Shadows of Nightside ~ Blog

Found in an anonymously penned diary:

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A disembodied voice spoke to me.

“Warrior…

You have been brave today. Whether your enemy was under-estimated or gifted by sheer good fortune, you have lost this battle. You are dead. Even now, the carrion birds gather to feast on your remains. Know, however, that this is not the end of all things.

You will not be allowed to rise up and resume your life as things were. I demand your respect. Your death brings you much loss, but I will allow you to go on with your mission. If you are cunning enough, you will learn the ways of death so that you will be able to overcome the penalties I place upon you. Perhaps, if you gain enough respect for me, you will come to enjoy the ways of the undead. Or, you may simply accept my discipline and return to life the way you once knew, eventually. Now there are decisions for you to make.”

Having once heard what I can only assume was the voice of Death Incarnate, and having made a poor decision, I decided to research the great libraries. Filtering through myth and legend, I have made some concrete discoveries as well as found a few ideas that I must still test. It is possible that I will be unable to return to record these results, so anyone attempting to follow my lead should be fully aware of the dangers involved.

It seems to be a consensus that no items owned are lost or destroyed by Death. I guess you CAN take it with you or at least recover it quickly and easily. The deceased body, however, can be recovered by special magic, can be recalled to magic places or can be used by another as an undead slave.

Regardless, after dying, a person will find himself severely limited in what he can do. All his powers, abilities and his very life-force are reduced for a period of time until he can rebuild his energy by resting or reducing his activity.

A person also loses some of his ability to function as if a minor stroke had damaged some small part of his brain. A skilled magician may forget the incantations of a previously known spell and must re-learn it, a warrior might forget some of the more intricate weapon techniques which require the help of a trainer before they can be used again, or a blacksmith might have to practice at a forge to remember how to combine certain alloys. Death seems to be unpredictable in that which he takes, and what is taken is taken for good. It can only be regained by starting from where one remembers and working hard to learn again that which was known or by an expensive and complicated cleansing ritual. It is also interesting to note that Death seems to be kind to those who are young. They may die five times before their skill memories are attacked. While Death is courteous to the young, Death is also annoyed with the foolish. He who dies a second time before his skills are returned will never recover them.

As long as a corpse or any remnants of it remain that person will be unable return to life (at least 20 seconds) at magical bind places. This of course does not apply if someone is resurrected by a powerful spell, is raised from the dead, or passes into Namdhe, the Shadow Realm existing between life and true death. If the person is friendly with another having the ability to resurrect, his available health and stamina are determined by the power of he who resurrects him.

Legends say that Death keeps a general record of the losses of life in the world. However, there are those who manage to avoid his books (free players). This is unfortunate for them because if their lives were ended in error there is no higher power to protect them.

There is much more to tell the reader, but for today, I am exhausted. I will continue tomorrow.

Related posts:

1. Death in SoN ~ Part 2