The Gates of Death are broken on Ectonia, and have been for as long as the Great Lanterns have burned.

With nowhere to pass on, the ghosts of the deceased must be processed into the city power grid by the secretive Undertakers. They monitor the city for the death of any humans with a fleet of robotic Undercrows.

Unprocessed ghosts, forced to wander with no place to go and no way to interact with the City or its denizens, have two paths. Rarely, those who are pure of mind and good of heart muster the patience to refine their willpower into a Spirit of good, and eventually, an Angel. However, the path most tread (necessitating the Undertakers) is towards madness, through which their frustration becomes anger, which manifests as their Ghost becomes a Wraith and eventually a Demon. All of these restless undead act with incredible power, as immortal beings of supernatural and even magical capabilities.

Presumably, this is why the Great Lanterns were forged and lit, though no records speak to cause or effect.

Cults venerating Angels as Saints pop up from time to time, while there are also secretive and corrupt cloisters committed to worship of Demons.
This message was last edited by the GM at 17:26, Mon 12 June 2023.

The Great Lanterns, in turn, receive sacrifices, treasures, refuse, prisoners, criminals, the infirm and even the elderly. All vanish and are consumed by the bright yellow/white flames. Occasionally, they return something: An Enkindled. The Enkindled are human-like, but have been re-forged, giving them special knowledge, abilities, or insights into the world. They are what they are, and similarities to anything or anyone who has entered the flames are coincidental. Enkindled, therefore, form their own society within Ectonia, largely serving the public by investigating and handling dangerous situations, slaying demons, exorcising wraiths and posessions, and occasionally hunting down cults or even rebel Enkindled.

Individual Enkindled may be given special weapons or equipment by the Lanterns, physical prowess and knowledge in manipulating steam, electricity, or the very soul of magic itself directly. Enkindled tend to be in excellent physical shape, and in the prime of mortal life. Over time, those that prove themselves in secluded research and have valuable advice for others distinguish themselves within the Enkindled ranks as a Taper. Those that lead and execute missions on the front lines become known as Pillars.

When an Enkindled is killed in battle, their inner Wraith lashes out in anger, before the body dissipates, usually resurrecting at a nearby Great Lantern, emerging from the flames much as the day they were first forged. However, this cycle is not eternal, and eventually all Tapers and Pillars develop their own theories about when and how one of their number stops getting resurrected by the Lanterns, and why Enkindled are sometimes resurrected far from where they fell.
This message was last edited by the GM at 18:11, Mon 12 June 2023.