Revenants (Kind)

A revenant (shoror, pl. shororre) is one of the Six Kinds into which all humans are categorized. It is a human whose body, after death, undergoes a powerful ritual conducted by the Voice of the Dead to be restored to life. The spirit (lemu) and body (ibu) are re-energized and the individual returns, with a few exceptions, as before death.

Zunuga is often thought of as the first revenant, although her rebirth was spontaneous, not undertaken by a Voice. Through her Epiphany, Zunuga brought the knowledge of how to revivify the dead back with her, and shared it with the first of what would become the Voice priesthood. As to why Zunuga was reborn, well, that question is probably unanswerable.

Are revenants alive, dead, both, or neither?

Yes? The best answer is that they are alive - they were dead and they are no longer. They are not like bubun - pure corpses without sentience, like 'undead'. They're definitely not dead - in which case they would be ancestors.

Are revenants people?

Technically, no, the hemeshor transforms them into another Kind. Effectively, this is a theological distinction rather than a practical one. They have a living body and spirit, combined with sentience and animacy. They're people. Just different.

Is there ever spontaneous rebirth?

Other than Zunuga, there has never been any case of spontaneous rebirth confirmed by the Voice. This doesn't mean such claims don't occur - in fact, they do with some regularity. Some heretical folk believe that Zunuga was merely the first of many, and thus her teachings might have no special claim to truth.

Is it good or bad to be reborn?

It is neither inherently good nor bad. Death is a reason for sadness, of course, but not every death needs to be reversed. The Hulti, however, believe that revivifying the dead is completely unnatural and revenants are reviled among them.

Can you revive a member of another faith?

In principle, yes. In practice, you would need to have a very, very good reason to do so - some reason why that specific individual's rebirth would be warranted.

Can a non-human become a revenant?

No, as far as anyone knows, the hemeshor only works on humans. Perhaps other species have similar rituals.

Can you revive a corpseborn?

There are definitely cases when corpseborn have been revived. It is heretical to do so intentionally, and unintentional cases are treated with silence, uncomfortable hemming and hawing, and murmurs of disapproval.

Why wouldn't you want to be reborn?

Well, some people prefer to be dead, because you're old or your life is miserable. If you're old and going to die soon anyway, it's a lot of effort.

Rebirth

Who is selected for revivification?

The elderly often do not want to be revived, and most Voices will not perform the ritual on someone over about seventy. Similarly, few would dare to revive someone who died by suicide. Very young infants and children (under about age eight or so) are not usually revived either. Because of the taboo against corpseborn, mothers who die in childbirth are not revived. Those who are executed are not selected. And definitely if your family does not want you to be revived, for whatever reason, the priests won't go against that wish except in the most egregious cases of familial greed or impiety.

How long can you be dead before being reborn?

Without special care from the Voice of the Dead, about a week is the limit. If a Voice treats you with their power of gentle repose, then that period is extended a few days, perhaps another week or two at the outside. Beyond that, there is no hope.

Why don't you just die again immediately, of the same injuries / diseases?

The hemeshor heals all internal and external injuries and cures any disease causing death. It does not cure illnesses or conditions that are unrelated to the injuries causing death - so it is not a complete refresh of one's bodily condition as it was in young adulthood.

What kind of thing are you, before you are resurrected?

Once you die you are an Ancestor - you can be spoken to by a Voice. Technically, then, the hemeshor turns a recently-dead ancestor into a revenant.

Can you be revivified unwillingly?

Yes, that can happen. The Voice works very hard to ensure that the people they bring back from death are likely to be grateful. Usually they ask them first (while they're Ancestors).

Does rebirth as a revenant extend someone's natural lifespan?

No, the natural lifespan and aging are unaffected.

Why doesn't it always work?

No one really knows. It does not have to do with the skill of the Voice, the moral value of the person, the weather, or anything else. The Voice tries to make it clear that it really only works maybe two-thirds or three-quarters of the time, no matter what, but of course people are upset when it fails.

How much does it cost?

There is no set price. Voices normally are careful to emphasize that it is a donation to the church, not a price paid for the service. It might be normal to give as much as one-tenth of one's wealth, a small price to pay for another crack at living.

Can people be revived multiple times?

Yes, absolutely. Some people are just unlucky enough to die more than once. Exceptionally valiant soldiers of great skill often find themselves in this situation.

Can you become a revenant after being a bubun?

No, revenants must be resurrected within a matter of days or at most a couple of weeks, before decay sets in at all, and certainly before being rendered bubun.

If a saint dies and you perform the hemeshor on them, what happens?

No saint has ever been successfully revived using the hemeshor, either as a saint, a revenant, or anything else. It is now considered heretical to try.

What happens if you were about to become a saint, and someone raises you?

Well, that question has no answer because there's no way to know whether you would have been about to become a saint. The person is reborn, and so they're alive again, not a saint. There are cases where family members were convinced that their dead kin was not decaying, chose not to raise them in the expectation of their sainthood, and then it was too late once they were wrong.

OK, but what if the hemeshor ritual fails, can you become a saint then?

Yes, if the hemeshor ritual fails, then the dead person can (of course, very rarely) become a saint.

Do revenants remember what it is like to be dead?

No, they have no memories whatsoever of anything between their death and rebirth.

Capacities

How do you know if someone is a revenant?

The main way is that the skin of a revenant is unnaturally cold and clammy - not room temperature, but definitely noticeably colder than other humans. Additionally, some species of butterfly and moth are specially attracted to revenants, and land on them or flit around them, whereas they tend to not land on other people. Butterflies are highly symbolic of the rebirth experience of revenants.

Do revenants retain all their capacities from their former lives?

Yes, essentially you return to life as you were before death, other than changes to your body, mind, and/or spirit.

Do you keep your scars and evidence of whatever killed you?

Yes, scars will be fully sealed up but still remain on the body. If you, say, had a horrible pox, you might still have pockmarks. If you were missing limbs, they're still gone. You do need a head attached to your body, however.

Can revenants have children?

Yes, absolutely. And unlike corpseborn, the children of revenant mothers are not stigmatized because, after all, the revenant is alive.

What kinds of changes occur with revenants?

Normally every time someone is resurrected, one relatively negative consequence occurs, ranging from noticeable but merely annoying, to something that affects your entire personality or daily life in a radical way.

Are there any positive benefits to being a revenant?

Other than being alive again, there are no direct benefits.

When revenants become Ancestors, do they retain the changes that occurred at their resurrection?

Yes, they retain these changes, since they actually transformed the Kind of the person, affecting both body and spirit.

Social

Is there a stigma against rebirth?

There is no taboo against being resurrected in most communities in most situations. Young children sometimes have aversions to revenants, but families work hard to eliminate this phobia.

Do revenants maintain their former social ties?

Revenants remain as members of their former lineages, and their marriages (if any) are considered to be uninterrupted. A revenant with a title (like hengi) retains it. Inheritance / property should not be redistributed until after it has been determined that the individual cannot or will not be reborn. The key idea is that the Voice, through resurrection, re-establishes the existing social order.

Are revenants treated differently, theologically speaking?

Yes, priests, and especially Voices, honour and esteem revenants. In ceremonies and rituals, revenants receive precedence over all other people, even nobles and lineage heads. Shoror alone are permitted to wear a special short silk cape with a braided fringe, the jilol, which specially marks them as separate, although normally they will only do so at rituals and religious services. Additionally, a temple will try to have one or more revenants present at a hemeshor ritual as observers.

Do revenants change their name upon rebirth?

In conservative areas of the former Empire, it is common for a revenant to take an additional name in recognition of their changed state. This name, also known as a ghir, is not a nickname, exactly; rather, it is a new Ombesh name, chosen by the individual, used instead of or in addition to their birth name. The person's old name may still be used without stigma, but the ghir may replace their former name for most purposes. The custom of taking a ghir is no longer actively practiced in most of the western successor states.

How many revenants are out there in society?

That really depends on the community. As in many aspects, wealth and status matter. It would not be unusual for a large or wealthy community to have 5-10% of its members as revenants. Smaller communities, where no one may have access to the services of a powerful Voice, may have far fewer, however.

Do revenants socialize with one another in groups?

Generally, no. There's no prohibition against a revenant socializing with whomever they want, but in cases in the past where revenants have formed large groups outside of the ordinary social order, lineages have worked hard to prevent these groups from becoming socially important. The idea is that revenants are a different Kind but are still integrated in all their old social relationships. In this sense they are unlike corpseborn.

Do revenants commemorate their death or rebirth?

Often, yes. Temples of the Voice generally encourage revenants to return to the temple where they were reborn yearly (or if that is impossible, to another temple) and generally, to make a donation.

Are the children of revenants treated differently?

The children of revenants are identical to, and are treated the same as, the children of people. Children born to a revenant before and after their rebirth are treated identically.