A man’s true essence does not lie in his posessions. It does not lie in his house or his clothes or his weapons. All these items are temporary: a house breaks, clothes become threadbare and a sword rusts. Likewise, a man’s essence does not lie in his body. Hair grays, skin wrinkles and bones break. Time does not, however, destroy the essence of man. A man does not die when his body dies. A man’s true essence, his soul, lives on.

Barring an uncanny experience, which will be covered later, a soul does not leave the body until the body dies. At this point, the soul will be swept away by the World Weave to another plane. Depending on the man’s action in his previous life, he will either be sent to Yashain or Yeresse. Those that were rightous will be transported to Yashain, those that were ruinous will be transported to Yeresse. It is in this matter that men ascend, or descend.

While Yashain and Yeresse are two distinctively different places, they share several characteristics. First and foremost, they are both divided into several levels. These levels are seen to be rising from or sinking below Terra. The further from Terra, the more power each level holds. It is assumed the levels of Yashain are near infinite in number, representing the continued journey towards perfection. Yeresse has an unknown number of levels, as the further into Yeresse a soul sinks, the closer to its own destruction it gets.

The closer to Terra a plane is, the more likely the denizens of that plane are to interact with the mortal world. In the lowest levels of Yashain, it is more just an overlay of Terra. Spirits can clearly see the ongoings of their former friends, and enemies. It is these spirits that most often are perceived as ghosts - at times able to be seen in Terra, but mostly powerless to effect the world. They mostly keep their old form and do not have much in the way of power. This serves multiple purposes - first, it keeps these young spirits in contact with the world they once knew. These spirits can see what they fought for, and why they walked the path of Yashain. Second, by keeping the least powerful spirits closest to Terra, the universe protects itself in a way. These fresh spirits could interact freely with Terra if they had the power, but they lack it. While those with the needed power are further away, and have to cross a much more challenging bridge. Spirits are thus kept from having too much direct influence with Terra, as too much influence could prove terribly dangerous. Lastly, this ability to see but not influence acts as motivation for new spirits to push harder and continue their journey.

By staying committed to its path, a spirit will continue to climb into Yashain. As a spirit raises, more and more of the world is revealed, and the path to perfection becomes clearer and clearer. Despite this, it also becomes more difficult. After the first plane rarely does a spirit ever stop. Some spirits grasp the truth more quickly and rise faster - and some much slower. Others intentionally stall as they find a level they feel they are most comfortable with. Times of conflict in the universe can see spirits rapidly ascend - while other spirits, who were moving upwards, stall as they turn their sights away from seeking the truth for themselves and towards combating Yeresse. Even if they linger, they are still moving upwards.

While structured similarly to Yashain, Yeresse moves from Terra towards annihilation. As a spirit walks it’s path and grows in power, it does not move closer and closer to perfection, but instead closer to destruction. Unlike the common beliefs of Yashain, there is never an end point to Yeresse. The thought is that perfection can be reached, and this would be the pinnacle of Yashain. Yeresse, however, only becomes more destructive as a spirit progresses down the path. Some spirits will be washed away in the waves of unmaking very quickly, while other, stronger spirits can wade deep into the chaos. This means that while there can be very powerful beings residing in Yeresse, it is likely their power will be short lived. Any being with great enough power to seriously effect Terra is usually destroyed before he can use it.

Yeresse is a place that is completely unnatural. Destroying the weave only leads to one’s own destruction, and even the most base of creatures does not wish to be unmade. As such, spirits in Yeresse have trouble migrating deeper into it. Unlike Yashain, there is not always movement. Many new arrivals into Yeresse are indeed evil, but the path to becoming even more evil is obscure at best. Not only does it require self-destruction, it also requires great understanding. Most beings of Yeresse are too lazy, or too simple, to delve any deeper. Those that are cunning and ambitious enough are usually scared off by the promise of destruction. The pragmatic result of this is a huge proportion of the denizens of Yeresse congregating in the levels closest to Terra. Most of Yeresse, then, is active in Terra, but in a very limited way.

The common way to move into Yashain or Yeresse is through a life of servitude to a path, followed by death and the release of the spirit. This spirit then enters the level of Yashain or Yeresse closest to Terra and will likely continue it’s path - or focus upon influencing Terra. This is not always the case.

There are numerous documented cases of a man being so devoted to his path, or receiving the aid of an already ascended being, and managing ascension without death. This is a common feature in all hagiographies - the Saint, after completing a certain task, or when encountered with certain death due to his beliefs, will be enveloped in light and whisked to Yashain. In this fashion, it is also possible to skip the lower levels of Yashain. The reason for such action varies from case to case. At times, an ascended being will take pity upon a follower. It will wish to spare the follower from a painful death. In this case, martyrs usually find themselves drawn to Yashain just before their deaths - their faith granting them sanctuary from the worst of the pain. Other times, ascension will be used as a tool to validate a Saint’s message. So true are his words that he is lifted up by the gods. These cases are all very rare, and death is usually seen as the proper means to ascension.

Ascension (or decension) to Yeresse is far less common. If a man is so in touch with the destructive ways of Yeresse, it is likely he will kill himself before he ascends. Likewise, no spirit of Yeresse will be inclined to help a mortal. Some are selfish, others do not wish to share in the power, while others simply cannot will themselves to help another into their hopeless existence. Regardless of the reasoning, ascended beings do not help.

Other oddities come in the form of what is popularly known as “ghosts.” New spirits in both Yeresse and Yashain can have trouble leaving their mortal lives behind. These spirits were usually just good or evil enough to be sent to Yashain or Yeresse. They have little commitment to the path and with it less commitment to moving along it. Some will be inspired by their ascension, but others will remain apathetic. The most common reason for clinging to Terra is “unfinished business.” The spirit has a loved one they are attached to, or they are obsessed with their own death, or they were part of something they cannot live without. It is common for these types to spend their time following a person, or lingering over an item, or clinging to a residency. While some of these matters can be finished (a lover will die and ascend, a murderer will be caught, etc.), other spirits will remain for some time. The worst part, and hardest to deal with, is that a spirit rarely remembers the details of his mortal existence. He may remember a woman, who was his wife, but has no idea why she seems so familiar to him.