[UA] Lincoln's Yummy Son

[Timothy Toner]

----- Original Message -----
From: "Nick Wedig" <mrteapot at disinfo.net>
To: <ua at lists.uchicago.edu>
Sent: Tuesday, June 05, 2001 7:10 AM
Subject: RE: [UA] Lincoln's Yummy Son


> >What's the paradox and taboo though?  Funny, those are the things I find
> >easier to do than the charges and effects.  Similarly I had an idea for
time
> >mages, but couldn't figure out how they would build charges.
>
> I had a bunch of other information, including paradox and taboo, but
wasn't
> aiming for a full writeup, just mentioning the part that applied to the
discussion at
> hand.  (the paradox was along the lines of being associated with death but
never
> being allowed to cause the death, or even harm, of another being, which
connected
> with the taboo of not harming any other being.  I thought it gave a fairly
good
> conflict of actions, in which the necromancer will see a person in danger
and hope
> they're dying, but not be able to influence the situation unless they're
willing to
> give up charges.  Many of the spells were similar to the original, though
some
> were modified or replaced to fit with the changes made.)

I've loved the idea of a kindler, gentler necromancer for a long time now.
I see necromancy as one of the first schools (since Death was the first
great mystery and paradox:  To live, we must kill), but one that has gone
through a variety of permutations.  Most revolve around the fundamental
difference between the main schools of thought on the matter:  Hunter /
Gatherers, who patiently wait for death to come, gaining power by studying
its nuances over time, and Harvesters, who aren't so patient, but get their
power by being at significant places at significant times, and running
hugger-mugger with the paradoxes.

In this case, we're obviously talking about the H/G, who gain active power
over death by passively accepting its will over themselves and others.  A
H/G's taboo is twofold.  First, he cannot do anything that would interfere
with death's natural course, such as seeking medical attention or lending
aid to someone in need who will die if assistance is not given.  H/Gs learn
quickly not to put themselves at risk by indulging in stupid activities.
Breaking this taboo releases all charges, but on a bright note, the energy
so released often finds its way to individuals in times of great need.
Second, their power is bound up in artifacts significant to the deceased
over whose death they presided.  The paradox is that the essence of the
death is stored in something personal to the deceased that now has no
significance because that person is dead (in other words, it is significant
because it is not significant because the person who owned it is dead.
There.)  The significance of an item that a person possesses often controls
how much charge the item can hold.  For instance, prison guards and nursing
home supervisors could theoretically gather an incredible amount of sig (and
even major) charges by lingering with a dying person (someone who actively
knows tha they are dying) for a day (minor charge), month (sig), or year
(major).  The charge needs to be stored in something owned by that person.
A major charge usually is stored in the instrument of their demise--an
unfinished pack of cigarettes owned by someone who died of lung cancer froma
period of time when that person did not know they were sick.  Or the murder
weapon of someone on death row.  It must be present at the time of death to
gather the charge.

Now, unbeknownst to newbie H/Gs, doing this almost always transforms the
deceased into a demon, as long as the charge is held in the object.  More
often than not, the demon takes it in stride, instinctively knowing that all
this is temporary.  This nicely explains the powers of the Oracles, who had
secret knowledge of distant places. Their prophecies were intentionally
vague--any advice they gave about the person's death would violate their
taboo, so it was couched as a vague riddle that would usually wind up
bringing about the end.


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