"One of the blackest of black magics is the binding of a human spirit. In occult circles the abhorrent rituals required to place a soul under the control of a necromancer are rightly feared, both for their immediate and long term consequences. More often than not the practitioner who dares to experiment with such matters finds their own spirit at risk.
We present to you today a talisman used for that very purpose, crafted from the heart of a suicide. Traditionally, those who took their own lives were viewed as a spiritual risk to the community as a whole. Their restless souls could trouble a town or village for years. In most cases they were mere annoyances, but particularly bitter or angry ones could be terrifying, lashing out at anyone nearby and slowly growing more powerful over time. Preventing such occurrences required burying the heart of a suicide at a crossroads.
Unfortunately, not everyone viewed a restless spirit as a liability. For some they were a precious resource with significant magical power.
The heart used in this binding talisman shows the characteristic distortion of one placed inside a box while fresh. The moist tissue molded to one corner of the container and then dried out, displaying a distinctive ridge. At some point the heart was recovered from it's resting place at the intersection of two roads and the spirit ritually bound. During the ceremony iron spikes were nailed into the desiccated flesh, allowing the necromancer to trap the soul within. Only through service to it's new master could the victim gain some measure of freedom and avoid the torments of punishment."
"You've captured my heart" takes on new meaning when you've actually bound someone's soul. From the archives, a prop heart and magical talisman appropriate to the holiday.
No comments:
Post a Comment