Dragaera

Necromancy

Thu Jan 27 04:07:46 PST 2005

With regards to keeping one's soul in a box, as per the Teckla:

We know that in the field of necromancy, there is one demon who reigns above 
them all.  That would, of course, be, The Necromancer.  And she is skilled 
beyond belief because she has Mastered x of the y gates or planes (where x= 
6 and y=7, I think).

The point is, necromancy deals with more than death and the unliving, though 
it's a major component.  Necromancy is more a study of existence on other 
planes.

A necromancer's box, then, is likely a spell that transports the soul to a 
different plane, but leaves a nice little doorway back to the one in which 
the body exists.

However, it won't help the body from being killed--but it will allow the 
awareness from that body to traverse along the pathways between the planes 
to get to where the soul is.  Home is where the heart is, until it gets hit 
with a broadsword.  Then it's anybody's guess.

Further proof for this theory is seen rather unequivocably in _Issola_ which 
deals almost entirely with traversing the planes between the worlds.  Note 
how the Necromancer is the key player in the endgame scenario.

So it's a question of how many gates Loraan has mastered.  I would imagine 
that it was just the one, or maybe even two.   This is in itself a very 
impressive feat.  I don't know if even Sethra's done that, though she 
probably has.  At the very least, she has a working understanding of 
necromancy.

We know that one of these planes is where the soul goes after the body dies 
(usually as a result of non-morganti, non-necromantically-protected deaths). 
  In fact, there could be many of these planes where the soul goes after 
bodydeath.  (side note: I love fantasy/science fiction because it allows for 
such cool new terms as "bodydeath".)

We know that Dragaeran souls are fettered to the Halls of Judgement, which 
fettering grants the gods a good portion of their power.  This may be a 
direct or indirect result of the fact that these souls recycle to Dragaera 
whereon lies a vast sea of Chaos, and thus grant the Lords of Judgement some 
control (heh) over the Sea.  Other power providers can be gotten from the 
natives of the world; the Easterners and the Serioli.  Well, we know the 
Easterners aren't native, but I think they've been there long enough to have 
their souls fettered to the planet itself, as opposed to the soul of 
Judgement, assuming they're fettered at all.

Sorry for using Wraith: The Oblivion terminology, but it seems to be fitting 
here.

However, we know the Serioli to be rather reluctant worshippers of the gods, 
and one might call them the makers of the party jokes that go horribly 
horribly wrong (though maybe not by accident).

Serioli: Hey cool party!
Gods: Thanks!
Serioli Smith: Hey guys wanna see a cool trick?
Gods et al: Sure!
Dragaeran: This isn't another of the kill the Gods and watch them get back 
up tricks, is it?
Serioli Smith: Damnit!  Stop ruining my tricks!
Gods et al: (divinely bored) Show us anyway!
Serioli Smith: In my land, we call this a "Remover of the aspects of 
Divinity"
God of Hard-hearing or God of Misfortune: What was that last 
bi---ARRRRGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHH
Serioli Smith: Oh my god I thought the name was a joke!! *chuckles inwardly*
Other Gods:  Man, that was seriously not cool.  Well, maybe a little....


Anyway...

So anyway, my point was somewhere back in the above letter.  I think.  But 
in summary, the necromantic planes are alternative means of reality.  Not 
sources or places of reality, but means to reality.  Some of them seem to 
act rather like the fourth dimension might, for instance.

But I'll leave you guys to read Stephen Hawking while you ponder replies to 
this.

Jon