Board Thread:Custom Lore Development/@comment-26535281-20170823155822

"Oracles, no more like hermits, harlots, and witches all in one if you ask me."

- Some ignorant citizens

Oracles are seen as holy women within the Empire who are seen as the divine mouth pieces of the gods who, with their attendants, live outside standard Imperial society normally in remote or isolated regions of the Empire.

Oracles are different from seers in that the Gods directly manifest themselves into their bodies speaking with their voices. It is this way that Oracles can provide direct messages to the Gods and the Gods advice and prophecies.

To 'invite' the Gods into their body they have complex rituals calling for incense, candle burning, and blood offerings to the gods. After which it is said their eyes and the markings upon their bodies begin to glow and their voice sounds like thousands of voices at once.

Oracles also keep records of the visions and dreams they have alongside the prophecies. To do this work Oracles have many hundreds of attendants that help and aid them in this work (all female). Oracles are not bound by Dogma save of the cult they are connected and they are expected to (alongside their attendants) have children to continue the line. It is said they become common prostitutes, others say they drug and kidnap males, no one really knows how it happens, but it does.

Whenever a Oracle dies here covenant begins a year long ceremony trying to find the new Oracle. Usually it is her own daughter, but other times the Gods have chosen a new line to continue on the tradition.

By law Oracles can't be touched or impeded for they are property of the Gods so although many distrust them they are allowed to do as they wish (within reason and Imperial law) this generally leads to them barging into important meetings to give the advice or manifesto of the Gods or other such events.

Oracles are also said to be able to manifest the powers of the Gods that have chosen them, for example the Oracle of Vesta can bring rains and harvest, those of Vulcan can wander upon rich fields of ore, and those of Janus are said to decide the fate of entire worlds. 