Gravecaller
This role carries a lot of responsibility and, in some Families, leads. As a Gravecaller, magic is their purview; to bring comfort in life, to protect the things that are worth protecting, and to ensure that a good death comes from a life well lived. A person befriending a Gravecaller would be a way of ensuring that their body is in a place of purpose and honour in death. Angering one would ensure that they are digging toilets until you fall apart. If a Gravecaller goes to battle, it is with a great deal of preparation and support – they represent important people in the nation, and their loss would be felt by all.
Dreadguard
An elite warrior who uses all their free time to hunt, practice swordplay or other military pursuits. Dreadguard are typically responsible for their vassal Family’s protection, leading small units of undead or other living warriors, but can also easily find employment as a mercenary. Dreadguard are often heavily armoured, the anvil against which a hammer can strike, and it is not unheard of for a Dreadguard to act as the obvious distraction while a Bloodshade performs the task in quietude. Dreadguard sometimes swear fealty to a Gravecaller as a lifelong oath, serving them in life as bodyguard and if dying before them, in the same role in death. When not fighting, Dreadguard often put on performative duels to show off the prestige and skills of their Family.
Leech
A body that cannot operate is one that isn’t living life to the full, and the Leeches strive to ensure that all the peoples of Morvalis are hale and hearty. This attention goes beyond the physical; mental health is a vital part of Morvalin life, and Leeches are as often therapists and seekers after truth in life as much as they are sewing up bodies. Battlefields are a common source of wounds, of course, and a Leech may sometimes be called upon to support in combat. It is not unheard of for a Leech to be as skilled in causing wounds as well as healing them, knowing just where to strike and how hard to twist.
Bloodshade
A storm needs both a lightning strike and a pounding rain. While the Dreadguard are the heavy hitters of the armed forces in Morvalis, Bloodshades are adept at light skirmishing or magical combat, often mixing both together. In many ways, they are more impressive and frightening than the Dreadguard – there is something terrifying about finding, when the moon comes out from behind the clouds, that several of your soldiers have been cut down. A Bloodshade is often adaptable, some specialising in fighting monsters rather than humans, gathering knowledge on their quirks to fight with brains as well as brawn.
Reveller
A life well lived is nothing if people forget it, and a life of leisure is nothing without things to do. Holding an important place in Morvalin society, Revellers can be on retainer to the biggest Families, or they can be freelance. Whatever medium the remembrance takes, there is a Reveller to fill the role – song, dance, art, poetry, cooking, combat, winemaking, party-making – anything. A Reveller has spent their life crafting their art, and some are so well renowned that mere coin cannot buy their services.
Bursar
Even a Family with unpaid servants and workers has running expenses and it falls to the Bursar to balance the books. No Gravecaller can operate without a Bursar, and often a Family is started by the partnership of a Bursar and Gravecaller. This is no mere book-keeping role; access to the economic lifeblood of the world, and the bank, is the standard by which a Family will live or die, and more than one Family has failed simply because it lost its Bursar. Successful Bursars often show off their wealth by patronising the arts, sponsoring the best new talent in order to procure gifts for those they may wish to impress.
Hierophant
Hierophants walk a tricky path in Morvalin culture – allegiance to their family is important, but allegiance to the Houses of Dusk is paramount. The Blessed Saints give Morvalis life among a land of death, so are considered a conduit to the Gods, mentioned by name in prayers and given thanks in ceremonies. Hierophants do not consider the Saints to be Gods – such would be blasphemy – but they are the bedrock of faith in the nation. In Vassal Houses, Hierophants often take the role of mediators in conflict, ensuring the squabbles of their household do not turn into all-out war, and those that are not aligned with a Family – known as “Lifers” – are called upon to serve the same role more generally. Sometimes Morvalins must be reminded that they could serve better in death than they currently do in life.