Ancestral Atheneum

Documenting the Dead

On the world of Erathia the mortal folk have the unusual possibility of physically visiting the afterlife two times a week. At the Kirinal Pit, on the third and seventh days of the week, two versions of the afterlife Manifest, the Shadowfell and one of the many Heavens. Entering the afterlife is as easy as walking through a gate.

Priests of Molak, the god of death, have taken it upon themselves to catalog the dead of their world who can be found in the shadows and the heavens. They visit the afterlife on the designated days and interview the dead souls that they find there, documenting their names and their deaths.

They take that information back to the Temples of Molak in each of the Embassy Cities around the Pit. The information is saved in the Ancestral Atheneums at each temple, and the information is shared with all of the other Antheneums.

Pilgrims curious about their dead loved ones come to the Kirinal Concordance Zone and visit an Atheneum. Hoping to find their dead associate in one of the Heavens, accepting it if they are in the Shadow, dreading that they cannot be found in either. The denizens of Hell are catalogued as well, but since the hells appear less often, the record is much less complete.

Shadowy Temptations

On the third day of the week, the Shadowfell manifests in the Pit, bringing dark spirits and the unquiet dead along with it. The wards bound into the Pit-Wall keep out the worst of the mindless the minor spirits, but something always creeps through.

The Treaty of Passage between the Concordance and the Lords of Shadow prevents the worst[/s the greater spirits from entering the world, but in exchange, no mortal can be prevented from entering the Shadow of their own fre will.

Some mortals go into the darkness to trade with its denizens for knowledge. The well prepared can make the journey if they're careful. The Umbral Market is full of trinket sellers and fortunetellers. They do a brisk business with mortal in need of wizards and thrillseekers.

Others seek a loved one who may have taken their own lives. The souls of those who succumb to despair are known to be taken into fall into the Shadow. Legends say that a soul filled with pure love can reclaim a soul from the darkness and send it to the Heavens. Every few months, the Gate Wardens report a hopeful lover entering the Pit on Shadow to reclaim their love. None of them have ever returned.

Heavenly Rewards

Heaven is the seventh day of the week and one of the upper planes literally manifest in the Pit. Throngs of pilgrims wait for dawn. The Gates are thrown wide open, the crowds surge into the afterlife. The Wardens get to relax.

The faithful and the devout from around the world all have the goal of making the Pilgrimage to Heaven at least once in their lives. Many people save up for their entire lives to spend their life savings to make the pilgrimage.

Many businesses focused on The economic engine of the pilgrimage drives hundreds of businesses throughout the Concordance Zone. Everything from lodging, taverns, souvenir sales, transportation, thieves, and security to protect pilgrims from thieves.