You have spent your life in the service to The Blood of Vol. You can perform sacred rites and collect the freely given blood of worshipers.
The Blood of Vol teaches that we all have the potential to become divine beings—and that death is a curse, designed to kill you before you can unlock the divinity within you.
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 followers 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 extremist 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.
- 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.
- Skill Proficiencies: Medicine, Religion
- Languages: One of your choice
- Equipment: A holy symbol (a gift to you when you entered the priesthood), a prayer book or prayer wheel, 5 sticks of incense, vestments, a set of common clothes, and a pouch containing 15 gp.
As a Seeker, you command the respect of those who share your faith (Blood of the Vol), and you can perform the religious ceremonies. You and your adventuring companions can expect to receive free healing and care at a temple, shrine, or other established presence of your faith, though you must provide any material components needed for spells. Those who share your religion will support you (but only you) at a modest lifestyle.
You also have the ability to, at key times, tap into the "inherent divinity within". In so doing, you are able to apply your Proficiency Bonus to any (1) Skill Check (even if you are already proficient in that skill--does not apply to skills to which you have expertise). Once done, you suffer (1) level of exhaustion.
*Since this is not a spell, you do not need V, S, M components. Tapping this power is undetectable to all but Lesser and Greater deities. Quasi Deities such as Titans, Demigods, and Vestiges are unable to detect your flair of divine power.
| Level | Effect |
|---|---|
| 1 | Disadvantage on ability checks |
| 2 | Speed halved |
| 3 | Disadvantage on attack rolls and saving throws |
| 4 | Hit point maximum halved |
| 5 | Speed reduced to 0 |
| 6 | Death |
Suggested Characteristics
Blood of Vol Ministers are shaped by their experience in temples, hospitals, or other medical/religious communities. Their study of the blood, life, and death as well as their relationships with the living affect their mannerisms and ideals. Their flaws might be some hidden hypocrisy or heretical idea, or an ideal or bond taken to an extreme.
| d8 | Personality Trait |
|---|---|
| 1 | I idolize a particular hero of my faith, and constantly refer to that person’s deeds and example. |
| 2 | I can find common ground between the fiercest enemies, empathizing with them and always working toward peace. |
| 3 | I see omens in every event and action. The gods try to speak to us, we just need to listen. |
| 4 | Nothing can shake my optimistic attitude. |
| 5 | I quote (or misquote) sacred texts and proverbs in almost every situation. |
| 6 | I am tolerant (or intolerant) of other faiths and respect (or condemn) the worship of other gods. |
| 7 | I’ve enjoyed fine food, drink, and high society among my temple’s elite. Rough living grates on me. |
| 8 | I’ve spent so long in the temple that I have little practical experience dealing with people in the outside world. |
| d6 | Ideal |
|---|---|
| 1 | Tradition. The ancient traditions of worship and sacrifice must be preserved and upheld. (Lawful) |
| 2 | Charity. I always try to help those in need, no matter what the personal cost. (Good) |
| 3 | Change. We must help bring about the changes the gods are constantly working in the world. (Chaotic) |
| 4 | Power. I hope to one day rise to the top of my faith’s religious hierarchy. (Lawful) |
| 5 | Faith. I trust that my deity will guide my actions. I have faith that if I work hard, things will go well. (Lawful) |
| 6 | Aspiration. I seek to prove myself worthy of my god’s favor by matching my actions against his or her teachings. (Any) |
| d6 | Bond |
|---|---|
| 1 | I would die to recover an ancient relic of my faith that was lost long ago. |
| 2 | I will someday get revenge on the corrupt temple hierarchy who branded me a heretic. |
| 3 | I owe my life to the priest who took me in when my parents died. |
| 4 | Everything I do is for the common people. |
| 5 | I will do anything to protect the temple where I served. |
| 6 | I seek to preserve a sacred text that my enemies consider heretical and seek to destroy. |
| d6 | Flaw |
|---|---|
| 1 | I judge others harshly, and myself even more severely. |
| 2 | I put too much trust in those who wield power within my temple’s hierarchy. |
| 3 | My piety sometimes leads me to blindly trust those that profess faith in my god. |
| 4 | I am inflexible in my thinking. |
| 5 | I am suspicious of strangers and expect the worst of them. |
| 6 | Once I pick a goal, I become obsessed with it to the detriment of everything else in my life. |