Circle: Life
Circle of Life
The existence of life is a mystery and a miracle that has spurred on the creation of thousands of religions. Few truly understand those, but those who study the circle of life (which moves us all) are the closest to understanding its secrets. Manipulating the very sparks of what keeps the corporeal intact and operational, they can heal, thrive and sometimes even damage others with the abundance of their knowledge. Working in concert with technomancers, those who practice life magic were instrumental in the advancement of magitech medical technology, and while they are no longer necessary as the bulk of clinic work staff, many remain in the more standard medical occupations, though few have had enough education to truly be “doctors”.
Note: Magical healing has a price. Those who are healed will not be 100% right away. Healing takes time, and it also takes energy. Just like when one is recovering from an illness, those who have been healed will find themselves drained as well—being more exhausted for a longer time depending on the severity of the ailment healed. Unless time is taken to add in a pain soothing spell, major damage will also be painful while correcting itself. As the healer player, be sure you tell the player healing OOC what they need to be playing. More than that, there are some diminishing returns. Really, one can get level 0 through 2 healing indefinitely, but if one receives high level magical healing over and over again, it will begin to be less effective. Those who are resurrected lose a part of themselves. Those who are resurrected multiple times become more and more monstrous and unhinged.
On that same note, using any magic tires the magic user, but Life magic is particularly draining. In effect, one is going against the Order of Things and directly challenging fate, even so far as to defy death. When one uses their gift too much, they will become more susceptible to injury and illness. Life mages also seem to require a bit more sleep than other witches, particularly once who practice their spells regularly.
As for who Life magic works on, it will work best on humans and other witches, with witches and magic-using shifters healing the quickest due to the flow of magic already within them. Mer are the next easiest to heal—though Mer are more likely to accept healing from a fellow mer or a shifter. Most Mer would rather die than accept healing from a witch. Shifters and Vampires do not need so much help from healers, though there are some reasons they might seek it out. The spells below are written as if healing a human or witch. If you're looking to heal another sort of creature, check out the following:
Vampires: Some spells can be used, such as soothing pain, causing sleep or most hexes, but for the most part, vampires do not even need healing magic, so most of it is useless. That being said, some of it can be used to help speed up their healing process, but it will not stop their need for blood. In fact, as healing magic causes the body more exhaustion, it expends more blood on the part of the vampire, making their hunger swell. In these cases, there is a great danger of the magic user being attacked by their very patient! It will always be better to either gift one's own blood or have someone brought over for the vampire to feed from than anything else. For the unbound witch, this can be extra dangerous should the vampire immediately force them to drink from them as well and take their bond. Vampires will always require blood to heal, and using magic will not get around that.
There is also the matter of aggravated damage. A vampire suffering from sun or fire damage cannot have it cured by magic, though it can be soothed and treated, speeding up its healing time by half. A staked vampire cannot be woken up while the stake is still in them, the only thing that will wake a staked vampire is removing the stake and feeding them blood. Wounds inflicted upon them by shifter bites may be helped along with a triage spell to keep them from dying immediately,
A dormant vampire* (who has gone without blood so long they have fallen into a coma-like sleep) can be awakened with blood, but witches performing a resurrection spell upon them can aid considerably in returning their mind and former power to them. It is, however, not without its dangers, as many resurrected vampires can be quite dangerous once they are able to sate their considerable hunger. It should not be done without the presence of other powerful vampires there to keep the awakened one under control, as well as a few people for them to feed upon.
*This CANNOT be used to return a vampire to human.
Mer: Mer heal in the water much easier than they do upon land. Their natural regenerative abilities can be hurried along with healing magic, as appropriate, with the spell's listed healing times being half as much, provided both the caster and the target are in seawater. Fire and other aggravated damage can only be healed while in the water, at the spell's normal healing rate. However, a witch (not a shifter or mer) that has their healing help accepted with the caveat that it must happen within the sea should be very, very wary.
Shifters: Shifters already have great healing abilities, so regenerative spells are generally not very common, unless there is some reason they cannot heal that damage. Triage and soothing are useful though, as are a lot of other spells. Like others experiencing aggravated damage, vampire bites, silver wounds and fire damage can be helped along with magic—but only by reducing its healing time by half.
Animals: Non magical animals, and familiars, can also be healed with healing magic. They do not require mer reagents (though something must be used instead), and one may perform a healing spell upon them at a level higher, requiring half as much energy and half as much time to heal. Regular animals, like humans, can only be resurrected once—but familiars can be resurrected up to nine times, each time leaving them with a mark to indicate their trip to the afterlife.
Level 0:
Boo-Boo Kiss: The healer can, by touch or by kiss, clear away light bruising, scratches and cuts upon others, provided they are not aggravated damage. Each wound must be touched separately. (innate)
Fairest of Them All: The healer, regardless of personal hygiene and common stereotypes, is always free of blemishes, warts and other skin conditions. This does not include reactions from allergies, or from mild curses that cause breakouts etc. It also does not affect the reactions a witch has to their personalized physical weakness flaw. Not every witch is given this gift (it is optional for you to actually have. ...In case you want to have acne and warts, I guess.) (innate)
Leave No House Plant Behind: The healer’s house plants stay alive, even if they neglect them for weeks. How it happens, nobody knows. They may be hanging on by a thread, but they live, by Lysander! (innate)
Level 1:
Healing Touch (Level 1): The healer can, by touch and channeling, begin the healing process of mild wounds (cuts up to an inch deep) and moderate bruising. The healer must know what they are healing and cannot just heal “anything that is wrong”. Only one area of the body (head, torso, right leg, left leg, right arm, left arm) may be healed of wounds at a time. This is for physical wounds, not mental.
These things do not heal instantly, but repair at a hastened pace over twenty minutes. This requires focus, and being touched or struck will be enough distraction to keep the healer from continuing. Bone fractures can be healed this way, only if there are proper reagents. While Mer Tears are a popular healing reagent, they are very difficult to get—and more powerful witches will be mortified that they were wasted on this sort of thing. Instead, many find it best to use a young, live plant that was cultivated for this purpose, draining its energies to transfer into the individual being healed. (Provided they do no other magic: 2 times a scene for level 1, 3 times a scene for level 2, 5 times a scene for level 3, 7 times a scene for level 4. This magic is more draining for lower level magic users than higher.) The patient will heal faster if higher level healers perform the spell.
Gardener: The healer can, after watering a seed or plant, either sing or recite appropriate poetic incantations to it to make it grow to adulthood, and a flowering state. Plants that are clearly suffering or near death can be revitalized in this manner. Sprinkling finely ground reagents upon the site where the plant is growing assists it in becoming healthier and stronger. (innate)
Triage: The healer can temporarily stabilize a target with severe wounds so that they can be moved and taken care of. If the wounds are not taken care of either manually or magically within twenty four hours, they revert to the state before the spell. Can be used multiple times a day, but a person can only receive one magical triage treatment from one healer, once a day. If the caster is not used to the urgent circumstances in which a triage spell is needed, it will make it harder for them to focus, and therefore, they will become more exhausted from performing it.
A Spoonful of Sugar: If it's a mild ailment, such as a tummyache, aches and pains from overexertion or a terrible headache, the healer can use a common table spoon and fill it with a common, edible substance such as sugar, maple syrup, frosting, ketchup etc, then declare it to be medicine. Once they feed it to their patient, they should quickly begin to feel better. (innate)
Blemish Hex: By angrily pointing at a human, shifter, mer or vampire, the healer can cause blemishes to appear upon their skin approximately where they are pointing. It will begin as a couple small zits or one large one, but will slowly spread out over the course of the next few days. The hex will fade out after three days, or once the target washes the area with water directly from a waterfall.
It's the anger that really solidifies the hex, doing it to simply be a brat or out of jealousy rather than rage will cause it to backfire and affect the caster instead. The spell backfiring will cause an expenditure of more energy than if it was successful. (once a scene, chance of backfiring—be honest with yourself)
Vines: Vines are cool. Provided the healer has the right sort of seeds in their possession, they can cause said vines to grow rapidly and how they please. They can also make a connection with existing vines and similar plant life, causing them to move as they desire, tangling around ankles or lifting one up into their branches.
Spit Wash: Opposite of the blemish hex, the healer can lick their own thumb, then rub it over damaged skin, rubbing away blemishes, warts, blisters and skin damage such as a sunburn or a rash. This works on magically created blemishes and such as well, provided the original caster is the healer's level or lower. (innate, once a scene)
Soothing Song: By softly singing an incantation while touching a single individual, the healer can temporarily soothe their physical pain. This lasts only as long as they are singing. This is a common practice for those healers who work as midwives or are trying to distract someone while a bone is set. (innate)
Scar Smoother: The healer has a light knowledge of fleshcrafting, just enough to smooth away scars on willing participants. (innate)
Level 2:
Healing Touch (Level 2): The healer can, by touch and channeling, begin the healing process of moderate wounds (cuts up to several inches deep, having missed vital organs), heavy bruising and bone fractures. The healer must know what they are healing and cannot just heal “anything that is wrong”. Only one area of the body (head, torso, right leg, left leg, right arm, left arm) may be healed of wounds at a time. This is for physical wounds, not mental.
These things do not heal instantly, but repair at a hastened pace depending on their severity. Use your discretion, and a range between half an hour and full scene. Mild wounds (as described under level 1 spells) can be healed over the course of five minutes this way. All of this requires focus, and being touched or struck will be enough distraction to keep the healer from continuing. Broken bones can be healed this way, only if there are proper reagents and incantation. The bones must be set manually, or they will heal incorrectly. Mer Tears are good for this purpose, especially if there are multiple breaks or there has been a large amount of blood loss. Remember that Mer Tears must be acquired IC from the source, and they are not all that easy to get. (Provided they do no other magic: 2 times a scene for level 2, 3 times a scene for level 3, 5 times a scene for level 4. This magic is more draining for lower level magic users than higher.)
Plant Whisperer: The healer can speak to plants and find out what they know. This requires a ST ticket, as plants do not see the world the same as people do, and can only relay information in their own sort of strange language. One ticket a week.
Face Perfector: The healer has a bit more understanding of the art of fleshcrafting, and with time, can create some small cosmetic changes on a willing participant, such as pointed or exaggeratedly gauged ears, fuller lips, higher cheekbones, facelifts, rhinoplasty. Basically light plastic surgery. They can perform one “operation” at a time. There is an expenditure of energy and magical components, plus they must understand what it is their client is asking for. The change is permanent, unless they go through the process again.
Sense Life Force: At this level, the healer is so in tune with the flow of life, by focusing on a person, they can see the flow of life force within them. This can help them diagnose their ailments, diseases and such, but the patterns of it will also key them into whether or not the person they are speaking to is human, witch, shifter or mer (unusually vibrant/powerful life force), or vampire (unusually dark life force.) Human witches cannot determine if someone is a mer rather than a shifter (though it's pretty obvious due to the ears and teeth in most cases), nor can they determine what sort of shifter they are. They also cannot determine what sort of vampire someone is. They can, however, tell how powerful a supernatural creature is, or at least how powerful they are at the moment. Injured individuals will tend to appear less powerful than they actually are. (innate. Only one target per round. Try not to be annoying assessing every person in an area unless it is necessary to your RP.)
Soothing Song (higher level): By singing an incantation loudly and melodiously, the healer can soothe the pain of a group of people in a room, such as an infirmary. This soothing is made stronger with more witches singing along and weaving the net of magic throughout the room. The soothing lasts twenty four hours, but only on those who were in the room when the incantation was sung, and only as long as they remain within the room. For purposes of this spell, the area is chat range (up to 20 meters away from the primary caster). (once a day)
Illness Curse: “I hope you get... CHICKEN POX!” - Kylie, “Practical Magic.” The spell allows the caster to inflict a temporary illness on their target. This must not be anything fatal or something such as AIDS or Cancer, but it may be something pretty annoying, like crabs, a stomach flu, chicken pox etc. It will last three days to a week, during which they will suffer as though they are in the full swing of the illness—vomiting/diarrhea if they are given a stomach flu, headaches, fever, sweats for a regular flu, etc.) unless the individual makes a genuine apology that is accepted by the caster. Traditional medicine will not help, and magical healing will not do much for it. Most life magic users will recognize that it is a hex that will not last long and say that it will be better if they apologize or let it run its course.
Like the Blemish Hex, this spell requires the caster to have a swell of genuine anger and intention for it to work, otherwise it will backfire and infect the caster instead. The caster must point at the individual, say what they are inflicting their target with out loud, loud enough for the person to hear. If the person is deaf, you still have to say the words, but they have to see you pointing at them. Unlike the blemish hex, this also works on vampires, who will FEEL as if they are affected by it, and perhaps even dry heave or have stomachaches, but not genuinely have the illness. The target must be your level or lower.
(once a week. Chance of backfiring—be honest with yourself.)
Sleeping Aid: At this level, the healer can place their hands on a willing individual and put them into a peaceful slumber for however long they like. For those with insomnia or in pain, this is a blessing. Many healers make a good living having a schedule of going from home to home, putting their clients to sleep for the night.
A Touch of Pleasure (or Pain): Those who are adept at the magic of the Life Circle have unlocked one very... unique skill, due to their understanding of how nerves work on the magical level. Here, the healer must touch an individual's skin with their hand, either gripping or caressing it softly. A sensation will begin, depending on the caster's intent. It will either be mildly pleasurable or mildly painful, a sensation that will grow deeper and more intense as long as the hold is in place. If held long enough, this can lead to orgasm or deep pain, the sensation focused on the very location the caster is holding. (remember, OOC consent is key, so check with the other player to make sure you're not going down a road they would rather FTB).
Of course, this works best on people who are willing or cannot command or physically move you. A higher level life user (level 3 or 4) can cause deeper sensations, with the latter really being able to cause some mind bending (or breaking) feelings. This is the precursor to the touches learned at the next level, and a very profitable one, if one teams up with an Enchanter to create a very... fun pair of gloves. To simply brush up against someone and give them a shiver of desire (or make them feel like they just got pinched) is innate, but to hold someone longer and really focus on making them feel a certain way will drain one's energies more and more, potentially leading to the caster being left in a very precarious position.
Level 3:
Pantry Refresher: The healer can focus on an amount of rotting organic material (such as fruit / vegetables) (up to a bushel’s worth) and bring to a state of fresh ripeness that lasts for the next twenty-four hours before they start to decay naturally again. (Once a day)
May the Land Provide: The healer can focus on a tree or plant that bears fruit / gives vegetables, and perform a brief ritual with water and appropriate reagents to cause it to speedily grow ripe fruit ready to be picked. The plant or tree may start as a seed, but it will take more energy and components to grow. A single healer can do this to a few plants or one tree at a time, a group of healers can do larger areas. (once a day.)
Healing Touch (Level 3): The healer can, by touch and channeling, begin the healing process of severe, non-supernatural wounds (damaged but not completely destroyed organs, long deep cuts, heavy bruising and broken bones. Only one area of the body (head, torso, right leg, left leg, right arm, left arm) may be healed of wounds at a time. Broken bones must be set manually, or healing them will cause them to heal incorrectly. The healer must know what they are healing and cannot just heal “anything that is wrong.” This is for physical wounds, not mental. These things do not heal instantly, but repair at a hastened pace during the span of one scene to two days.
Wounds (mild to moderate) can be healed over the course of 5 to 30 minutes this way. All of this requires focus, and being touched or struck will be enough distraction to keep the healer from continuing. To heal severe injuries, Mer Tears must be used. These tears may be diluted in a solution of sea water to provide enough to heal everyone necessary over a period of 24 IC hours. (Understandably, healing RP takes a long time and so does big fight RP, so it is perfectly reasonable to RP something the next day saying it is later that night. Just make sure everyone is aware of that.) Remember that Mer Tears must be acquired IC from the source, and they are not all that easy to get. (Provided they do no other magic: 2 times a scene for level 3, 3 times a scene for level 4. This magic is more draining for lower level magic users than higher.)
Touch of Sleep: “Shhh” - Gabriel, “The Prophecy.” By pressing their palm to a person's head and “shhh”ing them, the healer can cause one to pass out for one hour's time, provided no one else physically interacts with them. The healer must touch skin. This cannot be done in a chaotic setting such as a full on battle or a crowded dance club, but it CAN be used to diffuse a situation when a person is getting aggressive or starting an attack. It takes one round to cast, and has a chance of failure if the individual being targeted is expecting to be attacked by the caster in particular. This works on any creature lower than than the caster's level, but if there are two casters with this level in the Life Circle, they can simultaneously use it on someone their level successfully, provided that person is not a vampire. Three casters at this level can work together to make it work on a witch, shifter or mer who is at an alpha leader level, with the expectation that there is going to be dire consequences. Once you do it to a person, you cannot do it to that particular person again for at least 24 hours. (innate, once a scene)
Numbing Touch: As it says, the caster can touch an area of a person's body and make it numb for approximately an hour. There must be intent, and they must touch the flesh (not clothing) directly. It numbs the area closest to where they are touching, but can extend it to a whole section. Such as touching an elbow, but making a whole arm numb. This works on anyone, regardless of their will, and is primarily done to make healing go easier. However, some more... creative casters have come up with all sorts of fun ways to use this, antagonizing friends, foes and people trying to type whenever they please. Like most magic, however, it's best to choose your targets wisely—and there is always a chance of it failing or backfiring if you're distracted while casting it. Once the hour is up, you must touch the person again if you want the numbness to continue. (innate)
Revitalize: Sometimes, healing the body isn't what's needed. A healer’s energy is twice as potent when they share it, and if they are not using it to heal, they can touch another magic user and by focusing, lend them a large chunk of their metaphysical energies, allowing the person to cast more magic than they would usually be able to cast before weakness takes over, or cast it a bit stronger. The other person has to focus on receiving the energy, drinking it down. But this energy is power, and like all powerful things, it can be addicting. The receiver could overindulge, leaving the healer passed out and on the verge of death, or if this goes on many times, become addicted to the sensation, asking for it more and more often, perhaps searching for ways to make it happen again. A smart healer only uses this sparingly and is prepared to break off before the other magic user takes too much.
Reconnection: At this level, the caster can reattach a severed limb or multiple digits (Arm, Leg, Foot, Hand, Penis, tongue = limb. Finger, Toe, Nose, Ear = digits) This is a long, exhausting process that requires a caster's full attention, and they may not perform any other magic nor physically demanding labor for twenty four hours. Shifters who do this before the full moon will still change, but be very, very tired for the duration. Mer should only attempt this underwater, or at least half submerged, should they be attaching it to a non-mer. Of course, most mer would rather just enjoy the offered snack, but there are those times that one's hand is slapped and someone must be sent back whole.
A whole ceremony is necessary for this. Ordo Luna witches will primarily perform this near their house. Shifters will perform this in nature. The details for this are mostly up to individuals, but because of the strain of this spell, it is rarely done alone. Candles and incense, offerings and incantations, so on and so forth. Triton Venom is the preferred main reagent for this spell, mixed with other things, but if one is unable to acquire the venom in a timely manner, a mix of vampire, mer and shifter blood can be used in a pinch. However, a vast quantity is needed of each (we'll say a pint or so), and all three must be on the ritual grounds. If at all possible, the witch should get the one requesting the service to take on the debt acquired by getting those people to agree to such a thing. IF they can get them to agree to such a thing. The blood is mixed together and used to anoint the places where the flesh had become disconnected, then drank by both the main caster and the target before the ritual begins. If venom is used, it must be diluted with other substances, then used in a similar manner (except not drunk by the caster). The severed limb or digit must then be adhered to the body, with bandages or stitches etc, and the ritual can begin. It should be a dramatic thing, because this is not a common magic, but of course, that is up to player discretion.
While it is performed, there will be an itching sensation, followed by extreme pain as the body reconnects. The pain will continue for a couple days, along with occasional numbness and twitching before the limb can be used properly. One should not walk on a reattached leg or use a reattached arm etc. for at least a week afterward. As this ritual can only be undergone once for each part of the body, woe be it to the man who uses his reattached penis before its fully healed... and the person he has inserted it into. (once a month. Requires more than one witch. Very draining.)
Breath of Life: When coming upon one who is on the brink of death, or has just barely crossed over (within the last 10 IC minutes) the healer can press their mouth to the target and exhale the very essence of life into them. This will cause the target's heart to begin to beat again, perhaps even cough awake. It does not heal the wounds they have suffered, which will have to be healed either manually or by another healer, as performing the breath of life takes away a good portion of the healer's current life force. It takes them a week to recover from this, and they will be unable to perform or assist with any sort of magic until they are back to full strength. This cannot be done on vampires, but... there is a rumor very, very quietly whispered in some circles that a healer who can perform this spell can actually cause a newly turned vampire to come back to life as a human, provided they are able to get them within that five minutes of their initial death. This is completely unproven, however, and it definitely too risky a thought for most to even try.
Overall, however, the Breath of Life is a dangerous enough spell on any normally breathing creature to attempt on a vampire. During the course of one's life, one may only use the Breath of Life spell on people twice. The first time leaves the healer extremely exhausted, the second time leaves them marked by Death, leaving them with a foreboding feeling and nightmares of the afterlife. Because of this, most are too afraid to perform the spell a third time, possessing the great feeling that if they were to do that, it would be the last breath they would ever breathe. (two times total in game, third time kills caster. Extremely draining.) It can be used, however, indefinitely on animals and familiars with little issue. If the heart has stopped on the familiar, it counts as one of their nine lives. When used, the player must contact administration so it can be marked on their character sheet.
Flesh Pet: The healer can sew together bits of animal flesh to create their own pet or familiar. (familiars are for witches only, sorry mer and shifters!) This monstrosity can only be as large as a medium dog, and must contain at least part of an animal brain. Human tissue may be used, but at this level, using a human brain is out of the question. The spell “Pantry Refresher” must be used upon the Flesh Pet daily, or it will begin to rot. At that point, it will be even more unwelcome in the Ordo Luna house.
Note: Simply because the healer made the pet does not mean they have total control of its every action. Like all beings, the Flesh Pet has a mind of its own. Also, to see it must have eyes, to eat it must have a mouth, etc.
Level 4:
Regrowth: It is said that during their training, those who study the Life Circle are made to examine and learn about many creatures. None of these is so interesting, however, as the gecko and its extraordinary ability to regrow limbs. In some more intense academies, healers are made to watch these creatures become dismembered again and again, as well as watch worms get cut in half, and the deaths and healing of a number of other creatures. But the gecko sticks with them and its particular physical ingenuity. In fact, many healers leave their academies with one of the geckos they studied, already bound as their familiar.
But witch culture aside, there is a lesson to be learned there, and the Master Witch understands what must be done. And in a brutal society where they must sometimes suffer extreme punishments or perhaps get caught up in a Mer's snare and snacked upon, it is a spell that is very useful. With enough power behind it, a healer can regrow a person's limb (or digit, with less expenditure). It, however, takes a LOT of energy, and even someone possessing magic at this level will have difficulty with it. So it is rare that it happens directly after dismemberment, as the healer needs time to prepare, to meditate and to gather power.
After twenty-four hours of meditation and preparation (in whatever way you think is appropriate), the healer is ready to begin. They require an open space, large enough for their subject to lie down flat. They also require Triton Venom, a key component to the spell, and perhaps one reason as to why the population of the Mer seem to drop around the coast during war times. A drop of mer blood is also nice to have, but another hallucinogen will work, such as LSD or Mescaline. This helps in envisioning the growth of the limb.
Drawing an outline of approximately where the limb will be (and about what size) on the surface the person is lying on, the ritual begins. It's best for multiple people to be there, especially one to keep the person held down, but it's not entirely necessary. There can also be reagents, incantations, etc. What is important is that the healer gets high and the subject gets poisoned with venom. During the ritual, the limb will begin to grow, fairly grotesquely, extremely painfully, until it is proper again. There could be changes (nothing that makes it stronger) and it's possible that it won't have hair or nails upon it yet.
Afterward, both the main caster and the subject are very tired, needing a week's rest. The limb begins by being limp and useless, but over the course of the week, it will become stronger until it is fully functional again. Weaker, for a time, but functional. Prematurely attempting to use the appendage will cause its healing time to lengthen, and if it is a magic user who's just regrown their limb, using magic within that week of healing (beyond innate) will cause it to start rotting, potentially even decaying and rotting off again.
One can only have one limb regrow every three months. (once a month, exhausting.)
Resurrection Spell: NOTE: This is a ritual that must be approved by the admins before moving forward.) This spell requires at least four magic users, one of whom must be a level 4 Life magic user, or two who are level 3 Life magic users.
A spiritualist should also be on hand, if possible, to help guide the deceased's spirit back to their corporeal form. The ritual must be performed within one moon cycle after the individual's death, as that is said to be the cut off from returning from the spirit realm.
The details of the ritual are not common knowledge, and as such, they will not all be placed here. However, there are some things that most healers know will be necessary. The first, of course, is the deceased's body. There MUST be a body in order for one to be resurrected. There must be as much of it there as possible. If someone has taken their heart, the heart must be found and placed in the chest cavity. If the heart no longer exists, SOMEONE's heart must go there, which may mean the death of another individual or a quick raid of those bodies heading to the incinerator. The second is Triton Venom, a highly necessary component in almost all high end healing magic. The third is a reason for the deceased to return to the land of the living. It must be a strong reason, one that has a physical representation. This may be their literal child, a bloodied sword, their wedding ring etc. For best results, people bring as many 'reasons' as they can, hoping the spirit will latch onto one. Lastly, the ritual must happen during the witching hour, when the veil between worlds is at its weakest.
There is surely more, but other than reagents, there needs to be a lot of focus, a lot of energy, and a lot of time spent rebuilding the body of the deceased and bringing it to a point where it can be inhabited. When it is ready, those within the ritual call for the spirit to come back, a thing usually led by the highest spiritualist present. There is a chance that, during this time, some other entity might take control of the freshly renewed body, and it is up to those in the ritual to be sure that what is happening is correct and the person coming alive is who they are searching for. There is also the chance that the deceased may not want to rejoin the world of the living, which will end the ritual with the body's rapid decay.
But if the ritual is successful, it leaves the coven (or shifters, or mer) involved fairly weakened. Most will stay in the Ordo Luna House for the next week or two to recover. Others will have stronger individuals escort them back home for some rest. But their work is done and is now time for the resurrected to go through their own trials. Not only will they have to become accustomed to being alive again, they will be haunted by the things they saw while they were dead for some time, as well as the last moments of their life. They will also be overcome with ennui and depression and require time with people to reconnect with life again. And they will be very, very sore and weak. There is no time frame for how long it will take for them to become their full self again, if that even occurs at all.
(Ideally only once in a great while. Will approach it as necessary. Requires a group of interested people, ST ran scenes and of course, Admin approval (and the approval of the person to be resurrected.) DO NOT get your character killed because you are relying on this. It is a very rare ritual. Those who are executed for crimes against the Regime are not eligible unless the magic users involved are all highly suicidal.)
NOTE FOR MER: The Mer use different sorts of reagents, primarily specially grown water plants and various precious stones, most of which can be harvested near the ritual place. There is, however, a lot of bureaucracy regarding resurrection spells, with the Duke or Duchess of the pod having to sign off on it and give a token of approval to be presented to the Seer at the resurrection site, as well as an agreement from one of the deceased's living relatives or both members of their triad, if they have formed one. If one has neither, it takes a unanimous vote from the council. All of this can be very taxing on those wishing to resurrect the person, as it must occur within one moon cycle after their death. Their rites are also fairly different, as their afterlife is not quite the same.
Level 5: Limits on level 5 spells are for rituals led by level 4 witches. The limits of level 5 witches and above are undocumented.
Flesh Golem: A rather morbid affair, and a specialty of the Eclipse Bess, a Flesh Golem is a creature that has been crafted out of the flesh, both human and animal. It can be as large as a horse, and rumors say, even larger. Brain matter must be included in it in order for it to be able to understand and follow commands. The danger in this is that sometimes, they can be unruly and have a mind of their own if the witches that create them do not have a strong hold over them. These creatures are disgusting, and currently used on the front lines in the battle to reclaim Australia. A Flesh Golem that is not made with the ISF’s blessing generally ends up with a mass murder of local healers as an example.