Morde Messenger (Messenger of Death)

The concept behind this prestige class is that Death is just not a bad guy. He has schedules to meet and a big responsibility in making sure that this and that soul gets to where they are supposed to be. In fact, he has quite a workload, what with people always trying to resurrect others, animate others, bother his in-transit souls by trying to talk with them. And then there are the stubborn souls themselves: ghosts, revenants, haunts and the like that just don't want to accept the reality of it all, and seek to escape his grasp. And who could forget the free-willed undead as well... It's no wonder that people only seem to see his grumpy side. He also has people praying to him to take this person or that person's life... which is all very distracting! So one day, he got fed up and decided that he was going to go out and recruit his own followers: intelligent and wise people to help bring the souls to him to be judged so that the other gods would get off his back. After all, they got quite irate when the souls of their own followers didn't make it to their planes on time. Death sent forth an Avatar of a dashingly handsome young man to seek out those with compassion and understanding beyond their years. And to be fair, he did not seek to claim those people who dedicated their lives to other gods. In fact, priests from other patrons and those who understand the nature of the Morde Messengers welcome them into their communities: with the power to destroy pesky undead, stave off death or make a smooth, painless transition into the afterlife, they can be pretty handy.

To this day Death’s avatar still roams the prime material planes seeking out those he would call to his service. His following is small, but they are given recompense by having more of his aid. Death supercedes gods, for even they must answer to death, and thus does not derive power from followers... he derives power from the passage of each soul at it's fated time to it's final resting place (i.e., a bonus for having work in on time).

Sorcerors with their natural connection to all things arcane, priests and clerics able to channel divine energy, druids seeking the natural balance in all things, fighters fit for adventure and bounty-hunting, thieves made for stealthy pursual, monks with their knowledge of the celestial balance, and rangers for their tracking prowess all make good Messengers. Morde Messengers view the undead as an affront to their master, Death. Beyond the realm of the living, and defying Death, they’re viewed as obstructions to the "natural order of things". Warmongers who rage incessantly across the country-side are also viewed with contempt, for they bring unnecessary early ends. Abominations borne from magic or other realms are seen as creatures that mock those of the Material Plane (and under Death’s sway), and are also ruthlessly hunted down.

Grafted on the palms of every Messenger is a blackened skull formed from two scythes: this is the symbol of Death. All undead instinctively recognize the symbol of the Messengers, and will attack or flee from the Messenger. Messengers are always recognized by the undead.

All Morde Messengers have the ability to break enchantments that prevent souls from progressing into the afterlife, like Trap the Soul and Magic Jar. The attempt is made at 10+the Messenger Level+the Wisdom modifier versus the DC of the spell placed on the creature/container.

Following a successful Knowledge-Funeral Rites roll (which is based on the availability of information about the culture in question), a Messenger is able to bless and release the soul of any creature to the satisfaction of that follower’s patron deity. If the Messenger is unaware of the patron deity of the deceased person, this ability is not possible.