Int(r)o Ekhypso - Species, Death, & Afterlife

What's a nymph? Do vampires sparkle? Discussing the different beings on Ekhypso and how they came to be.

Jun 29, 2026

Preamble

I realized I’ve never posted a direct introduction to the lore of my paranormal fantasy realm, Ekhypso. It’s about time I amend that! Up first: introducing the people that inhabit the realm. I’ll also link the referenced/related stories at the end!

Origins

There is one ‘truth’ that has been consistent throughout every aspect of my worldbuilding, and that is the entanglement of chaos and order: it is not light or dark, black or white, but grey and dim and in-between. The angels are not the ‘good guys’, the devils not always the villains. In fact, it’s often difficult to point at any one aspect and claim it is only one thing. This is why I call the universe overall, ‘the planes of equipoise’.

I wanted to divorce Ekhypso from that Western morality that I have seen too often, and do so while still embodying balance.

When Ekhypso was visited by creatures from other planes—extraplanars from Kyth and Caellüren—the exposure to new magics changed reality itself. The single native species was corrupted by curses, polluted by death and time, and even the realms own magic warped beyond recognition. This First Age was aptly known as Maledicum Chao, ‘the curse of chaos’. There was no balance or symbiosis. It was raw destruction. And so, as my favourite leather-clad chaotician once said, “Life finds a way.”

The Breaking hit the realm with not only a hard reset, but an entire remodel. The corrupted magic could not be dispelled entirely, so instead it had to transform it into something new. The remaining natives, those suffering from curses, even the magic of the curses themselves, was pulled a part and made into something new. It created its own balance, a scale that keeps each side not only inextricably linked to its pair, but interwoven into one giant tapestry. Each aspect bears the scars of a realm they no longer remember.

The six core species of Ekhypso are: human, nymph, fae, vampire, shifter, & werefolk.

“But what does that even mean,” I hear you asking, “if the context of your realm deviates from common depictions?!”

Okay, okay, I hear you! I’ll get into it, but first…

Death

Zularyn is the perfect mirror of Ekhypso, and both impressions of the original form. That’s right, there’s an entire second realm that I’ve only alluded to before now! Life, death, and magic feed through both in a continuous figure eight. Souls are a very real, sometimes-tangible thing in these realms (it’s what Kyth and Caellü came for, after all).

Many species live long (often seemingly ‘immortal’) lives on Ekhypso. Once they die, their souls go to Zularyn. There they retain immortality, in a way, though they are now subjected to a process called Withering. Each time they are killed, they return to Zularyn with one less piece of their soul. Eventually there is not enough to return. Bodies become hollowed husks of former people. Feral creatures, mindless beasts, and then nothing at all. But there is one species divorced from this: humanity.

Humans

Eugh, boring, right? Well what if I told you that humans get to be special, too, in their own fucked up, horrific way? Their souls still go to the afterlife, but when killed they aren’t subjected to Withering, instead returning to Ekhypso to start a new life with no memory of their former, over and over, for as long as they remain human. Humans reincarnate. Their own flavor of immortality.

As with all things in these realms, this is not a gift. While on Zularyn, the soul remembers each life it has lived, every face it has worn, every person they have grieved. As alluded to in one short story, this first may initially offer the hope of fresh starts, new opportunities, and evolution. A handful of lifetimes in, however, all of this information begins to drive them mad. Most humans are their own feral, mindless creatures on Zularyn, and are quickly sent back to Ekhypso for another life, beginning the cycle anew.

Nymph

Nymph, like many found on Ekhypso, begin their lives as humans. However they are the only species that are not found on Zularyn. The nature of their creation prevents it.

“They were called many things across the Wheel: Erdgeist in Oryseran, Maeste as my father would say in his Ieatan dialect, but most commonly they were referred to as Nymph.”
A Tree That Breathes

Nymph are humans who die tragic deaths, specifically related to elemental disasters and tragedy. While terrifying deaths may often lead to ghosts and geists of varying haunting abilities, nymphs’ souls are not simply tied to their grief, but to the very element that killed them. What they become instead mirrors the Withering on Zularyn. They relive their deaths repeatedly, and whether through succumbing to these memories or actual deaths (if an element can even be killed), over time they are consumed entirely by the element that killed them.

Yeah, kind of a bummer.

Fae

Despite humans and nymph symbolising the native realm magic, the fae are actually the species that most closely reflects original Ekhypsans. Peaceful, ethereal, and long-lived, fae are another naturally born species. Their magic draws on the power of the sun—as celestial bodies did not exist in such close proximity, before the Caellü arrived to their plane of existence—and manifests in various forms of light, warmth, and healing.

Unfortunately between their magic and their pacifism, the fae did not thrive for long on the new Ekhypso. Before the Crusade against inhumans had even begun, fae were on the brink of extinction, overhunted by vampires who crave the intoxicating taste of sunshine in their blood. Death gave them no escape. Zularyn, with neither sun nor moon in the sky, left the fae entirely without their magic. Further unable to protect themselves.

Vampire

Vampires are more self explanatory. Undead, drinking blood, and so forth? Yeah, that’s the general idea. In Ekhypso, a vampire’s heart still beats. Slower, fainter, and not with their own blood, but it beats nonetheless. Their bodies are physically altered in their turning, allowing their bodies to function purely on blood, yet able to create none of their own.

Not all turnings are successful, as they require precise timing, strength, and a whole ton of luck. An incomplete or unsuccessful transformation can leave nothing but a corpse, or it could create a fanged and taloned creature with no thought beyond their lust for blood. (In these ways, vampire and werefolk are much the same). Even if successfully turned, new vampires don’t tend to survive long. The human—or, very occasionally, halfblood—body goes through structural changes when turned. Adjusting to their new stature, abilities, weaknesses, and bloodthirst is a difficult thing. Plus, vampires are prone to infighting.

Typically solitary by nature, as opposed to the fae who thrived in community, some vampires remain in small groups of rarely more than six. Any number beyond this is considered a nest, and nests are known to fester with insanity. On rare occasions nests join into one massive swarm: an entire battalion of raging immortals. This has historically had devastating effects made even worse during a full moon, when vampires are at their strongest. Especially those who have lived long enough to develop magic.

Shifter

The final species that is naturally born, shifters are made for adaptation. They can become any animal that they have adequate understanding of at any time. The Venatrii, an order of halfbloods who hunted inhumans in the Crusade, always considered shifters the most dangerous adversaries due to their capabilities and unpredictability. Many shifters could disguise themselves as human, seeing as they have less restrictions as other races. No sun sensitivity, no periods of time where they are forced to be absent. And, whether natural or as an adaptation to the crusade, most shifters are typically solitary. This has been both a strength and a weakness, as they have no strength in number or personal allies to turn to. Most shifters post-crusade do not know any other like them—they may even presume themselves to be one of the last of their kind.

Werefolk

Yes, werefolk, because there are more than just wolf packs running loose. All variants of werefolk are carnivorous mammals, with the most common forms besides wolves being large cats, bears, or foxes. Many consider werefolk “undead” in the same way vampires are due to the similar turning process. A human must be attacked by werefolk, brought to (or beyond) the brink of death, and survive both their injury and their rising fever. This change is only complete after the first shift, where their “human” bodies are altered. Shifting is gruesome and laborious, though it lessens slightly after the first shift and joining a pack. If not in a pack, or if something goes wrong during the transformation, they can become rabid beasts with warped animalistic proportions.

Werefolk cannot naturally reproduce and must turn someone to add to their pack, though this process is obviously risky. Some presume to have perfected it, others refuse to add to their packs, and yet others attack groups of humans at random and hope for the best. Since werefolk age at a slower rate than humans (a decade being one year physically) most werefolk have internal rules about turning children, considering 20 the age of ‘adulthood’ where people may be turned.

Differing from the typical werewolf depiction, werefolk do not shift on the full moon, rather the new moon or the month of Kyoril where the moon is entirely absent from the sky. During the day before and after a new moon they can shift at will. On the day/night of the new moon they forcibly shift for the entire duration. Werefolk are unable to shift otherwise unless they are on Zularyn where there is no moon to rule them.

Conclusion…?

But wait! There’s not more? I don’t know if you noticed, M.K., but that original fact sheet had more than six options.

Why thank you, me writing this, for pointing that out. While this post covered the six main species, there are of course other beings: the extraplanars, their fallen of the first age, halfbloods, dragons (yes, dragons), new critters, and more. I didn’t have time for them all, so let me know if you’re interested in a Part 2!

Authors note & story links:

As always, thank you so much for reading!!! I hope this piqued your interest, answered some questions, or made you think of more—feel free to comment or message and let me know. I love hearing from y’all and am always happy to answer questions. I’m excited to be getting more of my brainchild out into the world.

Into Ekhypso

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