Heaven, Hell, and the In-Between

Though each major deity has their own plane that, under certain circumstances mortals can pass on to upon the expiration of their days in Arcazin, there are three planes that the majority of mortal souls transition to.

**Anodos**

Those with pure souls are allowed entry to the realm of Anodos, the eternal paradise of Io's design.  It is here that the God of Purity watches over Anodos and its denizens and is rumored to be the only sure way to meet Io, as it is common knowledge that Io rarely visits the mortal plane.  It is said that the walls and gates of Anodos rise higher than any mortal made structure ever created and are of brilliant reflective white color and gilded gold accents. It is believed that gazing upon these walls fills one with inner warmth and comfort.

Beyond the gates what is seen is dependent upon the eyes of the soul gazing into Anodos. A devout paladin who has finally fought her last battle may see a brightly lit cottage in a quiet meadow, the one she always wanted to retire in, with trees bearing golden leaves and songbirds with majestic calls.  A man who lost his wife and two daughters to disease will find himself reunited with their souls back on the farm they worked so hard to keep.  A cleric who spent his whole life tirelessly aiding the sick and decrepit will get to sleep soundly and undisturbed for as long as he deems fit.  Unlike Cinerary, the souls in Anodos are able to interact with each other at whim and have no difficulty holding on to the memories of their past lives (if they so choose).  Io holds regular festivals and celebrations for the socially inclined and offers varying enclosures of solitude for those that prefer their own company.

Angels reside in Anodos as caretakers and protectors of the pure souls, and can be engaged in wistful conversation. Denizens of evil have and will continue to try to take Anodos for themselves but none have succeeded.  The only entity that had come close was Ur.  The God of Naught was able to breach the walls and annihilate pure souls as its ambition was not to take Anodos for its own, but destroy it, as Ur wanted revenge for the time Io tricked and imprisoned it into the depths of the Malimal ocean.  Io, with the aid of Vaath, was able to repel Ur out of Anodos and imprison it back into the depths of the Malimal.

**Cinerary**

Upon death the soul departs the mortal plane and arrives in Cinerary, the realm of the deceased.  Mage scholars describe Cinerary as a realm shrouded in undulating gray fog.  The skies are darkened swirls of gray and black clouds that steadily churn high above the tawny dust and ash covered ground. Despite the rhythmic movement of the vapor there is no sound of wind or surroundings, only the lonely footsteps of the departed.  Speech between souls is audible, but only in immediate proximity of each other, if sight is lost to the fog then words fall upon deaf ears.  In this part of Cinerary, known as the Ash Fields, it is possible to run into several wandering souls, as many have either not come to terms with their own passing or fear where they are to go next.  These souls aimlessly drift in the fog until they are found by Nethe's usher, Taremin the Caretaker of the Dead.  Covered in torn, unraveling robes, the dead are greeted by the faceless Taremin, who silently guides souls through the Ash Fields to The Altar of Reflection.  Ancient stairs lead upwards for thousands of steps to the floating island hovering in the dark sky.

It is here at the Altar of Reflection the fate of the deceased is determined by Nerogh, the Appraiser of Ethos.  Nerogh's duty is to determine which realm of afterlife the recently departed will transition to.  The soul will stand in front of Nerogh's grand mirror and see noteworthy events and actions of the individual's life, specifically trends of behavior categorized as "good" or "evil".  When the mirror finishes the 'Reflection' Nerogh will speak one of three words: Cinerary, Anodos, or Nedregol.  Those of pure heart and deeds will go to blessed Anodos, the wicked and cruel to Nedregol.

Souls that harmed equally as much as they helped, or have done very little of either remain in Cinerary to reside in Nethe's city of Terminia. From the Altar of Reflection Terminia is shrouded by gray fog, allowing only for Nethe's throne, a colossal spire named Serecrown, to be visible. Surrounding Terminia is the Abyssal Moat; an empty and bottomless divide from the Ash Fields and Terminia.  A single bridge allows for passage over the chasm and once crossed what is seen varies by the individual, but it is believed that souls take up residence in a dream-like world of their own machinations, and many forget that their soul passed from Arcazin while they dream in Cinerary.

Not all individuals who led a 'neutral' life stay in Cinerary.  Those that have served another god of neutral alignment, such as Clefeb or Utri, may end up in their personal realms to continue serving their patron god.

**Nedregol**

The realm of Nedregol is a vast plane where the souls of evil are doomed to reside.  In its golden age, Nedregol's warden and overseer was Vexus.  He had holding facilities constructed for all of the damned souls, making Nedregol a plane of dungeons and prisons.  When Vexus ruined his bond to Nethe, Nedregol faced a cataclysm that shook the foundations of the plane, causing god-made bindings and dungeons to fracture and crumble. The cataclysm left most of Nedregol in ruins and chaos, as the souls of evil now had the freedom to roam the plane as they desired. The wardens of Nedregol that were not chosen to be minions of Vexus or refused allegiance were left behind.  Some tried to reinstate order in the realm, others sought to claim Nedregol as their own, and some succumbed to the corruption and madness of the wild evil souls.  Nedregol is a place of utter chaos, the damned souls, though without shackles, are still bound to the plane, most become enslaved by the former wardens (now daemons).  Few souls, who wielded immense power in life, were able to carve a piece of the plane for themselves, and even dominate lesser daemons to their will.

In one age Raverus attempted to take Nedregol for himself and went to war with the daemons and evil souls who had most control of Nedregol. The wardens who chose to stay true to their original directive and restore order to Nedregol were targeted by Raverus who attempted to bind them to his will.  Some were consumed by Raverus' overwhelming corruption and succumbed to his will, and the few who resisted were destroyed, effectively wiping out any sense of light in the realm.  The war raged on in a timeless stalemate, until Raverus started influencing the mortal realm, corrupting masses of mortalkind to commit heinous acts for the purpose of damning their souls and bolstering his forces in Nedregol in death.  With the fabric of Nedregol wearing thin and the plane nearing complete destruction from the horrific war, as well as Arcazin starting to unravel in to chaos, Vaath partnered with Nethe to expel and exile Raverus from Nedregol.  They offered the recently corrupted souls a chance of redemption: though they have passed on from the mortal realm and can not go back, if they turn against their Master they have the opportunity to be reevaluated by Nerogh's mirror, giving them a chance to leave Nedregol.  The deal was successful, many of Raverus' victims jumped at the chance for redemption. The god of Depravity lost a great deal of power and influence that ultimately led to his defeat, and banishment from Nedregol.  After the war ended Nedregol was a mass of ruins and the power struggle between daemons and the powerful souls started over.  Nethe did not instate a new ruler of Nedregol, instead she left the seat open in the hopes that Vexus would eventually see reason and rule Nedregol again.  Until that day arrives Nedregol is a realm of fire, evil, and chaos.

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