Frozen Feet

You see, not all souls find their place without guidance - those with small minds often can't let go of their Mortal life, and wander as Pluses Ghosts in Middle-Earth Land of the Living, seeking to fulfil tasks left undone in life. If left alone, such forlorn spirits turn into Hollows Lost Souls, who'll try to kill and destroy all they loved in misguided attempt to ease their pain.

For long, things went unhindered, the Fae largely invisible to Mortals, who gladly went on in their lives - until the moment of their passing, of course, when the elves would come and guide them to their rightful destination.

Sadly, even good things don't last forever. Aizen Morgoth Sauron The Viceroy of the Court of Pure souls always held himself in a higher regard than any other, even Illuvatar the rightful King of Souls, and sought to elevate himself to that lofty position. Others of Valar the Court thought otherwise, however, and even though they respected his wisdom and power, they denied him such rank, and when the time came, chose Manwë someone else in his place.

At first, the Viceroy swallowed his pride, but in time he came to detest and envy the new King with such intensity it blackened his very soul. He began searching for a way to gain the throne denied from him, deciding any cost was worth reaching what he perceived as his "true and rightful place". And indeed, eventually, he did find a way, as horrible as it was.

He crafted the Hogyuku Rings of Power, magical artefacts of great potency, and gave them to others of the Court. They were leery of the gifts, as the they did not know how they'd been made, and their powers were of dubious nature, blurring the line between living and dead, mortal and immortal, a Wraith and a Fae. Furious to be turned down, the Viceroy did something unheard of - he gave the Rings to Mortal men, imbuing them with strenght never seen before in the Lands of the Living.

The Court was horrified by the act. Surely, such power was never meant to be given to those outside the Otherworld. They decided to arrest the Viceroy, and bring him to a trial - but when they arrived on his door, he struck his captors down without mercy, and fled to the Land of the Living himself, to rule them according to his whim regardless of what the Court or his King had to say to it.

But the horror did not end there - many were the Fae in who agreed with the Viceroy, and deserted with him. The Otherworld was torn in a bloody civil war, never to be same again.

From the chaos, a new alliance rose - The Gotei 13 Fellowship of Nine White Towers, founded by the remaining members of the Court of Pure Souls, lead by the CaptainsIstari God-Warriors, greatest warriors and wizards the Otherworld had to offer. Proclaiming the Viceroy Chief Amongst Traitors, they waged war against his troops, in a war that shook the world of mortals to its roots.

Eventually, the Fellowship prevailed, but their victory was anything but complete. They slew the bodies nine mortal kings who'd been given the Rings, but could not quell their spirits - their souls, bound to the Wheel like no human should by the Rings, fled to the forlorn realm of Hueco Muendo Mordor Desert of the Damned, where they remain and rule as the dread Espada Ringwraiths Wraith Kings. Their rings were scattered all across the world, and they search for them even today. Chief Amongst Traitors eluded their grasp, and has remained hidden ever since. Rumours tell he found a way to be reborn as a mortal, and has long since left the limits of Earth.

Uneasy peace has lasted for two thousands years. The Nine White Towers have to remain ever watchful, protecting the souls of mortals from the evils of the Desert, and the Wraith Kings who dwell there. And something in the wind tells this peace might soon come to an end...

Soul Chain: a chain that connects a mortal's spirit to his material body. If the chain is severed, the Mortal's material life ends, and his spirit is free to pass on. However, a soul who remains hung up on its mortal life will linger in the Land of the Living, with the severed chain hanging from it's chest.

Ghost (Plus): soul of a mortal who can't pass on - if a Fae doesn't guide it to afterlife, the chain on it's chest will begin to erode, and eventually eat a hole through the Ghost's chest, prompting its transformation to a Lost Soul.

Lost Souls (Hollows): Ghosts who have lingered in the Land of Living for too long, and have lost themselves to madness as a results. When Ghost becomes a Lost Soul, its form will twist into a bestial mockery of its former self, and a skull-like mask will cover its head, hiding its sad and pathetic nature. A Lost Soul becomes increasingly demented as time passes, losing itself to its basest instincts and trying to destroy all it loved in life due to mad jealousy and grief. When a Lost Soul has utterly lost its connection to its former life, it'll drift to the Desert to eat or be eaten by other Lost Souls.

Wraiths (Menos): a gestalt being of hundreds of Lost Souls, populating the Desert of the Damned. They consist only of a large black cloack and a white, beaked mask. Their size varies, from those as vast as a mountain to ones similar to a man in stature. Curiously, smaller Wraiths are more powerful. Most Wraith are guided by nothing but mindless hunger, but the most powerful ones might develop a personality from the warped memories of the Lost Souls they've eaten.

Fae (Shinigami): the elves and immortal spirits of nature who live in the Otherworld, and have taken it as their duty to guide mortal souls to their rightful afterlife.

Lands of the Living: where mortals go about in their daily lives and spend their material existence.

Otherworld, Undying Lands (Soul Society): magical land where the Fae dwell, hidden from the sight of Mortals. Its rumoured one could reach it by sailing far enough in the West, though some mystic practices might allow a mortal's mind to reach it throug other ways. It is told nothing ever dies there.

Fellowship of Nine White Towers (Gotei 13): military of the Otherworld, led by the God-Warriors, mightiest warriors and wizards of the Fae.

Court of Pure Souls: ruling body of the Otherworld.

Desert of the Damned (Hueco Muendo): a land parellel to the Otherworld, where Lost Souls go in search of oblivion. It's a vast, volcanic plain drowned in white ashes and shoruded in eternal night. Barring Wraiths and Lost Souls, nothing lives there. Nine black mountains rise from its midst like dark towers; they are the homes of the Wraith Kings.

Orcs, Demons (Vizard, Arrancar): orcs are Fae or mortals corrupted by the rings of power. This allows them to call forth and use powers they might have gained as Lost Souls or Wraiths even while still alive. Their forms are often twisted horribly, and their reek of death to ordinary mortals. This does not mean they're automatically evil, though.

Wraith Kings (Arrancar, Espada): Nine exceedingly powerful evil spirits, who rule over the Desert with iron hand. They fully recall their mortal lives and have torn away their masks, unafraid to bare the emptiness they've become. They bear an unending grudge against the Fellowship and conspire to destroy them, so they can rule over creation once more.

Well of the Soul (Reiryoku): source of the inner power inherent in all spirits. Measures their power and fuels their abilities.

Radiance of the Soul, Aura (Reiatsu): what inner power of spirit becomes when it flows out of its body. Radiance of the Soul can take on special qualities or affect the world around the spirit, depending on the nature and power of the spirit.

Spirit Stuff (Reishi): energy that composes spiritual bodies and forms of the Fae and other spirits, as well as all the matter in Otherworld and the Desert.

The Art (Kido): known as 'magic' to the uninitiated, the Art is the ability to pour out power from one's Soul Well and shape its Radiance into whatever shape one wishes. As this requires intense concentration, spells, koan, mantras and prayers are usually chanted when trying to create a specific effect. There are many traditions of the Art, but the best known are the Way of Binding and the Way of Destruction. Former specializes on subtle spells that create or transmute Spirit Stuff, doing things like creating barriers or wards and sending messages over long distances, while the latter is focused on manifesting and commanding destructive energies of the world, such as fire and lightning, to destroy one's enemies.

Soul Slayer (Zanpakuto): special weapons of the Fae that can harm Lost Souls and Wraiths, making them whole again and freeing them from their twisted existence. Each Soul Slayer is unique to the Fae that possesses it, forged from Soul Steel poured from the Well of the Soul of that Fae.

Sword Spirit: when a Fae creates his Soul Slayer, a fragment of his personality, often his instinct to fight, is trapped in the weapon, and within it it grows to a being of its own. A Fae can commune with his Sword Spirit through meditation.

Inner World: a dreamy landscape each spirit has within, reflecting their personality and nature. A Fae's Sword Spirit will take residence here.

Manifestation (Shikai, Bankai): an ability that lets a Fae to let loose the power stored in his Soul Slayer, increasing his power and displaying his true, immortal grace even to ordinary mortals. A Fae will also assume qualities and powers from his Sword Spirit while using this ability.

Soul Taker: twisted counterpart to Soul Slayers of the Fae, used by orcs and powerful wraiths. Despite being forged in a same way, a Soul Taker has exact opposite effect, sucking a spirit slain by it to the wielders Soul Well.

Rings of Power (Hogyoky, Resurreccion): unholy devices which can break the barriers between spiritual and material, opening a Soul Well even in a mere mortal. Such an artefact allows the bearer to gain great power and take hideous form of a demonic beast at will, in a twisted mockery of a Fae's manifestation.