My question is simple: How does this work? I realize that the nature of the plane matters (a mortal that dies in a predatory plane like hell or the Abyss is probably less likely to escape and become judged by Pharasma like they should). But what about mortals living in Axis? Heaven’s Shore? There’s a number of extraplanar cities with a large population of visiting/resident mortals.
Barring any exploitation, would they ordinarily join the River of Souls when they die? Are the souls born on these planes always influenced by the planes the soul must filter through to get there?
Last night I was pondering how to build a campaign for mortals living in one of the many extraplanar metropolises out there- but I immediately became overwhelmed at the sheer scale of trying to explain the cosmology, politics, and economics of civilizations that are nigh eternal.
What should the price range be for items bought and sold in Heaven’s Shore? Do kidnapped citizens of Moonbog (the Demon Lord Jezelda’s domain) have Nephilim babies? Do they all remain damned in the abyss when they die??
There are many many other examples but these are the kinds of issues I’m trying to wrap my head around. Never really thought about the consequences of mortals living where they shouldn’t until now. And there are apparently thousands if not millions of mortals living in many of the non-material-universe planes.
<insert-eyes-escaping-their-sockets>
Ishier, Dagon's abyssal realm for example has fiendish human pirates. Do they have agency-bearing souls?
Heaven's Shore (international trade district located on Heaven's first tier) has apparently 1,204,000 mortals living there.
Planar Hubs (and some of the smaller communities) of the elemental planes have huge mortal (in this sense, non-outsider) populations living in them.
Heck, Planes of Power says that there are many dwarven kingdoms living in the elemental plane of Earth; Merfolk living in the elemental plane of water; Geniekin living in their respective/non-respective elemental planes ; etc.
I really hope there is a psychopomp usher dedicated to the passage of souls to and from each plane because that would be a lot of souls missing out on judgement if they don't eventually find their way to the river.
<still-gawking>
Creative Director
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It generally doesn't REALLY matter where a mortal dies; their soul goes to the River of Souls and thence to the Boneyard to be judged. Magic and supernatural predators and necromancy and certain sacrifice rituals and more are ways that a soul can be delayed or prevented from making this journey, and there are some regions that block this from happening (and thus when someone dies there, their soul has other fates), but for the stuff mentioned in the previous threads, those mortals who live and die in areas outside the Universe still end up going to the River of Souls and on to the Boneyard like those in the Universe does.
Unless you want to run it different in your game, of course!