Reavers

The Reavers are one of these most violent religions on Miranda. Primarily found on Miran, specifically in the Western Realms these adherents are followers of Danshi, Demon Prince of Slaughter. So fearful are people of Reavers that even the rumor that someone is a Reaver is enough to have a mob tear them apart, which also serves Danshi's purpose.

The Reavers are not centrally organized nor are they led towards a single purpose. Each group of Reavers is lead by a single Bloodpriest. These groups, should they come into contact with each other, will fight until a single Bloodpriest controls the surviving adherents. It is possible for both Bloodpriests to kill each other, but that serves Danshi's purpose as well ensuring that only the strong and ruthless survive.

While no civilized land would tolerate construction of a temple to Danshi, there are temples hidden in the wilderness between lands. In the Western Realms both the Irrishites and temple_of_light have launched crusades when a Reaver Temple has been found.

Fare more common are hidden shrines and totems. Reavers know that they would be tortured and killed should their activities be found, so those that survive have learned how to keep their activities secret. This often entails disguising their shrines so that only a true adherent would recognize it as being dedicated to Danshi.

• Catherine the Red Voice is a one of the more feared Bloodpriests, not because she is very strong, but her lack of empathy is chilling to any that look upon her visage.
• Daemon McGorath is a loud warrior, ever seeking greater thrills in combat. He has a reputation for always beating his foes, no matter the odds.

Different bands of Reavers march under different banners - the only similarity is that each banner has a field of deep crimson. The symbol on this field is the personal mark of the Bloodpriest who directs them. Those Reavers that do not follow a Bloodpriest will often use simply a banner of crimson.

A serrated, or saw-tooth, edge features strongly in most carved or sculpted works of art. Shrines, statues, and even the tools used for different ceremonies often have a serrated edge to them. Those tools that cannot be used with such an edge will instead have a deep blood runnel - even if the tool is never used on things that can bleed. This serves as a constant reminder of the goals of Danshi.

The adherents of Danshi are divided into three very distinct groups dependent on how much Danshi has favored them. The largest group are the slahtōn, which are the laity who serve Danshi's will but have never been truly blessed by his power. Those who have paid the blood price and been granted his power are called the Reavers and are the most visible sign of Danshi's strength. Physically altered these people are not mindless, but stripped of all empathy and compassion. The smallest group are the Bloodpriests that directly speak to and carry out the will of Danshi upon the world.

The strongest worshipers are the Bloodpriests. These people have paid the blood price and pledged their souls to Danshi, but instead of becoming a Reaver their souls were bound with that a of demon. In their life these men and women were powerful, intelligent, and typically sought power over others. The Bloodpriest not only gains a measure of the power of the demon, but will often mirror some of its demonic nature. Rare is the mortal that can truly balance themselves and the demon within them, but those are the most feared.

Although unknown to many, it is the Bloodpriests that provide the direction and control of the Reavers. A Reaver pack without a Bloodpriest would never grown beyond a dozen members as they would eventually fall upon each other a slake their thirst for blood. When controlled by the intelligence and cunning of a Bloodpriest, a pack can contain scores of Reavers and will act only as the priest commands.

Not all Bloodpriests hold a pack of Reavers under their control as this will draw unwanted attention to themselves - the Reavers are the harbingers of slaughter and the door through which a Bloodpriest can serve the will of Danshi.

Far fewer in number than the slahtōn, the Reavers are what people fear the most. Mothers use the Reavers to frighten their children into behaving and even hardened soldiers fear the appearance of a Reaver warband. A Reaver is a adherent of Danshi that has drunk from the blood of the demon and changed into something far more terrifying. Utterly devoid of fear, compassion, and sanity - even small groups of Reavers can destroy entire towns. They will rape, slaughter, and flay any they come across often wearing their skin or bones as decoration.

Ritualized cutting of their skin and blood red eyes are the marks of a Reaver.

Reavers are still considered intelligent as they are capable of fashioning weapons, armor, and other things needed to carry out their bloody work. They often gather in warbands, or hunting packs, dominated by the strongest among them. These packs rarely survive long or grow very large as infighting among dominate Reavers is common.

A Reaver pack will number in the dozen rather than in the hundreds. The exception to this is when the pack is under the control of the Bloodpriest. The largest single pack in history numbered in the thousands and was controlled by eight (8) Bloodpriests acting in unison under the guidance of a demon sent by Danshi to killed the elven hero Maehile.

These are the lowest, and most common, adherents of the Demon Prince. Their bodies have not been disfigured nor are their minds warped by dark rituals. They live among others of their kind as individuals or in small circles carrying out the will of Danshi. It is these adherents that build and maintain the shrines and serve as the eyes and ears for any nearby Bloodpriest.

The goal of some of the slahtōn is to pay the blood price and be named a Reaver, but many more will simply stay as they are serving a Bloodpriest or simply the will of Danshi. This is why most adherents do not gather in large circles as when a slahtōn is reborn as a Reaver they will slaughter those around them in their baptism by blood.

This is the ritual that a Slahtōn undertakes then their deeds are measured by Danshi. If their deeds are found lacking then they will be destroyed utterly. Should they be found useful they will rise from near death as a Reaver; however, if they are judged highly then they will rise as a Bloodpriest.

This is a dangerous ritual with nearly half of the Slahtōn undertaking it never rise from their near death state - instead they slowly die - aware the full time of their failure. Less than one in one-hundred (1 in 100) that do rise will become Bloodpriests.