Incarnation

The birth of the world:
In the beginning there was only one man, this was He Who Decays. He lived in nothingness, wandering seeking out anything that lived, or died, and found nothing. Finding nothing he eventually stood on the brink of his own death, for an eternity he had wandered an unending void. On the verge of death he realized, only in his own flesh could life be found, therefore from it must new life come. So as his life left him he wove a work inside himself, his soul, made eternal in unending rotting carnation. As his flesh decayed, new life wriggled forth from within it’s sumptuous folds. Plants and mushrooms sprouted forth from his skin, his bones turned to stone, and so the world was formed. He Who Decays lives eternally as the world itself. He had turned back the decay of dust, and turned his decay into an eternal state. A state of true perfection. A state of life giving, a state of life being.

The birth of the first Risen
“A rotting corpse sitting in shallow earth, who was it? What was their name? No one knew. Till one day it stood, and when it stood, It knew. It knew that it had been risen by He Who Decays. It knew not it’s name, but it did know it’s purpose, to spread word of this corpse deity. One day the world would praise it’s name, this it knew. Soon those who rose in the man of old flesh’s name would spread. Their words resounding with the flesh that knew it too must one day die. For who would choose to turn to dust in place of gaining eternal carnation?” -The Tale of the First Risen

The Risen
A living being may only be called a true follower of He Who Decays when they cast aside the spark of life and Breathe no more. They must be buried in a shallow grave, a sacrifice must be made, and they must arise from the newly turned dirt free from the turmoil of life. Free to spread the word of the He Who Decays. They must partake of their brethren’s being from time to time, for they are risen in new form, and have cast aside that common defining factor of living beings. In rising from the grave made anew in the form of He Who Decays they become one of the Risen

To become Risen, is to be rotting, to become undead. To live in similitude to He Who Decays, to remain his eternal servant till one’s being is turned to dust, or a new life arises from one’s carcass. The Risen know the fate of this world, for all things must rot in the end, all things must perish. But they are saved from the unfortunate end of dust, for they have been incarcerated eternally in the rot. The rot is not life, but it is carnation eternal.

Practices
Crypts and Graveyards are the home of He Who Decays, where the corpses rot he can be found. Where bones have turned to dust you can find his sorrow, his suffering, and anger. Where things still yet rot you can find his joy, where things are born you can see his children. It is in these places you find The Risen carrying out their master's rituals. In the Bowels of the Earth in the stinking muck of bogs, in a fresh grave.

The Voice of Decay
First Among the Risen, the voice of He Who Decays. This role is currently held by the First Risen, Aciad. In this role he acts as the Leader and chief of the Risen. He stands at the head of the Risen Priests as their direct leader, under their command do they move.

Risen Priests
Risen who have taken on the role of professing the word of He Who Decays and perform his rituals. They each preside over a city or region, or following of He Who Decays. They command the Guardians and Knights of their Congregations according to the will of He Who Decays.

Risen Knights
Risen warriors and commanders who lead Corpse Guardians to the will of He Who Decays. They are sources of inspiration for those beneath them and around them. It is their duty to stem the voices of dust who seek to destroy He Who Decays.

Corpse Guardians
Risen who have taken up the mantle of defenders of the Faith. There are many who would destroy the Risen for their perfection, This must not be allowed. For this purpose have these risen been bestowed the role of guardian.

Birth of a new Risen
The creation of a new Risen is a careful process. He Who Decays must be invoked and consulted, the supplicant must be placed in a fresh tomb or a new grave. There they must be sealed, as a Risen priest oversees or performs the ritual to consummate their new birth. Flesh must be consumed, and a sacrifice made to the World itself: He Who Decays. Once the mortal spark has passed from the supplicant they shall be revealed, Born from the Grave. Born from the tomb. Born from the bowels of the Earth. Born from He Who Decays.

True Death
True death is the ultimate punishment for a Risen. To face true death is to be purged of life in fire, to be cast from the divine cycle into entropic death. A Risen facing true death is one who has committed unspeakable crimes and sins. For their crimes they will be locked in a cage of steel and either set alight till naught but bones remain, or they will be submerged in lava. That is the final choice remaining to them. Should their bones be burned they shall be returned to the earth or fields in the form of bone meal, something of their remaining life returned to the cycle.

Reincarnation
Reincarnation is a punishment for crimes of grave but lesser severity than those that would warrant True Death. To be reincarnated is to be returned to the cycle and demeaned of one’s status as a Risen, as one of the followers of He Who Decays and one of the holy undead. The one to be reincarnated are confined and surrounded by risen who duplicate He Who Decays with sacrifices to revoke his blessing upon the Risen Transgressor. Should He Who Decays decide this to be a worthy punishment this shall be done, but should he not some other punishment might be inflicted.