According to the beliefs of the peoples of Midian, the essence of Death used to be encompassed by the nature of the Primordial Spirits. By creating life, they rejected Death and thus called into existence their own antipode. However, if other, forbidden, sources are to be trusted, the mere fact of the beginning of life dictated its end, so Death came to be inside the Primordial Spirits naturally and spontaneously. They rejected Death because she was against their nature and declared her their eternal enemy. However it happened, Death is a very complex entity, and sages have wracked their brains for centuries trying to comprehend it.
Death is neither deity, nor demon, nor spirit, it is simply a given. It is unknown who decided to worship a simple given and when, but something or someone on the other side certainly returns the favor.
One can interact with Death in two different ways. Firstly, her blessing can be received in exchange for your own death. Secondly, Death can be put off by making a contract with her or entering in her service. It is forbidden in any decent society, but that doesn’t reduce the number of those willing to do it.
The ones who aspire to take the path of service to Death become her acolytes. For that, it is enough just to want to become one; however, problems begin after that. The biggest one is that the Mistress doesn’t need too many servants, so the last trial of an acolyte comes down to sacrificing all the other acolytes. The great massacre takes place each year on the day of the first leaf-fall. If on the next day there is only one acolyte left, the Mistress graciously invites them to enter her service.
There are representatives of all the races of Midian among servants of death, and she doesn’t play favorites. The reward for the service is being turned into some sort of undead. The most gifted and zealous followers become powerful liches. If an acolyte hasn’t committed any offences, but hasn’t been of much use either, then the fate of a ghoul awaits him – an inhabitant of mausoleums that feeds on carrion. But woe to him who heard the will of his Mistress and refused to fulfill her order – he will become a spineless wight, confined to his haunt.