Ancestor

The cumulative memories of all ancestors to the Fall, taken form.

Basics

• Taxonomic Order: Insubstantiates

• Alignment: Nommic

• Energy: Ancestral Memory

• Lifespan: Until their line is gone - because some ancestors are bonded to a found family, lines can be revived in some ways

• Diet: None

• Habitat: The realm of memory

Origins

Mortals began engaging their ancestral memory very early in history; eventually, these incursions into the past spurred some permanence in the memories, drawing them back into the mortal realm.

Description

Ancestors, sometimes called ancestral spirits or by many other names, appear to be as they were in life, usually appearing as they were in a moment in which they had the most profound connection to the living descendant who calls upon them.

Procreation

When someone dies, a part of their psionic essence remains within those who were connected to them. This is ancestral memory. When someone draws from that ancestral memory, the form that appears to them is a living memory.

Powers

Ancestors have a clear memory of their entire lives, including things they could not remember when they were alive, and their essence as living ancestral memory means they are connected to their direct lineage dating back to the Fall. They do not have the same clarity for memories not their own, but they can reach back beyond what was their own time and see some things.

Because they are merely memories, they cannot use any powers they had in life unless those powers were psionic in some way - they are entirely made of psionic resonance. Even if the power was verbal or vocal, they cannot wield it unless it was harnessed entirely through the mind.

Only in very rare circumstances can a called ancestor operate independently within the Spirit Realm (where Shem is). This happens because of very specific rituals in which their descendant(s) call them into a body, either a vessel such as an animal, statue, or even the descendant’s own body. It is possible to summon an ancestor into an unrelated mortal’s body with consent of that mortal, but it is very difficult and does not last long.

In these rare instances, the ancestor will have a limited amount of time in their body to act, but they will have access to powers they had in life if the body is capable of them.

Weaknesses

Ancestors can be disrupted by tandh or stravomenos. In very rare circumstances, patriarchal ancestors may wield tandh to overcome and take over their descendants completely, turning them into slaves controlled by the mind and memories of their tyrannical ancestors.

Behavior

Ancestors exist within the mindscapes of all mortals. They only appear when called. They do retain some of the personality they had in life, however, and may or may not be helpful when called. If they were powerful or violent in life, they may seek to induce such in those who call them; if they were kind and compassionate, they will engage with those qualities when called.

There are many different traditions, rituals, ceremonies, spells, and other rites to call upon ancestors. These vary by culture and time period. The culture most strongly associated with ancestral memory is that of the Ladryans, but every living thing is capable of accessing it. Ancestors therefore exist in every culture.

When called, ancestors behave much as they did in life, but they are often compelled to share their memories regardless of their inclinations in life. Unless they had a strong reason not to, they will feel more open about what they remember.

Ancestors are aware of their being. They know they exist within the collective ancestral memory and can interact there with other ancestors, though mostly only those closely connected to them in life. Though blood relationship is often the most potent, any social or emotional connection will draw them to others in the memory. As such, people with found families are often more close to those than to their blood families.

Within the realm of memory, ancestors are free to act as they please, but there is a limit to their actions. They can only exist while their lineage exists - whether blood or social - and the realm of memory reflects vague impressions of where they lived in life, a faded remnant on the edge of dreams.

In the rare circumstances when an ancestor takes a physical body in the Spirit Realm, they will usually have been called into that body for a specific reason. Their personality and motivations in life may compel them to do other than what they were called for, but if this is the case, the shaman or other caller might try to stop them or compel them to do what they were called for. But they will have free will and a soul while doing so.

Esoterica

Because they are merely memories, they cannot use any esoteric arts they had in life unless those powers were psionic in some way - they are entirely made of psionic resonance. Even if the power was verbal or vocal, they cannot wield it unless it was harnessed entirely through the mind.

Religion

Ancestors are often worshiped. They themselves retain the faith they had in life.

Gender

Ancestors retain the gender they had in life. If they presented as a gender they were not, they often appear in a form that they would be more comfortable in unless something in their memories prevents them.

Outside View

Communing with ancestors is discouraged in class societies, as it is feared the truth they might bring will awaken people to their oppression.

Notables

Mother Shem is the first ancestor, but the first post-Fall ancestor is different for every species.

Sample Stats

PRO n/a
ATH n/a
STR n/a
AWA 20
WIL 25
PRS whatever they had in life
STH +3 to life

If they take a body, their stats will reflect a combination of their stats in life and the body they are in. This varies drastically.