Ancestral spirit

Ancestral spirit was an arcane spell similar to augury, used by witch doctors of the Malatran Plateau through spell fetishes rather than spellbooks.

Effects
The spell allowed arcane spellcasters from the Malatran Plateau to contact an ancestral spirit for aid or advice. Methods of casting varied among the tribes and sentient species of the Living Jungle. In order to cast the spell, the witch doctor had to tell stories of the ancestor they attempted to contact, calling tales of the progenitor's deeds to an audience of at least three individuals of the same species as the caster. Some Malatran tribes performed animated presentations by a campfire, while others orated by pools of clear water. The ancestral spirit's spell successes depended on the caster's abilities to tell tales and oratory skills.

If the summoned spirit was impressed by the tales, they took a form of a small animal size of a rabbit and followed the spellcaster for one tenday. The mere presence of the spirit in an animal shape affected heroic deeds performed by the spellcaster in a beneficial way. Additionally, the caster could pose a question to the ancestral spirit, but unlike the augury spell, the spirit was free to answer the question as they deemed, not restricted to "yes" or "no" answers. These answers tended to be short and cryptic.

Components
The spell called for verbal, somatic, and material components. The material component was an item of significance to the spirit being summoned. The memento could sustain five spell castings before being consumed. Such items varied depending on the tribe, usually pieces of clothing, carved figurines, jewelry, carved bone, etc.