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Making a Living: A Necromancer's Journal
A Drink to Raise Your Spirits

A Drink to Raise Your Spirits

Dear Diary,

I have decided to lay out some Life Insurance.

I know, I rolled my eyes in Sulak's class about putting together a revivify kit in Intro to Necromancy. Thing is, this whole deal with Z freaked me out.

So the kit is almost done. I need to run over to June's to get a few things.

...

I ran into Kate at Junes. She was buying candles. She said I looked like death warmed over and asked if I was ok. I agreed to grabbing lunch with her at the Panera at the other end of the outlet mall. I couldn't tell her the whole truth. The nondisclosure makes things particularly uncomfortable. I did get across that I did some necromancy for an idiot cop and it burned me out pretty bad.

She asked if that was why I was buying stuff at Junes, to recover. I said that I was brushing up my Revivify Kit for just in case purposes but that I didn't feel like I was going to die just then.

We discussed the kit a little. Most wealthy wizards have them set up and I assumed that the Beghana have them too - being one of the prominent families in the area. Turns out I assumed wrong...of course. Kate tugged her tank top down to show the DNR tattoo on her breastbone. Do Not Resurrect.

I'm still a little shocked. I mean, we discussed the anti-resurrectionists in Ethics class. Most of them were folks who questioned if the actual soul or spirit of a person returned to the body or if it was just the body itself animated. Others said the risk was too high for something else returning and animating the body - which admittedly did happen from time to time.

I didn't think I'd ever met someone who was a DNR before. Kate shrugged it off and said she just didn't like the idea of coming back wrong or anyone fiddling with her body. She then assured me that she's an organ donor and that she's cool with other people doing what they wanted as if I was judging her.

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I wasn't judging. I'm not judging. I just feel...weird about it. Thankfully we dropped it.

I came home after that but I barely shut the door and flopped down on the couch when there was a knock. Kate was on the other side of it grinned. Without a word she shoved a cloth bundle into my hand, told me to feel better, and took off.

The bundle was a t-shirt wrapped around a canister of tea from June's. The tea was a blend of tulsi, clary sage, and bergamot for wellness and mood boost. The shirt was black and in green across the chest had the Saturnian sickle symbol used by most Necromancers to identify their trade. I never wear it as I think its a little overdone and very Blue Oyster Cult. Above that it says "Advanced Recycling."

I laughed. It almost hurt to do it since I don't think I've properly laughed in forever but yes, Diary, I laughed.

I put on the shirt and made a cup of tea and it's probably a placebo effect but I do feel better.

Here is a copy of the Revivify Kit instructions. I put another copy with the kit near the door. There's no missing the damn thing.

To Resurrect me, Bernadette Maloria Vitale

Prepare my body with my symbol.

Set the sacred space with the eight point star of physicality.

Also prepare for yourself a pentacle of protection using banishing salts (juniper salt) and iron filings (check potions cupboard for labeled jar).

Prepare the Resurrection Mud - ingredients and preparation detailed on page 2. You can find a vial of my spit and other ingredients in the potions cupboard.

Supply an offering. Blood of a relative is best. Blood of someone who gives a damn about me is next best and so on. If you must use a blood substitute, do NOT use blood orange. I am allergic to citrus and will not thank you for the hives.

Include my journal in the sacred space.

Please have a hot bath and some Chinese take out ready for me. I prefer steamed dumplings over egg rolls.

Invoke Kronos. "Consumed by Thee, all forms that hourly die. By Thee restored their former place supply."

Help yourself to some coffee or tea while you wait. Resurrection can take up to an hour for cognitive and vocal return and up to three hours for body mobility.