The History of Requiem
“We burned our history away so that we could start fresh — start new. But then they came to our town with their demands. If we said no, they would destroy us all. So we did the only thing we could do. We accepted. And then the blood began to spill.”
— From a source during the founding of Requiem, Anonymous
Within the northern reaches of the mountains, there was once a farming community that existed on the fringes of society. It was quiet, isolated, and was the perfect place to get away from the world. However, life was still hard here. It’s hard everywhere when you have to deal with zombies clawing at your door on an almost daily basis. But it was also a place where you could disappear from the world at large.
And then the Founders came.
A group descended on this sleepy town, each of them with their own histories and mistakes. They saw this as a place to start over and to start anew. Each of them were running from their past and from groups that would kill them if they knew where they were. Day by day and week by week, these newcomers began taking over the infrastructure and running of the town. Eventually, it began to be known as “Requiem.”
The newcomers eventually realized that they had to create a more formal establishment and so formed the “Families” of Requiem. It was a way to prevent one person from gaining too much power. Each Family was responsible for a certain area of the town’s defense, governance, or infrastructure. They agreed to certain punishments to be doled out by The High Lord Executioner, a necessary position among people who were used to bloodshed and violence.
But Requiem became too noticeable and too loud. They were found out and the groups they sought to hide from descended upon the town and gave them an ultimatum:
Once a year, they would need to kill one of their own family members — cull their own — as punishment for their past crimes.
The Families had to accept. Otherwise, they knew that they would all be slaughtered. And so on Honor’s Fall each year, they killed and they killed and they killed, penance for existing.
The Modern Requiem
“You have to understand that we were all murderers — all criminals. When you get people like that together, over time it all falls apart. We should have known what would happen. But we chose to believe in the best of us. And then the Night of Knives happened…”
— From a source during the founding of Requiem, Anonymous
Competition between the Families began to grow, rising to a peak. Each of them wanted power, control, and influence of their situation. Each of them believed that they had the answer to the issues that plagued Requiem.
It all came to a head during the Night of Knives. The original settlers of the town began to ask too many questions. And too many people knew about the town and what it really was. One of the families at the time, the Anastasias, went out in force and forced the others to submit.
In some ways, it was a good thing. Without central control, it’s possible that Requiem would have eventually self-imploded and fallen. However, it was also the bloodiest night that anyone can remember; so many died for the last time — so many secrets went to the grave. They burned the books and the papers that held Requiem’s past, purging it all with fire.
After that night, Requiem was reborn. Families that fell were removed and never spoken of again.
However, history has a way of rearing its ugly head. The fallen Families gathered together in a group known as the “Nostras,” and beset Requiem once more, taking the town for themselves for a brief time. There was a war, a bloody conflict that left most of the Families in shambles. Many Family heads left Requiem, determined to find a new path elsewhere.
But there were those that remained, and they still believed in a town that could be born again, a place of second chances. In this modern era, new Families have sprung out and formed something new. Honor’s Fall became a tradition rather than penance, history lost amidst the flames. What will your place be in this new Requiem?
The Treaty of the Fold
The Treaty of the Fold establishes the various different regulations that rule Requiem. While this treaty has shifted over time, it is still referenced as a document of law for Requiem.
Article I - Authority
Section 1 - The authority of each Family Head shall be absolute within the domain of that Family.
Section 2 - The authority of each Family Head is absolute over members of their Family and Ward Families.
Article II - Families
There shall never be more than thirteen Families.
Section 1 - All groups may become Ward Families by initially pledging to a Patron Family at any time.
Section 2 - A Ward Family may change their patronage only during Honors Fall.
Section 3 - A Patron Family must consist of at least seven sentient and embodied individuals, not including the Family Head.
Section 4 - A Ward Family must be at least three sentient and embodied individuals, not including the Family Head.
Section 5 - No one can be a member of more than one Family.
Section 6 - Each Family may enforce trials for membership.
Article III - Governance
The Rites of Honors Fall are immutable over The Families, The Ward Families, Individuals, The Fold and all domains and settlements within.
Section 1 - The Rites of Honors Fall shall occur at the end of each summer and last from sundown until dawn.
Section 2 - All laws of and derived from this Treaty shall be null during the Rites of Honors Fall with the exclusion of Article III.
Section 3 - All Families shall be required to participate in The Rites of Honors Fall.
Section 4 - Each Family Head shall be hunted by the other Families until one or none remains.
Section 5 - Once a Family head has been killed during Honors Fall, their role in Honors Fall shall be deemed complete.
The Laws of Requiem
Requiem is open to all who enter. If someone breaks the Law within its borders, they are subject to death as a punishment.
Public preaching and advertising of preaching of faith is outlawed
If a citizen is murdered, the killer shall be killed in kind. If a Family member is killed, the killer and one of their closest associates shall be killed in kind.
Theft and destruction of property is fined at the return of the property or the equivalent worth. If the property is that of a Family member, the fine is doubled.
Four gathers of the year, we turn a blind eye to public rites and benedictions of faith, allowing 2 faiths per gather to conduct their business, organized and handled by the Nova Family (ward).
Intentional spreading of disease is outlawed.
Distribution of intentionally harmful drugs is outlawed
The item known as the “Bedlam Bands” is outlawed
If the Vox Requiem is absent, a quorum of 3 Family heads may act in the place of the Vox Requiem
Procedures that have a known negative impact on the Mortis, the Morgue and/or the settlement are outlawed.
Kidnapping and holding someone against their will for nefarious purposes or ransome is outlawed.
When an individual is convicted of a crime, either three Family heads or the Vox Requiem may choose to mitigate the punishment of death and choose another that is appropriate to the level of the crime.
Procedures that are criminal by their very nature, such as the harvesting of Infection from others, are illegal
While not required under the Law, the Molon Collective should be made aware of procedures performed in Requiem’s Mortis and Morgue to help maintain the health of the local Morgue and Mortis.
The Vox Requiem is the Voice of Requiem, and carries out the will of the Families. This means that the Families may request the Vox’s intervention if needed. However, this also means the Vox Requiem holds all Families accountable and includes ensuring all Families uphold their job and purview, defined each Honor’s Fall. Anyone who is viewed as not upholding their job and purview must be judged in front of at least one representative from each Family at a formal hearing where evidence is presented and there is a formal vote. If the family is found lacking, they may be called to become a Ward family if a Family agrees to sponsor them, or disbanded.
Each recognized Family received a Memento Mori coin at the end of Honor’s Fall. This coin represents a favor or a life. It may be used to protect an individual from punishment, or may be given to another Family and if that Family accepts, then they must do all they can to repay what is asked for.