cancrymods | Setting & World Information

PURGATORY
Purgatory is the setting of Can Cry and where all the action of the game will take place. As the last stop for the souls of the dead before their reincarnations, Purgatory is a somber place. Typically, there's not much to see or do but because of the influx of human souls inhabiting it long-term, the fabric of Purgatory has begun to warp. In some places, it has come to resemble places from the real world, though distorted through a dream-like lens. Because of this, many aspects of Purgatory also function on very dream-like logic. It can be hard to keep track of the exact time as digital clocks will display impossible numbers and generally glitch out, while regular clocks will display a different time whenever they're observed. In addition, there is universal day/night cycle in Purgatory and each Layer has time pass dependent on its own individual rules. Spectres, however, seem to have an instinctive idea of what time it "should" be, so if you're ever desperate to know the time, you can ask a passing Spectre. Additionally, characters will find that they have no issues reading in Purgatory and will be able to understand any and everything written without any unusual effort. If they focus enough on the text, though, they'll realize the words they're reading are jumbled and nonsensical, just like reading in a dream. Even once they've seen past this (a bit like catching the trick in an optical illusion), they won't have any trouble understanding what they read. Food and drinks will taste exactly as they should. There is no universal currency in Purgatory, but whether or not characters are expected to pay for goods and services (and what to pay with) will vary depending on where they are in Purgatory. Make sure to check the locations to keep up with what and if you should be paying! Purgatory is split into nine floors: The top floor, Limbo is where newly arrived souls wait to begin their descent down to the very bottom floor, where the Cogs of Renewal await. The seven floors in between represent the sins carried by every soul that passes through: Invidia, Avaritia, Superbia, Gula, Luxuria, Acedia and Ira. To start with, the Executors will be limited to exploring Limbo, but with investigating, they will be able to descend further into Purgatory. Each of these floors is controlled by a soul known as a Sinner, who exerts control over the layer and its Spectres via a power called Authority. More information about the individual floors of Purgatory can be found on the Locations page. Purgatory is occupied by Spectres, Eidolons, Sinners, Revenants, Aberrants and Executors.
SPECTRES
Spectres are what make up the majority of human souls in Purgatory. They are the (comparatively) freshly deceased souls of people who should be making their way down to the bottom layers of Purgatory, but are stuck in the upper levels and unable to proceed with their afterlife. Most Spectres are not fully conscious, unable to reform their identities and remember who they were in real life. Particularly weak Spectres take the form of glowing butterflies that flutter around Purgatory and some may be capable of saying a few words, but nothing more than that. After spending long enough in Purgatory or upon receiving the right sort of trigger, a Spectre may be able to retake a human form. At this point, Spectres begin to speak and act more like regular humans but they are still, for the most part, dreaming. If left to their own devices, humanoid Spectres will begin acting out their old lives while in Purgatory and if allowed to do so for long enough with other Spectres, they will regain a close-to fully awakened level of consciousness. This comes with the risk, however, of a Spectre deluding themselves into believing they are still alive and so never moving on through Purgatory and onto their next life. As well as humans, there are occasionally Spectres who were animals in life, typically domestic ones such as cats or dogs. While these are much rarer than human souls, it's still not wildly out of the question that you might occasionally see an animal or two around getting on with their business as you traverse Purgatory. Outside of exceptional occasions, Spectres are typically non-aggressive. If attacked, they will attempt to flee and hide, which makes them easy prey for more violent spirits. From a player's perspective, Spectres are the setting native NPCs of Can Cry. Spectres can be freely NPC'd by all players and they will typically assist Executors in their day-to-day dealings, as they seem to have an instinctive sense that Executors are there to help.
EIDOLONS
The long and the short of it is: An Eidolon Is You. Eidolons come about when Spectres become aware of their surroundings and get a good enough grasp on their self-consciousness to remember that they have died and ended up in Purgatory. It's the most "stable" state for any of the souls passing through Purgatory, but it's also very rare. Waking up from a Spectre to an Eidolon is difficult and even when it happens, it's hard to hold onto – the best comparison would be the moment you become lucid in the middle of a dream and struggle to hold onto it without lapsing back into a dream state and waking up. Communicating with others is generally the best way for characters to remain stable, and eventually, their consciousness will settle and they will not have to worry about slipping back into a Spectre form. There is an exception this, that can be found outlined on the IC FAQ. For players, "Eidolon" is the term used to refer to souls who are aware that they have died and are now in Purgatory, serving to distinguish between regular Spectres who don't know what's going on and the player characters who also don't know what's going on. Okay, that one was mean. Newly apped characters who have yet to become Executors will also be referred to as Eidolons.
SINNERS & AUTHORITY
While all souls passing through Purgatory are weighed down by their sins, there are some who don't wish to let go of them and instead, take active pleasure and pride in the sins they bear. Given enough time and resources to collect power and any soul can become a Sinner. Sinners are what happens when an Eidolon becomes self-aware but refuses to let go of their sins and move on through Purgatory. Their self-awareness in comparison to the Spectres around them allows Sinners to gradually consolidate power over their layer of Purgatory, something that will eventually crystalize into something called Authority, that effectively labels a given Sinner as the ruler of that layer of Purgatory. "Authority" is a tricky concept to nail down, as it is essentially Purgatory responding to the will and feelings of the Spectres who live there. In short, Authority is effectively a set of requirements that one must fulfill to become the ruler of any given territory in Purgatory. Authority can be defined by any number of things and most importantly, once that definition is identified, Authority can be usurped. If any other Specter is able to fulfill the requirements, they can "steal" the Authority over Purgatory away from the Sinner who currently controls it. OOCly, "Sinners" are the antagonists that players will face as the Executors descend through Purgatory. On each layer, the Sinner who controls things must be identified and their Authority hijacked or supplanted in some way. This will cause them to become Aberrants and retreat to the Underside of that layer of Purgatory, unlocking the dungeon for players to explore.
REVENANTS
Revenants are particularly strong-willed Specters who have been in Purgatory so long that they have begun to lose their grip on their humanity. Often, this is the result of losing stablizing aspects of their identity or of being unable to fully return to consciousness after regaining a human form. Driven mad by a longing they don't understand, Spectres left this way will eventually become Revenants with their bodies warping to match the corruption of their souls. Unlike Spectres, Revenants are not human-passing. Freshly-turned Revenants may still be humanoid but left alone long enough and they will become unrecognizably monstrous. From there, Revenants will attack anything that crosses their path and in some cases will even hunt down Spectres and other Revenants to consume them in an attempt to refill the hole inside of themselves. Revenants can only be restored to their original form by an Executor, if said Executor knows the Revenant's original form and can trigger their memories to return. Otherwise, a Revenant must be destroyed, at which point its soul will break down into its smallest components and eventually reform as a Spectre, though this can take anywhere from hundreds to tens of thousands of years. Revenants are the main enemies that players will face when making their way through a dungeon.
ABERRANTS
Aberrants are the most dangerous kinds of Revenants to encounter in Purgatory. Aberrants are born from Sinners who have lost possession of their Authority. The fracturing of their identities causes their souls to destabilize and they become Aberrants, hell-bent on regaining control over their territory in Purgatory. Aberrants are still driven by the destructive impulses that caused them to run wild as Sinners but they are newly empowered by their transformations, allowing them to face Executors with ease and making them more dangerous than ever. Aberrants are the boss enemies that players will face at the end of dungeons and must be defeated to ensure a successful dungeon clear.
EXECUTORS
Executors (pronounced as in 'of a will' and not 'what we should do to Jeff Bezos') are the guardians of Purgatory. It is their duty to ensure all souls safely pass through the seven levels of Purgatory and safely make their way down to the Cogs of Renewal to be reborn. To ensure this, Executors are granted special powers to allow them to defend themselves as they travel deep into Purgatory. From a game perspective, Executors refers to the player characters of Can Cry. Characters can switch between their regular selves and their Executor forms at will and the switch to Executor will come with access to their weapon, a boost in their physical capabilities and a snazzy new look (compare Rei's regular look with her Executor form). As well as their baseline power boost, Executors will also have access to a number of unique powers of their own that you can pick and choose as you see fit. In addition, each Executor is associated with a Sin that represents their most prominent flaws during life. For more information on Executor powers, head over to the Powers and Abilities page. As a note, Executors can only be born from strong-willed Eidolons.