Lycanious
New Member
intro
Ferryman
Shayfer James
overview.
You are dead. Or, perhaps more accurately, you've been dead for quite some time. Perhaps you were never technically alive to begin with, though that would start to lead into heavy debates on the nature of souls and mortality itself and, quite frankly, that's not really your department.
The finer details of the afterlife are rather like that in general, often not relevant to you. Even for those who have been living and working within The Crossroads since before the dawn of time, most will just look at you and shrug when you ask what goes on behind the scenes. What is known is that Souls come through The Gateways into The Soul Keep for processing. They answer their questions, perhaps ask a few of their own, and then when their name and ticket number is called they disappear behind one of the many, many ornately decorated doors connected to the eternal Waiting Room. Anyone who claims to truly know much more than that is either lying, or someone of a much higher authority than they are currently letting on.
Sometimes however, souls are reluctant to move through the doors. They can't be persuaded by gentle reassurances, answers to lingering questions, or the 7ft tall reaper with the obsidian-grade scythe in their hands trying to nudge them through. Other souls yearn to go through the doors but seem to wait far longer than others for their names and ticket numbers to be called, watching as their friends, family, loved ones, and descendants pass through the doors before them. Some souls, very rarely, are never even given a ticket number in the first place.
It's likely that you were once one of these aforementioned souls. The Ticketless come from all walks of life and points in time, with seemingly very little rhyme or reason as to why they were singled out in such a way from the crowd. Nonetheless, they are always instead directed to a different part of Soul Keep, where they will eventually be interviewed and eventually undergo the recruitment process.
There are many careers to be found in The Crossroads, and while it offers flexibility towards its workers there are seemingly no options for one to outright quit the new reality they have been given. The Ticketless may find themselves in the role of a reaper, appearing to souls when their time upon the mortal plane is done and guiding them to The Soul Keep for processing. Others may find themselves in one of the various roles situated in The Crossroads itself, perhaps as a guard to the doors, a caretaker for waiting souls, or as the local entertainment trying to keep them in an amiable mood. You could instead involve yourself with the paperwork side of things, scurrying about to fetch answers for waiting souls, or someone who sits at their desk and maintains the records for each individual. Generally speaking, The Crossroads are happy for you to take on any job that needs someone to take on it, as long as you perform it well.
Most recently, however, there has been a call for a new role amongst the denizens of The Crossroads. Little information is being freely volunteered, spoken instead in hushed whispers in the ear and mysterious summons to dark, dingy areas of The Crossroads that seem to go by unwatched by other souls. There is talk of something unnatural lingering in The Crossroads, a presence neither alive nor dead, and a whispered promise that you, too, can be part of a plan it is brewing if you know how to find it.
Perhaps you are curious, and seeking out a sign for how to speak to this supposed presence. Or maybe you want nothing to do with it, and merely have a habit of being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Regardless, you are a Soul Keeper bound to the whims of The Fates, and thus our story starts with you.
roles
roles.
Reapers
open
Beings whose task it is to bring in the souls of the recently deceased to The Crossroads for processing. Contrary to some human interpretations of them, Reapers are not generally the cause of any deaths themselves. They merely have a schedule given to them for the day and are expected to show up on time to make sure the now-unbound soul is collected before it gets lost or taken for more nefarious purposes. The weapons and tools they are issued are instead included mostly for if something goes wrong and the Reapers have to either contend with an unhelpful environment, defend themselves or, sometimes, finish the job. With the exception of some Mediums, mortals should not be able to perceive a Reaper until it is nearly their time, and likewise Reapers can rarely interact otherwise with mortals directly.
Guardians
open
The counterpart to a Reaper, but nonetheless working towards a common goal. Guardians can come in many forms, and are tasked with protecting souls from being collected prior to their time. Given that they often have to interact with their environment or their Charge directly for long stretches of time, Guardians are usually much more tangible on the mortal plane. They may choose to pass as an ordinary human or, sometimes, pose as a regular animal or object while on duty.
Psychopomps
open
Beings who are responsible for safely transferring souls to and from The Crossroads and other realms. There are multiple Gateways situated all around the world, each with an assigned Psychopomp to maintain them, and Reapers are expected to bring collected souls to one of these points at the end of their shift. The Psychopomp is then responsible for safely taking both them and the Reaper through the portals back to The Crossroads. A range of transportation methods are used, with some Psychopomps option for huge ships that sail down rivers or across the sky, while others may opt for a far more subtle method such as a horse-drawn carriage or car. Some even chose to walk each individual hand-by-hand through their Gateway at a time.
Resolvers
open
Beings that are tasked with dealing with the unfinished business of souls and tidying up loose ends. Unfinished Business in general can be a tricky request in The Crossroads, with most regarding it as less of a waiting game and more like winning the Lottery. There is little knowledge as to how or why Fate decides to grant certain souls a chance to resolve their unfinished business, just that some get lucky with it and some do not. Resolvers are the beings officially assigned to the task when people do get lucky with it, but there is a semi-known ‘underground’ operation of individuals who have been known to function as Resolver for the right bleeding hearts story or, more commonly, the right price. Such a practice is highly frowned upon by The Crossroads though, as are most things that bring Fate’s will into question.
Archivists
open
Beings that spend most of their time fetching, filling out, or filing away paperwork for one reason or another. When not tending the desks in the Waiting Room they can often be found instead maintaining The Soul Keep Library, helping visitors find the answers to their questions amongst its walls. Archivists are generally regarded as the most learned of the denizens of The Crossroads, and often have abilities that let them summon or otherwise obtain the information they need at will.
Entertainers
open
Beings who have made it their job to keep morale high amongst waiting souls and the residents of The Crossroads. Frequently they are performers and work to try to put on a variety of shows or concerts, or perhaps simply play some waiting music in the background during quieter moments. Others may choose to produce visual art of others, write poetry together, or stage lively debate sessions. Some may even just simply decide to wander around the place and tap people on the shoulder, asking whether they want to talk about anything or have any requests for them. They also frequently function as venue owners and merchants within The Crossroads, and may shift between a few different jobs as a result.
rules
rules.
rule one.
While I intend for this to be a fairly laid-back roleplay and not delve deep into heavy themes, by its very nature it does revolve around characters who have experienced death, loss, and various reflections on how they lived their lives. Please only join the roleplay if you are comfortable with exploring these sorts of themes.
rule two.
The Crossroads is considered to be a stopping point between our mortal world and various afterlives, the latter of which should largely be a mystery for any characters. My main reasoning for this is to keep potential mythological/religious concepts somewhat vague and try not to centre around any one belief system as the 'right' version within this world. Individual characters can still maintain their own beliefs or theories on what happens when you pass through the doors to the afterlife though.
rule three.
I'm an old fart in my early 30s, so just for personal comfort I'd prefer if people that apply be closer to my age. Minimum age requirement is 18.
rule four.
I intend for communication to be done primarily through Discord, though am happy to make a RP Nation OOC thread if preferred. While I'll aim to keep discussion open on this and any decisions updated as best I can, please note that the main chatter will likely centre still around Discord. Please message me for the link, even if you just want to pop in and get a feel for things before deciding whether or not to join.
rule five.
I'm not too strict on post length. My general rule of thumb is try to aim for quality over quantity, and by that I mean just remember to give us something we can interact off of and we're probably good. Posting frequency is likewise fairly flexible, though I hope to get replies from people at least once every fortnight. Taking longer than that without any communication prior won't get you banned or anything drastic, but your character may be marked as 'inactive' and the roleplay allowed to roll on without them until further notice.
rule six.
Please note that I am a member of the LGBTQ+ community, and that I and others may have characters with similar identities. While these may or may not be much relevant within the context of the roleplay, I ask that you only join if you are comfortable with this.
rule seven.
I expect basic respect amongst roleplayers, and for the RP Nation rules in general to be followed. Anyone who can't follow these can expect to be swiftly kicked from the roleplay.
intro
roles
rules
The Soul Keepers
welcome to
the crossroads
genre
modern supernatural
status
open to all
gms
Lycanious
spots open
Unlimited
OOC
Discord, OOC Thread
♡coded by uxie♡
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