Board Thread:Lore Discussion/@comment-1852943-20130424155230/@comment-1852943-20130604172637

I look at the Rite as something that must be learned before it can be performed, like learning sorceries and miracles; you don't physically purchase your spells, you pay a mentor/trainer to teach them to your character.

All the game contect explains is that Reah, Nico, and Vince are undead, and Petrus is a bad man (possibly undead as well), and they are on a mission to find the Rite. From there, we may speculate as to why the church thorolund would send 4 ranking members of the WoW to Lordran without first teaching them the Rite. Looking at Paladin Leeroy, we know the WoW did not always persecute undead; whether that opinion has changed over time is debatable.

Or, perhaps Petrus did something to piss off the WoW? I mean, he has a pretty bad rep according to Lautrec and Oswald.

Or is it possible the church doesn't exactly know how undead immitate the Rite, and perhaps all undead are sent to Nito to learn it? That would explain what Leeroy's mission was, and may provide a link between Leeroy and Reah since they were both prominent members of the WoW.