Spirit Village

A Spirit Village is a kind of settlement in 'Merganser,' characterized by an oath sworn between a group of men and a spirit or group of spirits.

characteristics
The initial "agreement" sworn between men and spirits is normally characterized by four features:


 * 1) The men and any of their descendants, or partners bonded to them or their descendants through a marriage ceremony, will be allowed to stay in the community.
 * 2) Outsiders may visit the community, but only for three days and nights before experiencing some kind of curse.
 * 3) The village will be insulated from evil spirits, sickness, men of impure intentions and bad crops or bad hunting.
 * 4) Even those without natural talent will be able to enchant objects or conduct more complex spells, as the spirit of the village will assist them.

However, there are side effects to this spiritual contract; most people that leave a spirit village will be spiritually weaker than the average human, and prone to sickness.

in the world of 'merganser'
Prior to the invention of advanced magic technology, the vast majority of settled villages were spirit villages. Even seasonal villages would often be blessed by a spirit, and a few people would stay behind as custodians to keep the spirit satisfied with blessings.