Nerco Cult

Nerco is one of the two main religions of Mosir Sumari, centered around the practice of necromancy and the resulting members of the undead. The religion worships god of the undead, Nerco, who came to Eldham from the Negative Plain. Some undead followers possess the ability to raise the dead, transforming them not only into the living dead, but into followers of the undead God himself.

Theological Origins
In the midst of an ongoing war between the demons of the abyss and the Four Realms, two gods of chaos quarreled for domination of their field: Limbus, god of Limbo, and Zarafell, exiled god, inhabitant of the Chaos Cloud, a resplendent cloud of colors with neither form nor shape. For the sake of this war, Zarafell was brought forth from exile with his hoard of misshapen creatures to fight against the demons. Zarafell utilized his forces to finally kill and eat Limbus, absorbing his powers and asserting himself as the true god of chaos. His army proceeded to slaughter the demons of the abyss, vanquishing them at a rate that frightened many of the other gods, and displayed the unparalleled power of Zarafell. However, just as Zarafell took his seat in Limbo as the singular god of chaos, the Goddess of Law confronted him, and the two deities fought with great ferocity, until she finally drove a sword through his chest, killing him. A pure act a vengeance for her husband’s murder. Zarafell’s minions ate his snake-like corpse, and for a millenia his corpse decayed in Limbo, festering and gruesome. One day Lady Death breathed life back into him, transforming him into a god of the undead; a being who was now known as Nerco, and for another two millenia he roamed in the Negative Plane in his new domain. Eventually discovered by the gods, horrified by his transformation, they once again cast him out into a void beyond realms: our world.

Cult Hierarchy
The Unholy Adepts - Highest of the Nercomaners; can contact Nerco directly

Upper Nobles and Upper Nercomaners - Old and powerful families

Lich - A powerful undead, created through the living. Little is known about their creation, save that it involves a powerful mage ripping out their own soul and putting it in an object. It is an undead created without death, nor outside aid.

Lower Nobles and Lower Nercomaners - Younger families with not as much power or influence

Mummy Lords - Protectors of portals to and from the Negative Plane

Deathknights and Mummies - creations of Nerco and Lady Death or users of their power by proxy

Ghouls, Intelligence Skeletons, Vampires - lesser undead

Mindless undead, Zombies - Undead with impaired cognitive abilities and/or lack of self-awareness

Both castes of Nercomaners possess the ability to rise the dead. Mages as well, possess this ability, though they may not be undead. The dead are risen through a spell called “Rise the Dead” in which the subject is either turned into a ghoul or mindless zombie, per preference of the nercomaner. In some cases, depending on the subject’s magical capacity, they may even rise into something higher than a ghoul.

Eldham Origins
Upon Nerco’s exile, many of his followers from the Negative Plain followed him to the mortal realm, establishing the church of Nerco in Mosir Sumari, and founding Necropolis as its unholy capital. Nerco’s current following consists mainly of undead followers from the Negative Plain itself, therefore culture and mortal worship remain mostly undeveloped.