Afterlife

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When one dies, their soul splits in two: The Core and The Vestige. The Core is sent to another realm, known as The Canvas. Here, they are tasked with searching for The Tower, which is the capital located in the Land of the Gods. There, one is judged by a committee of all The Gods based on how good they were in every facet of living, as well as how much they’ve sinned. This process takes a long time, with queues lasting years on busy days. After one is judged favorably, they may be sent up the higher floors of The Tower. Up there, one is to enjoy many privileges. Otherwise, they will be confined to the Dungeons of Skarvol, a neglected part of the structure. Sentences down here can be extremely long but finite. Punishments range from humiliations to downright torture, with the lowest level being reserved for those that have interrupted haunting rituals. Those that have lived lives considered exceptionally unremarkable are asked to leave The Tower and encouraged to explore The Desolation, a name for unmarked outer domains of The Canvas.

Funeral Rites

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Hauntings

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1. The goals of Gods aren’t fully conceivable to mortals.
2. The wellbeing of the Gods can influence the world.
3. The Gods are visible.

The following is a selection of Gods the Qoths have claimed to have discovered. This is only a small fraction of the total:

Name: Dawntyr

Discovered: 10000 BSF

Haunting: First Beacon, Mandasko City, with eight more fragments scattered throughout Hovehko.

Appearance: An impossibly radiant flame that manifests a silhouette of the beholder’s species.

Ritual: Individuals that are chosen by Dawntyr are to be subjected to his essence and become one with it, and those individuals are to be his caretakers, known in Shintaricism as Lightkeepers. As this ritual has already been undertaken from the beginning by Mandaskan Lightkeepers, Dawntyr is well nurtured. The Qoths work to ensure the Mandaskans are able to continue to maintain this ten-millennia long ritual, by protecting them and positioning Qoth to control the Beacons should Mandasko be unable to do so themselves. Despite the Qothic Empire not fully understanding it’s long-standing heritage that is rooted in Mandaskan culture, they cited that these fragments were a major reason for the Qothic Invasion of Siltria as Cohv, a city holding a fragment of Dawntyr, was almost destroyed in a Nanzuul siege. The Qoth now see themselves as the caretakers of the 9th Beacon and allow the Shintaric Covenant of Mandasko to continue the ritual.

Name: Lurkmote

Discovered: 2200 BSF

Haunting: The Abyssal Cauldron

Appearance: Massive, almost black, with an uncountable set of fins. Lurkmote has also been described as a colossal, black, warship with thousands upon thousands of writhing oars.

Ritual: The Cauldron is his home, and he does not like visitors. Sailors who don’t respect his boundaries are destined to be swallowed whole and fade into the ocean. The Abyssal Cauldron is to be avoided.

Name: Clyghythyx

Discovered: 500 ASF

Haunting: Black, rectangular mirror of unknown age. The mirror is entombed in a doorless room lit by natural light in the Imperial Palace of Oxcot. It can only be observed through a periscopic arrangement of mirrors as direct observation when Clyghythyx is present. It is said that this setup prevents immediate death should Clyghythyx be observed directly. Legend says that Emperor Doliathyn was assassinated in such a manner when one of his chamber mirrors were swapped out with Clyghythyx’s.

Appearance: Too large for entire body to be perceived. White fur or skin, with light blue eyes.

Ritual: Besides the precautions taken to prevent death, it is assumed that the mirror shan’t break.

Name: Mewgloss

Discovered: 925 ASF

Haunting: Damaged Painting, bottom half of the canvas is torn off, with a narrow triangular tear terminating at the top right.

Appearance: It is a bust portrait, supposedly of Mewgloss. But given the poor condition, only the top half of her face is left, making her species indeterminate. Atop her head are two stalks that terminate out the top of the composition. She has wet, wide-open eyes, long eyelashes, and black pupils. Her expression appears either distressed, or excited. Her presentation is very messy and disheveled, with smeared foundation and mascara applied hastily. The background is an impossibly bright, clashing pigment of yellow, making the subject appear darker.

Ritual: Once a week, an artist is tasked with painting in their interpretation of the bottom half of the portrait, by grafting a temporary section of canvas to the piece. It is believed to “cheer up” Mewgloss. If this ritual is missed, or in some cases, Mewgloss dislikes the graft, or a pre-painted graft is applied, the portrait will start to flake and degrade. No one dares to face the consequences if the painting is fully destroyed.

Name: Mornhux

Discovered: 1200 ASF

Haunting: Deep in an iron mine in Hosselbrux. Given that there are over 1,000 mines in Hosselbrux, with many of them run-dry and closed down, its location difficult to find and only known to a few Qothic officials.

Appearance: Mornhux is almost black in appearance, with needle-like “hair”, pale white eyes, black pupils. Reddish hue is subtle around the perceived, “muzzle.”

Ritual: Those are trusted to nurture Mornhux are tasked with a two-hour journey through the mine to provide or maintain a source of light for it. Failure to keep a light burning for Mornhux will result in any miners anywhere in Hosselbrux to start disappearing whilst at work. When there are days where such a task could not be fulfilled, mining operations are halted, which can stifle the economy greatly.

Name: Skollux

Discovered: 1524 ASF

Haunting: An urn somewhere in Gortogen.

Appearance: The true appearance is only known to the Gortogens who congregate to the urn to celebrate. Skollux’s location changes every year, which makes requisition difficult.

Ritual: While the Gortogens worship Skollux as their God, the Qoths claimed to suffer from his absence. Seeing him as a child who has been kidnapped, the Qothic Empire invaded Gortogen to claim what is rightfully theirs. They believe the longer they are without Skollux, the more the plagues will continue to ravage the Qothic Empire.