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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
Basically I have one (1) unfortunate spaceman harbouring an ooky alien entity... While it functions like a parasite when in its larval form, the thing is technically symbiotic and my guy can't survive without it. It's pretty much a big worm that lives in his guts, though it does require the bloody brainy parts of living things to survive, and Konstantin has to yuck the alien right up against his will so it can feed. When it's outside of him, it's capable of shapeshifting into something more complex than a big ole worm, so that it can hunt and commit all sorts of horrible crimes.
However, the thing is extremely adaptable and can adjust to situations & environments as needed (which makes it very easily-finagled to suit particular game settings!) It could be limited to its larval form and have to permanently stay inside him (which would mean Konstantin would have to feed it manually, by sucking down those bloody brainy parts himself / however such a diet might work here) or if it would still be able to come out of him, that could happen more sparingly (it probably would stay inside a lot more anyway because it would be nervous to come out with all the weird shit going on out there...)
I love the idea of taking The Horrors that he already comes with (a lot of autonomy loss, body horror, gross side-effects as a result of his condition) and exploring / incorporating them into the Game's Horrors more than like, having this alien be some Huge Deal All The Time that takes away from what's going on! The thing wants to stay hidden to survive, which I thought would be fun to play around with in a town-you-can't-escape-from, and if he'd work out here it'd definitely be with the intent to maintain the game's flavour! In fact, Konstantin is canonically a lab rat who was being experimented on against his will thanks to his alien infestation issues, so His Vibes are definitely suited for this kind of thing.
I'm happy to clarify further on anything if you need, or if his Parasitic Problems wouldn't be a good fit here, no worries at all! Thank you for reading all this, and for creating a space to torment and spread despair
no subject
My idea would be, say initially it would stay attached/hiding inside of him until he fed it enough (eating the gross stuff himself) that it’s strong enough to hunt on its own.
This could be his motivation to choke down enough to nurture it, or he doesn’t realize until it begins to hurt others. You’d be able to run your own player plots with this, or utilize it however you’d like.
Feel free to use your ideas, a combo of the ideas, or if you have other questions I’m happy to help :)
no subject
Thank you so much for offering room to play with things like that and I'll hit u right up if I think of more questions!