Ancestral Atheneum

Documenting the Dead

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

Priests of Molak, 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 venture into the afterlife on the designated days, interviewing the souls that they find there, documenting their names and their deaths.

Their records are brought back to the Temples of Molak in the Embassy Cities surrounding the Pit and stored in great libraries known as Ancestral Atheneums. Thse archives are magically linked through the Hedron Network, ensuring that all Atheneums share the same complete record of the world's known dead.

Pilgrims from across the planes come to the Kirinal Concordance Zone to search for lost loved ones. They hope to find records of a soul in Heaven, but finding a soul in Shoadow brings acceptance. The deepest dread is reserved for those whose names appear in neither. Perhaps they were claimed by Hell, or they are truly gone.

The damned are recorded as well, though the Hells' rare appearances make that catalog more sparse.

Shadowy Temptations

By the Treaty of Passage between the Concordance and the Lords of Shadow, no mortal is forbidden from entering the Shadow of their own free will. In return, the greatest horrors of the Shadow are forbidden from passing into the mortal world. The wards bound into the Pit Wall keeps out most of the mindless dead, but something always slips through.

Some mortals go into the darkness to bargain for knowledge. The well-prepared can survive the journey if they're careful. They visit the Umbral Market which is full of trinket-sellers and fortunetellers. Those who know how to look can find what they truly want, for a price.

Others seek a loved one who may have succumbed to despair. Their souls fallen into 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 swearing to return with their beloved. None of them have ever returned.

Heavenly Rewards

On the seventh day, Heaven manifests in the Pit.

Heaven is the seventh day of the week and one of the upper planes literally manifest in the Pit. At dawn, the gates are thrown wide, and throngs of pilgrims surge through. The Gate Wardens vie for duty on the seventh day, for the Heavens don't require the same vigilance as the other days of the week.

For the faithful, the Pilgrimage to Heaven is a once-in-a-lifetime goal. Many save for decades to make the journey, spending their life's fortune on transport, lodgings, and offerings.

The influx of pilgrims fuels a thriving economy thorughout the Kirinal Concordance Zone. Inns, taverns, souvenir stalls, transport services, and security companies all compete for Bilog. Opportunists, both honest and criminal, flock to Heaven just as much as the faithful do.