[img]https://i.imgur.com/xLkdpih.png[/img]
[indent][hider=Earth]The world that most people are familiar with--Earth is best described as the realm of the living. Despite the presence of magic, it has progressed almost identically to our own Earth. 

As the realm of the living, the environment of Earth can be rather hostile to departed souls. Those that linger on Earth for too long begin to suffer ego decay, which slowly robs the departed of their sense of self. Eventually, this ego decay becomes serious enough that the departed loses all concept of their identity and becomes a wisp. Though they don't necessarily start as dangerous, wisps are highly sensitive to emotional stimuli and can become a threat to departed souls as well as living ones.[/hider]
[hider=Decibitus]For a city found between death and life after death, Decibitus is surprisingly normal. If not for the fact that the boundaries of the city seem to suddenly cut into a world of white sand, one might not even suspect that they weren’t on Earth.

At about 90 square miles, Decibitus isn’t as large as a metropolis, but when a place doesn’t expect to see permanent residents, it doesn’t need as much space as one might expect. With apartments scattered in bunches throughout the city and ever-changing stores and restaurants lining the streets, one could call staying in the city peaceful, if sometimes a little dull. The architecture could use a little more uniformity, but the mishmash of buildings and styles is bound to happen when decisions change hands frequently due to the nature of Decibitus as a whole. 

Still, it’s hard to say anyone is really unhappy. Departed souls that have found themselves in Decibitus are provided for, even if it’s only a superficial comfort for souls that no longer need to follow basic living sense. On arrival, apartments are provided to departed souls that go through the correct channels, complete with furnishing and plenty of necessities provided to get them situated. Combining that with the fact that departed souls effectively cease aging--in many cases, departed souls even take younger forms than the age they were at death--and won’t necessarily perish without basics like food and water can make one’s stay in the city much easier than expected.

[color=#796fad][u][b]𝙴𝙲𝙾𝙽𝙾𝙼𝚈[/b][/u][/color]
[hider=Solbits]"Well, you can't take it with you."

Those are words that most people don't take to heart until they wake up in Decibitus with no money in their pockets and too much of a melting pot for it to have mattered to begin with. In order to best emulate a living city, Decibitus has an economy using currency known as Solbits. Though many shops not officially run by the city might make use of a bartering system, Solbits are effectively universally accepted through the city as an exchange system due to their use in official channels. 

Solbits are pearlescent coins approximately the size of an American half dollar engraved with an ornate halo on both sides. Each coin is worth a single unit with an average, complete meal from an eatery costing approximately 8-12 in the modern day. The secret to how they're made and what they're made of appears to be closely guarded. 

Most departed souls don't make it a point to carry an enormous amount of coins on person, with the equivalent of debit cards being the preferred method of payment for many.[/hider]
Of course, one would be remiss to talk about Decibitus without making note of its most intriguing locations.

[color=#796fad][u][b]𝚃𝙷𝙴 𝙳𝙴𝙿𝙰𝚁𝚃𝚄𝚁𝙴 𝚁𝙰𝙸𝙻[/b][/u][/color]
[hider=Departure Rail]If one were to ask what the most important location in Decibitus was, the general answer would be the Departure Rail. Located in the center of the city, the Departure Rail is a train with only a single destination: the After. Every day, three times a day at midnight, 8AM, and 4PM, the Departure Rail makes a trip to the After, bringing with it departed souls that have taken care of whatever it was they left behind in death to their afterlife. The station is large and modernized, leaving plenty of space for people to have a meal, wait, or kill some time before the train is prepared to make its next departure. The train itself, however, still has the appearance of a steam locomotive. 

Despite the fluctuating number of people per trip to the After, the train never seems to be short on space, with the common belief being that whatever it is that allows the Departure Rail to enter and exit the After always ensures that there are enough carts for those making their final trip.[/hider]
[color=#796fad][b][u]𝙻𝙸𝙶𝙴𝙽𝙰 𝙵𝙰𝚃𝙸, 𝙰𝙺𝙰 "𝚃𝙷𝙴 𝙳𝙴𝙿𝚃𝙷𝚂"[/u][/b][/color]
[hider=Ligena Fati]The Ligena Fati, otherwise known as the Depths, is effectively an underground prison. On occasion, there are individuals that are deemed irredeemably dangerous unable to enter the After. These are primarily people who have violated the natural cycle of life and death in extremely egregious ways, though it’s anyone’s guess as to who makes the call in the end. In the modern day, the Ligena Fati is sparsely populated thanks to the presence of reapers that are able to unmake souls rather than keeping them trapped for eternity in a cell. As one might expect of a semi-abandoned prison, the Ligena Fati isn’t exactly hospitable, especially in comparison to the rest of the city.

It is known that there is a maximum security cell located deep within the prison housing the Necromancer. However, security for this cell is extremely tight with only a select few having permission to visit it and fewer still with any desire to do so.[/hider]
[color=#796fad][b][u]𝙻𝚄𝙲𝙴𝙼𝙰 𝚁𝙴𝙶𝙸𝙽𝙸, 𝙰𝙺𝙰 "𝚁𝙴𝙰𝙿𝙴𝚁𝚂 𝚁 𝚄𝚂"[/u][/b][/color]
[hider=Lucema Regini]The headquarters for all things related to reapers. Lucema Regini is a small office building with four floors. For all intents and purposes, floors two through four are typical office spaces where paperwork is processed. Thanks to the efforts of a number of people over the years, the building is actually pretty comfortable as a whole.  

The first floor lacks office spaces, but has training rooms for reapers to get exercise or weapon practice in–notably, Miss Death strictly forbids activating one’s weapon core in the building outside of the training rooms. A full cafeteria is also located on the first floor, though most workers could tell you that the only thing worth getting from it are the sweets. 

Miss Death’s personal office is located on the fourth floor of the building. It’s an open secret that a small door behind her desk leads into a small living space and that the woman lives in the building as opposed to an actual apartment.

Notably, Miss Death applies an incredibly complex spell she refers to as "Speaker's Babel" to the building and rewrites it every week. The spell in question allows for a sort of universal translation--so long as the caster can understand the language, the words will be parsed into one that a listener can comprehend.[/hider]
[color=#796fad][u][b]𝙼𝙰𝙻𝚄𝙲𝙷 𝙿𝚁𝙰𝙴𝚃𝙸, 𝙰𝙺𝙰 "𝙼𝚄𝙻𝙲𝙷"[/b][/u][/color]
[hider=Maluch Praeti]Once, Decibitus earmarked a section of undeveloped land to create more permanent residences than the standard apartments. This endeavor ultimately ended up as an abandoned project in the middle of construction due to constantly changing leadership and a general lack of necessity. As a result, Maluch Praeti wound up being the place to go in order to find things that might not be so kindly looked upon by the public. 

This is where Uchi’s workshop is set up, and it appears his presence does keep a lid on any unsavory activity in the area. Due to the recent and sudden failure of the Departure Line, talks have started about trying to restart the project in the event of a worst-case scenario.[/hider]
[color=#796fad][u][b]𝙳𝙴𝙲𝙸𝙱𝙸𝚃𝚄𝚂 𝙷𝙰𝙻𝙻[/b][/u][/color]
[hider=Decibitus Hall]Effectively the equivalent of city hall in Decibitus. The general populace primarily comes here to get clearance for a return trip to Earth or to let someone know that they intend to take the Departure Rail to the After. Decibitus Hall also works closely with Lucema Regini for job types involving the return of departed souls to Decibitus from Earth. This is also where departed souls are first directed so they can be given an apartment and set up for their time within Decibitus.[/hider]
[color=#796fad][u][b]𝙼𝙴𝙼𝙾𝚁𝙸𝙰𝙻 𝙿𝙰𝚁𝙺[/b][/u][/color]
[hider=Memorial Park]A large park about three blocks from Decibitus Hall. It’s a popular place for gatherings due to the ambience and general upkeep, but the reason many people remember it is because of Silver Waters. 

Silver Waters is a small pond in Memorial Park with, as the name suggests, ethereal, silver-like water. The pond is currently closed off to the public and has a fence set up around its perimeter because people kept taking a dip in the lake or sipping the waters. The acts were less of the issue so much as the fact that incidents kept occurring to those that did so. Painful ones that left people wanting to be unmade.[/hider]
[color=#796fad][u][b]𝙰𝚁𝙲𝙷 𝙾𝙵 𝚆𝙰𝙽𝙳𝙴𝚁𝙴𝚁𝚂[/b][/u][/color]
[hider=Arch of Wanderers]The Arch of Wanderers is located at the southern end of Decibitus and acts as the point of entry and exit for departed souls making trips to Earth. Recantia, a spring filled with iridescent smoke, is also located on the grounds of the Arch of Wanderers and is the location where departed souls from Decibitus return if they happen to be killed while on Earth.[/hider][/hider]
[hider=The After]Not much is known about the After, even by those in Decibitus. What is known, however, is that the After, unlike Decibitus and Earth, has a sort of one-way boundary. Under typical circumstances, a departed soul can enter the After, but it cannot leave after crossing the barrier between it and the other realms. However, it appears that reapers, at least, are able to breach the barrier where it is weakest–at a place on the outskirts known only as the Kiln. Even here, reapers aren’t able to stay put for long, lest they be trapped in the After before they are ready to move on.

[color=#796fad][u][b]𝚃𝙷𝙴 𝙺𝙸𝙻𝙽[/b][/u][/color]
[hider=The Kiln]A sort of processing center located in the After for the remains of unmade souls. According to information gathered by prior reapers, the Kiln is the start and end point in the cycle of one’s life and death. Unmade remains that are brought here can be effectively reconstructed into a new existence, allowing the soul to return to Earth as a new life. Unlike the modern appeal of Decibitus, the Kiln appears to have a more archaic type of architecture, looking more like an old cathedral than any sort of processing center.[/hider][/hider][/indent]
[img]https://i.imgur.com/yYtKnyr.png[/img]
[indent][hider=Magic]In the present day, magic is common knowledge and widely practiced through Earth, which means it is equally practiced in the realms following Earth. Most countries on Earth will include magic within the general curriculum of their education to teach the foundations of the craft, at the least. However, despite magic thriving now, it was only within the last 400 years that the public really started to incorporate it into everyday life despite records of magic's existence dating back to the ninth century. In the past few centuries, it has become more formulaic across users, but has also been understood to a more significant degree. Most mages that undergo formal training are of a more academic type in the modern day due to the amount of effort and study required to truly practice magic.

All magic in the world has its basis in Vertan, a language otherwise known as the world script. By imbuing spoken or written words and phrases of Vertan with magic, spells can be crafted and cast. Though Vertan provides the vessel for the magic spell, it’s important to note that an individual’s own pool of magic ties into their ability as a mage. Much like athletes can increase their strength and stamina through training, mages can increase the amount of magic available to them through training as well.

There are two systems of magic known to exist: spoken magic and written magic. Most casual use of magic is performed through speaking, but formally trained mages have experience in both. 

[hider=Spoken Magic]The first type of magic that an individual will typically learn is spoken magic. As the name suggests, spells of this system are cast by incanting Vertan words and phrases out loud. Of the two systems, spoken magic is considered to be easier to grasp and understand, particularly because requirements appear to be far less stringent in creating a desired effect. Most magic used by the average person is spoken because of its speed and convenience. 

However, in formal practice, spoken magic is often set aside in favor of written magic. This is because while spoken magic is easier to cast, it is exponentially less precise and acts as a poor vehicle for complex spells or anything persistent. Furthermore, spoken magic tends to be less predictable and consistent than its written counterpart, and the same spell one has cast dozens of times might sometimes have an unexpected effect due to the instability.
[/hider]

[hider=Written Magic]In most settings where magic is formally practiced, one will find that written magic reigns supreme. Where spoken magic is faster and more convenient, written magic is valued for precision and complexity. As one should expect, written magic is cast by inscribing Vertan words and infusing them with magic. Compared to spoken magic, written magic is much stricter in terms of formulation of a spell. However, that comes with substantial payoffs in precision, consistency, and the potential for complex or persistent magic. With enough foresight, one can even prepare spells ahead of time to circumvent the time required for a spell. 

Time and knowledge, however, are still often the great limiter when written magic comes into play. Even setting aside the amount of time put into learning the precise construction of a spell, each word has to be inscribed and imbued with magic–a process that takes more energy and time than one should expect from spoken magic.[/hider]
Regardless of the type of magic, only the individual who creates a spell is able to cast it. This means that if a spell is inscribed or spoken by one caster, another magic user would not be able to hijack the spell. In a similar vein, if a spell is written or has multiple users involved in its incantation, all involved parties would have to be present and participating in its activation for it to take effect. All magic can also only work once before having to be rewritten or incanted again.[/hider][/indent]
[img]https://i.imgur.com/C102r0y.png[/img]
[indent][hider=Reapers]The colloquial name given to Miss Death’s field agents, though even Miss Death has taken to referring to them by the grim title. All reapers are under the employ of MIss Death at Lucema Regini and, according to the woman herself, all possess a certain shared quality that makes them eligible to be reapers. What exactly that quality is, she’s never articulated, but that certainly hasn’t stopped rumors from flying. 

While much of how a reaper functions is a mystery to the greater public, a reaper’s common abilities are well known through Decibitus. 

First, reapers are all abnormally strong while they are on Earth. Their physical parameters all seem to be enhanced beyond what they would normally be capable of, meaning they are stronger, faster, and more durable so long as they are in the realm of the living. Moreover, reapers are uniquely resistant to the ego decay that would spell certain doom to other departed souls, making them the best fit for many of their jobs. 

Interestingly enough, it appears that unlike a typical departed soul, reapers are able to make themselves visible to living humans and can, within a small radius of themselves, temporarily make other departed souls visible as well. 

Finally, all reapers are allegedly capable of floating or limited flight. While they aren’t able to take to the skies as freely or quickly as a bird, clearing buildings a few stories high at speeds faster than they might be able to walk is entirely possible. Miss Death has asserted that all reapers should be able to perform the feat in theory, but in practice, many reapers struggle tremendously with the concept and have difficulty performing the task (assuming they are able to at all).[/hider]
[hider=Weapon Cores]Upon completion of training, all reapers are given a weapon core from Miss Death. They take the form of small, gem-like structures filled with a black, smoky substance. Under most cases, MIss Death will offer to have them inlaid into accessories to make keeping them on-hand easier. Evidently, she seems to be capable of creating them in simple shapes as well. 

Once obtained, a core can be taken to Uchi, who will forge it into a reaper’s personal weapon–one might consider it their “scythe” of sorts. When inactive, the cores remain in their gem-like form, but when activated, the black substance escapes its container to take the form of the reaper’s weapon. Uchi is able to forge these weapons according to specifications, including granting them specific functions that a normal weapon would be incapable of reproducing. For example, a sword that can illuminate itself or a wand that can create short-lived flowers for use. However, these effects aren’t at the level of magic, meaning a feat such as controlling the weather or manipulating the earth itself would be far beyond Uchi’s ability. 

Notably, though Uchi is able to make ranged weaponry, ammunition created from the weapon itself will vanish if it is taken too far from the core, as it is a part of the weapon itself.

The reason why these weapons are so important, of course, are because they have the power to unmake virtually any soul. Though this is typically reserved for wisps and criminals imprisoned in Ligena Fati, a reaper would be able to unmake souls attached to a still-living person or a soul in the After with the weapon. Oddly enough, it appears that the weapons are incapable of unmaking Miss Death herself–likely because she is their source. 
[/hider][/indent]
[img]https://i.imgur.com/12lqJRx.png[/img]
[indent][hider=Glossary][color=#796fad][b][u]𝙳𝙴𝙿𝙰𝚁𝚃𝙴𝙳 𝚂𝙾𝚄𝙻[/u][/b][/color]
The general term used for those that have passed on and are no longer part of the living realm.

[color=#796fad][u][b]𝚆𝙸𝚂𝙿[/b][/u][/color]
When a soul remains on Earth after passing, whether of their own volition or through force, they begin to undergo ego decay. Eventually, this causes a soul to forget their identity and they become a wisp. Unlike typical departed souls, a wisp is able to harm (or even kill) living people on Earth directly by grievously harming or unmaking souls. They are even able to unmake the souls of reapers if they succeed in leaving severe enough injuries. 

Due to their sensitivity to external stinumli, wisps can often take forms that are no longer human in shape. Often, these forms are influenced by the stimuli or by vestiges of the wisps’s former identity.

When a living being’s soul is damaged or unmade by a wisp, the individual falls unconscious and inevitably dies three days later.

[color=#796fad][u][b]𝚄𝙽𝙼𝙰𝙺𝙸𝙽𝙶[/b][/u][/color]
In its most basic sense, the unmaking of a soul is the destruction of an existence. Under most conditions, departed souls that perish from one method or another aren’t truly “dead” in the sense that they can recover from mortal injuries simply by returning to Decibitus. Being unmade, however, strips the soul of whatever identity it had before, thus preventing it from reforming to its prior state. To that end, one can consider the unmaking of a soul to be the removal of an existence from that point forward in time. 

There are only two known ways to unmake a soul. The first is through a reaper’s weapon. Nobody has really made an effort to dissect the reason why this seems to be the case, but the method is both stable and complete. The second method is through severe damage to one’s soul through a wisp.Though there’s been no testing of this method (for obvious reasons), it’s believed that wisps may be able to inflict and amplify ego decay when they damage a soul. In severe cases, this can cause a soul to be unmade in an incomplete manner.

When a wisp successfully unmakes a soul, the damage caused to the soul makes it incompatible for a proper reconstruction, even when processed at the Kiln. As opposed to fully stripping the soul of its identity, it’s more accurate to say that the identity is eroded beyond the point of recognition. When reconstruction is attempted on souls unmade in this fashion, it results in a Hollow LIfe.

[color=#796fad][u][b]𝚁𝙴𝚂𝙸𝙳𝚄𝙴[/b][/u][/color]
When a soul is unmade, it leaves behind a shimmering residue that can be gathered up and brought to the Kiln for processing. Residue is naturally drawn to itself, allowing it to be gathered and contained easily enough. In most cases, there’s no issue if residue is mixed from multiple souls, as an unmade soul should have no identity. Residue left behind by souls unmade by wisps, however, will contaminate other residue if contact is made.

[color=#796fad][u][b]𝙷𝙾𝙻𝙻𝙾𝚆 𝙻𝙸𝙵𝙴[/b][/u][/color]
The result when the residue left behind by a soul unmade through a wisps’s work is reconstructed at the Kiln. Though it appears normal and can be sent to Earth, the damage caused by the wisp isn’t repaired. The existence that comes from the reconstruction is a tragic occurrence; an individual with no emotion, no ambition, and no true sense of identity. People born in this state typically live extremely short lives. Because of this, when a Hollow Life is found or when a Hollow Life will occur, reapers are typically called to unmake the soul properly immediately after its reconstruction to repair the damage.

[color=#796fad][u][b]𝚁𝙴𝙲𝙾𝙽𝚂𝚃𝚁𝚄𝙲𝚃𝙸𝙾𝙽[/b][/u][/color]
The start and end point for a soul in the cycle, according to those that work the Kiln. When a soul is unmade, the residue can (and should) be brought to the Kiln, where it can then be processed and reconstructed into an entirely new soul and existence. Beyond placing residue into the Kiln, it appears that the process takes place without human interference. On the one hand, this prevents external errors, but on the other hand, it leaves the entire process as an unsolved mystery.[/hider][/indent]