UNIVERSAL TRUTHS

There are many different interpretations of things in this world, each being true to those who believe it. For example, Fina may be a goddess to some, while others believe her to be a saint. This page is dedicated to explaining the Universal Truths of this setting.

THE ZEITGEIST

The collective belief, will and consciousness of mankind, humanity and all sentient beings is a powerful force that has the ability to manifest things into being. If everyone on the planet believes that you need to breathe to survive, everyone must breathe to survive. The more people that believe in something, the more powerful that thing becomes, until eventually it becomes a reality. This phenomenon is known as the Zeitgeist, and only occurs if a belief is collective and understood by large regions, groups, ethnicities or cultures of people. A child may believe he can fly, but that does not make it true unless his entire community and the surrounding area believes it too. This means there is a high bar to beat when it comes to changing, altering, removing from or adding to the zeitgeist, but it is not impossible.

This collective belief is why some things are the way they are in this setting. The gods, the four humors, magic, monsters, the arcane, all things fantastical and unexplained are as real as the dirt beneath your feet because they have been willed into existence by the collective consciousness of mankind.

No living being understands this phenomenon, so it cannot be gamed. A peasant cannot just will themselves into being wealthy just because they told their whole village they are. Mankind's innate skepticism and urge to question things that are out of the ordinary is the equal and opposite force which counters the Zeitgeist.

Most of the Universal Truths in this page owe their existence to this phenomenon.

THE GODS

Though many interpretations exist, the gods are real and tangible beings that exist not of this world, but of a divine celestial plane known to most as Heaven, Oddegand to some, or by many other names to others.

Though the gods are just as real as the rocks on the ground or the birds in the air, they are distant and aloof. They have not meddled in the affairs of men in any significant way since the end of the Dragon Wars of ancient antiquity, approximately 2000 years ago. Some gods may occasionally make their presence known, but only to select groups or individuals. It has been so long since the gods played a significant role in the affairs of men that some people doubt their very existence, or believe they don't exist at all.

In Kingdoms like Albelond, Beaugencie or the Gottesreich, the traditional pantheon of gods are seen simply as saints. This does not nullify their existence, and to the gods in question, they see it simply as another form of worship.

The gods maintain their divine status through the act of worship. If this act lessens in frequency, the gods lose their power and become lethargic. If worship stops and the zeigeist forgets the god exists, the god ceases to exist. New gods may come and go through this phenomenon, but the traditional pantheon is the foundation.

ANGELS

Angels are interpreted differently throughout the known world, though within the western tradition they are most commonly described as winged humanoid beings of perfect purity and compassion. According to sacred teachings, the angels were charged with one of the holiest responsibilities entrusted by the gods: the guidance of mankind through death itself.

At the moment of death, angels would perform Divine Severance through the tolling of holy handbells carried upon their person. The ringing of these bells unbound the soul from the flesh, allowing the angels to guide the newly departed safely into Purgatory, where all souls await final judgement beneath the silence of the Divine Bell.

It was widely believed that every living person was watched over by at least one angel throughout their life, and that no soul was ever truly alone in death so long as the bells continued to ring.

During the Dragon Wars of ancient antiquity, the gods commanded the angels to teach mankind the sacred arts of holy magic in order to aid humanity against the draconic enemy. Many angels obeyed willingly out of love for mankind, though some grew resentful. To these few resentful angels, holy magic had long been the one divine gift separating celestial beings from mortal humanity. If mankind could wield holy power for themselves, what purpose would angels ultimately serve beyond guiding the dead?

This resentment planted the first seeds of division among the heavenly host.

Yet despite this bitterness, the angels loved humanity deeply. And when the hosts of Igniel rose from Hell during the final years of the ancient world, the angels chose mankind over themselves.

Facing annihilation at the hands of the demonic invasion, the angels cast down their holy handbells to the mortal world in a final act of mercy and devotion. By surrendering their bells, they passed the sacred duty of Divine Severance into mortal hands so that mankind might continue freeing the souls of the dead after the heavens had fallen silent.

Soon after, the angels were hunted to extinction by the forces of Hell.

Their destruction marked one of the greatest tragedies in history, and forever changed mankind’s relationship with death. No longer guided personally by angels, humanity was forced to inherit the burden of funerary rites, bell consecration, and Divine Severance themselves.

The holy handbells left behind by the angels are now regarded as some of the most sacred relics in existence. Unlike ordinary consecrated bells, angelic handbells are believed capable of performing perfect Divine Severance without fail, releasing the soul immediately and completely with a single toll. No other bell is as perfectly efficient.

No confirmed angelic apparition has been witnessed in approximately 1500 years. Whether the angels are truly extinct, hidden, imprisoned, or awaiting the tolling of the Divine Bell remains a matter of fierce theological debate.

BELLS

Bells are among the holiest objects in the known world, intrinsically tied to death, the soul, and the sacred rite of Divine Severance. Unless explicitly corrupted or altered through unnatural means, all bells possess the inherent ability to release the souls of the dead from their bodies through their tolling. This property is not the result of consecration alone, but an innate quality believed to have originated from the bells once carried by the angels themselves.

The soul remains bound within the body after death until properly released through Divine Severance. The ringing of bells weakens and eventually unbinds this connection, allowing the soul to depart for Purgatory. While all bells possess this ability to some degree, most man-made bells are highly inefficient and require repeated tolling over time to properly release the dead. Only the holy handbells once carried by the angels are believed capable of performing perfect Divine Severance instantly and without fail. These angelic handbells are exceedingly rare in the modern age and often visually indistinguishable from ordinary bells.

Because of their sacred nature, bells populate nearly every settlement in the world. Belfries rise above cities, monasteries, villages, and roadside chapels alike. Though most common folk understand bells to be holy objects, few truly understand why. To ordinary people, bells serve practical purposes, such as: telling the time, calling the faithful to prayer, sounding alarms, or tolling funerals.

Yet all of these acts unknowingly aid the dead.

Hourly bells help begin the gradual process of Divine Severance for those who may have died nearby without proper rites. Alarm bells rung during raids, fires, or invasions may save the souls of those killed during the disaster, whether ally or enemy alike. Funeral bells and burial tolls serve the same sacred purpose more deliberately and intensely. In this way, civilization itself constantly participates in the release of the dead through the endless ringing of bells across the world, even if the ringing of bells is for secular reasons.

Following the extinction of the angels during the infernal wars of antiquity, mankind inherited the sacred burden of Divine Severance. According to tradition, the first human entrusted with this responsibility was Saint Octavius, founder of the Bell Bringers. It is said that the Archangel Titus personally delivered his own holy handbell to Octavius shortly before the final destruction of the heavenly host.

In the years that followed, Octavius and the early Bell Bringers traveled throughout the known world gathering every angelic handbell they could recover. These relics were eventually melted down and reforged into three immense bells known as the Celestial Bells.

The Celestial Bells are regarded as the greatest man-made bells ever created. According to legend, if all three are rung together, they possess the power to release the soul of every dead person in the world simultaneously. However, two of these bells were lost centuries ago and have never been recovered. The only known surviving Celestial Bell remains housed within Notre Diurnité Cathedral in southern Beaugencie.

Yet even these mighty bells are considered mere imitations of the Divine Bell said to hang within the great belfry of Heaven itself. The Divine Bell possesses the power to release all souls from Purgatory so they may face final judgement and enter Heaven. This bell has not rung since the end of the Dragon Wars in ancient antiquity following the death of dragons and the fall of the angels.

Among many theologians, a growing fear persists that if the Divine Bell never tolls again, the souls of mankind may remain trapped within Purgatory forever.

PURGATORY

Purgatory is a real and universal plane of existence lying between the world of the living and Heaven. Unlike many theological concepts debated throughout the known world, the existence of Purgatory is considered an undeniable truth by nearly all cultures and faiths, regardless of how they interpret its purpose. Though described differently between religions, kingdoms, and traditions, Purgatory remains one of the few certainties shared across humanity: all souls pass through it after death.

Purgatory is neither fully life nor fully death, but a transitory realm where the soul is stripped of worldly burdens, sin, and suffering in preparation for final judgement beneath the Divine Bell. Most in the west believe it to be a place of painful purification and waiting, while other cultures interpret it differently. Some view it as a temporary Heaven, others as a merciful Hell, and some simply as the natural destination of the dead. Despite these differences, all agree that Purgatory exists close to the mortal world. The boundary separating the living from the dead is thin there, and under certain circumstances souls may drift partially back across that threshold. These manifestations are a form of ghost.

The angels once guided souls personally into Purgatory through Divine Severance before their extinction during the infernal wars of antiquity. In the aftermath of their destruction, there was a brief and chaotic period in which the newly dead were left without guidance, wandering blindly between worlds.

It was during this time that the god Death was appointed custodian of Purgatory. Since then, Death has served as ferryman, warden, and guide of the dead, overseeing the endless procession of souls entering the realm from the mortal world.

Above Purgatory hangs the Divine Bell of Heaven itself, said to possess the power to release every soul from Purgatory at once so they may stand before final judgement. According to sacred tradition, this bell has not rung since the end of the Dragon Wars nearly two thousand years ago.

The inhabitants of the mortal world do not know how long the dead truly wait in Purgatory. Some theologians believe judgement day may come tomorrow. Others believe centuries or millennia may pass before the Divine Bell tolls again.

Only the gods know when it will ring next, if at all.

THE THEOLOGY OF DEATH

There are 3 fundamental postmortem states:

PROPER DEATH - DIVINE SEVERANCE

The soul remains within a body after death.
The tolling of bells free the soul from the body. This is called Divine Severance.
Severance was once performed by angels, but they were all slain centuries ago, passing the responsibility to mortals.
If no outside force tampers with the soul, it can remain within the body forever, simply waiting for the toll of bells to be freed.
After Severance, the soul enters Purgatory.
In Purgatory, the soul is purged of sin and waits for the toll of the Divine Bell to enter Heaven after final judgement. “Judgement Day”
This is the ideal death.
Severance can happen passively. As long as a body is within earshot of the tolling of bells, Divine Severance will eventually happen.
It is possible for a soul to drift from purgatory to the mortal realm as a form of ghost.

This is why funerals, church bells, rites, rituals, mass, intercession, indulgences, etc matter so much.

UNRESOLVED DEATH

This is when a corpse does not hear the tolling of bells after death AND is not afflicted by the Undead Curse. (Dying deep in the wilderness, or falling overboard on a ship and drowning, for example)
Soul remains trapped in corpse forever.
Body is spiritually “unresolved.”
Eventually can still be released by proper rites.
The soul is doomed to roam the earth as a ghost, clinging to particles of dust and drifting with the wind.
If enough dust collects, the soul may manifest physically as a ghost, spirit, etc
This is the fate that awaits those who are cremated or burnt to death without proper funerary rites. (burnt at the stake for example)
If at any time proper funerary rites are performed, the soul may be granted severance and go to Purgatory. But the longer a soul is lost, the more difficult Severance is to achieve.
This is a haunting and tragic death, but not nearly as horrific as the third postmortem state.

UNDEAD AFFLICTION - FALSE SEVERANCE

The Undead Curse corrupts Divine Severance, tricking the soul with a false bell toll. This is called False Severance.
After this false toll, the soul begins to leave the body, then violently rebinds to the corpse which immediately reanimates it back to life.
Hunger, agony, mutation, and undeath begin.
The dead feels everything happening to them. They feel their bodies rotting, their flesh decaying, and every new wound that opens.
The only thing that temporarily sates the pain is consuming living flesh.
Because the soul is no longer in a state of death and ready to receive Severance, it is not possible to simply kill the undead by ringing bells. Hand-held bells may confuse or “debuff” undead, and large church bells might act as a stunning “flashbang,” but it is very rare that a bell would outright kill an undead.
This is the most horrific situation one can have after death.

MEDICAL KNOWLEDGE

Though antiquated and proven false by modern science, humorism was the practice of medicine for centuries and was only definitely disproved in the 1850s. For this reason, and because of the Zeitgeist explained at the top of this page, humorism is as real and true as the dirt beneath ones feet. In humorism it is believed that blood is produced by the liver. In this setting, it is literally produced by the liver. If a doctor in this setting tells someone to wear a red hat because it will alleviate their headache, it will literally alleviate their headache.

You can find more information about humorism and how it works in this setting here.

MAGIC

Magic exists in this setting, but is relatively rare depending on where you are. Some people may go there entire lives without seeing magic, but they typically know it exists. To the common layman working the fields, magic is a mysterious force which is mostly used for evil. To anyone educated in magic, they know that it's more complex than that.

In some regions, magic is very, very rare. In others it's relatively more common, but not to the point where it's seen or used for everyday utility. Magic is more of a thing which is used for combat, either to kill or injure enemies, or to heal and bolster friendlies.

MONSTERS

Monsters are manifestations of fear given physical form through the Zeitgeist. Wherever terror, superstition, grief, and collective dread gather strongly enough, reality itself begins to warp beneath the weight of mortal belief.

Most monsters are born from repeated fears shared by many people or groups. A forest feared for disappearances may eventually produce something that hunts among the trees. A battlefield soaked in slaughter may give rise to lurking things glimpsed only through fog and rain. Villages terrified of failed funerary rites may begin hearing bells where none are ringing, until eventually something begins answering back from the darkness.

Because monsters are born from fear rather than nature, they rarely behave like ordinary living creatures. Many possess contradictory forms and behaviors depending on who witnesses them. Some appear almost human at a distance before revealing subtle impossibilities: too many joints, movements without sound, faces that do not remain the same between glances, or proportions that seem wrong without obvious explanation. Others resemble distorted animals, malformed giants, or things impossible to properly describe at all.

Monsters are often regional and folkloric in nature. Two neighboring villages may describe entirely different horrors despite speaking of what could be the same creature. In many cases, the stories themselves worsen the problem. Fear spreads tales. Tales spread fear. And fear strengthens the monster in return.

Unlike the undead, monsters do not arise from failed Divine Severance or trapped souls. Unlike demons, they are not servants of Hell. They are something uniquely mortal: the physical consequence of humanity’s terror shaping the world around it.

For this reason, monsters cannot always be destroyed through violence alone. Some fade when abandoned roads are reclaimed or when fear within a region finally subsides. Others weaken after proper burial rites are restored to haunted lands or after long periods without sightings or rumor. Yet many endure for centuries, sustained by the simple fact that mankind will always fear the dark and the unknowns that lurk within it.

GHOSTS

Ghosts are the result of unresolved death, the remnants of souls that were never granted Divine Severance before the complete destruction or decay of the body. Unlike the undead, ghosts are not reanimated corpses, nor are they living beings returned from death. They are unresolved souls dispersed into the physical world through dust, ash, and the microscopic remains of the dead.

Typically the soul remains bound silently within the corpse after death until released through the tolling of bells. If proper Severance never occurs and the body eventually rots away, burns, or crumbles into dust, the soul loses its physical anchor and becomes scattered alongside the remains themselves. Over time, these particles may gather, drift, or manifest into visible forms known collectively as ghosts (see the section on Supernatural entities in the MONSTRUM).

Ghosts in this world are not made of ectoplasm or spirit-light, but dust itself. Many appear as shifting clouds of fine particulate matter vaguely resembling human figures, faces, or silhouettes. Some may shimmer faintly with pale blue or blue-aqua light, while violent or deeply disturbed spirits may manifest with red hues instead. Others possess no visible glow at all, making them nearly impossible to distinguish from ordinary drifting dust until they begin to move against the wind or gather into recognizable shapes.

Most ghosts are not openly violent, though many are deeply unsettling. Some merely linger near places tied to their deaths, while others repeat fragmented behaviors, appear in moments of silence, or drift through halls and ruins like moving clouds of dust. More dangerous spirits may become hostile, especially those formed from violent deaths, prolonged unrest, or mass suffering.