WtO

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1. #1Wraithselective

   Keys: Wraith

   A wraith is a ghost, the soul of a person who has died unfulfilled and now haunts the Shadowlands. Physically, a wraith is a coherent "body" of plasm, the substance that makes up the majority of the Underworld. Wraithly bodies are subject to their own distinct metaphysics; in the Shadowlands and Tempest, they obey local rules of gravity, but under certain conditions can pass through material things. The wraithly mind is divided into two parts, the Psyche (their past self) and the Shadow (part that wants to succumb to Oblivion). A wraith's psyche feeds on Pathos, the energy of emotion. Each wraith has several Passions, the emotions which are most tightly connected to its personality. Experiencing these emotions, even vicariously, provides the psyche with energy that the wraith can then use for various purposes. The Shadow also has energy, called Angst, which it can acquire by fulfilling its own passions. These Dark Passions are generally contrary to the wraith's own goals.

2. #2Shadowselective

   Keys: Shadow

   Shadow is the aspect of a wraith's personality that wants to see the wraith fail, to stop struggling and succumb to Oblivion.

3. #3Shroudselective

   Keys: Shroud

   The Shroud is the mystical barrier that separates the Underworld from the Skinlands

4. #4Passionselective

   Keys: Passion

   Wraiths are creatures of emotion, fed by the energy of emotion, Pathos. To acquire Pathos, wraiths must feel Passions, emotions intimately connected to their identity.

5. #5Shadowlandsselective

   Keys: Shadowlands

   The Shadowlands are the death-based reflection of the living world. The Shadowlands wrap and reflect the living world – every location in the Skinlands has a direct physical analogue in the Shadowlands, although the relationship can sometimes be tenuous.

6. #6Transcendenceselective

   Keys: Transcendence

   Transcendence is a state where the wraith accepts his death and moves on from the Underworld to whatever ineffable existence waits beyond. Most of its history, Hierarchy declared transcendence a myth and forbid it. But after Sixth Great Maelstrom and appearance of the new Heretics, this information once again became known to many wraiths.

7. #7Skinlandsselective

   Keys: Skinlands

   Wraiths refer to the world of the living as the Skinlands; this contrasts with the Shadowlands, the lands of the dead and the wraiths' home. The Skinlands and Shadowlands are separated by the Shroud.

8. #8Fetterselective

   Keys: Fetter

   A Fetter is a person, place, or object that ties a wraith to the Shadowlands and keeps them from moving on. Along with allowing a wraith to hang on to their existence and keeping them from falling into Oblivion, Fetters are also places where a wraith can Slumber and gain back Corpus.

9. #9Pathosselective

   Keys: Pathos

   Pathos is pure emotion. Wraiths feed upon Pathos and use it in their daily existences. It is responsible in large part for the existence of wraiths, and is hoarded and treasured beyond almost anything else in the Shadowlands.

10. #10Arcanosselective

    Keys: Arcanoi, Arcanos

    The arts of the dead, Arcanoi are secret spiritual abilities that can either be taught or acquired through experience. Excessive use of one or more Arcanoi skills will undoubtedly result in the marking of his or her corpus with traces of those powers. Such markings and traces cannot be removed by any sort of cosmetic alteration.

11. #11Oblivionselective

    Keys: Oblivion

    Oblivion is entropy itself, a constantly churning force of destruction and madness from which there is no return.

12. #12Angstselective

    Keys: Angst

    Angst is a measure of an individual wraith's despair, self-destructiveness and sympathy with Oblivion. It is the fuel of the Shadow, which uses Angst much like a wraith uses Pathos.

13. #13Spectreselective

    Keys: Spectre

    Spectres are wraiths that have, in so many words, given into their Shadows. When a spirit accumulates too much dark emotion, its Shadow takes over permanently and it becomes a Spectre; its humanity and former identity are replaced with a truly evil, sadistic personality tied into a massive hive-mind. In the process, the wraith forgets about its old tethers, friends and ideals, which keeps it from Transcending. Spectres roam desolate parts of the world of the dead thereafter, minions for Oblivion.

14. #14Corpusselective

    Keys: Corpus

    A wraith's Corpus is his equivalent of a body, comprised of a material termed plasm. In its default state, a Corpus resembles the body of the wraith at the time he died, often marked with whatever wounds led to his death as well as additional Deathmarks.

15. #15Stygiaselective

    Keys: Stygia

    Stygia is the capital of the western dead, an incomprehensibly huge city located on the Isle of Sorrows deep in the Tempest. It is the location of the major headquarters of the various organizations of western wraiths. After Sixth Great Maelstrom Stygia is heavily damaged and fractured into small islands.

16. #16Soulforgingselective

    Keys: Soulforging

    Soulforging is the practice of converting a wraith into an Artifact. It is used both as a punishment and a manufacturing technique.

17. #17Hierarchyselective

    Keys: Hierarchy

    The Hierarchy is the monolithic bureaucracy of the Empire of Stygia. The Hierarchy is the largest collection of Western wraiths in the Underworld. Founded by Charon as means of unifying and ordering the chaotic afterlife, it has grown into a stratified, calcified bureaucracy "led" by battling Deathlords and based upon the enslavement of thousands of souls for use as Thralls or raw materials. After Sixth Great Maelstrom, Hierarchy still exists, but does not have absolute control anymore.

18. #18Charonselective

    Keys: Charon

    Charon, the first Ferryman and only Emperor of Stygia. Originally from the ancient civilization of Mycenae, Charon is responsible for the formation of several institutions of the dead, including the Ferrymen, the city of Stygia, and the Hierarchy. After Sixth Great Maelstrom Charon has transcended, leaving Hierarchy fractured.

19. #19Dictum Mortuumselective

    Keys: Code of the Dead, Dictum Mortuum

    The Dictum Mortuum is a set of laws laid down by Charon and enforced by the Hierarchy governing appropriate wraithly behavior vis-a-vis the Quick. The Dictum Mortuum strictly governs how Stygian wraiths can interact with the living. As a rule of thumb, they can't: communicating, using Arcanoi that allow them to breach the Shroud, or otherwise impacting the living is strictly forbidden.

20. #20Quickselective

    Keys: Quick

    The Quick is a term used by wraiths for those who are alive. They dwell in what wraiths know as the Skinlands, or the lands of the living. Because of the Shroud, the Quick cannot see the Shadowlands or the wraiths that dwell within. Many of the living are completely unaware of ghosts, save for a few who have been in communication with wraiths, or are sensitive to the spiritual world. The Quick may also serve as a wraith's Fetter or the focus of a Passion.

21. #21Legionselective

    Keys: Legion

    Upon death, every Wraith is inducted into one of seven Legions based on the circumstances of their deaths. Each Legion has a headquarters and is overseen by one Deathlord.

22. #22Guildselective

    Keys: Guild

    In Stygian society, mastery of the Arcanoi was traditionally controlled by the Stygian Guilds. These organizations promoted the use, study, and regulation of each Arcanos. Since that time, the guilds have continued to exist, some more openly than others, because certain guilds are absolutely necessary for Stygia to continue. The guilds are broken into categories by the degree of tolerance afforded them by the Hierarchy; the categories are Great, Working, Criminal, and Forbidden.

23. #23Iron Legionselective

    Keys: Iron Legion

    The Iron Legion is one of the divisions of the Hierarchy of Stygia. They take in wraiths who lived to a ripe old age or were brought down by time. Legion is overseen by the deathlord Ashen Lady

24. #24Skeletal Legionselective

    Keys: Skeletal Legion

    The Skeletal Legion is one of the divisions of the Hierarchy of Stygia. This Legion takes in victims of illness. Legion is overseen by the deathlord Skeletal Lord

25. #25Grim Legionselective

    Keys: Grim Legion

    The Grim Legion is one of the divisions of the Hierarchy of Stygia. The Legion takes in wraiths that died as a result of violence, usually murder. Legion is overseen by the deathlord Smiling Lord

26. #26Penitent Legionselective

    Keys: Penitent Legion

    The Penitent Legion is one of the divisions of the Hierarchy of Stygia. They take in victims of madness. Legion is overseen by the deathlord Laughing Lady

27. #27Emerald Legionselective

    Keys: Emerald Legion

    The Emerald Legion is one of the divisions of the Hierarchy of Stygia. They take in wraiths that died as a result of accidents, be it common (a car) or a freak (sat on by an elephant). Legion is overseen by the deathlord Emerald Lord

28. #28Legion of Paupersselective

    Keys: Legion of Paupers

    The Legion of Paupers is one of the divisions of the Hierarchy of Stygia. They are composed of a combination of wraiths that died under mysterious circumstances, and the leftovers from the other Legions. Legion is overseen by the deathlord Beggar Lord

29. #29Legion of Fateselective

    Keys: Legion of Fate

    The Legion of Fate is one of the divisions of the Hierarchy of Stygia. The Legion is comprised of those who they have deemed marked by Fate. Legion is overseen by the deathlord Lady of Fate

30. #30Artificersselective

    Keys: Artificers

    Great guild. Less required for their Inhabit Arcanos than for their mastery of Soulforging, the Artificers consider themselves the oldest Guild.

31. #31Masquersselective

    Keys: Masquers

    Great guild. Along with the Artificers, the masters of Moliate are responsible for the majority of Stygia's plasmic goods. As a result, the Masquers Guild is well-accepted within Stygia, even though the Masquers often use their abilities to skirt extremely dirty business, particularly through operatives such as Slander.

32. #32Pardonersselective

    Keys: Pardoners

    Great guild. Acting as everything from therapists to exorcists, the Pardoners control and manage the Shadow inside of every wraith. They are invaluable members of Stygian society because without the Pardoners and Castigation, Stygia would collapse into Oblivion in a fortnight.

33. #33Usurersselective

    Keys: Usurers

    Great guild. Usury is an extremely useful Arcanos which allows the trade of Pathos and other goods from one wraith to another, However, the Usurers themselves still struggle to recover from their fall following the Breaking, trying to regain their reputation and respect.

34. #34Chanteursselective

    Keys: Chanteurs

    Working guild. The guild of Keening is generally grouped together with the Sandmen as the entertainers of the dead, able to affect and manipulate their voices to give life and passion to the hallow emptiness of the Shadowlands. They are offered a wider berth than afforded to less fun guilds, because after all, who wants to exist in a silent afterlife?

35. #35Harbingersselective

    Keys: Harbingers

    Working guild. Masters of the Argos Arcanos, the Harbingers are the primary transport and messenger service for the dead. Without the Harbingers, Stygian outposts would be unable to communicate and many wraiths would be lost in the Tempest. However, as the majority of Harbingers focus more on their personal work rather than Guild affairs, and the Guild itself is loosely organized, they are not considered a Great Guild.

36. #36Oraclesselective

    Keys: Oracles

    Working guild. Fatalism is the Arcanos of seeing the past and future. Draped in tarot cards and astrology, the Oracles are looked at with suspicion and fear as the ones who always know too much. As a result, the guild occupies a quasi-legal state – well-organized, but nobody admits it in public.

37. #37Sandmenselective

    Keys: Sandmen

    Working guild. As with the Chanteurs, the masters of Phantasm work the theatre of dreams and sleep, Their art is more subtle then most and it is one they love above all. They are afforded a high degree of independence because eventually, everyone in Stygia visits them for entertainment.

38. #38Hauntersselective

    Keys: Haunters

    Criminal Guild. The practitioners of Pandemonium fled to the shadows because their entire purpose is to violate the Dictum Mortuum. They have spent their time cackling like maniacs ever since.

39. #39Monitorsselective

    Keys: Monitors

    Criminal Guild. Lifeweb is a critical Arcanos for the maintenance of Fetters, allowing the Monitors to watch, visit and protect the Fetters of themselves and others, but regardless the Monitors are mistrusted due to the encouraged abuse of their Arcanos by the Guild. If they were not so paranoid and generally unpleasant, they would likely have an easier time in Stygian society.

40. #40Spooksselective

    Keys: Spooks

    Criminal Guild. The closest thing to a New Jersey Mafia among the dead, the Spooks are a confederation of adoptive families united by their mastery of Outrage, their control of Pathos-running and other quasi-legal enterprises, and their willingness to do head-busting favors as often as possible. They are much like the Mafia of the living; you don't know they exist until you need a favor from them.

41. #41Proctorsselective

    Keys: Proctors

    Criminal Guild. The entire purpose of Embody is to visit the Skinlands. Unlike these other guilds, the Proctors have always been intensely self-absorbed. While a criminal guild, they are considered a nonthreatening criminal guild.

42. #42Puppeteersselective

    Keys: Puppeteers

    Criminal Guild. The Puppetry Arcanos allows control of living bodies, and of the criminal Arcanoi is the one that has found the most unofficial use throughout the history of the dead. That said, the Guild has always been barely tolerated at best, and these days, they hide out in the Skinlands as much as possible.

43. #43Alchemistsselective

    Keys: Alchemists

    Forbidden Guild. Flux masters were historically considered something of an appendage to the Artificers. With the Breaking, the institution of the Dictum Mortuum, and the loss of support from their parent Guild, the Alchemists had no place to go but underground. Originally, the Alchemists were members of the Artificers Guild who tinkered more with working across the Shroud than soulforging. The key difference in their development came when a small faction of these wraiths began to research and tinker with an object's actual structure, rather than mere control over it.

44. #44Mnemoiselective

    Keys: Mnemoi, Mnemos

    Forbidden Guild. Once the judges of Stygia, the masters of Mnemosynis used their mind altering powers to interrogate and investigate, but were found corrupt and banished from Stygia with a vengeance far before the Breaking. Any which are left use their powers now as "Mind Robbers" stealing and selling back the memories of victimized Wraiths, They are spoken of in frightened whispers and have no place in open Stygian society. The punishment for Mnemoi membership is soulforging, no questions asked.

45. #45Solicitorsselective

    Keys: Solicitors

    Forbidden Guild. Never part of the guilds per se, this cabal of Intimation masters can change and manipulate the desires of others, a power with fearsome potential, since in the wrong hands it could change someone's entire identity in a mere instant. Despised by Stygian society, they have continued illegally since the Breaking as if nothing had happened.

46. #46Argosselective

    Keys: Argos

    Argos is one of the thirteen primary Arcanoi. Users of Argos can manipulate, navigate, and travel through the Tempest. The Tempest is a hazardous and tricky place to journey through, and those with the ability to travel through it relatively unscathed are able to sell their services easily. It is much easier to find a wraith with Argos than a Ferryman, though a Ferryman’s services are almost guaranteed, where with a Harbinger, there is always a small chance of danger.

47. #47Castigateselective

    Keys: Castigate

    Castigate is one of the thirteen primary Arcanoi. Users of Castigate can manipulate and control a wraith’s Shadow. Pardoners have a rare gift: the abilities to soothe an otherwise unruly Shadow, to scare Spectres away, and to take on Oblivion in general. Pardoners can even communicate effectively and calm their own Shadows to a degree. It usually comes at a great cost to the user, however; Pardoners are particularly prone to gathering Angst from their constant contact with darkness.

48. #48Tempestselective

    Keys: Tempest

    Tempest is a term used by the Wraith to describe the ocean of the Underworld. The worst, stormiest sea that a mortal ever set sail upon.

49. #49Embodyselective

    Keys: Embody

    Embody is one of the primary thirteen Arcanoi. Those who use Embody can manifest in the physical world and, under the right circumstances, appear as a living person. Embody, while not expressly forbidden, is strictly regulated by the Hierarchy, due to the influence of the Dictum Mortuum. Once a wraith is fully Embodied, they can be injured like any ordinary human.

50. #50Fatalismselective

    Keys: Fatalism

    Fatalism is one of the primary thirteen Arcanoi. Those with the gift of Fatalism are able to see into another’s past or future, and read a wraith's ultimate Fate. Applying Fatalism requires some degree of ceremony around it. Tarot cards, runes, astrology, or other props or methods are used to help focus Fatalism’s abilities and make it easier for the Oracle to see what they need to see. Fatalism will work without these things, but unless the Oracle is unusually powerful, the visions will be unfocused and almost impossible to interpret.

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