Interacting with Kal Spirits
Author: Baledor
This is an account of my experience with two spirits of the Kal en Dral, a Ko-Rani, and To-Kilee (Toh-KeeLee), a member of the Maverick circle of Munuko. These interactions occurred in the process of learning and performing a Ritual of Restoration. See the document scribed by Therian in this section for more details of the ritual. General information about the Kal spirits can also be found in this section of the library. I will begin here with general information and guidelines for interacting with the Kal spirits, and then share my specific experiences with the spirits that day.
Date: November 1010 Interacting with the Spirits One must be very careful when trying to interact with the spirits at all, and especially when asking the spirits to do anything. I do not believe that the spirits can interact with the material world without a considerable expenditure of energy, which I think is why we must always bolster their energy with some of our own if we wish to speak to them or gain their help. I know in particular that it takes *all* of the energy a Rani has to allow it interact with us and answer a question. This means that if you ask a question or favor of a Rani, and they answer or grant it, they will die without additional energy supplied by you. This additional energy should be supplied first, and then the question or favor asked. The Ko-Rani I spoke to warned me of this, so I made sure to give it more energy before pressing further questions. If in doubt, always ask the spirit if it needs more energy, as I am not certain that they will always warn you. This is based on the fact that Rani have died in the past because they helped us but were not given energy to sustain them. This leads me to believe that the Rani are selfless enough to sacrifice themselves if the request on them is important enough. While that is very honorable, we do not want to allow them to sacrifice themselves, especially when it is merely inconvenient (if that) for us to keep them safe. I do not know specifics of the limitations of the Munuko's strength, but they are larger spirits, and seem more able to interact on their own, but please offer them energy to use if they need it, for they will certainly not *take* it if it is not offered, and again may not even ask for it. I feel it is much better to be tired for the day than to risk the existence of a wonderful spirit. I cannot stress the importance of this enough. As for what can sustain the Kal spirits, the Ko-Rani I spoke to that day explained that what they use is simply spirit energy. All things have the same spirit energy within them, but each shapes it in a different way. For example, a spell caster shapes their spirit energy into the form of their spells, while a fighter directs their energy into the use of weapons and armor. All 'living' beings (and maybe anything else for all I know) can share their energy with the Kal spirits, no matter what form the being has shaped it into. It may be easier for casters to understand this, as they are already used to 'packaging' their energy into small units, and expending it in such a way (casting spells). This is why the apparent use of a spell can sustain a Kal spirit. It is not really the spell (which is the resulting shape the energy takes), but the basic energy behind the spell that is of use to the spirits. This can be observed in the fact that while the caster feels like the spell has been used, the spell's normal effect does not occur. Fighters, on the other hand, are still capable of giving energy to a spirit, they just need to think about their energy in a different way. Although fighters do not normally shape their energy into parts that are 'visibly' expended, they have still partitioned their energy. For example, of the fighter's total energy, they have allocated some of it for the use of a pike, some into the use of a sword and a shield, and some of it toward keeping them going while wearing all that heavy armor. A fighter may choose to take the energy from one of those 'partitions', and give it to the spirit, instead of using it for its typical purpose. The result could be compared to a caster restoring a completely shattered limb. While the caster can normally heal limbs all day long, they take all that energy and give it in one burst to the recipient. A fighter would feel the same way when they take the energy that lets them fight with a great sword all day, and give that energy to the spirit. They no longer have the strength to wield that great sword for a time, but like the caster regrowing a limb, their energy will build back up in time. Another important thing to keep in mind when interacting with the spirits of the Kal en Dral is trust. Without trusting the spirit, the best you will likely be able to do is converse with it. While this might be enough on occasion, one will often need to interact on a deeper level. This is particularly relevant to receiving aid from the spirits to perform a ritual for cleansing, restoration, or other rituals using a circle of 4 or 8. In order for us to be able to perform the rituals, we need to be able to interact with the spirit world. Both interactions I will describe below involved bonding with a spirit for a time. The spirits are very polite and respectful of free will. They will never bond with an unwilling person. In order for them to bond with a willing person, that person must trust and open themselves to the spirit, lowering their defenses, and letting it in. The experience of bonding to a spirit is different depending on the type of spirit. To the spirits of the Kal en Dral, Trust is a gift, and we should do all we can to be worthy of receiving the same gift from them. Specific Experiences The Ko-Rani We arrived at the blighted area, and set about trying to determine what exactly was wrong and determine the best way to help it. I sat down and tried to use a spell (a Fortune Tell) to examine the energies of the land. To my surprise I felt a playful presence nearby. It spoke to me and asked if I wanted help to see. I learned that it was a Ko-Rani, literally an earth-spirit child. I accepted its help, and allowed it merge with me. This process was as simple as digging my fingers into the ground to get a better connection with the spirit (as Ko is earth), and opening up to it. The sensation is what I imagine soaking up water through roots would feel like. The Ko-Rani's energy seeped into me through my hand and arm, and was absorbed into me as we merged. Once I was joined with the Ko-Rani, I gained its perception of the world, which was quite interesting. It saw the world in terms of the spirit energy that all things possess. Material objects as we see them are represented as crystalline structures, full of light. The energy in most things is seen as white, yellow, or silver light. The lights of the blighted field were much dimmer, and only cool shades of blue and silver. There was a small pile of stones in the center of the field that were completely void of light, a fact that felt very sad. I suspect that I was sharing the Ko-Rani's emotions at that point, as I felt that it was sad but didn't know exactly why. It later explained what happened. The Ko-Rani said that the stones were the center of the Bain temple and where the gate had been formed, and that the spirit in the rocks had been completely destroyed. Looking around with the Ko-Rani's vision, I looked at the ground I was sitting on. The land around the field was healthier, but the field was not a hard border between healthy and unhealthy land/spirit. The area we could see mundanely as blighted was just the worst of it, the area that was directly affected by the Bain gate. Continuing to look at the ground, I was able to make out the form of the Ko-Rani beneath me. It reminded me of a child curled up in a bed. The Ko-Rani did not have a crystalline outline of its own, it was more like an organized pattern of the light present in an area of the structure that was the earth beneath me. This seems to confirm that the crystalline structures are the spirit's perception of the borders of matter, and the light is the energy that is the spirit reflection of that matter, or spirit energy alone. After getting a feel for this new way of seeing, I asked the Ko-Rani a series of questions. It was able to answer the first one, but then warned me that it would die if it answered the rest of the questions. I felt from it that it only had the strength to answer the first question by absorbing the energy from my Fortune Tell spell. I gave it the energy from my other two castings and it answered more questions. With the spirit's vision, I could see the light of the Ko-Rani brighten as I gave it energy, and then dim as it used the energy to answer my questions. This, combined with the empathic link from the merge, allowed me to tell when to give it more energy in order to keep it safe. It is not entirely clear to me how much the Rani can do or say to us without being bolstered by our energy, but I do not believe that they can safely do much for or with us on their own. After the Ko-Rani used the energy from my last Fortune Tell to answer a question, I asked if it could safely tell me what kinds of energy it needed, and it could not even do that without additional energy. I tried some other spells, and it was able to answer. We conversed a bit more and it described an analogy of the Restoration Ritual to me. By now we had decided to try the ritual, and were beginning preparation for it, so the Ko-Rani withdrew from me and I joined in the preparations. To-Kilee Once we had set up the shrine, Twen called to the Mavericks. They soon answered and appeared before us. They introduced themselves and then explained what needed to be done. They told us that they would guide us through the process of the Restoration Ritual, but in order to do so, we needed to trust them. They told us that they would need to more-or-less possess us in order to guide our actions, and show us how to perform the ritual. They would only do this if we were trusted them and allowed them in. This was leap of faith on our part, as most of us had not done something like this before. Eventually we all agreed and opened up to the spirits. They suggested that we try meditating to help open up to them. Binding to To-Kilee was very different from merging with the Ko-Rani. I am sure that each point or element will be a different experience, but To and Ko are on opposite sides of the circle, so the difference was particularly pronounced. Merging with To-Kilee was like plunging into a cold lake, or downing a glass of really cold water when you are dozing off. It was a bit of a shock, but rather energizing. It also felt a bit like a brisk autumn breeze, a little chilly but not frigid or biting. Once the merge was complete, I again gained the spirit's perceptions, which I first noticed when my eyes suddenly opened of their own accord. To-Kilee was moving my body, though it did not intrude on my mind, or mental faculties. I was in complete control of my thoughts and mind, but To-Kilee was present as well. It was a little odd to watch as my body got up, looked around, and started walking to the other side of the field, but I trusted the spirit to know what a tree looked like in its vision, and not walk me into one. To-Kilee's perception was much 'busier' than the that of the Ko-Rani. It still saw the crystalline structure of matter, and the energy in it, but there were other things too. To is a spirit of knowledge and foresight, time and space. To (Toh), air, is everywhere and everywhen, and To-Kilee's vision reflected this. It saw the here and now, but also Then and Later. I was able to see the person that opened the Bain gate 5 years ago. I was able to see what the man looked like to mortal eyes, as well as his 'soul light'. The sight of the man's soul felt sickening, and this is another example of sharing feelings the spirit. I knew that this feeling came from To-Kilee, and it later explained why. I am not sure if I could see the man's physical appearance because To-Kilee can usually see those things, or if I could see it because we were looking through my eyes, and so my normal vision was superimposed on our view. In either case, the 'soul light' of the man illustrated another of To-Kilee's perceptions. To-Kilee (and I think To spirits in general) could see the Taint present in things. A 'clean' or 'healthy' soul is bright colors as described above. Taint appears as shades of red, darkening as the concentration of Taint increases. Black bits in a being's soul are paces where the soul has been entirely consumed by the Taint. While there is only red, the soul can be saved with a sufficiently potent Cleansing Ritual, but once black parts begin to form, those portions can no longer be saved. The man who built the Bain temple had a soul that was all red, with the exception of some black flecks. According to the spirits, he was one who willingly corrupted himself in order to wield the power to destroy. For that is what the Bainen do: Destroy. Anything and everything. More information about Taint and Bainen can be found in other documents in this section. My purpose here is to describe my interactions with the spirits, so I will return to that. We arrived at the west end of the field, and sat down to wait for the others to reach their positions. While we waited I asked To-Kilee many questions, mostly about the Taint. The Munuko are larger spirits and must have a larger personal energy reserve, because To-Kilee did not seem to require much direct energy input to answer my questions. That is not to say that the Munuko are self sufficient. They still drew heavily on our energy and the energy of the surrounding land for the Restoration Ritual. It is more likely that To-Kilee was directly sharing my energy, since we were so completely merged, where I only 'linked' to the Ko-Rani to share its sight. While I was talking with To-Kilee, it felt like it had suspended our local time, so that we could discuss at greater length than would have been allowed by the time it took the others to walk to their places. Once we were all in place, the spirits performed the Restoration Ritual through us, while we observed and learned how it was done. When the ritual was complete, the spirits withdrew from us, and everything seemed to go black. In a moment our eyes readjusted to our own vision, and we realized it was now night. We had not noticed the setting of the sun, because we were so busy with the ritual, and the fact that the spirits do not depend on material world light to see. We exchanged gratitude, and the Mavericks retired to the spirit world to recover their strength, and we returned to Fort Griffindor to recover ours. This concludes the account of my first close interaction with the spirits of the Kal en Dral. I hope this helps others to understand the spirits a little, and to know how to interact safely with them. Penned by Baledor, in the eleventh month of 1010 |
Created by Baledor (Brendan Turcotte) at 11-19-10 10:14 PM
Last Modified by Faelinn Shadowmoon (Leanne Micciche) at 10-05-11 02:33 PM