The Slavers: the maimers, the mercies

During the God Wars the Pantheon of Sôl was one of the most powerful in the world, and the Slavers are a unique demonstration of their power. As discussed in a previous entry, The Slave Fields, enemies of Sôl could have their souls taken to the Slave Fields rather than to the afterlife of their own religion. This functioned in a terrifying way in warfare. Collectively they were known as the Slavers, but they came in two waves.

The Maimers were warriors, regiments of approximately one thousand soldiers, armed with special "non-lethal" swords. These weapons would sever body parts while simultaneously cauterizing or healing (depending on the source) the wound. In this way, the enemy was most often not killed, as the Maimers targeted legs and arms. Legends speak of battle fields littered with the wounded, screaming to be killed as they struggled to crawl.

The Mercies fulfilled the desire to die, but in a special way. The Mercies were priests trained specifically to "force convert" the wounded to the Pantheon of Sôl, effectively severing the spiritual connection of the dying with their own gods, and enforcing a connection to the Slave Fields of the Pantheon of Sôl.

As psychological warfare this was a very effective. One has to imagine the effect such a threat has on warriors born to believe dying in battle earned them a special place in their heaven, when an enemy promises to steal and enslave their soul. The Ôxêum Codex speaks of entire divisions of armies laying down their arms in the face of the Maimers, with the promise of not having their souls sundered from their own heavens.