Plague Eater

Here I can return your question with another, even more complicated one: Does Kandrakar count as an afterlife dimension? Do people who die go there? Is Kandrakar a spiritual world? Is it?Is it a physical world with creatures that are born, live, and die?

Yan Lin died on Earth and his spirit was welcomed into the Fortress, but all beings there are physical beings; they can touch and interact with physical objects from their dimension. Luba also managed to do that. But it gets complicated with most of the characters; we don't know if they died in their original worlds. Himerish was still completely alive and could return to his world and physically interact with them. Luba also physically interacted with our world on Thanos Island. So it's possible to go to Kandrakar without dying.

Luba, whom I quoted, is another case altogether. If those who die go to Kandrakar, why didn't she return to Fortaleza after being destroyed by Nerissa? Her soul turned into a sphere of light and ascended. So this already shows that Kandrakar is not the final destination of a soul and that there is a life beyond it.

So, can we consider Kandrakar a spiritual world or a more mortal one? I think they're exactly the middle ground. The origin story says that the universe was unified and spirits and creatures lived in harmony. Until beings discovered evil, and the world was divided. A typical Genesis story and an Original Sin that separates the worlds. So I like to imagine that there is the spiritual world of souls and spirits, and the physical plane where mortal creatures exist. Kandrakar is the link between these worlds and a final connection between this world and what lies beyond.

So Cassidy is simply that, she's truly dead, forever, the Oracle can't use her power to bring her back. She is where everyone goes to rest, the ultimate afterlife. Only returning to help Will in his most difficult moment when no one else could help, not even Kandrakar. Everything What Will had was his faith and the stars of his destiny, to which Cassidy was bound.

Finally, there is a connection between the starry sky and eternal life. "To say that someone who has died has become a star in the sky." That the stars are connected to our destiny... It's a story that brings a bit of culture and magic to a tale of witches.

This was deeper and more morbid than I would have liked, I hope it doesn't bring your ass down.

I believe Yan Lin's earthly death was some Kandrakarian magic and it was planned. She only dies right after she gives Hay Lin the map of the portals, Oracle back in Kandrakar says sth like "she's fulfilled her task and can come back here". Then there is the panel where she's last time earthly alive, lying in bed, smiling, falling asleep - an image of a peaceful departure, which here, i think, suggests that she is ready to leave one life and go for the other.

There was no plan like this for Cassidy's death - that is, unless we consider the option that she was deliberately sacrificed - and she was just killed for real. Star of Cassidy wiki explains (i dont remember the details so well) that the star was actually the spark of the Heart of Kandrakar that remains in each keeper, the one that Cassidy gives to Will. I imagine that her soul was somehow connected to the spark/star and so she could communicate with Will for a limited moment.

Ad Hime and Luba - I think they really just moved between worlds. We know that Hime left no remains, only his sword (Jedi style) - maybe Kandrakar has decided since then that they would allow the bereaved to have a closure and a funeral, at least, when they can't have the truth. And maybe Hime could have returned at the start (before Oracleing, if he wasnt Oracleing immediately), but just decided not to (cause he had a lot of problems).

Because - I do believe that Luba returned to Basiliade at times, cause she was constituting the link between the worlds in training "the chosen ones", ie Basiliadean warriors chosen for Kandrakar, like Orube.

So maybe Hime, Luba and Yan Lin were given a different kind of existence, but it's not so clear. Their corporeality may be a hint. Hime perceived almost nothing physically, but he starts to feel, when his role is taken away, then returns to Basiliade fully human. It's specific for Oracle that he feels so little of his body, so that he remains undisturbed i guess.

But I think there might be some milder version of this for others - rather like some eternal stream of living force, health, sth like this, and maybe muted corporeal needs (note: this does not prevent dating within the council of course). Yan Lin is a woman of considerable age, and I do think she looks very fit and healthy in Kandrakar :) And no one complains about backpain or anything... Luba lives for millennia, although we don't know, strictly speaking, if that is uncommon to Basiliadeans, and she's still an active badass warrior teacher. So like, a half-way immortality like Tolkien elves, eternal life, unless killed.

this will take another million years to actually finish, so i'm just gonna post as is to get it out of my queue lol.

blacktober day 15 » canon //  taranee 💜✨

Marrow, Child of Bhaal

She is a Dark Urge oc of @maetersart, thank you for letting me model your darling!

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