Xenthic

Xenthic
He/Him | Deity
Mate: N/A

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The God of Death.

The only dragon alive that is currently aware of him is Calistrival, due to the pearlcatcher literally making a deal with the devil to stay alive. Because we're quirky like that

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How does death/the afterlife work here?

You might be wondering Huh? Don't Tell Me there are intricate details to how Death works in your lore, Clam! You can't do this every single time!
And I'm responding HAHA!! LOOK AT ME GO!!

Bear with me here, a lot of this was made up impulsively in the middle of the night.
Essentially, though, every dragon has a soul. When a dragon dies, a short period of time (varying between individuals) will pass before the soul will leave the body, either choosing to remain as a wandering spirit, possess something, or dissipate.

Ghosts are spirits who choose to linger around the mortal realm, usually invisible to everyone alive. Gradually, these spirits become less sapient, and after enough time as passed, they will essentially be reduced to wispy memories of the dragons they once were. They will often find themselves in ruts that resemble routines they would follow in life, and are eventually unable to escape them unless forcibly moved by a stronger presence.

Some spirits, upon leaving their corpse, will decide to possess something. Ghosts can only possess inanimate objects, and may not inhabit the body of anything that is or once was alive. So, no, as much as many would like to, they cannot just put themselves back in their own body and get back up like nothing happened.*
Once a ghost possesses an object, they are bound to it, and cannot leave unless forcibly removed. How much control they have over their inanimate body will grow over time, depending on the will of the spirit.
AKA, a newly-possessed object will not be able to move or make sounds. An object that has been possessed for many years, on the other hand, might be able to move around on its own accord and/or make small noises.

And example of possession can be found here.

*There are exceptions, however. Undead are a phenomenon in which the soul can repossess its body, though this usually has consequences. Nobody is quite sure how this happens, though some have theorized a certain 'outside' entity might be the culprit...

[ Included under the Undead bracket are Emperors. When Imperials die too close together and begin to form into an Emperor, the spirits of the respective imperials are forcibly yanked back into the body, a process that usually leaves them quite mangled. Imperials that form into an Emperor soon after their deaths, meaning their soul hadn't left their body yet, are more likely to retain some semblance of sentience than others... as the whole mangling process does not happen. ]

Xenthic does not appreciate souls that try and cheat their way out of ghostlihood by possessing/reanimating themselves. Should he find out this is happening, he will often send one of his own creations to track down those rulebreakers and force them out of whatever body they've lodged themselves back into.

The only exception to this rule are dragons he thinks he can make useful.
The problem here? In light of this, Xenthic has become quite a dealmaker. Should he find a dragon he pities, or finds interesting, he may give them another chance at life - given they complete a task (or set of) for him.

Dragons that complete Xenthic's request become Demons. Essentially immortal beings with a fair deal of power, and are allowed to present themselves as either ghost-like or fully corporeal should they so choose.
Many demons use this to blend back in with society, pretending like they never died. Others use this for the power, even if Xenthic keeps a close eye on those he feels will abuse their new positions.
Demons are called upon by Xenthic whenever he needs them, however, and as part of their deal, the Demons he request MUST obey what he tells them to do... lest they want their Power Rights revoked.