The Afterlife: how it works
So, there has been some hints to how it works, but I figured I’d explain it in its entirety!
All bodies who die become ghosts who wander around. Most of these ghosts will fade over time, unless they either choose to be reborn or are guided into Starclan/The Depths by a living cat.
However, if a cat is buried high up, they are able to enter into Starclan
Starclan
Starclan has three ranks; Guide, Member, and Chorus
Starclan’s guides are the strongest spirits. They’re usually the first person to die in a given area, or are important members to the clans. They have the easiest time fully manifesting
Starclan’s members are the ordinary spirits that reside there. They hunt, eat, sleep, and play like normal cats. Members who are under 3 moons old have the opportunity to be reborn into a new life to try again. They can manifest fully, but only around the First Snow (so, for the month of October).
Starclan’s chorus are those who have faded from memory. When a cat is fully forgotten, they are incorporated into the will of Starclan. All prophecies come from the chorus.
All Starclan individuals can manifest in the living world. However, there are different levels of perceptibility
Starclan cats can either manifest silently, partially, and completely. Members can only manifest completely around the First Snow, when the barrier between living and dead thins.
When manifested silently, the Starclan cat expends very little energy. They are entirely imperceptible unless a living cat is born with ghost sight or has trained ghost sight to its full potential
When manifested partially, they will not appear to the vast majority of cats. They will appear as a blue outlines to cats with a strong connection to Starclan. They will appear fully only to cats with ghost sight.
When manifested fully, all cats can see the Starclan cat. Only guides can do this all the time. It expends a great deal of energy, which typical members of Starclan do not have. It is less intensive during the First Snow.
The Depths
Cats thrown into the depths are trapped down there. The lake has a special barrier that prevents spirits from leaving. This barrier is maintained by The Leviathan, a hundred year old lake sturgeon who guards the entrance to the depths. There are three ranks in the Depths; Wraiths, Drowned, and the Freed
The Wraiths are vengeful spirits who have dwelled in the lake for many moons. They have no regret about what they have done, and have some goal left in the living world. This rage grants them greater powers than the average drowned. Unlike with Starclan, the barrier on the lake is absolute until the First Snow. Not even the Wraiths can leave when the barrier is full. Most Depths prophecies come from the Wraiths.
The Drowned are the ordinary members of the Depths. They serve an indefinite sentence and are only Freed when they have truly changed and understood the problem with their actions. If they never regret their actions, or did not deserve to be down there in the first place, they are stuck forever. Once, there was a special rank for living cats who had the power to guide these wayward cats to Starclan. However, that role died with Bayclan.
When a Depths cat has changed for the better, they are transformed into the Freed. They are transformed into a lake sturgeon, and are able to swim out the depths. When they die, they become a Member of Starclan.
There are very few recorded mentions of a living cat falling into the Depths. One is an old tale regarding Shining’heart, later Baystar. It was said that when she fell into the depths, she returned with a coat like the morning sky. Afterwards, she had the power to pluck spirits from Starclan. It is theorized that all living cats that fall into the depths undergo some sort of change and emerge with some sort of power.
But, it’s just a rumor. Right?