Calling the Beyond

People flee to beliefs to find their answers, to find peace and hope in areas where there aren't. But gods can not save every soul that serves them.
So many start screaming into the darkness, desperate for something to answer, something to protect them. Someone to listen to their cries.
To the point that they'll reach the ears of things not meant to listen in.

— Fire Maiden

Some situations can not be saved by mortal or god alike, as either one's prayers are met on deaf ears or never reach them. These moments of desperation lead to some calling out into nothingness, seeking help from anything, anyone. No matter how unknown what they call for.
Often than not, these prayers are never answered.
But sometimes, such desperation reaches places it was never meant to be, and gets answered by powers not meant to be known. Whether they be gods lost to the veil, or entities that walk beyond the cosmic hourglass's boundaries. A practice often known as "calling the beyond".

Beyond Time and Space

Nobody is sure what powers they contact when calling the beyond, only that whatever answers is willing to help them out. Any bargain, from power to safety, is granted to the individual, though often not without dire consequences for them or those surrounding them.
Those accepting such offers end up shackled to these forces one way or another, either as a puppet for them to walk the mortal plane, or for scars allowing them to grasp back at such power. Few come out of such moments untouched, with such experiences changing their view on everything.
Though for many, it is also a fate worse than death as such deals do not leave them any luck even after dead. Their soul may be gone, their body repossessed, or even their end of the bargain inevitably leads them to a sacrifice their own existence.