The Calling

1) The Gate and the Gatekeeper:1

He went off in search of heaven or hell, what he found was somewhere much different, but he never made it past the gate.2

His soul was torn so that he was as two people in one body. Good and bad. But both halves were tired and desperate for change. He went off in search of somewhere better, half longing for heaven, half longing for hell. What he found was a gate. A gate beyond which he knew was the exact place he was seeking. When the gates opened he beheld a hallway as far as he could see, but as he stepped across the threshold something happened. He stalled. After his long journey he chose the one wrong place to stand still. And so the gates closed on him and captured him. Not keeping him in or out, but making him a part of the gate. Here the tearing of his soul became mirrored in his body as he was cut down the center. The good half on the left side serving to warn travellers of what lies in store beyond the gates. The bad half on the right to give that final bit of encouragement to step inside and put an end to that undying, undefined desire within their hearts.3

2) Hall of Souls:4

Should one make it beyond The Gate he must next make it through The Hall of Souls before gaining access to the city. Sounds easy, walking down the hall, but once inside he would find it much more difficult than he had imagined. The walls and ceiling are mirror-like and within the mirror he would see not only his own reflection but also the trapped souls of those who never made it to the end of this half mile corridor. If he looks to the side he will see the souls grabbing at and pulling on his reflection. Should he think about it they would realize that it was not his reflection at all, but the reflection of his own soul that walks amongst these ghosts within the glass. The key to passing unscathed is to keep a strong will and hard soul. Fear, worry, doubt, these are all things that weaken your will and soul. If it is too weak the inhabitants of the mirrors will snatch it away from him and he will be damned to dwell amongst them grabbing for every soul that walks past on the other side of the glass. Striving vainly to ease the loneliness he feels within this new realm.5

3) 3-Face:6

He felt the calling but was afraid to go alone, so he brought with him his two closest friends. He never imagined how close the journey would actually bring them.7

Having recently lost his family, his friends were all he had left, but that did not ease the pain. Everyday he felt more and more lost, then he felt the calling of The City. He wanted to seek out the source of the calling for he was sure that there lay the answer to all his questions and an end to all his pain. Once he had made up his mind to go he could not be persuaded, but his fear of the unknown gripped him, so he called on his two best friends, the closest thing to family he had left, to make the journey with him. They too were scared once they made it to the gates, but they all decided to lean on eachother for courage. With this approach they easily made it through The Gate and passed unscathed through The Hall of Souls. It was this show of support that would bond them forever, quite literally. 8

When the three friends were found huddled together at the end of The Hall of Souls it was evident that they were strongest together, and so it was that they became one. Torn apart and reassembled they essentially became one person. One person with three personalities and three faces to match. 9

4) The Sisters:10

Once an acrobatic act for a traveling circus, The Sisters are identical triplets, inseparable from birth and as close as any siblings could ever be. Tales of their beauty and grace pulled in many customers for the circus until one summer when the show set up in an abandoned complex. That year the show moved on without them (nobody cared what happened, the only panic was in trying to find a suitable replacement act that would bring in more money, and they were quickly replaced with daredevil bikers), and the girls moved on to their new life. All because of one strange day, and one door.11

The day started off as usual for the rest of the circus, but for the sisters something was wrong. The show no longer entertained them. Doing the same acts everyday for years had finally gotten old. The only act that still pleased them was their trademark wheel. That was not enough to keep them, so when they felt the calling, they answered. With their combined courage and strength they easily passed through The Gate and the Hall of Souls and into The City where they met a man who would change them and their lives forever. Now, still inseparable (literally) and closer than ever, The Sisters no longer perform their favorite act, it is just another part of their everyday life now.12

5) The Head:13

Crippled from birth and confined to a wheelchair, he always dreamed of switching bodies. Envious of every man who walked by, he would imagine his head on their body. After many years of wishing he found someone who would make his dreams come true.14

He has a body of his own now, one from a trio of friends who no longer needed it (plus a few minor enhancements), but he still likes to swap out every now and then. Those who wander down the wrong alleys in The City tend to leave in separate pieces. A head in the street is no unusual sight around those alleys. The bodies usually turn up in a day or two broken to an extent that would make any dare-devil cringe and wince. It's amazing the things a person will do when their body is not their own.15

6) The Dark Man:16

The City's resident "ghost", The Dark Man just appeared and began wandering the streets one day, years ago. Nobody quite knows who he is or where he came from, but tales of every possibility can be heard whispered on every street in the city.17

Those who have actually seen him say its like looking at a dusty shadow in a long coat. Pretty accurate description actually.18