Editing Setting:Hail and Kill (section)

====The Dirge====
Known for their modest black robes and melancholy demeanor, the Dirge are the Whitist order tasked with dealing with the dead. While funeral proceedings are typically left to the local priest in Whitist society, the Dirge are a sought-after preference to those living near a Dirge monastery. “Living near” being a relative term as these monasteries are notorious for their isolated locations. A typical Dirge funeral ritual entails the priest swinging a thurible over the deceased, who is wrapped in a white sheet, as he slowly chants a prayer accompanied by Dirge musicians or bards. The priest then tosses a handful of mixed ash and salt over the body and disposes of it as appropriate to region (usually burial, pyre cremation, or sent down a sacred river into the sea). The consecrated salt is considered the earthly embodiment of the tears of the Weeping Mother, to whom the order is devoted. The ashes are from dead Dirge so that their spirits may guide the departed to Heaven. The Dirge are often seen walking amongst fresh battlefields of Whitist armies, murmuring somber prayers and tossing ashes and salt over the slain. This has earned the Dirge the nickname “Vultures” by non-Whitists.

Clad in black cloak and cowl and armor to match is the military arm of the Dirge known as Pallbearers. To Whitists, necromancy is of the utmost taboo and as such, the Pallbearers are among the first to respond to sightings of undead. As Pallbearers it is their duty to bring the misbegotten dead to their graves. On occasion, Pallbearers are given living targets under the justification that “it is their time to die.” In most cases, these targets will be Ravenite cultists or insurgents operating within Whitist territory. In the Wastelands, it is not uncommon for especially infamous raiders to find Pallbearers announcing that it is time to take them to their grave.