Titles and Duties

Each Chapter is ideally overseen by two Pardoners: a Master and a Commander. The Commander, sometimes known as the War Chief, holds supreme tactical command over the Necropolis, and is charged with teaching Pardoners the Arts of their war, and sending them on their rounds. The Master oversees the spiritual welfare of the Chapter, and has the final say on who may join, and who must leave.

The Commander and Master are considered of equal rank. They are not allowed to overrule one another's decisions, and may unseat one another only if their counterpart is proven to be treasonous, or spiritually compromised. Three witnesses must attest to the truth of this matter for it to be considered actionable, and if the Chapter agrees that a replacement is warranted, it is done.

However, when this occurs a new Master or Commander must be selected from the body of Pardoners who did not serve as witnesses. It usually goes to the most senior Pardoner that remains, but it's not unknown for a relatively new member who's proven herself in the field to get the nod. And if the Chapter accepts her, she's in.

 

Rank and File

Ordinary Pardoners are known simply as Pardoners, though ones who've been doing it well for a long time are sometimes nicknamed Honorables {As in the Honorable Brother Anger}. Some prefer to be called Purifiers, Absolvers, Sin Eaters or Warders by their charges, and fellow Pardoners, but this is very unofficial.

Upon joining, each would-be Pardoner is known as a Postulant. She is also given a name that reflects her greatest failing, as seen by the Master {Postulant Zeal, Postulant Diffidence, Postulant Ignorance, etc.}. The Postulant does not have to agree with this assessment, but until she shows herself worthy of the Proving - and survives it - she will be called that name by every Pardoner in the Chapter.

Following her Proving, the Postulant is now allowed to call herself a Pardoner, and known as Brother or Sister. She is also to choose a name that she thinks indicates her greatest strength, or something she wishes to overcome within herself {Brother Hatred, Sister Mirth, etc.}. Her old identity no longer exists.

 

Marching Orders

The chief duty of all Pardoners is to go out into the Necropolis and Purify it. Each Pardoner is given responsibility over one particular area - and possibly assigned a Postulant, or Brother/Sister Pardoner, for help - and expected to keep tabs on every Wraith in that area. Ideally, they will visit each person at least once a week, but sometimes that's just impossible, and they have to settle for once every two, if that.

As there are always far more Wraiths than Pardoners can comfortably handle, they tend to take a "slash and burn" approach to their rounds. If someone's ailing, they might take the time to fix them, but if they're too far gone to save they might just shoot them and get it over with. It seems terribly harsh, but they prefer to spend what little time that have saving those they can, rather than struggling with someone who let themselves go too far to do much for them. Sometimes war can be cruel...

Pardoners are also expected to keep an eye out for the Damned, Reapers {who are Damned, by their estimation} and Dark Walkers, who could be lurking anywhere. They don't tend to get into confrontations with "Ferrymen" if they can avoid it, since other Concords have been brainwashed into thinking them their friends. However, if they have a chance to spread the truth about the monsters, they will.

The Walk

Pardoners are known to go out into the Wilderness, beyond the city's bounds, and minister to Wraiths out there. They don't like to do it, since they're too far into enemy territory to get help if things go wrong. But since the enemy is within and without, that's no real excuse.

While out on Long Patrol, as they call it, the Pardoners' usual "slash and burn" techniques are in full effect. Wraiths who are borderline are more likely to be put down than helped out, and those who can be helped are given a stern lecture about needing to be more careful.


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