¤ St Vadnais of Morr (Moussillon)

    “And the rest of both the living and the dead were shattered by the fierce strike of a shard of the heavens that had come hurtling down to smite the earth. With horror the living awoke to find that the dead had arisen from their graves. Families were pulled from their beds by those hungry for their warm breath, beating hearts, and pulsing blood. Human flesh was the grisly feast for the awakened dead. Fear and blood flowed, but one mortal moved with righteousness that dark night, commanding the dead to return to their graves. When the mortals heard his prayers and commands, they took heart; when the dead heard his cries, they returned to their graves or raised their cold fists to attack the lone priest that moved among them. And when they turned to destroy the lone priest, his very touch lay them to rest. Thus it was that the peace returned to Vilmorre through the miracles worked by Nicholas Vadnais the Priest of Morr.”
    From the Lives of the Saints of Bretonnia by Karolus Arbogastiensis, 11th century IC.

Cult

    St Vadnais’ cult is not particularly large, and is centred upon the city of Moussillon. As the ’Life’ of Vadnais written by Karolus Arbogastiensis tells, St Vadnais was a priest of Morr who saved the townspeople from undead assault.

St Vadnais has become an unofficial protector to the people of the unfortunate city of Moussillon, and his name and symbol (a white or silver skull) is invoked for protection against undead evils. It is said that the soul of anyone who wears a talisman of St Vadnais cannot be forced into the legions of undeath; for this reason, removing the skull-charms carried by most of the people of Moussillon is seen as an especially cruel and heinous crime.
Vadnais' cult is by far most popular amongst the destitute commoners who live in the slums and ruins of Moussillon, but there are a few priests of Morr and noblemen who venerate him; mostly those who live near sites of unearthly activity in north-west Bretonnia. 

Principal Shrine

Although St Vadnais is most popular in Moussillon, his home and main shrine are located slightly east of that city, in the small mercantile town of Vilmorre (which prides itself for its high-class preserved meats). The largest temple in the town is dedicated to Morr and St Vadnais, whose body is kept inside. The self-satisfied people of Vilmorre are highly conservative and insular; they resent any untoward influence from outside and dislike strangers. In particular they detest the pious but disease-ridden pilgrims who often come from Moussillon; there are sometimes so many pilgrims that they build their own shanty town outside the gates of Vilmorre and squat there until the town militia sees them off. There are several small, poverty-stricken shrines and temples to St Vadnais in and around Moussillon, and one or two in other settlements between there and Vilmorre.

Relics

St Vadnais' body is claimed by his temple in Vilmorre; an ornate casket contains the reliquiae, and despite the fact that the body has not been seen for many years now, the devout swear that it is as fresh as the day it was interred (whenever that was).

The largest temple to St Vadnais in Moussillon possesses a wizened staff said to have belonged to the saint. Unlike the body of St Vadnais, which has not been removed from its casket and shown to the public for decades, the staff of St Vadnais in Moussillon is kept almost permanently on show, and attracts many visitors to the temple. It is claimed that on St Vadnais' day the staff is charged with his power, and can cure any disease connected with the undead and the powers of chaos.

¤ In Search of Bretonnia 10-02-2005