Bardic college obsessed with the study of death, to the point of engineering it
1601
In their beginnings, about a hundred years ago, the Lamenters were a bardic college, dedicated to the study and understanding of death and the reaction of the survivors to death. Initially, the organization had done much good work as counsellers, psychologists and medical researchers. Over time, however, the focus of the organization had slowly shifted, to the point where the perception and understanding of the Mystery of Death far outwieghed the mitigation of its' effects in the priorities of the members.
Gradually, the members began not only to study and chronicle deaths that they witnessed, but to assist the occurence of those deaths.
This particular arm, aware of the high risks adhering to dungeon adventuring, had developed a strategy for arranging often spectacular deaths to order. Working through the smith Foamwolf, they purchased unwanted loot weapons from returning expeditions, and reforged them to bear the now infamous rune. Resold to newly-formed parties, the weapons lurked like timebombs in scabbards and sheaths, waiting to crumble at a critical moment and expose the wielder to unexpected deadly peril.
Members of the Lamenters with the approriate skills would hire on to the party as 'the party cleric' or 'the group thief', and travel with them until the inevitable happened (as did Maegnor). His notes would then be added to the Order's library....