Rituals

The Pardoners don't have time for many rituals. Much of their daily schedule is based around going out on Patrol, training Postulants, and then - if they have time - tending to their own needs. Some Pardoners can find a way to balance all their obligations at the same time, but as this isn't always possible, the less "social nonsense" they have to put up with, the better.

However, there are important milestones in the career of any Pardoner, and Chapters tend to take these moments and make them into Rituals. Not every Chapter does a massive ceremony with everyone there: sometimes it's just the Master and Postulant, or Commander and Pardoner, as the case may be. But some Chapters recognize that having your elders and peers adds a certain esprit de corps to the proceedings, or at least scares the hell out of people who need it.

 

* The Naming

The first major step in any Pardoner's career is when she first comes before the Chapter as a Postulant. She is introduced to the Chapter, person by person, and then made to swear, on the War Journal, to remember the beliefs of the Concord at all times. Once this is done, the Master gives the Postulant her "Name," and either assigns her to a Pardoner for training, or asks for a volunteer to do so.

* The Proving

Once the Postulant has progressed up to a certain point - exactly where depends on the Chapter's own views - she is eligible to undergo a trial by fire, against the Darkness. This consists of her being chained and gagged, as though she were a Reservoir, and allowing the members of the Chapter to use her as one. In the meantime, she is read key parts of the War Journal, and taught certain secrets about Shadows, and how they can be bent to one's will.

The idea is to strengthen the Postulant's own Shadow, so that she truly understands what she's to be fighting against. The process may take anywhere from a few days to a week or two, and is overseen by a Master, who constantly checks her progress. After the point is reached, the Postulant is released, checked for signs of spiritual damage, and then asked for her new insights into the nature of the Enemy.

Those who impress the Master become full-fledged members of the Concord, and are allowed to choose a new name for themselves. And from that day forward, they are either Brother or Sister, and may refer to themselves as Pardoners.

* The Dismissal

War is harsh, and wartime discipline must be equally harsh. Those who engage in treason are destroyed, and their parts used to make weapons for the fight. However, those who engage in less serious offenses, such as constantly breaking the rules, flagrantly disobeying orders, or engage in seriously questionable activity may receive a different sort of punishment - expulsion from the ranks.

The ritual is known as Dismissal, and often involves all members of the Concord, even if they don't include the others in Naming or Proving. The charges are read to the Pardoner in question, and she gains one last chance to answer them, or offer evidence to the contrary. If she fails to convince the Commander {who always brings these charges}, the matter is left to the Master to decide.

Depending on the severity of the charges, and the weight of the evidence, the Master may elect to nullify the proceedings, put it to a vote, or simply declare the person Dismissed.

In case of a vote, those who wish the Pardoner to be gone need only turn their back on her. Once the vote is taken, if the majority rules for Dismissal, the Master must follow suit, at which point all Pardoners turn their back. Only the Commander is not allowed to vote, and only she must remain facing the Pardoner - if only to level a gun at her head, tell her to leave, and then make sure she does.

Dismissal brings not only expulsion from the Concord, but also surveillance by the Pardoners. If they receive word that the ex-Pardoner is calling herself a Pardoner, using Castigation, or conspiring with the enemy, they will destroy her. Some of the less-noble members of a Chapter might use this as an excuse to settle old scores - something that is frowned upon, but rarely punished in and of itself.

The Mission

It is, perhaps, a sign of the desperation of their war that those who fail the Pardoners are sometimes given a chance to redeem themselves, rather than be permanently cast out. This redemption comes in the form of undertaking a dangerous task, and is known as The Mission.

At any point in the Dismissal, the accused Pardoner may declare herself guilty, and ask for a chance to redeem herself. Alternatively, the Master may forgo her decision, or calling for a vote, and offer this form of redemption to the Pardoner. There is no forcing her to do this - it must be voluntary, or else it's just another order for her to screw up or disobey.

Missions often involve taking a very Long Patrol, out to a fallen Necropolis, and reporting on what happened there, and why. They may also be asked to make a journey to another Necropolis with some of the War Journal {never all of it}, so that they can add to it, and send it along to the next one up the road. Some Missions even involve the harrowing journey to the Shadow Library, there to speak with someone of a question of great import.

Those who accomplish The Mission as ordered, within a set period of time, are allowed back in as full Pardoners. They are considered to have redeemed themselves, whatever their crimes, and no one is to speak of those incidents again. Those who fail, however, presumed lost to the Enemy, fully Dismissed or destroyed for treason, depending on the circumstances of how they failed, and why.

Note that genuine traitors are never offered a Mission: there is only one thing to be done with them, and it happens in the Foundry.


Back