Shrine Dolorosa
Nobody visits the Shrine Dolorosa by accident. In fact, many people who seek the unique purification that can be had at the shrine never make it to the sanctuary. There is only one way that those who do not possess the proper bloodline can reach the sanctuary, and it is a long and arduous trail called the Pilgrim's Path. The Pilgrim's Path tests the mental, physical and emotional desires of those who walk it, and only by surrendering everything can a person complete the Path and find their way to the Sanctuary Dolorosa. This is not a journey to be taken lightly and, in fact, not a journey many people choose to make.
It is rumored that by completing the Pilgrim's Path and surviving the testing grounds of the Shrine Dolorosa a person's very soul can be purged of all evil. Blood Guilt can be forgiven, curses can be lifted and one's life can be returned to a state of
tabula rasa. Anyone, human, majin, druid etc who survives the Pilgrim's Path is welcomed to the testing grounds. The Priestesses of the Shrine Dolorosa view the majin the same way they view humans - there is no encompassing opinion (other than the fact that both human and majin are inferior to the Exorcisma) but rather judgments are made on a case-by-case basis.
Of course, not everyone is in need of the extremes available at the Shrine Dolorosa. More commonly, people take advantage of the women who take on the veil and title Merciful Priestess and devote their lives to traveling the world, offering absolution through pain. They travel in Gypsy wagons, sometimes in pairs and sometimes in solitude and can be easily recognized by the unrelieved solid black paint jobs on their transportation and by the red eyes of the horses that pull their wagons. The Priestesses themselves vary widely in appearance, but all share a similar matrilineal bloodline that can be traced back to their Goddess. It is believed that only women possess the ability to provide purification and absolution through pain because they have a unique comprehension of the Terrible, Unconditional Love that spurred their Goddess to offer forgiveness through pain and trial.
Absolution from a Merciful Priestess is a pretty straightforward affair. The supplicant offers a sacrifice, usually gold or incense, to the Goddess and is then stripped of all clothing and bathed in cold water made astringent by witch hazel and a few other herbs. The supplicant then kneels and receives punishment for their sins by a masked Priestess. The nature of the punishment varies depending on the Priestess, but whipping is probably the most common technique. During the punishment, the supplicant is meant to offer their pain to the Goddess in payment for forgiveness. It is incredibly effective, as most people need to feel as if they have truly earned absolution to accept forgiveness of any sort. Additionally, those one has wronged will accept that the person who has wronged them has truly atoned if they know the person underwent some sort of physical suffering. When the punishment is over, the supplicant is washed again, anointed with oil and given a pendant that they can wear on their person if they decide they want to advertise the fact that they have been granted absolution. The Priestesses all have the ability to gauge the sincerity of a supplicant, and if a person asks for absolution but has not surrendered in their heart, they will be turned away.
The majority of Merciful Priestesses are young female Exorcisma training to become full Priestesses at the Shrine Dolorosa. It is required that they spend a minimum of two years serving the masses before they are eligible to move up in rank. Even so, many Priestesses choose to devote their lives to serving as a Merciful Priestess. When a Priestess decides she wants to procreate she selects a male to breed with who will not remain in her life past conception. The Priestesses are generally only able to bear one child, but they almost always have female offspring.
There is currently one High Priestess, eighteen Priestesses, twelve Junior Priestesses and seven Merciful Priestesses serving the Shrine Dolorosa. Additionally there are ten young girls who are not old enough to serve in any capacity yet and three elder Priestesses who are too old to serve anymore. The women live a secluded life, providing for most of their needs themselves and trading with some of the individuals in Clarus Arbor for other goods. Their lifestyle overall is a very simple one.
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