An extension of the Pot of Awakening, taught through Baba Yaga’s swamp wisdom.

“Flesh rots. Will lingers. Roots remember.”
— Baba Yaga

Ritual Purpose

This ritual allows Nakita to transfer the lingering sentience of a deceased creature into a plant awakened by the Pot of Awakening, creating a Rootbound Being.

This is not a soul trap.

• The creature must be willing.

• The ritual fails if the spirit resists.

Ritual Basics

Name: Ritual of Rooted Continuance
Ritual Time: 8 hours (performed over one night)
Frequency: Once per long rest 
Required Item: Pot of Awakening (modified by Nakita)

Components

• The body of a deceased creature (dead less than 7 days, or preserved)

• A plant native to the creature’s place of death (swamp preferred, but not required)

• A personal item of the deceased (or symbolic stand-in)

• Fresh water, mud, and moonlight

Ritual Process (Narrative)

1. The body is laid beneath the pot, not inside it — flesh feeds the roots.

2. The plant is placed within the pot, surrounded by soil, bone dust, and offerings/personal effects.

3. Nakita speaks to the dead, not the plant.

4. The pot awakens the plant — but the mind that enters it if chosen.

During the final hour roots grow toward the corpse and the air grows warm and damp.

Requirements for Success

• The creature or its spirit is willing.
• A plant is available to be awakened.
• The ritual is completed within 7 days of death.

If none apply, the ritual fails peacefully.

Result: Rootbound Being

On success, the plant becomes a sentient awakened plant with:

• Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma based on the deceased

• Memories as dreams, metaphors, or sensations that it had in life

• Speech that is slow, symbolic, or limited

It is not undead and does not radiate necromancy.

Mechanical Guidelines (Balanced)

• Use Awakened Shrub or Awakened Tree as a base

• Retains personality traits and bonds from the deceased

• Loses:

  • Class levels

  • Spellcasting

  • Most combat features

Limitations & Costs

• The Rootbound Being cannot leave the plane where it was created for long

• If destroyed, it cannot be revived

• Nakita experiences shared dreams for several nights after performing the ritual