Death. Life. Rigid order. Simmering chaos. The Abhorsen walks the line between all of these.

Both ancient and recent, the small order of the Abhorsen centers around the Second Sundering and maintaining the balance of the cosmos. According to old Abhorsen tales, there were once nine lesser gods of magic, who reportedly charted the boundaries of the elemental planes, and were intermediaries in fleshing out the Material Plane. These were known collectively as the Nine Bright Shiners: Ranna, Mosrael, Kibeth, Dyrim, Belgaer, Saraneth, Orannis, Yrael, and Astarael. Of them, Orannis objected the most to the boundaries drawn, and eventually began to turn against their kin, sabotaging and destroying their work. Seven turned against Orannis, but Yrael refused to take a stand, and hid far away. Orannis was at last confronted and a horrible war ensued. But Orannis was no longer content to just defeat their kin. They aimed much, much higher... and informed a certain god of murder of ways that the workings of magic could be exploited.

After the Second Sundering began and the ravages of the Spellplague started to subside, Yrael was discovered and Orannis was defeated and bound. Yrael was confined to the form of a small cat for the price of their neutrality, and the remaining seven entered into a pact with Mystra and other deities of magic that would reform the Weave and the magics that relied on it. This is the Charter the Abhorsen refer to, one that not only governed magic, but also the realms of death, so that no hidden pathways could be taken against the deities of magic anymore. The first Abhorsen were clerics of Mystra and the remaining Shiners, who guided the dead out of and into the realms of death, turned back the undead, and fought back the ruinous effects of magic outside the Weave- what is referred is as Free Magic by the Abhorsen.

Now existing on different worlds and subsequently different timelines because of the Second Sundering, the order of the Abhorsen is a secretive enclave, doing their work from the shadows. Around them it quickly becomes evident that they wield magic ancient and alien, giving them an unsettling air. They work amidst the waters of a river of death. It has its origins in the Outer Planes and winds it way among them, bordering the Material Plane in many areas. Mystra and the Shiners set gates along its path, which the Abhorsen guard and as needed take the dead across. Being one of the most private of sects, only a single apprentice at a time is trained by each Abhorsen; the apprentice is referred to as the Abhorsen-In-Waiting, and receives their masters bells upon becoming a full member of the order. You are one such apprentice, and now walk a dark path that few dare to tread.

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At present, those outside the order who know of the Abhorsen only know of them as odd but well-meaning clerics that watch over the souls of the dead. Any good Abhorsen will, of course, simply confirm this. Their dark robes bear the silver key that is the symbol of the order, but they otherwise seem similar in appearance to other clerics. Except, their work can often lead them to realms beyond the Material Plane, certainly making them un-ordinary. And, key to their work are their Seven Bells which are worn on a bandolier, representative of the seven Shiners who entered into the Charter.

The river of Abhorsen cosmology is thought to be its own plane that borders others, instead of a feature across many, its nine gates symbolizing the passageways between its layers. All the nine layers, or precincts, of the river are immense in size, and thought to be infinite. Many of the Abhorsen's spells are derived from it or ways of practicing travel along it. There are waterfalls, sinkholes and a whirlpool, shallow waters giving way to massive waves, deep waters and raging currents along the river's path. The Sixth Precinct is guarded by a waterclimb, a reverse waterfall where the water travels upwards; the current of the river ceases here as it becomes a shallow pool, and many dead wander about in this layer. The current picks back up beyond, and the Eighth Precinct is shut off by a great wall of fire, whose blazes wander its waters in oily patches that can flare up unexpectedly. Past a cloying shroud of darkness is the ninth and last precinct, with ankle-deep waters and a gentle current; the mists that float above the river elsewhere are no longer present, a sense of the enormity of the river finally becoming apparent. The last gate is the sky itself, cloudless and strewn with breathtaking galaxies. It draws the dead whose time has come up into itself. The dead of this precinct are few and far between, because all who visit instinctually know that it is the end, and there is no return from across the ninth gate.

In life, the Abhorsen are also fond of rivers, due to the old superstition of undead being able to cross them. Consciously or not, many end up taking residence near a river in life, and the elusive headquarters of the Abhorsen is itself situated near one close by the edge of a waterfall. It is said one of the original bells of the Abhorsen is fixed to the door to signal it being opened.

Seven Bells

The tools of the Abhorsen's trade are seven magical hand bells(or the pan flute, for an Abhorsen-In-Waiting), each named for one of the Seven Bright Shiners, ancient celestial beings of magic who helped to shape the world. They also aided in expanding the Weave, which the Abhorsen refer to as The Charter, or Charter Magic. Most magic makes use of the Weave, and the free magic that exists is usually strictly polarized and subordinate to it. The Seven Bells of the Abhorsen, however, are inscribed with sigils that can awaken and even direct the incredibly dangerous Free Magic that exists in the world. These sigils also aid in an Abhorsen's defense against Free Magic and necromancy. When used for magic they toll like thunder.

You gain proficiency with hand bells(musical instrument) and the Thunderclap cantrip, and advantage on Wisdom saving throws against Necromancy spells. You can also attune to set of hand bells with long rest, and use them as a holy symbol, as well as verbal and somatic components for Cleric spells(and Thunderclap); if the spell has a range of touch, it can instead have a range of thirty feet. The bells do not count towards your limit on attuned items.

Charter Magic

After cosmic magical catastrophes, the remaining Bright Shiners allied with greater gods of the arcane to make a Charter- chiefly known as the Weave today- that would govern the laws of magic universally. The Shiners themselves became anchors of the Charter Magic, underpinning its secrets and influence on the realms of the dead. The Abhorsen draw on those ancient secrets and are inherently more durable as a result, their vitality being reinforced. As such, you gain 1 bonus hit point per level.

Channel Divinity: The Weeper

Starting at 2nd level, you can use your Channel Divinity to send a chilling omen. Properly controlled Free magic is withering and almost impossible to avoid, save by those already on the border of life and death. As an action, you ring your largest bell and command Free Magic that can deal Necrotic damage equal to five times your cleric level. Choose any creatures within 30 ft. of you, and divide the damage among them. If a creature has Necrotic resistance or immunity, it must make a WIS save: on a fail, its immunity is treated as resistance, and its resistance is ignored for this feature. The sound of your bells ringing when using your Channel Divinity for this is clearly audible for 300 feet.

Resonance

An Abhorsen's frequent contact with undead, as well as Free Magic, enable to them to resist the ravages of unlife and track down those on the border of it. You have Necrotic resistance, and treat undead as a favored enemy.

Sonorous

At 8th level, you gain the ability to almost subconsciously infuse your spells with dangerous Free Magic, lending them enhanced potency. Once on each of your turns when you damage a creature with a Cleric cantrip(including Thunderclap), the cantrip deals Wisdom modifier extra damage.

The Ninth Gate

Only at night or in darkness, you can briefly summon a fragment of the Ninth Gate for a minute; it occupies the sky in a 120-ft. radius circle above you 100 feet above the ground, and every creature in its area is automatically aware of its presence, regardless of their sight capabilities. With an action you can attempt to send a creature within 60 feet of you and in the area of the gate towards it. It must then make Wisdom saving throws against this feature at the end of its turns; undead and creatures with less than their maximum hit points have disadvantage on these saving throws, and all undead in the area below challenge rating 4 automatically fail it and are subject to the final effects of being in the gate's vicinity.

If a creature fails a saving throw against this feature, then it is considered to have failed a death saving throw naturally and becomes Charmed for the duration; a second failure causes it to become incapacitated instead and rise into the air slowly ten feet per round, and a third failure has the normal death saving throw failure effects, and causes the target's body to vanish. If a target is healed, damaged by you or an ally, stabilized, or succeeds on three saves against this feature, it is no longer affected by it for the duration. The feature also requires your concentration, and ends if it is broken; it otherwise can only be stopped by a Wish spell or divine intervention(which it may attract, but this happens at the DM's discretion).

After the duration or a total of nine saving throws against the feature have been failed with a roll, you suffer two levels of Exhaustion and become unable to use it again by any means for 2+1d12 days.