8.6 The consequences of death.

Death is by no means the last of your adventures, though it is greatly harmful to your character's well-being. At the time of your passing away, your spirit instantly returns to Avalon in the transient form of a ghost. A ghost is naturally not constrained by the physical aspects of the world. As a ghost you can walk effortlessly through closed doors and suchlike but you cannot handle objects of the real world - you will not be of physical form. Only those who can manipulate their physical being, such as the mystic seers, will be able to have any effect on the land while in the ghostly form. You remain in this supernatural state at a cost: all the while your mental reserves (your Mana) are sapped in the strain to keep up your ghostly form. Once all your Mana is exhausted, the very experience of your character is slowly drained and this decaying continues until you are brought back to life (whether you remain in the game as a ghost or not).

Perhaps most importantly of all, each of your deaths, unless they be to a follower of Genesis, will cause your patron (if you have one) a modicum of pain. The extent of the pain (and loss of divine essence) will depend on your experience and skill. The mightier you are, the harder your patron will feel your death. If you are unfortunate and no-one is nearby to retrieve your dead body and bathe it in the Pool of Life you must summon the Ship of the Dead to take your ghost from the land and re-unite it with your body. To do this type SUMMON SHIP. You may be voyaging with it often during your youth.

As you grow older and more experienced in the land you may wish to peruse HELP WOUNDS to gain an inkling of the longer term injuries you may encounter should you repeatedly die under certain circumstances. It is not something you need worry about while you remain young, however.