The Sacresan family (SAH-kray-sahn) existed for as long as anyone could recall. They were theurgists and excellent swordsmen/women; although they could be hired "for the right price," they always stood for justice and the side of right. "The right price" was an always changing variable, even for the same person: they decided it after hearing the particulars of the requested mission. Even at its highest, "the right price" was never unreasonable for the task at hand, unless the Sacresan in question had decided it were not an honorable task, in which case, there simply was no "right price," and negotiation ended. If one Sacresan turned you down for a job, you need not bother asking another. The same code bound them all, and they upheld it willingly.
Some Sacresan were champions of holy temples, kings, lords, towns, even entire kingdoms. Loyalty and duty were the only "right price" for them, and generally a member of their family would take up their place when they fell. (Sacresan never die, they always fall, even if they die by natural causes.)
Sacresan never carried themselves with a holier-than-thou attitude, and one should not confuse what they were with your standard Paladin. Sacresan were born to be Sacresan - a Sacresan child was inherently a Theurgist and knew basic swordplay, and were very quick. Also, Sacresan were generally not priests or priestesses themselves, even if they served a holy temple. Some were (and were more likely to serve holy temples), but most were not; they were more secular than religious.
However, even the Sacresan were not without their enemies. The Necrosan "family" (NAY-kroh-sahn) was begun by Meritan Sacresan long ago. He had walked the hard, narrow path of secular righteousness long enough, and, further encouraged by the doting of his father on his older brother and ignoring him, he became a true mercenary, encouraging like-minded Sacresan to do the same and taking on Dark Paladins and others as well. Necrosan children can be born with the same gifts as Sacresan children, but some are not. Just like their lighter-side cousins, they can be champions of temples (holy or otherwise), kings, lords, and the like, but they are even more likely to be mercenaries and assassins.
While the Sacresan seemed content to deal with individual Necrosan as they came across them (and even then, killing was a last resort), the Necrosan wanted to wipe the Sacresan out. It would open up certain job markets for them, and there was the matter of that little brother-brother blood feud. (Veritas Sacresan, Meritan's older brother, never stopped hoping for his brother's eventual reconciliation with the family. He died preventing Meritan from killing their father; his last words were "I forgive you." This only further enraged the newly christened Necrosan. Their father was assassinated later by Meritan's son, Farris. He died never having forgiven Meritan for his defection and his murder of Veritas.)
So the Necrosan declared war on the Sacresan. It was a war that raged for generations, and finally culminated in the battle at Fairgreen Forest in the east. The Sacresan were decimated, slaughtered into oblivion. Historians argue that there had to be Sacresan who escaped and that it was preposterous to assume that every Sacresan scattered across the continent had been there. There had to be surviving Sacresan.
Perhaps there are, but no one's ever seen or heard tell of one. Wandering swordsmen are common after all, and it is possible to be both a theurgist and a swordsman and not be Sacresan. There are no reports of children with remarkable abilities either, except among the Necrosan.
If you're a Sacresan, you're not about to reveal yourself. There ARE still Sacresan, but they are deep in hiding. Your last name is likely to be either Veritas, Tennemore, or Fairgreen. Other Sacresan will recognize these names (Tennemore was the maiden name of the first Sacresan's wife), but no one else will. Any member of the Necrosan family will suspect you also though, so be careful. There are non-Sacresan with these names, after all. Of course, if you're obviously a sword-wielding theurgist with one of these names, they'll be even more suspicious.
You hold yourself to a code of honor to protect the innocent and punish the guilty. Breaking this code dishonors you, which is nearly a physical pain to most Sacresan. Actively seeking the death of an innocent is tantamount to becoming a Necrosan.
Sacresan Base Package (-7 points):
You cannot, repeat: CANNOT be a Sacresan and not have and follow the Code of the Sacresan. This is not a Disadvantage that can be "bought off" - this is your bloodline, it is your heritage (and, in game terms, it is the cost for having Inherent Holy Magic & Inherent Melee Weapon: Sword). To violate a tenet of the Code would be unthinkable; if it happens somehow, your character would be devastated and would want to immediately seek out the nearest Holy Temple for penitent restitution. (Alternatively, if your character is near Fairgreen Forest, they might go there and beg forgiveness from the spirits of their slain ancestors, though doing this raises the likelihood that their Secret will be discovered.)
The Code is expressed here in game terms; though each member of the Sacresan family makes the same vows, they can be worded slightly differently. The meanings are always clear and are always the same, however.
*Note: Knowledge of a Necrosan nearby who was directly involved in that infamous battle compels a Sacresan to hunt that Necrosan down and either kill him/her or die trying. ONLY that Necrosan is to be killed though, unless further evidence of other Necrosan members who were involved in the area is unconvered, of course. (It should be noted that that battle was almost 20 years ago; younger Necrosan are almost guaranteed immunity to being hunted and killed by Sacresans unless they find and kill a Sacresan.)
Keep in mind that a Sacresan generally wants to live their life in peace and happiness, doing good deeds and helping others as they're able; some Sacresan may be constantly obsessed with revenge (in which case, the Obsessed Disadvantage should be taken), but most do not actively hunt down Necrosan. However, if their paths cross or if they hear of a Necrosan who has spilled Sacresan blood, the Code of the Sacresan compels them (not literally, but damn near) to go deal with that person. To ignore that is to turn your back on your bloodline, something a true Sacresan could not abide. But, barring this information coming to you, you should be an otherwise fairly normal person who just happens to have a fairly substantial skeleton in your closet.
If you're a Necrosan, you must decide your age and, if 33 or older, your level of involvement in the Fairgreen Forest battle (the battle was 18 years ago, so unless you were at least 15 back then, you most likely were not involved, although you might've watched). If you were involved, you must take Secret: Fairgreen Forest (-3) as a Disadvantage. (If you were there and watched, but did not participate, you may take Secret: Fairgreen Forest for 1 point instead of 3; you'll want to figure out why you didn't participate and whether or not you caught sight of any fleeing Sacresan, though most Necrosan did not.)
You must also decide if you are biologically Necrosan or not. The Biological Necrosan package is 27 points and is as follows:
You do not have to be a Holy Magic user to be Necrosan, and, in fact, many don't bother with it. Some have actively gone over to the Demons; in this case, you would still have Inherent Holy Magic, but it will only be +7 because you won't have any levels of Holy Magic. There is no penalty to learning Unholy Magic, but neither are you Inherent in it: you're just like any other human. And, of course, you cannot learn/wield both Holy and Unholy Magic at the same time. Give up your affiliation with the Gods, and that's the end of that.
Similarly, if you want to be a biological Necrosan who doesn't use a sword, that's fine as well: you still have to take the full 15 points for Inherent Melee Weapon: Sword at level 1. Unlike Holy/Unholy, learning to use other weapons doesn't negate your knowledge of sword-swinging. Thus a biological Necrosan Warlock (because you are still a Blood Mage, just for Unholy instead) would have a starting cost of 24 points (before we get to Disadvantages...).
If you are genetically Necrosan, you will also take Disadvantage Enemy: Sacresan at -1 if you have not yet killed a Sacresan and -3 if you have (you skip right over -2). If you find out there is a living Sacresan, it is your job to ensure that Sacresan dies (Disadv. Hatred: Sacresan -3). If you are not sufficiently able to kill him/her, it is your duty to report their existence to the family so that someone more capable may take them on. However, you should flee if possible, rather than give up your life in the attempt on the Sacresan's life. Better to live to fight another day... These two Disadvantages can mean 4-6 points off the cost of the base template.
Necrosan do have a code of honor of sorts, but it is not as binding as the Code of the Sacresan. They uphold the family and support each other. They also never work for less than "the right price" but a higher price is always more "right" than a lower, although price gouging is usually frowned upon. (Example: a woman has lost her precious only daughter. She is a widow and she lives comfortably, but not well, on her dead husband's pension. The Sacresan would take this job and ask only for some food and water for the journey, even if the woman offered more; a Necrosan would ask food, water, and expenses, unless the woman offered more, in which case they would take what she offered with deep thanks.)
NOTE: Necrosan are NOT evil. They just aren't as goody-two-shoes as their Sacresan cousins (and have a deep hatred for them). If you've got the money to pay for their not-inconsiderable services, then they'll take the job. They don't let their morality get in the way, and if some of the people they associate with are on the darker side of the balance, well, that's their business. So long as they keep to the family's code, who cares what they do on their own time?
Going by just a cost benefit, it seems like being a Sacresan is more worthwhile, but it is also more rigid and demands more of the player than being a Necrosan. Keep in mind that these are the Base templates and that raising your skills will up the cost, just as taking more Disadvantages (maybe you're Hot-Headed?) will lower it.
This is an ancient rivalry borne from a schism of a truly powerful and blessed family, and should be roleplayed as such. You've been raised to believe the worst of these people, and the hatred is deep in the blood. But that doesn't mean you don't have your own objectives and goals in life. There is still room to be creative with a Sacresan or Necrosan character (especially as a Sacresan: what do you do for a "day job"? Sacresan can be almost anything - Complements, Hunters, Paladins, Priests, Hermits or even possibly Pirates & Bandits (along a more "Robin Hood" sort of line, though it'd be more "rob from the evil and give to the good")).
Also keep in mind for those who are neither Sacresan NOR Necrosan: most of the populace genuinely believes the Sacresan to be extinct. The idea that there are still surviving Sacresan is usually derided as a children's story, even amongst historians (though there are always the "crackpots" who believe otherwise). The biological Necrosan suspect but generally cannot prove that any Sacresan survived to this day (unless they've killed one themselves), and they prefer that their long-lost relatives REMAIN the stuff of fairy tales. Necrosan will not bandy about the presence of a Sacresan except amongst themselves (and even then, only amongst blood family; those in the extended "Family" can go right on with the money-earning jobs and let the bloodline take care of itself).
The upshot is that, unless you're a Sacresan or a biological Necrosan, you probably think the Sacresan are long gone; if you're biological Necrosan, you're...mostly sure that they are. Your family is generally very thorough, after all.
.:Main Index:.