Shepherds & Reapers
As numerous and capable as lepitsunes are, they can't manage to support the balance of so many different worlds on their own. However, they have help from an external source- certain special spirits are able to travel between dimensions, between partner worlds and that of the lepitsunes'.
These come in two flavours, shepherds and reapers. They take care of both worlds in the same way bees take care of their hive and flowers. While they may not have originally existed, they eventually came into existence in order to help get around the limitations of the lepis' abilities. As the survival of each home tree and its star are closely linked, shepherds and reapers ensure that the flow of stardust between dimensions is constant. The flow of lepis going out and the flow of stardust coming back in create a balance that they carefully maintain.
Both shepherds and reapers are spirits of the dead. Most of the dead choose to move on to their next life immediately, but some are unable to move on so soon. In between lives, these spirits learn about how the universe works (basically the lepi/tree thing). Many of these dead spirits become ghosts - these will fade away someday, if they don't make a choice about what to do. Some choose to make their existence more permanent and become a shepherd or reaper - they won't fade away, but will remain in this unchanging state unless they decide it's time to move on.
These come in two flavours, shepherds and reapers. They take care of both worlds in the same way bees take care of their hive and flowers. While they may not have originally existed, they eventually came into existence in order to help get around the limitations of the lepis' abilities. As the survival of each home tree and its star are closely linked, shepherds and reapers ensure that the flow of stardust between dimensions is constant. The flow of lepis going out and the flow of stardust coming back in create a balance that they carefully maintain.
Both shepherds and reapers are spirits of the dead. Most of the dead choose to move on to their next life immediately, but some are unable to move on so soon. In between lives, these spirits learn about how the universe works (basically the lepi/tree thing). Many of these dead spirits become ghosts - these will fade away someday, if they don't make a choice about what to do. Some choose to make their existence more permanent and become a shepherd or reaper - they won't fade away, but will remain in this unchanging state unless they decide it's time to move on.
Shepherds
Shepherds help to send the lepitsunes out. They visit various home trees and carry lepitsunes to different worlds, sometimes patrolling to check if any need their assistance in finding new wishes to grant.
Reapers
Reapers help to return lost stardust from lepitsunes that die away from their home tree, or put to rest corrupted lepitsunes who have been damaged too far. Unfortunately, lepis that want to return alive still have to wait until the next local festival. The flow of stardust back in is important, but the richness of experiences would be compromised if lepitsunes could return home any time they wanted to.
Recruitment
While anyone with pure enough spirit and intentions can be a candidate, the system for recruiting shepherds and reapers differs from world to world- smaller worlds may employ individual envoys who scout and recruit on an individual basis, whereas larger ones may have a council to decide as they need the security of a group decision for a job so crucial to their world balance.
Regardless of the set-up, these lepitsunes are typically dragon lepitsunes, as usually only they have the experience and knowledge required to judge and evaluate a spirit so thoroughly for such a vital job. There is a council made up of them in every world and they communicate regularly between each other.
Regardless of the set-up, these lepitsunes are typically dragon lepitsunes, as usually only they have the experience and knowledge required to judge and evaluate a spirit so thoroughly for such a vital job. There is a council made up of them in every world and they communicate regularly between each other.