The way the Hull playbook is written, the spirit is bound in servitude to the creator or more likely finanser of the machine. However if someone built a Hull for the benefit of the Ghost that will inhabit it, how would that be handled?
After writing this it occurs to me that the answer is “On a case by case basis”, but I’m still curious what everyone’s thoughts on this is.
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Servitude is probably the norm on the assumption that the building a hulk is motivated by cruel pragmatism. There’s not much incentive to give your devices free will.
Now if mindless servitude is a choice by the designer, and not a limitation of the process, I can see people with sufficient wealth arranging a “free will” hulk for a close relative or friend, or for themselves.
I’m with Brian Rock here regarding that this is a matter of designing the hull. What’s interesting about this approach is, that I assume that such a design is very unusual and not what a decent Doskvol design would do if not intentionally for money, fame, blackmail etc. Wall have ears in Doskvol so such a hull or its existance will be known by certain factions and they may pay a visit. Just like the grenade thrower discussion and like everything else in Blades: Yes, sure, possible. But which price are you willing to pay? 🙂 Stories, stories, stories.
I was thinking of such things myself. I had decided for my Con game one off that Roric, being a Spider, had suspected someone might take him out and so had made arrangements in the case of his demise for his spirit to inhabit a hull or his own alchemically revived body. I was heavily leaning toward Roric as a Hull Sculpted to look as he did in life to show up and scare the hell out of Lyssa and the rest of the Crows. I think in this case, his master was himself, that the hull had strictures it placed on his spirit as a price for immortality.
For a really great take on this concept, and some amazing art reference material, might I suggest reading The Coffin?
images.google.com – Image: The Coffin (Volume) – Comic Vine
Oh, Man. I need this in my life.