#deadsong

Deadsong may guide her Hands to their marks, choosing tasks which are suited for the individual to complete- She does not intentionally sacrifice her Hands, as they are each deeply valuable and beloved tools.

Each Hand's approach to their task and relationship with Deadsong is different; Some might be akin to warlocks, others more like priests, and others like assassins. However, there are core tenants which the Hands maintain:

Secrecy - Solitude goes in hand with this tenant, and often Deadsong's hands are lone wanderers, going wherever their goddess bids them. There are potent rituals and spells that the Hands employ which is not to fall into the wrong hands, and using or referring to them in the presence of non-Hands is forbidden. Additionally, Hands are discouraged from explaining the details of their pact and work.

Sanctity - Deadsong's Hands are to treat souls with care and respect, bringing them no lasting harm that is not necessary for collecting and transporting them to the afterlife. Damage done to bodies is incidental and the living do not take precedence over Death's will, which is to say: If the soul is marked for death, the body must be slain. Spite, torment, tampering, or use of a soul's energy for personal use- Either by a Hand, or by someone that a Hand encounters- Is forbidden.

Devotion - Deadsong expects her Hands to be devoted to their work and favors her Hands who spend more of their time and energy on her bidding. Attempting to use her or her favor and rewards solely for one's own gain or personal use is forbidden.

Breaking of a tenant will result in, at best, the retraction of Deadsong's mark and favor and a curse on one's soul damning them to torment and suffering in the afterlife. Deadsong may place stronger curses which might disfigure, transform, or otherwise cause suffering on her former Hands who break her tenants, reject her, or even those who cause continued harm upon or hinder her Hands.

Deadsong's Hands are granted a number of base abilities:

Soulsight - The ability to see the true nature of the soul, even across long distances or among crowds. Curses, magic, trauma, undeath, and death's mark are among the things that a Hand can come to recognize. This ability also allows Deadsong's Hands to see the ghost miasma as well as individual spirits and other spectral creatures which most others cannot see. Some Hands can share the Sight with others for a brief time.

Guidance - Deadsong guides and speaks to her Hands in the form of visions and dreams. In these visions, she often appears in a soft, white featureless space, as a woman dressed in fine mourning attire with many layers of black veils hiding her visage.

She also grants her Hands a companion animal as a manifestation of her connection with her Hand. This companion takes whichever form the Hand desires upon its initial creation, but most often it appears as a raven. The companion has a minor telepathic connection with its charge, capable of relaying simple information such as the presence of danger or something their charge is seeking. The companion will also guide its charge to their marks.

Spectral Interaction - Deadsong grants her Hands the ability to interact directly with souls, by entering a subspace in which they might be spoken to, taking the souls within themselves for transportation, or so on. This also grants her Hands a weapon which can be used against all manners of spirits and spectral beings- Even divine or extraplanar entities. This interaction extents to the Hand's magic, if they have any. Deadsong additionally will protect her Hands against spectral influences such as possession, eldritch influence, and corruption.

Deadsong's Hands also gain an inherent awareness of the tenents and what is expected of them from Deadsong, as well as a knowledge of the rituals and spells used for ferrying souls to the afterlife and cleansing or soothing spirits which refuse or are unable to move on.

Deadsong's Hands are also forbidden from intentionally bringing harm to one another, and she expects that her Hands will trust her judgment and thereby trust their fellow Hands. Deadsong's mark comes in the form of a white handprint, left by her own hand, somewhere on the body- Often on the chest, but sometimes on the shoulder, back, or arm.

There are a number of sanctuaries which have been sanctified and blessed by Deadsong's protection, which helps keep them hidden and safe from invaders as well as free of spirits and undead.