Ethics of Lord Luukos'
servants
by Armaxis Telexana
I am penning this document as a reference for future followers of the Serpent Lord. Often times I am questioned as to how to properly conduct oneself in service to the Serpent Lord, and in my Handbook of the Faithful, I had only barely scratched the surface of this subject. I hope to provide a more in-depth guide as to how to conduct yourself properly as you walk down the path of the emerald light.
It is imperative that you carry yourself with a modicum of dignity. We are not barbarians, we are the followers of Lord Luukos, we must be above the petty squabbles of commoner's and ruffians. We follow the sacred and holy path of Him, and we are all an example of the Faith. Often times the Order of Voln will spread propaganda of us being murderers and mindless, bloodthirsty killers. Those whose faith is true are not these types of people, death may be a part of ritual, but rituals have a time and place to be conducted, and they are most certainly not a public event.
This is not to say we must not be public about our following of Him, however, we should attempt to maintain a slight distance from the general populace regarding our own private rituals and worship. Such things are sacred, and should be treated with the utmost respect and seriousness, it is not something to flaunt about like a child's new toy. Remember always that it is a privilege to serve the Serpent Lord, and that being His servant is indeed a blessing, do not take such things lightly -- always represent yourself with respect and dignity, for the followers of Lord Luukos should not be seen as anything less.
There has been some debate upon the proper way to follow the Serpent Lord. Some actually do think you should conduct yourself as a murdering ruffian or a bloodthirsty buffoon. Certainly, there have been accounts of followers conducting themselves in this way, but I also would believe that this behavior extended far, far into the past when the world was quite chaotic. Times have changed now, and we must act civilized, as that is what further's the Serpent Lord's goals best.
A follower should also be educated on the various theories of Undead beings, as they are often a prime subject of debate for us. It is a proven fact that not all Undead beings are created by Lord Luukos, and it is also a proven fact that not all Undead beings are directly under His control. Remember this well, for many times ignorant, misinformed people will try to claim this. Several people have come to me and asked if it was alright to hunt Undead beings. My personal opinion is usually it is fine, if you do a little research into a specific place where Undead lurk, you will most likely find out who created them, and if it was not a servant of His Lordship, or the Serpent Lord Himself then you may go ahead and dispatch them at your will. Keep in mind, however, that the spreading of death upon living beings pleases the Serpent Lord far more greatly. For more information about Undead beings, there is a small paper explaining many details of the power of Undeath in the library.
Another issue which the clerical followers of the Serpent Lord often encounter is the deliberation of raising the dead. This is strictly opinion on my part. The raising of a person should be viewed as whether they shall be useful to the Serpent Lord now, or at a later date. Certainly, a friend of yours who may not follow the Lord of Death may prove useful to you often, so it would be acceptable to raise them, since they serve a purpose to you, and thus, serve a purpose to Him indirectly. A fellow follower should be raised, as they serve Him directly. A stranger which you have never spoken to, heard of, or know nothing of, however...should not be raised, as you are giving life to one who may be against the Serpent Lord's cause.
Now that we have covered the issue of conduct out of the holy chambers, let us take a look on conduct within them, here I shall go over a few proper ways of setting up and completing a ritual, including several examples of proper offerings.
It is quite necessary that you reach an altar of the Serpent Lord to begin your ritual, and it is also very important not to directly touch the altar which lies there beforehand. It is likely that those blessed of Him created such a piece, or the Serpent Lord Himself created it. We, being such lowly mortals in His service, should treat such a piece with respect and not taint it with our unclean touch. There are some exemptions to this during ritual, and I shall go over them as I explain further.
For those not capable of sacrificing another at the moment, or for those who have no need to sacrifice, there is still a way to appease His Lordship without a death, I went into this briefly in the Handbook, but I shall go into it more here. Bloodletting is an excellent way to appease Him, offering up your life to the Serpent Lord is indeed an exhilarating experience. When one first enters the Serpent Lord's holy ground, a bow should be made to the altar for several seconds, after which you will kneel and recite your prayers to Him before the initial drawing of blood. We do this for the satisfaction we reap from pleasing Him by offering our own life to Him, physically, and mentally, your prayers should reflect this if you choose to recite any whilst you bleed.
Another way of appeasing Him in the holy chambers is through sacrifice. Whether it be your own, or another's, the blessing of death upon the Serpent Lord's holy ground is indeed a grand experience to behold. We perform these rites as to demonstrate our willingness to do His will and spread His cause throughout the lands. The offering of a life into death's grip is the peak of our devotion, we will do anything for His cause, including feeling the coils of death around our own soul. As such, a sacrifice is a truly sacred event, and should be treated accordingly. For guidelines on how to perform such a ritual, refer to the Handbook.
The garnering of souls for Him is also quite a wonderful thing to prove one's faith and conviction to perform His will, but it is a most arduous task for beings of such limited capacity that we are. It takes quite a bit of work to do such, but once again, it demonstrates the power of your conviction in the Serpent Lord's ideals. Strive to prove your worth, and perhaps you shall be able to perform such a feat. But, as I said, it is not like gathering candy from a shop. It takes quite a bit of time to do, and should be held as something sacred.
Thus concludes the document on our ethics, I hope you have found it informative, it covers a wide range of topics, and I have written in-depth of these subjects in several different papers or books of mine. Walk proudly down the path of the emerald light, and pray that one day He may embrace you in His blessed coils for eternity...