The Living and the Dead

middle day of the months, seasons, and year are holy days for the church, since they are times when temporal journeys are half completed. The faithful give a prayer and a moment of reflection on the path traveled and that yet to come. Any significant journey to another place requires a similar prayer at the halfway point. Her clerics sometimes multiclass as rogues and rangers, although she cannot grant ranger spells. Her colors are brown and gray.

History/Relationships: Wyst’s age is unknown. She may be a halfling deity who gained popularity among other races very early in the world’s history. She is too busy performing her duties and looking out for what’s over the horizon to answer questions about her origins. She dislikes oppressive and strict deities such as Chaniud and Phaant, but likes Uhanam because of the need to plan ahead for extended travels. She shares the company of Soggelos when she is in the mood for a water journey and has been known to confide in Tephaneron about long-range movements of troops.

Dogma: Life is a grand journey and an opportunity to see all the fantastic things in the world. A person should be free to wander, following the roads others have created or creating her own. Thank old paths for their security, and start new paths for the challenge. Seek out the world, for it is too busy moving to seek out you. Lean on Wyst’s spear when you are weary, and wield it when you are threatened. Know that her watchful eye will find your path when you are unable to see it for yourself.

In Manifest, the magical, spiritual, and fundamental laws that dictate that a soul must leave its body when slain, travel to the Veil of Souls far beneath the earth, and enter the land of the dead, are changed— or at least suspended. Hence, ghosts not only walk the streets of Manifest, but interact with others and objects as if normal, solid creatures. But normal they certainly are not. Some leave thin, slick trails of ectoplasm in their wake, some appear gruesome (as they did at the moment of their death), and some cause small objects to fly about, uncontrolled, in their presence.

Caravans arrive in Manifest every day. It’s a common sight to find wagons laden with well-preserved bodies unloaded in the Tombyards. These corpses are destined to be shipped to the Veil of Souls beneath the city, where they will go to the land of the dead to join the souls that once inhabited them. Most people believe that ushering in the physical body to join with the soul of the departed aids the deceased in the afterlife. Because of this belief, people are willing to travel for hundreds of miles, if not farther, to help those whom they loved or valued move on with success in the next realm. In fact, several organizations exist for the purpose of helping the living find their dead.

But that’s not the only reason people travel to Manifest in droves. Ghosts go to the Veil of Souls when their bodies are slain, but often pause in Manifest for a time (some stay for years, in fact). The living travel to the city to see their departed loved ones, to talk with them, or settle affairs—to say goodbye. Since it’s common knowledge that a soul may linger in Manifest, people make pacts and agreements with each other. “And if I die, I’ll see you in Manifest before I go,” is a commonly used phrase. An old miser might tell no one the magical password to get past the wards surrounding his vaults, but he might agree to meet someone in Manifest and reveal the secrets then.

One such incident occurred about seventeen years ago. A wealthy woman hid away a key that would open an otherwise impenetrable treasure hoard. On her deathbed, she told her family and friends that the first one to find her in Manifest would learn the secret hiding place of the key. The cross-country race that ensued after her death is a thing of great stories, even today.

Sometimes, however, people just go to Manifest for their own reasons—because it’s an interesting and mystical place close to the land of the dead, because it’s easier to raise the dead there, or just because it’s a place to live and earn a living. Some come to gawk. A few religions encourage their followers to travel to Manifest and revere the dead (others come here to ceremonially destroy the last remains). There are even religions that forbid any of their faithful to come near this “accursed place so near to the borders of hell.”

Ghosts in Manifest, either waiting for loved ones before departing, or taking up residence in the city for a time, learn to adapt to their new existence fairly well. Requiring no physical comforts, ghosts often rent closetlike spaces (usually called “spirit lockers”) and wait. Some take the opportunity to enjoy the fruits of life one last time, or even to accomplish some deed or reach some goal that they left unfulfilled in life. Others fully adapt to the new “lifestyle” and learn to use their ghostly powers to their advantage. These individuals might continue in their vocation from life, or they may take up a new career. Many become thieves, adventurers, or other professions that benefit from having strange powers and supernatural skills.

Eventually, though, every dead soul feels the pull of the Veil. This is a feeling deep down that it is time to move on to the realm of the dead. As this feeling grows, the ghost becomes more restless, and finally succumbs—they always succumb. Still, some stay in Manifest for years (or decades) before the call becomes irresistible. All ghosts are temporary residents, but many nonetheless seem fairly permanent.

Of course, the living in Manifest adapt to the city as well. They get used to dealing with ghosts and soon don’t think much of it (there are exceptions, of course; see below). Some learn ghost lore to identify the various occurrences of ectoplasm or poltergeist activity.