milliways_bar | Funeral for the Denizens of Yiling

The plain non-denominational chapel next to the library has been transformed into a small Buddhist temple. A large statue of Amitābha Buddha sits on the altar, flanked by vases of flowers and with a small censer full of sandalwood burning before it. Some platters with fruit offerings have also been placed on the altar are four little memorial tablets: one for Wei Ying, one for Wen Ning, one for Wen Qing, and one that says simply "The Wen family," in the manner of an ancestral tablet.

The walls are hung with saffron drapery. Between the drapes and in the rafters are polished brass lanterns shaped like lotus flowers. The wooden pews are set with red cushions, on which are little paper books titled The Smaller Sukhavativyuha Sutra.

When the funeral rites are finished and the mourners return to the main bar, they will find other changes. One of the booths has been turned into a sort of small family shrine that holds the memorial tablets of the recently deceased and a brazier for burning spirit money. There is also a table where mourners can do various things to transfer merit to the deceased and help provide them with a good rebirth. A couple of large tables have been set with food and drink for the funeral guests.

[OOC: This is structured like an All Skate or party post, in which there are multiple top-level tags for different areas and activities. The ceremony in the chapel is only the beginning.]

[Tinytag: Inspector Zenigata]

[Tinytag: Wormwood]

[Tinytag: Jin Guangyao]

[Tinytag: Phoenix Wright]

[Tinytag: Jonathan Sims]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

“In my world, also. There is a Tradition of mages called the Chakravanti who specialize in magic related to death and fate. They can do the sort of magic Wei Ying did, but are much better at dealing with the side effects than he was.”

Of course, the Chakravanti acknowledge the hazards of their art. Wei Ying was in denial about it.

“Although the Chakravanti often seek Ascension, like many other mages, they are not generally inclined to cheat death, because doing so can have disastrous consequences.”

There are some exceptions, of course, like the old Chakravanti sect that turned themselves into vampires.

Yrael sips his tea. "Necromancy in the Old Kingdom has a great deal in common, from what I heard, with what Wei Wuxian was developing. Though necromancers are far more cautious, as a rule, and put many safeguards in place to address such... side-effects."

Like being eaten up by Free Magic, speeding the deterioration of one's mortal shell. It happens.

"The utilization of music is a strong commonality between them, despite differences in worlds. I had hoped to learn more, but I doubt I will have the opportunity, now."

“I wonder if that is a universal feature, for in my world there is no practice of necromancy that does not involve music in some way. Mages trained on Buddhist or Taoist techniques use flutes.”

So did Wei Ying. Flutes have the advantage of being easily portable and producing a sound that carries well.

“European necromancers favor chimes or bells. Chanting and drums seem to be ubiquitous.”

"A bandolier of the seven necromantic bells worn across the chest is a clear indicator that one is a necromancer, in the Old Kingdom," Yrael says, giving a gesture crossing his torso from left shoulder to right hip.

Which is why necromancer tend to hide them. The Abhorsen or Abhorsen-in-Waiting don't hide their tools of office, of course, but calling them necromancers is probably somewhat disingenuous. In any case, he does not mention this.

"Charter Mages in general need a measure of musical ability to excel. Some Marks can only be brought to bear by sound, whether clapping, whistling, humming, or playing some instrument."

“Do you mean that there are certain kinds of magic that can only be done with the correct sort of sound?”

There are a couple of Traditions in which music is an essential part of the practice, but what Yrael is describing sounds like something else.

"There are types of spells that lean more heavily on musical ability than others, though that isn't to say that other Marks may be combined to achieve the same effect without using sound," Yrael muses. "The Marks to call a rising wind may be drawn, for example, but they work best when whistled."

“And this is the same for every Charter mage?”

There are certain techniques for certain kinds of magic that Seimei finds particularly effective, but what works best for him may not work as well (or at all) for a mage from another Tradition trying to do the same thing - or even necessarily for a mage within his own Tradition.

"The effects may not be equal, between one mage and the next," he admits, tilting his head one way and then the other, "depending on their own levels of experience, study, and skill. But there are Marks that may only be invoked one way, or may be more effective when called in one manner than in another, and those rules generally hold true. A mage more comfortable with whistling may find weather-magic comes to them more easily than one who is less skilled at whistling, but that does not bar the latter from learning to wield the weather at their whim - or ultimately being better at it through diligence."

“Hm.” Seimei considers. “Magic where I come from is a bit more flexible, but only to a certain degree. A Virtual Adept with a special device could work blessings or curses with the same Entropy sphere that I do, but not by gestures and incantations, as I do. And by the same token the Adept’s device would not work for me.”

Seimei does use devices modified by the Virtual Adepts frequently, but only the sort that would also work for a person with no magical ability.

Funeral for the Denizens of Yiling

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