Vanished

They who went too far

Found them this morning, lying in the sand, completely naked. They don't remember anything, not even their name. A vanished, yes, but one I've never seen before. Bald, with a smooth ksin only tattered by the dust covering them. Even their gender proved... difficult to assume. Come inside, you'll see for yourself.

— Cecil, captain of Kirenii

While the core principles of the Divine Ordeal were announced during the Punishment, it also has numerous hidden rules that must not be transgressed. The gods, however, did not bother to communicate them to the fallen humanity. One can never know when a rule is broken, and the retribution that follows prevent the offender from learning from their mistakes as they become Vanished.

Trigger

Whenever an individual violates a divine law, they fade from existence within seconds. Their skin turns translucent, revealing their innards before they share the same fate. In less than a minute, there is only air where a person once stood. The broken law is never explicitly reminded, the bystanders can only guess what was the cause. Through trials and errors, some rules have been defined, such as the interdiction of trespassing beyond the boundaries of the jail, blasphemy and drinking water directly from the sources.

You're right, it is the first time I have to deal with such a grave case. By the gods, blessed they be, what did you do to suffer such a harsh penitence?

— Edin Roch, wandering doctor

Twisting the rules

The condition's triggers are absolute, no matter the situation and the individual that transgress the rules. As such, the idiom "Damned Gods!", though rarely employed, is used as a saying to get out of critical situations. When at risk of being killed by thugs or predators, it is a sure way out. It remains a last resort, as the backlash of becoming vanished is too heavy of a price to be lightly paid.

Type

Divine

Consequences

Vanishing is not the end. The gods never let you get away with something as easy as death. After disappearing, the victim will reappear somewhere between a day and a week at a completely different location. The most striking effect is a lasting memory loss of variable intensity. Most of the time, the afflicted will only be able to remember their name and the core principles of the world, but it can get way worse. The duration and severity of the aftermath depends on the gravity of the sin, as trespassing beyond the geographical limits leads to a light punishment with an almost always recoverable memory, whereas blasphemers end up with a whole new identity, their past life completely forgotten.

Some refer to Vanished as "born-anew", as not only their memory is erased. Their identity fades along, and most recognizable features like scars, ripples and tattoos suffer the same fate. In the worst cases, their hair goes away too, as well as some private attributes. In these occurences, it becomes almost impossible to track down the former identity of the Vanished. Even with a name, it proves somewhat complicated to have people remember someone who looks almost nothing like what they used to unless they are relatives.

That's not the worst case recorded though. There's the story of a person found naked in the wild, who went as far as to forget how to breath, walk and eat, just like a newborn.

— Edin Roch

Cultural views

In any case, they should be fine. Dehydrated and famished, but they'll live. I would still advise to deposit them to Wyhalum, if that's in your chart.

Despite losing who they once was, Vanished hold a special place in society. While all praise the gods in words, they despise them in thoughts. Vanished represents people who, willingly or not, dared to stand against the cruel divinities and their twisted will. They are thus respected for their deeds, and the Code stipulates that it is the duty of the captain to rescue and ensure the safety of a stranded Vanished. As a matter of fact, one of the main cause of mutiny stems from the refusal of a captain to stop for a body in the sand, as it is viewed as a collusion with the gods' will.

When they come back to civilisation, the Vanished is seen as a brand new person. Past crimes are forgiven, and grudges, even mortal ones, are put aside as it may be the same body, but the mind was born anew. Killing a Vanished for who they once were is a graver crime than murdering someone even on a petty basis. However, should the Vanished recover their memories, this law does not protect them anymore and revengeful enemies might visit with a knife.

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Captain's log, entry 47: The Vanished we rescued last week still doesn't seem to remember anything, not even if they are male or female. They are having difficult nights though, screaming and kicking in their sleep. The crew's morale dwindles as they are unable to get a good night's sleep.
Something else bothers me. Three crewmembers have gone missing. Matthias, Gregor and Synnec. It's not like them to abandon ship, nor it is to play stupid games. I know them, if they have a problem they would either go and tell me or settle the matter on their own, without any tact. They were the most bothered by the Vanished's perturbations. I wonder if there was a fight, but even then there is a no way to conceal a body, much less three, on the titansect.
Since they disappeared with their clothes but not their belongings, I'm afraid the worst is to fear. I will speak to the crew tomorrow, without the Vanished attending.

— Cecil, captain of Kirenii, last entry.