The Dead
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The soul of Man is composed of two parts; the High Soul (called the Lu) and the Low Soul (called the Mon). The Lu is the part of the soul dedicated to rational thought, personality, memory, virtue, and civility; the seat of logic. The Mon is the less rational part of the soul where animal urges, instincts, and passion come from; the seat of emotion. Balance between both parts of the soul is necessary for a healthy life but after death, the two halves separate. The Mon sleeps with the body, gradually returning to Mana as it decomposes within the corpse. The Lu, on the other hand, lingers in the Unworld until the next full moon. When Setharkis is at her zenith, the soul ascends, born on moonbeams to await judgment before ascending the tower of Pergator and being spun once more in the Wheel of Souls, feeding back into the great river of energy which turns the Cosmic Machine before reincarnating as new life once more.
The Restless DeadIf angered by an improper burial, the desecration of its grave, or goaded by dark magic, a Mon may rise from its sleep, turning the corpse it occupies into a rampaging, undead horror. Such beings run amuck in the wild country surrounding their gravesites, killing everything they come across in their implacable, primal anger. Nothing of who they once were remains in a Mon, for the part that comprised their thinking mind, memories, and personality has gone on; Mon are nothing but a seething mass of instinct and uncontrolled emotion. If its awakened body is destroyed, the Mon becomes a restless spirit, flitting between Spiritus Mundi and the physical realm as it rages across the land, seeking a new corpse to dwell in. When enough time has passed or a new body is found, the Mon will rest again within its new vessel before decomposing into the cold earth and eventually passing on into the Wheel of Souls. Destroying the body of a Mon is a feat that even seasoned warriors may not be up to. Mon are unnaturally strong, impossibly fast, and recklessly brutal. They attack without pity, hesitation, or remorse - the best means for dealing with them is prevention. Proper funerary rites and respect for their resting places are the best ways to insure that the dead remain buried.
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The souls of Man is comprised of two parts the Lu (which ascends to Setharkis) and the Mon (which rests with the body). Improper burials and unresolved passions from life can cause either part of the soul to linger as an undead monster or ghost.
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Complications beyond death are not limited to Mon, however. For one reason or another, Lu may linger in Limbo for centuries until they resolve their lingering ties to the living world or succumb to madness and become wraiths. Deaths that are particularly sudden, traumatic, painful or violent can anchor a spirit to the earth. A strong will and a powerful attachment to something in the material world, be it a person, a place, a memory, or a goal can have the same effect. Such fetters manifest themselves as weighty chains that keep a soul from ascending. Once these bonds are resolved, destroyed, or otherwise dealt with, the soul may move on to the afterlife during the next full moon. Souls that linger too long in Limbo slowly lose themselves, becoming violent, frightful wraiths, beings that can only find peace once they have been destroyed.
Necromantic burial rites can also bind a Lu to the physical realm. Such rites are often innocently practiced at traditional pagan funerals which were originally devised to keep a spirit bound to the world for the purpose of ancestor worship. Likewise, there are a number of dark spells and curses which can bind a soul to the earth or trap them within a corpse or amulet of bone. In rare cases, an incomplete fate may also keep a spirit from ascending as the ultimate destiny of the individual was not fulfilled before death and he is now required to satisfy his obligations to fate as a ghost or zombie. Upon fulfilling his destiny, he will move on. Such cases are quite rare and most often occur only in heroic individuals with a strong connection to Mana and therefore, an epic destiny.
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Spirits awaiting their ascent through the tower of Purgatory live a shadow of life within the Jade Kingdoms.
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AscensionFew spirits ever become earthbound ghosts. Most people lack the strength of will to hold onto something so vehemently it becomes chained to their very soul. Normally, a spirit splits evenly and ascends to Setharkis where they enter the Jade Kingdoms. The Jade Kingdoms are vast, monochromatic lands of black skies and white grasslands, vast deserts, jagged mountains, and bitter streams. Spirits dwell here in a shadow of life, existing in a twilight state as ghostly echoes of their former selves. Pleasure here is hollow, joy is fleeting, and all sensation is quickly numbed. The gods are absent from the affairs of the dead, lending their attention instead to mortals who remain among the living. Even Setharkis is distant from those who dwell upon her face, appointing thirteen Underkings to govern the affairs of the Jade Kingdoms. Also known as the Narakas, the Underkings are ancient souls from ages long past who have existed for as long as death has been in the world. Some say they were among the first mortals to die while others wager that they are Medicon which serve the goddess of death. Their knowledge of the Kingdoms they govern, their mysterious connection to Setharkis, and their mastery of death magic are all without rival; they are the absolute and undisputed masters of the realms they keep.
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The Jade Kingdoms were established by ancient souls fabled to be first among the dead. They number thirteen and are known as Narakas, or Underkings. Each rules a portion of Setharkis with absolute authority, granted power and a portion of the moon to rule by the goddess herself. As spirits await their turn (or prolong the torment the know awaits them) within the tower of Purgatory, they live a shadow of life within the Jade Kingdoms.
Purgatory
Afterlife on Setharkis is but a shadow of life in the material world. There is no sunlight, nothing that grows, no new births, and every pleasure to be found there is hollow. Possessions are ghostly and fleeting, food has no taste, friendship has no warmth, and all good things that could be found in life serve only as a bitter reminder to the departed that they are indeed dead. Because the residents of the dead lands are only half a soul (the Lu - the seat of logic), their lives are a passionless affair marred by unfulfilling, empty experiences. Eventually, each soul eventually finds their way to a pale, glistening spire in the center of the Jade Kingdoms which stretches upwards for eternity. Known as Purgatory, it is through this tower that all souls must ascend before they are cycled once more into the Wheel of Souls and reincarnated once again into new life in the material realm.
Once a soul has entered Purgatory, it is impossible for any but Setharkis herself to call it from that place. The lonely spirit slowly ascends through the many levels of the tower as the weight of its many sins (along with all memories) are purged through tormenting flame. When the soul has reached perfection, it is light enough to float through the top of the tower and be spun once more in the Wheel of Souls, where the blank and innocent Lu is joined with the Mon already inside the body of an infant as it grows in a mother’s womb…and thus, the cycle starts anew.
Once a soul has entered Purgatory, it is impossible for any but Setharkis herself to call it from that place. The lonely spirit slowly ascends through the many levels of the tower as the weight of its many sins (along with all memories) are purged through tormenting flame. When the soul has reached perfection, it is light enough to float through the top of the tower and be spun once more in the Wheel of Souls, where the blank and innocent Lu is joined with the Mon already inside the body of an infant as it grows in a mother’s womb…and thus, the cycle starts anew.
Phantom MoonNeedless to say, many souls within the Jade Kingdoms long to return to the world of the living, if only for a few hours. Though they can never again reclaim the lives they once lived, most simply wish to escape the eternal emptiness of Setharkis. When the moon is high and bright in the midnight sky, passing between the world of the living and the land of the dead becomes possible. Born on the backs of moonbeams, ghostly spirits may descend back to the world of the living just as they once ascended to Setharkis after death. Under the light of the full moon, nearly any spirit with a mind to do so can come and go from Setharkis as they please. Likewise, it is easier for mortal mediums to contact and communicate with the dead while the moon is full.
While escape from The Jade Kingdoms may sound like a relief, the spirit merely exchanges one doom for another as inevitability of wraith-hood sets in, claiming more of the ghost’s soul with each passing year. The Underkings dispatch Reapers, the Hounds of Hell, to hunt, capture, and punish any wayward spirit who lingers outside of Setharkis for too long. Reapers are the oath-bound agents of the Underkings who act as an elite police force of sorts, inflicting the will of their masters with an iron fist. They enforce the laws and iron will of the Naraka they serve, hunting with ruthless efficiency any soul which seeks escape from Setharkis. The Reapers are also dispatched to claim the souls of those who have long cheated death. Though their ability to harm mortals is greatly limited outside the light of a full moon, they can influence events and whisper in the ears of other mortals to insure that those marked for death are soon claimed. |
Under the light of a full moon, spirits may return to the world of the living as ghosts. Staying for too long, however, risks the onset of Wraith-hood and the pursuit of The Reapers.
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Narakas: The Underkings
There are thirteen Jade Kingdoms and thirteen rulers known as Narakas or Underkings to rule them. According to one legend, the first thirteen mortal kings to die were given dominion by Setharkis over thirteen lands. As more and more souls entered Setharkis, cities were built and inhabited, growing larger and greater as the centuries rolled along. Another legend says that the Underkings were not appointed by Setharkis at all, but were instead powerful beings in life that, for whatever reason, retained most of their power in death. Their might set them apart, allowing them to carve out domains for themselves by conquest alone. Whether the Underkings were appointed by Setharkis as the legitimate rulers of the Jade Kingdoms or not remains an issue of some minor debate. For regardless of any right they may or may not have to rule, the Underkings are the absolute authorities of their realms, controlling their kingdoms through intimidation, control of important resources, the might of their undead armies, and the sheer personal will to influence the shape and nature of their domains according to their whims. Setharkis seems indifferent to their actions, permitting them full authority within their territories, even allowing them to strive against one another for power, both through subterfuge and open warfare.
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The Narakas rule the world of Setharkis with absolute authority, given their realms and power by the goddess of death herself.
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Despite the nature of their station and responsibility, few Underkings hold any feelings of loyalty to Setharkis or sense of accountability to the souls under their care. They are petty, selfish, proud, and completely assured of their own invincibility. Underkings rarely make public appearances in their domains, instead ruling from distant, enormous palaces of bone and onyx. Yet even in their physical absence, their authority is felt through their subordinates and even the nature of the land itself. If ever an Underking does appear within their domain, it is a grandiose and absurd affair; a spectacle for all to behold. Each Naraka hates the others and rightly believes them to be plotting against him. The Jade Kingdoms are constantly at war with one another, either openly or preparing in secret for some elaborate betrayal which will play itself out across the lands and histories of the afterlife.
Each realm reflects the values, personalities, and ambitions of the Underking who rules there and while some are better than others, none offer a pleasant and worry-free afterlife. Many spirits are kidnapped, enslaved, or conscripted into the particularly bleak and cruel realms or find their way to such places in aimless wanderings. In any case, few spirits spend the entirety of their afterlives in one kingdom before eventually finding their way to Purgatory. Listed from greatest and most merciful to the worst and most horrible, these are the thirteen Underkings: |
The Firstborn King
Noblest among the Underkings is The Firstborn King, oldest, greatest, and most arrogant of all the Narakas. He is distant from his people and rarely seen, occupying himself with elaborate schemes to insure that the greatness of his kingdom and his position as first among the Underkings is maintained. From the castle city of Onus, he rules the kingdom of Hades, a land where good yet impure souls spend eternity before their appointed judgment. His realm is regal, strong, and fiercely ordered with an army of Reapers and undead servants enforcing the (often arbitrary) rules of their dark and prideful lord.
Noblest among the Underkings is The Firstborn King, oldest, greatest, and most arrogant of all the Narakas. He is distant from his people and rarely seen, occupying himself with elaborate schemes to insure that the greatness of his kingdom and his position as first among the Underkings is maintained. From the castle city of Onus, he rules the kingdom of Hades, a land where good yet impure souls spend eternity before their appointed judgment. His realm is regal, strong, and fiercely ordered with an army of Reapers and undead servants enforcing the (often arbitrary) rules of their dark and prideful lord.
The Chained Queen
She who was once a haughty and proud being has now been brought low by her own hubris. Assured of her own greatness and invulnerability, she dared to attempt a usurpation of Setharkis’ authority. Rather than destroy her outright, Setharkis bound the Queen in chains, diminishing her once formidable power. From her prison throne in the capital city of Gray Havens, The Chained Queen rules over Thule, a bleak wasteland of ice and snow. Her obsession with finding a way to break her bonds has fostered a spirit of chaos and half-governance among the people she has only a token interest in ruling. As a result, rebellion has broken out in a few remote provinces and her agents are spread thin quelling the uprising. She is chief rival of The Firstborn King, and souls less pure than those of Hades are sent to Thule.
She who was once a haughty and proud being has now been brought low by her own hubris. Assured of her own greatness and invulnerability, she dared to attempt a usurpation of Setharkis’ authority. Rather than destroy her outright, Setharkis bound the Queen in chains, diminishing her once formidable power. From her prison throne in the capital city of Gray Havens, The Chained Queen rules over Thule, a bleak wasteland of ice and snow. Her obsession with finding a way to break her bonds has fostered a spirit of chaos and half-governance among the people she has only a token interest in ruling. As a result, rebellion has broken out in a few remote provinces and her agents are spread thin quelling the uprising. She is chief rival of The Firstborn King, and souls less pure than those of Hades are sent to Thule.
The Bishop Crimson
A vain a priestly spirit, The Bishop Crimson claims the closest connection to Setharkis, and boasts that, of all the Underkings, he is most in-tune with her will. Though the other Narakas revile his arrogance, his conceited assertions seem to be entirely true. The Bishop Crimson is greedy, overly ambitious, and the hidden force behind a great many death cults in the mortal world which worship him. His ultimate goal is to convert all to his false religion, by force if necessary. In his kingdom of Tartarus, he is worshiped as a god from his unassailable temple fortress in the capital city of Crucible.
A vain a priestly spirit, The Bishop Crimson claims the closest connection to Setharkis, and boasts that, of all the Underkings, he is most in-tune with her will. Though the other Narakas revile his arrogance, his conceited assertions seem to be entirely true. The Bishop Crimson is greedy, overly ambitious, and the hidden force behind a great many death cults in the mortal world which worship him. His ultimate goal is to convert all to his false religion, by force if necessary. In his kingdom of Tartarus, he is worshiped as a god from his unassailable temple fortress in the capital city of Crucible.
The Pale Princess
Within the remote kingdom of Shambhala, The Pale Princess rules from the hidden city of Xanadu. Known as Kisamite by the people of Yokai, her queendom is filled with strange, graceful terrors and terrible beauty. Rumors claim that none of her enemies have ever entered the hidden city and returned. The Pale Princess takes a passive role in governing, absorbed in her opulent wealth and machinations against the other Naraka. Most of Shambhala is ruled by oppressive warlords who force their subjects to hard labor in exchange for protection from the kingdom’s many twisted and beautiful horrors. Known in the lands of Yokai as Shinigami, these warlords regularly lead armies of undead into the living world to kill, burn cities, and drag mortals, kicking and screaming, into an eternity of torment and hard labor.
Within the remote kingdom of Shambhala, The Pale Princess rules from the hidden city of Xanadu. Known as Kisamite by the people of Yokai, her queendom is filled with strange, graceful terrors and terrible beauty. Rumors claim that none of her enemies have ever entered the hidden city and returned. The Pale Princess takes a passive role in governing, absorbed in her opulent wealth and machinations against the other Naraka. Most of Shambhala is ruled by oppressive warlords who force their subjects to hard labor in exchange for protection from the kingdom’s many twisted and beautiful horrors. Known in the lands of Yokai as Shinigami, these warlords regularly lead armies of undead into the living world to kill, burn cities, and drag mortals, kicking and screaming, into an eternity of torment and hard labor.
The Worm
Stygia is the opulent and thoroughly corrupt realm of The Worm who dwells in a grand pleasure palace within the capital city of Midas. The Worm rules through a corrupt and inept bureaucracy, delighting in the slow, seeping corruption that wealth, power, and greed bring. While his kingdom may seem rich and prosperous on the outside, it is ruined through and through by the intemperance of the souls who dwell there. The Worm could care less about conquest or the other Underkings, content to spend eternity wallowing in opulent filth and empty pleasures.
Stygia is the opulent and thoroughly corrupt realm of The Worm who dwells in a grand pleasure palace within the capital city of Midas. The Worm rules through a corrupt and inept bureaucracy, delighting in the slow, seeping corruption that wealth, power, and greed bring. While his kingdom may seem rich and prosperous on the outside, it is ruined through and through by the intemperance of the souls who dwell there. The Worm could care less about conquest or the other Underkings, content to spend eternity wallowing in opulent filth and empty pleasures.
The Destroyer
Beneath choked skies and yellow sulfur clouds lies the industrial hellscape of Sardis, a kingdom built on the back of industry. From the grandiose factories and clogged streets of Mammon, the appropriately named The Destroyer rules from his coal-black palace. His subjects labor eternally in horrendous conditions, the work of their hands and the sickness of the land fueling The Destroyer’s military might. With massive war machines, hulking siege engines, and armies upon armies of armored soldiers, The Destroyer is perhaps the most powerful and feared of all the Underkings. His power is kept in check solely by the unwilling alliance of his enemies against him.
Beneath choked skies and yellow sulfur clouds lies the industrial hellscape of Sardis, a kingdom built on the back of industry. From the grandiose factories and clogged streets of Mammon, the appropriately named The Destroyer rules from his coal-black palace. His subjects labor eternally in horrendous conditions, the work of their hands and the sickness of the land fueling The Destroyer’s military might. With massive war machines, hulking siege engines, and armies upon armies of armored soldiers, The Destroyer is perhaps the most powerful and feared of all the Underkings. His power is kept in check solely by the unwilling alliance of his enemies against him.
The Tempest
The Tempest is a raging sea of unbridled emotions, temperamental and unstable as a mighty storm. He is the lord of Darkwater, a great city built on the shores of the Styx, the great shadowy sea of deep horrors and fathomless darkness. His domain stretches over the sea, the islands, and the port cities therein. Ghost ships under his command haunt the oceans of the Sphere, manned by drowned souls and dread pirates who once pledged oaths to him in life and now serve his mysterious and terrible purposes in death.
The Tempest is a raging sea of unbridled emotions, temperamental and unstable as a mighty storm. He is the lord of Darkwater, a great city built on the shores of the Styx, the great shadowy sea of deep horrors and fathomless darkness. His domain stretches over the sea, the islands, and the port cities therein. Ghost ships under his command haunt the oceans of the Sphere, manned by drowned souls and dread pirates who once pledged oaths to him in life and now serve his mysterious and terrible purposes in death.
The Dark Sun
The vast monochrome deserts of Luxor stretch in all directions further than the eye can see and The Dark Sun is lord of all the white sands touch. A warlord consumed with conquest, The Dark Sun’s one and only goal is to destroy the other Narakas and become the sole ruler of Setharkis. Those who serve him either fight in his armies or build vast cities and impressive monuments to his greatness, such as the capital city of Yalu, an impenetrable iron fortress built into the very face of a mountain. His designs for conquest stretch even as far as the mortal world; his physical avatar rules over the nation of Thresk on the Disc of Arcadia.
The vast monochrome deserts of Luxor stretch in all directions further than the eye can see and The Dark Sun is lord of all the white sands touch. A warlord consumed with conquest, The Dark Sun’s one and only goal is to destroy the other Narakas and become the sole ruler of Setharkis. Those who serve him either fight in his armies or build vast cities and impressive monuments to his greatness, such as the capital city of Yalu, an impenetrable iron fortress built into the very face of a mountain. His designs for conquest stretch even as far as the mortal world; his physical avatar rules over the nation of Thresk on the Disc of Arcadia.
The Grimlight Spectre
The Grimlight Spectre is a headless ghoul who commands a group of spirits known as Beansidhe which roam through the fens, marshes, and swamps of the Sphere, proclaiming horrible truths and dreadful prophecies to mortals who encounter them. She once ruled a land that is now nameless, her holdings captured by The Dark Sun. She is now his vassal, a prophetess whose insight is sought by all in the Jade Kingdoms, even (grudgingly) by the other Underkings, a fact which The Dark Sun plays to his full advantage. She dwells in the city of Golgath, under close watch of her master.
The Grimlight Spectre is a headless ghoul who commands a group of spirits known as Beansidhe which roam through the fens, marshes, and swamps of the Sphere, proclaiming horrible truths and dreadful prophecies to mortals who encounter them. She once ruled a land that is now nameless, her holdings captured by The Dark Sun. She is now his vassal, a prophetess whose insight is sought by all in the Jade Kingdoms, even (grudgingly) by the other Underkings, a fact which The Dark Sun plays to his full advantage. She dwells in the city of Golgath, under close watch of her master.
The Thousand
The ruined stretch of wasteland now known as Cania may have once been a great kingdom. Ruins dot the lands, the skeletal reminders of what once was to those who cannot remember. Souls who dwell here regularly lose their memories, cursed by the soul of the land to wander eternity with fractured recollections of the past. Cania is ruled by The Thousand, so named due to his thousand distinct personalities, each of which is utterly mad. He wears a new mask each day, assuming a different identity in doing so. The appropriately named Dischord is the land’s capital, a meandering series streets and dead ends winding through ruined buildings.
The ruined stretch of wasteland now known as Cania may have once been a great kingdom. Ruins dot the lands, the skeletal reminders of what once was to those who cannot remember. Souls who dwell here regularly lose their memories, cursed by the soul of the land to wander eternity with fractured recollections of the past. Cania is ruled by The Thousand, so named due to his thousand distinct personalities, each of which is utterly mad. He wears a new mask each day, assuming a different identity in doing so. The appropriately named Dischord is the land’s capital, a meandering series streets and dead ends winding through ruined buildings.
The Fool
The Fool is the mad (or perhaps brilliant) ruler of Abadon, a mirthless land of twisted terrors masked by bright lights, make-up, and off-key music. The capital city of Faust resembles a circus and The Fool is its ringmaster. Like The Destroyer, he is ambitious and clever, yet his motives are much more difficult to ascertain. The Fool dresses like an absurd jester and his undead servants do the same, appearing as frightening, skeletal clowns in their many visits to the world of the living. His infamous carnival of horrors, the Danse Macabre, appears at random in the world of the living, inflicting suffering and terror wherever it appears.
The Fool is the mad (or perhaps brilliant) ruler of Abadon, a mirthless land of twisted terrors masked by bright lights, make-up, and off-key music. The capital city of Faust resembles a circus and The Fool is its ringmaster. Like The Destroyer, he is ambitious and clever, yet his motives are much more difficult to ascertain. The Fool dresses like an absurd jester and his undead servants do the same, appearing as frightening, skeletal clowns in their many visits to the world of the living. His infamous carnival of horrors, the Danse Macabre, appears at random in the world of the living, inflicting suffering and terror wherever it appears.
The Heartless
A vast stretch of fens, marshes, and wastelands, Sheol is a terrible land of meaninglessness with few cities to speak of. Those damned to its confines wander aimlessly in the bleak emptiness, seldom encountering another soul. The ruler of this realm is The Heartless, an empty, emotionless soul who lost his heart and memory long ago. In a futile bid to briefly taste the passions he has forgotten, he regularly consumes the hearts of other souls, transforming them into the ruined husks which serve him. Due to a recent betrayal by The Destroyer, he is currently the weakest of the Underkings. His capital city of Dirge is vast, mighty, and mostly empty, save for the many soulless husks which creep throuh the sewers and alleyways in heartless stupor.
A vast stretch of fens, marshes, and wastelands, Sheol is a terrible land of meaninglessness with few cities to speak of. Those damned to its confines wander aimlessly in the bleak emptiness, seldom encountering another soul. The ruler of this realm is The Heartless, an empty, emotionless soul who lost his heart and memory long ago. In a futile bid to briefly taste the passions he has forgotten, he regularly consumes the hearts of other souls, transforming them into the ruined husks which serve him. Due to a recent betrayal by The Destroyer, he is currently the weakest of the Underkings. His capital city of Dirge is vast, mighty, and mostly empty, save for the many soulless husks which creep throuh the sewers and alleyways in heartless stupor.
The Whistler Black
The strange, alien landscape of Xanth rises from the ground like something from a nightmare. Aberrant landscapes, twisted rock formations, and geographic oddities slowly give way to the singular city at the dark heart of this ancient, terrifying land; Carcosa, home of The Whistler Black. Of all the Underkings, The Whistler Black is perhaps the most hated and terrible of all. Malicious souls who barely escape the clutches of Hell are conscripted into his service, their sanity slowly broken over the course of their confinement in the terrifying land of Xanth. Undead marauders under his command enter the world of the living frequently against the will of Setharkis, killing and destroying wherever they go. The Whistler is an unrepentant servant of the Maleficati and, like them, desires nothing more than for Oblivion to devour all of creation in its abyssal maw.
The strange, alien landscape of Xanth rises from the ground like something from a nightmare. Aberrant landscapes, twisted rock formations, and geographic oddities slowly give way to the singular city at the dark heart of this ancient, terrifying land; Carcosa, home of The Whistler Black. Of all the Underkings, The Whistler Black is perhaps the most hated and terrible of all. Malicious souls who barely escape the clutches of Hell are conscripted into his service, their sanity slowly broken over the course of their confinement in the terrifying land of Xanth. Undead marauders under his command enter the world of the living frequently against the will of Setharkis, killing and destroying wherever they go. The Whistler is an unrepentant servant of the Maleficati and, like them, desires nothing more than for Oblivion to devour all of creation in its abyssal maw.
