The Doppler Process

Utility

As mentioned earlier there are nefarious purposed for creating a doppler, but there are just as many noble reasons as well--no matter how misguided--such as grieving parents who want their child back, or--for the more religious or military minded barons--a group of loyal followers who feel lost without their leader. Yet, even though the process has been perfected, their are still drawbacks, such as the doppler displaying discrepancies in the deceased's behavior, or even acting contrary to their normal mood. In fact, the more a person is dopplerized, the more these discreancies increase, to the point of the doppler becoming a rabid animal--this might even happen on the first go around. The only time this doesn't have any drawbacks, is when a "half doppler" is created, where the person being replicated is still alive, and isn't using their body as a component for the creation--see below--but only gives a part of themselves, like a bit of hair or skin. The result is a clone of sorts, and some barons use these when a suitable donor for blood or organs can't be found, or as a body double for those that fear assassination. Once the clone has served its purpose, it is then disposed of.

Manufacturing

As previously stated there are certain incantations and rituals to follow, but along with this is a cauldron full of acid, into which is dropped two sheafs of wheat, one healthy the other rotted, the symbols of Rigit and his wife Shandra--these are used even if the gods aren't invoked. Other ingredients are thrown in depending on the deceased's religious leanings--a sea shell or knot for Halgon, a coin or a set of dice for Roulette--and this even decides the incantations and ritual to follow, as well as what symbol to draw around the cauldron. As a small congregation of four people perfomrs the ceremony around the cauldron, and fifth person dumps the deceased's body into the acid, before stirring the mixture with a staff, reenacting the creation of man by the gods. The time it takes for the process to complete varies, but towards the end the acid will turn into dark red water, almost like blood, and a minute after that the doppler will climb out of the mixture.

Inventor(s)

Though Janis Yorik is credited as the inventor, some dispute that the honor goes to his brother Robert--though this is disputed by his infamous lack of intelligence--or that the credit actually goes to the ancient warlocks, though no record exists of them ever creating a doppler. But this is irrelevant, as a lot of pre-exodus information is either lost or destroyed to begin with.

Access & Availability

It is rumored that the great barons alone hold the secret to this horrid process, but that's only half the truth. In fact, out of all the greats barons, only the Yoriks know the complexities of doppler creation, and a select few who the Yoriks have allowed to make use of that secret. Mostly it is other great barons who've been granted this privilege, such as baron who wants a certain family member to stay alive for their own agenda, or a baron family that still has need of a politician that's been sweeping their illegal activities under the rug.

Complexity

The process is a science unto itself, requiring intensive study of the proper incantations and rituals, and even knowledge of the divine. For instance, depending on the deceased race or religious leanings, certain gods must be invoked when creating a doppler,  and it can be borderline impossible if the deceased was a follower of a fertility god, or a god of life. The easy way around this is to invoke Rigit, the god of death, but even this kindly god has limits, and if invoked there's a high price to pay for both the doppler, and those involved in the creation.

Discovery

Like most magic related discoveries, the basic idea for this invention was laid out by the ancient warlocks, dating back all the way back to 2337 B.E. It wasn't until 1635 A.E., that Richard Yorik--a half-elf of dionysian decent--began to work on a way to put the idea into practice. The ancient texts were vague, and near indecipherable, hinting at the possibility of prolonging life after death. The work of translating the text passed down from father to son, till at last Richard's great-great grandson Janis managed to decipher the bulk of the text. As it turned out it was a blueprint for creating homunculi that could carry the soul of the recently deceased. At this point in time Janis' father was dying, and wasting no time he set about gathering the materials for the "doppler" as he called it. But instead of getting his father back, what he got was a mad, violent caricature of his beloved parent, and was soon killed by the abomination. The invention would've been lost to time, if Janis' brother Robert hadn't taken it for himself. To this day his descendants profit off this discovery, making hollow recreations of loved ones and faithful friends.