Resurrection

Resurrection is a magical process that restores a dead creature to a living state. Both dead and undead beings can be restored to life through resurrection. This is notoriously one of the most difficult magical effects to achieve, and it requires an exceptional amount of Literomantic Power and, possibly, specific unique conditions. It is not broadly available to any Literomancer, and in general, even the most powerful Tome Knights in the Realm have not shown any ability to do it, unless they are also in possession of the artifact known as The Iron Tome.

Effect

The effect of a resurrection enchantment is to instantly restore to life one or more dead or undead creatures. This is typically limited to sentient beings: no one has yet resurrected the family dog, for example. However, that might just be a consequence of the fact that the magical effort required to enact a resurrection is so great that no one has yet tried.
The previously dead or undead person is restored to the same living condition they were in at the moment of their demise. They are the same age, height, and weight as they were at the moment of death, and bear all previously existing tattoos, scars, disabilities, or other marks. Missing organs or limbs are also not typically restored through this process, unless they have been preserved for re-attachment, such as in the case of Prince Jean's left leg after the Battle of Mount Mitchell. However, "superficial" damage, such as noses that have rotted off through undead necrosis, are typically restored.
They also typically maintain all previous memories, with the possible exception of memories of being undead. In one instance this was known to not be the case, however; Purpleheart lost her memories of her identity after her undeath and resurrection during The First Word War, and this amnesia lingered until July of 2023. It is generally believed that this was the result of trauma, and not a side effect of undeath or of resurrection, however.

Side/Secondary Effects

Resurrection is particularly draining to the body of the literomancer who is casting it. It is almost certain to cause Magic Drain, even when enacted through the power of the Iron Tome. On the two occasions when the Mother of Bunnies has enacted a resurrection without the Iron Tome, this has resulted in significant magic drain that required significant recovery time.
Any House Leader in possession of the Iron Tome who has written in its pages to enact mass resurrections has not only been afflicted with considerable magic drain, but has caused some significant transformation in the nature of reality that is a side effect of erasing, and rewriting, part of the text of the Iron Tome:

At the end of The First Word War, when Cosmic Kraken Coffee Quills wrote in the Iron Tome, the continents rearranged themselves in a catastrophic global event now known as The Restructuring.

It is unclear what the side effect was of Queen Sable Aradia writing in the Iron Tome at the end of The Second Word War. Theories include the creation of The Void or whatever the bend in reality was that led to the disappearance of The Missing.

Good King Bob tried to circumvent writing in the Iron Tome at the end of The Third Word War by enacting filking magic while the Tome was in his possession instead. This resulted in a much weaker resurrection effect. The dead and undead were restored to life, but were still affected by the wounds that had killed them. Many died again on the spot and many more still bear the scars of that experience. Between this, and the disappearance of the Missing, 4% of the world's population was killed or disappeared.

It remains to be seen what the results of Queen Tara writing in the Iron Tome will be.

Manifestation

Manifestations seem to vary broadly, and appear to be more dependent on the nature of the literomancer enacting it than the nature of the Resurrection itself.

Mass Resurrections with the Iron Tome

Coffee Quills' mass resurrection was accompanied by soft droning tones reminiscent of whalesong

During Sable Aradia's mass resurrection, the dead were enveloped by a soft, pink-gold sparkling glow, and people in close proximity to a resurrection heard a quiet "twinkling" sound

RPG Dinosaur Bob's mass resurrection was accomplished through a group filk performed by himself, several members of House Sauropoda, and a supporting filk performed by Tempest Kwake, Buddha Kwake, Lord Galakrond and Sable Aradia. Even at a great distance from the site of the spell's casting, brief snippets of the filks were heard where a resurrection took place

TaraFaeBelle's mass resurrections were accompanied by twinkling noises, snippets of the mass filk being performed, and sprinkling glitter

Queen Sable's Resurrections

Both of the Bunny Queen's individual Resurrections were accompanied by the undead person being enveloped in a pink and gold light, and a sparking, twinkling sound. The person who filmed her second Resurrection of Lord Galakrond also reported the faint scent of ozone and burnt steak.

Source

Thus far, only two sources of "true" Resurrection are known to exist — The Iron Tome and the magical powers of Queen Sable Aradia. Why the Bunny Queen can use this power without the Iron Tome remains a mystery that no one understands. It is her belief that since her healing powers came from her link to the layer of the Void known as The Firmament, her ability to resurrect others may be a result of that connection as well.
To anyone's knowledge, Queen Sable is not capable of resurrecting more than one person at a time, and she has only ever done it twice — both times for her son, Lord Galakrond. It should be noted that her daughter, Princess Monkey, was also restored to life at the end of the Battle of Mount Mitchell with no visible marks of her death, and this may have had something to do with Queen Sable having her daughter as a primary focus in her mind when she was participating in the filking magic that restored the dead.

This article is a work in progress, and may be subject to changes.

This article is part of a series related to streaming the Game of Tomes. For more information, see Streaming Game of Tomes.

Queen Sable's resurrection of Lord Galakrond at the end of The Third Word War was captured on cameraphone and aired on a variety of news networks around the world as the end result of a duel between them.
The mass resurrection enacted under Good King Bob was well documented at the end of the Third Word War, broadcast live on the OneWorld News Network worldwide (footage starts at 18:35).

Gestures & Ritual

Filking may be linked to Resurrection in some way, although filking on its own is likely not the catalyst. However, whenever Queen Sable has enacted a Resurrection, it has been while filking; and filking magic was used while the living were in possession of the Iron Tome at the end of The Third Word War to avoid having to write in its pages, and at the end of the Fourth Word War to enhance the effect.

Effect Duration

Instantaneous

Effect Casting Time

Various (typically several hours)

Range

Various. If in possession of the Iron Tome, the range appears to be worldwide. The Bunny Queen appears to require at least close proximity to the target, however.

Level

Epic

Applied Restriction

The risk of severe Magic Drain, or the dangerous "reality rewrites" of the Iron Tome are significant obstacles to more frequent uses of Resurrection. It is also possible that personal, one-on-one Resurrections may only be possible if the caster has a strong personal connection to the subject.

SEKRETS!

Empathic Vulnerability

Although the people of the GoTverse have yet to figure this out, a necessary side effect of possessing the ability to Resurrect without the use of the Iron Tome is emotional and empathic vulnerability. Queen Sable is a passionate and emotional creature, easily entangles her emotions with those of other people, is vulnerable to empathic attacks, and is sensitive to rejection, among other things. This sensitivity likely contributes to her post-traumatic stress disorder and Complex PTSD. This vulnerability is necessary for the power to function and is part of being what House Lapin calls a Rabbit in the Moon.

In the Game

The power to resurrect is a restricted power in the Game of Tomes universe because of its potential for significant consequences in a world where Undead are the major antagonists. It is not likely this ability will be permitted among Player Characters except under extremely limited conditions, or for very brief periods. Please do not give your GoTsona powers of Resurrection without discussing it with the Game Master.