A journey to Spirit World (please my players keep out)

Submitted by Eric Vanel on Sun, 05/08/2012 – 11:04

I am still wondering about interactions between the “Our World” and the “Spirit World”.It’s pretty clear about Spirits coming into “our World”, but what about the opposite ?If non animists, non shaman (ie my players characters !) are going into the Spirit World, what happen ?How does the Spirit World look like ?Does only your “Spirit” goes there ?Once in it, can you “touch” something ?Basically, which ability can you use ?Can you die, and what if it’s happen ?….If any example of such interaction/quest exist, please tell me.

Thanks a lot !!

Submitted by Eric Vanel on Wed, 08/08/2012 – 09:51.

Thanks a lot to Peter, Tim, David and Charles !!
All your comments are really helpful to prepare my next game. The plan I have in mind is to send the players to the Spirit World to meet the Telmori ancestors who supported Nysalor and were “blessed” by him… I let you guess the consequences…
Seems to be as Nearly Impossible as I like it to be ;-). One of them has the Spirit Rune (and is as well a Sartar heir), but not a Shaman. They are as well supported (?) by a huge Telmori Spirit (One of the Guardian of Sartar binded by the Lunars in 1602 they freed in the previous game session) who may guide them as well. Their Telmori connections may give them as well opportunities to meet some Shamans.
One comment to David : I would not let the characters use their “non-spiritual abilities” at full power in the Spirit World (as for sur it exceed the Spirit Runes they don’t have). Having strong penalties (like -20) would seem more logic. Up to them to find a way to emulate the Spirit rune somehow…
Feel free to make more suggestions, but the best would be to further discuss all this face to face in Kraken if you come 😉

an older article…

Submitted by Charles on Mon, 06/08/2012 – 10:03.

see this older article http://moondesignpublications.com/support/eternityOtherworlds.html by Greg Stafford.
Some parts of this are superceded, so only use the bits that you really like

slightly rambling – but

Submitted by David on Mon, 06/08/2012 – 08:45.

Hi Eric,
I’m running a spirit based Praxian campaign to explore how the HQ2 rules work with spirits. I’m using real world as a guide to animism and shamanism, and my own experience of the last 15 years of working with shamanism and teaching it.
In my game you are either born with a soul (a theist) or with a spirit (an animist) – I haven’t explored Wizardry yet. Those with a spirit have the spirit rune and a tradition Keyword that everything breaks out from. To mix it all up all, Gloranthans are made of all the runes, so even those with the spirit rune have a bit of soul and vice versa. The rules for most of this is in HQ2 and the Sartar Companion under Kolat.

>It’s pretty clear about Spirits coming into “our World”, but what about the opposite ?
You can only “see” spirits if you have the spirit rune or another ability that mimics that. Spirits don’t get to come into our world unless they can embody, manifest through something or take something over. They can see our spirit’s from their world and can to some degree interact with them – generally as illnesses etc. Spirits generally move into our world and then into a safe house – a charm.

Going into the spirit world, can be done if you are part of a tradition and have learned how to by joining a spirit society. Normally only the shaman goes, he leaves his body behind guarded by his fetch. I’m experimenting with some changed HQ2 rules:
Spirit Society Members Abilities Granted
• You can use your spirit society keyword to hear, see, and communicate with spirits, to open a door into the spirit world. This door allows you to communicate with other spirits in the Spirit World. It allows you to take one step into the spirit world, but does not allow spirits to pass through it.

Spirit-talkers Abilities Granted
A spirit-talker may send his spirit through the spirit world for up to a mile without penalty. However there is no fetch to watch over their body!
As with shaman, spirit-talkers may take up to half a dozen other practitioners with them.

Shaman Additional Abilities
A shaman may take up to a dozen others with him to the spirit world, up to half may be non-practitioners.

>If non animists, non shaman (ie my players characters !) are going into the Spirit World, what happen ?
So in answer to the question – there has to be someone who can act as a shaman and take them in.

>How does the Spirit World look like ?
There are three parts:
The spirit world of where you are. It has all the spirits of the things around you, ground, plants animals, trees, buildings, mythically appropriate parts of your world (Praxians see a giant herds with Eiritha the Herd Mother and the spirits of ancestors, etc.).

Google Pablo Amaringo. He was a Peruvian shaman who did a lot of art from his visions. It doesn’t have to be as brightly coloured or a psychedelic, it can look normal, slightly fuzzy, cartoon like, childlike, or in the style of a particular artist. I would suggest you decide on a cultural feel as to how the spirit world looks to the characters, before you start. This is based on tradition. As you look closer at things you can see the spirits they are made from, they may start to look more abstract.

Sky World, this is where the sky spirits live.
The Underworld, this is where the underworld spirits live – Darkness, etc.
There are certainly some other worlds – look at this nine worlds version here as an example:

"Asgard: The Nine Worlds" (from The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Deluxe Edition #1, December 1985)

As you look closer at things you can see the spirits they are made from.
Other artists to Google:
Christian Morrisseau
Turner’s “woolly” landscapes:
http://www.ibiblio.org/wm/paint/auth/turner/i/colour.jpg
http://www.ibiblio.org/wm/paint/auth/turner/i/norham-castle.jpg
http://www.ibiblio.org/wm/paint/auth/turner/i/distant.jpg
http://www.ibiblio.org/wm/paint/auth/turner/i/sea-monsters.jpg
http://thewayofbeauty.org/files/2010/06/turner28.jpg
http://www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/ladylever/collections/thefallsofthecl…

>Does only your “Spirit” goes there ?
Yes, your body stays behind.

>Once in it, can you “touch” something ?
Yes, treat it as a normal world.

>Basically, which ability can you use ?
All of them or your Spirit rune which ever is better.

>Can you die, and what if it’s happen ?
Yes, you can die. Your spirit is permanently severed and heads to the Path of the Dead. Don’t forget your body can die as well, keep it safe.
As for HeroQuesting –  that’s a different matter.
—–
David Scott

Submitted by Tim Ellis on Mon, 06/08/2012 – 08:42.

I think it is hard for an non-animist non-shaman to enter the spirit world, especially without help from someone who is an active animist.  Normally only your spirit travels into the Spirit World, which might not look too different from the mundane world, except everything is “alive”  (depending on the power of the sominant spirits, of course it might look quite different).HQ1 gave Animists  abilities for interacting with the spirit world (Spirit Face, Open Spirit World, and for Shamen Spirit World Travel and Shamanic Escape).  Non animists trying to interact with the Spirit World are going to be taking penalties and/or facing high resistances.A complete defeat on the Spirit Plane leaves you open to possession by the other spirit. This may or may not be fatal, depending on the nature of the spirit inflicting the defeat…

Submitted by metcalph on Mon, 06/08/2012 – 06:48.

The only published reference is the Hero Wars narrators book.  However the reference is rather dated so feel free to innovate.
Generally put, visitors to the Spirit World need a guide, a shaman, to navigate the Spirit World. Otherwise they are restricted to visiting places from the mundane world or being buffetted around.
I would pretty much run the Spirit as being a magical version of thereal world except that everything down to the smallest blade of grass has its own spirit.  To avoid unnecessary interactions, visitors stick to the path and if forced of it, bad things can happen.
People normally visit the Spirit World in their spirits/souls/essences but I do feel there are cases where whole body transference takes place.
Death on the spirit world is pretty much like a defeat when HeroQuesting – you are ejected back to the mortal world plus whatever wounds the spirit that defeated you had inflicted.

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