The Order
The Gift
It is traditional for a young priest of the Inheritor to receive a gift of a sword when she leaves the temple to enact the goddess's will; in some cases, this is a weapon once used by a senior priest or other hero of the church. Some blades have passed through many hands, as Iomedae believes it is wasteful to bury a perfectly good weapon with the dead; the only time a fallen hero is buried with his weapon is if it was broken or if there is unusual magic tying it to him, and even in these cases the weapons have been known to turn up in moments of great need, as if plucked from the tombs by the goddess herself.
It is common for the faithful to bury a small token sword (often just an inch long and usually made of copper, tin, brass, or bronze) with their dead, believing the sword will fight battles on behalf of the good soul so that person can remain at rest. In poorer communities, the dead are buried with paper or wood stamped or branded with a sword symbol. So great is the church's fixation on swords that even wedding rings for those married in the church are usually engraved with a sword as a sign of devotion and fidelity.
Just as swords are generally kept in the hands of the living, it is rare for worshipers to be buried in armor. Most faithful who are wealthy enough to own armor usually bequeath it to close relatives or their favorite temples so that it may find use in the goddess's name even after they are gone.
It is common for the faithful to bury a small token sword (often just an inch long and usually made of copper, tin, brass, or bronze) with their dead, believing the sword will fight battles on behalf of the good soul so that person can remain at rest. In poorer communities, the dead are buried with paper or wood stamped or branded with a sword symbol. So great is the church's fixation on swords that even wedding rings for those married in the church are usually engraved with a sword as a sign of devotion and fidelity.
Just as swords are generally kept in the hands of the living, it is rare for worshipers to be buried in armor. Most faithful who are wealthy enough to own armor usually bequeath it to close relatives or their favorite temples so that it may find use in the goddess's name even after they are gone.