In a mystery/detective series such as Casebook, it's expected that people will die.
It's not always expected that they will be characters that have close relationships with the protagonists. So I suppose I should put a spoiler alert here.
At the beginning of "The Missing Daughter" in The Casebook of Elisha Grey III, the deep bond between Elisha Grey and Ishmael Endymion is observed by Kiara Ptolmai in stark detail: both of them grieve for a woman they loved -- Ishmael for his collective sister Aurora, who he introduced to Elisha and who became the love of his life. The anniversary of her death is difficult for them both. Even Chief Nalte, the head of the constabulary in Atlantis, who was integral in bringing Aurora's killer to justice, honors the anniversary. What happened to her is closely related to the crime that causes Chief Nalte to ask for Elisha Grey's aid.
In "The Bones in the Cornerstone" which opens The Casebook of Elisha Grey IV, Kamay Pellay, the weatherchanger who has studied shamanism in the Baikal region far west of Chungkuo and is enrolled in Spiritual Studies at the Temple of Learning in Atlantis is confronted with the discovery of bones entombed in a cornerstone. What transpires leads not only to his discovery of his Lemurian heritage, it also confirms his role as someone who cares for the deceased by making sure their remains are honored.
In "The Sabotaged Lift" which closes The Casebook of Elisha Grey IV, Kiara Ptolmai becomes the witness of a crime -- the murder of her lover Astanax Seneca. Her deep grieving requires not only Elisha Grey's help, but Kamay Pellay's as well.
In "The Destruction of Dark Ladder Laboratories" featured in The Casebook of Elisha Grey VI, the sudden death and apparent murder of Ishmael Endymion requires efforts on all fronts -- not only to solve the crime, but from the spiritual side, the gathering together of his soul, and the souls of others killed at the same time which Kamay Pellay and a very pregnant Kiara Ptolmai spend the night in meditation doing.
In "The Haunted Homes of Sunrise Terrace" also in The Casebook of Elisha Grey VI, Elisha Grey, Kiara Ptolmai, their toddler daughter and Kamay Pellay help to honor a ghost who haunts the property Elisha's sister and her partner want to acquire by making a memorial for him on the beach below the property, as well as the property itself.
In "The Disappearance of Sequoyah and the Passing of the Trident" in The Casebook of Elisha Grey VIII, Kamay Pellay appears to Kiara Ptolmai in a dream which makes clear to her that Rowan Fisher, the seer in Albion who had helped Elisha Grey and Kiara understand what kind of person Kamay was, has died. She immediately informs Elisha Grey, who says that just as she saw in her dream, they needed to build a fire to honor him, and to continue to do so for three nights.
Granted, these are spoilers...however, the reason these subjects come up in Casebook is because how we grieve, and how we honor the dead, is an important part of our culture.
As we approach Samhain and Dios de los Muertos, this is good to remember.
Art by Rochelle Redfield
It's not always expected that they will be characters that have close relationships with the protagonists. So I suppose I should put a spoiler alert here.
At the beginning of "The Missing Daughter" in The Casebook of Elisha Grey III, the deep bond between Elisha Grey and Ishmael Endymion is observed by Kiara Ptolmai in stark detail: both of them grieve for a woman they loved -- Ishmael for his collective sister Aurora, who he introduced to Elisha and who became the love of his life. The anniversary of her death is difficult for them both. Even Chief Nalte, the head of the constabulary in Atlantis, who was integral in bringing Aurora's killer to justice, honors the anniversary. What happened to her is closely related to the crime that causes Chief Nalte to ask for Elisha Grey's aid.
In "The Bones in the Cornerstone" which opens The Casebook of Elisha Grey IV, Kamay Pellay, the weatherchanger who has studied shamanism in the Baikal region far west of Chungkuo and is enrolled in Spiritual Studies at the Temple of Learning in Atlantis is confronted with the discovery of bones entombed in a cornerstone. What transpires leads not only to his discovery of his Lemurian heritage, it also confirms his role as someone who cares for the deceased by making sure their remains are honored.
In "The Sabotaged Lift" which closes The Casebook of Elisha Grey IV, Kiara Ptolmai becomes the witness of a crime -- the murder of her lover Astanax Seneca. Her deep grieving requires not only Elisha Grey's help, but Kamay Pellay's as well.
In "The Destruction of Dark Ladder Laboratories" featured in The Casebook of Elisha Grey VI, the sudden death and apparent murder of Ishmael Endymion requires efforts on all fronts -- not only to solve the crime, but from the spiritual side, the gathering together of his soul, and the souls of others killed at the same time which Kamay Pellay and a very pregnant Kiara Ptolmai spend the night in meditation doing.
In "The Haunted Homes of Sunrise Terrace" also in The Casebook of Elisha Grey VI, Elisha Grey, Kiara Ptolmai, their toddler daughter and Kamay Pellay help to honor a ghost who haunts the property Elisha's sister and her partner want to acquire by making a memorial for him on the beach below the property, as well as the property itself.
In "The Disappearance of Sequoyah and the Passing of the Trident" in The Casebook of Elisha Grey VIII, Kamay Pellay appears to Kiara Ptolmai in a dream which makes clear to her that Rowan Fisher, the seer in Albion who had helped Elisha Grey and Kiara understand what kind of person Kamay was, has died. She immediately informs Elisha Grey, who says that just as she saw in her dream, they needed to build a fire to honor him, and to continue to do so for three nights.
Granted, these are spoilers...however, the reason these subjects come up in Casebook is because how we grieve, and how we honor the dead, is an important part of our culture.
As we approach Samhain and Dios de los Muertos, this is good to remember.
Art by Rochelle Redfield