@Ancestral Spirit are the honored dead who continue to influence the living. They are not gods, but neither are they gone. Their memory, blood, and deeds bind them to their descendants and lands.
To ignore one’s ancestors is to invite misfortune.
Ancestral spirits exist through:
Bloodlines
Burial sites
Family lands
Oral memory and ritual
They do not grant spells freely. Their power manifests through guidance, protection, and curses tied to lineage.
An ancestor forgotten loses influence. An ancestor dishonored becomes dangerous.
Ancestral spirits may:
Appear in dreams or visions
Influence luck or fate
Protect homes and burial grounds
Haunt bloodlines that break oaths
Communication is subtle. Direct manifestations are rare and unsettling.
Ancestral reverence is practiced through:
Offerings at graves or hearths
Seasonal remembrance rites
Blood oaths sworn before burial mounds
Storytelling and name keeping
No centralized priesthood exists. Elders, clan heads, and spirit speakers guide observance.
@Gael: Ancestral spirits are central to identity. Clan history is sacred.
@Briton: Ancestral reverence is strong but often blended with land bound beliefs.
@Pict: Ancestors are feared as much as honored. Many rites are meant to appease rather than invite.
@Dane and @Norse: Ancestors are respected but secondary to gods and fate. Fallen warriors are especially revered.
@Saxon: Public reverence is discouraged by the Church, but private practices persist.
Magic tied to ancestral spirits is:
Ritual based
Slow to manifest
Permanent in consequence
Bound to blood and place
Ancestral magic cannot be easily undone.
Disturbing graves
Forgetting lineage
Breaking ancestral oaths
Claiming ancestral power without blood right
Violations often result in generational consequences.
A bloodline cursed for an ancient betrayal
A forgotten ancestor demanding recognition
A burial site threatened by construction or conquest
An ancestral spirit guiding or misleading a descendant
A rival clan invoking their dead against the living