The Scouring of Souls

When you think of death what comes to mind, a return to the earth, a final journey to a higher (or lower) realm, or just a phase in a grander cycle of rebirth? Since the Scouring of Souls, the finality of death is never assured with no certainty of final rest men cling to their fleeting lives. In contrast, others embrace the chance to become Arisen even if they shall so feel the touch of madness and turn into a tainted husk, a Fallen.
The Scouring of Souls was a cataclysmic event for Saera where the Balorn Xaiotol slew the Maiden of Death and stole her Crown of Death, he would then harness the Crown's power and end the sacred cycle of reincarnation, gifted by Aetherion, causing the souls of mortals to wander upon ones end in search of final rest. Some souls began to linger and eventually return to their flesh giving rise to the Arisen, beings who once tasted death but cannot seem to truly die, a sort of immortality, to the gods and other celestial beings this is unnatural, unholy --- and therefore blasphemous. In effect, the Arisen and their tainted kin are hunted by the Deaths Ushers , beings sent by the gods to harvest the rogue souls. However, this is only one of the many problems caused by the scouring, the gods were bewildered about what to do with both the rogue and wandering souls so they decided to store them in the Dreaming City, the seat of power of Ailrun in Aontas, a fatal mistake as they would soon come to find out the most important consequence of the Scouring --- that a god could truly die.

Arisen

The first Arisen were seen as divine beings among their brethren as being able to survive the taint of madness is in itself a miracle, most rogue souls become witless husks of their former selves falling victim to a consuming madness they begin to wither and attack those they once called kin. Many of the first Arisen became warlords of minor kingdoms ruling with a cruel, ruthless fist, when the Deaths Ushers began to hunt them many of their former subjects turned on them for a good reason leaving them to their pursuers. Now those who become Arisen are shunned by society but some do find their place amongst society working as adventurers hunting monsters or delving into dungeons as a vanguard for those of more mortal origin, others work as seers using their ability of undeath to divine the future with visions given on their demise. However, all Arisen must stay wary of the hunter that preys upon them at every waking moment, not just the ushers of deaths but demons who meant to use them as vessels to rise from the Abyss, so to ensure their survival they stay on the dirt path always on the move ever wandering until their road finally ends.

Prey to Devils

With so many souls wandering about ceaselessly it is only natural that certain entities would be attracted to their presence and the Abyss is a hungry maw a meal this enticing would assure its reaction, and so it was that it set its jaws upon Saera unleashing its fouls denizens and fell hordes on the world to collect its due. These demons and devils would ravage Saera for centuries during the first era toppling great empires and feeding on the populace in a fiendish revelry. How could the gods allow such things to happen one might wonder, they were preoccupied with the arrival of more Nameless things from the void. When the world tree awoke from its slumber the seal that separates the Abyss from Saera was restored allowing those who remained to push the fiends back to their realm. However, the maw still hungers and once it has tasted its fair share of blood it will return for the full course.

Sack of the Dreaming City

When the gods began to gather the wandering souls of the dead into the Dreaming City they noticed a peculiar phenomenon the realm became more empowered and beautiful the more souls seethed in but so too did the master of the realm Ailrun. Many of the gods grew curious as to this event, others grew wary, and many more fell victim to jealousy and as the wise may know nothing is more dangerous than a god with eyes of envy. Unlike Saera's gods the Ghyrmae, foreign gods from distant worlds, have always known of what power souls have over their divine power to them Saera's gods are like children delving deep into the unknown, and the Dreaming City a shining jewel in the hands of such children. The Ghyrmae laid in wait as their envy festered to the point where the gods enticed a mortal ruler named Aeternitas, one of the most powerful mages in history said to be able to rival them in strength, to lead his people into the realm of Aontas and secure the souls for them. The invasion of Aontas was more successful than they could ever imagine and Aeternitas' armies pushed all the way to the Dreaming City where he would face Ailrun in combat --- and kill him. This was the first any have ever heard of a god truly dying his soul burst from his body and almost instantly the entire realm fell into ruin, most of Aeternitas' men were slain in this burst and were twisted into dark spirits becoming the first Nightmares.
Aeternitas himself returned to Saera but with a newfound strength --- the soul of a god. While the other gods were picking up the pieces of Aontas, the Gyhrmae had found an even more fabulous prize than they had originally hoped and so they restrained Aeternitas and partook of his flesh bolstering their own strength but drawing the ire of the dragons.

Promise of Paradise

With Ailrun dead it was now possible for the gods to enter his realm their selves and so they descended into Aontas and each promised to the souls they found a paradise in their own realms, hoping to gain what Ailrun had picking at his realm like vultures. Now they have their own servants who guide souls to their respective realms or other gods they trust to ferry the lost souls to "paradise". Nowadays priests would tell you of the salvation that would await you upon death with honeyed words, but don't be fooled for the goods only want one thing and they don't care for you as long as you submit. Before you call this blasphemous ask yourself this why has no one recovered the Crown of Death after millennia, sacrificing thousands of heroes' lives, do you believe they were never successful, that they were never strong enough --- do you believe the gods would actually want it to be found.