Ever heard of someone getting multiple life sentences? There's a certain kingdom where that is not only possible but one of the most feared punishments in the realm. The victim gets subjected to a spell that not only simulates living the remainder of their lifespan in an inescapable prison, but also resets the prisoner's mind- causing them to live an entirely different life as a new person in a simulated world. All while their body lies comatose but well-attended in a facility made specifically for the holding of such individuals.

Each casting can have custom-tailored results on a case-by case basis, with variations including the severity of the "prison" stage, the number of "lifespans", or even what sort of conditions each new iteration lives under- anything from additional prison stages for particularly heinous criminals to new, better lives for those needing a chance at redemption. There have even been rumors of scholars and arcanists using these simulated lifespans for strange psychological experiments, paying large sums of tribute to "rent" an inmate about to be subjected to this treatment.

What makes this punishment so terrifying, however, is what happens once it's over. While the victim's mind may be experiencing several consecutive lifetimes, the body lies in its cell for only a matter of months to a couple years- once their sentence is up, the spell ends, and the subjects mind returns to their body.

Or should I say "minds".

As soon as the subject reawakens, their splintered identities fight for control of the self- their original mind versus the alternate self or selves formed from the multiple simulated lifespans. The process is sometimes fatal- the victim's mind simply breaks from the strain and the body either dies in turn or must be put down, but if the subject is able to reconcile itself and achieve some form of stability, they are free to go.

Even then, the number of cases where the subject's original identity wins out unscathed are shockingly rare; many times either one of the alternate identities takes over, or the original survives but suffers partial or total memory loss, or even has memories from other selves mixed in with his own, though not all such cases are aware of the source of these memories. Sometimes the subject maintains stability for a limited time before other identities surface and attempt to reassert control, and in at least one case multiple identities have been able to reconcile with each other and share a body while maintaining awareness of each other.


Either way, after seeing what the spell does to most of its victims, those bold enough to commit serious crimes in kingdoms where it is used as a punishment would rather die than be caught.