Musings on Ancestors and the Unliving

Unknown

 

Why is it that all Ancestors, regardless of alignment or the people of the factions that worship them, all get dismiss Unliving? why is it that 'evil' ancestors bestow upon their worshippers the ability to dismiss the Unliving? Surely they like Unliving?

This introduction alone should give you an idea of how out of date this research is, Dark Incantation was returned to the Surface in ~1098... - Number_One

To address this question you must first look at why the Ancestors have worshippers.

 

Every person has a pattern, or soul for want of a better word, it is this soul that provides faith to the Ancestors through worship, or veneration. Faith, it is believed, is what powers the Ancestors, it is the food of the Ancestors, it clothes them, it bestows great powers upon them, and it provides the Ancestors with the ability to power their Incantors miracles. Indeed it may even be what the Ancestors and the afterlife are created from.

 

When a person dies, their pattern, or soul, travels to the afterlife. This afterlife, or the plane of the dead, as the mage's call it, is where the Ancestors dwell. Here the soul dwells in what ever kind of afterlife their Ancestor has created for them, for example, the Halls of Midgaard, for the Wolves. It is believed that after some time that the persons pattern is transported to the plane of light (life) here to be reborn back in to the known world. Thus the Ancestors constantly renew their source of faith, which stated above is their life's blood.

 

When some one is raised as an Unliving, their pattern or soul, is ripped from afterlife and forced into a state of Unlife. This corrupts the pattern, so as to never again allow the pattern to return to the afterlife. It also corrupts the pattern so that it cannot provide the faith, which the Ancestors require, and I believe actually causes a greater loss to the overall faith available to all the Ancestors.

 

The destruction of the Unliving, through what ever means, returns the corrupt pattern to the Netherrealm, the plane of the Unliving, there to dwell in eternal torment. The corrupt pattern can re-enter the known world by Necromantic powers, rifts and other things. With the destruction of the Unliving, the major detrimental effect that the corrupt pattern has on the faith of the ancestors is diminished. It seems that, for the Unliving to affect the faith, the Unliving has to be in the known world.

Therefore, it is my belief that the Ancestors provide us with the miracle, dismiss Unliving, so that we can combat the Unliving menace. I have been led to believe, that at the level of true Incantation or Divine Incantation the recently dismissed can be have their pattern restored.

 

As to why some Ancestors tolerate Unliving creatures being with their worshippers, I can only imagine that they don't mind the diminished faith, as it also weakens their enemy Ancestors, and that they balance the loss of Faith with the powers that the Unliving brings to their worshippers.

 

I hope that this brings some clarity to the questions raised and that others will see that Unliving are an abomination and are required to be destroyed, or if possible restored to the great cycle of life. I also hope that the people of Erdreja, will petition their leaders, so that the Incantors guild can do its duty to them.

 

I have not touched on the subject of the immortal beings, the part they play, if any, on the generation of faith, and their relationships with the Ancestors. That I believe will require further study and hope that others will help me on my quest of knowledge in this field.