Unless it says anywhere that "Soul" specifcally equates to the "non-material" part of a theist (which it may do, I don't recall) I'd take it to refer to the Daimon/Essence/Spirit of a formerly living person. (as opposed to those of a natural force or feature - the wind, a river, a tree a rock etc etc). Of course some souls will be easier to contact than others, and I'd agree with Peter that a Malkioni who has achieved Solace is as uncontacable by means of this feat as they are by any means.
>
> >Do you need a ghost or could you call the soul of any dead people?
>
> Given that one could (in past versions of Ty Kora Tek) summon
> the dead to speak to them, I don't think a ghost is needed.
I'd agree, particularly given that the Ty Kora Tek devotee has other feats available for dealing with ghosts! I'd say that this ritual is used to summon the soul of the dead person in order to speak with them
>
>>Have the soul to stay in the Caverns of Silence or you could call
>>the soul when it is in the Path of the Dead, in the Court of
>>Silence, in the afterlife?
>
> In the Caverns of Silence is my guess. If it was in the Storm Realm
> (or another place), then it couldn't be summoned.
>
This I think is the core of the matter. It takes the soul 7 days to make its way down to the caverns of silence, after which it is judged by Havana Vor and sent on to the appropriate place in the afterlife. This suggests it isn't actually going to be in the Caverns of Silence for all that long - whether this acts as a useful limit on the power of the feat or makes it practicall useless will vary from game to game!
We are told (in Thunder Rebels, I think, referenced from the TKT write up in Storm Tribe (I re-read them earlier today in order to answer this question, but don't acyually have them to hand)) that the Orlanthi allow their dead to lie "in state" for 7 days between death and funeral to allow the soul to reach the Caverns of Silence, and also to ensure that the person really is dead and no foul play was involved (or words to that effect). This suggests (to me, at least) that it is during this period that the Ty Kora Tek God-talker may wish to talk to the soul of the departed in order to discover the truth of their demise.
We are told that the dead may not speak in the courts of silence, but that their gods may speak for them, so this too would suggest that the Ty Kora Tek God-speaker may wish to interrogate the soul in order that the Goddess may speak for (or against) the soul when it appears before the judge.
On a more humane note, although Ty Kora Tek may choose to speak to the dead and discover all their secrets as they journey into the afterlife, the Ty Kora Tek devotee is also a Devotee of Asrellia, and she may choose to reveal (some of) the secrets of the dead to comfort the bereaved family.
So as a general rule, I think that the ritual is normally used during the first seven days after death, while the soul is journeying to the caverns of silence. It is probvably possible to use it while the soul is in the caverns, but at a penalty. If the soul was an Earth Worshipper in life, and has gone to Ty Kora Tek's caverns on death then she is probably still reachable, if the goddess can be persuaded to give her up. If they have gone on to another afterlife then they will be very hard if not impossible to reach, probably depending on the relationship between their god and Ty Kora Tek.
>>My principal doubt is if you could admit this ritual for
>>investigating the recent murder of a Buserian lunar bureucrat
>>(a fact that will happen in my game).
>
> I don't think it will work on a Solar.
>
Indeed, I would think there would be a fairly hefty penalty in using it on anyone who do not share the general afterlife beliefs of the Ty Kora Tek worshippers, since their souls will not be where she expects to find them, although not necessarily impossible.
Since this is a ritual just consider the possible positive and negative adjustments you might make for appropriate time and place (if, for example the crime was committed in lunar occupied Pavis, or Boldhome then while the local Orlanthi may be keen to investigate to prove their innocence, the authorities may be less keen on them taking the body and lying it in state in one of their longhouses, washing it and going through other pre-funeray rites which are a normal part of the Ty Kora Tek ritual.
Finally, of course, in a society where the killer is fully aware that the soul of the dead may be called back to testify, a pre-meditated murderer is likely to take more precautions to ensure his victim doesn't finger him after the fact!
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