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F.A.Q.
SOUL HEALTH RESEARCH & EXTERMINATION DIVISION
F.A.Q.
F.A.Q.
ET2-506B
What exactly is a Soul Capsule?
A Soul Capsule is implanted in your character upon arrival while they are unconscious. The spleen is removed and the Soul Capsule is inserted in its place. Over the course of a few hours, the soul is absorbed into the capsule. This process is all completely painless!
However, the process is also completely irreversible and there have been no known cases of anyone reuniting a soul with its body once it has been encased within a capsule, even if the capsule is broken. And these have been around for centuries. In theory, should the Soul Capsule become damaged enough to break, the soul would disperse immediately. Boom, death. Forever.
But that is simply impossible. Only those who invented Soul Capsules know the exact way to destroy one, and that is the most well-guarded secret in the universe. Perhaps even the multiverse itself. So if you manage to destroy a Soul Capsule, you can assume it was fake. Like anything, everything has a knockoff.
Now, given the nature of the game, sometimes the insides could find themselves on the outside.
The Soul Capsule itself looks like a small, silvery little orb roughly the size of a chicken egg and about as heavy as one. It's faintly see-through, but the only thing on the inside is a faint light dimmed by the material of the capsule. A soul can be any color, but they never seem to change color.
If a Soul Capsule is surgically removed without a character dying, the body will survive for a few days, but will always eventually die, no matter how much medical care they received.
When a character touches someone else's Soul Capsule, they feel an imprint of them, as if it feels like they're touching the essence of all that makes them who they are. It is very personal, very intimate, and usually illegal to ever touch or tamper with anyone's Soul Capsule.
However, the process is also completely irreversible and there have been no known cases of anyone reuniting a soul with its body once it has been encased within a capsule, even if the capsule is broken. And these have been around for centuries. In theory, should the Soul Capsule become damaged enough to break, the soul would disperse immediately. Boom, death. Forever.
But that is simply impossible. Only those who invented Soul Capsules know the exact way to destroy one, and that is the most well-guarded secret in the universe. Perhaps even the multiverse itself. So if you manage to destroy a Soul Capsule, you can assume it was fake. Like anything, everything has a knockoff.
Now, given the nature of the game, sometimes the insides could find themselves on the outside.
The Soul Capsule itself looks like a small, silvery little orb roughly the size of a chicken egg and about as heavy as one. It's faintly see-through, but the only thing on the inside is a faint light dimmed by the material of the capsule. A soul can be any color, but they never seem to change color.
If a Soul Capsule is surgically removed without a character dying, the body will survive for a few days, but will always eventually die, no matter how much medical care they received.
When a character touches someone else's Soul Capsule, they feel an imprint of them, as if it feels like they're touching the essence of all that makes them who they are. It is very personal, very intimate, and usually illegal to ever touch or tamper with anyone's Soul Capsule.
What happens when a character dies?
When a character is in the transitional period between Soul Capsule and awaiting a new body, everything is dark. There is no sight, there is no sound, there is no touch. The only thing characters feel is a deep, primal sadness, a sense that there's something perfect just beyond the darkness, an innate sense that that perfection should be yours but something insidious, something unnatural, is preventing you from being there. You can't stand not being there. The grief is overwhelming and everlasting.
Until you wake up in that brand new body of yours! Usually that part is kindly erased from your memory as a part of the process. Not here!
Until you wake up in that brand new body of yours! Usually that part is kindly erased from your memory as a part of the process. Not here!
Is it actually possible for a soul to die?
Yes, and there are two ways it can happen.
To be eligible for the first option, a character MUST be in the game for a MINIMUM of 6 months.
1: Your character has been in the game for several months. They've endured all kinds of turmoil, they're tired, they're at the end of their rope. When they die this time, the Soul Capsule cracks, the soul is expelled and a primordial scream shakes everyone to the core. Everyone feels a sense of deep and profound dread. A feeling... a sense that something that should have fundamentally never happened, just has.
Congratulations! Their soul has died! Science achieved! What does this mean?
For all intents and purposes, this is a SOFT REBOOT for the character.
Remember how S.H.R.E.D. plucked you from your reality? Great news! There are an infinite number of YOUs out there. And most of them are pretty much exactly the same as the You who just died forever! Or they're different! WHO CARES! Science certainly doesn't!
Players may choose to reboot their character using the same canon source as before, or they may choose to tweak their canon in various ways (pending mod approval!) for when they come back, just to avoid anything getting too stale. This is entirely up to the player, and entirely opt-in.
2: DROPPED characters who have been in the game for at least 6 months will be considered a Soul Death. The same scream occurs.
To be eligible for the first option, a character MUST be in the game for a MINIMUM of 6 months.
1: Your character has been in the game for several months. They've endured all kinds of turmoil, they're tired, they're at the end of their rope. When they die this time, the Soul Capsule cracks, the soul is expelled and a primordial scream shakes everyone to the core. Everyone feels a sense of deep and profound dread. A feeling... a sense that something that should have fundamentally never happened, just has.
Congratulations! Their soul has died! Science achieved! What does this mean?
For all intents and purposes, this is a SOFT REBOOT for the character.
Remember how S.H.R.E.D. plucked you from your reality? Great news! There are an infinite number of YOUs out there. And most of them are pretty much exactly the same as the You who just died forever! Or they're different! WHO CARES! Science certainly doesn't!
Players may choose to reboot their character using the same canon source as before, or they may choose to tweak their canon in various ways (pending mod approval!) for when they come back, just to avoid anything getting too stale. This is entirely up to the player, and entirely opt-in.
2: DROPPED characters who have been in the game for at least 6 months will be considered a Soul Death. The same scream occurs.
My character has powers! Are they nerfed?
Powers are ON during day-to-day life.
Powers are OFF during certain experiments, or as needed.
Powers are OFF during certain experiments, or as needed.
My character can do A, B, C and D, will it allow them to: break the setting, escape the town, get out of an experiment or harm their captors?
No, No, No, Maybe.
My character is non-humanoid! Does it matter?
Great news! They can still put their soul in a capsule. However, if they are non-organic like a Transformer, a human body will be assigned to them. This can look however you wish.
Can my character regain anything from home/do they ever get rewarded for being good test subjects?
Yes, eventually via in-game events or rewards related to activity.
Is there plot, or is it just all torture all the time?
Yes, there is plenty of plot! Characters will learn more about the town they've been put in, the mysterious distant city, the division itself and... well, what's up with those screams and mini earthquakes when a soul dies?
What is the activity requirement?
Check-In with incentives for playing.
If my character didn't pay the price, was their world ACTUALLY destroyed, or was that just edgy scare tactics?
Yes.
Canon Updates?
Information on canon updates can be found on the shopping page. It is a purchasable perk.
Fandom AUs are allowed?
Yes! Your application will be under additional scrutiny to ensure it falls in line with application standards, however they are allowed.
What happens if a Traitor gets caught but the other character agrees to keep their secret?
S.H.R.E.D. will evaluate that relationship to see if the secrecy seems believable. If it holds up, they will begin a behind-the-scenes trial period lasting one week. If nothing leaks during that time, the traitor will be considered pardoned.
What happens to things like translation devices or prosthetics during intake and arrival?
Those are taken during surgery, but giving one up can count as your character’s initial sacrifice. You can frame it that way if it fits. The item won’t be gone forever. It can be bought back later using credits.
How does the traitor sabotage system work behind the scenes?
Major sabotage attempts use a d20 system:
- 20: Your suspicion slate is wiped clean.
- 16–19: You earn one reroll credit or reduce your suspicion by 1 point.
- 6–15: Success. No added risk or reward.
- 2–5: The act is suspicious. Add 1 suspicion point.
- 1: Catastrophic failure. Add 2 suspicion points.
If a character builds up 3 suspicion points in one month, the mods will start hinting at their exposure through narrative posts. Players must let us know if they hit 3 points. We'll try to track it too, but the responsibility falls on the player.
Suspicion naturally decays at a rate of 1 point per month.
What if the character doesn’t care about their home or anyone left behind?
The lack of attachments would be noted. They would still be accepted. The act of giving something up is what matters, even if it’s a planet full of strangers.
Re: World Destruction - How wide is the threat of destruction?
Just their home planet. Unless you piss someone off during intake, then it might be the local galaxy cluster. Or the fabric of their entire reality. Be nice to your S.H.R.E.D. employees.
Do they still have their original clothing or gear after arrival?
No. Characters are operated on during intake and wake up in basic clothing. Original gear is removed and can be earned back using in-game credits.
Navigation_System | ver 1.6180339887...
no subject
1. What happens to characters whose bodies would normally Do Something Really Weird on death? Dissolve, vanish -- basically anything that'd prevent their corpse from holding the soul capsule because their corpse is... no longer capable of physically containing it. Does this go on as normal on death and the capsule just plonks to the ground? Does their body [gestures vaguely] except for a chunk of meat where the capsule is?
2. WEIRD BLOOD. This horrid vampire here has two always-on permanent transmutations affecting his blood: it's acid when it leaves his body (he did this on purpose, this is manageable), and it's an extremely lethal transmutative biohazard that mutates any (non-his) flesh it comes in contact with or induces necrosis, or both, or a third worse option (this was done to him and he's incapable of fixing it). It's grossnasty and it means that any situation where he bleeds at all is potentially really, really bad for anyone who's close enough to get any on them. (Plus he's alive enough to have, like... arterial spray. There's blood pressure going on again. :( )
Scrying my own vibecheck for WHAT WOULD BE COOL has failed me, so I turn to you: what's the read on what happens with blood so weird it could actively endanger everyone in the area.
no subject
1. While powers are ON, this effect is persistent. The capsule would remain wherever the body was, no meat, no leftovers, just the capsule. While powers are OFF, the body would act as a normal body!
With the additional caveat that this is completely up to you, the disappearances could be fucky and only half the body disappears, or the body rapidly decomposes at an alarming rate, etc. Play with it and make it your own :)
2. Another situation where you have options! In a sense, you can turn this on and off at your leisure. The meta idea would be that some S.H.R.E.D. employee is monitoring it, and if a situation arises where you think "Man, it would SUCK if this guy bled right now" then S.H.R.E.D. is probably thinking the same thing. Of course, S.H.R.E.D. would say "let it spray!" but if Professor Oak's voice rings in your ear telling you now isn't the time to use that, you can just assume the effect is off.
However, it sounds like an excellent device for player plots, CR opportunities and potential town-wide wipes, so I'd super encourage you to plot with your fellow peers and come up with some nasty use cases for it! Heck, S.H.R.E.D. might just bottle some of it up for a rainy day.