Land of Gloom

The **Land of Gloom** is the residence for the spirits of all deceased foxes, good or evil.

## **Description**

The residents of the land are spirits with some form of indication as to how they died (for instance, they'll have a wound on their throat if that's what killed them). They'll also have whatever scars or injuries they obtained in their lifetime, as well as any accessories (i.e., collars). All species of true foxes reside here.

There is an endless water and food supply in all environments of the residence, but most foxes, due to their natural instincts, will fight continuously for who gets the richest pickings. Moreover, eating more than one's fair share will cause a fox to get sick. They can also attain wounds from fights, but can't be killed again; evil or not, their spirits are stuck in the residence permanently. Being an afterlife, the land itself is endless, so there is no barrier between the residence and the living world. However, a living fox can visit the Land of Gloom in their dreams, and this is the only way the dead and the living can interact. Foxes will also retain any and all traits they've received during their visits, such as wounds, illnesses, skills they've learned or practiced, and even items. Death is also included, as living foxes who die in the residence are killed in real life as well. They instantly join the residents after death. Some foxes live in skulks here, while others are solitary.

## **Territory**

The majority of the residence consists of vast, dull forests with incredibly tall dead, decaying, or dying trees and vegetation. A narrow path winds through these forests, and there is an endless abundance of prey animals (such as birds, rodents, small reptiles, and insects). Fungi glow with a sickly light on tree trunks, and on the ground; many of them are poisonous, and foxes who eat them will be perpetually sick thereafter. The air is somewhat foggy, thick, and humid, and smells of death. Its silence is interrupted only by chirping crickets. The forest floor itself can vary in texture; in some places it's dry and sandy, and in others it can be thick, peaty, and sticky. The land can shift with all kinds of environments, from deserts to tundras to abandoned, dilapidated human settlements, and even the weather can change. There are also days and nights. During the day, the sky is a pale sickly gray without a sun or clouds, and at night, it turns black with a blood red moon and no stars. Time passes strangely, leading residents to quickly and easily forget how much as elapsed. The different fox species will tend to reside in their natural habitats (for example, most red foxes will usually dwell in forests, arctic foxes in tundras, and so on). There are no oceans or seas. However, there are countless other bodies of water in all environments, such as lakes, ponds, bogs, pools, and rivers, which are home to aquatic prey, such as fish and amphibians. The major setback is that the water in all these areas is murky, which make it difficult for foxes to hunt.

There are also several islands accompanying the water bodies. Many of these are completely surrounded by water, while others will have one or more stretches of raised ground connecting them to the shore. On heavily rainy days, the islands and the stretches of ground leading to them will be completely submerged. Foxes caught swimming during these days will most likely sink into the water and not resurface until the flood has resided.

## **Rank Successions**

### **Leaders**

1. **Chrone:** He was the founder of the afterlife and both its first resident and leader. Sometime after founding it, he grew tired of leading and stepped down, giving the position to his daughter Mixie.