(Pyschopomps) Ethereal Spirits and the Dead

gusty737 · 11-19-2014, 07:36 PM

Does the Liber Umbrarum provide any advice on ethereal spirits that interact with the dead? are their any affininites for spirits that take on the role of pyschopomps?

robkelk · 11-20-2014, 05:41 AM

Not really, no.

Check this thread for some fan ideas:
http://forums.sjgames.com/showthread.php?t=130315

William · 11-21-2014, 05:27 PM

Canonically, pagan gods can automatically anchor the souls of willing humans in their Domains, as long as they're aware of the human's moment of death. This seems to occur without any sort of intervening Trauma or journey.

The requirement that the pagan god be aware of the human's moment of death gives rise to a plausible role for psychopomps: ethereal spirits that regularly Soul Link to worshipers, which allows them to track those worshipers' location and current status. If one is close to death, the spirit informs their lord (probably with Celestial Tongues or Spirit Speech) and hurries to the worshiper's side (possibly with Celestial Motion, although Celestial Spirit Speech is very handy again). If possible, they could manifest with a sufficiently religious atmosphere, changing to a traditional Vessel or using Songs such as Nimbus, or Corporeal Light, putting the worshiper in a good mood to allow the god to anchor them -- hey, if a Valkyrie materialized over your dying body, you'd probably be thrilled to make the trip to Valhalla, right?

The pagan god could be Soul Linked himself, but a worshiper can ask for favors from an ethereal he's Soul Linked to, which could be troublesome if too many requests start coming in. The upside is that the worshiper can send 'their' ethereal Essence, which would certainly mean that being a psychopomp is probably a really nice gig for an ethereal that can handle themselves on Earth. Pagan gods can create Soul Links; investing a spirit as a psychopomp would probably allow those ethereals to do the same, perhaps with a touch or accepting a certain worship rite from a human. (Sorcery is also rumored to be able to do this, but that's no good for most worshipers of pagan gods.)

Finally, there are other methods of being informed about worshipers' deaths, such as using the Song of Symphony to query for a predicted date of death. An invested psychopomp might have such a power as an Attunement -- "with a touch, know when a human, absent celestial intervention, is going to die," or "with a touch and 1 Essence, you can attune to a human and thereafter be automatically alerted when that human is close to death. You can track a number of humans up to your total Forces."

As for Affinities, almost anything suitable for a servant of a pantheon might apply. Since a psychopomp is a guide, Affinities for Motion, Gates, Travel, Protection, Death, Faith, and more could all work.

It's also possible for a human to use the Corporeal Song of Dreams, or Lucid Dreaming, to anchor themselves to their dreamscape and become a dream-shade. The CPG specifically says they must "actually possess at least 1 level of the Dreaming skill" -- this seems to rule out the use of a talisman -- but potentially a psychopomp with Corporeal Dreams and the Song of Transferral could allow a worshiper to choose to join their lord's faithful as they died.

(Side note: if this method works, a one-shot relic of Corporeal Dreams which activates at the moment of the wearer's death would lessen the need for psychopomps, and make a handy identifier for soldiers of a tech or artifice-oriented spirit!)

Theoretically, a dream-shade could themselves be a psychopomp, if they can learn and use the Ethereal Song of Souls -- this redirects a dying person's soul to the Marches regardless of other dispositions, although it need not stay there. A dream-shade can also probably acquire a Soul Link, which would help them locate worshipers and properly time a suitable performance. However, pagan gods who hand out knowledge of this Song regularly are approximately 100% certain to be on Heaven's naughty list, and without even Blandine's forbearance. Considering that Sorcerers would love to get their hands on a way to escape Hell after death, Beleth is probably no help here either.

Summary:

A psychopomp is probably an ethereal spirit very loyal to a pagan god, who is permitted to operate on Earth, getting to know worshipers. It is probably able to form Soul Links with them, either by a native power or by reliably requesting one from its master. Otherwise, it just has to stay well-informed. Its method of operation is to stay alert for deaths in its flock, inform its master when these are occurring, and possibly manifest near the dying human to put them in the right frame of mind. A high level of skill with the Celestial Song of Spirit Speech is good for both of these latter duties. and being invested as a psychopomp probably grants a bonus to its performance. It may, alternatively or as well, possess the Corporeal Song of Dreams and the Song of Transferral, which it would use to permit a dying human to anchor to their dreamscape, then use itself to join them in the Marches and help guide them to their master's Domain.

11-19-2014, 07:36 PM	#1
gusty737 Join Date: Oct 2014	(Pyschopomps) Ethereal Spirits and the Dead Does the Liber Umbrarum provide any advice on ethereal spirits that interact with the dead? are their any affininites for spirits that take on the role of pyschopomps?

11-20-2014, 05:41 AM	#2
robkelk Untitled Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: between keyboard and chair	Re: (Pyschopomps) Ethereal Spirits and the Dead Not really, no. Check this thread for some fan ideas: http://forums.sjgames.com/showthread.php?t=130315 __________________ Rob Kelk “Every man has a right to his own opinion, but no man has a right to be wrong in his facts.” – Bernard Baruch, Deming (New Mexico) Headlight, 6 January 1950 No longer reading these forums regularly.

11-21-2014, 05:27 PM	#3
William Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Upper Peninsula of Michigan	Re: (Pyschopomps) Ethereal Spirits and the Dead Canonically, pagan gods can automatically anchor the souls of willing humans in their Domains, as long as they're aware of the human's moment of death. This seems to occur without any sort of intervening Trauma or journey. The requirement that the pagan god be aware of the human's moment of death gives rise to a plausible role for psychopomps: ethereal spirits that regularly Soul Link to worshipers, which allows them to track those worshipers' location and current status. If one is close to death, the spirit informs their lord (probably with Celestial Tongues or Spirit Speech) and hurries to the worshiper's side (possibly with Celestial Motion, although Celestial Spirit Speech is very handy again). If possible, they could manifest with a sufficiently religious atmosphere, changing to a traditional Vessel or using Songs such as Nimbus, or Corporeal Light, putting the worshiper in a good mood to allow the god to anchor them -- hey, if a Valkyrie materialized over your dying body, you'd probably be thrilled to make the trip to Valhalla, right? The pagan god could be Soul Linked himself, but a worshiper can ask for favors from an ethereal he's Soul Linked to, which could be troublesome if too many requests start coming in. The upside is that the worshiper can send 'their' ethereal Essence, which would certainly mean that being a psychopomp is probably a really nice gig for an ethereal that can handle themselves on Earth. Pagan gods can create Soul Links; investing a spirit as a psychopomp would probably allow those ethereals to do the same, perhaps with a touch or accepting a certain worship rite from a human. (Sorcery is also rumored to be able to do this, but that's no good for most worshipers of pagan gods.) Finally, there are other methods of being informed about worshipers' deaths, such as using the Song of Symphony to query for a predicted date of death. An invested psychopomp might have such a power as an Attunement -- "with a touch, know when a human, absent celestial intervention, is going to die," or "with a touch and 1 Essence, you can attune to a human and thereafter be automatically alerted when that human is close to death. You can track a number of humans up to your total Forces." As for Affinities, almost anything suitable for a servant of a pantheon might apply. Since a psychopomp is a guide, Affinities for Motion, Gates, Travel, Protection, Death, Faith, and more could all work. It's also possible for a human to use the Corporeal Song of Dreams, or Lucid Dreaming, to anchor themselves to their dreamscape and become a dream-shade. The CPG specifically says they must "actually possess at least 1 level of the Dreaming skill" -- this seems to rule out the use of a talisman -- but potentially a psychopomp with Corporeal Dreams and the Song of Transferral could allow a worshiper to choose to join their lord's faithful as they died. (Side note: if this method works, a one-shot relic of Corporeal Dreams which activates at the moment of the wearer's death would lessen the need for psychopomps, and make a handy identifier for soldiers of a tech or artifice-oriented spirit!) Theoretically, a dream-shade could themselves be a psychopomp, if they can learn and use the Ethereal Song of Souls -- this redirects a dying person's soul to the Marches regardless of other dispositions, although it need not stay there. A dream-shade can also probably acquire a Soul Link, which would help them locate worshipers and properly time a suitable performance. However, pagan gods who hand out knowledge of this Song regularly are approximately 100% certain to be on Heaven's naughty list, and without even Blandine's forbearance. Considering that Sorcerers would love to get their hands on a way to escape Hell after death, Beleth is probably no help here either. Summary: A psychopomp is probably an ethereal spirit very loyal to a pagan god, who is permitted to operate on Earth, getting to know worshipers. It is probably able to form Soul Links with them, either by a native power or by reliably requesting one from its master. Otherwise, it just has to stay well-informed. Its method of operation is to stay alert for deaths in its flock, inform its master when these are occurring, and possibly manifest near the dying human to put them in the right frame of mind. A high level of skill with the Celestial Song of Spirit Speech is good for both of these latter duties. and being invested as a psychopomp probably grants a bonus to its performance. It may, alternatively or as well, possess the Corporeal Song of Dreams and the Song of Transferral, which it would use to permit a dying human to anchor to their dreamscape, then use itself to join them in the Marches and help guide them to their master's Domain.