Dezun Order

The Dezun Order is a faction in the world of Dota 2.

Description
The Dezun Order is a congregation of faithful people dedicated to the Nothl Realm and its unnamed deities. Little is known about the order's purpose and goals due to their obscure and secretive nature, but much can be said about their customs and beliefs.

Traditions
Devoted to a culture that revolves entirely around the Nothl Realm with its inverted versions of dark and light, members of the order are known to take shady vows, for they believed that there is good in darkness instead of the light.

All members of the order have a deep respect for their late members. Almost none of their material possessions seem to be made but rather passed down from long-dead fellows. The Shadow Priests honor their hallowed predecessors by equipping their sacred fetishes to preserve them, while the warriors of the Order hold dearly the remains of their sacrificed warriors who came before them crafting their bones into weapons and armor to carry their remains into the fields of battle once more.

The Shadow Priest congregation is the gateway into the Dezun Order's arcane and esoteric culture. Once a chosen person is admitted into the ranks of these priests, they will become an acolyte who must now complete a series of rites to qualify as a true Shadow Priest. The number, names, and purposes of these rites are unknown, but only one of them is known by name and purpose: the Rite of Shades. This final rite of passage involves a spiritual journey into the Nothl Realm for the purpose of gaining the strange powers that would make them a Shadow Priest. However, this result is not always realized, because there is a chance for the visitor to never return to the lands of the living. Of those who do, they may return mad or return with Nothlic power that marks the success of their dark initiation. As the holy people of the Order, they practice sacraments and may be canonized to become even holier.

Sacrifice is a very common ritual in the Dezun Order. Conducted by the Shadow Priests, the Order sacrifices the spirits of their warriors (usually with their consent and enthusiasm) or enemies (whether they like it or not) into the Nothl Realm to please the gods that dwell in the Nothl. Regardless of whoever gets sacrificed, their deaths will grant them great honors in the Nothl and are always ennobling to the order.

Rites and Enchantments
These rites and enchantments (note how they are not called "spells" but still work like them) are often used among the ranks of the Dezun Order, whether they're a Shadow Priest or a Sacred Warrior.

is just one among the few Dezun rituals meant for offensive purposes. The ritual releases a poison that paralyzes anyone unfortunate enough to catch it.

A minor enchantment known to the Dezun priests and anyone they impart it to, unlocks the innate regenerative powers of its recipient through their most prominent traits: strength,  agility,  or intelligence. As the magic draws upon only one of these three attributes to work its regeneration, the patient is technically being healed by themselves. Dazzle and the Dezun priests taught this enchantment to Huskar, who now reserves its use in times of great injury only.

According to Dazzle, resurrection comes easily to the Priests of Shadow. This is proven by his spell and his feat where Dazzle cast a deep incantation on Huskar to reprieve him from being sacrificed into the Nothl Realm.

Fetishes
Clothes that are woven in complete darkness can channel the essence of the Nothl Realm into its weave. Because of this magic, it's believed that the garments' enchantments will grow stronger as it ages. These holy garments are revered for their hallowed creators and catalysts of heightened Nothlic power.

Troll teeth are used as vessels for the souls of their former owners. These teeth are carefully assembled into a necklace.

The Father Spirit may dwell in the sacred clothing of the Dezun Order such as their sleeves. The inner spirit grants the inanimate object its status as a dazzling fetish.

Ranks
The Dezun Order is led by a council of elders who make all of the decisions, give sanctions, and honor its most outstanding members. They once sought to expand the Order's influence on a campaign that involved exploiting Huskar's newfound powers as their tool, but their upset sacred warrior left the Order and his ancestral home before they could even implement their plans.

Shadow Priests and acolytes of the Shadow constitute the ranks of Dezun. They undergo ordinations from their Order with unknown purposes. The Order can also reordain them and give new orders. These priests take shady vows and may renew them. In some unpleasant occassions, these priests may be excommunicated or executed for unknown reasons. As the Order's holy men, they conduct all of its rituals.

Alongside Dezun's priests, the Order also has ranks of sacred warriors who fight their bloody battles for them. They are often sacrificed by the Shadow Priests in Nothlic rituals.

Heroes
is but one of the many Shadow Priests of Dezun, but what makes him so strikingly different is his powers over the dualities of light and dark, mending and destruction. Not only that, but he gained his power as a young acolyte despite being too young for the Rite of Shades, a testimony to his prodigal skill.

is a sacred warrior who was about to be sacrificed to the Nothl Realm, but was reprieved against the ancient rites of Dezun when his cousin Dazzle withdrew him from the Nothl with a deep incantation. Like all who return from the Nothl, he was gifted with inverted powers—in his case it was the ability to grow exponentially stronger every time he lost his infinite lifeforce.

Relationships
Testimony to his godly knowledge and comprehension, knows and is unimpressed by the closely kept secrets of the Dezun Order.