Lorebook
Traveling
Portals to other worlds surround Hades' domain. Theristis will travel through these gates to collect souls. Most of the time, they get one area where they search for souls, but they get a portable world gate for longer trips. These look like small compasses but show a portal when opened. The Theristis then have to think of where they want to travel; next, the portal will grow, and they can step through.
LIFE IN HADES
Most Theristis will live in the principal capital of Hades - Aidoneus. They will get a flat in a skyscraper, like every soul there. Hades does not take rent, but his subjects need to work and contribute to the world; otherwise, they will be banned. Hades is a fair but harsh King and God. If a Theristis or other soul in Hades works hard and climbs the carrier steps, they can buy a bigger flat or even a house for Death Coins. Aidoneus is a mix between ancient greek and modern New York. You can find bars in old temples or a shopping street around the emporium. Aidoneus is surrounded by the six rivers of Hades and the Asphodel fields where the collected souls lie.
AGING
Theristis are not immortal, and their fire can burn out. The ones on the surface, who do not collect souls, have 130 years. Soul-collecting Theristis can expend that lifespan with each climbed rank. Every collected soul gives a Theristis more strength to use more powerful weapons and live longer. For reference, a Rank 4 (sloth) can already live up to 2000 years. Each soul represents a gifted year.
FOOD AND DRINKS
Like every living being, Theristis need to consume to fire their soul. They will feel worn out and sleepy when they need to feed and energized afterward. Theristis can eat everything, sometimes even souls. Theristis can decompose the matter with their soul energy and use it to fire their soul like fuel. They consume the matter itself rather than calories. Liquid brings them nearly no power, but dense material like stone gives them a lot. Though they instead consume human-like food for aesthetic reasons. Theristis can taste and feel the food in their mouth, and they can feel full when they overeat and their fire can't burn it fast enough.
Alcohol will make them feel drunk for a limited time, but the alcohol will eventually dissolve in their soul fire.
Relationships and soul-bounding
Theristis work a lot, but they also enjoy good company. They hang out with Theristis and other life forms in the underworld or surface. There are no limits to their healthy social life when they go out, bar-hopping, dance, or watch movies.
Usually, Theristis cannot fall in love anymore - they live to do a job, and Hades does not want them distracted. It's part of their punishment.
In some cases, the Moirai (the fates) will connect a Theristis-live-thread with another one - they soul-bound two souls. The Fates love to tease Hades, and what better way is there than taking some of his employees away. The red thread is visible to unearthly beings, and when it appears, Theristis often follow it and try to find their slight chance for love. It can be bound to another Theristis, someone from the underworld, or living. They can even travel through worlds to find their soulmate. This can sometimes be difficult... The other soul does not want to be with them, can't live with someone dead. They can cut the thread and live separate lives, even happy ones. But if they decide to stay and get to know each other, their soul bond can grow into a beautiful relationship between two lovers, two best friends. The couples can even reproduce. Theristis can turn their fire into seeds to impregnate their partner or hold them inside their soul fire to born offspring.
Some Theristis can fall in love without soul bounding, but it is unusual and nearly unheard of.
Termination
A Theristis can quit their “job”. If they find love or happiness on the surface and not in the underworld, they are free to go and live another everyday life. However, their memories will be deleted and replaced with a basic background story so that they can fit into the world just fine. If a Theristis decides to go, they can never come back.
But there are also other ways for a Theristis to lose this “job”:
- exploiting their power
- becoming corrupted
- telling secrets of the underworld to another immortal and mortal being
- refusing to collect souls
These Theristis can end up in the Asphodel Fields or Tartarus if he plays for the souls.
The Spiritual guides - Voithós
Young Theristis can choose a spiritual guide - a Voithós.
These guides fulfill two purposes:
- they guide the Theristis to fitting souls and help to collect
- they are a friend and companion
They can take the form of any animal. Sometimes a Voithós needs some time to find a proper shape. They take a form that is comfortable for their Theristis.
- Must look fiery to ghost-like
➢Variant: solid or other material
- Can have a hellfire tail like the Theristis
- Can have a skull mask or skull-like markings
➢Variant: no skull mask or markings
- Can be any non-mythical animal or substance
➢Variant: being a mythical animal or crossbreed between animal(-like) species or objects (mermaid tail, pumpkin head)
- Can have markings
➢special: being more or less humanoid
The Circle of Life
Everything starts and ends with Death.
Birth
When a being dies, its soul needs to be collected and judged. For that, the souls will be brought into the underworld to the River Styx. Only those who could pay the fare with coins (obols) or a beloved possession placed on their eyes or under their tongue when buried are granted passage by Cerberus. A ferryman will transport them to the City Aidoneus.
The Ferrymen will put the souls into the Asphodel Fields. Here they will become shadowy memories of their past life, and when they connect with the ground, their soul will travel to a place below the fields - the city of dreamers. All these souls can live a life together in a chaotic, colorful city as long as living beings can remember them. Most souls end up; others are singled out for special treatment. Tartarus or Elysian wins some; some have to go through a complex game for their life to see in which world their soul will end up in.
Sometimes a living being did horrible things in their past and incredible good things to make it up. Deciding about their fate can be difficult, and such a decision is not possible for some souls. Souls like these become Theristis. They have been given a new life but are punished by wandering the earth searching for new souls. They are build-out of the fire of the river Phlegethon and can manipulate this new form. But they first have to learn how to do so.
School and Adulthood
Theristis must attend the “Academy of unseen souls” (also called Aïdes) in the City of the underworld - Aidoneus. It serves many purposes; it teaches Theristis and supervises them to ensure the soul collection and world order.
While not in lessons, students live either in rented apartments or school dormitories (first-year students must stay in dormitories since they have to learn the underworld rules first).
The Aïdes is an academy that has no set uniform. However, there are various preset uniforms one can choose from, and one can match any top with any bottom. While students can select the uniform and switch it around to their liking, they're also allowed to wear their own clothes.
In Aïdes, the Theristis will learn to summon their weapon, collect souls, and transport them to the Styx. After learning the basics ( first year ), they can go on missions to get practical experience. These missions get more difficult for each rank. Here they will get the first contact with souls and try to collect them.
The rank system in school includes three different ranks.
1. Hunger 1-33 collected Souls
2. Agony 34-66 collected Souls
3. Death 67-100 collected Souls
There are organized battles between students to learn techniques they may need later in school. Theristis can fight over souls, especially corrupted ones since they have a higher score than ordinary souls.
The grading system includes the number of collected souls, exams, and battles between students and professors. When they score a high result, Theristis can immediately start as a Rank 2 (Gluttony) for their life after three years of school.
Theristis desire is commonly to rise ranks and become an appreciated contributor. With more collected souls and higher ranks, Theristis becomes more powerful and can gather more difficult souls from the surface.
Theristis can live in Aidoneus, rent a flat or a house, live together with other beings, or go on the surface. If they choose to live outside the underworld, they need to stay in their humanoid form and not talk about the underworld. They need to take vows that prevent them from talking about their duties to ensure that.
DEATH
The life of a Theristis is not immortal. Their inner fire will burn out eventually, and they will join the souls on the Asphodel Fields. They had the chance to live another life for the good acts they have done in their past life; they had the opportunity to live another life. As a punishment for the horrible things, they will never have the opportunity to see Elysian.
Theristis can also be forced to die. Either when they are corrupt and need to be eliminated or murdered or they get hurt. You can murder or hurt a Theristis by cracking their skull.
Soul Lore
The Soul
The soul is the incorporeal essence of a being. When detached and collected, it resembles a spherical ball but can also shape the being it belongs to. Then it will be a milky and blurred reflection of the being and wander around.
Souls usually have a light blue color. If the soul belongs to a heroic or exceptionally good being, it can appear more vibrant and vivid - if they have an evil nature, it can appear dull and smutty. When they become Theristis, the color will change into a new color, and the soul will look like a fireball.
If a soul stays too long on the surface after its harborer’s death, the soul will become corrupted. Corrupted souls will turn more and more black.
A Soul can stay for different reasons:
- they can’t let go (open businesses, guilt, don’t understand that they are dead)
- a Giver fails to help them
- souls who’ve lived a highly criminal life or done horrible acts
Corrupted souls have the power to possess living bodies and suppress the living soul. They can force the body to do actions they would typically not do (illegal activities, killing another being). The living soul can become corrupted from these actions, increasing the population of these corrupted souls.
While they possess a body, they can also swallow the living soul - leaving an emotionless being behind and becoming more assertive. Strong corrupted souls can mutate and become more physical again, starting with manipulating the physical world (lifting objects) and ending with a manifested soul body resembling a mutated humanoid being.
This rate of corruption is infrequent since Theristis will collect the corrupted souls before they can gain such a high rate of corruption.
Soul Fire
Soul fire resembles fire but works differently. The soul is the source of the soul fire, so it's not real fire. This fire channels soul energy directly to the molecules (tiny particles) like a microwave. Theristis can decompose the matter with their soul energy and use it to fire their soul like fuel. They consume the matter itself rather than calories. Liquid brings them nearly no power, but dense material like stone gives them a lot. Though they instead consume human-like food for aesthetic reasons.
They can't burn or heat any material!
Soul-Vessel
The soul-vessel is the essential item in a Theristis life. Most are born with their soul-vessel at the tip of their tail. Theristis are soul collectors, and they need to store the collected souls in vessels. The souls will fuse with the unearthly material and can't escape. These vessels will be emptied over the boats of the soul river in the underworld.
But some Theristis are born with different tails and often place their soul-vessel somewhere else. They can choose an item to be their vessel. These items can have meaning because of their past or current lives. A Theristis that was an artist might choose the first brush they ever touched. Others might keep soul-flies (glowing insects) found on the asphodel fields over the soul of a loved one.
They can come in different forms and don't need to mean something, but they can. When the Theristis corrupts, the vessel will break to keep them from collecting more souls. The Theristis will eat and fuse directly with the souls, making them stronger.
The Ranks
Theristis‘ primary purpose is collecting souls. To encourage Theristis, Hades created 7 Ranks named after the seven deadly sins. The Theristis needs to contain a specific amount of souls for each rank, and with each new rank, they can add a unique ability to their weapon(s).
In the end, a Theristis can have a maximum of 6 different abilities.
With each new ability and collected soul, the weapon and the Theristis get stronger, gather stronger or corrupted souls, and live longer!
With reaching new ranks, Theristis can change their profession from a regular Soul Collector to something different.
If you want to experience how the Theristis are climbing up the ranks, visit our discord server and get yourself the Collector role! You will gain access to our RPG-styled old Temple.
Lust
0 - 99 souls
Every Theristis starts with the first rank in school. Here they learn how to collect souls and gather practical experience in missions. The missions begin with easy-to-collect souls - elderly beings with a fulfilled life ready to pass on.
GLUTTONY
100 - 300 souls
The students can collect up to 100 Souls and get excellent test results to start in Rank 2 immediately. Here they can add the first unique ability to their weapon.
GREED
301 - 14.000 Souls
With each rank, a Theristis can add new decorations and earn more power through the decorations. Reaching the rank Greed gives Theristis the ability to collect their first corrupted soul successfully.
Sloth
14.0001 - 34.000 souls
+ 6.500 corrupted souls
The 4th rank Sloth will allow Theristis to change into Soul Giver and accompany bonded souls. With this rank, it is necessary to collect corrupted souls. Corrupted souls have a higher value with their corruption rate, so extremely corrupted souls are admired, and there can be fights between Theristis over them.
Wrath
34.001 - 100.000 souls
+ 37.000 corrupted souls
Wrath-ranked Theristis are hard-working individuals and can name a good amount of strength their own. Their weapon is extremely powerful and can collect up to 500 souls and ten corrupted souls with one hit. They can also start as a professor in the school to teach their knowledge to young Theristis.
Envy
100.001 - 455.000 souls
+ 265.000 corrupted souls
Starting with this rank, Theristis can become Soul Taker and team up in Duo’s or units. They are qualified to collect up to 20 highly corrupted souls and 1,000 souls with one hit. They can collect more souls faster in groups since they easily overpower a single Theristis.
Pride
from 455.001 souls
+ 419.500 corrupted souls
It’s challenging to reach this rank in a lifetime - they know all the techniques and create new ones. These Theristis can retire and live the rest of their lives in peace or choose another profession in Aidoneus.
This rank is only available for the Regulator Team!
The Types
Soul collector
Every Theristis starts as a Soul Collector. Their purpose is to detach the soul from their deceased body and bring them to the river Styx, where the ferrymen can transport them to the Asphodel Fields.
Soul Giver
When a Theristis reaches Rank 4 - Sloth, they have the opportunity to fulfill a new purpose. They can become Soul Givers. Their goal is to accompany souls that a regular Theristis can’t detach as a Soul Giver. It is not easy for some beings to leave their dead bodies and living loved ones. They may need to finish something, regret something, or don’t understand/refuse their death. Givers accompany these souls.
The Givers should help the soul to let go and bring them to the river Styx. It can be achieved by granting one wish, staying by their side until one is ready, or explaining death. Givers often hide their face with a veil not to frighten the lost soul.
After they help the soul, they can detach them from the body and take them to the underworld. Sometimes a Giver can’t help a Soul. The soul will become more and more corrupted.
Soul Taker
Rank 6-7 (Envy and Pride) Theristis can become Soul Taker. These powerful Theristis have the task of collecting corrupted and mutated souls. It’s much more difficult to detach souls like these, so Theristis like to form teams or groups to gather them.
Corrupted Theristis
Considered a threat capable of destroying the world, a corrupted Theristis is created when they manage to consume an excessive number of souls. They can become mighty and insane. Their new purpose will be to overrule the world as it is and bring madness into it.
When detected, the Theristis will be put into the Styx and have to wait for their judgment. Most will end up in Tartarus for punishment.
- Hellfire must turn inky and greasy
- Soul-vessel must be broken in some way
- Eyes must glow
- Can have eyes on their body and inside their hellfire
- Can have mouths on their body and inside their hellfire
- Can have unnatural skin colors
- Can have a mutated look (enlarge body parts)
General
The underworlds exist simultaneously as our worlds; time flows more slowly there. One hour here is one whole day there, so all the souls can be collected and brought into the underworlds.
There are three worlds with their ruling gods sharing their names with them. They are substantial flying islands surrounded by portals and nothingness.
Each world has one capital with the headquarters of the gods and their entourage. Besides these worlds, there exists an infinite space to play for souls outside of time.
HADES
Six world portals surround hades world. From each gate, a river leads to the capital - Aidoneus. The ferrymen transport souls from the portals to the Asphodel Fields on these rivers, but only those with a proper burial and a coin or beloved possession to pay them. Here they will become shadowy memories of their past life, and when they connect with the ground, their soul will travel to a place below the fields - the city of dreamers.
The city of dreamers is a chaotic place build-out of colorful, quirky buildings, plazas, and gardens. All those souls remembered by living beings can live a little longer together. They don’t need to sleep, eat, or breathe and enjoy parties, festivals, and more. But if they are being forgotten, they are getting tired and weak, and eventually, they will turn into shadows ones more and leave the worlds for good.
In the heart of the world above stands Aidoneus, the principal capital of Hades. The buildings mix ancient greek architecture and modern technology - big, old palaces with touchscreens and microwaves.
Hade's headquarters is the greatest Palast; from afar, it looks like a skyscraper, but getting closer, it takes the shape of numerous ancient temples on top of each other uniquely and artistically. Here he writes work schedules, gives his employees offices, and reigns over the city and beyond. The temple has a thousand doors to rooms that should be kept closed…
TARTARUS
Tartarus is a world of fire and stone with screaming souls and endless suffering. The most corrupted souls, evil, and cruel will suffer in his world for good—the worst perpetrators, destined to endure punishments fitting their earthly crimes in their heads eternally.
But cruel souls aren’t the only beings in this world. Gaseous monsters created by fumes of fire and tortured souls roam over the land to the world portals. They start small as a mouse, but they can grow into skyscraper-tall creaturs when they get into the living world. Unseen by the living, the whispers can attach themselves to beings, feet of their happiness, and grow. They start to whisper evil thoughts into their ears, so the being gets sadder and sadder, and feet more until the beings do not want to live any longer. Suicide is not a natural thing. The whispers are the cause of it, and if a being gets talked into suicide, the beast will eat their soul before it can get collected. It grows and, in some cases, can lure over whole cities and make people feel sick and sad.
Tartarus not only makes dead souls crazy but also living ones. His capital is a castle made of stone, fire, and bones, filled with luring creatures and evil spirits.
ELYSIAN
Flying cities in an endless sky of pastel colors - Elysian is Paradise. In their world, heroic and extraordinary souls can live happily ever after. They can visit one of the festival cities or create their own perfect flying island. Does a soul want to have a flying elephant that shoots out rainbows? No problem! Ever wanted to live inside a painting? Can do!
Souls can summon copies of people they love and live with them in harmony. They can even ask to be reincarnated and sent back to their world for another, hopefully extraordinary, life.
Elysians capital is the most significant flying monument in this world. A palaced out of gold and opal, filled with flowers and greens. Since Elysian can make anything happen, they don't need technology in any form. They need to think of something, and it appears.