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  1. #1
    Neil Barnes
    Guest

    Traditiional Ghosts

    Onne thing that I'm worried is going to be lost in Birthright is the
    idea of haunted houses and castles. Because connectionns to the Shadow
    World are so inimical any area which suffered from a regular haunting
    would seem destined to become uninhabitable.

    So here's an idea for traditional ghosts in BR: -

    When a blooded individual dies in traumatic circumstances, they often
    leave a ghost behind. These haunting spirits are not the malign entities
    of the Monstrous Manual, but some portion of an individual's soul,
    trapped by the emotions surroundinng it's death, within the Shadow
    World.

    Within the Shadow World they are usually tied to the building in which
    they died. They appear as transluscent versions of themselves prior to
    their deaths. They retain their abilities and personalities from life,
    but are unablee to leave the Shadow World. The intense emotions
    surrounding the events of their deaths are all that connects them to
    their tenuous existance, and they generally fall into a pattern of
    repeating the actions which lead to their deaths - doiing otherwise is
    draining for them.

    If they are killed, then their souls are destroyed, and do not pass on
    to the Outer Planes. However if they manage to resolve the emotions that
    tie them to the Shadow World, then they are released to pass on to the
    after-life.

    Through dint of intense concentration they are able to affect events in
    Cerilia, but this is easier while they are carrying out actions relating
    to the events of their deaths. Thus they can move small objects, create
    insubstantial fleeting images, create pools of blood, cause moaning
    sounds and drops in tempreture - all the traditional signs of ghostly
    activity.

    Within the Shadow World, they are able to fight 'spectral' undead
    (ghosts, wraiths, wights, spectres etc.) normally - beinng able to hurt
    them and also immune to their energy draining powers - thus a house
    haunted by a traditional ghost is unlikely to be plagued by other sorts
    of undead (which is why the other sorts of undead are more common in
    wilderness areas such as the Giantdowns).

    Because of the emotional and bloodline requirements for their formation
    'traditional' Ghosts are usually only found in civilised areas with a
    long history of bloody politics - such as Anuire, Rjurik & Brechtur.

    Ghosts in the east are somewhat different - being more malicious,
    better able to enter Cerilia and able to change shape. They are also
    considerably rarer.

    neil

    chuck.taine@lsh.org

  2. #2
    c558382@showme.missouri.
    Guest

    Traditiional Ghosts

    See also "Spectral Scion" in the _Rjurik Highlands_.

    Kenneth Gauck
    c558382@showme.missouri.edu

  3. #3
    Neil Barnes
    Guest

    Traditiional Ghosts

    On Tue, 3 Feb 1998, Trizt wrote:
    > On 02-Feb-98, Neil Barnes (nb4769@bristol.ac.uk) wrote about [BIRTHRIGHT] -
    > Traditiional Ghosts:
    >
    > ->When a blooded individual dies in traumatic circumstances, they often
    > ->leave a ghost behind.
    >
    > Why blooded?? I think the blooded are weaker when becoming ghosts as they
    > loose part of their power in the moment of death.

    Because this keeps ghosts rare, and restricts them to castles/ large
    houses etc. - there's nothing to prevent peasant ghosts, since even
    peasants can have tainted bloodlines.

    > It could fit into the Rjuvik society, but then you should make it (or
    > parts of Rjuvik) more Finnic and not do the misstake of claiming that
    > there is no difference between Finnic people/language and
    > Scanno-Germanic which TSR does.

    To be diplomatic, I think that the BR team were just drawing on a number
    of sources when creating the Rjurik - there are a few Celtic elements in
    their too (druids especially).

    > The life or death has nothing to do
    > with the "creation" of the ghost, the reason why there are ghosts are
    > that a close relative is mourning so much (a week or more) that the
    > dead is distracted from passing to the "underworld" that they turn
    > around and go back home. A tear from the wife/husband/beloved falling
    > on the grave during the grave is enough too.

    This doesn't really give the sort of political ghosts I was aiming for -
    ghosts whose motives could include resolving the mystery surrounding
    their bloody deaths (especially fun if the ghosts has been around for a
    few hundred years), revealing some secret, whatever. Ghosts with
    Unfinished business.

    Example: Maerie, the Ghost of *wherever*.

    Once a maid, working for the family, she fell from a tower roof one
    winter, breaking through the ice that covered the moat and getting
    trapped underneath. She drowned before she could be rescued. On winter
    nights she can be seen about the castle dusting & doing other minor
    housework tasks (changing bedding etc.). She is a faint transluscent
    figure that drips icy water where ever she goes.

    On the night of the anniversary of her death she may approach fires that
    can be seen from the castle's highest tower, asking travellers if she
    can warm herself at the fire, since she is cold & dripping wet. She
    isn't noticably transluscent at these times, and may make sensitive
    travellers nervous. She always vanishes just before morning, leaving
    no trace of her presence save for cold, damp footprints.

    The Secret: Maerie didn't fall, she was pushed. The illegitimate
    daughter of the lord of the castle (her mother was a maid as well), she
    was given her mother's job. When her father discovered that she was
    having an affair with his son (whom she was unaware was her half
    brother) and pregnant with his child, he pushed her off the top of the
    tower.

    In play: If the PCs are travelling in winter, they might encounter
    Maerie the ghost as she asks to warm herself at their fire. They might
    be able to deduce something of the circumstances of her death from her,
    although she won't reveal that she is dead, or give away any information
    directly. Perhaps she might tell the players that she is fleeing an
    abusive master at the nearby castle.

    If you feel really vicious, you could make this a blot upon one of the
    chartacter's family trees....

    In order to release Maerie, the players should have to uncover the
    secrets related to her death, which would set her free. OTOH it might
    reveal the PC's Great-great-grandfather as a bit of a shit.


    > Any opinions?

    Interesting. probably a bit more difficult to directly tie into an
    adventure type plot. I'll admit to a certain Shakespearean influence
    when I created my ghosts...

    neil

  4. #4
    Geniver
    Guest

    Traditiional Ghosts

    I really enjoyed reading your 'ghost story'. No campaign that I have
    participated in has had anything like it! OTOH, that's probably because
    the people I play with wouldn't be all that interested in a plot that
    just reveals a secret with little consequence. I imagine if there was a
    high enough experience award for solving the mystery....

    Birthright provides other incentives besides experience, treasure, and
    the thrill of victory. Make a slight change in the ending: The maid had
    two children by the regent. When the secret is revealed, a descendent of
    the second child learns that she is blooded. Her natural affinity with
    animals is actually a blood ability. The current regent has the same
    birthmark in that private place. It is a bloodmark. The result is the
    rise of a popular NPC rival as explained in the random events chart.
    Only this one is indebted to the PC that discovered the secret....





    Neil Barnes wrote:
    >
    > Example: Maerie, the Ghost of *wherever*.
    >
    >...
    >
    > you could make this a blot upon one of the
    > chartacter's family trees....
    >
    > In order to release Maerie, the players should have to uncover the
    > secrets related to her death, which would set her free. OTOH it might
    > reveal the PC's Great-great-grandfather as a bit of a shit.
    >

  5. #5
    Neil Barnes
    Guest

    Traditiional Ghosts

    On Wed, 4 Feb 1998, Geniver wrote:
    > I really enjoyed reading your 'ghost story'.

    Thanks. it was a nice littlee idea that just popped into my head to
    illustrate the sorts of things I'd like to do with these ghosts.

    > No campaign that I have participated in has had anything like it!

    It's much more difficult to do than to talk about. It's the sort of
    thing I'd prefer to see more of in BR. We've not really done anything
    like that either - in either the campaign I'm running or the one I'm
    playing in [1] - but it's the sort of thing I'd like to fit in at some
    point.

    > OTOH, that's probably because the people I play with wouldn't be all
    > that interested in a plot that just reveals a secret with little
    > consequence. I imagine if there was a high enough experience award for
    > solving the mystery....

    If I was going to run it, I might arrange things so that by solving the
    mystery (which the players would have the option of doing whenever they
    felt like), theey'd throw up questions as to their legitimacy. I think
    these sorts of things really have to be tailored to the PCs in the
    party.

    > Birthright provides other incentives besides experience, treasure, and
    > the thrill of victory. Make a slight change in the ending: The maid had
    > two children by the regent. When the secret is revealed, a descendent of
    > the second child learns that she is blooded. Her natural affinity with
    > animals is actually a blood ability. The current regent has the same
    > birthmark in that private place. It is a bloodmark. The result is the
    > rise of a popular NPC rival as explained in the random events chart.
    > Only this one is indebted to the PC that discovered the secret....

    Yeah. something like this is the way to go. The whole plot could just be
    introduced & then left - the house is haunted, and these visitations
    happen. If the PC was bought up in the house he might be very blase
    about the whole thing. If none of the PCs investigate, then nothing
    might come of it at all.

    neil

    [1] I'm off home for the weekend. I'm going to play the first session of
    that campaign for seven or so months. Oh yes....

  6. #6
    c558382@showme.missouri.
    Guest

    Traditiional Ghosts

    > Yes, everything in BR is mixes of RL cultures. In my opinion it's wrong
    > to use the map of the Northen europe to name places in Rjuvik, without
    > knowing that Finno-Baltic languages isn't the slightest similare to the
    > rest of the languages in the region. And I had looked in some older
    > materials from TSR as "Viking Campagin Guide" where their clamis could
    > be compared to a such thing as say that in US they speak Chines.

    Most existing languages in Europe are Indo-European, that is they are
    related. Basque pre-dates the coming of the Celts, and Finno-Urgic,
    Finnish and Hungarian (Magyar) are late arrivals and also not related to
    the European languages. The three language groups in Europe are Slavic,
    Germanic, and Romance. I could go on.

    Kenneth Gauck
    c558382@showme.missouri.edu

    (Sorry about the blank)

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