Catches and Morbid Luck Charms
What are Catches and Morbid Luck Charms?
These much sought-after items prevent one demise for their bearer. They function differently. Morbid luck charms are a promise by the land gods to foresee a death and distort Fate to prevent it. Morbid luck charms sometimes break immediately when their bearer suffers a serious injury, signifying that the wound would otherwise have been fatal, but an extra life may also break "randomly" whenever people are in dangerous situations, signifying that Fate has changed to prevent something that would've killed them. Catches are a promise by the land gods to reverse a death in the instant that it happens; catches are instant resurrections rather than preventions. Activating a catch is considerably more agonizing than activating an extra life. Either way, catches and morbid luck charms are typically ceramic amulets that break when their promise has been fulfilled.
Catches necessitate a quest on the part of the land god providing the charm. The land god must dispatch someone to retrieve the wayward soul of the dead person to be resurrected. This means that the activation of a catch is not instantaneous, and there will be a variable period of time in which the deceased is quite gone from the world. The land gods can be counted upon to fulfill their promises, but various mishaps can occur along the way, delaying the retrieval or worsening the circumstances in some other way. Individuals who have a catch may be resurrected to discover a substantial amount of time has passed in which most of the world thought they were dead. While this fits very well to the plans of some people (and catches can be used to fake a demise VERY convincingly), it is more common for people to declare that they own a catch, so that their loved ones will not grieve and their assets will remain.
How are Catches and Morbid Luck Charms obtained?
These objects are made after geomantic quests and gifted by the land gods to the successful quester. They can only be made by the land gods. As individual promises, each one applies unique conditionals, and so for instance an individual may be forbidden to transfer their catch or morbid luck charm, or even required to transfer it and dedicate it to the protection of someone else. Rarely, catches and morbid luck charms can be made freely transferrable, and these can be found at auction for high prices.
Who seeks Catches and Morbid Luck Charms?
People who want to do things that might kill them are eager to get their hands on these artifacts. Explorers can stack up morbid luck charms to maintain Fate protection in Hostile theomes where Fate is ordinarily against them. Necromancers can use Catches to work powerful magics that would otherwise kill their casters. Thrillseekers can use morbid luck charms to engineer narrow brushes with death in the assurance that they'll be lucky enough to survive, or they can use catches to risk the real thing and come back afterwards should the worst happen. Geomancers themselves usually exist in a pattern of friendly Fate, limiting the applications of these artifacts for the geomancers themselves, which can lead to their associated quests being sought after by unusual questers.
How are Catches and Morbid Luck Charms used?
The ceramic amulet that represents the catch or morbid luck charm may be worn directly, or it may be placed on a Pantheon Rooms statue of the individual who is to be protected. Catches and morbid luck charms that are designated "for one who is loved" may be gifted directly to the beneficiary, but they are typically placed on pantheon room statues, as the quester may not use the artifact themselves in that case.
It's a common misconception in Theoma among those who handle these artifacts that ownership of a catch or morbid luck charm is only recognized by the land gods if a person or appropriate statue is wearing the artifact. This isn't true. Having it in any position that signifies who is to be protected is sufficient. Those in the know therefore know that they can dedicate a charm "for one who is loved" by burying it in the foundation of a homes or otherwise 'giving' it in unusual ways. This is considered favorable as it provides protection without promoting risk-taking behaviors that would break the charm early. The land gods have an intelligent understanding of the intentions behind the placement of the these charms and appreciate options other than direct gifting or using a pantheon room statue.
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