Project Universe

He’s rumoured to be very powerful though he will only appear in the direst of circumstances. Some say he’s the strongest individual in the city. Most of the time he prefers to send his apprentice Watermen out to take care of the work for him.

The Waterman Guild is a neutral organisation acting as the peacekeepers in Ariaselle. Their original job was to filter and distribute the water supply to all the inhabitants by maintaining the complex system of pipes and mechanisms built around the Silver River. Members live in the Watchtower at the Northernmost point on the Inner wall. They are generally respected by all the people living in Ariaselle, though the have a tendancy to act mysterious and guard their secrets jealously. Only a Waterman is allowed to enter the area between the Inner and Outer walls.

However they definitely should be taken seriously if a leader appears who can unify their chaotic talents. This has happened before and history tends to repeat itself...so  long as the Seat is there, the Rebellion will never die.

The Duke is a title passed down through male heirs of the Noble lineage and holding the title instantly grants full support from the rest of the Bluebloods. The Duke lives in the Blueblood Mansion, a lavish display of ill-gotten wealth, and has no qualms in flaunting his fortune. He and his Bluebloods tend to venture out of the southern Aquarelle area on their purebred steeds to look down on the common people. Ironically, it is their taxes that allow him and his followers to live the lifestyles they’re accustomed to.

The Witch is rumoured to be one of, if not the oldest being in the Land of the Silver River. Her territory runs along the Western side of the Border, where the mirrored Five Ways House stands at crossroads. She has only two close aides who follow her lead with wholehearted devotion. They can always be recognised by their distinctive birthmarks that bind them to their mistress. Though they number few in comparison to the Shrinepriests, their powers can be said to be more concentrated. She is at odds with the Shrine of the Brilliant Gods.

By some cosmic rule, to prevent too many unnatural Old Souls from forming and disrupting the balance of the universe, there is something akin to a net between worlds to siphon out the larger clumps of soul. Therefore the most ancient Old Souls must have eluded the nets for many, many cycles to grow to such a powerful size.

soul is not eternal. soul constantly enters and leaves the cycle. 

The Brilliant Gods are colourful beings deified by the Shrinepriests, who insist they were the ones who founded Ariaselle. The leader of their followers is the Priesthead. Their base is situated East of the Border which is where both the Temple (where the priests live) and the Shrine (where the Gods dwell) are. The followers of the Brilliant Gods often use the phrase ‘Brilliant’ as well as numerous other charms that call upon the blessings of the divine ones, and can often be spotted from a good while away because of their brightly coloured outfits. They are at odds with the Witch’s faction.

The more times soul passes through the cycle, the stronger it gets, and after hundreds and thousands of cycles they may start to be attracted to other pieces of soul, forming an Old Soul.

Most Travellers are Old Souls. Simply because if their Soul did not have the tenacity to stay together, they would just dissipate into the soul stream, lost forever.

Several main powers and fractions are present within Ariaselle, and most people belong to at least one. The main divide is between two Landowners and their respective followers; the Witch’s familiars and the Gods’ Shrinepriests. A steel rope stretches from North to the South, marking out their territories. Then there are the Duke and his Bluebloods who reign over Ariaselle from the Blueblood mansion, Aquarelle; a rift has always existed between the nobles and the commons’ Rebellion. The only perhaps neutral organisation is the Waterman Guild, whose members control the water supply flowing in from the Silver River...

Though Souls are made up of soul, broken apart and collected again, sometimes the same pieces of soul stay stuck together as they pass through the worlds. An Old Soul. When this happens and it is reincarnated into a sentinent being, unusual things can happen...

In some worlds, it is possible for beings to influence the soul around them. This phenomenon is broadly referred to under the umbrella term of magic.

In the natural world, there are soul ‘hotspots’ where more soul than usual has gathered for some reason or another. This can reasonate with beings with Souls, making them feel more at ease or more uncomfortable.

Because of the way the soul system works, one person could be ‘reborn’ as a whole plain of grass and conversely parts of their Soul probably would’ve been a roadside rock or someone else at one point.

soul with a small s refers to the general essence while Soul refers to the conglomeration of soul that resides in a sentinent being (e.g. human).

Sentinent creatures are born with a huge amount of soul. But when their mortal bodies expire the Souls return to the cycle like raindrops falling on an ocean, where the soul herders make sure they flow in the right direction towards the next world.