What counts as grave robbing?

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jstomel
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Joined: Thu Jan 09, 2020 2:43 pm

What counts as grave robbing?

Post by jstomel »

Do the items have to have been properly entombed with the fallen? Say my dwellers just killed a nasty seithkona, can they take her magic staff without incurring the wrath of the gods? Are all of her possessions off limits? Are they obligated to bury or burn her afterwards and see that she is given a good send off? What about non-humans? Or non-pagens? I assume that it's ok to steal from dead christians, because that was basically what the Viking way of life was all about.
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andrew
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Re: What counts as grave robbing?

Post by andrew »

It's left pretty vague and generalized within the game world for a reason: players shouldn't view this as hard and strict rules, they should be unsure of the whim of the gods and jotuns. There aren't any 10 commandments here, just a rule of thumb, and you can stay safe by never looting, or you can take your chances and loot and the Norn will decide if there are consequences. Remember the gods of mythology aren't algorithms with predictable outcomes, they are moody and capricious.

That said, my rule of thumb at the table is: if the slain believes in the Norse mythos, then their possessions are sacred. If they follow the Celtic gods or the White God, then they are fair game to be looted. I hope that helps and clears/muddies things up. ;)
jstomel
Posts: 74
Joined: Thu Jan 09, 2020 2:43 pm

Re: What counts as grave robbing?

Post by jstomel »

I think my rule of thumb is going to be whether or not they received a proper burial. The whole idea is that if you steal someone's grave goods then you are depriving them of their use in the next world. But if they haven't received a proper pagan burial then those goods haven't been consigned to them anyways and taking them isn't verboten. Of course, failing to give a fallen honored foe a proper burial might also bring down the disfavor of the gods...
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