Requiem

Requiem has existed since the primal ages.

It is a dark, highly anomalous liquid substance with properties that remain only partially understood.

Requiem is extremely toxic to ordinary humans. Injecting it into a human will usually result in death, although in rare cases, the deceased may return as a Wraith.

Requiem is also the black blood of Wraiths and Hollows.

Because of this, naturally occurring Requiem can only be obtained by extracting it from a Requiem-affected being.

Requiem as a Resource

Requiem is one of the most expensive substances on Earth.

Its value comes from its unique properties and its connection to Wraiths. Exposure to Requiem carries the possibility of fundamentally changing a person's existence — either through death, or through becoming something beyond human.

This has created an entire economy surrounding the substance, including legal research, illegal trade, Wager operations, trafficking, and blood hunting.

Requiem and Wraiths

Requiem is essential to the survival of Wraiths.

Unlike their original human bodies, Wraiths cannot naturally reproduce Requiem to replace what is lost through bleeding.

As a result, a Wraith that loses too much blood can eventually die.

Requiem can also be absorbed back into a Wraith's body through wounds, making it the primary means of healing and replenishing lost blood.

Because of this dependency, Requiem is both a Wraith's greatest resource and one of its greatest weaknesses.

Wraiths may hunt other Wraiths for their blood, making Requiem itself a valuable and dangerous source of conflict.

Requiem and Hollows

Hollows also contain Requiem within their bodies.

Their Cores contain particularly concentrated amounts of the substance, making Hollow remains valuable to those capable of harvesting them.

The natural decay of a Hollow's Core can also affect its surrounding environment, producing rare phenomena such as Requiem Coral.

The Unknown

Despite humanity's long history with Requiem, its true origin remains unknown.

Requiem has existed since the primal ages, long before modern civilization understood what it was.

Its connection to Wraiths, Hollows, Frequency, and the strange phenomena produced by its presence suggests that Requiem is far more than a simple substance.

Exactly what Requiem is remains unknown.