Elysium

Elysium (pronounced elisiɤɱ in the Steampunk Era and elisiɤɱ in the Atompunk Era) is an afterlife space in the universe of New Albion. It is described by Jasper as a peaceful sort of place, a "silent, sighed, lost lullabye". However, the Voodoopunks in the *New Albion Guide to Analogue Consciousness* build a portal to Elysium, and upon arriving there find it to be a hellish place, and one where they're constantly preyed upon by the "angels" that live there.

## Nature

### For the Dead

Elysium is, first and foremost, an afterlife. Jasper sings of it in a longing manner, suggesting that it is a peaceful land for those who arrive there upon death. For this peaceful depiction of Elysium, not much is known other than that. Whenever someone attempts to illicitly enter Elysium (usually by attempting to enter while still alive), however, there are grave consequences.

### For the Living

When living beings enter Elysium (AI consciousnesses excepted), there are dire consequences. This has been detailed in writings that allegedly belong to the legendary posthuman William, as well as experienced by the Voodoopunks of the Atompunk Era. Creatures, sometimes referred to as "angels", purge Elysium of the living by killing them viciously. The creatures themselves state that their ruthless disposal of living presence is not inherently malicious, but that they act as an "immune system" of sorts for Elysium, in which they are the white blood cells and living beings are the infectious agent. If a living person dies in Elysium, their soul will not survive in any way and they entirely cease to exist.

### For the Savior Soul

Until the death of Lee Morgan in Elysium (and consequently, the destruction of that soul), the Savior Soul would constantly reincarnate to redeem/save that soul. The Savior Soul would constantly re-enter Elysium upon death, and every time until Rachael arrived in Elysium, it would reincarnate to save the soul that would belong to Lee. However, since the latter soul no longer exists, there is no point for the Savior Soul to reincarnate. This means that even though she's still alive, Rachael belongs in Elysium more than she belongs on Earth, and this fact is noted by the creatures, which is why they do not kill her. While she is in Elysium, Rachael does not age. She cannot die unless she kills herself or goes through the portal (assuming it's still functional), and eventually she will ascend to a higher plane of existence.

## Methods of Entry

### Death

Elysium is an afterlife, and as such, the easiest way to arrive there is to die. However, one does not simply *die* and go to Elysium. In order to qualify for Elysium instead of immediately reincarnating, one must attain a state of Spiritual Sanity prior to death. What exactly is meant by this is unclear, but what *is* known is that it was definitely reached at least once by Jasper and several times by the Savior Soul, the current possessor of which is Rachael.

### Portal

In *The New Albion Guide to Analogue Consciousness ,* Arcadia Corp builds a portal that allows the Voodoopunks to travel from New Albion to Elysium. Upon the exodus of the Voodoopunks from New Albion to Elysium, Connor shuts down the portal from New Albion's side. When the Voodoopunks arrive to a hellish land, they naturally attempt to escape through the portal. However, such figures as Adrian would soon discover that contact with the portal will immediately lead to death. When Rachael and Zip arrive in Elysium, Zip explains to the remaining 100 pilgrims that they can return to New Albion through the portal, which will, as before, kill them but allow them to reincarnate. 69 people choose this method and their souls return to Earth through the portal. The current state of the portal is as of yet unknown.

### Other Methods

At an indeterminate point, the posthuman William managed to gain knowledge of the consequences of attempting to enter Elysium while alive, presumably by attempting (through currently unknown means) to enter himself.

The posthuman Lloyd Allen once expressed interest in trying to break into a side pocket of Elysium. This side pocket is heavily implied to be the Crossroads, a limbo-like afterlife where the posthumans Baron Samedi (otherwise known as Doug) and Cerridwen currently reside.