Resurrection in Vorago

Multiple fields of magic have the ability to bring people back from the dead; on Vorago, the process is a little more complicated than a simple spell. This article outlines the societal practice of resurrection and its limitations.

Social Impact

Resurrection, though unreliable, has led to a sense of safety among the extreme elite. They will often take more personally risky options because they get a second chance. Most elite try to "book ahead of time" with a resurrection-capable person they trust.
The existence of resurrection has also led some nasty types to explore ways to kill someone such that they cannot be resurrected. There are many ways to make resurrection more difficult - stealing a body part or desecrating the corpse are common - but they're not guarantees. So far, methods of guaranteeing permadeath are kept secret by their inventors, but it's well-established that both the Assassins Guild and the Bloodless Citadel have this capability.

Access & Availability

Resurrection magics of varying power are available to most high-level clerics, some druids, and even some paladins and warlocks. Casters who are powerful enough to do so are usually either stationed in a large city or out adventuring, and are hard to get a hold of. Common clerics do not usually have the capacity or training to cast such magics, but often do have the ability to preserve a cadaver from decay or pose final questions to the dead.
Not everyone can be resurrected. First, it can be extremely expensive, which excludes poor people right off the bat. Second, it can be quite time-consuming for the caster, and it doesn't always work. Most importantly, one must have a very good reason to warrant resurrection. A head of state will usually be brought back, but a random merchant may not. Because of this obvious tendency toward benefiting the elite, most clerics try to hide their ability to do this, and swear the people they help to secrecy.

Complexity

Because the magic must knit soul to body with as little "seam" as possible, resurrection is most effective when it is personalized. Clerics have a better chance of bringing back souls who were faithful to their deity. Rituals often use treasured possessions of the deceased and testimony from their companions.
Most resurrections require expensive material components, usually diamonds. These components are used to fuel the ritual; for example, a diamond may be placed into the heart or throat of someone. Auxiliary items help stabilize the local field during the ritual; these may include candles, flowers, a sacred grove or pool, a circle of blood, or a musical performance, depending on the resurreciton magic.
When people do come back, there are sometimes side effects. Statistically, they are more at risk of developing Spellrot, but otherwise resurrected people tend to live longer than others (statistically). Many side effects rely on the nature of the death: numbness around a previously wounded area, small wounds that regularly reopen, a new immunity to the poison that previously did them in. Other side effects rely on the resurrection used: an eyeball replaced with the diamond used (still functional), new perfect pitch if brought back by a bard, a constant loam smell if brought back by a druid.
In gameplay terms: when resurrected, a player generally gains both a new positive and new negative trait. They may pick their own, so long as they collaborate with the DM.