Monism or Duelism

[Parallo]

I'm not going into RL debates but I'm sure everyone here has at one point or another come across an rp that involves the spirit of a person leaving the body. Should that happen in PS. Currently science does not hold definate answers in RL because there is no way to 'test' the afterlife. Here we have that ability but the body phisicaly travels to the death realm which just muddies the waters further. What PS needs is a definate answer as it is a vital part of the settings. I would not want, for example, to commit a crime while possesed by another character and be punished in a way that would remould my character when it is entirely plausible and logical that that can't happen. I wouldn't want a character wasted on an invalid rp. What is your opinion (In PS, not RL theology?)

[eldoth_terevan]

I believe that it has been stated that the spirits of the regular citizens in Yliakum move on, and do not reincarnate. But our characters respawn in the Death Realm, their spirit recorpreating because we are "heros" or some such.

[Parallo]

I thought I read somewhere that the body is phisicaly transported to the death realm. That would mean that at no point is the spirit seperate from the body in a natural life. What I mean to ask is are the body and the spirit two seperate things in PS or is the body the person and their chemical and biological make up that makes up who s/he is.

[zanzibar]

My understanding is that everyone's spirit goes to the death realm, but only a few ever find their way out.

Our bodies do not travel to the death realm.  They're treated as trash and are thrown down garbage chutes such as the stone face.

[Parallo]

An answer to a question in the Q&A.

In the realm of death you have your body with you - spirit and body are both transferred there. In fact you disappear from the living world. The laws of Death Realm are pretty strange and vary from place to place. You cannot "die" in Death Realm, but you can be incapacitated and teleported to a random place (usually the entrance).

According to this the body also travels. It also says "spirit and body" so I guess that answers that. Now the next question. Should it be possible for the spirit to leave the body, inhabiting another body?

[Jeraphon]

Our bodies MUST travel to the death realm because all our equipment goes with us to the death realm. Indeed, we can sell things to the Death Guardian and obtain money for that which comes with us to the death realm. (He would not need to buy/sell anything if we just went there spiritually.) When we exit the death realm, all our equiment is intact.

The only thing that goes against this philosophy is the existence of "sentient" NPCs that drop items (rogues, gladiators, etc.?) Their items do not travel to the death realm, and nobody will ever find a rogue or gladiator there. Should we assume that rogues and gladiators are "regular" folk who won't get to the death realm, and us PCs who started as peasants are the "heroes"? I'm not so sure that's a good idea.

I don't really have a good solution, though.

[Parallo]

All folk go to the death realm. Its game mecanics that you raise as a point. Weather items travel with us or not means noting to the settings.

[zanzibar]

I guess we have another contradiction.

Ducts that have been dug out in the rock are used to dispose of human waste. Larger rubbish and bodies are simply thrown into almost vertical and apparently endless wells. Nobody seems to care about where all of this junk finally ends up, since the stalactite theory is only devised by some Xacha scientists and has not been proven yet. Dead bodies are eliminated the same way. Though discarding dead in such a callous fashion would seem rather shocking, neither of the two main faiths at Yliakum requires particular care nor reverence to dead bodies. To the people here, a body is simply a non-functional apparatus or an empty shell with no soul.

http://www.planeshift.it/setting_overview.html

[eldoth_terevan]

My comment was based (partly) on remembering a post of Karyuu's over here:

The Death Realm is a mysterious and dangerous place - "peasants" or normal people do not escape it at all. Our characters do because they are supposed to be "heroes" and smart geniuses for whom the dark god relented. You shouldn't roleplay death as if it's nothing - just because it's nothing at the moment due to an incomplete game doesn't mean that your characters should feel as you do.

http://hydlaa.com/smf/index.php?topic=25330.msg280964#msg280964

[Karyuu]

Perhaps the bodies simply disappear after some time instead of the "immediately" we have now.

[Parallo]

So which is it? Does the body travel to the death realm or is it disposed of in chutes?

[Nikodemus]

Perhaps the bodies simply disappear after some time instead of the "immediately" we have now.

Maybe
There was that answer from Talad in the Q&A and it made it kind of sure now.
But dig through some old PS news sections before CB and you will see what was the concept back then. It's a pity it was appearently changed, and maybe you even remember the old idea, Karyuu
Zanzibar: I'm disappointed too.

[Karyuu]

So which is it? Does the body travel to the death realm or is it disposed of in chutes?

It could be that the body is disposed, and then disappears some days later. I don't see why this can't be the case when you mix the two concepts together :] I think this may be a question for the QA though, just to be sure.

[Parallo]

But would the body not be damaged from the fall. Too damaged to walk I'd imagine.

[Karyuu]

Unless you are fully restored of any damage upon incarnation to the DR?