The Church of Hallowed Vows: A Pillar of Maraheim Society

Nick Olsson
Apr 29
4 min read

Compiled by the Maraheim Historical Society

Introduction

The Church of Hallowed Vows stands as one of the oldest and most enigmatic institutions in Maraheim.Founded during the city's period of cultural expansion in the late 18th century, the Church established itself as a pillar of devotion, discipline, and silent sacrifice.Today, the Church remains active, its quiet influence extending across both Old Town and Central City.

Origins and Establishment

The Break from The Parish

The Church of Hallowed Vows emerged during the late 18th century, during a time of social unrest and spiritual disillusionment.Founded by Leonardo Devereux, a former follower of the Talbot teachings in The Parish, the Church broke away to pursue a more austere and radical vision of faith.

Where the Parish emphasized spiritual tradition and governance, Devereux taught that true salvation lay in the absolute surrender of self:

Surrender of name
Surrender of voice
Surrender of memory

His message was stark: "Not to be heard. Not to be seen. Not to be remembered."

Early Founders

Devereux was supported by a close circle of devoted followers:

Isolde Marquette, principal author of the Church’s early doctrines
Thaddeus Blackwood, architect of its ceremonial structures
Morgana Alistair, whose spiritual visions helped define its inner rites

Together, they created a religion centered not on communal glory, but on personal erasure.

Modern Leadership

High Priest Matteo Ricci

Today, the Church is led by High Priest Matteo Ricci, a reserved figure known for his emphasis on quiet integration rather than overt expansion.

Ricci's leadership has focused on maintaining the purity of ritual while softening the Church’s external face:

Silent charity drives
Educational sponsorships (without names attached)
Private cultural heritage projects preserving the legacy of the Martyrs.

The Seventeen Martyrs

At the heart of Church tradition are the Seventeen Martyrs:men, women, and children who, according to sacred record, surrendered their names and voices completely during the Church’s founding persecutions.

The Martyrs are never named individually.Instead, they are remembered only by their order of death:

First Fallen
Second Fallen
Third Fallen... and so on.

Their sacrifice—silent, nameless, complete—is the ideal every follower aspires to.

In all Church iconography:

Their mouths are shown stitched shut.
Their eyes are blank or missing.
Their hands are always open in surrender.

Rituals and Practices

The Rite of Hollowing

The Rite of Hollowing is the Church’s most sacred and feared ritual.It marks the final stage of devotion, in which the follower publicly relinquishes:

Their birth name
Their personal history
Their voice, except for prescribed ritual responses

Participants endure long periods of enforced silence, physical stillness, and symbolic acts of self-erasure, culminating in:

A shallow ceremonial wound across the palm
Formal rebaptism as "The Hollowed"

Those who survive the Rite are considered spiritually purified—empty vessels through which divine purpose can act without ego or interference.

Daily Devotions

Church members participate in daily rituals designed to reinforce the virtues of silence, stillness, and surrender:

Communal kneelings without speech
Meditations on the failures of ego
Silent recitations before effigies of the Seventeen Martyrs

Public readings and prayers focus exclusively on reinforcing humility, anonymity, and obedience.

The Sanctuary of the Hollow Faith

Located in Central Maraheim, just north of the Medea River, the Sanctuary of the Hollow Faith was among the first permanent structures built during the city’s expansion.

Architectural features:

Pale limestone exterior
No windows
A single iron door with the inscription:“Not to be heard. Not to be seen. Not to be remembered.”

Inside:

Seventeen statues representing the Martyrs
No pews—only kneeling stones
Ritual chambers for silent prayer and, it is rumored, private Hollowing rites

Rumors of the Undercrypt

Persistent rumors suggest the Sanctuary conceals an underground level, known informally as the Undercrypt.Sources claim this level was used to enforce the Rite of Hollowing upon those who faltered.

Alleged practices include:

Prolonged sensory deprivation
Solitary confinement in darkness
Ritual name-stripping under extreme pressure

The Church denies the existence of such chambers.

Nonetheless, late at night, some claim to hear a low hum rising from beneath the stone floors—a vibration too steady, too deliberate, to be natural.

Modern Influence

Today, the Church of Hallowed Vows operates quietly but consistently:

Daily devotions continue.
Silent festivals honoring the Martyrs occur annually.
Select families maintain hereditary ties to the Church, raising generations within its doctrine.

While the Church no longer openly seeks public expansion, its influence lingers within Maraheim’s deeper traditions—especially in Old Town’s oldest estates and Central City’s historical foundations.

Key Religious Texts

Liber Devotionis (The Book of Devotion) — written by Leonardo Devereux, outlining core theology and surrender rites.
Mysterium Rituum (The Mystery of Rituals) — compiled by Thaddeus Blackwood, detailing the execution of silence-based ceremonies.
Visiones et Prophetiæ (Visions and Prophecies) — collected visions attributed to Morgana Alistair, focused on spiritual erasure.
Codex Arcanum (The Arcane Codex) — a disputed, rumored text containing forbidden rites and hidden instructions for extreme Hollowing practices.

Conclusion

The Church of Hallowed Vows remains one of Maraheim’s most unsettling legacies:A faith founded not on celebration, but on the deliberate vanishing of the self.Its teachings continue quietly, stitched into the fabric of the city’s oldest stones, its silence as loud as any shout ever could be.

Would you also like a small sidebar written in the same style—a quote from the Liber Devotionis that could appear at the end of this article for extra flavor? Something haunting and official like:

“Blessed are the empty, for they need no forgiveness.”