Put simply, the Kurago is the spirit world. Unlike many other planes commonly known to the Cefa'zisto such as the Celestial Realms and the Beneath, the Kurago exists irrespective of mortal thought and belief. It has existed before mortalkind, and will continue to exist after it, reflecting all that exists in the material world. A world of mystery, the Kurago is as diverse as the spirits that inhabit it. It is possible to travel through the Kurago and pass by locales as varied as miles upon miles of thick mist, to fields where lost spirits amble about aimlessly, to great cities of debauchery and affluence ruled by ghost-kings. The plane is lacking in color, everything is in shades of grey.

The parts of the Kurago that reflect the world of Jaern are the homes of the Jaernian nomad spirits: ancient beings who perished in the destruction of Torandor. While there is no substance to the Kurago it resembles the worlds it is parallel to. Reality has a reflection within the Kurago. The longer a building is in use the more it will appear in the Kurago. If a building is abandoned in the actual world its reflection will fade with time. Time after time, they reincarnate to guide Jaernian nomads, with the nomad's life and experiences eventually joining with the spirit as it returns to the Kurago upon the nomad's death.

Any living being who remains in the Kurago too long runs the risk of losing themselves, becoming lost without help and unable to find their way back to the material world… until their body fades away and they become a spirit themselves. Souls cannot survive withing the Kurago for more than 24 hours. After this time the soul will die leaving behind the spirit of the individual. This loss often time causes the mind of the being to lose some of its sanity.

Someone who first enters the Kurago from the Cefa'zisto will find themselves in the Outskirts. This travel can be accomplished by falling off the islands of Itlan-Youali, using a particular portal, or other magical means. The Outskirts are mostly empty. While there is solid ground, there are few to no objects found here, with everything cloaked in a fog that reduces visibility to a mere 10-30 feet in front of you. The most that exists are crumbling stone ruins in an architectural style that doesn't resemble anything known on Jaern or Cahyali, past or present.

Here and there, “holes” in the Outskirts can be found that lead to the Kurago proper, but these are difficult to find and are often guarded by spirits known as Gate Guardians. Uncountable numbers of these spirits exist, and it is not known if they take the post up temporarily or are bound to wander and guard the Outskirts forever. Getting on the good side of a Gate Guardian and convincing them to help is often the only reliable way for a living person to access the Kurago proper.

This term is somewhat of a misnomer from early days of exploration and inquiry into this mystical realm, as the Kurago Mists may or may not be actually cloaked in mist. Some places are, and some are clear as day. The Mists are believed to make up most of the Kurago, and the majority of spirits spend most of their time in this area. A living person can persist in the Mists almost indefinitely, provided they don't become hopeless or lost - there is no negative effect one experiences by spending time here.

Much of the Mists, especially its more “natural” locales, are in cool, desaturated shades, most commonly blue and purple. What mystical flora exists is often bioluminescent; adventurers have reported sights of flowers with glowing petals, or grasses with odd luminous bulbs on their tallest stalks. The fauna here resembles earthly wildlife, but can't really be compared directly.

Even the spirits of the Kurago may not know much about the Kurago Delves. They are deep, dark places, reflecting what is most wild and unknown about the material realm - and, at the same time, holding perhaps the most valuable treasures and secrets the Kurago has to offer. The spirits that inhabit Delves are thought to be overall more hostile than those who live in the Mists, and rarely interact with the Cefa'zisto in a guardian-spirit capacity. When they do, it is not uncommon for these Delve spirits to force their minds over top of the mortal's, and become second lifers.

The Delves are detrimental to the living: without protection of another spirit or their magic, a mortal's body and soul will dissolve away into the fabric of the Kurago after about 24 hours spent continuously within a Delve, leaving only the spirit behind. These places are dark, but often don't have obvious delineations with the Mists. It is possible for a patch of safe ground to exist within an expansive Delve, or a small Delve to crop up within what is otherwise a bustling city in the Mists. Many spirits can sense the boundary somewhat intuitively, but the living cannot.

There are a few locations within the Kurago that are stable, well known, and can be navigated to with enough care and effort.

Udath is one of the great gathering spots of the Kurago for souls, spirits, and nomads. Udath is a city of souls and spirits filled with towers. Four giant pyramid-like structures named the Pyramids of El help to stabilize the city in the Kurago, preventing it from disappearing and being forgotten in the mist of time and memory. Udath is the memory of the original city of Udath, a place on Torandor before the planet was destroyed. The spirits would not let the city die a second time, and thus the city's ruler, the Spirit King, built the Pyramids of El to preserve the city in the Kurago. The city is divided into three districts, and welcomes mortal visitors.

• Grand Plaza: By far the largest district, and is residential for the most part. Spiraling towers dot the area and serve as homes. Music suffuses this district, and the place is often filled with spirits going about daily business like living folk. The Grand Plaza is also home to the Spirit King's Palace and the Pyramids of El.
  • Spirit King’s Palace: An immaculate domed palace, carved from spiritual energy to resemble marble and ivory. The palace has three floors and a multitude of rooms, and the Spirit King can always be found within the throne room surrounded by treasures. It is customary to come to the Spirit King bearing gifts.
  • Pyramids of El: These four pyramids surround the palace, firing off beams of pure spiritual energy that surround the city and prevent it from fading away, as well as preventing any dangerous Delves from forming within city limits. Inside are the Beating Hearts of El, powerful spirits that work to keep the Pyramids functioning. Only the pyramids' keepers, the King, and those invited are allowed inside the pyramids.

• Market District: A fairly normal market district. Spirits and visiting nomads come here to trade their wares, and nomadic incants are plentiful and cheap here. Food and drink can be bought here - although the food is not quite as flavorful or nutritious as it is in the living world. Rumors abound that some spirits frequenting the Market District know ancient arts and incants that are hidden from mortal nomads…

• The Binding Grounds: A place where Udathian spirits go to meet potential nomads. This place is a large ziggurat where the two enter and converse; the ziggurat was not always a binding ground, but was present when Udath was built. Its original purpose is lost to time. Those seeking to become nomads here may be subject to visions designed to test them and their bond with the spiritual world.

Udath was created by Noah Kauffman (Discord, bluekid). Find a more in-depth document on the location here.

Hidden in the Mists, this area is a group of towns and villages which reflect and resemble various places in Cahyali's Abundant Expanse. The spirits of whole family lines will congregate in a single village within the Reflections, following the Abundance's traditions of ancestor worship. It is almost impossible to navigate the Reflections without the help of a Gate Guardian, or without the help of a spirit that has been in the Reflections for a long time. Each village in the Reflections tends to have a singular Gate Guardian, often a significant member of the constituent family.

The landscape of the Minami Reflections is a calm forest in a perpetual state of spring or fall, with trees that can range from normal sizes to giant trees the size of buildings. Strange spiritual fauna can be found, many of which are mythological beings from Abundance myth such as Raikougan yokai, Ruefang illuminated beasts, or Ulosian kupua. The woods are surrounded by fog, and strange rocky outcroppings. The villages here follow the traditional architectural style of the Abundant Expanse.

Families whose spirits are known to reside within the Minami Reflections include:

• Kentarō family of Ryushu, Raikougan
• Raiden family of Ryushu, Raikougan
• Zuanshi family of Chongbai, Ruefang

Writer's Note: More to be added! If you run in the Kurago and develop any new major locations, please let the Story Board know.