Ritual of Assumption: A Martinian Extract

To the Facilitator Adept,

The following was retrieved by Justicars Andissia and Jethro during a raid on one the many “Martinian Cults” that litter the Imperial heartland. The details of this manuscript seem to imply some ritual of importance, but with the varied beliefs of each and every one of these cults we come across, it’s hard to know if this is a practice common among such cults.

With all due Admiration,

Justicar Kalara Undil Lithnilian

8th Frostfall, 4E 089

Brother Octavius has come into the Dragonfires. Praise be to his name, praise be to Akatosh, and praise be to Martin, our benefactory prince.

Ritual appraisals aside, I must admit that the young Brother’s assumption was more difficult than the others. Personally, I think it’s the Merish influence; Brothers Cameron and Avdol both know the boy’s preference for the Bosmeri Sanguiniats exceeded his wants for the others, and I’ve long assumed that a few of their number still cling to the ways of their homeland. A shame, really; with their long lives, many of our elven contemporaries on either side of the order remember the Crisis and its ravages. One would expect their faith to be as strong as iron, given the presence of such experiences.

That said, the other aspects of the ritual went as expected. As per usual, the young Brother was given a full week to spend with as many of the Sanguinian sisters as he pleased, which he promptly took full advantage of. Many of the other novices were quite displeased with this, especially the adolescents, but sufficient explanation of the ritual’s importance was enough to steer them from any persistent objections. We ensured Brother Octavian remained well versed in the required scriptures, however, interrupting at certain intervals in his “reprieve” to go over the necessary details and incantations.

When the week ended, we ensured that the proper preliminary sacrifices were made. The Sanguiniats we observed to be most favored by Octavian were quickly separated from the others and dispatched in the common fashion, with all precautions made to ensure the other Sisters remained unaware to their fates. The executioner, as well as the young Brother, then underwent the typical three days penance, which they performed with relative ease. There were some emotional complications on Octavian’s part, of course, as there are with all the Brothers who undergo this process, but we ensured that the proper force was used to complete his purification from the ordeal.

Following the penance, we began with the Week of Reenactment. All the Brothers and Sisters were gathered in the cave’s “main hall” for the typical feasting and celebrating, while Octavian and the chosen participants reenacted the events of our Lord’s conquest against the Daedra. The actor chosen to represent Baurus was particularly devoted to the act, something I plan to commend him on in the future.

When the week came to a close (at which point both the actors and audience had thoroughly exhausted themselves), we began the Night of Mourning. Octavian and the actor chosen to play the Champion of Cyrodiil were ritually washed, then placed in the appropriate garments and lead back into the main hall. The sacrificial brazier had been prepared with the ashes of prior participants, with the central stake firmly secured. Rituals urns containing oils and pitch from Black Marsh were used to cover the stake, ensuring the process of ignition would be quick.

Unfortunately, as I’ve said before, Octavian did not respond well when the reality of the situation fully dawned on him. We needed the Champion to firmly bind him as they approached the stake, and even then we required enchainments to fully pacify the indignant child. Once that was done with, however, and our Brother was tied to the stake, things again resumed as they were supposed to.

We blessed him thrice with the Shard of Kings in our possession (one upon the groin, for Akatosh, once upon the heart, for Talos, and once upon the crown of the head, for Lord Martin), and the fire was subsequently lit. With the enchantments on his mind, I doubt he felt a thing, and the rest of the senior Brothers were able to sing their praises without any interruption. When the fire finally died down, we collected the ashes whilst they were still hot, placing them back into the urns for the next ritual. The shards of bones we placed with the others, in the crypt of those saints preceding Octavian, and blessed them that his soul might find ease of entry into Aetherius. Thus, the ritual was ended, and we went back to our lives as usual, the process of proving our devotion complete once more.

Let it not be said, then, that we are not devoted. Let it not be said that we are not willing to make the sacrifice our Lord made. We sunder our flesh as he did for all mankind, for all Mundus, and embrace the flames of Akatosh as that great servant did in the wake of Dagon’s dread victory. Thus, we prove our faith. Thus, we seal tight the jaws of Oblivion once more.

Praise be to Octavian, 89th in his line

Praise be to Akatosh, progenitor of us all

And praise be to Martin, our Emperor, our Savior, and our God.