Ancestral Spirits

[Nonek]

One of the theories in archaeology for explaining the henges and standing stones scattered across the british isles is that they are visual statements of ownership, oftentimes remains are found buried underneath and the dead are also laid to rest in the foundations of homes, ostensibly to watch over their descendants. This got me thinking, with the importance of souls in the world of Eternity perhaps the more primitive societies (and perhaps even the civilised ones) might see it as pefectly reasonable to bind the willing soul of a family member to their home and hearth.

 

Acting as a lorekeeper and a living reminder of their ancestry, such trapped souls could be enormously important to a community, or perhaps simply stand amid ruins wailing for their long lost children. Or such imprisonment might drive them mad, and they beg to be released from their duties.

[tajerio]

Sounds like an excellent idea, if the ability exists commonly enough in P:E's world to manage that sort of binding. I'm all for the souls-without-bodies thing showing up.

[Nonek]

It might be very interesting for a Cipher or Necromancer, to walk amongst the chattering souls of many households in a city long since swept away by war or happenstance.

Edited October 29, 2012 by Nonek

[Tsuga C]

Whether or not the spirits are those of ancestors, I do like the idea of spirits being active. The Norse landvaettir and disir are typical of what I'd like to see active in the world of P:E. They had their own list of "dos and don'ts", but as long as you stayed within their respective boundaries and offered them a bit of sacrifice, the spirits would often help you with crops, animal husbandry and other such things of day to day living. Anger them and you could potentially have a serious problem on your hand.

Edited October 29, 2012 by Tsuga C

[Nonek]

Be a viable source of both exposition and maybe even quest giving, always liked the old norse handle on this kind of thing.

[Tsuga C]

My thoughts, exactly. For adding some local flavor and variety it beats the heck out of killing rats in the cellar of a tavern at low levels for sidequests. As your party levels up, the issues brought to you by the spirits could increase in importance and complexity.

Edited October 29, 2012 by Tsuga C

[JayDGee]

I'd hate having some ancient ancestor lurking about my home telling me how I'm doing everything wrong and how things were better in their day.

 

In a fantasy setting however it works.

 

Thing were not better in your day, you died because people hadn't realised that cleaning a wound was a good idea. I live in a world where I can instantly communicate with people on the other side of the planet and men can jump from space and land safely.

[Nonek]

The Obesity thread got me thinking (when not posting bad jokes), what if one of the societies in Eternity believes that they can take the strength of a soul through one simple act? That doing so is honouring the dead and keeping the ancestral spirits appeased, and they do this through the ritualised eating of flesh. They might even extend this to the strongest of enemies they face, so that their feared reputation as cannibals and monsters is actually their highest showing of respect to worthy opponents. Would that be judged as evil and misguided, and what if it actually worked, that there were dead talkers who could call upon the souls of the long ago consumed to advise and protect the tribe?

 

Make for one hell of a moral quandry.

Edited November 3, 2012 by Nonek

[Monte Carlo]

Ciphers should be like human metal-detectors, they can detect and hoover up the memories and essences of souls when they put their mind to it. So they could walk into a tavern, a battlefield, a murder scene and sort of soak up what those souls were thinking almost by osmosis.

 

T'would be a bugger to implement but cool as you like.

[Monte Carlo]

I'd hate having some ancient ancestor lurking about my home telling me how I'm doing everything wrong and how things were better in their day.

 

Wow, you've met my mother-in-law.

[Tsuga C]

My enemy, he had a lot of heart;

 

and still he fights on;

 

upsetting my tummy and making me fart.

 

 

Many of the First Nations peoples customarily ate the heart of particularly brave warriors they'd managed to kill in order to add a measure of his strength to their own. It was based upon both a desire for power and a sign of respect. I could envision this sort of thing as an integral part of a campaign set in a Stone Age world, but I wonder how well it would play in the late Medieval/early Renaissance setting of P:E. If there are truly primative areas, perhaps this has a place--doubly so if there exists a truly "orc-like" race. It'd be a no-brainer for them.

[Monte Carlo]

Apocalypto FTW.

[Nonek]

I'm thinking these Glenfathans have quite the insular society where such practises might flourish, as a barbarian seems to be a touch anachronistic for what we know of the rest of Eternity. I suppose you might equate them to the highland clans surviving in Scotland while the rest of Great Britain moved farther away from tribalism, and we all know that our kin north of the border are still a bit tasty with their knuckles. Worst scrum i've ever been in was against a team of Glasgow lads, and apparently the old highland charge was dreaded by the redcoats.

 

Suddenly struck me, Grampy Bone and Sulik, Obsidian's already touched upon this.