Cake

Cake: It's multilayered.

This is a temporary page for a campaign setting that I'm working on. It's inspired a fair bit by what I've been learning in my history course, in particular by the Cathars and by Pico Della Mirandola's Oration On the Dignity Of Man. The tag line for the setting would probably be "I died and came back for you".

The key concept for this setting is that after death you are reborn into a new realm based on how you lived your previous life. It is possible for some to communicate and pass through the barriers between worlds, or to regain their memories of previous lives.

General Stuff

The world is "Multilayered". Each layer has a different "theme" to it. Many consider it to be a series of vertical layers, with enlightenment at the top and bestial filth at the bottom. This view is partially correct, in that one can travel the path to enlightenment, or fall into the beast, however there is no true top or bottom, nor is there any true direction. It is more like an interconnecting series of roads, with many forks, traveling through different territories. You can continue to walk along the same path, walk back to whence you came, or take a fork in a new direction. Of course there is a price for crossing the boarder from one territory to another, and that price is death.

Like all borders, these are susceptible to unsanctioned passage. Those who are capable of doing so are the Walkers Beyond Death. There are also some "Priests" who are able to commune with Those who Forsook the Trappings of the Corporeal. Also there are Dreamers of the Forgotten Time, those who have access to memories of their previous lives.

Each realm has certain "Features" (Think Traits or Beliefs from Burning Wheel, or Aspects from Spirit of the Century) which define the nature of those who live there. The majority of the inhabitants of these realms live by these feature, and make them a part of their lives. In a world of chaos and anarchy, the majority people are chaotic anarchists. It is only the PCs and Major NPCs who are exceptions to the rule. While their traits govern which realm they are in, they are able to change their ways and oppose the nature of the realm.

Shuffle Off the Mortal Coil

Souls are immortal. They cannot be destroyed, though they can be weakened and manipulated.

When one's corpreal body is destroyed, the soul mus journey to a new realm, a process which takes some time (usually 9 months). During this time of isolated travel the soul must reflect upon its previous life. Those memories and reflections are distilled into a few defining traits which determine where the soul is reborn. Often this will be a similar realm to which the soul left, if not the same one, though there are a rare few who travel to extremely different realm.

Upon rebirth nothing more than these defining traits are retained, and the soul begins to grow into their new world. However their old lives are not totally lost. Anywhere that they previously excelled these souls will find it easier to relearn their skills. In addition in times of crisis, where everything is on the line, the soul is able to draw upon previous related experiences in order to succeed.

Dreamers of the Forgotten Time

It is through the Dream that one is most able to access previous experiences. For the most part the soul simply relives the defining moments of previous lives, often times with many different events being melded together. However some have learnt how to manipulate their dreams, to bring desired memories to the surface. In this manner they are able to access vast reservoirs of knowledge, and to quickly master skills that the were previously experts at. This includes the skill of Dreaming, allowing these souls to spend many lifetimes mastering their skills.

Most PCs and Major NPCs will be Dreamers.

Those who Forsook the Trappings of the Corporeal

Not all souls are bound to the cycle of death and rebirth. Some have abandoned their bodies and have entered a realm of pure spirit. Doing so requires much sacrifice and dedication. The reward for this is an eternity to contemplate the nature of the divine.

These souls spend many lifetimes mastering philosophy and the liberal arts. They acquire great knowledge and insight about the nature of the universe.

TO BE CONTINUED!