From the Desk
of DM Darcy

If you have not yet read through As Within, So Without let this serve as your warning against both minor and major spoilers.

Presiding Entity: Aether

The Aegis of Aether, also known as the veil, is the gateway in which souls continue their travels toward the cycle of rebirth, or the stagnation of death. It is an ethereal realm and physical forms cannot pass through. In the necromantic practice of veilwalking, a necromancer leaves their body behind to project their soul into the realm.

Despite how the god of death and goddess of life currently utilize the veil, the realm was not designed to be a holding place for souls. It is a corridor with many winding paths leading to the heavens or the hells, requiring each soul to find their way. Both Gaia and Netharis have barred the gates to their realms, halting the flow of souls.

This has resulted in thousands of souls being left to wander aimlessly, growing warped over time. These warped souls are a danger to everyone.

The veil also serves as a battlegrounds between Life Bringers and Death Bringers as they hunt and collect souls for their patron god/goddess.

Creatures of the Veil

Souls left in the veil are known as errant. Those who warp become embodiments of their worst traits. Many have learned to seek veilwalkers, in hopes of severing their ties with their anchor (e.g., their physical form), to take them for themselves in a desperate bid to return to the living realm.

  • An errant soul consumed by anger. Death Knights take on the shape of their mortal being during the final moments of their life. They stalk the veil hunting for veilwalkers or necromancers, any living creature foolish enough to descend into the realm—whether out of spite or the need to co-opt their anchor, Death Knights want nothing more than a second chance at life.

  • The umbrella term referring to the souls trapped in the veil.

  • An errant soul that has fallen victim to their rage. Formidable in strength and adept magic wielders, Furors seek to make other souls suffer as they do.

  • An errant soul that has become the embodiment of grief. These ethereal creatures wander the veil sobbing. Taking on the form of a helpless human or fae, inexperienced veilwalkers might be inclined to believe Galls are easy targets to collect—they are not.

    Their screams can paralyze and their claws can sever a soul from its anchor with little effort.

  • A semi-sentient plant capable of restraining any creature. It latches itself onto the fibers of a soul, keeping it captive until commanded otherwise by Aether. Those who struggle risk dooming themselves to an eternity of pain.

    Rumored to bloom when she draws near.

  • An errant soul transformed by loneliness. In the veil, they oft take the form of skeletal, shrouded figures. Wraiths stalk the veil in search of their newest obsession, hunting for someone who can be manipulated into caring for them.

    Wraiths are one of the few creatures capable of crossing into the living realm, they’ve developed the penchant of inhabiting beloved clothing items (such as cloaks) to feel the warmth of life once again.