Editing Eternal Covenant Summary (section)

==Cult of the Eternal Covenant Summary==

The Cult of the Eternal Covenant, devoted to Maltherion, operates secretly within cities and influential circles, promoting undeath as salvation from mortal fragility. The cult targets those who fear death, suffer illness, or desire power, guiding them through a transformation process called the Great Transition.

===Hierarchy of the Eternal Covenant:===

*High Council (The Enlightened Ones): Liches leading the cult, spreading Maltherion’s methods to increase the undead population.
*Covenant Priests (The Redeemers): Undead priests of Durnstang, managing the Great Transition and spiritual guidance.
*The Undying (The Chosen Ones): High-ranking undead followers who infiltrate society, enforcing and recruiting for the cult.
*The Living Faithful (The Seekers): Mortal cult members preparing for the Great Transition, taught that undeath is ultimate salvation.
*Thralls (The Forgotten): Failed or sacrificed members, turned into mindless undead servants.

===The Great Transition Process:===

*Preparation: Fasting, necromantic elixirs, ritual tattoos, and meditation to weaken the soul’s connection to the body.
*Ritual Day: Necromantic circles and chants of severing while the cultist dies slowly, preserving the soul for undeath.
*Severing: High priests invoke Durnstang, severing the soul from the natural Weave, using a blood sacrifice to bind it to the dead body.
*Rebirth: Necromantic energy reanimates the body, with the soul returning to animate the undead.
*Final Oath: The new undead pledges loyalty to the cult and receives the Mark of the Eternal, visible only to those attuned to death magic.

Post-transformation, the undead cultists are immune to aging and disease but are vulnerable to radiant magic. Emotionally, they become colder and more calculating, losing their empathy over time while remaining fiercely loyal to Maltherion and the cult’s goals.