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- The Unseen Veil -
- Betwixt Life & Death -
{ My sincere thanks to Athel and OmniChaos for their contributions and interest. }
It has not always been so, this dying world of men.
Where are Jove and his Olympians?
Whence did the ghoulish Barghest flee?
When did the Selkies retreat from the waters?
Who remembers that it was not always so?
Mankind has often disputed the afterlife; is it truth, or fabrication?
Will it be reward, or punishment? What of Purgatory—and the myths of old?
This knowledge was once bequeathed to all mankind, in ages that are now wiped from collective memory. Keeping the souls of men weak and ignorant is the Unseen Veil, which blocks the way to the Netherworld, the Land of the Dead. Only the use of dangerous rites and artifacts allows for a mortal to enter the Next World....yet plans for change have recently been set into motion. The seven recipients of a most peculiar letter will be granted the power to alter the world as we know it.
We can only pray that they will bring about our salvation, and not our doom.
- Betwixt Life & Death -
{ My sincere thanks to Athel and OmniChaos for their contributions and interest. }
It has not always been so, this dying world of men.
Where are Jove and his Olympians?
Whence did the ghoulish Barghest flee?
When did the Selkies retreat from the waters?
Who remembers that it was not always so?
Mankind has often disputed the afterlife; is it truth, or fabrication?
Will it be reward, or punishment? What of Purgatory—and the myths of old?
This knowledge was once bequeathed to all mankind, in ages that are now wiped from collective memory. Keeping the souls of men weak and ignorant is the Unseen Veil, which blocks the way to the Netherworld, the Land of the Dead. Only the use of dangerous rites and artifacts allows for a mortal to enter the Next World....yet plans for change have recently been set into motion. The seven recipients of a most peculiar letter will be granted the power to alter the world as we know it.
We can only pray that they will bring about our salvation, and not our doom.
- HISTORY -
For countless eons, the Fae—who existed long before any mortals set foot on the Earth—sought to create a race that was fully sentient as they were. When they at last met success in the form of humanity, their first order of business was to educate them about the Next World. Humans were taught the art of manipulating souls, and thus were able to communicate with denizens of the Netherworld, harnessing their power in some cases. Learning and culture flourished between both planes of existence......until some humans, those creatures whose incomplete nature can never be satisfied, saw fit to prey upon others using the power of souls. Morgan le Fey, Attila the Hun, and Julius Caesar are among their number. By enhancing their souls with those they conquered in the Netherworld, their humanity became muddled, questionable—yet their power over souls both living and dead were unmatched. Those who lacked understanding of Netherworldly powers were left helpless to defend themselves, and as the principle of “Might Makes Right” conquered the world, the Fae realized that humanity was not ready for the privilege of Netherworld travel.
It was then that the Fear of Death was planted inside the hearts of men, and the Unseen Veil was woven from it. The Veil only allows for dead souls to pass from the Living World to the Next, and once they have passed, they may not return. Yet as a result, the spirit of humanity is dying, their souls deprived of the sustenance they crave...
If humanity continues along its current path, the afterlife will become for them just a myth...
- DEATH & SOULS -
From the moment of death, the soul takes a miraculous journey, allowing it to reveal its true character. The stages of the process have been simplified below...
1. Upon death, the souls connection to its corporeal body is severed, and it flees the Living World.
2. The soul passes through the Unseen Veil, familiarizing the Veil with that soul's pattern. Once the pattern of a soul (much like a thumbprint) is memorized, the Veil will recognize its presence, and bar it from leaving the Netherworld.
3. Once inside the Netherworld, the soul manifests in a form that is familiar to it—usually the appearance of the deceased. Without a corporeal body, the soul becomes the body; they are one in the same. If a dead person's “body” is damaged, so too is their soul.
4. Over a short time, the soul comes into its True Form: The deceased person takes on an appearance that reflects their personality. It is a gradual process, but once it is completed, the deceased has become a full Denizen of the Netherworld. Sorcerers of old called them “Nether-beasts”, for many souls are not powerful enough to remain civil—or even sentient at all.
5. Stronger souls remain sentient—and through magic fueled by mental concentration, they can exert control over weaker souls, including the Denizens. Dominated souls serve a number of functions: Some live as faithful companions and guides, others are summoned in times of need, and a few unfortunate ones are absorbed into the souls of their masters, making them more powerful.
If dominated, a Denizen shares a weak mental link with their sorcerer, which grows stronger over time. It can usually transmit only abstract thoughts and emotions. The sorcerer can make requests of the Denizen though it—or force them to do something, with a little more concentration
6. If an inhabitant of the Netherworld is dispatched in some way, their soul “unwinds” into raw energy, which augment the strength of the inhabitant that absorbs them. (This is how the Netherworld, even with its infinite number of realms, is not overpopulated by all of the once-living.)
7. Meanwhile, the lost memories of a Denizen gather together over time, forming a Mnemophyte—a representation of that soul's former self. They behave much like a sentient being would, but are truly little more than echoes of what once was.
2. The soul passes through the Unseen Veil, familiarizing the Veil with that soul's pattern. Once the pattern of a soul (much like a thumbprint) is memorized, the Veil will recognize its presence, and bar it from leaving the Netherworld.
3. Once inside the Netherworld, the soul manifests in a form that is familiar to it—usually the appearance of the deceased. Without a corporeal body, the soul becomes the body; they are one in the same. If a dead person's “body” is damaged, so too is their soul.
4. Over a short time, the soul comes into its True Form: The deceased person takes on an appearance that reflects their personality. It is a gradual process, but once it is completed, the deceased has become a full Denizen of the Netherworld. Sorcerers of old called them “Nether-beasts”, for many souls are not powerful enough to remain civil—or even sentient at all.
5. Stronger souls remain sentient—and through magic fueled by mental concentration, they can exert control over weaker souls, including the Denizens. Dominated souls serve a number of functions: Some live as faithful companions and guides, others are summoned in times of need, and a few unfortunate ones are absorbed into the souls of their masters, making them more powerful.
If dominated, a Denizen shares a weak mental link with their sorcerer, which grows stronger over time. It can usually transmit only abstract thoughts and emotions. The sorcerer can make requests of the Denizen though it—or force them to do something, with a little more concentration
6. If an inhabitant of the Netherworld is dispatched in some way, their soul “unwinds” into raw energy, which augment the strength of the inhabitant that absorbs them. (This is how the Netherworld, even with its infinite number of realms, is not overpopulated by all of the once-living.)
7. Meanwhile, the lost memories of a Denizen gather together over time, forming a Mnemophyte—a representation of that soul's former self. They behave much like a sentient being would, but are truly little more than echoes of what once was.
Woven from the great Fear of Death that sprouted in the souls of humankind, the Unseen Veil prevents any humans from entering the Netherworld, save those who are dead. Likewise, it confines all Netherworldly substance to the Next World, leading to only the occasional supernatural phenomena on Earth—when part of the Veil is frayed or punctured. On nights like All Hallows Eve and Samhain, it becomes more porous, allowing the boundaries of each realm to momentarily blend.
The Veil is strongest along its nine patterns, where the Great Fear has automatically gathered together in large nodes. These nodes distribute the Fear across the entire fabric, mending tears and restoring punctures over time—in an almost deliberate fashion. Although the Fae will largely deny this fact, the Unseen Veil is far more than any mere object; rather, it is a sentient creature. The Fear of Death comprising its fabric was harvested from none other than the Great Reaper, a being who once enforced universal law across the Netherworld.
When the conflict between Fae and human sorcerers spilled into the Next World, the Reaper proved to be the bane of them both. He indiscriminately mowed down all those responsible for unnatural disturbances, banishing them into oblivion with a sweep of his scythe.
It was only through the full power of the entire Fae race that the Reaper could be subdued. His body was drained of all its energy, then subsequently propped up as a monument to Fae power. It stands inside the Glass Palace of Gwladyr-Hav, showing only the faintest signs of movement when part of the Veil becomes frayed, returning that sliver of his soul to him.
- REALMS OF THE NETHERWORLD -
The Netherworld is spread across multiple realms, their number as vast as the stars'. They are created and shaped by a number of different factors: Preconceptions of the afterlife, religious beliefs, the character of a soul, and the circumstances of a person's death all influence the realms of the Netherworld.
Below are listed some of the most prominent realms...
Elysium: Characterized by endless green fields, blissful sunlight, and gorgeous gardens that burst with life, Elysium is the heavenly paradise that so many seek. While it most closely follows the Roman tradition of heaven, its boundaries are indeed marked by the brilliant, shimmering gates of Western tradition. The plentiful gardens provide for one's every wish—whatever it may be—but this might not always be best for the realm's denizens, some of whom have developed hedonistic tendencies. Heaven help the next poor soul who disturbs their orgiastic feast...
Valhalla: When belief in the Norse gods ceased, the laws that governed this eternal battlefield crumbled in turn. Before, the gods would mediate the eternal war, keeping it all within the boundaries of good rowdy fun. Now, soldiers who died in combat find themselves on one of thousands of factions in Valhalla—each fighting the others with no purpose beyond survival. The shimmering city continues to rebuild itself, however, once the battle destroys it beyond repair.
Hell: Unlike what most expect, Hell is very much frozen, being cut off from the warmth of kindness and charity. Only the most selfish, hateful of souls have Hell as their final destination. They make their homes in a lightless maze of ice caverns, literally blind to the light that was just within their reach. A Great Glacier lies at the very center of Hell, loosing horribly cold winds throughout the maze of caverns. A creature has been seen frozen inside of the Great Glacier, and is presumed to be the most evil soul ever to exist.
Tartarus: Much more "popular" than Hell, Tartarus is the fire and brimstone expected by most punishment-fearing mortals. A great deal of Tartarus's Denizen's do not actually deserve to live in such dismal torment—but society and religion have forced them to believe otherwise. Tartarus is governed by the Eternal Judge, whose name has varied constantly, the most popular two being Hades and Satan. He charges the souls of the realm with punishments that reflect the severity of their guilt—perceived or otherwise.
Faerie: Flush with exotic life, this mystic wood is home to souls who have maintained a sense of wonder—particularly those of children. The air is charged with magical energy, granting new vigor to all who breathe it in. However, that same energy has the power to influence a soul, in such a way that the “True Form” of everything in Faerie isn't always so true, lending itself to a more “fairy-like” appearance. As its name suggests, Faerie was once home to the Fae—but during the years of conflict, it was overrun by Fairies, whimsical creatures lacking moral guidance, created by human sorcerers in mockery of the Fae.
Asphodel Fields: Another realm brought about by Greeks and Hellenized cultures, the Asphodel Fields hold the honor of being the grayest place in existence. The limp grasses, the sparse trees, the flat water—all of it holds a grayish hue, as though the realm had been injected with Essence of Boredom. The Asphodel Fields are built and populated by souls who, in life, were neither very good or very evil. Dullness, apathy, and indecision summarized them in life; now, that is all the afterlife holds for them as well. Everybody seems to be waiting for something...but nobody knows what it is, or when it will occur.
Mukthi: An extreme realm of perilous beauty, Mukthi is the destination of those seeking reincarnation. Souls are charged with the task of traversing in the land in its entirety—through jungles full of tempting poisons; across teeming seas of deepest blue; over mountains whose peaks are hugged by clouds. The journey is said to represent the trials of one's past lives, with reincarnation awaiting at its end. However, some souls have journeyed for countless ages, and some theorize whether their reward is true or not...
No Man's Land: When a philosophically-inclined soul is plagued by questions of existence, those unanswered queries guide it to No Man's Land. A vast and nonsensical realm in which the laws of logic and physics do not always apply, it is a plane with no direction, consisting of gray mires in every direction. Its inhabitants are freakishly bizarre, and often do not fall into any known category or family. The only semi-fixed point in the realm is a twisted, convoluted mansion, larger than any real house. No one knows what resides in it, yet the inhabitants of No Man's Land claim that all of the world's answers lie within the attic....which no one can ever reach.
Gwladyr-Hav: After Faerie was overtaken by a swarm of their enemies' creations, the Fae retreated closer to the heart of the Netherworld, and created a small realm known as Gwladyr-Hav. Size notwithstanding, it is an exact approximation of Faerie—with one very large exception: Everything in Gwladyr-Hav is made of cold crystal. The Denizens here are no more than crystal replicas of the originals, yet as a result the entire realm can be manipulated by the Fae. The Glass Palace lies at the heart of the realm, serving as the Fae's inner sanctum, its tall spires delving into the heart of the Netherworld, where the Reaper sleeps.
Realms of Self: At times, a particularly strong memory or Mnemophyte will create an anomaly of sorts. Sorcerers of old passed through them as a test of character and mettle. As for what lurks within them, only the owner of the corresponding memory can testify to that....
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