrors that lurk beneath its surface to feast upon those that pass through too slowly. As such, funeral rites nearly always feature efforts to increase the mass of the deceased, whether stuffing the desiccated body with pebbles and sand, or, as per the wealthy, also encasing them with death masks in sarcophagi ornately decorated with gemstones, jewels and weighty precious metals such as adamantine and electrum. A few, usually that of wazirs - the ministerial rank below that of the Dustlords themselves - are known to have themselves stuffed with coins, whether the platinum and gold pieces more commonly used elsewhere, or the sprigs of pure iron often also in circulation. For many however, the Anorcorian's custom of reutilising humanoid remains after death would become their body's fate following the passage of the soul. While the population of Anorcor remains uncertain, it was Famakan's belief that one in three of the populace he encountered was in truth an animated corpse, bound in servitude until the magics puppetting remaining flesh and bone eventually faltered - whether from continuous strain labouring in farms and fields, or shattered beneath a foe's host.