Land of the Dead

When a creature dies almost anywhere else in the multiverse, their soul will find itself within the Land of the Dead, also known as the Deadlands. Similarly to the Astral Plane, the Land of the Dead crosses and touches every other plane. Though, similarly to The Mysts, physical location and space is not quite as solid as it is in Material Plane, and as such it is very difficult to navigate in traditional ways. Soul Sender s have a much simpler time of navigation and travel across the Deadlands,

Physical location and description is difficult to ascribe to The Land of the Dead. This is due to how the plane itself is shaped. When a being dies, be it their first, last, or any death between, fragments of their memory are inscribed upon The Land of the Dead itself. This means that, while much of the Land of the Dead is empty, featureless ashen wasteland, pieces of it are given temporary form as the souls of the dead enter it from the other planes. These tend to be particularly strong memories that the soul had in life, be they good or bad. Oftentimes, the soul is found amongst them, though numerous abandoned, decaying 'memory imprints' can be found, slowly returning away to nothing as the soul that created them moves on.

Inhabitants
There are no creatures native to the Land of the Dead. Any and all creatures found within it hail, originally, from another plane entirely. The Land of the Dead is a place of transformation, of ends, not of creation or beginnings. That being said, there are some creatures that you are very likely to find within the confines of the land of the dead.

Lost Souls
The most common and most varied of the residents of the Deadlands, are the lost souls that wander upon it. Though some souls cross over to be resurrected, some simply choose to wander the land of the dead until the end of time. Some do so out of fear of what lies beyond, in the Land Beyond, though many simply wish to remain for a time. However, the longer a soul stays within the Land of the Dead, the more quickly it's mind degrades, slowly turning it into a nearly mindless pocket of energy floating about the plane. Shades (see below) will often try to help these souls pass on, but even then, some choose to simply stay.

Their shape, size, and power are difficult to quantify, as each of them is different, and all of those qualities are only roughly correlated with the same ones the creature had in life. Some souls are powerful, some are weak. Some large, some small. Few are hostile, though those that are tend to be slightly more powerful than others.

A lost soul will never attack another lost soul, and cannot harm them under normal circumstances. However, should a mortal find their way to the Land of the Dead, they may find themselves beset upon by angry Souls.

The memory fragment imprints left by a dying soul remain until that Lost Soul departs to another plane, and the soul tends to live in close proximity. This fragment, when inhabited and not decaying, is known as a Domicile. Depending on the power of the soul, and the circumstances of it's death, the Domicile could be as simple as a stone column, or as complicated as an entire city block, complete with soulless entities in the shapes of people they'd known.

Gatekeepers
Gatekeepers are the first line of defense against a dead soul becoming Lost. When they first die, a Gatekeeper will make contact with the newly arrived Soul. They will be informed of their death, the circumstances surrounding it, the options and the implications. These 'meetings' often manifest as a figure behind a desk, stamping 'paperwork' that accounts for the entirety of various lives. Though their forms may change, each and every Gatekeeper assumes a form at least somewhat familiar to the soul, as not to damage or frighten it further.

There are innumerable Gatekeepers throughout the universe, and each of them is assigned to a particular geological region in the world, handling those that die in that region.

Nobody is entirely sure what the Gatekeepers truly are, what their intentions may be, or how they themselves came to be. No record exists of a mortal every becoming one, so it is unclear if they are created by Gods, or have simply existed since the beginning of time.

Chuck
Chuck is the Gatekeeper of the region containing Carreg Wynn. His form is always changing, but he is always recognizable as Chuck. He is fond of chocolate, and seems to care for the souls he meets, though he is constantly overworked due to the inherent danger of the town.

Shades
In the lowest, darkest places of the Land of the Dead reside the Shades. These creatures, in life, represented creatures with a particular connection to the concept of death, and the cycle of life. Not all those with this connection awaken as a Shade, and not all Shades have this same connection, though it is the most common of the traits found in Shades in life. A Shade is fiercely devoted to the concept of permanent death, and to the concept of the natural cycle of life. They will not harm any naturally-dying soul within the Land of the Dead, and will often work alongside those trapped for whatever reason to help them move on to The Land Beyond, and find final rest.

Shades absolutely abhor the concept of resurrection and undeath, as to them, it is a breaking of the natural cycle, and a violation of Death itself. Occasionally, when a Resurrection ritual is attempted to return a soul to life, Shades will pull the offending parties INTO the land of the dead in an attempt to slay them, and to keep the soul that has already died within the realms of death.

The Great Library
Within the confines of the Land of the Dead, rests the Great Library. This library contains all knowledge, in all planes, all within a single location. All that has ever been known, from peasants to that of gods, is stored within. A truly titanic structure, it could take all of time to find the volume one was looking for.

Entry to the Great Library has a steep cost. In fact, one could say the steepest - Any is allowed to enter, be it living creature or dead. However, once one has entered, there is no going back. The soul will be unable to leave barring the most extreme of circumstances, and only given the opportunity to exit into The Land Beyond.

The Library is guarded by innumerable Shades, tasked with defending this knowledge by an unknown power. Successful intrusion and escape from the Great Library, though possible, too comes with a great cost. Such creatures shall become Wanted by Death, will find their future trips to the land of the dead very difficult, often being beset upon by extremely powerful Shades that will attempt to force the creature into The Land Beyond.