Beyond The Barriers - The Book of Worlds

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And all embraced in skylight

Or wreathed in fatal shade…
Credits Special Thanks to:
Written by: Phil Brucato, Heather “Alexis Hastings” Cu- Ronni “0 Smoko” Radner, for swimming through the Crap.
ratola, Harry Heckel, Chris Hind, Angel Leigh McCoy, Laurah “Kung Fu Grip” Legend, for discouraging car thieves
Judith A. McLaughlin and Kathleen “Fisher Princess” Ryan in, shall we say, a graphic manner (Owww!!).
Additional Material by: Richard Dansky, James A. Moore Ethan “Ringmaster” Skemp, for surfing the Atrocity Wave.
and Nicky Rea Jane “Hir-roach-ima” Palmer, for calling in the nukes on
Developed by: Phil Brucato Bug City.
Edited by: Ed Hall Cynthia “Meteor Shower” Summers, for having all those
Vice President in Charge of Production: Richard Thomas wishes come true at once.
Art Directors: Aileen E. Miles, Lawrence Snelly Rich “Bells and Whistles” Dansky, for bringing the
Layout and Typesetting: Katie McCaskill GAMAs home.
Art: Ron Brown, Richard Clark, Jason Felix, Heather J. Andrew “Outta the Frying Pan” Bates, for being Exiled
McKinney, Paul Phillips, Andrew Ritchie, Andy Trabbold to E&D. Congrats, you psycho SOB.
Front Cover Art: Shaggy Dixon Sarah “Barefoot Bride” Timbrook, for tying the knot in
Front and Back Cover Design: Lawrence Snelly God’s country.
Ian “Redcap Toybox” Lemke, for the games he’ll play at
GenCon.
Brad “Asbestos Nightie” Butkovitch, for tangling himself
up in the Net.
Lori “Hard Target” Snyder, for ditching Vampire Boy.
Charles “Paleface” Bailey, for doing the greasepaint thing
in June. Bleh!
…and Greg “Working Smarter” Fountain, Trace “Battle
Stations” o’Connor and Louvie “Den Mother” Locklear,
for keeping the Dragon(Con) fed.
© 1996 by White Wolf. All rights reserved. Re-

production without written permission of the publisher
is expressly denied, except for the purpose of reviews.
Mage The Ascension, Werewolf The Apocalypse,
Vampire The Masquerade, Wraith The Oblivion,
Changeling The Dreaming and Beyond the Barriers:
The Book of Worlds are registered trademarks of
White Wolf Game Studio. All names, titles, characters
and text herein are copyrights of White Wolf unless
otherwise noted.
The mention or reference to any companies
or products in these pages is not a challenge to the
trademarks or copyrights concerned.
Due to mature themes and subject matter, reader
discretion is advised.
2 Beyond the Barriers: The Book of Worlds

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Contents
Prelude4
Introductions All Around 9
Chapter One: Astral Worlds 23
Chapter Two: The Velvet Curtain 49
Chapter Three: Enigmas 71
Chapter Four: Realms of Interest 101
Chapter Five: Celestial Bodies 137
Chapter Six: Those Beyond 159
Appendix: Game Systems 182
Table of Contents 3
Prelude
By Kathleen Ryan Blood spurts from her ears as the drums rupture, and then
Deep in the Umbra, somewhere between the Horizon the silence steals even her heartbeat. More slowly, her skin
Realm Shangri-La and Pluto’s second moon Cerberus, burns, reddens, bruises blue, the capillaries bursting into
Amanda walks. In her hands is a silver cord, strong and space. She fights nausea and loses, retching and kicking,
light, stretching behind and before her for as far as she can her hair floating forward into the mess. Gasping, she curls
see. The minutes pass into hours, but she follows it patiently, up, eyes shut, knuckles clenched white around the useless,
knowing that at the end of the walk is home, knowing that broken cord.
her friends keep the path secure for her. She starts to drown.
The thread snaps. At the edge of panic, the young mage ransacks her
Quick as thought, the shield magicks drop, and Amanda mind and memory, hunting anything, everything she has
falls free in the void. ever known, heard or thought about breathing the Ether.
In the first startled second, the vacuum catches at Frantically she builds a wall of logic, a chain of reason to
her breath, and the only air in a million miles escapes bind her lungs to her bidding — and chokes on nothing.
her. The water in her breath freezes before her eyes. She commands, shouting to herself (and her terrified

Avatar) believe or die! But desperation is no substitute for sheath, knowing that she will have to kill herself — to
faith, and her chest is empty still, smoldering fire. Near the free her Avatar before the six hours are up — if the angel
end, near unconsciousness, as the flame in her lungs flares is to survive. Once more she looks to the sun, wondering
into her brain, Amanda screams in silent, throat-tearing where and when the Old Man will come looking for the
rage, maddened that the universe should dare disobey her. angel again, what kind of body might hold her. She turns
It will be as I want it, she thinks more calmly, and laughs, back and finds the Avatar’s eyes on the knife, but the
breathing easily. bloody-handed angel says nothing.
Now she straightens, turning slightly clockwise and end- We watch, and wait, and try to arrange a signal. Amanda
over-end, drifting in a gentle wind. Her Avatar manifests shuts the bag, slings it, and settles back, scanning patiently
before her. The bloody-handed angel is trembling, wings for any sign of life.
wrapped protectively around herself. Only her little-girl There, Amanda says, pointing to a patch of blackness
face shows, terrified and pale. near the angel’s right foot. Sunward, coming closer.
We’re safe? The angel asks, hesitantly. She rotates once more around, easing her free hand
We’re dead. forward, her left leg out and back, killing her momentum.
Reeling in the useless thread, the mortal half of The tiny gray pinpoint becomes a tiny gray cloud, then
the mage studies the endless sky, but sees no planets, faint specks of light in a tight formation.
no Realms, no movement. The sun’s disc is very small; The Avatar drifts forward, wings barely moving. Her
she knows that the Horizon must be too far away to run face is still troubled.What is it? she asks.
to or signal. Doesn’t matter. We’ve only got three hours left.
But we breathe. We live. It moves so slowly.
Amanda swings her bag around, sending her body That’s an illusion. It’s moving so fast it won’t see us
spinning in the opposite direction. She stops it against as it goes by — assuming it has eyes and comes anywhere
her knees, slowing the spin, and finds her face next to near us.
the spirit’s feet. How are we going to signal it?
We’re still dying, she says plainly. You and the rest of Amanda looks her soul up and down, then extends
my soul are going to disintegrate in about six hours. an open hand.
She opens her bag just enough for one hand to enter, Come closer, and I’ll show you.
fumbles through the floating contents. A rubber band The angel smiles weakly, drifts back to her mage,
ties back her hair, a wrinkled handkerchief mops up and puts her delicate, ivory-white and crimson fingers in
her ears and face, a few packets of crackers go into her Amanda’s callused fist. Without a word, the Euthanatos
back pocket on a whim — Amanda almost smiles at the yanks on the spirit’s outstretched arm, pulling her in,
thought of this last meal. flattening her sideways, slamming into the folded wings
The letter she was to deliver to Senex is still and twisting the arm up and behind, past the point of
there. She moves it carefully to a zippered panel of pain, near breaking. The Avatar shrieks, and the sound
her jacket, in the hopes that her body will be easier fills space and echoes in Amanda’s silent skull. As the
to find than her bag. angel screams, the faint light of her explodes in an
Won’t the others come looking for us? The angel eye-shattering nova, and the mortal lets go in agony.
asks, pleadingly. Even before she can see again, Amanda’s thoughts
Maybe. If they know the thread’s been cut. If it wasn’t are on the glasses, and her left hand snatches them to
cut because Cerberus is under attack. If we don’t drift so far her face while the right is still twitching with pain. The
that even the Old Man can’t find us. pinpoint stars have scattered; some are missing, but
At last she finds what she wants: an old pair of opera the half-dozen remaining are speeding straight for the
glasses wrapped in a spare shirt. fading light.
What do we do? The angel is close to tears, now. It worked. Amanda glances over to her wounded
Stuffing the shirt back into the duffel, the mortal’s Avatar, pats the angel’s hair gently. It’s all right now.
hand grazes the hilt of one of her spare knives, an an- The angel begins to cry.
cient bowie with a razor-sharp blade — a present from Amanda raises the opera glasses again. The little
the Old Man. Amanda grasps it tightly, longing for the moving stars slowly show discs, clarify into six pairs of
safety of her mentor’s study on Cerberus, and pulls it glowing yellow eyes, bright but still very small and distant.
free of the bag. She straps the knife around her waist, The first pair come close enough to show a body behind
double-checking the thin loop of leather holding it in its them, and Amanda flinches as the tiny skull attached
Prelude 5
to those eyes drops out of focus and bumps its nose into What the hell? Amanda curses, checking her watch.
her right lens. There is only one hour left, and she reaches slowly
Too surprised to keep hold of the glasses, she lets and bitterly for the old bowie knife.
them drift out of her reach, studying the newcomers — Wait. A voice — two voices? — echoes in her head.
six or seven mouse-shaped skeletons with intense golden The young mage looks up in confusion to the angel
lights for eyes. They scurry around Amanda and the angel, (collapsed in a feathery heap before her), then past the
running steady on a plane she cannot see. pale spirit to a darkness storming up the path, swallowing
The young mage digs into her pocket for the crackers, the stars behind it.
black and blue fingers clumsy on the cellophane. She The darkness comes closer, and faintly now Aman-
hands a few to the angel. da sees the rider: Mitzi Zimmerman, the Old Man’s
See if they like these, she says, and begins to throw second-in-command. She guides her huge steed with
odds and ends from her bag. Pens, keys and knives spin a simple rope halter, brings it to a standstill in front of
out in all directions as she maneuvers herself parallel to them, and still the horse is darkness, solid and graceful,
the mice. They fidget around her, nibbling at her hair eyeless and eerily undefined.
and jacket, crawling into her pockets whenever her spin Nice to find you alive, Amanda. I thought I was looking
brings them above the spirits’ “floor.” Finally she stops for a corpse.
turning. With her head and shoulders securely above Mitzi dismounts, unties the halter. The darkness
the ground, she wills herself to grab hold of it, and pulls dissipates, and black saddlebags fall to the ground.
herself up as easily as out of a swimming pool.
Do you still have the thread with you?
For the first time, she sees that the void around them
Amanda reaches into her bag, pulls it out for the
is not empty — along the mice’s course there is a trail,
older woman to see. Mitzi takes it and examines it care-
a faint gray line in a dusty black plain. She turns to her
fully, end to end, and tosses it over her shoulder, where
Avatar, realizes that her soul has been standing on this
it disappears.
plane all along.
All right. This is how it is. She pulls a small glass jar
Now the mice have swarmed up the angel. Her wings
from her pocket, hands it to Amanda. Put a little of this
are open, and though her cheeks are still wet, the tears
in each ear, and rub it on all the skin you can get to now.
have stopped. Two bony noses peek out from her hair,
You can do a more thorough job later, when you have time.
one mouse perches on her right wing, three on her left,
and in her good left hand the last two are munching on Amanda obeys, and Mitzi continues aloud in her
saltines, the crumbs falling through their empty ribs. She quiet, firm voice. “You can’t go back to Cerberus now.
bites her lip and frowns. This thread was cut from there, and either we have to
clean house or the Hermetic refugees do. I’m hoping it’s a
Amanda, guiltily unwrapping another pack of crack-
just misguided assassination attempt, and not something
ers, leans forward to try to soothe her. The mice duck
more serious, but… there it is. Someone back home is
their heads in and hide from her, running to the other
out to get you.
side of her Avatar, huddling in the hollow of the wings.
“While I’m thinking about it, do you have the letter
I want to go home, the angel whimpers, and begins
from Scherer?” She accepts it, throws it over her other
to cry again.
shoulder, and goes on.
The mice perk up their heads as she speaks, and twitch
“The plan is, you go back to the alchemist’s shop,
nervously in the shadow, eyes dancing. A moment later,
keep quiet, and we’ll call for you in about a week. I’ve
they stream out in single-file, and the last in line lifts its
brought enough clothes and things to get you by for
tail to the angel, beckoning with its forepaw for her to
that long — I really am so pleased you survived! — and
take it. Fearfully, she reaches forward — Amanda catches
Scherer’s apprentice can help you with anything I’ve
her other hand only just in time — and the mice race
forgotten.”
off with the angel and her mage crawling along behind
them, faster than sound. “I don’t think they’re going to want me back.”
The sun is only is a pinpoint itself when the mice “Why not?” Mitzi hands Amanda the saddlebags, and
stop, but Pluto and Cerberus are nowhere in sight. The starts twisting the rope into a different pattern.
line breaks up as the spirits confer, skulls shaking ner- “I killed a man in Scherer’s workshop.”
vously around their leader, and in great agitation they “Oh. Shit… Who was it?”
run — first under the Avatar’s wings, then behind Aman- “Richard Somnitz.” She pauses, remembering. “Of
da’s boots, then darting back along the trail sunward. the House of Helekar, they said.”

“Damnation. All right. New plan.” She loops the rope out into space, and it settles down
Mitzi takes a deep breath, thinks a moment. “Go to onto the necks of two dark horses, the loose ends lying
the Steel Horse — it’s the bar next to the machine shop lightly on the seat of a small black cart. Mitzi mounts,
on the corner of Jade Lane and Nine Sun Ghost Street. Amanda follows, and the angel drifts back into place.
Don’t ask your way there. Tell the bartender that the Yama “We’ll pick you up as soon as we can. But… if the
Kings sent you, and you want a room. Lay low. Change House is after you, and Gericault too, don’t be afraid
your name, your clothes, your hair color, your eye color, to run.” She clicks to the horses and flicks the harness.
your walk, your talk, perfume, soap — everything. You “You have all the universe to hide in,” she says, and
know better than I do.” the cart rolls on.
Prelude 7
Introductions
All Around
You wish to see the distant realms? Very well. But know this first: The
places you will visit, the places you will see, do not exist. For there are only two
worlds — your world, which is the real world, and other worlds, the fantasy.
Worlds like this are worlds of the human imagination: Their reality, or lack
of reality, is not important. What is important is that they are there. These
worlds provide an alternate. Provide an escape. Provide a threat. Provide a
dream, and power, provide refuge, and pain. They give your world meaning.
They do not exist, and thus they are all that matters.
— The Faerie Queen, The Books of Magic (Neil Gaiman)
Alexis Hastings
Greetings and good day, fellow travelers! Alexis Hastings greatest experts that we’ve been able to find to tell you all
at your service. This is so much fun — I’ve never gotten to about their pet places. I’d like to thank Porthos Fitz-Em-
be a tourguide before. Anyway, without further ado, let me press for giving us this extraordinary opportunity to publish
tell you all about myself: To make a long story short, I’m a this guide, and my good friend the wild and wacky Fisher
Son of Ether, strange as it sounds. I could be an Ether Kid, Princess. Don’t mind her if she seems a bit… guarded. She’s
if you prefer. I travel through as much of reality as I can not quite as enthralled with the concept of this guide as
find, exploring, researching, and finding new ways to use Porthos and I are. But never mind, I’m sure she’ll warm to
electricity. But I digress. her topic. How can she not? While not an expert on the
We’re all here today to take a wild and wonderful tour whole of the Otherworlds, I am an incurable explorer and
of the Otherworlds. Much as I would like to be an expert sometime hopeless romantic, well qualified to give you
on them all, I’m afraid I am not. So, it’s my pleasure to let the basics of what you can expect when traveling to these
you know that later in the book we’ll be bringing along the strange new realms.

Before You Go: three different ways of viewing the Penumbra, which the
Hermetics have labeled “Videre,” and these color the way a
The Structure of the traveler sees the world she’s just left. These Videre allow you
to see strong concentrations of the Resonance effect — the
Otherworlds traces left by something’s nature or history — sometimes as
colored auras, sometimes as archetypal images.
I suppose starting with a discussion of what the Other-
worlds are and how they are arranged would be best. You’ve People with a strong faculty for abstract reasoning —
probably heard most of it before, but I fear I would be remiss that is, we mages — see the physical world as a matrix of
in not including it, just in case you hadn’t. patterns and auras, called the Astral Videre, pulsating with
Quintessence and shimmering with energy. If you go in
A bit of a caveat, though: the Otherworlds defy conven-
through astral travel (like a Mind Adept, or some vampires)
tional mapping. I suppose the Void Engineers are working
or technomagick, or simply see things through the proverbial
on it, but even they have failed, and a good thing it is,
“clinical eye,” your mind fills with visions of sparkling energy
too. Part of the fun and fascination of these places are that
and a clarity of sight you’ve likely never experienced before.
they are unknown, and probably ultimately unknowable,
This clarity allows you to see things as you imagine them to
because they change with every traveler’s perception. Any
be. For instance, if you happen to be a crusader for right and
cosmology I give you is at best misleading, being based on
justice, you’d probably see a statue of Lady Justice as a bright
my own perceptions.
light, casting out rays of hope and righteousness. If, on the
other hand, you believe the law is corrupt and serves only
First Awareness criminals, you would probably see the statue crackling with
Having said that, mages and our lupine cousins, the dark energy and a malevolent glare. The so-called “auras”
Garou, have identified a certain structure to the Otherworlds. you’ve probably heard of carry a Resonance impression,
The first part of that structure you will have to be familiar and literally color a person or place unless steps have been
with is the Periphery. This state of perception provides taken to conceal them. The final vision, however, comes
our first contact with the Otherworlds, even before we are from what you bring with you.
Awakened. Brief instances of absolute certainty, feelings of
Beings with a primal affinity — shapechangers, and a
danger, a tiny bit of precognition — all signs of the Periphery
few of our more Primordial Traditions and Essences — who
brushing your subconscious. The Periphery does not limit
visit through Spirit magick see the world through the Videre
itself to the Awakened. People with what some of us call
Spiritus, a wash of vivid sensory impressions. Bright colors,
an “Awareness Talent” can sense the world on this level.
sharp scents and an all-encompassing feeling of oneness
For the most part, though, brief flashes, and trips into the
greet these visitors, who sometimes feel more at home in
Dream Realms are the only touches of the Spirit World most
the Penumbra than in the material world. The patterns are
mortals will ever know.
there, but they look like webs and meshes, skittering with
Once you can feel the Periphery, you’re ready to try to spider-spirits and ghosted over with grinning Umbrood. Brrrr!
cross the Gauntlet. This first barrier separates our physical The Resonance in an item or location is really apparent with
reality from the wondrous Otherworlds. The Gauntlet is this insight, and things are a lot less subjective. You see what
much stronger now than it was in the mythic past, bolstered is, rather than what you think is. If that same statue of Lady
as it has been by the works of the Technocracy. They Justice was used as a meeting place for local Nephandi, you
scored a major victory when humanity lost its belief in would most likely see cracks forming in it and the marble
the spiritual and its sense of wonder and began believing discoloring. You get the idea.
in only what could be seen and touched. The Sleepers
The ultimate chill, though, is the view reserved for the
are only now beginning to appreciate the true effects of
dying and the dead who pass over: the Videre Mortem. Not
their abandonment of spirituality, and they’ve begun to
that I’ve seen this myself, mind you, but I’m told these sad
rebel. This outrage may be our greatest defense against the
folks see the world in perpetual decay — the mirror’s cracked,
stagnation of the Technocracy.
as it were. It’s said that some of the dead and dying may see
a tunnel through the Penumbra, with a heaven or hell at
The Penumbra, Videre, Resonance the other end, but most of the people I’ve asked simply see
and Domains the world through a dirtier glass. Some especially powerful
After you successfully pass through the Gauntlet, you concentrations of life here energy blaze like bonfires, but
enter the Near Umbra, which is made up of several parts. other than that, it’s a Hollow One’s hit parade (no offense
The Penumbra provides a spiritual reflection of the reality intended, guys!).
of the physical world, bathed in the twilight of the Moon. Some places — notably those which produce or retain
Depending on your orientation, you might see this reflec- Quintessence flows — attain a slightly different nature in the
tion from one of three perspectives. Mages have identified Penumbra. No matter which Videre you prefer, the essence of

these locations saturates all three “levels.” Most authorities
call such places Domains, and their Resonance makes them
what they are. Toxic-waste dumps, crack houses, and other
similar places reflect their true natures, and become more
horrid than they are in physical reality, housing mad and
twisted spirits. These types of places are called blights.
The great cosmic balancing act also provides us with the
opposite, places called glens. These places of light and
virtue, whether they be virgin forests or urban safehouses
for abused children, carry a positive Resonance instead of
a poisonous one. Domains are not fixed places, but fluid,
changing areas; one can either shrink or grow, expanding
and contracting its borders, depending on what happens in its
corresponding area in physical reality. Many of our Spirit Masters
claim that the number of glens is shrinking at an alarming rate.
Pleasant thought.
The Three Worlds

The adventurous traveler will also find three Worlds in
the Near Umbra, layers of sediment floating in the great cosmic
test tube. These are the High Umbra, the Middle Umbra,
and the Low Umbra. Look, I know the terms aren’t terribly
descriptive, but bear with me here, okay? The High Umbra
is the realm of ideas. Creativity, imagination, love, justice,
peace, hatred, and just about any other cerebral or abstract
concepts you can think of are found here. Most mages favor
the High Umbra over, and sometimes to the exclusion of, all
others. I will admit, I love the place. Creativity, imagination,
and wonder are the keys to good Science and, in my humble
opinion, the keys to Ascension. However, just because the
High Umbra embodies these ideals doesn’t make it the be-
all and end-all. Many mages who refuse to acknowledge the
value of the other areas of the Umbra make prime candidates
for falling victim to their own pride.
The Middle Umbra presents wonder just as surely as
the High Umbra does. Perhaps I can describe it best as the
spiritual embodiment of the cerebral concepts of the High
Umbra. (I like that. I think I’ll use it.) Some say that the
Middle Umbra is the spirit of Nature. And in some places,
that couldn’t be more accurate. But in others, it couldn’t
be farther from the truth. There are places in the Middle
Umbra that have little to do with nature beyond humanity’s
abuse of it. Generally, though, the Middle Umbra is a nifty
place. You can find anything you can dream of here. The
werewolves tend to consider it their personal playground,
however, so be careful. The fuzzies certainly know more
about it than anyone else, so they may be right. Of course,
some Traditions believe our Avatars give us just as much
of a right to be there as the Garou. Regardless of “rights,”
the Garou really are the experts on the Middle Umbra.
Supposedly, some Realms exist in the Middle Umbra that
are too naturalistic even for the Dreamspeakers to reach, and
some too alien for any human to reach. Naturally, Senator,
I can neither confirm nor deny these rumors, but it wouldn’t

surprise me. Our wolfish friends say that there are at least
13 realms here, plus a smattering of other places that they
won’t talk about, though some have surmised that they have
to do with the ancestral spirits of the Garou tribes.
I don’t advocate exploring the Low Umbra. Fascinat-
ing as I’m sure it would be, it scares me. Death and decay
make their homes there. If you can talk to a ghost long
enough, I’m sure you could find out a good deal about it.
Most mages never venture into the Low Umbra, and few
of those who do return to tell about it. If you have an
insatiable thirst for knowledge, talk to a Euthanatos or a
Dreamspeaker (see Chapter Three, if you’re brave). They
were my source for information, and would be your best
bets for any real knowledge. The Nephandi are the only
others I’m fairly sure deal with the Low Umbra on a regular
basis, and you’d better not ask them.
Zones
Besides the Penumbra and the Worlds, a number of
Zones float about the Near Umbra. They weave their way
in, around, and through everything else, bobbing about like
bubbles in carbonated water. Some of them are lots of fun,
and some of them are truly frightening reminders of the
powers we play with and the truths we have yet to learn.
No one understands the Zones; they defy all attempts to
measure, define or categorize them in anything but the most
basic ways. The Digital Web, the Maya Dream Realms, the
Mirror Zone and possibly others we haven’t found yet criss-
cross the Worlds’ layers. From what I’ve seen, they often take
on the “tone” of the “layer” they’re crossing into (look I said
this wasn’t an exact science. Bear with me). If you entered a
pleasant Dream Realm in the High Umbra, for instance, it
might shift beneath you and end up in the Low Umbra “sec-
tor.” Boom. Instant nightmare. Some places, I’m told, never
shift out of place, or do so only rarely. If that’s true, there are
some sectors of the Web that are best avoided.
The Horizon and Beyond

Beyond the Near Umbra lies the Horizon, yet another
barrier in our endless quest for discovery. This one exists to
separate the Realms of the Near Umbra from the fluid reality
of the Deep Umbra and possibly to keep out such dark forces
as the masters of the Nephandi. Of course, the Horizon is
much more than a barrier, so it gives us something to explore
in itself. Perhaps you’ve heard of Umbral Chantries (a.k.a.
Horizon Realms), or maybe even have one yourself. Well,
Umbral Chantries nestle here, in the Horizon, and mages
are not the only ones who create them. Powerful spirits have
their own Umbral “Chantries,” and Nephandi and Marauders
always hover about hoping for easy access to our world.
One more feature of the Horizon to point out—the Shade
Realms. These Near Umbral reflections of the Shard Realms
that can be found in the Deep Umbra serve as doorways to
the Shard Realms themselves. At least, some of them do. And
to find out what that means, you’ll just have to keep reading.
There is one place where I would be ostracized for life if even have a point. After all, they dislike the Nephandi
I didn’t mention. And we can’t have that, because I already and the Marauders at least as much as we do. Nonetheless,
have my Paradigma articles written for the next year. That, of the inherent flaw in their theory is seeing everything that
course, would be Etherspace. Did you hear that? Let’s try it doesn’t conform to their world view as “supernatural,” or at
again. (Deep, resonating echo effect) Etherspace space space least “deviant.” Personally, I think I am quite natural, and
space. Ah, yes. The playground of my Tradition. Electricity wouldn’t consider myself much of a deviant (my friends
and Ether, what a combination! I’m very thankful for Ether- are another story). And if our Avatars really are shards
space, myself. If the Technocracy hadn’t decided to declare of an ancient One, I wouldn’t call them “supernatural.”
Ether nonexistent, it would have taken much longer for us Technocrats, as well as many Sons of Ether and Virtual
to leave them, and then I might not be here hosting this Adepts, see the Otherworlds as nothing more exotic than
travel guide for you. That would truly be a shame. Now, the other dimensions (exotic enough, I’d say!), populated by
rest of the Traditions know Etherspace as the Deep Umbra aliens coming to invade the Earth. I suppose the concept
and the Technocrats prefer The Void. Kinda boring, I think. of alternate dimensions has gained enough credence among
“Etherspace” has a much more exciting ring to it. the Sleepers to be a legitimate explanation for them. Alter-
The Deep Umbra is rather a mystery. I love mysteries, nate dimensions could perhaps be explained scientifically
don’t you? Even in all of our legendary pride, I think we’d and alien life isn’t necessarily impossible. Myself, I don’t
be hard-pressed to find a mage arrogant enough to actually see that it makes much difference. Think of them as al-
claim to know and understand the Deep Umbra. The ru- ternate dimensions, if you’d like. It’s an accurate enough
mors about what’s out here pale in comparison to the truth. description; there are certainly spirits out there that would
Twisted spirits, abominations so bent we can’t comprehend like to take over, and if you want to look at it right, you are
them, the Labyrinths of the Nephandi, perhaps even their entering another dimension of reality. Call me a radical.
masters — all things that are said to be out here. I don’t think science and spirit are mutually exclusive.
Not to discourage you though; the Deep Umbra does Basically, the Otherworlds are what you make of
have some really interesting places. The above-mentioned them. I have never heard any two explorers agree on the
Shard Realms, for instance. Supposedly pieces of the original details of the Umbra. As far as I can tell, you see what you
Creation, some claim that they correspond to the other nine expect to see there. That is one of the unfortunate side
planets (including the Moon, of course), and the nine Spheres effects of this guide; by explaining these places, we’ll be
of Magick. Other strange Realms float around out here too, coloring your views on what you’ll see. Instead of going
like Paradox Realms (where you go when consensual reality there and experiencing your own perceptions, you’re
sends you to your room for being a naughty little mage) and probably going to experience your understanding of our
Umbrood Realms (which you can probably guess by the perceptions. Don’t think about it too much unless you’re
name), created by powerful Umbrood spirits. I can’t tell willing to get a headache. Just try to keep in mind, when
you too much about those, so I’ll just let you hear it from you travel to the Umbra, that each time you go is a highly
our esteemed panel of experts a little later on. personal experience. Keep an open mind, and don’t worry
if you don’t see too much of what is described here. Let
Those Stuck Within the Mud your own vision and your own creativity take hold, and
Speaking of the Technocracy, they don’t agree with us lead you where they will. Life would get awfully boring if
much on the Umbra, not that this should come as much of we all saw the same thing — we wouldn’t be able to have
a surprise. When do they ever agree with us much? Accord- such wonderful philosophical discussions. Which brings
ing to the Technocracy, the Umbra must not be allowed us to the philosophy of the Otherworlds:
to interact with physical reality. They claim its “alternate Do we make the Shadow worlds? Or are they independent
dimensions” contain threats too powerful to control, yet of us, awaiting our footfalls? Or is there an unfairly excluded
too compelling to ignore. They post Void Engineers at the middle? Is it a matter of more or less, rather than either-or?
Horizon to prevent anyone from crossing, all the while — Roger Zelazny, The Courts of Chaos
putting their own people in the Deep Umbra to explore What a great quote, and how true it is! Debates rage
it and close it off to anyone they don’t think should know about whether the Umbra takes its form from the physical
about it. Imagine! Trying to cut us off from Etherspace after world, or the physical from the Umbra, or whether the two
claiming it didn’t exist. It’s an outrage, really. really have much to do with each other at all, outside of
Technocrats want Horatio to be able to tell Hamlet the Penumbra. Are Realms waiting there to be discovered,
he’s wrong. Everything in Earth has been dreamt of (and or does humanity create them with its collective uncon-
processed, approved, and catalogued) in their philosophy, scious? Is the Umbra just a reflection of what happens in
and there’s no Heaven to worry about. (Sorry, Will, but I the physical world, or does what happens in the Umbra also
couldn’t resist.) I suppose in their way most of them think affect the physical world? I suspect that like most things,
they’re doing the right thing. And in some cases, they the truth lies somewhere in the middle. I certainly don’t

know the answers. But keep the questions in mind. Maybe Once You Arrive
you can be the traveler to come up with a breakthrough Now that you’ve gotten there, and you’re reading
on this one. this by the bright moonlight, you need to know how to
That concludes our cosmology section. I hope you found get around. It’s really just a matter of thinking of where
it interesting, or at least useful. I couldn’t very well send you you want to be and then going. Of course, your life will be
off into our guest-stars’ discussions of their favorite Realms much easier if you or someone in your group knows where
without giving you some idea of where these places are. you’re going and has been there before. Strictly speaking,
it’s not necessary, just easier. It is essential that if you don’t
Travel know where you’re going you at least understand the general
Not so fast. You can’t get rid of me that easily. If you are layout of the Otherworlds. Go to your local Chantry and
going to traipse about the Umbra, you need to know what sign up for a cosmology class!
to expect. I think we ought to get down to the nitty-gritty Each of the Three Worlds has its own mode of travel;
of what you might actually find once you get to the Umbra, you might skim through the High Umbra on wings of
not to mention how you get there in the first place. consciousness, or walk the Moon Paths of the Middle
Umbra, or stumble into a Nihil in the Underworld.
Getting There Travel outside the Horizon usually demands some kind
Flights leave daily for Horizon and selected destinations of ship unless you’re a really talented astral traveler. Each
from all major cities, courtesy of Etherways Express. Contact chapter will cover the means of Otherworldly travel. As
your nearest Chantry for information on schedules, fares, for crossing between the Three World themselves, I’m
and all-inclusive vacation packages.... told it’s a real trick. Supposedly, this involves a radical
I’m afraid not, though it’s an interesting concept. Per- shift of consciousness — one most explorers won’t be
haps a travel agency devoted exclusively to the service of able to manage.
mages…. Sorry, I get a bit distracted sometimes. Anyway, Another important note: physically entering the
there are a few different ways you can wake up one day and Umbra allows you to use any magick you like. If you enter
find yourself touring the Otherworlds. the Umbra Astrally, you are limited to Mind magick. The
The first and, if you have access to the proper places, good news for everyone is that all magick is coincidental
easiest is to find a portal or gateway to the Horizon. Most in the Umbra. Enjoy!
Chantries with an Umbral component will have access to
the Horizon. Of course, many of them don’t have any way Staying Safe
out of the Horizon to anywhere else, but that’s a problem for Like any place, the Otherworlds have their own
another time. If you really want to explore the Umbra, you’ll hazards. And much like any other new place, you’ll
probably have to do it by more difficult means. be safest if you know how to protect yourself and deal
First, if you happen to be extraordinarily talented with any situations that might arise. Situations that
with Mind magick, you might be able to send your mind may arise in the Umbra are analogous to, yet rather
spinning out of your body into the wild blue yonder. Also different from, those you might encounter on a street
known as astrally projecting, this power allows you to float in a foreign city.
about, disembodied, through the Umbra. If you can do it, An important point of vocabulary before we con-
I’m sure you can imagine the difficulties and the advantages. tinue. You will see the words “spirit” and “Umbrood”
Now, I prefer to go physically when I can manage it. This used frequently throughout this book. They’re generally
does require a reasonable understanding of Spirit magick, the same thing. Some mages might want to make a
though. (Incidentally, I’m told the Void Engineers have their semantic quibble of it, and point out all the nuances
own version of the Spirit Arts which they call Dimensional and different shades of meaning, but such differences
Science.) Sad to say, I can’t do it myself yet. So, I do what are hardly important here. Most of the inhabitants of
many of us do — make really good friends with someone the Umbral Realms are spirits, but you might encounter
who’s really talented with Spirit. Some of my best friends are a material being or two, and sometimes it’s next to im-
Spirit masters — Job Lightfoot, Euthanatos, Spirit Master, possible to tell the difference. Be aware that just because
good friend and cabal member, for example — and I love you perceive something doesn’t mean it’s the truth.
them all. If you can’t get there yourself, this is the next Dealing with the inhabitants of the Umbra is similar
best thing. Besides, trips are always more fun (and safer) to meeting the citizens of a strange country. The spirits
with a friend. Failing all of those, if you’re really lucky or who dwell there vary even more than the philosophies
really good, you might be able to find or, um, “liberate” of their visitors. More different types of spirits exist
(not steal, not at all) a Talisman or other Device that there than I can even conceive of, let alone list for
provides you passage into the Otherworlds. you. Many of them will be quite friendly once they get
to know you. The best course of action upon meeting

a new spirit is to show it respect. This is even more
important in the strange Realms of the Deep Umbra.
Determining the power of a spirit is next to impossible
just by looking at it. Many spirits can change their
forms, their appearances, their communication almost
at will. Angering one of them is an extraordinarily poor
idea. Use some common sense and don’t let your pride
get in the way, and you should be okay.
Just as you’ll meet the “citizens” of the Umbra, like
any tourist you should also be prepared for the weather.
Travelers have reported gusts of Umbral Wind blowing
through the Umbral regions, knocking them off their path
and heading somewhere else entirely. Some speculate
that such “storms” are the work of an Avatar interested
in going somewhere other than where you’re intending,
some insist that the winds are the result of tears in the
Gauntlet, yet more claim the winds are trying to blow
away the stench of stagnation and weaken the Gauntlet.
Regardless, be aware of them.
Tourists commonly want to see scenic vistas
spreading out before them. Well, the Vistas I’m about to
explain aren’t necessarily very scenic. Vistas drift through
the Umbra, seemingly unconnected to anything else. I
do not know of anyone who has ever managed to enter
one, and I’m told it is impossible. With the cooperation
of friendly Garou, I can tell you what our furry friends
know. Umbral travelers have identified four different
types of Vistas: Death, Stasis, Chaos and Origin. I don’t
know of any mages who have seen any others, but no
one says there can’t be others. Basically, they’re pretty
self-explanatory. Death Vistas show visions of death
(often your own), which can be so realistic that you
really think you are dying. Stasis Vistas show you what
the world would be like under the Technocracy. Nothing
ever changes, nothing grows, nothing moves, and there’s
really no hope left for anything. Chaos Vistas show you
what the mind of a Marauder must look like. The exact
antithesis of Stasis Vistas, they aptly illustrate why we do
need some order. Origin Vistas are a bit more mysterious,
in that they seem to only show an explosion. Some have
claimed to see more, including the fragmenting of reality
and creation of the Gauntlet, but none of them seem to
remember it very well.
That’s about it for what I can tell you about the
Otherworlds, at least here. I’ll be sharing duties with
the Fisher Princess to introduce our guest authors and
the places they’ll be telling you about. I hope you’ll find
this introduction useful; put some bookmarks in it and
refer to it if you get confused. You’ll find a glossary of
important terms below for your referencing pleasure.
If you have any questions or comments, E-mail me at
[email protected]. Hold on to your hats, grab
the nearest Spirit Master and your power source and here
we go! Good luck and happy traveling!

The Fisher Princess
First: I am writing for and co-editing this book under
protest, because I owe Alexis a favor and because my father
wishes it. I do not agree with them that this kind of knowledge
should be set down in static form. Time kills information.
They speak of future updates, and more editions when needed,
but this goes against my second objection: written down,
printed and available on the Digital Web, this information
is readily available to our enemies.
On the other hand, the basic survival skills and sweeping
cosmological explanations may save a few lives. Porthos
and Alex feel this benefit outweighs the risks. I don’t know.
Therefore, I swear to you that all I shall tell you is true,
to the best of my knowledge. Some things which I know
about the Outer Realms are best left unmentioned, some I
have promised to withhold, and some even Doissetep Press
agrees are too dangerous to our cause if published. I tell you
now that I am not telling you everything.
Second: My name is Dindaine, and I am called by
some the Fisher Princess. I am 23 years old and female and
English is my first language. Though I do not claim mem-
bership in any Tradition, my mindset is closest to that of
the Virtual Adepts.
I introduce myself in this fashion for a reason: Any
guidance we can give you is slanted already by who we are.
When you read Lord Gilmore’s monograph on the Mercurian
Cosmology, remember that he is a Hermetic mage. What he
knows about the Umbrae is supremely valuable to others in
the Order, useful to like-minded Traditions, but (unless the
reader has an excellent grasp of the workings of the universe)
useless, or even harmful, to Dreamspeakers.
So. Know your navigator.
Third: The best advice I can give you on actual travel
in the Umbrae is to throw this book away and find a real
worldwalker to teach you. The Dreamspeakers are best.
If you can’t do that, put this book down and go read
The Phantom Tollbooth, by Norton Juster. I’m not kidding.
Do it, and then come back to Alex and me.
These things are important, particularly if you have had
the misfortune (like Alex and myself) of having a modern
Western education. We are all crippled. For years our schools
have taught us nine-planet, one-sun, airless, Etherless,
Umbraless, barren cosmology. The map of the Solar System
provided by the Consensus is wrong in almost every respect.
The one thing that the mundane map of the system is
good for is this: It shows relative distance between worlds.
The distance isn’t important, but the farther away two bodies
are in the mundane map, the more difficult it is to travel
between them. More on this in the spacefaring sections of
the book.
Fourth: Be careful, and be polite. Alexis said it, I say it,
and anyone who survives the Otherworlds says it. We will
probably say it many more times before this book is through.

The Mercurian commonly traveled to and most easily understood; this is the
home of spirits, shapechangers, Bygones, and the memories of
Cosmology planets. The Low or Dark Umbra is the most frightening
Written for this volume by Lord Edward and the least understood, even now. It is the domain of the
Gilmore. restless dead, “negative” spirits and despair. The most striking
Once upon a time, there was no such thing as “common conclusion of the Cosmology’s authors was that High, Middle
knowledge” about the Otherworlds, the Umbrae, or even the and Low were misleading terms, suggesting that travel between
Moon. Mages relied on experimentation and word of mouth the High and Low must pass through the Middle. The
for navigation through the Tellurian. Hastily scribbled maps Circle of Seven proved otherwise.
and a few well-known portal sequences were the only tools available. The College made its second stunning breakthrough
Travel was based on skill and intuition. with the realization that the Dream Zone, the Mirror
In some ways, this was preferable to our modern attitudes; Zone and the “space” in which the Qutb telepathic network
formlessness and namelessness seem to fit the universe better. The existed (now better known as the Digital Web) were three
spirits we encounter in every corner of the universe respect those examples of the same phenomenon. All three were listed in the
abilities far more than cartography, mechanical know-how, or Enigmas section of the manuscript (as in this book) despite the
blind obedience to established maps. classification. The authors could not agree on enough common
At the time of the first Council, however, it became elements to give a new term to the three, and they became known
apparent to every Tradition that the only real advantage our as the Great Enigmas.
side possessed over the Order of Reason was free, individual What they could and did say was that all three seem
Umbral travel. Chantries like Horizon and Doissetep to extend in every direction, from the point of view of an
could move to other Realms without cutting themselves off observer inside. From the outside, however, all three seem to
completely only because their members were (and are) capable of be “skinny,” almost two-dimensional. If the three Umbrae
“commuting” to and from the Earth and the other battlefields were a triple-decker layer cake, and you took a knife, cutting
of the Ascension War. it into three slices, the Mirror Zone, the Dream Zone
The Mercurian Cosmology was developed over a 20 year and the Digital Web would be the spaces in between the
period (roughly 1501 to 1521) by members of the Fors Col- cake. An ant walking along the top of the cake would be able
legis Mercuris. Batini and Hermetic Masters, working to step across the gap and continue his journey, or climb down
in concert, attempted to define and explain the workings of the into the cut. In the cake, as in reality, the top part of the cut
major features of the universe. The Ahl-i-Batin contributed would have elements in common with the cake around it. The
huge amounts of solid data, folklore and a deep understanding Digital Web, for instance, has “dark sectors” near the points
of the nature of space and Correspondence. The Order of where one can cross into the Low Umbra.
Hermes provided logic, consistency and what some consider According to the heavily Batini-influenced Cosmology,
an overly-analytical approach. The members of the College the point at which all three Umbrae and all three Great
relied on student volunteers and independent scouting cabals Enigmas crossed would be Mount Qaf’s highest peak, and
(including the legendary Circle of Seven) to double-check that the mountain itself marked the crossroads between all worlds.
their theories and explore areas left vague in travelers' tales. The authors, never having had the good fortune to
To modern mages, the Cosmology’s conclusions seem encounter chocolate layer cake, used the classical analogy of
obvious and antiquated. It is important to remember that at the the World Tree. In this version, Mount Qaf becomes
time, even Masters could be completely ignorant of everyday the heartwood of the Tree.
things like the Mirror Zone, Horizon Realms or the Besides these substantial (and still accepted) theoretical
moons of Jupiter. contributions, the Cosmology also undertook the immense task
The Cosmology contains the first written mention of the of defining and standardizing the language used (by the ana-
Three Worlds theory: That there are within the Horizon lytical Traditions) in discussing the universe. Not all of their
three separate, overlapping Umbrae. The High or Astral terms were accurate, and many are no longer used today, but
Umbra is the province of thought and inspiration, of ideas the Cosmology is a work in progress. The following glossary
and reason. The Middle or Spirit Umbra is the most includes the definitions of the modern version.

18
3
14
14
10
15
13
4
16
15
16
11
Beyond the Barriers: The Book of Worlds

8
1
8
11
4
3
16
15
3
9
5
4
16
12
10
14
`e Mercurian Cosmolon
1.Midrealm (Mount Qaf ) 2.Material World 3.Horizon 4.High Umbra 5.Middle Umbra 6.Low Umbra 7.Penumbra 8.Anchorheads
9.Umbral Realms (found in all three Umbrae) 10.Deep Umbra / Etherpace 11.Shade Realms 12.Shard Realms / Planets 13.Paradox Realms
14.Aetherial Reaches 15.Oblivion 16.Courts `e Zones overlap and are part of everything.
Lexicon
Airt: An Otherworldly trail left by a spirit’s passage.
Hard to find, but more flexible than Moon Paths.
Aisling: A journey into the Otherworlds.
Astral Travel: Entering the Otherworlds by projecting
one’s mind from his body, leaving the body behind.
Domains: Places in the Penumbra sustained by some
other reality. Domains usually contain some powerful Res-
onance related to their energies. Corrupt areas are called
blights, while areas of purity are called glens. Gateways past
the Horizon are known as Anchorheads.
Far Umbra: Space outside the Horizon. This is where
the three Umbrae are one, indistinguishable. Also called the
Deep Umbra, Deep Universe, Etherspace and the Void.
Gauntlet: The barrier between the Penumbra of a planet
and the mundane side. Only four Realms are known to have
one: the Earth, the Moon, Venus and Mars.
Great Enigmas: The Dream Zone, the Mirror Zone,
and the Digital Web.
High Umbra: The World of ideas made manifest; divided
into the Vulgate (common concepts), Courts (Umbrood
Realms) and Epiphamies (abstract concepts), which can
often be reached only through Astral travel.
Horizon, The: The “barrier” separating the Near Umbra
from the Far or Deep Umbra. I include barrier in quotes
because the Horizon is not a sharply defined obstacle; it is
a wide belt of space only slightly more difficult to pass than
the areas within and without it. Even so, the Nephandi and
their kind find it difficult to cross.
Maya: The Dream Zone, also called the Dreaming by
the fae and the Dreamtime by Australian shamans. An enig-
matic universe in which normal laws do not apply. See Zone.
Moon Paths: Glowing paths which run through the
Middle Umbra at night, and cross into the lower levels of
the High Umbra.
Near Umbra: Space inside the Horizon. This is where
the Three Worlds exist.
Overlap Zone: Whenever two Realms overlap or exert
great influence over one another, a new “Realm” is formed. The
most famous of these are the Verbena Seasonal Realms, formed by
the overlap of Venus’ Spirit Realm with the Shade Realm of Life.
Pattern Web: A network of spirit-webs which bind the
Middle Umbra to the high and Low Worlds, and criss-cross
between Realms there. Garou myth claims these webs tie
creation together.
Penumbra: The spirit aspect of a planet. Earth has three,
one in each Umbra. Mars, Luna and Venus each have one.
Pericarp: The “Gauntlet” around a Realm, which often
resembles a shimmering mist or an opaque shell from the
outside. Walking into a Realm without using the “door”
(a portal or gateway) requires getting around the pericarp
(using Spirit 5).

Periphery: The state of perceiving the Otherworlds Silver Cord: The mystickal connection between a
while remaining on the mundane side of a Gauntlet. mortal body and that person’s astral form.
Portal: A more-or-less permanent gateway to a Realm. Spires: High Umbral towers and mountains represent-
A temporary portal is called a Gate. ing an elevated state of mind. To reach the highest Astral
Realm: Anything you can stand on or in, as opposed to Realms, a traveler must either pass through a portal or ascend
the “empty space” of the Umbrae. Types: Paradox Realm, one of the Spires.
Horizon Realm, Dream Realm, Court, planet, moon, Astral Stepping Sideways: Walking through the Gauntlet
Realm, and (technically) Overlap Zone or Great Enigma. and entering the Umbrae in “solid” form.
Shade Realm: The shadow cast by a Shard Realm upon Three Worlds: The Umbrae — High, Middle and
the Horizon. Although they seem to “mirror” the nine Shards, Low — which embody elements of our own world, Earth.
they differ from the “scientific” portrait of those worlds in Videre: The perspective an Umbral traveler gets when
many ways. Also known as S.R., as in “S.R. Matter.” she views the material world from the Penumbra. Depending
Shard Realm: A large fragment of the One, by Chorus on her orientation, she may see things through either the
definition. In plain English, the Sun, the nine planets and Luna. Astral Videre, the Videre Spiritus or the Videre Mortum.
Shenti: Three theoretical ur-Realms in the Deep Zone: A reality which permeates the Near Umbra, yet
Umbra, epitomizing stasis (Weaver), dynamism (Wyld) exists in a separate space. Maya, the Mirror Zone, the Digital
and entropy (Wyrm). Each seems to have a “reflection” in Web and the odd Vistas are examples of Zones. Also called
the Near Umbra, as well as floating Anchorheads leading Great Enigmas, because no one really understands them.
directly to the Realms themselves.
Storyteller Hints
Gamespeak r-changing: We’re not
to him who • The Otherworlds are eve
is a beautiful book, but of little use e. the Otherworlds exist in a
The world talking about solid places, her
eran travelers are often sur-
cannot read it. constant state of flux. Even vet
n visits. While the
— Carlo Goldoni pris ed by the way things change betwee
aking. While character general nature of a Realm will usually (not always!) remain
Hi, folks! This is your developer spe time.
ntial when you’re describing the same, some subtle changes will always occur over
narrations are fun — and esse
erworlds — there’s a time In short, nothing here is set in stone.
something as subjective as the Oth
presenting the rules. inite: Imagine every
for simple gamespeak. A time for • The Otherworlds are inf
re rules are con cern ed. ce; now imagine that every
Now, I have kind of a dilemma whe idea you ever had became a pla
e myself, I tend to avo id usin g place, if only for a moment.
I hate ‘em. When running a gam idea everybody had became a
er, I also realize wha t a mes s a want to do with the Oth-
them as much as possible. Howev Get the picture? Anything you
-forming a gam e, part icul arly if dful of Realms presented
Storyteller can get into while free erworlds can be done. The han
Checking Loo pho le-F ind ers less as they’re described, at
she’s got a couple of dreaded Chart- in this book remain more or
es, we just nee d to kno w how am Realms, Paradox Realms
nesting in her chronicle. Sometim least in the modern world. Dre
mage reach the Sha dow land s? stantly, however, and often
to resolve a situation: How does a and Astral Worlds change con
k in Autocthon ia? Ob viou sly, e people in the same place.
How well does Spirit magick wor appear differently to the sam
ge games, and we nee d the m ure in your favorite novel
we need a few rules to run our Ma You want your troupe to advent
the midst of pla y. re in the Dream Realms,
in a place we can find easily in for a while? It’s floating out the
dix composed ent irel y might recognize where they
In the back of this book is an Appen and just because the characters
pter for easy reference. Th ese dict what’s going to happen
of rules, grouped chapter by cha . are, doesn’t mean they can pre
official as they get, any way
are the “official” systems — as ing their stay!
disc ard wh ich eve r dur only limits on your
You can use whichever ones you
like , and This book is a guideline; the
ning Otherworlds, it’s ofte n n and your willingness
ones get in the way. When run isn’ t chr onicle are your own imaginatio
g. After all, a Realm
good to keep your players guessin to experiment.
laims “Hey, I know how tion is king: Hard
very my sterious wh en a player exc
at • Kee p rules to a minimum; descrip
e 5, roll eight success es your world, they
to get out of this! Use Life 3, Prim ey syst em s not only restrict the possibilities of
these rules as you will. Th you have one of those
difficulty 8, and we’re free!” Use also get predictable, especially if
to my office :-). ks before you do!
should save you an agonized call ann oyi ng players who buys all the boo
to offer you Storytellers Don’t feel restricted by the rules unless you need something
Before we begin, I also wanted
the Otherworlds in general. to fall back on.
a few bits of advice for running
k. Have fun!
As I said, the rules are in the bac

When running an adventure in one of
the Otherworlds, Although this book is made to be
emphasize atmosphere, description self-contained, some
and uncertainty over rules systems and specific details mus
chart-checking. Since many of thes t be left to other game
e Realms spring from an books. The Mage Second Edition
archetype, the stories that take plac rulebook has the basic
e in them will be larger cosmology and essential systems you
than life. Voices will be louder, colo ’ll need in Chapters
rs brighter and vistas One and Nine, but a few other rule
grander than anything our tired Eart books and supplements
h has to offer. Rather may be helpful for intricate adventu
than constantly repeating “It’s big! res and crossovers:
It’s really big!,” you
may want to concentrate on emotion • Spirits and Bygones, and the rule
al reactions, sensory s for same: Were-
impressions and each characters’ back wolf: The Apocalypse, Werewolf
ground. “Alissa,” you Players Guide, Book
might tell the Dreamspeaker in Aut of the Wyrm, Axis Mundi, Umbra:
hocthonia, “you feel The Velvet Shadow,
an almost physical oppression here The Book of Madness and Ascens
, as if a 10-ton weight ion’s Right Hand.
was lowered onto your coffin, sealing • The Shadowlands: Wraith: The
you inside. You, on Oblivion, Wraith
the other hand,” you tell the Virtual Players Guide, Sea of Shadow and
Adept, “have never Dark Kingdom of Jade.
seen a toybox like this in your life! • The Dreaming: Changeling: The
” The world that flows Dreaming and
from a group of impressions will be Nobles: The Shining Host.
far more engaging and
immediate than one which begins • Horizon Realms, Chantries and the
“You go 20 feet down Web: The Book
this corridor, then turn right. There of Chantries and Digital Web (recentl
are three doors at the y reprinted together
end of the hall. Which one do you as Mage Classics) and Horizon: The
open?” In short, keep Stronghold of Hope.
the rules out of the picture unless • Space travel, and tools for same:
you need them. When Sons of Ether and
you do need them, see the Append Void Engineers. Bill Bridges’ novel
ix. The Silver Crown has
a nice description of Umbral trav
Using This Book besides.
el, and it’s a fun read,
Within each chapter, all the Realms • Non-White Wolf inspirations incl
have been laid ude several DC/
out in a similar fashion: Vertigo comics titles (Sandman, Sha
de: The Changing Man,
Each place begins with a Description Swamp Thing, John Constantine: Hel
, which shows us lblazer, Doom Patrol,
what many travelers have seen; the The Invisibles, and Books of Magic),
Background offers the Realms of Fantasy by
most commonly-known history of M. Edwards and R. Holdstock, and
the land (which may any number of fantasy
or may not be true, depending on novels. Books on symbolism can be real
your wishes); Places of ly helpful, especially
Interest display a variety of importa Carl Jung’s Psyche and Symbol and
nt locations within the David Fontana’s The
Realm; Finally, Ecology explains how Secret Language of Symbols. Alice K.
the Realm maintains Turner’s The History
itself, and mentions important figu of Hell, Dante’s Inferno and H.P. Lov
res there. Rules systems ecraft’s Dreamlands
are offered at the back of the book. books can be invaluable inspirations
. Compilations of art
by M.C. Escher, Edward Blake, H.R
. Giger, Frank Frazetta,
Other References J.K. Potter, Susan S. Boulet and
any number of fantasy
Even a book as huge as Beyond artists offer Storytellers some visual
the Barriers can’t stimulation, and films
offer all the possibilities for every den like The Adventures of Baron Muncha
izen of the World of usen, City of Lost Chil-
Darkness. The rules and Realms we dren, Forbidden Zone, Dreamscape,
describe are familiar The Dark Crystal, The
places in our vision of the World of Never-Ending Story, Time Bandits, 200
Darkness. They need 1: A Space Odyssey,
not appear or work the same way in you and the Aliens movies can set your
r personal chronicle. imagination spinning
into the right realms. Have fun!

Chapter One:
Astral Worlds
We are the stuff that dreams are made of.

— William Shakespeare, The Tempest
Hey, folks! Alexis here. Ready to tie our brains in a and dreaming minds in particular seem to travel instantly
knot? Good! Let’s begin. between Realms. Each mind that passes through an area
By definition, an Astral Realm is anything you can leaves a track or residue. Some thinkers build up an area,
stand on inside the Astral Umbra. In practical terms, what some break it down, but most have no effect. Real dreamers
you’re standing on are clusters of fairly solid thoughts. They and true iconoclasts are rare.
begin on the fringes of the Penumbra and work outward Astral Realms occur naturally when many people invent or
from there. As the concepts they represent grow more and consider the same concept. They occur artificially when spirits,
more abstract, the Realms grow further and further “away,” Incarna, powerful Umbrood or great mages gather thought-stuff
becoming harder and harder to reach, until only the most together. The most advanced Realms, the Epiphamies, extend
advanced minds can even comprehend them. past human thought patterns altogether. I assume that Oracles
Just as all beings with souls or spirits are present in the of the mental disciplines form such refuges from the tapestries
Middle Umbra in some small way, every thinking being of their own minds. Since no one I’ve ever met can verify
has a slight presence in the High Umbra. Minds (human, having traveled so far out, my own thoughts on the matter
dog, dolphin, Umbrood or other) jump from idea to idea, will have to occupy Realms of their own. :-)

How to Get There The Territory
Again I’m frustrated by the limits of my medium
Think about the last Escher print you saw. Think
— it is almost impossible to explain this in static
about your philosophy class from college. Think about
form. Bear with me, and don’t expect too much.
the mathematics of a snowflake, or the verbs of a rainbow.
Essentially, most travelers into the astral reaches That’s what the landscape looks like here. It can rain
think their way there. It’s easiest to begin in the Spirit choices, or snow alphabets. Seemingly rock-solid ground
Umbra and then move “up.” Whether you start there can fall out from under you and leave you clinging to
or on Earth proper, the procedure is the same. Open calculus. Be careful.
your senses to the Periphery, and try to focus, not on
As for geography: The Astral Umbra is definitely
the “feel” of your perceptions but on the “essence.”
stratified; the farther “up” and “out” you go, the more
Vague, I know. There are better words for the concept,
rarefied become the concepts that form the Realms and
but they vary by Tradition. What you’re trying for is
their residents. The more abstract the region, the more
to use Mind in the same way to go “up” that you use
surreal and treacherous your journey becomes.
Spirit to go “across.” With practice, and a knowledge of
both Spheres, you can choose between the two Worlds The Penumbra, Doorways and
after entering the Periphery, but start by planning to
go “up” all along. Vulgate
Those who see with astral sight (see Introduction) The Vulgate lies closest to Earth. The easiest thoughts to
perceive the Penumbra in abstract form, like patterns deal with are the basics of existence — the idea of a chair, or
of energy and light. You can go all over the place from the thought of the sky. What is, and is obvious, is here. Any
there — some travelers I’ve spoken to have almost mage who needs to ask what the Penumbra’s like shouldn’t
entered orbit. Entering the Realms, however, requires even consider traveling beyond there (see Introduction).
going through some transition — through a door, over a The doorways into the Vulgate proper are fairly easy to
bridge, into a mirror, a puddle or a halo of light, that sort find, and often appear to be mundane parts of the Penumbra.
of thing. Sometimes, these transitions offer themselves If you were walking through a building on the other side
to you; more often than not, though, you have to go of the Gauntlet, for instance, you might open one of the
looking for them. Once you pass through, you’re in the doors, only to encounter a Vulgate Realm on the other
Realm and have to find your way out in the same fashion. side. Scary! Once you’re in the Vulgate, the Umbrascape
The lowest levels of this World — the Vulgate, ranges from the surreal to the ridiculous. The “common
Realms of common concepts — can be reached by ground” lying between the Realms twists into impossible
travelers who step sideways through the spirit Gaunt- shapes which get weirder the “higher” you go. This is the
let, then find doorways, bridges or windows into the land great fantasy artists — Escher, Ditko, Carroll, Boulet
Realms themselves. The Pattern Web described in and so many others — visit in their dreams, if not the flesh.
Chapter Two also winds into the lower areas of the
Vulgate, and brave, suicidal explorers can climb into The Spires
the Realms that way. Sectors in the Digital Web open As the Vulgate grows more abstract, sharply defined
into the Vulgate, too, and I know a few folks who’ve structures interrupt the view. Called the Spires by most,
walked their way into the High Umbra from this Zone. they appear as ridges, mountains or towers originating in
If you do take your body into the High Realms, you may the Vulgate, ascending so high into the Astral Umbra that
have trouble moving once you get there. Some people their peaks cannot be seen from below. The Courts, heav-
cannot move at all, others need to think consciously ens, hells and such are built on, in or as part of, the Spires.
about every step, some can walk normally, and a very The coarsest elements (fire and brimstone, harps and fluffy
few can walk, but find it easier to glide smoothly and clouds) sit low on the Spires — nearly in the Vulgate. The
quickly from place to place. Travelers with bodies are Epiphamies drift around the peaks and beyond. Those who
supposedly limited by the Vulgate’s “borders”; more would reach the Courts must travel through the Spires.
esoteric Realms can be achieved only through the mind. Cosmologists theorize that the Spires are the result of
Astral travel is so simple it appears complex. If many minds of various sophistication all concentrating on the
you can find a teacher, learn directly. If you cannot, same idea. A medieval European farmer, for example, would
then experiment very carefully. Though conventional have a very different concept of Heaven than Mark Twain,
wisdom has it that the High Umbra is the least corrupt, but the two men’s visions would still build on the same foun-
least dangerous of the Three Worlds, the comparison is dation. A great many fictional places — the Mythic Realms
misleading. It’s like saying that dynamite is safer than described in Chapter Two — intersect with the Spires along
an atom bomb. True but unhelpful. the “border” between the Vulgate and the Courts. In the

Eastern Court Realm, for example, Chinese folklore, Hong “species” like the perverse Hestilics, who wish to dwell
Kong films and the Umbrood Heavens blend together almost outside the sight — but within the reach — of humanity.
indistinguishably. From one Astral Court, a traveler can reach Once again, be polite. What you meet here may be only the
into related Mythic Realms, and vice versa. idea of Shiva (for example), but if half the minds in India are
To climb the Spires, envision yourself doing so; to your generating an Umbrood through sheer belief, that Umbrood is
mind, it’ll appear that you’re wandering through a series powerful. If the spirit came before the idea, then the Celestine
of caverns, halls and stairs leading ever upward. Flying or Shiva with the belief of half of India behind it is just so much
floating is possible if you know how. Remember, this is worse. Pardon me, just so much better — no offense intended.
a metaphysical trip, not a physical one. The Spires simply
represent an ascending state of consciousness. There is, as The Epiphamies
I’ve said, an upper limit to this climb; physical and spiritual High up in this Umbra, the Realms and residents be-
travelers freeze solid or fade away before they reach the come more abstract, harder to grasp. Few minds can reach
Courts; only those of sound mind can go further, unless the this far. Geniuses, great artists — all of them help create
explorer crosses through some portal linking the Realm to the Epiphamies, or regions of sublime ideas. You may have
the Earth. According to the stories I’ve heard, people killed difficulty finding many Realms here, but be assured they do
in the Spires wander between Realms forever, denied access exist. It’s just very difficult to visit the Realm of General
to any of them. In other words, be careful! Relativity if you cannot comprehend the concept in the first
place. Keep trying as your understanding grows.
The Courts These Realms, which spring from the highest reaches of
This astral layer forms the home of various Umbrood consciousness, lie quite outside the limited purview of words.
spirits who have chosen to set up shop. Here the traveler How does one detail the Corridor of Pi, or the prismatic
may find the heavens and hells called “Afterworlds”; the streams that pass for Language to our eyes? I can tell you of
many lands of the gods and heroes of history and legend; the manifold angles of Logic or the Kingdoms of Color, but
the meeting places of those same beings (which Hermetic those descriptions would be as fleeting as my fingers across
lore calls The Umbral Courts; see The Book of Madness, this keyboard. For once a concept is set into words, images
Chapter Five), and the sanctuaries of various Umbrood or even sounds, it becomes something else.

At the lowest levels of the Epiphamies, the traveler rec- that far. Such “Realms” are theoretically everywhere yet
ognizes concepts as metaphorical constructs; as with so many nowhere at once. Reaching such a state is the goal of Mind
other Otherworlds, you see the concept expressed the way you Masters, but those few who could be said to have attained it
expect to see it. The highest reaches spiral outward beyond the cannot put their experiences into human words or pictures.
Horizon’s restrictions, spinning like Dream Realms off into the That’s the map, such as it is: Penumbra, doorways,
endless Void where no one can catalogue them. I’ve heard that Vulgate, Spires, Courts and Epiphamies. Have fun, kids,
the Oracles dwell (if they exist, of course) in these fluid droplets and be careful. One last note: If you still haven’t read The
of pure concept. Mortals cannot visit them because, quite Phantom Tollbooth, do it before you start exploring the Astral
simply, our minds are not comprehensive enough to reach Realms. Milo can save your life.
The Vulgate
…the consensus omnium insists on the Some Realms of the Middle Umbra lie in a flux between
immateriality of spirit, though not everyone the Vulgate and the Middle World. This flux resembles a thick
would agree that it also has a reality of its fog shot through with glowing Pattern Webs and Moon Paths.
own. It is, however, not easy to see why our A doorway from the High Worlds might just as easily lead
hypothetical “matter,” which looks quite dif- to Dystopia or the Radiance as to the Grand Hallway. The
ferent from what it did even thirty years ago, Aetherial Reaches discussed in Chapter Two seem to be an
alone should be real, and spirit not.… Spirit exception — they appear to be off-limits to a lot of us — but
and matter may well be forms of one and the the other Realms, especially Mythic Realms, form a hazy
same transcendental being. boundary between the Middle and High Umbrae.
— Carl Jung, “The Phenomenology of the Spirit in Fairy Tales” Astral doorways lie all around the Penumbra, often
There may be more things in heaven and earth than are concealed by glowing mists until you’re right on top of them.
dreamt of in Horatio’s philosophy, but the collective philosophy of Some Astral travelers claim that the world which appears
the entire human race (and, some would add, other races as well) behind the door you open is the world you will into being
creates a bewildering cornucopia of Realms. In the Vulgate, the behind that doorway — that is to say, it’s there because
most easily accessible concepts — invention, transition, travel, you put it there. These folks insist there are no accidents
warfare, love, etc. — form a spectrum of worlds which dance and in the Astral worlds; every place you find is where you’re
pass through each other as human consciousness shifts. There’s supposed to be. Asking whether or not the Realm is still
no single “Land of Love” or “Field of Battles”; instead, Realms there when you aren’t is like asking the old question about
with those aspects hover like dragonflies behind an endless and trees making noise when they fall, and the answers get just
ever-changing series of doorways and windows. If you’ve ever seen as circular. Let’s stick to basics: When you find a doorway,
The Yellow Submarine, you get the general idea. step on through. If you dare.
The Grand Hall

But we have tasted wild fruit, listened you’re roving the Astral pathways, you’ll be stopping
to strange music; here sooner or later.
And all shores of the earth are but as Inside, the Grand Hall resembles an endless hallway of
doors of an inn. Escheresque dimensions and timeless, yet classical, design.
— Laurence Binyon Smooth stone floors give way to doorways of all kinds on the
walls, ceiling, and occasionally the floor. Some portals lead to
It rises from the Astral mists like a
stairs, others to mists, still others to pools of water, walls of flame or
specter — the Grand Hall of Endless Gates. endless space. Ancient wooden benches wait along the corridor,
Sometimes it appears as a building in the allowing weary travelers to rest on something other than stone
Penumbra that has no Earthy counterpart, floors. In the “center” of the Hall (as if an endless place could
but most worldwalkers encounter it as a hallway on the have a center), a huge atrium opens out to reveal a huge
other side of some door or window. It never stays in place fountain, big enough to swim in. this fountain is a portal
for long, but always retains a similar shape — a sparse unto itself, but also supplies travelers with fresh waters to
but welcoming corridor between the worlds, shaped in drink. Entities, both human and Otherworldly, wander the
Classical Mediterranean style and furnished in ancient Hall on mysterious missions. Some love to talk to visitors,
wood and mosaic tiles. Welcome to the Grand Hall. If others prefer to be left alone.
an experienced worldwalker. His sense of direction, honed
• Alexandré Calais
by years of travel, will prove to be a more reliable compass
Dindaine selected Alexandré for his expertise with than random magick. The mad layout of the infinite hallways
the High Realms. A seasoned Astral wanderer, he’s scrambles Correspondence Arts badly; a mage attempting
also provided a lot of the general information about the to use such magicks in the Grand Hall risks getting herself
various layers of the High Worlds. Although I suspect stranded in a part of the Hall no one’s even thought of yet!
Alexandré’s a Cultist, he’s never fit into any particular
stereotype for long. Portals
As with so many of our other “special guests,” Al- Ah, but the doors are another matter! Anywhere you can
exandré has requested that the details of his personality imagine has a door leading to it. Mundane locations, Umbral
and background remain a secret. He’ll be explaining a Realms, Zones, Courts… everywhere that has a door or window
few of the Epiphamies later in this chapter, as well, but nearby can be reached through the Grand Hall portals.
waxes poetic about the Grand Hall, so I let him start his
Finding the doorway that gets you where you want
tales with this transitional Realm. It sounds fascinating.
to go — now there’s the tricky part! You see, the Hall is
Perhaps one day, I’ll go there myself.
theoretically endless. A person can wander in the same di-
rection for months and never reach the end of it. The Law
Background of Intent — the principle that you go where you were meant
to go — can guide your selection when trying the doors, but
Sometime around 200 B.C.E., the Grand Hall rose there’s no guarantee that fate doesn’t intend you to reach
from the mists of consciousness, a waystation for geniuses your destination by some convoluted route….
who couldn’t be satisfied with the world they walked upon. The portals themselves look like stout wooden doors for
As they sought the outer Realms, these sages and sorcerers the most part. Some resemble wells, stairways or shuttered
caused a shelter to come into existence. Through the doors
windows, but most simply take the form of old-fashioned
in this endless hall, the early worldwalkers crossed from the
doors. These portals are never locked unless some entity on
spirit realm into more conceptual territories. As the gods
the other side has taken precautions and warded the passage
packed up and left town, they kept backdoors to their home
(which does happen). Naturally, such wards cut both ways.
world in case they ever decided to return.
A wise worldwalker keeps a Correspondence ward or two
For several centuries, the Hall was open ground. Nothing ready, just in case she needs to seal a portal behind her.
grew there, but worldwalkers brought their own food and camped These doors open both ways.
out, occasionally for years on end. Sometime around the first
Passing through the portal is often disorienting, and some-
century C.E., a mysterious race of sentinels arrived to police the
times leaves the traveler vulnerable to perception or attack by
waystation, a group of celestial bouncers, if you will. From that
any beings on the other side. I recall an adventure of my own
point on, visitors could wander through the Grand Hall, but not
when a hasty exist through one of the doors left me hanging off
set up residence there. Stragglers and loiterers were sent on their
a skyscraper, 87 stories from the New York City pavement. The
way — eternally, if need be. Since then, the Grand Hall has enjoyed
portal came out through a window, you see — on the wrong
a reputation as neutral ground. Umbrood and Umbral travelers
side of the window! Look before you leap, kids!
alike meet, share stories and go on their way, usually without
bloodshed (metaphorically speaking — no one bleeds in the astral
reaches!). A couple of nasty battles have swept through the
The Fountain
Realm on occasion; a spat between a group of Hermetics and In a large nexus chamber, a dozen hallways meet. In
the now-exiled Akaa spirit race nearly demolished the Hall the center of that huge space, a deep cold pool fills from
itself. Common need, however, rebuilt the Realm; within a an eternal fountain, a wellspring said to gather waters from
couple of years, no one could tell anything had happened all over the Tellurian. Benches crowd the walls along this
there. Since then, the nameless sentinels have stepped up central room, and columns hold the tiled roof aloft, but
their patrols and shortened the permissible stay. the Fountain dominates the chamber, nearly 20 feet tall
and carved from obsidian. Writhing figures reach from the
pool up toward the ceiling, frozen in eternal ascension as
Areas of Interest water jets from their gaping mouths, arcs through the air
Aside from its benches, fountain and doors, the Grand and returns to the pool at their feet.
Hall is empty. On odd occasions, one traveler might meet Scuttlebutt says these figures were locked into place
another; the traffic is light enough, however, that you can after the sentinels arrived. Supposedly, they were once a
wander the Hall for days and not cross another being’s path. band of squatters who refused to clear out. One of them,
The corridors lead in all directions, occasionally branching a surly godling named Krystobhann, decked one of the
into stairwells, wells and alcoves. Getting lost is a very real ghostlike figures, picked it up, and began to eat it. The
possibility, so it’s always a good idea to visit the Hall with sentinel burst into a cascade of water, which spattered

upon the doors around it. Those doors, in turn, dissolved
as waters from a dozen rivers and seas poured through the
gateways, drowning Krystobhann and his peers as they
struggled for air. When the waters receded, the squatters
remained, frozen into stone by their arrogance. The story
may or may not be true, but I’ll tell you this: No one lashes
out at the sentinels anymore!
Ecology
Despite its name, the Great Hall is pretty sparse. A few
ancient couches, carved from wood in the fashions of the Fertile
Crescent Kingdoms (and seemingly as old) line the walls, but
no food or water, other than the cold streams of the Fountain,
can be found.
No one lives in the Great Hall permanently, although many
visitors stay for months on end, wandering from portal to portal.
Sooner or later, these vagabonds either perish or settle down,
and are not seen again. Those passing through pitch tents, wrap
themselves in blankets, or simply sleep on the cold stone floors.
Every once in a while, a shimmering host of ghostlike figures
sweep through the Hall, driving all settlers before them. Those
who do not depart willingly are driven through the nearest
portal, to live or die as they will. So the sentinels enforce their
decree. Those worldwalkers who would pass through the Hall of
Endless Gates are advised to mind their manners. If your “hosts”
say leave, then by all that’s sacred, leave!
The Inventium
O! for a Muse of fire, that would ascend
The brightest heaven of invention.
— William Shakespeare, King Henry V
Someone once said that the Realm of
Invention, the Inventium, “gives testimony
to humankind’s unlimited creativity.” It does.
Every gizmo, widget, doohickey and thing-
amajig that anybody ever thought of is here.
Giant mountains of things tower overhead.
Moving around means keeping to the valleys
between these mountains, and from there, it’s impossible to
see in any direction but ahead, behind and above. Overhead,
the sky buzzes with airplanes, jets, ornithopters, helicopters
and other strange flying machines. Sadly, it’s all for show.
Almost nobody lives here. The inventions dance of their
own accord; without the “material” constraints of Earth’s
reality, the machines can be themselves.
Getting to the Inventium is easy. Look for the footlocker. It’s
there, past the spinning moon, on the far side of the Realm of Con-
nectivity, just a plain metal footlocker floating in space. It measures
five feet by three feet and is made of iron or some other dull metal.
The unremarkable exterior of the footlocker does not attract many
people to it. Few would ever expect to find a whole Realm hidden
inside it. To further discourage visitors, a magical inscription upon

theinteriorofthelidreads,“Thispassageprohibited.Anywhoignore
this warning will incur the most grievous censure.” Background
A warm breeze blows from the footlocker’s interior and A museum of sorts, the Inventium collects items which
the distant sound of machinery echoes out. To get in, step document the path of history as well as, if not better than,
into the footlocker. A metal staircase descends to open air. any textbook could. The first wheel leans against the first
The stairs turn every 10 feet or so, with a landing between iceless refrigerator. A bone hoe lies on top of a teletypewriter.
each level. Odd flying machines may swoop near the stair- A 78-rpm record sits upon a VAX machine.
case, buzzing too close for comfort. From this vantage point, Four mages, brothers, discovered the Inventium in 424
several hundred yards above the floor of the Realm, the B.C. Known only as the Sons of Thucydides, the brothers
view is fantastic! Above, where the footlocker should be, realized the usefulness and resale value of the items in the
the top landing just hangs in mid-air. Below, the Inventium Realm. One of the brothers, an engineer, drew schematics
spreads off into infinity, a vast writhing pile of things, all of the inventions. The others established contacts who
the inventions of the world. purchased the schematics. Over a lifetime, the brothers
My name is Herodotus, and I am the leader of the became rich. Their descendants took up the saga where
Historians, a team of mages who have accepted the weighty the brothers left off, gradually becoming known as the
responsibility of documenting each item that arrives here. I Scavengers. To this day, they still retrieve inventions in
personally have been here for decades. Recent activity on the order to create and sell their schematics.
part of the Technocracy has forced my hand. I have decided Shortly after its discovery, word of the Inventium
to come forward and relay what I can of the Inventium before reached a particularly powerful mage, Herodotus, a friend
it’s totally conquered by this short-sighted organization and to the Sons of Thucydides. He immediately realized the
memory of it is eradicated from Awakened society. import of the discovery. Herodotus had mentored the
Billions of gadgets wheeze, honk and whir in the Inven- brothers and easily convinced them to take him to the
tium. The machines create a cacophony of different sounds. Realm. Once Herodotus had seen the Realm, he acted
Colored lights flash and blink from all sides. Mile-high quickly. Back in Athens, he gathered together four of
mountains of inventions pile up to divide the Realm into a his most trusted colleagues, philosophers who shared his
network of valleys and tunnels. The floor of the Inventium enthusiasm for preserving history. When he described
disappears beneath heaps of “New Formulas” and “better what he had seen, the others agreed immediately that the
mousetraps.” The flapping, zinging and popping of the Inventium represented an opportunity that they could not
diverse flying machines add to the din. Robots and other overlook. Thus, the five mages exiled themselves to the
mobile monstrosities roam the floor. Realm and began the unending task of cataloging the history
The arrival of a new invention is like a birth. They of human invention. Eventually, their descendants called
squeeze from the sky, pressing apart the fabric of the Realm, themselves the Historians, members of the Historia. Time
to fall gently down on top of the others. An unmistakable passed. Historians died and were replaced. New leaders took
“pop” accompanies the arrival of each new item. This birth the name “Herodotus” and carried on his legacy. Although
process is remarkable to see and occurs on an average of it’s said he still survives somewhere amid the inventions,
twice a day. At one time, it happened more regularly, as no one has spoken to him in centuries. Not even those who
often as twice a minute, but that was over a century ago. bear his name.
Truly unique inventions have become more and more rare By the year 1496, the flourishing Traditions had
as time passes and civilization advances. begun to notice the Inventium. Convinced that they
should have a hand in the protection and documentation
• Herodotus of the Realm, four Traditions met (the Order of Hermes,
Don’t ask me where I met Herodotus; the story’s the Akashic Brotherhood, the Celestial Chorus, and
way too complicated to print! Let’s just say we have the Verbena), and decided among themselves that each
some friends in common, friends who introduced us Tradition should have a representative in the Realm.
during a… moment of crisis in my life. We parted (The Cult of Ecstasy, Ahl-i-Batin and Dreamspeakers
ways amicably enough, but he always stuck in my excluded themselves. The Solificati had disbanded.
mind afterward. Like the footlocker that opens to his Virtual Adepts and sons of Ether did not yet exist and
domain, Herodotus seems to spin in my mind like an the Order of Reason had other plans.) Rather than
anti-gravity flip-flair top. What’s an anti-gravity flip- create their own organization, these Traditions got
flair top? Well, I’ve got one in my room, right beside together and sent an ambassadorial envoy to negotiate
my writing desk. It does the most wondrous things with the Historians. They proposed a restructuring of
with light. Where did Herodotus get it? Read on. I the Historia. The Historians, for their part, knew the
suspect he found it somewhere in the Inventium. As world was changing. They agreed, and a member from
I understand it, mine’s a one-of-a-kind model…. each of these Traditions joined the Historia.

The Historia had long ago developed a code of ethics in the Realm parallels that of the Technocracy, but they
for the documentation of the Realm, a set of laws called the concentrate more on ancient artifacts than new inventions,
Historia Doctrine. Each new member was required to take a seeking items that depart from traditional science. The
vow based on this Doctrine, which forbade the use of the Technocracy’s influence on modern scientific thought has
inventions for personal profit and the transfer of information limited the number of strange items appearing currently
gathered on the inventions to anyone outside the Historia in the Inventium; more ancient times, however, may hold
without the unanimous approval of the others. Basically, clues to lost branches of scientific theory, so the Sons dig
the Historians document; they don’t interfere with the down to the bottoms of the piles.
politics or power struggles of the world. They are required The Sons and the Technocrats seem engaged in an
by their vow to remain more loyal to the Historia Doctrine intermittent game of “tweak the nose.” Every so often, one
than to their own Traditions. Only on rare occasions has a faction will cross the other’s line, a minor reprisal or two will
Historian broken this vow on behalf of his Tradition. The occur, and then both sides return to business as if nothing
penalty each time was harsh — from exile to death. had happened. The few Etherites who reside here seem quite
Under normal circumstances, membership in the His- content to hang out, soaking up inspiration from the mul-
toria lasts for life. When one of the Tradition mages dies, titude of odd and interesting items that exist in the Realm.
the remaining four request nominations from the Tradition Only during the greatest emergencies do they venture out to
of the vacant seat. They then interview the candidates and battle the Technocratic squatters, and they offer little aid to
elect a replacement. Recently, it has become difficult to find the Scavengers. Only the Historians interest them. These
voluntary candidates to replace deceased Historians. Seats mages the Sons protect. One never knows when a favor or
remain open for years at a time and, as in the case of the two might come in handy to his pet project….
current representative from the Order of Hermes, sometimes
the Tradition chooses a candidate for the position, whether Places of Interest
the candidate agrees or not. I would certainly say that the main items of interest
Late in the 19th century, the Technocracy arrived in here are the mountains of inventions themselves. You have
the Realm. Until that time, the Historians had no other no idea how extensive the catalogue of human resourceful-
competitors aside from the Scavengers, with whom they ness is until you gaze upon the thousands (if not millions)
had established a mutually beneficial working relationship, of inventions, variations, improvements, experiments and
and the random visitor who happened to stumble in. The graceful failures. An invention doesn’t have to function to
Technocracy raised the stakes. They rushed to acquire new enter the Realm, it simply needs to be new and interesting.
inventions before the Historians could get to them and Everything from electric guitars to steam-powered phono-
caused the Historians to lose track of many items that, as a graphs, from picture frames to methane-powered cars can
result, have never been documented. be found somewhere in the Realm.
In 1895, the Technocrats established a research facility As the original Scavengers soon discovered, the Realm
in the Realm, a giant brick building surrounded by tall fences. can be a cruel joke on profiteers. Although transcriptions
Shortly thereafter, they began a systematic extermination and schematics can be taken from the Inventium’s treasure
of the Scavengers, the Historians, and all other rivals. The trove, the inventions themselves fade from existence once
Technocracy sees the Inventium as its own personal giant they pass the footlocker portal. Myself, I think they’re the
Umbral storehouse, and its agents inscribed the warning on dreams of inventions, passing through the common con-
the footlocker to frighten away other profiteers. They would sciousness until they manifest in this Realm. Once a visitor
have sealed the lid if it had been possible. Many mages theorize leaves the Inventium, he awakens from this “inspiration”
that the Technocracy went to such extreme measures merely and rejoins the mundane world. Even if he just passes into
to stay on the cutting edge of technology. This is hardly true; another Astral world, the spark of novelty disappears, like
instead, they use it to control and eliminate any invention that those half-remembered dreams where the secret you’ve been
falls outside their control. After the Virtual Adepts’ successful looking for lands right in your hands but fades away before
defection, the outpost’s ruthlessness increased. When possible, you can write it down.
they track down items that don’t fit into their definition of “re-
ality,” often using the item to find the inventor and eliminate The Hackworth Technological
him or her as a creative force in the world. Compilation Facility
Just after the turn of the century, the Sons of Ether Located near the center of the Realm, the Hackworth
took notice of the Inventium and established their own Construct (named for the Iterator who discovered the
small research facility there. The Sons, unlike the Tech- Realm) stands in a clear circle of land. This old-style factory
nocracy, tend to keep to themselves. Their secret base, is the only place in the entire Realm that is not covered
buried deep in the mountains of inventions, still eludes with piles of thingamajigs. The 20-man staff (no women)
the HIT Marks that patrol the Realm. The Sons’ stake stationed here includes 10 Enlightened Technocrats and

10 mundane technicians. 10 more HIT Mark Vs (plus a the Historians, he soon discovered that the cold, metallic
variety of experimental robots and cyborgs, some of which nature of the Realm depressed him badly. The garden was
even work) wander the Realm searching for Scavengers his solution.
and unwanted visitors. The overworked human staff works Small animals, such as mice, birds and rabbits, live in
diligently to keep the arriving inventions from piling up the tiny garden. Tall green hedges surround the perimeter,
on their roof and lawn, while the enforcer cyborgs keep us keeping out some of the sound and adding to the illusion,
renegades in line. from the inside, of being in a natural environment. The gar-
The building itself is a large brick structure surround- den adheres to a natural progression of seasons, from Spring
ed by chain-link fences topped with barbed wire. The flowers to Autumn leaves. Peach, cherry and apple trees
Technocracy has undoubtedly installed various forms and berry bushes produce lush, sweet fruit when in season.
of self-monitored security devices. Outsiders who have A stone cottage, dating from the first Verbena’s tenure, sits
ventured into the factory’s recesses have not returned. lazily amid a small copse of trees. The oak outside its walls
An Iteration X Statistician named Casey Z1193 runs the is less red than most, but blazes with Otherworldly power.
facility with customary — if listless — efficiency. The Lady Autumn Rivers keeps the place clear of the gadgets
Construct’s food and goods come through a direct portal which occasionally fall from the sky; although she enjoys the
from Autocthonia. Or from MECHA. No one outside the opportunities to examine new gadgets, she diligently guards
factory quite knows for sure. this sanctum against technological corruption.
Exington Hall The Scavengers’ Refuge

The Etherite facility — if you can find it — looks Deep underground, the descendants of the first visitors
more like Frankenstein’s castle than anything else. Flashes to the Realm scuttle about in dim and gloomy quarters. The
of light occur regularly in the mansion’s windows, which Technocrats put them at the top of the extermination list
are placed high in thick stone walls surrounded by mounds a long time ago, for threatening to usurp new technologies
of gadgets. The double front doors, made of iron, have a from their control. To survive the HIT Mark incursions, the
thick locking mechanism that “chungs” into place once Scavengers burrowed under the mountains of old inventions
the doors close. Here and there, inventions sit on the roof and built a bunker from which they only rarely emerge.
like mechanical gargoyles. The Sons are, shall we say, less Abraham Germano oversees the Refuge with careful
diligent about cleaning off newly arrived inventions than intensity. Each of the 20 or so Scavengers is a personal
the Technocrats are. friend, and he takes any death among them very hard. For
Inside the Hall, a cluttered Victorian ambiance pre- survival’s sake, he has stockpiled an arsenal of destructive
vails. Scavenged furniture, piled with papers, widgets, books devices, from machine guns to shoulder-fired missiles. Years
and ashtrays, broods in dim corridors and rooms. Even the ago, he tried to storm the Hackworth Facility head-on; three
kitchen and dining room are thick with exotic tobacco Scavengers made it back alive, and he has avoided direct
smoke (where they get their tobacco is anyone’s guess; I contact ever since. By his order, the Scavengers go out only
assume they grow it there somehow). Five Ether Scientists at night, creeping through the piles of gadgets like mice at a
(four men, one woman) dwell in Exington Hall; three great hall feast. Three families, many of them un-Awakened,
live here full-time. I doubt if many of them have ever been to
assistants wait on their masters at all hours. Lord Johann
Earth, or even away from the Realm. Germano himself was
Bigham oversees the Hall with curt, mannered tolerance.
born here. Lady Rivers would love to explore the logistics
Although few living things reside in the Hall (a handful
of a child born in astral space, but Abraham distrusts the
of mongrel animals are said to live as pets, and visitors
Verbena, maybe with good reason.
claim to have met terrifying black dogs in the courtyard),
the mansion’s corridors are crammed with curios, research
notes and knickknacks. Visitors are welcome, but not Ecology
encouraged to enter or to stay. Although the Realm boasts no indigenous life, the plants
and animals the settlers have brought over with them seem
The Verbena Garden to prosper well enough. Lady Rivers and the Historians grow
Over the years, Verbena Historians have cleared an area their own food, and I assume that the Scavengers do, too; God
two acres square where plants and animals live and grow. knows what the Technomancers do. (In case you’re wondering,
This Verbena Garden and its chirping birds seem totally no, I’m not going to tell you about my fellow Historians — a
out of place among the bings and chugs of the otherwise man has to have some secrets, you know!)
mechanically oriented Realm. Though this Garden is small, During the early years of the Technocratic assault, all
the Verbena Historians designed it as a shelter where they the gardens, wells and food storage bins were destroyed
could come to meditate and commune with nature. When to drive the other settlers out of the Realm. I suspect the
the Verbena Tradition exiled its first representative among survivors used magick to recreate their supplies, and they

hid their resources better after that. Occasionally, a Scav- There you have it: a Realm of infinite inventions,
enger or Historian falls into the Hackworth Facility’s tender spoiled somewhat by a would-be monopoly of Technocratic
clutches. When someone disappears, everyone relocates. It’s interlopers. I hope, Alexis, that this description encourages
only a matter of time before the torturers get the answers some of your readers to come visit us sometime. If nothing
they require. else, we could use reinforcements.
The Courts
...godlike Shapes, and Forms not as extensive as I would have liked, but they’re enough
Excelling human; princely Dignities, to give an Umbral explorer some idea of where he’s going
And Powers that erst in Heaven sat on thrones, and what he’ll find when he gets there.
Though of their names in Heavenly records now
Be no memorial. The Elemental Domains
— John Milton, Paradise Lost There’s a lot of debate as to whether true elemental Courts
At the mid-point of the Spires, a host of exist at all. While Hermetic writ and traditional folklore describe
magnificent Realms unfold to the Astral trav- the Court of the Fire Lord, the Sea Queen’s Domain and other such
eler. From paragons of beauty to rotting pits, Realms, the tales disagree about the details. I’m inclined to believe
these so-called Courts provide homes for the higher orders of that there are regions set aside by certain elements and shaped by
Umbrood — the Preceptors and Lords of Hermetic terminol- their influence; within these areas, powerful elementals and other
ogy who embody the old gods, the elementals who incarnate Umbrood set up shop and declare their Realm “the Court of the
the forces of nature, and the demonic and angelic hosts who Five Winds,” or something like that.
personify the ultimate evils and goods. Several “independent” Cosmologists debate whether the elemental Courts “be-
Umbrood also make their homes in these labyrinthine corridors, long” in the High Worlds or the Middle ones. A case can be
carving out Realms which resonate in Awakened folklore: the made for either distinction; although it’s hard to reach these
excruciating playgrounds of the Hestilics, the jeweled gardens of Courts from the Umbra, it can be done, so they probably
Parmantha, the floating steeples of Aelida, the Gneech King’s occupy that fringe area I mentioned earlier. You know, the
Court of Cormanth, and so many others. one with the Pattern Webs and the Mythic Realms? Good,
good. Okay, now, although the four Western elements seem
Most Courts have permanent portals leading from their
to occupy larger regions than the Eastern Courts of Wood
halls to Chantries on the Horizon, or occasionally even to
and Metal, each type of element — except Ether, which
Earth. The elemental domains send small gateways to the
frankly bugs me — holds some sway in the High Umbra.
material world through large fires, deep waters, caves, for-
Each elemental domain radiates immense power, hewn from
ests, storms or molten metals. Thus, an astral traveler who
the prime essence of that region. The Fire Courts crackle with
meditates before an inferno can pass into the Realm of Fire
walls of flame; breathing here can blister your lungs unless you
if he has the skill. I knew an Akashic who set himself on
take precautions. The Air Domains ride on clouds, with walls
fire to visit Hûo the Flame Lord, preserving his mortal form
of wafting mist as solid as steel to outsiders but ephemeral to the
with advanced magicks so that he’d have somewhere to come
native spirits. In the caves of Earth (which may lie in the Shade
back to when he returned. Lady Aelida brings her visitors
Realm of Matter for all we know), the air itself seems alive with
to her sky-Realm by pulling them through whirlwinds, so
dust; visitors here feel the weight of solid stone bearing down
I’m told, and the mermaid Seline lures paramours into her on them, even in the largest caverns. The Metal Lands have a
undersea boudoir by diving with them into deep pools or similarly claustrophobic atmosphere, but the air here tastes of
oceans. Any way you go, it’s easier to reach a Court through molten iron, and cold steel clanks beneath your boots. I’m told
an Earthly portal than through the Spires. the Wood Groves are just that — endless forests decorated with
The various Umbral Courts are far too extensive a Chinese calligraphy and Indian batik, dotted here and there by
subject for this book. We tried to fit them in, but could not harmony gardens. Beneath a bottomless ocean, the Water Courts
do them justice within this small yet comprehensive guide. present a problem to any visitor without diving gear or advanced
A friend of mine named Hapsburg claims to be working on Life talents. Seaweed and shaped stone guide currents of water
a more detailed treatment of the Umbral Courts (tentatively into “rooms” where elemental spirits drift lazily. All in all, the
entitled The Mad Masque), but aside from referring you to elemental Courts are exciting, if a hassle, to visit.
the extensive Hermetic libraries on the subject, Dindaine The following roll of important elemental spirit Lords
and I cannot explore the various Courts in as much depth and Preceptors comes from an anonymous source inside
as we would prefer. Sorry, folks! (:-) Even so, I can offer a Horizon’s Archives. It’s not complete by any means, but
few brief glimpses into the Courts I’ve heard about. They’re can serve as a roadmap to travelers in the elemental regions:

• Air: Aga the Storm King, Bojjiro, Hekka No, Hebil Many powerful Bygones escaped from Earth to the
of the Million Eyes, Pipasha, Zephra High Umbra during the end of the Mythic Ages; a few
• Earth: Brunjah the First Child, Lord Gorm, Gortak, of them have been here longer than recorded human
Hagga Hath, Tazgool the Insane, Tsuchi history. Some cultures called them gods while they
• Fire: Amma the Just, King Umo, Hakka, Hûo the walked on Earth, gods who disappeared as the clas-
Flame Lord, Hi-Nagi, Salmander, Unm’ad, Zelya of the sical pantheons arose some 3,000 to 4,000 years ago.
Cold Smoke Ch’shrinn the Bloated One and Sobk the Eater of Sins
• Metal: Eiliah the Wise, Kamali Kayasa the Iron Lotus, are some notorious examples. Other cultures know them
Shiyu Kwan, Tetsu Ri, Lady Yablin as demons on the verge of the senses — Hestilics, Akaa
and much worse. The mass exodus of the High Mythic
• Water: Bahari, Lady Persephora, Nepenthe, Kroshhak
Ages brought other refugees — dragons like Ik-Thazai,
the Devourer, Lo Chinn, Seline of the Emerald Scale, Ushaai
entities like Aelida, and many others. These powerful
• Wood: Gyani Chaya, Hon So the Wooden Dragon, beings took shards of preexisting Realms and shaped
Lady Kãth, P’eng Tsu of the Peach, Quiang Shouberi them to their needs. Floating castles, spires made of
solid color, gardens decked with human limbs… any-
Umbrood Realms thing that might suit the discerning Umbrood can be
Various beings and races live in the astral layers. The found here.
homes they create have more to do with their essence Most Umbrood Realms either overlap into other
than with a visitor’s expectations. Like Horizon Realms, territories, like Mythic Realms or elemental regions, or
these Umbrood palaces are worlds unto themselves, with establish portals or gateways that pass directly to Earth.
a fairly static appearance and certain laws they operate by. Reaching such Realms through the Spires is pretty difficult,
Note that these laws don’t necessarily have anything to though I’ve heard it’s been done. If you’re planning on
do with Earthly physics; in fact, most of them get pretty crashing some spirit’s dinner party, though, just imagine
damned weird. Water running backward, reverse gravity the kind of reception an angry Umbrood Lord can cook
(or none at all), detachable body parts, that sort of thing. up to make an example of trespassers.
He who makes the Realm makes the rules. And speaking of receptions (pleasant and otherwise)….

The Afterworlds
Heaven doesn’t want me, and Hell’s afraid
I’ll take over.
The Pilgrim’s Passage
I’ve spent my life in pursuit of truth, and that quest
— pop slogan
has taken me far from the reaches of man. I have yet to
So where do we go when we die? I’ve find that which I seek, but perhaps my travels will be
gathered a lot of answers to that one during of value to other pilgrims.
the course of my studies. While the majority
In my youthful pride, I was great among the mem-
of my colleagues insist we are reincarnated
bers of my Tradition. The blessed gifts of the Creator
(which explains those Nagging Nellies many
flowed freely from my fingertips and the power of my
folks call Avatars), some of them claim we
soul seemed to be the equal of all heretics, heathens
have one shot and one shot only to make
and unbelievers put together. In my hubris, I took
the most of our lives. In these pages, I entertain several
it upon myself to redeem those souls lost to us, and
possibilities: the Underworld described in Chapter Three,
ventured into the dark lands of the Adversary himself.
the Umbral Worlds mentioned in Chapter Two, the Well
The Creator requires a heavy penance from those who
of Souls explored later in this very chapter… and the
defy His design.
Afterworlds. Which one is the real end of the line? And
In my foolishness, I attacked a group of diabolists
is death truly forever?
in their lair. Instead of slaying the corrupt ones, I kept
Can we return from beyond the Realms of Death?
their leader and forced him to summon his demonic
Obviously, the authors of these various sections had to
masters. The demons came. We fought. They fled before
come back to impart their observations to us, so there
the Creator’s light. I followed through the Umbra, ven-
must be some kind of escape. So is it really death when you
turing farther through the mists than I had gone before.
can come back, or is there some other Afterworld that no
My blood chilled and my breathing grew shallow,
one can record? And if so, where do all these Afterworlds,
but I was not afraid. I had faced the illusions and
Underworlds and Otherworlds get their populations from?
tricks of the Umbra before, and nothing would trick
Sorry, no answers yet! I guess that without enigmas, life
me away from my appointed task. I would tear down
would be too boring for words. And besides, looking for the
the gates of Hell itself. When my vision darkened, I
definitive answer to every question is the Technocracy’s
called upon my gifts to strengthen my soul. Armed
game plan, not ours.
with a shield of faith and magick, I endured numerous
I’ve asked an… acquaintance of mine to give us a tour
horrific obstacles.
of the Astral heavens and hells. I’ve had lots of questions
Finally, I arrived in a dank and misty place with
about these compelling Realms, and while no one can
strange insects and spiders crawling over twisted trees.
offer a definitive answer about our ultimate destination,
A wet chill penetrated the walls of my faith. A tunnel
Otherworld explorers can take a few tips from one who’s
of darkness opened before me, a passage which recalled
been to hell and back — literally — and who has scaled
an illustration of the cave where Christ lay. Or was it a
the hills of heaven in his quests. Enjoy!
mind’s-eye image of that first set of caves where ancient
savages sought refuge? I cannot tell, even now.
• Oliver Hodge That is how I began my first trip to the Afterworlds.
A member of the Celestial Chorus, Oliver That journey ended with my return to the Earthly realm
Hodge Awakened in the late ‘70s, during the begin- and a promise to bridle my pride in the future. I do not
nings of the American Fundamentalist revolution. know whether the places I encountered are the true
Although an ordained Lutheran minister, Oliver has heavens or hells of the Afterlife. I suspect that they
dedicated his life to the Celestial Chorus and focuses are not, but the truth is not for me to know. It is my
on supernatural and Otherworldly conflicts. Those place to believe, not to question. The transient nature
who meet him encounter a well-educated bearded of the Afterworlds I saw makes them false in my sight.
man in his early 30s with a slightly overdeveloped Afterworlds change over time, and I prefer to believe
sense of right and wrong. Oliver met Alexis Hastings in a Heaven that is absolute and eternal.
in Washington, D.C. during a chance encounter To those magi versed in astral travel, the Af-
at a coffee shop when he overheard a discussion terworlds are deceptively easy to reach. Entering a
about alchemy and offered his opinions. Hodge near-death trance, either by approximating the phys-
continues to correspond with Alexis in hopes of ical state with drugs or by altering one’s Life patterns,
guiding her free spirit. opens the way to the Afterworlds. As the body nears

death, the spirit seeks its destiny. By projecting the Part of the reason that I agreed to give my insights to
living mind ahead of the spirit, the seeker can find this “travel guide” was to prevent the simply curious from
his natural destination — Heaven or Hell. Some magi embarking on such a journey. Afterworlds are dangerous,
of my acquaintance claim that Earthly portals lead to the even by our Awakened standards. Although I know many
Afterworlds, too, and I have heard accounts of gates opened readers will insist on making their own explorations, let
by demonic hosts or rituals. Perhaps these other passages me say that if these places are our ultimate destiny, you
grant an easier access than death. I know not. will know all about them far too soon.
The Nether Realms

These thoughts belong to Oliver The Tunnel Downward
Hodge, member of the Celestial Chorus, When a magus approaches the Nether Realms, she
and none other. If anyone comes to doom finds a tunnel leading down into darkness. Moss covers
from these words, let the burden fall on the rocks surrounding the tunnel, and dreadful smells
my shoulders. rise from within. Sometimes, a great rock blocks the
The places that I refer to as the tunnel; other times, it lies to the side of the tunnel.
Nether Realms may have several other If the tunnel is obstructed, only magick can move the
names. Some believe that I have found stone. No amount of mortal strength can budge it.
Hell, Hades, Gehenna, Sheol, Dis, the Inside the opening, light awaits. As far as I can deter-
Dark Beneath the World, the Land of the Asuras… mine, the nature of the light depends upon the traveler
in short, the place where the souls of sinners or the who encounters it. I have found a candelabrum each time
weak go for punishment and torment. I do not agree I entered the tunnel, but a one-time Virtual Adept ally
with such thoughts. The Nether Realms are not the of mine discovered a cigarette lighter. Regardless of its
true underworld of almost universal religion, but dark form, the light source always relies on a flame, never on
reflections of our collective fears and beliefs about a glowing fungus or electric bulb.
such places. Remains of fallen guardians litter the tunnel. The
The Nether Realms are many in number, and each broken collar-chains of three-headed dogs, the limbs of
one takes its own form from the beliefs of those who demons and the rotting bones of a serpent lie in mute
have shaped it. There are Nether Realms for each major testimony to oblivion. I don’t know why all sentries have
religion, and for each major aspect of that religion. Some perished. Perhaps the traffic downward was too great to
hells abound with excruciations too complex to describe, resist, and it trampled them all in passing.
while others recall the simple torments of flaying, boil- The tunnel delves underground for what seems like
ing, burning and tearing limb from limb. The minds an eternity. Each person remembers the trek through it
of Inquisitors must have flown to such Realms during differently. Some visitors notice paintings on the walls
the darkest ages past — or perhaps those same minds depicting bizarre rituals. Others feel a noticeable heat the
fashioned these same instruments of torture. One hell further they descend. Many remember a moaning noise,
simply presented the damned with a blank and empty but whether it comes from the wind blowing through the
room in which to spend eternity. I have even heard of a tunnel or from a sufferer somewhere ahead, no one knows.
Nether Realm that resembles an endless nightclub, only Thick layers of cobwebs, illuminated by glowing fungus,
here the night never ends and the doors never open. obstruct the traveler’s path. I have heard that brushing these
Those who dance do so forever, and those who drink webs cause a visitor to lose his memory. After passing through
thirst for eternity. Some Nether Realms are abandoned, the cobwebs, the tunnel splits into several parts, forming a maze
forgotten spiritual reminders of lost religions. Others called the Catacombs. Lost spirits wander this great puzzle,
are all too active. desperately searching for a way to leave. A magus may use her
My own visit brought me to the Caverns of Suffering, Correspondence magicks to navigate through the Catacombs,
where the echo of hammering and the muted cries of the but an easier method exists: Watch the flame from your light
damned heralded my arrival. This hell seems European in source while walking through the Catacombs. It will point
its construction, but it melds so many common elements in the direction that you wish to go. This knowledge makes
into a grotesque whole that I must assume that I ventured a good bargaining chip in case you encounter spirits with
into some aspect of the truest Hell. Of course, I’ve heard any remaining sanity. As a general rule, however, avoid any
it said that all hells lead to the one true Damnation. I pray being wandering the Catacombs. Most of them attack without
I never find out for certain. warning or provocation.

The Caverns of Suffering horns, bat wings, cloven feet and pitchforks, others appeared
Should you follow my path, beware the watchmen who to me as spawn from ancient myth, fallen angels, blobs of
sniff like hounds through the Catacombs. Their home, the darkness or spirits of death. The demons I have met here are
Caverns of Suffering, lies at the end of all the tunnels. The not the rampaging hordes I had expected, but intelligent,
hammering of endless labor and the wails of the tormented malicious and cunning. Be as wary of them as you would of
drift outward from the Caverns, rolling off the tunnel walls a Nephandus in your Chantry.
like a peal of thunder. Inside, demonic sentinels sweep Even here, there are places to turn back. Niches in the
through grand Infernal chambers on ghastly errands. A Cavern’s walls lead to other Realms, or to the endless maze
traveler is best advised to douse her light source before they some call the Null Zone [Editor’s Note: See Chapter Two.
approach. In the distance, sparks from the hammering and — Alexis]. A Euthanatos I know claims to have fled with
faint gray lights at the exits provide enough illumination the souls of two friends. The chase was as torturous as the
to continue onward. tasks of the damned, but they finally found a way out. Once
Passing through the Caverns of Suffering is not easy. past the Cavern, the demons did not pursue them. It was a
The floor is treacherous with crevices, sharp rocks, crawling long journey home, and the three carry eternal soul-scars,
insects and worse hazards. The smell here is more foul than but escape does seem possible.
the odors of Calcutta on a summer day, and a choking haze Most exits from the Cavern lead up to the endlessly over-
burns the eyes and throat. Gray light seems to dance over cast skies of the Plain of Penance, or Purgatory. Every form of
scenes of torment as the lesser sinners endure infinite tasks human torture imaginable takes place on the Plain. I will not
and merciless overseers. If you would escape their fate, dwell upon those acts, but add only that the Caverns of Suf-
for God’s sake, keep your calm. The taskmasters would fering seem tame in comparison. Mountains of coal and iron
cheerfully take a living visitor and put her to work in many form a circle around the Plain. Several stark metal fortresses,
unpleasant ways. controlled by demon lords, dot the peaks. From some towers,
Our preconceptions of Infernal hosts lead us to see poisoned barbs ring screaming human bells at each hour. A few
the denizens of these horrid caves as archetypal devils, but claim these citadels house opulent demonic courts with portals
their Masters grant them forms as malleable as molten clay. leading to the secret gathering places of diabolists. I know not,
While a handful of the creatures I encountered had red skin, nor would I care to find out the truth.

The Deep and the Cathedral Caves lead off from the downward path to other Nether
A wall of iron, miles long and covered with spikes, Realms, including Bantu hells where man has no fire, Shinto
surrounds the Deep, a great pit in the center of the plain. visions of the maggot-eaten First Mother, Buddhist tests
Infernal sentries stand watch on the battlements. If the of light, and Zoroastrian bridges across eternity. I suspect
traveler reaches a gatehouse, a demon warrior asks her students of such beliefs would recognize many images and
business. These Sentries of the Deep demand the name and symbols in these Infernal Realms better than I could. For
business of any would-be visitor. I caution you — if you my part, I looked briefly into each cave, then walked away
would speak to one of the Infernal host, do not give your and continued downward.
true name! A descriptive moniker, such as “Talewinds” or The journey into the Deep takes days. Each layer of the
“Shadespeaker” would be far safer to parlay with than any Deep feels more real than the one preceding it. The sounds
hint of your actual birth name, so long as it contains some of suffering are clearer. The ground feels harder. Caves along
element of truth. Once inside, the demons commission an the sides of the circling road allow more opportunities to
escort to guide you. No one with an once of sense would visit different Nether Realms. An escorted visitor remains
refuse such monsters on their home ground. No one, of somewhat safe, but a lone traveler becomes prey to all forms
course, but a mage! of Infernal attack. Cracks open at her feet, rocks tumble from
The Sentries of the Deep can, of course, be bribed. on high, demonic bandits and nightmare creatures lie in
Favors, Talismans and the names of rival demons are ambush, and tempters cast illusions of safety just out of reach.
the best currency for such deals. Money is worthless in Finally, at the lowest level of the Deep, explorers come to
hell, and demons shit hot, liquid gold into the mouths of the Lake of Fire. Despite the name and the eerie flames that
sinners, but worthless trinkets on Earth may be valuable flicker across its surface, the Lake is bone-chillingly cold. Its
here. Carnal favors are often an effective but dangerous waters absorb heat, pulling it straight through your flesh even
incentive, but pay this way at your own risk. A Cultist of from the shore. I ran my fingers across the surface and pain
Ecstasy I knew once seduced her way past an attractive raced up my arm, raking through me like frozen barbed wire.
demonic guardsman. Seven months later, his demon-child The Court of the Damned rises up from the center of this
ate its way out of her body. Lake, and a bridge of iron reaches from shore to the Court.
A demonic escort is no guarantee of safety, but the The Court of Damned is more of a city than a palace.
Infernal Ones do enjoy showing off their homeworld Demon lords and ladies walk the streets, sometimes clad
to the living. The opportunity to preview a traveler’s in still-living human flesh. Soul-slaves in iron masks tend
eventual fate is often worth keeping her alive to see to the wishes of their masters. Walls divide the Court of
it and return later. As you go, the demon answers all the Dammed into different wards, each one reflecting the
questions in a friendly, mocking tone. Of course that bed hellish vision of a different religious group or culture. I saw
of hissing coals is for pagans, that brass bull for unbelievers, five, myself: a modern Christian hell, a Muslim brass oven,
that skinning post for wizards. Why do you ask? My own a Chinese slaughterhouse, a biotech amputation gallery and
guide, a pustulent fellow named Brisbane, took special a room where blind people were tied to chairs and left alone.
pleasure in bringing me to the Pool of Truths, where fanat- The divisions between the wards do not limit the travels of
ics drown eternally, chained to their own beliefs. If you’re the Infernal denizens who move freely between areas; rather,
clever, you can see which aspects of your personality could they seem to provide a sort of zoo for residents of the Court.
use “repair” in the tortures the demons preview. Perhaps Infernal architecture and artwork taken from the imag-
that’s the true purpose of the Infernal: not to punish us inations of Gothic horror writers dominates the Christian
for what we did in life, but to reveal to us what we must ward. An arena stands in one area where humans are slowly
change while we can. tortured and gladiators fight in bouts of pain, where the object
A path winding down around the outer edges of the is not to win or lose, but to cause as much agony as possible.
Deep extends to the Lake of Fire. Souls trapped here Demons conduct unspeakable sexual acts in the streets, and
are flayed into imaginative shapes by Infernal sculptors, tempters disguised as mortals lay siege to the damned.
who then parade their handiwork across roads of razors It’s a great relief to reach the Cathedral of the Fall, a tower-
or ride them into battle with other warped monstrosities. ing citadel of breathing darkness. Walls surround the structure,
Bloodthirsty mortals end up here, tearing each other to holding back the noise and stench of the outer regions. Bamboo,
bits in a cannibalistic frenzy. I’ve heard that living visitors concrete, brass, black marble, rusted steel and bone are only a
occasionally end up in such battles as well; the Cultist I few of the materials combined to make this living castle. The
mentioned earlier lost one of her Chantrymates to the interior twists and turns in a surreal nightmare, and the endless
demonic sculptors. When she last saw him, he had been halls seem to encompass the rest of the Nether Realms combined.
split into three writhing limbs, each adorned with eyes I believe that most demons hold personal courts located inside
and rending teeth. She carried that image with her unto the Cathedral, but I couldn’t say for certain. Some sections of
her own death. the Cathedral are pleasure palaces, while others are sewers unfit

for rats. An escort is essential if you desire (for some reason) to I must conclude that humanity’s nightmares of eternal punish-
enter the Cathedral’s confines. The hosts here are too numerous ment and perverse pleasures created the Nether Realms. Both
and too powerful to resist for long. elements reshape themselves with each new age, adapting to
Most meetings of the Infernal hosts either take place in the newest prevailing beliefs. Both elements carry the taint
the Cathedral’s courtyards — Halloween-inspired grounds of of the true Hell behind them, but provide only a shadow of
dead grasses and trees, surrounded by fog coated swamps and that Inferno’s true existence.
dark jungles — or in the grand ballrooms, where magnificent The battered scraps of old fears I have seen give credence
thousand-foot halls oversee dances from all human cultures. to my theory. Abandoned ruins of Egyptian tombs and bits of
Exquisitely blasphemous artwork decorates every room, and Greek and Nordic myth lie cast aside in the Nether Realms,
achingly beautiful music pours from the throats of once-hu- and the death gods of thousands of forgotten religions have
man instruments. It is, I must confess, an amazing sight, fallen from grace. The current lords may slip as well, if God
breathtaking in its perverse magnificence. is willing and humanity is more set on self-preservation than
Inside the Nave, the heart of this obscene travesty, annihilation. Even so, these Realms are no less dangerous
the demonic nobility of a hundred Nether Realms dress for their human architects. If anything, their imperfect and
in expensive clothing from every time period imaginable. transitional nature makes them more fearsome. God is order
No suits of living flesh are permitted. Most demonic lords itself; humanity is vicious and capricious chaos.
and ladies are attractive in a bestial, animalistic way. A few The residents of these hells are not idle, either. They have
carry themselves with an angelic grace. Most fiends have been granted sentience and use it to prolong their lives. These
an insatiable curiosity about anything new, and are quite demonic hosts harvest mortal souls to provide enough energy
polite toward newcomers. The games they play with living for these hells to exist without human imagination. I suspect
travelers relieve the boredom of their eternal lives. that the souls I saw in torment there arrived through pacts or
I was unsuccessful in my attempt to confront Lucifer. spiritual capture. I recognized three Infernalists I had put to death
Demons fill the Court of the Damned, but no one ever sees myself, and assume that all such bargains stock the Cavern of
the Underlord of the Nether Realms, if, as many believe, Suffering with playthings. Perhaps their eternal torment keeps
an Underlord exists. The demons claim that the majesty the Netherworlds strong. If so, then providing the means to your
of their Lord is too great for human eyes, or that he is too own endless torture is a grotesque but fitting reward.
busy judging the right punishments for the souls of the
unworthy. A line of beings stands in chains outside the Places of Interest
Court of the Damned, so there may be some truth to these I suppose that the entire Realm is of interest to morbid minds.
claims. Business with the Underlord of the Nether Realms I have already described several landmarks of my own visit — the
must be conducted through well-mannered underlings with tunnel, the Cavern, the Deep, the Cathedral and others. I never
the tongues of serpents (literally and otherwise). Gates saw the following locations myself, but my Ecstatic and Euthanatos
within the Cathedral lead back to the world of the living. sources described each one to me from their own journeys. As for
The implications of such portals terrifies me — surely they myself, I hope never to add to my store of Infernal knowledge;
provide our world with its endless source of evil. what I have learned haunts me well enough.
Within the Court of the Damned, anything and ev-
erything is negotiable, even escape. Beware such bargains, The Library of the Damned
however. The gifts of demons always come back to haunt Located beneath the Cathedral, the Library provides access
you. If I escaped this deepest hell (and obviously I did so), to nearly every book censored or destroyed by members of various
I fear it was to provide later sport for my “bodyguards.” I’m religious movements. The entire collection of the Library of
sure I will see them again. Alexandria fills one wing of the Library of the Damned. Diabolic
guardians prevent visitors from taking texts out of the Library,
Background but there are no limits to what the traveler may read while inside.
The main study area recalls the style of old European university
Think you God built this place, wishing man ill
libraries, with hardwood tables and chairs. Ravens nest on top
And not lusts uncontrolled or swords unsheathed? of bookshelves and watch readers. Many tomes bear curses or
Not God, my friend. The truth’s more hideous still; misinformation, so scholars should beware seeking too many
These halls were carved by men while yet they breathed. answers from the Library of the Damned.
— Etrigan, “Down Amongst the Dead Men” (Swamp It has been said that too much information is a dangerous
Thing Annual #2, by Alan Moore) thing. The Library of the Damned, which uses the intellect as
As impressive as the Cavern and Cathedral are, I cannot an avenue to steal the soul, embodies this concept. Like the
believe that all the sinners in history could fit within their Cathedral, the Library has many secret doors and unnatural
expanse. Nor do I accept that our Creator would have decreed twists and turns, making it impossible to determine the full
such a tawdry excuse for an afterlife, even for the wicked. Thus, extent of the lore contained therein.

The Forest of Thorns it to find out, nor do I intend to. Ferrymen, infernal creatures
Found past one of the upper caves of the Deep, the who resemble old men and women, conduct business on the
Forest of Thorns has trees made of a dark red wood with the river, and accept payment in many forms of coin. Once a
strength of iron. Demonic orchards flourish in the forest. bargain is struck, a ferryman carries his passengers to a single
Naturalistic mages may find several herbs and plants of the destination. The Cultist claims to have escaped Hell this
Nether Realms which can aid their magicks, if they care way, though the price was high indeed.
to bargain with the Infernal powers which guard them.
Verbena especially cherish a flower called the bloodrose, a Ecology
rare magickal blossom which makes Life magicks easier to Dark entities of all descriptions, shapes, and sizes live in
perform. Perhaps it leeches this energy from the souls writhing the Nether Realms. Some are wild elemental forces, while
nearby, impaled on the thorns. The agonized Resonance my others are remarkably intelligent, civilized creatures who
Cultist friend detected certainly implies this theory. would make good companions if they weren’t ineffably evil.
Demons may be grouped into three basic types: servitors,
The Palace of Riches tempters and lords.
The Palace of the Demon Lord Mammon rests on a cliff Servitors are simple horrors intent on causing as much
overlooking the Lake of Fire, a level or two from the bottom of pain and suffering as possible. Most servitors rely on brute
the Deep. His estate boasts platinum walls, inlaid with rubies, power to achieve their ends, but a few have learned a bit
emeralds and diamonds. Priceless artwork hangs from every of subtlety. Each servitor wishes to be responsible for the
wall. Lord Mammon claims that he possesses the Hanging damnation of a soul (perhaps to improve their own lot), but
Gardens of Babylon in his castle; the beautiful gardens of the the blatant tactics they use to scare souls into corruption
palace could well be the lost Wonder of the World. are unlikely to succeed. Travelers should respect servitors
Unlike other Demon Lords, Mammon seems more in- in the same way they would beware a dangerous animal.
terested in material power and riches than in souls, although Tempters are greater demons who actively work to
one may just be the means to the other. He offers boons corrupt and steal human souls. Like servitors, they enjoy
in exchange for information about Earth, and cements his pain and suffering, but they see it as a means to an end, not
“friendships” with valuable gifts. As powerful as he is, Mam- as the end itself. Tempters are intelligent, subtle beings
mon prefers mortal avarice to brute force. A soul which goes who see stealing souls as an art form. They are exceedingly
to him willingly is far more precious than one reaped from a patient, willing to resist corrupting one person, in order to
cooling corpse. Never trust the gifts of demons. possess the souls of all of her grandchildren.
Lords are the most powerful of Infernal entities, com-
The Dread River manding legions of tempters and servitors. Each lord has
Several rivers run through the depths of the Nether distinct abilities and a personality, reflected in his court.
Realms; I suspect they may lead to other worlds in the Middle Certain sins and souls appeal more to some lords than to
Umbra, and perhaps out into the depths of space, to the Realm others. Intelligent magi will endeavor to steer clear of
called Malfeas [Editor’s Note: See Chapter Five. — Alexis]. demon lords; most such creatures have held power in the
The largest such river, called Dread or Styx, supposedly runs Infernal Realms for centuries, and can corrupt a mortal
from the High Worlds to the Low ones. I have not traveled with their very touch.
Paradise
I never spoke with God I resolved to search for Heaven. Although unworthy of
Nor visited in Heaven — entering Paradise, especially with my current crisis of faith, I
Yet certain am I of the spot suspected a shadow of that exalted place might exist in the High
As if the Check were given — Umbra. If a shallow reflection of Heaven existed, perhaps it
could heal me in some way from the curse of the Nether Realms.
— Emily Dickinson
I prepared for my quest with prayer, fasting and deep
After my Infernal journeys, I knew that meditation. Giving my soul wings, I soared out from my
my soul was in jeopardy. I could feel gloom and body, focused on the ultimate reward. This is what I found….
despair weighing heavily upon my shoulders. My
faith was weak, wounded from battling demons The Gate
and venturing to the false hell of the Nether Realms. Although The Umbral mists parted to reveal a shining gate of mol-
I knew their existence to be a lie, their very presence cast the ten pearl. A white glow emanated from the barrier, bathing
faint heresy of doubt upon me. What if there were no real Hell? me in comfort beyond words. Even so, a nagging voice urged
me to return to Earth. My time was not yet come, it said, Another voice joined my own. It took me some time
and I nearly followed through and left the gate behind me. to realize it, and when I did, its source shocked me into
Yet I was resolute enough to defy the voice, and eventually silence. A nude and beautiful young woman stood beside
placed my hands upon the Gate of Heaven. me, her voice weaving into my own. When I realized she
As I reached out with trembling hands, naked in my astral was there, I admit I clasped my hands across my privates
form and aghast at my own temerity, a blinding light shone and turned away from her, ashamed. “What’s the matter?”
through the pearly bars. The bars themselves were cool to the asked the girl. “Surely you’re not going to tell me Paradise
touch, and I felt the comfort of salvation flow through me like is improper!” She laughed, but her tone held no mockery.
a cold drink on a summer day. The light washed over me, but “It just doesn’t feel right,” I admitted, “for both of us to
its power did not burn my eyes; instead, I felt the First Song rise stand here naked, especially in Paradise.”
like a voice inside my ears. As my fingers gripped the gate, cool “Aren’t these bodies gifts from God?” she replied. “Isn’t
hands touched me and shining figures moved within the light. it clothes that are the illusion, the comfort of mortal shame
“What brings you to Paradise?” I felt the voice, male but an affront to Divine Grace? Let the mortals hide their
and female at once, like a soft caress. Even so, there was souls from each other. Here, we have no need for shame.
power in the touch, a power so great that I, who had slain It’s lust, not love, that is the poison of sexuality, and carnal
demons, would not dare to defy it. needs, not spiritual ones, which profane our bodies.”
“I have wandered into the lower regions,” I replied, “Those people over there,” I noted, “are wearing clothes.”
weeping suddenly. It was a moment before I could continue. “It makes them feel more at ease. If you feel the same, we
“…And my faith has been wounded badly by the journey,” can take care of that.” In her hands, a white garment appeared.
I finished at last. She handed it to me and indicated the waters at our feet. I had
“You may enter for a while,” the voice assured as the Gate not seen the stream a moment ago, but now it rushed along,
opened completely, bathing me in light so intense my astral clean and inviting. “Please wash up before you put these on,”
body felt dirty in comparison, “but remember: Paradise is for the girl advised. “You’re still stained with the trials of Earthly life.
the dead and the unborn, not for the living. You may heal Before you dress in heavenly garments, you should clean yourself
yourself, but seek not to conquer, nor to remain.” Nodding in heavenly grace.” I agreed, and did as she asked. No mortal
my assent, I entered through the Gate and stumbled through bath ever felt so refreshing. When I had dressed, my guide led
the heart of the light. I have no doubt that if I had lied or me across the fields to join the distant people. She introduced
struggled, I would have been seared into nothingness. us all around, and we spoke of many things until dusk.
My companions were a friendly lot, gracious and happy.
The Pastures Although it seemed as though each of them had come from
A spring breeze, scented with blossoming flowers, greeted Earth at some point, none seemed to remember much about it.
my arrival. Green hills gave way to purple mountains, and bright To them, life was a struggle, an endless test of faith. I gathered
rainbows shone overhead. Luxurious trees offered shade from from our conversations that these souls were recently dead, or
the soft sunlight, while small animals played without fear in not yet born. Perhaps they came here through devout service
the tall grass. In the distance, I saw men and women — some to the angelic hosts, or by steadfast service to Divinity. Like
in simple white garments, others joyfully nude — talking, the poor sufferers in the Nether Realms, there seemed to be
playing or walking hand in hand. A sparkling stream burbled too few of these blessed folk to account for the billions who
between the hills and a gleaming city glittered from a far-off have died. Although the hills and mountains seemed to go on
hill. As I walked, a lion raised his head from the sunlit grasses forever, few signs of human habitation marked the landscape.
while a small pup tugged at the great cat’s mane. The landscape My guide (referred to by one man as “Kalina”) disap-
of Paradise awakened my senses, restoring me to a health and peared shortly before twilight, promising to catch up with
a hope that I thought had fled with childhood. Every scent, me in the morning. “It’s only right,” she said sadly, “that I
every sound, each touch is as clear to me now as it was that should see you on your way when you leave.”
day. I pray I never forget each sensation’s purity. “Is that the way of Heaven?” I asked. Admittedly, I was
Soon, my body was redeemed. The scars, wrinkles and a bit petulant about it. The peace of the Realm was such
blemishes I carried even in my astral form began to vanish, that I never wanted to leave.
replaced by healthy newborn “skin.” My mind cleared and “It is for the living,” she replied. “You agreed to that
my perceptions flowed like a snowmelt stream, cold and clear the moment the gates opened. One day is all the living are
across the landscape. A vitality I feared had disappeared with allotted in Paradise.” She smiled at me, a radiant look that
my youth bled through me, and soon my own voice joined swept my disappointment away. “Most people never get this
the chorus of this sublime world. For the first time in years, far. Be glad for what you’ve experienced.”
I understood the true nature of my Tradition’s Song; the “I am,” I replied.
magicks I had worked with its power had deadened me to She clasped my hands between her own. “So am I.” She
the crystal nature of that Song’s purest essence. left me with a kiss and drifted away as evening colored the skies.

The Twilight City
As evening came, the sound of bells drifted softly across
the hills, calling us all to prayer. I followed my hosts to a
small open-air chapel, a natural grove where fading rays
of sunlight pierced the tree-cover, illuminating a wooden
altar. We sang our prayers to a God with many faces and
many names, a God who spoke to us all in It’s own way.
Our prayers asked blessings for the frightened souls on Earth
and offered praise to the One above us who had granted this
sanctuary. After a while, as dusk turned to nightfall, we rose
and took up lighted lanterns from the grove. Carrying our
lamps before us, we walked toward the city on the hill, still
singing our praises.
The city on the hill grew in height and grandeur as we
approached. The hill became a small mount and the walls and
buildings of the city gleamed with holy light. Words cannot
describe the city; dreams of Camelot, the New Jerusalem,
Ys — no imaginings can compare to the splendor of the
sacred streets of the Paradise I saw. Buildings of all faiths,
from mosques to temples to cathedrals to simple lodges, lined
the grand avenues we walked, and the Earthly signs of city
life — squalor, commerce, vice and decay — were nowhere
to be seen. The city seemed to exist for two purposes only:
to impress the eye and lift the heart.
Other people greeted us here, and beings of light, simple
animals and bygone beasts of the kinder varieties. My hosts
showed me around their homes, where warm light illuminated
comfortable beds and reading rooms, and took me to taverns
where the blessed gathered in fellowship, to laugh and share
fine foods and drink. No drunkenness accompanied these
revels, only the pleasures of souls who have tasted ambro-
sia. The food I tasted that night was the finest I fear I will
ever know, prepared with grace and thanksgiving instead
of pain or harvest.
Background
As the night deepened into dawn, I began to wonder
at this endless pleasure. Was such bliss eternal, or simply
a waystation between troubled lives? Was this a rest stop,
a wish-dream, or some shadow of Divine reality? I didn’t
dare to ask my companions, but I suspect they would not
have known the answer even if I had asked. Perhaps it’s
better that way; Paradise is such an ephemeral concept
that questioning it seems like violence.
Not that the Realm seemed frail in any way. Every
now and then, I caught sight of some angelic guardian.
While most resembled the expected cherubs and winged
perfections, I occasionally glimpsed a celestial dragon or
pure-white steed. A protective power surges beneath the
placid surface of Paradise. I have no doubt that if any threat
forced its way past the Gate of Heaven, it would find the
mightiest angels arrayed against it. And, I suspect, a power
that dwarfs the greatest archangel by comparison.

I saw a glimmer of that power shortly before I left what comes after your death, but be rest assured it’s not as
Paradise behind. As the sky outside the tavern lightened bad as it appears from the ground. Have faith, Oliver, and
into a mild blue, Kalina returned, saddened by her task come back again some day.” As the light rose about us, she
but happy to see me just the same. “Please tell me,” I wiped away tears from my face, kissed me chastely but with
begged after we said our good-byes to my companions, great love, and faded away.
“what this Paradise is? Is it a confection of mortal faith, a I awoke in my study, my heart lightened by my trip
shade of the true Hereafter, a spirit-home, or a waystation and shining with renewed faith. Even as the vulgar bashing
for tired souls like mine? Where have I been, and what from my neighbor’s TV sent my nerves jangling, I had to
do I leave behind?” smile. The angel’s kiss lingered on my lips. All in all, there
As an answer, she took me to a grand Roman temple were worse ways I could have spent a day and a night.
at the city’s heart. The air around the place seemed to
shimmer with power, and light, like the cool blaze which
greeted me at the gates, rippled in the center of the room.
Places of Interest
Although I never saw the following places during
“Ask God,” she said at last.
my brief stay in Paradise, I heard them discussed by my
“Does God reside in this temple?” I asked, hesitant.
companions during that long and wonderful night. Perhaps
“God resides everywhere,” Kalina replied. “This you who venture there may behold the sights I could not
temple, those temples, in the groves, in the valleys, in see in my one short visit. Perhaps I myself will return to
the stream, the gates, the sky, the clouds. Each blade of Paradise someday and see them for myself.
grass, each atom, each drop of blood. Every molecule is
God’s domain, so question Him where you will.” The Endless Ocean
“Where are we?” The Endless Ocean marks the western edge of Para-
Kalina smiled. “That is the question, isn’t it? Remember dise. The tide softly rushes over the sands and warm water
how you came here. Some would say you never left your body, swirls up around your ankles. Multicolored shells decorate
that all of this is in your mind. Others understand the astral the shoreline without any sharp edges to cut your feet. A
ways, but would tell you that we’re standing in an Umbrood’s mist hangs off the coast, obscuring the horizon. Dolphins
Realm. Maybe you’re talking to a spirit-being, maybe you’re play with sea birds in the water, inviting swimmers to join
standing in front of God’s temple, maybe you’re imagining them. The coastline changes to high cliffs and picturesque
the whole thing. And maybe there’s no difference between wetlands if you walk far enough along the beach, and the
all those options.” breeze brings sweet cooling mist by night.
“Is it too much to ask to get a straight answer?” My
voice was as light as I could make it, but my annoyance The Great Mountain
came through, I’m sure. Kalina laughed at me. The Great Mountain stands inland from the Endless
“If you must, then just assume I’m an angel sent to Ocean. Its peak rises up into glowing clouds, dwarfing the
offer hope to mortals on this side of eternity. This Paradise surrounding snowcaps. I’m told that the ruins of a great
is a shadow of a glory too expansive for the human mind city, almost as grand as the City of Paradise, lie scattered
to grasp, a shadow that’s been fashioned from what mortal across the mountaintop above the clouds. Kalina told me
minds imagine Paradise to be. We stand in a drop of Heaven, that the ancient gods of many pantheons once ruled over
a Heaven which extends in all directions, all ways, all levels Paradise from the peak. They have since left with the
of consciousness. Even in the darkest corners of the hells, coming of the modern religions, and may have founded
Heaven waits. We Celestials serve that Heaven, and we the Courts that exist elsewhere in the High Realms. Off
wait in this Realm for travelers like yourself — the newly in the western sky, a glow shines over the ocean, visible
dead, the soon-born, the struggling visionaries and the only from the mountain. According to the angels, the
faithful without faith. We have fought the Fallen hosts, we true Heaven lies in that direction. None who seek it out
have walked with the faithful, and we wait on the destiny ever return.
those greater than us will decide. By our example, you are
empowered. By our existence, you are redeemed. How’s The Animals’ Shrine
that for an answer?” Secluded in a quiet grove, a rock shaped roughly like
“It’ll do,” I replied, as she took my arm and guided me a four-legged beast stands alone. Tithes of flowers, foods
out of Paradise. and squeaky toys lie all around the rock. The spirits of
At the Gate of Heaven, she clasped my hands: “The dead animals come here to find peace and to remember
mortal world is a trial, a test which grows harder every day those they loved in life. Many different animals live in
you live and ends with your departure. It’s not for me to say Paradise, and some believe that Paradise is the true afterlife

for the spirits of beasts. One of my companions claimed Valhalla
that a young visitor came to the shrine and was reunited In a northern section of Paradise, a great Viking hall
with her childhood pet, if only for day. houses continual feasting and celebration. Viking warriors
drink mead and consort with beautiful Valkyries. Skalds
The Elysian Fields warm the hall with their singing. These spirits are said to
Past the shores of Paradise, the island of Elysia rises have survived a manifestation of Ragnarok when the Norse
from the Endless Ocean. The entire island is a large plateau, versions of the Nether Realms and Valhalla destroyed each
covered in rolling plains. Ancient Greek heroes compete other in a mighty Umbral battle. They give a wide berth to
in Olympic games while poets compose verses to honor the angels, but graciously welcome all others to their table.
the champions. Philosophers sit along the beaches, asking A practitioner of runic magicks would find the wisdom
great questions of passersby. Hunters track lions and boars, of this great hall invaluable. Other such heavens exist in
bringing their kills back for feasting, only to have the beasts other parts of the Realm, Paradises out of Zulu lore, Islamic
rise again the next day. Fishing boats set sail out from a doctrine, Puritan ethos, and Native American hopes. Every
small harbor in Elysia, seeking the setting sun. Where they faith, it is said, has its best reflection in Paradise, and each
go, no living person can follow. one is contented to leave the others alone.
The Epiphamies
…symbols are more than just cultural ar- dart all over the place, taking your measure and defending
tifacts: in their correct context, they still speak their territory. These concept-spirits are the only indigenous
powerfully to us, simultaneously addressing our life-forms in the highest astral reaches — no human mind can
intellect, emotions and spirit. Their study is the stay here for long.
study of humanity itself. The Epiphamies range from the relatively solid Realms
— David Fontana, The Secret Language of of Language and Government to the twisting logics of
Symbols Fractal, Meme and Quark. Time eats its own tail, Music
When your mind transcends concrete hums in a thousand separate keys, and Touch caresses your
realities, you drift to the top of the Spires, astral form like a bath of textures. These places grow more
to the Epiphamies where our most abstract concepts take and more abstract until simple minds like ours can’t even
symbolic form. It’s important to realize that this is the imagine them anymore. At that point, the ur-consciousness
most subjective layer of reality — literally no one sees it of the Oracles is said to take over. Me, I just want to come
the same way. You will see it differently than your partners home and get a drink after a trip like that. Thinking too
will, and all of you probably see something only vaguely much makes me thirsty! :-)
related to the following sections. The descriptions we offer Your narrator from this point on will be our friend
here (courtesy of Alexandré Calais again. Hi, Alexandré!) Alexandré. See you next chapter!
are one man’s observations; they’re somewhat accurate —
based as they are on universal archetypes — but not exact. So Where Are We, Anyway?
If you want exact, go join the Technocracy or something! Good question. If you’ve achieved the upper levels of the
As I’ve said before, most travelers will never reach this Astral Umbra, you’re used to questions. Which is fortunate;
region — a region in name only. Between the Realms, nothing the Realms in this region don’t work like any material world,
is solid; visitors swim through the void between instinct and yet they reveal themselves in forms we can all understand.
consciousness, a misty netherspace shot through with colored Just don’t get to thinking that you can measure what you see
mists, crackles of synaptic energy and currents of sound. Oc- in human terms; these enigmas defy mapping or definition
casional clusters of sparkling dust give way to more lasting as much as the concepts they convey.
Realms; once there, your astral body attains a reflection of What do I mean by that? It’s very simple: What is
your true nature — not your social demeanor, but the person language, really? It’s a series of sounds or lines that pass
you actually are. This isn’t a trip you should embark upon with an idea from one person to another. The trick is that both
other people unless you’re ready to see them as they really are people have to understand the concept for the message to
— and ready for them to see you the same way! In the Realms, pass between them. Ever try speaking Bantu? If a person
the concepts take on an archetypal reality, and seem somewhat speaking Bantu came up and asked you a question in that
stable. Occasional winds brush past as un-Awakened people language, you probably wouldn’t understand a thing he
have brief encounters with advanced concepts. You could said. He spoke in concepts you didn’t comprehend. Was
almost get used to it if it weren’t for the odd Epiphlings that he speaking a language? Well, yeah. You just didn’t know

how to understand his concepts. So what is a language? It’s me so far?). Archetypes spiral across this void, warping
a series of abstract symbols that present an idea to people across each other like spots of oil in water, changing all
in the know (we can expand “people” to “beings” if you the time. The Otherworlds are fluid in general, but the
wanna get technical. Animals, trees, even the winds do have Epiphamies make them all look like blocks of stone.
their own languages, you know). So how does anyone ever Do you understand why so few people ever reach
understand anyone else? these regions, no matter how well they understand the
powers of the Mind? Because the average person — hell,
Symbols. the average mage — is like a kitten on a keyboard. He
Symbols are concepts that connect to other concepts. can brush up against the keys, even push a few of them
A raised fist. A drop of blood. A tear. These are com- and make some noise, but he’ll never play Beethoven’s
mon elements in our human experience. We understand Ninth. Not because he’s not smart, but because he just
what they mean, to a degree, because they relate to our doesn’t think that way. No wonder we never see the
experiences, and maybe to something deeper than that. Oracles. They’re not like the cat’s owner; they’re like
Languages build outward from there. Beethoven.
And the Epiphamies are Realms of symbols in motion. All right, I’ll stop talking in metaconcepts. Alexis
So what does that mean to you, O mighty walker of asked me to describe a few of the Realms I’ve seen in
Worlds? Well, it means you’re going to have to read the the Epiphamies, and I will. I just wanted you to know
symbols to understand where the bloody hell you are. And why these descriptions are as brief and elusive as they
you’re going to have to realize that sometimes, the symbols are. There are no “ecologies” or “backgrounds” to
mean something else, and go with the flow. Otherwise, these Realms, because they defy such classifications.
you’re screwed. They simply are, and may be really different when you
Alexis already described the void between concepts. reach them.
It’s cold and empty, yet neither of those things (cold and If you reach them.
empty are concepts, which leads you to a Realm. With Happy trails….

The Well of Souls The Fortress of
From the One Sound came the cave, endless,
resolute. From its depths, the First Light moved for- Government
ward, bursting through the rock like a howl. As the Upon an expanse of barren rock and stunted trees, the
tendrils of First Being swirled about the cleft, Light Fortress of our follies stands. A monumental castle of steel and
and Sound coalesced into Soul, and burned from there stone, the stronghold of wisdom, force and greed surrounds a
across the void. mountain of shit. Atop the stinking pile, hundreds of yards
When humans searched for the cause of Soul, they around, stands a perfect bush of white roses. Are the flowers
came at last to the cave, where the Light licked and worth the effort of attaining them? Is the Fortress needed? Who
spilled from the darkness therein. At the entrance of would pick the roses if they could, and what would happen
the cave, they left their mark, a thousand carvings, signs if they did? Men have argued these questions for millennia.
and mosaics to mark the place where three became one. And, I suspect, they always will.
As they journeyed into the cave, they left impressions
on the walls to guide them, to secure their places in this The River of Language
vast expanse. For the cave is huge beyond words, and Across an endless delta, the words of living things trickled
the human mind quails before the thought of infinity. like liquid serpents. Some evaporated in the arid air and were
Some words, some marks must stand as testament that not heard again, while others became the rainstorms which oc-
we were here. And so the carvings were left behind. casionally washed the plain. The language of the birds and the
In the center of the cave, in a hollow so vast that spirits wove the deepest creeks, but even they grew lazy when
cities, states, oceans could fit therein, whirl the Light and the words of the Wyck sprang from parched earth and streamed
Sound and Soul in endless dance. Those travelers who outward, from pools to overflows, from overflows to rivers.
come to the banks of the Well of Souls see the faces of all Some say that Woman spoke the first symbols, that Man first
beings who ever were and ever will be sweeping across the wove them into marks, that both guided the course of the streams
ripples of essence, then disappearing, bubbling, changing. as dozens, then hundreds of rivers ran forth. Some rivers died in the
This is the Great Making, the Great Unmaking, the Alpha delta heat, while others prospered and ran deep, reshaping the land
and Omega, the Om and the Ki. All that lives begins and and changing the course of lesser streams. They say the gurgle and
ends in this place. the rush of the waters is the sound of words in flight, and that the
It’s said that Akashic elders came forth from this Well banks they carve from the dead earth is the mark of every written
bearing a drop of its essence, which they brought with them note. Visitors here can drink the languages and learn them, if only
back to their greatest temple. This drop, they named the for a short time. They can, literally, become drunk on words.
Akashic Record, and it preserves all the memories and As languages grow and die, so too do the rivers they spring
passions of their fellowship as impressions and dreams. from. Now hundreds of shimmering courses offer themselves
From time to time, others have tried to duplicate their beneath the hazy sky: the dried beds of dead languages; the
feat, but have failed. The essence will not be contained boiling rapids of slang; the deep, slow rivers of common tongues;
except in flesh, and those foolish ones who have tried to the quicksilver streams of modern discourse. Beside them all, the
bind Light, Sound and Soul into their mortal frames have communions of other creatures are as trickles to a torrent, and
been consumed. their sounds are drowned in the rush of human speech.

Common Symbols Elements
Storytellers may want to be familiar with a variety of The forces of creation in motion, the elements
symbols before running a story set in the Epiphamies. The symbolize those things which supposedly never change,
idea holds true for any adventure in the Otherworlds, but yet provide the basis for change. All things, including
it’s a must when the reality your characters visit is made physical, emotional and mental states, have been linked
of symbols. The listings below just scratch the surface of with the elements in every form of philosophy. Even
a few common concepts. For further reference, copies of modern biochemistry measures bodily health in fluid
The Secret Language of Symbols (Fontana), An Illustrated and mineral levels.
Encyclopedia of Traditional Symbols (Cirlot), or both can • Air: Life, intellect, wisdom, transition, feminine
provide endless sources of inspiration. energy; turns to fury in storms, where other
A hint for describing the Epiphamy Realms: Let your elements are united in anger.
players describe how their characters see the place. Give • Earth : Loyalt y, steadf astnes s, protec tion,
them a general description, then let them fill in the fortitude, strength, decay, masculine energy.
details. If they visit the River of Language, for example, • Fire: Illumi nation , wrath , purifi cation ,
tell them simply “You stumble out onto an endless plain consumption, uncontrolled passion, masculine energy.
of flat land cut through with hundreds of rivers, ranging • Water: Nurture, flow, mystery, secrets, passage,
from tiny dried-up beds to raging currents. As you listen feminine energy.
to the eternal chuckle of the rivers, you all realize that the
sounds you hear are words, millions of words flowing by. Shapes
How would your characters see the details of this Realm?”
Even infants seem to recognize the inherent power
The answers provide food for thought, and may deepen the in shapes; they reach toward round things for comfort
roleplaying experience by asking a player to see through and stack angular items together to create new shapes.
her character’s mind as well as through her eyes.
In sacred geometry, each shape has a spiritual signif-
icance which finds its way into architecture, art and
Colors language (“He’s smooth, but really rigid if you know
An emotional trigger, our sense of color transcends what I mean.”).
rational thought and goes straight to our deepest feelings.
• Circle: Eternity, the unbroken border, totality,
The richness we perceive in a world of endless shades may
union. Divided, it stands for discord or imperfection.
help us to appreciate creation’s diversity — seeing things
in “black and white” is often a drawback, especially for a • Cross: A juncture of energies, a centerpoint, a
mage. (See also the Loors in Chapter Six.) focus, a place where different elements come together
and unite.
• Black: Darkness, hidden things, that which we
cannot easily see or understand. • Oval: Nurture, the womb, the face, the egg from
which things begin.
• Blue: Peace, contemplation, infinity, comfort, a
chill. • Pentacle: Boundless unity, perfection of purpose,
the binding of forces and spirituality together.
• Gold: Majes ty, truth, divine light, wisdo m,
imortality. Aimed upward, it symbolizes energy directed
by constr uctive intent ions; downw ard, by
• Green: Fertility, jealousy, life in positive and
destructive ones.
negative aspects.
• Rectangle: A square extended, yet imperfect, its
• Red: Passion, anger, blood, lust, sexuality, sudden
symmetry thrown off to give it strength. Power,
change.
but unbalanced power.
• Silver: Enlightenment, vision, clarity of purpose.
• Square: Solidity, order, perfection of structure,
• Violet: Love, devotion, royalty, passion balanced balance, unity of the four elements.
by purity.
• Triangle: The trinity of elements united;
• White: Innocence, purity, beginnings and endings pointing upward, it represents male power thrusting
(sometimes seen as the pallor of death). toward the heave ns; pointi ng downw ard, it
• Yellow: Humility, wisdom (often weakened by becomes female power fertilizing the earth, channeling
mortality), betrayal, sunlight. energy from above.

will. To
nsition, blocked by
• Doors: Easy tra ing so aces the
pl
a deliberate act; do
open a door takes
Structures
g.
ace or state of bein
co nstruction, these sy
mbols rep- voyager in a new pl ss of id entity, threat.
s of hu m an uggling n, trial, lo
Ite m
ther reflecting or str • Mazes: Confusio the maze must
resent an im po se d or de r ei
build- tra ns ition and obstacle,
e na tu ra l on e. To people who dwell in A pl ac e of bo th
ler who cannot mas
ter that task
against th s represent ou t. A tra ve
ot he r wo rd s, m ost of us), structure be pu zzl ed
rhaps forever.
ings (in
of certain freedom
s. may be trapped, pe erate struc-
stability at the cost g over ob- s: Th es e m ay be the earliest delib
ion, passage, crossin • To mb is given its due,
• Bridges: Transit t a place where death
n be precarious, na
rrow or guarded tures. Tombs represen dy to the spirit.
id ge s ca visitor gives up her bo
sta cl es . Br a gateway where the evement.
to represent struggl
e. ve will, pride, achi
wer, repression. Th
e larger the • Towers: Aggressi out the mascu-
s: O rd er , po be Freud to figure
•C as tle
at or promise. Mag
ic castles You don’t have to impressive and
ea te r its th re tower. Towers are
castle, th e gr
d luxury, while im
posing line aspects of the ngth of time, a
hi ev em en t an ; to stand for any le
represent ac thdrawal. occasionally fragile
imprisonment or wi y yet flexible.
fortresses stand for Like the tower must be sturd tion at the
nscious, the womb. , structure, protec
• Caves: The unco e fearsome than • Walls: Blockage like curtains,
sy m bo l fo r transition, but mor om . W al ls can be ephemeral,
br id ge , a thout warning, cost of fre ed sist threats,
e ca ve ca n close in on you wi bl e, lik e va ults. Strong walls re
m os t. Th ss. A feminine or im pr eg na pe.
s lurk in the darkne em may never esca
an d m an y th re at but those behind th ing inward
aspect of transition
and initiation. ion, admittance ok , lo
consum- • Windows: Reflect A window
D iv isi on , vertigo, birth or t actually going thro
ug h.
•C ha sm s:
er on a journey, or outward withou lar ge r the win-
it serves as a barri rks both ways. The
mation. Although ose who explore lets in light, but wo th e ot her side.
ys promise for th erable the person on
the chasm displa dow, the more vuln
its depths.

Chapter Two:
The Velvet
Curtain
The universe is the Practical Joke of the General at the Expense

of the Particular, quoth FRATER PERDURABO, and laughed.
But those disciples nearest to him wept, seeing the
Universal Sorrow.
Those next to them laughed, seeing the Universal Joke.
— Aleister Crowley, The Book of Lies
As I said earlier, the Garou claim there are at This is not my territory at all. Our Umbra expert will
least 13 Realms in the Middle Umbra. I couldn’t introduce himself, present you with a few theories about the
attest to it myself, and I don’t know of any mages cosmology of the Middle Umbra, and detail for you seven
who have been to more than nine or 10. It could of the Realms he’s been able to find.
be that the others will admit only Garou. — Alexis

swirling through the fog. Funnel clouds, tunnels and the
• Trevyn Terrasso limbs of gigantic trees may offer passage through the Middle
Trevyn Terrasso felt compelled to crash a private Umbra. Lachlan Thane, a Euthanatos, told me of a trail that
meeting of Los Vatos Locos, a Cult of Ecstasy sect, followed the rotting spine of a long dead leviathan. Longtime
in New Mexico. Luckily for Trevyn, they accepted Umbral travelers refer to these trails as Airts.
the newly Awakened youth. Trevyn spends most of The safest and most direct routes through the Umbra
his time in the material world, wandering the South- are Moon Paths, guarded by Lunes, spirits of moonlight and
west United States searching for new experiences. children of Luna. Although some supernatural creatures, such
In the Spirit World, he travels between Realms of as werewolves, may easily access Moon Paths, a mage will
the Middle Umbra, along with a few werewolf and have to bargain with Lunes to gain their favor. I’ve found
Dreamspeaker allies, collecting odds and ends. Trevyn playing riddle games and charades, or offering presents, such
considers himself a philosopher. as moon blossoms or whiskey, pleases most Lunes. If the
spirit offers passage on Moon Paths, a visitor should make
certain to show a modicum of respect to other travelers on
The Middle Umbra, or Spirit Realm, reflects our the pathways. Dangerous spirits avoid the Moon Paths; Airt
emotions, our innermost feelings. It isn’t a place of logic or wanderers aren’t so lucky. Moon paths remind me a bit of a
contrived literary fantasies. The Spirit Realm offers a chance yellow brick road. I wonder if Frank Baum got his inspiration
for travelers to connect with their true nature. Experiences for Oz from the Umbra.
in the Middle Umbra tend to be symbolic, almost dreamlike,
and if you hold your heart and soul open, you can find what Pattern Webs
you most desire there. The challenge comes when you try
Knitting the whole mass together are ever-present
to bring it back.
Pattern Webs. Incarnations of creation’s structure, these
Remember childhood? Everything was more vibrant silvery wrappings run from the borders of every Realm in
and colorful. Days lasted forever. The facts of life were the Middle Worlds to the Edges of the High and Low Um-
discovered using your hands and heart instead of your head. brae. Wild, unsettled areas have few Webs cluttering them,
Traveling to the Spirit Realm, we can all rediscover the while “developed” places such as cities are literally choked
days of innocent bliss, except now the wisdom of experi- with them. Although most strands of Pattern Web (not to
ence aids our lessons. be confused with the Digital Web, the name some travelers
give the cyberspace Zone) radiate a faint glow, the bindings
The Umbrascape of corrupt or decrepit structures turns black and sticky. Sta-
Upon entering the Middle Umbra, be on guard for anything. sis-spirits called Pattern Spiders scutter mindlessly across the
Most travelers experience the Spirit Realm as a cloudy mist, Webs’ expanse, always adding more. These spirits, which
brightened slightly by the sun during the day and illuminated can grow quite large, offer another hazard on a wondrous
by the moon at night. The mist thins out above your head, and yet difficult trip.
the Umbral sky is almost always clear. In many ways, it reminds
me of nights in the thick fog of San Francisco. Threats
Most Umbral travelers are familiar enough with the Dangers dwell along Umbral roads. Look for guardian
“geography” of the Penumbra. Each thing appears as its Umbrood and lunar spirits to protect your travels. The
spiritual essence; a peaceful glade resembles an idyllic fan- Garou take many visionquests through the Middle Um-
tasy grove, while a back-alley looks more like a Gigeresque bra, but the Changing Breed are a threatening enigma,
vision of hell. From the obvious landmarks, the fog beckons much like the Umbrood themselves. Unless you know one
you forward onto alien paths. These paths lead to Realms, personally, you should always avoid a werewolf’s path. Of
each surrounded by a thin Gauntlet called a pericarp. Each course, many other mages explore the Middle Umbra as
Realm, in turn, seems like a world unto itself, bordered by well, including Nephandi and Marauders. Caution makes
mists but otherwise whole. To leave a Realm, once you’ve a strong walking stick.
arrived there, you must find the mists that lead you away. Hostile spirits pose an even greater menace. The Um-
Departing, in itself, isn’t easy. Some explorers have been brood have Charms and abilities on their home ground which
trapped forever in Realms they cannot escape. can catch even experienced spirit travelers by surprise. Be
careful not to offend Preceptors or Lords if you trespass on
Moon Paths And Umbral Trails their territory. Knowledge and alertness, not force or power,
Trails part the mists. Some of them seem insubstantial, provide the best defenses against the Umbrood.
glowing bits of light cutting through the fog, while others The greatest hazard that travelers face, though, is the
resemble more mundane forest paths. The trails may not Umbral environment itself. Fragments of emotions and
appear as walkways; I’ve seen streams and mighty rivers lost dreams float through the Umbral mists, in addition to

any number of things which no physical description can do
justice. A fool who strays from the paths risks falling into
an unknown Realm or Domain, or simply being lost forever
in a spiritual fugue where the laws of time and space, as the
Technocracy defines them, no longer apply.
The Umbral Wind blows reality along with it, shifting
paths and tossing travelers about like straw. I have never
encountered magick strong enough to affect the Umbral wind
or the spirit storms that follow in its wake. If the mists start
to swirl and darken around your Umbral trail, seek refuge.
Any nearby Realm or Domain should serve as shelter.
Zones
As the Introduction explains, Zones are regions “be-
tween” the Umbrae, where different laws prevail. Even
the most experienced Otherworld explorers are at a loss
when explaining why Zones are, or even what Zones are.
They follow their own physics, exist outside the “estab-
lished” cosmos, and seem to represent realities altogether
separate from our world, or even from the Three Worlds,
for that matter.
Optimists insist that the Zones express nature’s creativ-
ity; here, the possibilities aren’t used up, but stay in constant
motion. Most Virtual Adepts believe that the Digital Web is
the new Earth, and they want to make sure that they get to it
before the Technocracy sets it all in stone. More pessimistic
travelers call the Zones, “the seams of creation,” and predict
that as the world continues to go to hell, that the Zones will
grow wider and wider until everything else is sucked into
them and disappears. Both theories have valid points; the
Zones are spreading, and have become much easier to reach
in recent years. What this development portends, I’m not
sure I want to know.
Reaching the Zones is often more a matter of luck than
of intent. While some of them, like Maya and the Digital
Web, are close enough to enter often and on purpose, the
more esoteric Zones, like the Null and the Mirror, open only
by accident. The Vistas don’t seem to open at all; everyone
I’ve ever talked to says you can see them but can’t join them.
In short, these regions are enigmas, even to the Awakened.
Maybe it should stay that way. I guess even God needs His
little secrets.
Maya, the Dream Zone

Also known as Maya, the Dream Realms, the Dream-
ing and a thousand other related things, the Dream Zone
comprises a space where imagination creates floating Realms
which bob through the Tellurian like soda bubbles. Most of
these bubbles are small, and quickly pop when the dream
is done. Others, fed by recurring visions or shared folklore,
attain unusual size and permanence. The more people visit
a given Realm, the bigger it grows until it “lodges” and
becomes a part of the so-called Mythic Realms (described
later this chapter).

The possible origin of the entire Middle World (do them. Finally, I got up and walked over: “Um, guys, look,
we dream up the Earth, or are we the dreams of the Earth? isn’t there gonna be enough time for that later?” I know my
No one can give me a straight answer on this) might be tone was angry and didn’t care. I mean, I was the Cultist
traced to the Dream Zone. As I understand it, another of Ecstasy, for God’s sake, and here Sara was with a guy
author handles the Dreamtime in Chapter Three, so I’ll she didn’t even like. So I stood over the two of them and
leave it alone for now. spoke my mind.
I’m afraid the details of that little speech are a bit too
The Digital Web long and embarrassing to go into at length; when I finished, I
What can I say about this Realm of shared con- looked down at their puzzled faces. Sara and Ryk were about
sciousness that isn’t common knowledge to everyone a yard apart, fully clothed and totally confused. They hadn’t
who would visit it? In this world of information made touched each other, and were wondering what I was ranting
form, computers tap into a network so vast that even about. “Well,” Sara replied at last, “you could’ve just said
its greatest explorers haven’t mapped it all out yet. something earlier.” It took us all a while to puzzle out what
I’m not sure they ever will — if the Zone comes from had happened; somehow, my insecurities had manifested
human imagination, and humans are constantly born, themselves as an all-encompassing hallucination which
then the Digital Web is theoretically infinite. Each new I had to confront to understand. That’s what the Mirror
mind makes the place bigger. At the same time, most Zone does — it sneaks up on you, turns your world inside
cosmologies say the Web circulates inside the Horizon. out for a moment, makes you experience things that don’t
That’s a limited space — a really big space, but limited exist (but which relate to you in personal ways), and sticks
nonetheless. I don’t know. All I do know is that there are around until you do something about what you see.
several sources of information [Editor’s Note: Digital Web I’ve heard about Zone “moments” where dead enemies
and the Mage rulebook] which say more about cyberspace returned, where friendships went sour, plans fell apart and
than I have space to do. sudden illnesses ravaged the traveler or his party. The only
way to make these visions go away is to stand up to them,
The Mirror Zone deal with the situation, and put the pieces back together
To be frank, we haven’t got the slightest idea what when the Zone fades away.
the Mirror Zone is, where it comes from, what it means
or what its events mean to us. Travelers seem to fall into The Null Zone
it, or be swept into it, without even realizing where they Ryk called this Zone “Backstage at the Theatre of
are or what they’ve entered. Suddenly, things just seem the Mind.” I think he was right — these tunnels peeking
wrong. Only when the wanderer sorts out the problem can out into other Realms resemble the corridors behind
he escape. the storefronts of a shopping mall, or the backstage of
The Mirror zone replicates life as we know it. As is a gigantic theater with a thousand plays in motion at
often the case in the Umbra, our experiences seem to shape once. From inside the Null, you can catch glimpses of the
what we get when the Mirror Zone enfolds us. I looked up other worlds I mention in this chapter. Sara had another
from my drink while resting on a Moon Path to find that insight, one which scares the crap out of me. She says
my friends Sara and Ryk were making love like animals. it’s the womb of all creation, the place we all begin. God
Normally, they couldn’t stand each other, and I hadn’t help me, I think she’s right.
seen any overtures pass between them. One minute, they The Null resembles a damp, endless tunnel complex,
were glowering at each other across the fire (it hadn’t been humid and warm. Everything inside seems both terribly
a good day), the next, they were in each other’s arms (and real and disjointedly unreal (as a Cultist, I didn’t have a
each other’s pants). What happened? problem with this, but my companions did). No item of
Well, it seems I’d been carrying a torch for Sara without technology more sophisticated than a club works here, so
realizing it. Nothing had ever passed between us, either, but Virtual Adepts should consider themselves warned, if they
I always wanted her to make the first move. As we were sit- can find the place at all. Magick doesn’t work, either. I’ve
ting around the campsite, the Mirror Zone had crossed over heard even faeries and vampires are left with only their wits
us, or maybe I’d just leaned too far back and fallen into it. for survival. Shapeshifters don’t seem to be affected the same
Anyway, the seeds of like and lust blossomed into a vision way, though — maybe it’s some primal inheritance of theirs.
of Sara having sex with my best friend. Dealing with that Although the complex retains some technological features,
event was going to be my problem. such as doors, grates and vents, they may be metaphors for
I tried to ignore the… festivities… at first. What things we “see” but cannot comprehend.
business was it of mine? As I shifted off into the shadows, Time and space are meaningless in the Null. The
my jealousy began to eat at me, and the sounds seemed tunnels link every place within the Horizon (and maybe
to go straight into my ears no matter what I did to escape outside it as well), and a traveler can spend what seems

like lifetimes inside the maze and never age. That’s pretty
scary when you think of it — it’s all too easy to get lost Realms
in here. I think these corridors might comprise what the Fragmented planes and semi-coherent spiritual realities
Verbena call “the paths of the Wyck,” the elemental float through the Umbra much like drifting islands in a vast
routes which linked all creation together in the early archipelago. If you search long and far enough, the Tapestry
days. I know some Umbral travelers walk out past the of the Middle Umbra reveals itself to be rich in spiritual
Horizon and into the Deep Umbral worlds. Maybe this Quintessence and spectacle. Almost anything can be found
is how they do it. in the Middle Umbra, if you combine daring and willpower
Entering this Zone is pretty hard. You have to concen- with the proper thoughts and feelings.
trate on getting “backstage” while stepping sideways from The Umbral trails and paths connect different landscapes,
the Near Umbra. This approach works equally well from any spirit-worlds and alternate realities. These places are much like
of the Three Worlds, so knowing this trick may save your Horizon Realms, but have a much stronger set of physical laws.
life someday. Doing it is perilous, however — screw up, and Seven major “worlds” exist, although the Garou and other
they’ll never find the pieces — and a lot harder than simply mages have made claims for the existence of others. I won’t
passing through Earth’s Gauntlet. dispute what others have experienced, for I’ve found that all
I know of two ways to leave this Zone. The first is to of us experience the Middle Umbra uniquely.
find a Realm and “step out from behind the scenery,” as it The seven locations in the Middle Umbra worthy of
were. Once you do, you’re stuck — the Null closes behind the title “worlds” are the Aetherian Reaches, the Chasm,
you as you pass through. Wedging it open doesn’t work — I Dystopia, Hy-Brasil, the Mythic Worlds, the Radiance, and
tried. The other method involves stepping sideways again. the Wasteland. Each one has its own beauty and sickness,
It’s as hard the second time as it is the first time, and just as although I fear that more spiritual rot and corruption exists
dangerous, so don’t do it unless you have no choice. in these worlds than spiritual bliss. A Lupine shaman once
told me of a hidden land in the Spirit Realm called Summer
Vistas Country, where all is happiness and plenty. If such a place
As far as I can tell, these “places” aren’t actually lo- exists, however, then perhaps unsurprisingly, I have not
cations at all, but form giant “Umbral movies” of events proved worthy enough to find it. Other worlds are rumored
totally outside your control. No one I’ve heard of has ever to exist in the Middle Umbra, but only the most spiritually
oriented mysticks can find them.
entered or affected a Vista, so I’m not sure whether to call
them “Zones” or to classify them as another sort of thing These Realms seem to be the manifestations of dreams,
entirely. Since classification is often a fruitless exercise in or rather, the collective psychic residue of dreams. Thoughts,
the Umbra, I’ll just tell you what I know. wishes, daydreams and powerful emotions mold ephemera,
the stuff of the Spirit World, into Realms, Domains, and
Vistas reflect a world in which something important
other regions in the Middle Umbra. Once enough psychic
has just happened. Some recount the beginning of time
energy collects, the worlds take on their own life.
(which, from what I hear, different people see in different
ways, from the Big Bang to the shattering of the One into
Many to the first celestial battle which gave birth to the
A Note About “Residents”
heavens), while others show you your own death, the Like the Astral Realms and Underworld, some Realms of
Final Judgment (Apocalypse, Armageddon, Ragnarok, the Middle Umbra seem crowded with people; in fact, most
whatever you want to call it), or a world so encased by of these folks appear to have been born to live in these lands,
Stasis that nothing moves at all. As you can imagine, and don’t seem to recognize that any other worlds exist, no
most Vistas are pretty upsetting to view; worse, there’s matter how outlandish the place may seem to us. Where do
nothing you can do to change them. They present their these people come from?
little vision and move on. The same goes for animals; most Realms worth the name
These Umbral scenescapes spread across your entire have indigenous wildlife, often Bygones from Earth’s past but
field of view, as if whatever was happening was right in occasionally creatures that never existed on our home reality
front of you. They seem more like events than like movie (or at least, they never made it into the storybooks). How did
screens, and affect all a traveler’s senses. The traumatic these creatures come to be?
nature of Vistas often leaves you feeling depressed and Unlike Horizon Realms, which usually “import” their
drained afterward, as if everything is preordained. The populations or grow them in custom ecosystems, Middle
differences between the visions, however, help to shake Umbral Realms appear to have two kinds of inhabitants: Earth
this fatalism. After all, each person sees slightly different people and animals, and obvious spirits. The former are as
things, and each Vista differs from the others. Maybe they’re solid as you and me, while the latter are made of ephemera,
not really pasts or futures, just possibilities. Isn’t that what which only spirit creatures or mysticks can touch without
the whole Umbra represents? magick. I have a few theories about the first variety myself:

• These beings are all spirits who have forgotten what that the beings I’ve encountered in the spirit worlds seemed
they are. as alive as any of us, if a little single-minded. Some seemed
• These beings come from Earth through their dreams anxious to see the rest of the Otherworlds, but most of them
and stay only for a while. denied that anything of the kind was possible and refused
• These beings are the souls of dead people. to be proved wrong. Many of those I tried to bring with me
• Any or all of the above. simply faded away when we left their home Realm.
Any Umbral traveler will hold forth on his or her pet Maybe the same thing happens with people from our
theory for hours, citing this story or that event. Who knows own reality.
for certain? I do not pretend that knowledge. I know only Shall we begin?
The Aetherian Reaches

We can take a special pride in knowing that within the Aetherian Reaches. Flights of whirlwinds and raptors
each of us is the stuff of stars. patrol their strongholds. From what I’ve heard about the
— Dr. Brett Chase, Celestial Odysseys High Umbral Courts, these may be back doors into their
The Aetherian Reaches are easy to enter. domains. Then again, plenty of spirits make their homes
If you can fly to the tops of the highest clouds in the Middle Umbra, too. I don’t think any Realm has
in the Middle Umbra, you reach the sky realm. exclusive housing rights.
When your breathing becomes cold and refresh- While all the spirits dwelling in the Aetherian Reaches
ing, like after a long mountain run, you have can fly, most of us aren’t so lucky. To rise into this wondrous
found the Aetherian Reaches. sky, a traveler needs to grow wings or otherwise carry herself
At first glance, they resemble some Hollywood vision aloft. Befriending a cloud spirit provides the gentlest means
of heaven: you’re standing on white cloud, surrounded by of travel, although not the swiftest.
knee-high mists with black starry skies or spectacular sunlit The Aetherian Reaches supposedly offer access to
blue heavens as a backdrop. Looking in all directions, you’ll the three great Umbral Courts of the spirits. These Astral
see nothing but a flat plain of clouds. The ground doesn’t feel Realms — the Western Court, the Eastern Court and the
solid. After a moment or two, you realize that’s because it’s Egyptian Court — roughly correspond to the myths of the
slowly drifting, pushed along by the breeze. As you look up, cultures which spawned them. Although most mages miss
you realize that there is a great deal more to the Aetherian the Aetherian Reaches on the way to the Umbral Courts,
Reaches than you may have first envisioned. portals exist in the cloud Realm which allow direct entry
into these worlds. I am all but certain that a fourth Court,
Description the Lodge of the Sky, lies within the Aetherian Reaches,
The Aetherian Reaches encompass the entire sky of inhabited by pre-Columbian and ancient tribal spirits.
the Middle Umbra. This world is the domain of the Thun-
derbird, realm of the cosmic Sky-Father, starting point Background
for spirit quests to the planetary spheres. When you turn A Garou shaman once told me that the Celestines, the
your eyes to the zenith, you gaze out of the Middle Umbra mightiest of spirits, created the Aetherian Reaches as a border
into the High Umbra and whatever may lie beyond. The between this world and the Deep Umbra beyond the Horizon.
Horizon appears as a mighty double rainbow with sparkling When the physical world was torn from the Middle Umbra,
jewels floating between the ribbons of light. The jewels are the spiritual strength of many sky spirits anchored the world
Horizon Realms, each one with its own facet and unique of the Aetherian Reaches, preventing it from sinking into
color. The panoramic view is crystal clear. Your eyes can see the Umbral Mists. This legend seems plausible to the spirits
stars and objects that the most powerful telescopes on Earth which reside in the Aetherian Reaches.
could never resolve. Vision here is nearly a tactile sensory Interestingly, I have heard that Technomancers of all
experience. A sense of awe comes with the territory; some types, even Tradition ones, are banned from this world.
folks are overcome by fear when they first look up in the Maybe the spirits wanted someplace all to themselves, a
Aetherian Reaches. I don’t know who named it, but I’ve world where the march of technology didn’t clutter the
always heard the upward view referred to as “gazing upon air with flying machines and laws of mass and gravity.
the soul of forever.” Explorers too wrapped up in their machines to notice the
Cloud islands mark the domains of the Umbrood. scent of pine breeze just seem to pass this place on by. No
Castles and mountain aeries rise from some of them. Sev- one with a jet pack ever flew through the Aetherian skies.
eral aerial totem spirits hold their own Umbral courts in Hopefully, none ever will.
Places of Interest
This Umbral sky is literally endless. It doesn’t even stop at
the Horizon, which cuts across the heavens like a translucent
Dreamshell. Through this barrier, which Garou call the Mem-
brane, you can see the stars and the distant Sun. Anchorheads,
whirling masses of chaos, swirl into being across the Membrane
and quickly fade away. Those who get their timing right can
pass through and venture into the Deep Umbra.
• The Planetary Spheres

Each planet in that sky has a spiritual manifestation; most
of these, in turn, are supposedly governed by Celestines or
other powerful spirits. I assume that these spirit-planets are
the Shade Realms that other mages speak of [described in
Chapter Five — Alexis]. I’ve visited the Courts of two such
Umbrood, Hyperion and Phoebe (see below). I’m sure others
like them exist, but reaching them involves a long Umbral
flight into the eternal night sky. I’m not up to that yet.
• The Reaches
Along the Horizon, three patches of essence create
mini-Realms called “Reaches.” These Reaches seem to
correspond to the metaphysical elements of Dynamism,
Stasis and Entropy, although the Garou who know the
Middle World best call them Wyld, Weaver and Wyrm.
In the highest skies of the Aetherial world, these regions
embody their “parents”: the Wyld Reaches throb with con-
stant change — nothing there retains its form for long. The
Weaver Reaches resemble titanic webs, huge manifestations
of the Pattern Web that binds the Tellurian together. The
Wyrm Reaches are unspeakably hostile, floating hives of
decay both spiritual and material.
All three Reaches pass through the Horizon, forming
wormhole Anchorhead gates to greater Realms in the Void
beyond. I’ve heard learned people call these greater Realms
Shenti (see Chapter Five). No one I’ve spoken to has passed
into these outer worlds, but I can imagine the journey would
be hazardous in the extreme.
• The Citadel of Hyperion

I have, however, traveled to the Courts of the Sun and
Moon, located on the Umbral Shades of their respective
planets. Unlike their cousins, these Realms are inside the
Horizon, not outside.
[Editor’s Note: Actually, the Moon is located inside the
Horizon, as is Mars. The Sun is quite outside that barrier, though,
as are the other planets. The Fisher Princess does a nice job
on those Realms in Chapter Five. Funny thing, though: the
Moon and Sun she describes are nothing like the places Trevyn
visited. Here’s what I was talking about earlier, kiddies; visitors
to the “same” places can have vastly different experiences. I’ve
never been to either one myself, so I can’t say. Hey, according
to Trevyn, I couldn’t find these Aetherian Reaches if I tried
— I’m too into Science, I guess! Cheers ! — Alexis.]

The Umbrood Lord Hyperion dwells in a fortress of of the Moon Bridges, extremely powerful Moon Paths which
burning brass at the center of the Sun of the Aetherian connect sites back on Earth.
Reaches. Fire elementals and solar spirits serve in various Phoebe treats most who come to visit her with the same
positions in his Court. Thankfully, the temperature within respect they treat her. She typically appears as a veiled,
the citadel stays at an almost comfortable level. Elements well-shaped woman, but some say she often takes the form
of different human cultures decorate the composite court of an owl made of moonlight. Lady Phoebe commands the
of Hyperion. Shields hang on walls beside Ionic columns Moon Paths and Moon Bridges of the Middle Umbra, so
beneath the vaulted ceilings of minarets. Hyperion himself many Umbral travelers desire her favor.
has little patience for the curious, preferring to discuss only Phoebe herself seems to prefer fanciful dreams over emp-
matters of extreme importance. However, he will grant an ty flattery, and she encourages wonder among the humans
audience to anyone who has the perseverance to reach his far below. It’s said that she herself touched the Earth with
citadel. wonder when the Apollo spacecraft landed in her domain.
Lord Hyperion is an powerful and self-confident spirit Even so, she despises the Technocrats who have defiled the
lord who considers himself the last of the true solar deities. Moon’s material aspect with their bases and training exercises.
He desires worshippers, and cults of bronzed sun bathers As I understand it, she feels the lunar landing was an act of
appeal to him. However, Hyperion does not expect worship pure wonder, while the earlier settlements were motivated
from the Awakened, only from the “unenlightened masses.” by conquest. According to her, it was the Void Engineers
Hyperion appreciates physical beauty and takes the material who caused the Moon to whither into the barren rock it is
form of a handsome male, usually resembling an Olympic today. Shapechanging cats and fae beings wander the Court
swimmer surrounded by an aura of fire. He enjoys intelli-
of Moonlight, and they often harass the Void Engineers who
gent conversation, but demands respect. Lord Hyperion
treat Luna’s body with such disdain.
possesses an unerring ability to discern between sincerity
and flattery. Beware casual informality! Hyperion punishes
those who offend him with permanent burns, which only Ecology
the most potent Life magicks can heal. The most common inhabitants of the Aetherian Reach-
es are bird and air spirits. Mythical beasts, such as dragons
• The Court of Phoebe and griffins, soar across the sky, and a palace of werewolf
Phoebe, the Aetherian Moon Lady, attends and advises guardians sits on one of the highest clouds. Considering
the Celestine Luna. The soft, cool light of the Umbral Moon the number of Umbrood fiefs in the Aetherian Reaches,
fills her manor, illuminating graceful statuary and gardens. it should come as no surprise that almost every spirit here
A faint blue-white haze hangs throughout her home, and serves some Umbrood Lord or Lady. Like most places in the
sounds echo through the halls and fade in the gardens. Otherworlds, a mage would do well to try diplomacy when
Flashes of light through the windows indicate the opening encountering these spirits.
The Chasm
What seest thou else
Description
In the dark backward abysm of Time?
The Chasm is a much a state of mind and being as it is
— Shakespeare, The Tempest a location in the Middle Umbra. The Realm that contains
I have traveled to the Chasm but once, and the largest known rent in the cosmic tapestry isn’t much to
it is not a quest that I intend to undertake again. behold. As far as the eye can see, plains of gray dried mud give
Sometimes, memories of the Chasm wake me way to plains of brown dried mud, except for the Chasm itself.
in the night. I will not return to it ever, at least Running through the center of the Realm, the crack
not of my own free will. draws the gaze of any visitor, although it’s not much to
Crevices and ruts in the Middle-Umbra’s see. Perhaps it would be better to say that it’s much not
trails lead to the Chasm. These dark lines resemble the sort to see. If you look down into the great canyon, the void
of cracks that children jump over on broken sidewalks or inside isn’t dark or light. It just isn’t anything. You’ll feel
avoid stepping on in dried mud. The cracks and ruts grow it when you visit — a chill that starts at the back of your
larger as you approach this abyss. If you fail to find the Chasm neck and runs down your spine and stops just below your
that way, just travel randomly along pathways you do not breastbone. A reminder that we’re all mortal maybe, I’m
know. This eternal canyon draws all lost things to it, even not sure. Something to let us know that in the business of
through the Umbral mists. forever, even reality may die.

The only sound you’ll hear is the wind. You have to suicidal effects it induces in visitors, I’m inclined to agree.
listen, but there’s a faint whine as it blows down into infinity. An unsigned treatise that I discovered stated that the Chasm
Some say that if you listen carefully enough, you can hear it has grown considerably in size since the 1800s. I’m not sure
intensify, as if the entire Chasm were breathing. As far as I buy that, just because I think the Bridge of Despair would
smell goes, the air is devoid of any aromas except those you have collapsed if the Chasm got any wider. The counter-
bring with you. The only scent is sweat, possibly mixed with point to my argument, of course, is that the bridge could
the aluminum sulfide of deodorant or anti-perspirants. You grow with the Chasm.
never realize how many scents carry in the air until you can’t Another idea bandied about in some discussions of the
smell any of them. Even the dried mud doesn’t have an earthy Middle Umbra is that the Chasm is where the spirit world is
aroma. If you scoop some up in your hands, the dirt’s just cold. dying. One mage compared the Chasm’s world to a malign
Even the climate offers no sensation; the Realm remains spiritual tumor. As more spiritual energy fades from reality,
always just slightly cool. If you have two friends who argue the Chasm grows larger. The abyss replaces the Umbral mist.
about how hot or cold a place is, bring them to the Chasm. The mythic cycles regarding the Chasm support two basic
They’ll both find it a little cool. Don’t think about it too views: First, a being known as the Devourer lives in the spirit
long or it might start to bother you. world dominated by the Chasm. The Chasm itself is just the
The only thing that marks the Chasm are the paths down maw of the Devourer. The tales I found say that a tribe of
its sides and the crumbling stone bridge which spans one of American Indians sacrificed themselves to kill the Devourer,
the narrow parts. Do you want to know what happens if you but the monster’s hunger is so great that even death cannot end
take the paths down? Or what occurs if you dare to cross the it. The Chasm seems too eternal for me to believe this story.
bridge? Just so you know, most call it the Bridge of Despair. Few
The final tale states that the Chasm is the last remnant
travelers have the strength of character to gaze down into the
of the primal darkness before creation, and it leads down into
Chasm without experiencing intense feelings of hopelessness.
the underworld. A funny variant that I found on this was
Five are the ways into the Chasm: the Way of Iron, the that the Chasm is where God died. On further reflection,
Way of Silver, the Way of Gold, the Way of Steel, and the the variant’s not that funny.
Way of Soil. None are easy. Most lead only to death or cor-
ruption. The Ways of Iron, Silver and Gold lie on the near
side of the Chasm. The Ways of Steel and Soil wind down Places of Interest
into the nothingness on the distant side, and only those who
first cross the Bridge of Despair may hope to find them. • The Way of Gold
If you go deep enough into the Chasm, your perceptions Of the Near Ways, the most treacherous is the Way
play tricks on you. The more perceptive you are, the greater of Gold. Sharp jagged bones of humans, animals and other
your danger of suffering hallucinations. I think the Chasm things that seem to be neither human nor animal litter the
affects the brain just as a sensory deprivation chamber does. path. Considering that the Way of Gold is only three to
Mages have less trouble with these hallucinations than do five feet wide, this debris becomes quite dangerous. The
other beings, I’ve learned. In many ways, the Chasm helps Chasm walls along the path glitter with gold and veins of
a mage focus on his Avatar, or so I’m told. gemstones. The material wealth here is so great, that even
I’ve wandered the dead plains for days and weeks on the greediest miser could fill his vault of fantasy. Those
end, trying to find some other landmark, a habitation, a who pay attention to the patterns on the walls eventually
sign of life or spirit. No matter how far I go, I always return recognize runes cursing those who steal from the Chasm.
to the Chasm. Travelers fluent in many languages report that the runes
One last thing: magick doesn’t work here, at least not reliably. repeat the same message: “Those who take what belongs to
I’m not sure why that’s true, because it doesn’t seem like Paradox the Chasm, leave themselves as payment.” As the Way of
interfering with my efforts. Maybe the Chasm just doesn’t like us. Gold continues downward, breaks start to form, and gaps
appear in the path. My thinking is that the Way of Gold
Background ultimately leads to self-destruction.
I researched the Chasm in the archives of the House of
Quodosch, but couldn’t find substantial information, just a • The Way of Silver
few naturalistic myths and some unfounded theories as to its The Way of Silver has a strange significance to the
nature and origin. The Chasm has inspired a library of vague werewolves that often travel through the Umbra. Some
and unreliable material. As with most mysteries, I suspect tribes believe that their ancestors passed through the Chasm
the truth lies somewhere between the myths and theories. along the Way of Silver. The path itself becomes a trail of
One school of thought about the Chasm (also known as pure silver, winding down into the Chasm. The going is not
the Abyss), maintains that the entire region is a manifesta- difficult, as long as an explorer keeps his senses about him.
tion of mankind’s collective death wish. Considering the After traveling nearly a hundred feet into the Chasm, gigantic

carvings and faces start to appear on the walls. Many of the
faces belong to beings out of ancient legends, such as cyclopes,
gorgons, ki-rin, and men and women wearing ancient helms
and headdresses. A few travelers refer to this place as “the
cemetery of the gods.” In the Umbrood Courts, a few pompous
spirits claim their images have been carved along the walls
of the Chasm as tribute. Other authorities maintain that the
faces belong to those who’ve fallen to their doom within the
Chasm. The Way of Silver has little to offer, just a few vague
historical clues, reminders of times long forgotten.
• The Way of Iron

The Iron Way provides a wider, easier descent into the
Chasm. Caves lie along the path filled with both dangers
and rewards for the courageous. Inside the caverns closest
to the surface, a visitor finds only the remains of long-dead
explorers and bits of debris, items lost in the Umbra and swept
into the caves along the Iron Way. The deeper explorers
go, the more intricate the cave structures become. About a
hundred feet down, where light does not reach, the natural
chambers and corridors grow ever more vast and intercon-
nected. Living within these chambers are ancient mages
and other Awakened beings driven mad by the Chasm. A
few of them possess artifacts of power or Talismans salvaged
from the upper caves. No one living has ever found an end
to the Iron Way. Tales claim that it continues, growing
ever more dangerous, down into oblivion. Madness lies at
the end of the Iron Way — no one who stays in the Chasm
long enough to find its end could stay sane.
• The Bridge of Despair

Like an enormous cobweb, the Bridge of Despair dangles
across the Chasm. Enormous skulls and bones along its sides
provide some semblance of a railing, but also add to the bridge’s
eeriness. A wind blows down into the Chasm, making a faint
noise as it whistles along the bridge. Despite the sound, the
breeze is so soft that you have to stop to feel it.
Every surface of the bridge has the same lusterless,
gray coating. Upon careful inspection, I discovered that
the gray substance was dust. Brushing it aside, I found
bones jammed together. Once I realized what the bridge
was made of, I could see the outlines of skulls and bones
everywhere. A passage from Ecclesiastes summed up the
bridge nicely: Life is useless. It is like chasing the wind. Images
of death surrounded me. I felt a cold hunger fingering my
soul. I crossed quickly.
• The Way of Steel

I didn’t spend much time on the Way of Steel. This
path into the Chasm was quieter and less lifelike than the
rest, which I found comforting. It seemed antiseptic, like
an office building. The path beneath my feet was smooth
steel, hence the name, and the wall alongside was flat, like
machine-cut metal. After a while, I found a cave and entered.
Stalagmites of lost umbrellas, car keys, socks and other items
reached toward the ceiling. I started rummaging through days, but I couldn’t recognize any of the plants. The terrace
this discarded junk, not really knowing why. By the time I continued as far as I could see along the sides of the Chasm.
stopped, my eyes hurt and a day’s worth of stubble covered Looking out over the edge, I saw another terrace below,
my jaw. My life seemed meaningless; searching through these also covered with strange plants. Soon, I realized that the
discarded items was all that mattered. It was like playing plants I saw were all extinct on Earth. I touched the needle
an addictive video game for hours and disconnecting from of a conifer and a chill trailed down my spine. This was a
reality. Something within, perhaps my Avatar, compelled graveyard of plant spirits. As the wind blew across the terrace,
me to leave. I staggered out of the cave and climbed up the petals drifted in the air, fragments of some tropical flower,
Way of Steel. That was the closest the Chasm had come obliterated from the Earth at that very moment, probably
to claiming me. a victim of rainforest destruction.
• The Way of Soil Ecology

The Way of Soil was the final path I found into the As far as I can tell, a beast calling itself Nightmaster is
Chasm. A thick, dark loam covered the trail into the the only permanent living resident of the Chasm. The crea-
darkness. I walked down, unable to smell the life-giving ture dwells in the dark, and claws its way between the paths.
odors that I associate with good soil. I didn’t expect to smell I encountered the fiend once myself, and it threatened me
anything. The loose soil made travel treacherous. Sliding with an army of dark servants. Roused from my depression, I
off the Way became a distinct possibility as I continued attempted to kill the monstrosity, but from what I could tell,
into the depths. the beast cannot die. Evil has consumed Nightmaster, but I
Further down, I found large terraced ledges covered cannot feel anything besides pity for him. Lost spirits, most
with dead leaves, yellow stalks and white roots. A faintly of which are quite insane, also wander the Chasm’s paths,
rose-colored blossom beckoned to me. I stroked the petals. crevices and tunnels. The few I saw had twisted and rotting
They cracked like dry leaves, and some presence brushed me flesh, making their gender and species unrecognizable.
with a deep sadness. I studied some botany in my university Nothing truly lives in the Chasm. Nothing at all.
Dystopia
Cities are the abyss of the human species.
Description
— Jean Jacques Rousseau, Emile
Dystopia is a nightmarish world, a dark futuristic city
My information about Dystopia comes (Or is it, in fact, the future?) that sprawls endlessly, broken
from a Virtual Adept, Daneel. She spends only by a toxic lake or burning river. Pollution is ever-pres-
much of her time exploring the Digital Web ent, and the misery of the Realm’s inhabitants is almost
Zone, but we met in Dystopia, where we were palpable. This sprawl has four layers: the Undercity, Old
trying to avoid agents of the Technocracy. Town, Downtown and Uptown.
While I had wandered into Dystopia in the The Undercity, or the Pit, extends deep beneath the
conventional way, she had taken the more streets of Dystopia. Some say this Undercity is larger than
commonly-traveled road there, a “back door” from the all of the other layers combined. The trash from Dystopia’s
Digital Web, where this spiritual computer network meshes upper layers filters down here, where the stench of organic
with the Realm. Werewolves refer to this entrance as and chemical wastes assaults the traveler. Dying spirits and
the Computer Web. Entry into Dystopia is possible through madmen share the sewers and collapsed subways with the
any terminal in the Digital Web, and some Virtual Adepts Technocracy’s mutant rejects and shuffling toxic mon-
take new members there for lessons of how not to let the strosities. Cults of diabolists hold perverse rites in the Pit,
Earth decay. and Nephandi sometimes scour the Undercity for potential
The routes to Dystopia have a modern feel to them. If servants. None of the Undercity’s denizens have any hope
you can find pavement in the Middle Umbra, follow it until left. No Technomancer can accept the Undercity and remain
you see skyscrapers all around you. A number of Formatted devoted to creating the world his Union foresees.
Sectors in the computer Zone [places where some mage or Old Town covers the street level of Dystopia. The
cabal has grabbed a bit of Net-space and changed it to fit ground-level view looks like a war zone. The competing
their needs. — Alexis] access Dystopia; some Cybernauts scents of burning paper, oil, urine, smog and cleaning fluid
seem to enjoy coming here for some hard-hitting R&R, and don’t enhance the environment. Rats scuttle back and
some Technocrats may use the Realm to indulge in fantasies forth. Barricades of vehicle wreckage, rusted girders and
their “Inner Circle” probably wouldn’t approve of. assorted debris block the streets. Graffiti proclaims death and

despair amid offers of sexual favors. Sunlight trickles down cities of tomorrow any longer. As the Technocracy imposes
through small holes in the overhanging walkways between its edicts upon humanity, the dream of a brighter future
the massive skyscrapers. Technological spirits and minions through science crumbles. The declining quality of life in
of the Technocracy stalk the streets. modern cities has transformed a spiritual monument to the
Clusters of people survive huddled in the ruined lower best aspects of society into a testament to the worst elements
floors of the buildings. A few wage war against the upper of the Urban Age.
classes in the high-rises. These urban tribes have a strange So where do the people in Dystopia come from? I
belief system, equating material possessions and advanced think there’s a dream-portal siphoning people into this
equipment to Divinity, a religious conviction similar to the futuristic nightmare. Dreamers who spend their nights in
cargo cults of the South Pacific. Sons of Ether can quickly anxiety-dreams of work or urban sprawls may condemn their
amass a following among them by demonstrating unique un-Awakened Avatars to life in this Realm. While most
inventions. Old Town guerrillas fight to climb the “corporate residents of this dark Umbral world are spirits, I’m inclined
ladder” up to the penthouses and roofs of the buildings, where to believe that the ghosts of dead workaholics also share
corrupt Technocrats and greedy mortals make comfortable Dystopia with the numb souls of internet addicts. After
homes. Corporate overlords have sealed the stairwells and all, isn’t it written that we inherit the afterlife we deserve?
elevator shafts leading to Old Town, so terrorists must scale Appropriately enough, the “soulless” Technocrats often
the outside of the glass and steel towers. travel here in their dreams. I’m sure that somewhere in Uptown
Downtown is the most inviting layer of Dystopia. All of the (and, perhaps, in the Pit as well), a portal into the Dream Zone
citizens walk along balconies and skywalks, purchasing advanced sends members of the Technocracy here. Maybe this is where
technology conveniences with identification cards. These cards the Static Ones have their own versions of Seekings, or maybe,
serve as cash, identification and keys, and allow citizens to access as Merlin once said, it’s just “a dream to some, a nightmare to
the public computer terminals, located along every walkway, others!” The Technomancers who visit seem divided about
as well as the personal computers in their apartments. how to handle Dystopia. Reform-minded Technocrats fight
HIT Marks, and other more experimental androids, police against the corruption and filth to salvage the mega-city,
Downtown. Perfumes fill the air, keeping the reek of Old while the Union’s more corrupt agents see this spirit world
Town at bay. They don’t help much. Downtown looks nice, as a testing area for new technology. A few members of the
but feels sterile. Technocracy have visions of Dystopia in their nightmares,
The residents of this “paradise” seem as bored as they but only a few Void Engineers openly admit that their spirits
are happy. Some Downtown citizens may help outsiders just might travel the Umbra while they sleep.
to add excitement to their lives, but most of them prefer
their daily monotony. Most citizens live only for advances Places of Interest
in technology, for “new stuff.”
The mind of Dystopia lives in Uptown. Mag-lev el- • Cyber-clinics
evators provide access to Uptown from Downtown if you In Old Town, some spirits perform operations, grafting
have the correct identification card. Guardian spirits called cyber-fetishes to willing volunteers. The major difference be-
Attack Geomids (see Chapter Six) target any intruder tween these cyborgs and those employed by Iteration X is that
they catch Uptown, calcifying their victims and taking the machine parts for Old Town volunteers have spirit energy.
them into laboratories to be drained of spirit essence. I Technological spirits give their essences to bond with the
know for a fact that Iteration X and the Syndicate have volunteers. The Virtual Adepts and Sons of Ether who submit
operatives in the higher levels of Dystopia who experiment to these experiments seem generally pleased with these results
on the citizenry. Rumors abound that a large Technocra- — “Wow, dude! New cyberware!” — while Verbena believe
cy Construct, the Planning Commission Headquarters, that these spirit cyborgs are some kind of affront to reality.
is actually located in Uptown. This part of town offers
more danger than information, except for the truly bold. • Rotwang’s Garden
In other words, if you want to brave Uptown, make sure There are tunnels, littered with debris from HIT
you’re willing not to return. Marks and androids, that even the hardest survivors of Old
Town avoid. These vents, warrens and drains funnel into
Background Rotwang’s Garden, a Nephandi Labyrinth in the heart of
Some say that Dystopia was once the spirit world of Dystopia. Here, cybernetically enhanced Fallen Ones forge
the perfect city, a spiritual dream of society’s grandest spirit-fetishes from the psychic remains of their victims. Each
goals. In ancient times, this world had different names, new victory warrants an additional piece of cyberware and
such as the Polis or the Mir. The Technocracy — or its fall a sickening victory dance.
from grace — changed humanity’s visions of the cities of The Labyrinth’s extent and contents are unknown,
the future. Few visionaries subscribe to the ideas of garden but the spiritual strength of the hive grows with each day.

Soon, it may split off from Dystopia and form a Realm of access, the traveler must use another portal to return to
its own. Old Towners have started believing that the Lab- where she was or end up trapped.
yrinth, not Uptown, is the new heart of Dystopia. Perhaps Virtual Adepts say that entering Dystopia’s computer web
this nightmare place within a nightmare city will consume is like being stuck in a weird online service, while the Digital
its parent. If that is the case, may the Labyrinth choke to Web itself hooks you directly into the Internet. Repressive
death in the process. spirits — more Attack Geomids — haunt Dystopia’s version
of virtual reality, making it seem like an updated showing of
• The Computer Net the old movie Tron. Dark Umbrood who represent the spir-
With the aid of technomagick, the computers in itual nature of electronic life, such as it may be, also dwell
Downtown can open new gates directly into the Digital in Dystopia’s shadow web. These odd viruses damage the
Web. Although I’d say it was highly unwise to leave your body like they chew up computer programs.
body behind in an Umbral Realm, Daneel says some Virtual
Adepts do just that. Any immersion procedure that works Ecology
from the material world supposedly works from Dystopia as Dystopia isn’t much different from a science-fiction
well, and its certainly one of the only places in the Umbra environment. The residents of the sprawl are typical men
where you’ll find a working computer. and women, even though some of them might not be “true”
Dystopia also has its own odd spiritual reflection of the humans. Technology spirits with material forms run rampant
Digital Web, a Formatted Sector called the CyberRealm Com- in this Realm. In the Undercity, people grow slime, hunt
puter Web, which connects to the real Web Zone through rats and eat garbage. The residents of Old Town have bits
a variety of access points — essentially gates between the of synthetic food to add to their diet, while Downtown
two forms of virtual reality. From what Daneel says, these and Uptown residents eat nutrient additives. Although the
access points look like silver pools of light surrounded by Technocracy creations running amok are the greatest threats
metal coils. She claims walking through this way hurts like to the population, many Undercity folk are dangerous in
hell, but plenty of people do it. Once on either side of the their own rights.
Hy-Brasil
Surely the hum of wheels and clatter of printing
presses, to let alone the lecturers with their black
Description
coats and tumblers of water, have driven away Hy-Brasil appears as a land of endless fantasy stories.
the goblin kingdom and made silent the feet of Here, the seasons never change and day stands locked
the little dancers. eternally in twilight. In the western half of the land, the
— W.B. Yeats, Fairy and Folk Tales of Ireland sun sets in a midsummer sky. To the east, the moon rises,
cold and baleful, over a midwinter night. The westlands
Although I have encountered a fair share
have well-tended woods with little undergrowth. Trick-
of changelings, I never completely understood
ling brooks flow down into fish-laden ponds. Gossamer
the faerie folk. They possess a power over
dreams which awes me. I feel that if we mages could un- waterfalls slip over moss-covered boulders by meres that
derstand the fae and their magicks, we could unlock many reflect the unbroken blue sky. The western horizon glows
barriers along our Ascension Paths. I decided to seek out with a rose-colored sunset. Occasional scenic manors and
the faerie Realms of the Middle Umbra, and arrived in the accompanying peasant villages break the verdant forests.
world called Hy-Brasil, a domain of the faeries sundered Knights clad in silver armor and sunlight-spun raiment ride
forever from lost Arcadia. I’m not certain if Hy-Brasil even white steeds through the westlands, dispensing justice in
has anything to do with true faeries, or whether it’s a dream the name of their lord.
Realm, a wish-fulfillment, or a trick. The eastern woods are gnarled and dying. The pools
To reach Hy-Brasil, concentrate upon the faerie folk. are stagnant, and the mud-filled creeks ooze sluggishly past
Recite ancient tales of the western fae and recall the legends their banks. Dead leaves and brambles cover the forest
of the Fair Ones while following the paths of the Spirit floor. Thick cobwebs stretch across the trails. As visitors
World. The Umbral mists sometimes part to reveal winding move farther east, snow and ice gradually cover the ground,
trails to Hy-Brasil. Wanderers who reach these roads often making travel difficult. Ancient ruins covered in strangle
encounter minor faeries who often demand a toll before vines rise from the forest, here and there, and monsters
they allow a visitor to pass into Hy-Brasil. These tolls range dwell in the east. Ogres and goat-headed men attack the
from a handful of dirt to one’s good sword arm. Sometimes unwary. Large serpents and spiders prowl through the upper
it’s best not to give them what they want. branches of trees.

Two roads run through the land of Hy-Brasil. The first
is a great Roman road cutting through the forest from east
to west. The strongholds of the masters of Hy-Brasil mark
its ends; in the west, the mighty Gateway Castle of Lord
Lysander stands. To the east, the brooding Grim Fortress of
Princess Mariana looms. At the center of the land, the main
road intersects with a decaying old road traveling north to
south. Traveling south leads to cliffs overlooking a great indigo
ocean shrouded in salt mist. Bones of ancient and fantastic
sea creatures and magnificent shells litter the sandy shores
below the cliffs. The northern route eventually leads to a great
river, where a sign warns travelers to go no farther. Beyond
that river, the road continues up into high-peaked snowcap
mountains, where northern lights shimmer behind the peaks.
Sometimes, travelers see giants moving among the trees or
dragons soaring above the whitecaps.
Traveling through the forests, an explorer can quickly
become lost; normal spatial relations have no meanings in
the faerie woods. Correspondence magicks reveal that space
functions in a capricious way in Hy-Brasil, and Time magicks
are useless. If a traveler can make her way to Gateway Castle
or the Grim Fortress, either of the masters of Hy-Brasil can
grant immunity from this disorientation. Spirit magicks may
help a traveler find the great road by locating the trails of
spirits moving through the Realm.
Background
Untold ages past, the faeries created Hy-Brasil to serve
as a buffer between Arcadia and the Middle Umbra. Lord
Lysander, a true knight of the Sidhe, received the privilege
of guarding the gate to Arcadia against all who would ap-
proach. Lysander’s enemies in the courts of Arcadia were
glad to be rid of the honorable warrior. Even so, Lysander
swore an oath to defend the gate until the true king chose
a new knight to relieve him.
In those days, the Seelie and Unseelie courts alter-
nated rule in Arcadia. When the Unseelie court was in
session, they sent Princess Mariana to the Umbral gate
to serve their own interests. Mariana was a quick-witted,
dark beauty talented in the greatest magicks of the fae.
Mariana was young for her ability, and elders, jealous of
her imagination, tricked her into swearing that she would
stay in the gateway Realm until she destroyed the Seelie
Lord Lysander.
Both Seelie and Unseelie nobles established their own
domains in Hy-Brasil, and soon began their war. Mariana
sent monsters into battle against the silver knights of
Lysander, and he, in turn sent his soldiers against her.
After a few years of stalemate, the Shattering occurred,
destroying the gate to Arcadia. Mariana, Lysander, and
their retainers were stranded, and have remained so ever
since.
The two nobles aged in soul and spirit, if not appear-
ance. Their conflicts alternated between subtle intrigues

and vicious all-out battles, and their small Realm soon grew in his position might become resentful or suspicious, Lord
into the world I speak of today. Mariana and Lysander no Lysander himself displays great generosity and hospitality.
longer seem interested in continuing the conflict, except He does not, however, take well to insults or threats against
to maintain appearances; indeed, rumors persist in both Arcadia. Gateway Castle has dungeons for such offenders,
courts of a secret romance between the two. and time passes very, very slowly in the faerie lands.
Some dispute the story of Hy-Brasil. They claim that
this world has nothing to do with Arcadia, but instead • Grim Fortress
reflects the Dream Realms of the faerie lords, presenting Mariana’s Grim Fortress looms over the Great Road.
a pale shadow of the beauty of Arcadia revealed in the Spikes, skulls and gargoyles decorate black battlements
Middle Umbra. Both the well-told story of the Gate to and towers. Dark figures stalk the walls. Bats flutter around
Arcadia and the reflection theory have merits. I cannot the highest spires, and the portcullis resembles the maw of
speak for the truth or lie of either. I know only the Realm a great beast. Bare thorn bushes surround the moat. Like
where I have gone. Gateway Castle, the Grim Fortress repels hostile magicks.
Here, Princess Mariana graciously receives visitors from
Places of Interest the outside world.
A youthful woman of unearthly beauty, Lady Mariana
welcomes visitors from the outside world with graceful good
• Gateway Castle manners and feasting. Although her domain is an ominous
Gateway Castle appears like something out of a dream.
shadow, the Lady herself seems grateful for new company
Behind its battlements, the sun slowly sets, backlighting the and orders fine food and music for her guests. The fare seems
white crenelations and highlighting the flapping banners a bit macabre — elegies and laments complement dishes
and pennants. The stone-walled palace seems so fragile as of cooked war pig and spider pie — but most Hollow Ones
its impossibly thin towers soar skyward, yet even Princess will doubtless feel right at home. Lady Mariana hungers for
Mariana claims that no army can assault its walls. As far knowledge about Earth and its faerie inhabitants, and she
as anyone can tell, direct hostile magicks cannot harm the will gladly offer favors in exchange for gossip. Within her
castle at all. Grim Fortress, odd patches of beauty exist, such as sculptures,
Beautiful gardens, hedge mazes, ponds and a life-sized rock gardens and paintings. The eternal sadness of the land
chess board surround Gateway Castle. Silver knights mirrors the dark appeal of its mistress.
continually contest one another at the grand tournament
field behind the castle. Sometimes the dark knights and Ecology
monsters of the Unseelie courts come to Gateway Castle Creatures of fantasy dwell throughout Hy-Brasil: Dragons,
under a banner of truce and tilt with Lysander’s knights. ogres, orcs, and of course, faeries, just to name a few. Many of
If a visitor secures an invitation to a Grand Tournament the western residents of Hy-Brasil are quite friendly, but seem
of Hy-Brasil, she will have an opportunity to meet all the set in their ways. Nothing short of an edict from Lord Lysander
fair and foul luminaries of the land. will prevent them from carrying out their daily routine. In the
The Lord of this domain is an honorable man, if a bit eastlands, the residents are hostile and suspicious, but appear
stiff for a faerie knight. His manners are always perfect and his more willing to deal with strangers. All of them fear Princess
grace commendable under the circumstances. While others Mariana too much to oppose her directly.
Mythic Worlds
Do there exist many worlds, or is there but time or event from the viewpoint of a single Earth culture,
a single world? This is one of the most noble and and embodies its greatest ideals.
exalted questions in the study of Nature. In the early days of human culture, these Realms were
— Albertus Magnus few, and those which existed were fairly predictable. The
Everyone who has ever traveled through confusion and revisionism of recent centuries, however,
the Umbra knows of the Mythic Worlds, has multiplied the Mythic Realms beyond counting. In this
Realms where legends still live and breathe, “region” of the Middle World, hundreds of Mythic Realms,
homes to our mythic histories and heroic ar- many sharing the same name but vastly different events,
chetypes. While each of the Mythic Worlds is have come into being. Camelot is one such Realm — or
its own separate Realm, numerous gates, Airts, and portals rather I should say, one such series of Realms. For each tale
connect them all. In essence, each of the Mythic Worlds of King Arthur births another landscape, each with its own
shares the same basic nature: each one portrays a legendary versions of Arthur, Lancelot, Gwenivere, Merlin, and so on.

A modern traveler might encounter a dozen Camelots and Travelers can show up at any point in a legend, but
never pass through the same Realm twice. usually find themselves at the beginning. The story then
Because these Realms represent cultural truths (or icons, unfolds around the characters, and they often take part.
at least), most of them have avid defenders and vicious at- Those who join in the festivities generally have more
tackers. Once, a rabid band of Tolkienites chased me from fun. Once you join, though, you’re in for the duration.
a rolling hillside with a wondrous forest at its foot; another No one who joins a mythic quest can leave before that
journey brought me to a hopelessly decrepit bar where quest is completed. Here the danger lies: although
black-clad fans of a vampiric roleplaying game sneered at most items and creatures in the Mythic Worlds are just
me across their Rolling Rocks and Gothic jewelry. I men- spiritual representations of legends, within the Realm
tion these incidents to drive home a certain point: When they’re as real as you are. Many tales suggest that if any
you enter a Mythic Realm, you’re trespassing on somebody’s true dragons still survive from the Mythic Age, some
sacred ground. are hiding in the Mythic Worlds. The same goes for
Lots of people go to the Mythic Realms with an agenda other Bygones.
in mind. The really dangerous ones include Marauders, For those who travel astrally, death in the Mythic
Nephandi and Technocrats looking for a reason to their Realms is not a lasting affair. This makes them really
cause. Although the latter usually can’t find the Middle popular “vacation stops” for those with the knowledge
Worlds because of their lack of vision, the Mythic Realms and skill to get there. Astral travelers who die simply
intersect with so many other Otherworlds that anyone who find themselves in the mists between worlds (a dan-
discovers a Moon Path might end up here eventually. Even gerous thing in itself), or back in their bodies with
ghosts occasionally wander through, if only for a night or headaches that last for days. Umbral walkers aren’t
two. These Realms straddle the line between dream and so lucky — death here is real. If the visitor actually
spirit form, so keep an eye on your fellow travelers. you survives the quest, she ends up outside the Realm,
never know what they might be seeking here. standing in the mists with the feeling of having just
accomplished some really great thing. Vast amounts
Finding the Mythic Realms is often a matter of luck
of time can pass inside the Realm without making any
and fortune. As I said, dreamers often find their way here
difference outside; I remember joining a rumble in the
by default as they share someone else’s visions. People
aforementioned ugly bar; by the time I’d dropped my
searching for their heritage or ethnic identity find their
opponents, escaped police custody, found out who’d
way to one of the hundreds of Realms, an experience
set us up, joined another gang, trashed the bad guy
which can often become confusing to the deliberate
and taken control of the city, several days had passed.
traveler. Which vision of the Old South is the right one?
Outside the Realm, my friends were wondering if I’d
The Ante-bellum romance version, where happy servants
gone off for a piss. When I tried to return to pick up
serve dashing young landowners iced mint julep? Or the
the girl I’d grown close to during the adventure, ten
tyrannical slave-state drenched in blood and sadism?
years had passed inside and she was gone. Damn.
Both worlds can be found, and both contain elements
of the truth. Background
In short, you may go into the mists expecting to find Those who study the Dream Realms assert that each
the “real” Camelot, and end up strapped to a hot iron Mythic Realm was once a part of the Maya. Each began
grating by Good King Arthur himself. Or wander into a with a concept, a dream, and as that dream grew and
Berlin beer hall expecting to find a rowdy group of Nazi was shared among many, the Realm grew into a huge
bastards and instead discover a group of idealistic young mass which eventually “lodged” in the Middle Umbra,
men singing their national anthem. The Mythic Realms stopped floating, and grew heavy with mythology. In
are a crapshoot, and you never know what you’re going time, we have a Mythic Realm, a dream made solid by
to see until you get there. decades or centuries of significance. Even now, portals
still link the Maya with the Mythic Realms, and many
Description travelers enter these places without ever realizing where
Each one of the Mythic Worlds is a Realm unto it- they are. To them, the visit is all just a dream.
self. When a traveler arrives in one, he may find himself In the modern age, many Mythic Worlds have
witnessing some historical moment in progress — Joan of started to break down. The Technocracy’s efforts to kill
Arc being fed to the flames, Heraklese battling the Hydra, mythic imagination have resulted in strange Realms
that sort of thing. The Mythic World changes his garb filled with a patchwork of creatures from a variety of
and possessions into items appropriate to the legendary mythic cycles. Some say that Mythic Worlds exist to-
setting. Only magickal objects, such as Talismans or day based entirely on fiction or even science‑fiction.
Fetishes, remain unaffected. In addition, Marauders have fractured or destroyed

Mythic Worlds, either by returning their denizens to • Kun Lun: The Realm of the
Earth or setting up strongholds in them.
Mystic Mountain
I’m told that a whole Craft of Chinese wizards actually
Places of Interest make its home in a mountainous region surmounted with a
magnificent Chinese palace. In this Realm of classical myth,
• The Arena of the Immortals the Dragon Emperor guides a near-infallible court against
This mixed Realm is a huge contest field, extending the chaotic whims of the Monkey King and raging Mongol
as far as the eye can see. Heroes of different ages and hordes. These wizards, if my information is correct, have portals
cultures compete in a variety of contests. Jousting, ar- running straight from here to their Earthly homelands, and
chery, oriental martial arts, wrestling, running, almost possibly to the Underworld as well. I have no idea whether
every ancient form of athletic competition can be found. or not these guys have any connections with the Akashic
Unlike the stand-alone quests held within the Realms Brotherhood, but they don’t seem the type for me to ask.
themselves, the games seem to be a place where every-
one realizes that they’re playing in an uber-game where Ecology
many worlds collide. Travelers may join the contests, For the most part, these Realms play host to spirits
of course, and winners receive accolades and promises who incarnate mythological worlds right down to the last
of friendship. peasant and squire. Thus, each has its own ecosystem, one
In the “clubhouse” — a rundown but spirited hangout which may not actually function by Earthly standards but
shadowed in perpetual twilight — there’s a hell of a band works well for the inhabitants. Most Realms also play host
that plays every night. I’m sure it’s not really Janis singing to Bygones and Marauders as well as dream-travelers who
backup for Jim while Moon, Sid, Jimi and Honeyman Scott have taken their fascination with an icon to such extents
keep time, but they sure sound good. that, for a while at least, they live in it.
The Radiance
There is no metaphysical, super-ordinary, final, structured mindset, who believe the world functions
absolute reality. in one particular way, must break their thoughts free
— James Burke, The Day the Universe Changed before they can reach the Radiance. Few Technocrats,
Rumors have always abounded about a if any, ever locate this Realm.
Realm of raw magick, a place of primal power.
Many wizards have spent their lives searching Description
for such a world, pursuing random Airts and Initially, the Flux assaults travelers with an overwhelm-
making attempts to map the Middle Umbra. ing sensory display. Silk caresses, tearing spikes, raindrops
The ultimate goal of these lifelong quests for and flaming embers pour over your skin. Nightmares
the “Realm of Power” is the Radiance. and daydreams come to life, and swirls of color and mad
The Radiance defies easy description or easy naming. morphing shapes caper before your eyes. A cacophony of
Some call it the Flux Realm; others refer to it as the Wyld voices, sound effects and harmonious songs rise, fall, mix
Realm or the Primal Chaos. My favorite term for the Ra- and clash in your ears. One moment, a traveler smells roses,
diance is the Pool of Resonance, a name I learned from a the next moment, burning rubber makes him choke. His
Dreamspeaker friend. This may be the place where “free tongue can’t tell whether it tastes mint or vinegar. The
Quintessence” goes when it has no Pattern to fill. Cosmolo- sensations are different for every individual. They change
gists claim that the Radiance Realm leads to another, larger randomly, usually after an instant, but sometimes linger
manifestation of Dynamic energies out past the Horizon. If for hours. During the initial overload, even the mightiest
it does, I’m not sure how to get there or return. The energies wizards stand paralyzed, overwhelmed by sensation. My
of the Radiance are powerful enough to disorient or even fellow Cultists seek out the Radiance just to feel the im-
dismember most Umbral travelers. pressions at its rim.
I’ve found that scanning for Prime and Spirit After moments or hours — who can tell? — the sensory
energies combined helps you feel your way to the Ra- assault ends. The landscape of the Realm pulls back, leaving
diance. When your senses go totally haywire, you’re a sphere of stability around the traveler. This stable area
almost there. An entryway to the Realm itself can take resonates with a mage’s essence. For example, a wild and
any shape or any form, so it’s easiest not to look for an lonely wood may surround a Verbena, while the interior
entrance, just trust in finding one. Travelers with a of a grand cathedral might surround a member of the

Celestial Chorus. However it appears, this area becomes a After spending some time wandering through the
place where the traveler feels at ease. Radiance, many mages experience visions of their Ava-
The Thought Anchor, as some call this surround- tars. The Anchor shifts slowly over as the wizard moves,
ing sphere, moves with the explorer as she crosses the becoming less secure and reflecting her deeper innermost
Realm. Thought Anchors of mages with strong Avatars thoughts. Those who shift off into their own worlds fade
encompass more area than those of weaker travelers. from their companions’ sight, often to reappear later with
Environments may overlap, creating a mix, blending strange stories to tell. This vision, not the seas of Quintes-
elements of both Anchors or shifting the environment sence, is the true wonder of the Radiance — it provides
to a place where both individuals feel at ease. For two an opportunity for a mage to travel through his own mind.
mortal enemies, a mutual sphere might be a battlefield,
or a pub where they both like to drink. Awakened lovers Background
create romantic fantasies. Groups with vastly different Some believe the Radiance is the last frontier
philosophies, like Sons of Ether and Dreamspeakers, of the Umbra, a Realm of the unshaped and unmade
tend to get separated as their “pockets” pull away from ephemera, untainted by the thoughts and dreams of
each other unless some strong emotional tie overcomes Sleepers. Others say that is a remnant of the Chaos
their philosophical differences. from which all things were formed. I think it’s a kind
The Anchor reflects the mood of the person of “recycling pool” for Quintessence, myself.
generating it. A mage who uses magick here resonates The most common tale I’ve heard is that the Radi-
his emotions more strongly throughout the Anchor ance is where lost dreams, forgotten wishes and failed
than one who does not, and his temperament can passions are recycled. The Realm’s energy comes from
even affect the surrounding Realm. Anger or rage all living things, and from their experiences of the world
will cause objects to break or even catch fire. Fear around them. In many ways, it is a pool of Resonance,
will create shadows or summon nightmares into the shaped by whatever passions and events stir its waters.
Anchors. The effects vary from person to person, but
often influence every Thought Anchor in the area.
Thus, the safest way to travel through the Radiance
Places of Interest
is with a calm and peaceful mind. Caves of Memory
The landscape beyond the stable surroundings Mages who enter this series of caves beneath the
of the travelers shifts and changes, molded by flows “ground” discover their Anchors expanding to fill
of raw Quintessence. Space, laws of physics, the the underground chambers. Memories from their past
normal constants of daily life have no meaning to then play themselves out within the Anchor, often
the Radiance. Those who look around the Realm providing a traveler with a new perspective into events
may see ribbons of color and strange floating is- she previously misunderstood.
lands, reminiscent of some Steve Ditko Dr. Strange
landscape. They may also appear to be walking through The Pulse
a New England countryside. Mages strong in Corre- Nine streams of magick pour together in a single
spondence often get a complete head rush when they nexus, creating the Pulse. As the streams interact,
use magicks to comprehend the spatial relations of the the Pulse vibrates, giving the site its name. My friend
Radiance. From what I’ve heard, it doesn’t work, but it Sara calls it “the Heartbeat of the World.” Any mage
feels really cool to try. A structured comprehension of who comes within hearing distance of the Pulse feels
the Radiance seems impossible, but some travelers can, a surge of Quintessence burning the Paradox out of
over time, develop an intuitive understanding of the her body. It hurts like hell — I felt like I was being
“geography” of the Radiance. boiled alive when it happened to me — but when
There are some solid places in the Flux Realm — it’s done, all Paradox energies you might have built
towers or monoliths that float through the Realm. No up within your system are purged.
one will say what dwells in these structures. Nexus points
where streams of magickal energy rush into each other Ecology
provide spectacular displays and opportunities for mages No spirits seem to live in the Radiance, except
with Prime to harvest Quintessence from their overflow. for those formed from the Resonance of travelers. If
Portals to other places in the Umbra stand in the Radi- any entities are native to the Flux Realm, they don’t
ance, seemingly unaffected by the chaos around them. make their presence known to strangers.

The Wasteland
It is useless, useless, said the Philosopher. Life is
useless, all useless.
— Ecclesiastes 1:2, Good News Bible
There are wounds that time does not
heal; we just learn to live with the scars.
Many of us have well-scarred souls, and we
seem to take pleasure in showing off our pain
at parties and gatherings to attract attention.
Others of us hide away from it and deny its
existence. Either way, the pain stays with us.
The Wasteland is a place of healing, a Realm where
victims and victimizers can confront their actions and
their guilt. In this region, pain is real, fresh and new. It
cannot hide from you, and you cannot escape its touch.
In the Wasteland, the soul that can’t let go and forgive
itself can pay the ultimate price, yet still come out on
the other side.
There is no path to the Wasteland. Those who
hide agonies in their hearts will stumble into the
Realm eventually. The Wasteland opens itself to the
scarred and long-suffering. Death is the only way out
of its embrace.
Description
Most travelers who fall into the Wasteland don’t
see much of the scenery. What little they do see, isn’t
worth looking at. The Realm consists of muddy hills with
dirty vegetation, old trees, vines, lots of undergrowth,
and an eternal cold drizzle. Half-buried bones jut from
the mud, marking the tops of mass graves. Overhead, a
queasy dark cloud of smoke taints everything with the
stench of burned flesh. Some travelers have walked through
a parched desert, but they say the smell is even worse in that
part of the Realm.
Any group which enters is separated; each must deal
with her pain alone. An explorer may shout, scream or
even call out magickally to others, but every person in
the Realm perceives herself as totally alone. Until the
visions come…
In time, the traveler who wanders through the
Wasteland sees mirages forming around her. As she
watches in sick fascination, phantoms replay atrocities
from around the world, both large and small — geno-
cides, mass rapes, child killings, mass destruction, even
the end of the world. No matter what she does, these
phantoms ignore her, although some other Awakened
creatures, such as the Garou, claim they can interact
with the participants.
The traveler is in trouble when haze or steam
forms around her, and solidifies into a scene wrenched

from her own soul, into something in her own life she ternal arguments, the inner self basically grabs the
hasn’t yet come to terms with. She may be the victim, Umbral explorer by her proverbial lapels and drags
still wondering where to place the blame for her early her into this unhealed scar, where she can’t leave
sexual abuse; she may be the victimizer, still agonizing until she confronts the problem. Once some accord is
over the death of an innocent or an enemy. Whatever reached — and it’s often a painful one, so be war-
its cause may be, the incident comes alive again in the ned — the conflict often works itself out and the
Wasteland. healing begins. From there, the Path to Ascension
What happens, and how it happens, depends upon becomes a bit easier.
the traveler. Only two things are certain: she won’t The Garou I’ve spoken to claim the Wasteland,
be able to control her magick, and by the end of the or Atrocity Realm, is a creation of the obscenities
scene, she will die. She may be killed in retribution humanity inflicts upon itself. If that’s true, there’s
for her action, or she may sacrifice herself to protect even more we can learn there, lessons that go beyond
another. Once she dies, she leaves the Wasteland, and our own limited sphere of experience and reach out
reappears in the Umbral mist. The pain of her death on a more global level.
and experiences may linger with her for a while, but When I last entered the Wasteland — and I
the deeper pain, the agony of that unhealed wound, hope never to return, trust me — I saw visions of
will still itself in time. the early Ascension War, of a long battle between
Hermetic wizards and a group of Christian mages
Background bent on burning them for witchcraft. It’s easy to
Most mages believe that their Avatars lead them see how you could say these early Choristers were
to the Wasteland when there’s some conflict which in the wrong, but watching the shadow-play, I was
must be resolved. After a few failed Seekings or in- struck by how arrogant and careless the wizards
themselves were. They sacrificed grogs and peasants

to fuel their magicks, and tossed around spells that back to haunt us later, and if we’re not careful what
upset the ecological balance, causing earthquakes we do, or how, those events may bring disasters we
and thunderstorms as if those events affected no one never want to face. Sure, it’s no fun to second-guess
except their enemies. I understood then something yourself, especially where magick is concerned, but
I hadn’t grasped before: We all set things in motion the price we pay creates a wasteland — not in the
that no one can control. Those things usually come Umbra, but on Earth.

Chapter Three:
Enigmas
Don’t do it, Eleanor told the little girl; insist on your cup of
stars; once they have trapped you into being like everyone else you
will never see your cup of stars again; don’t do it; and the little girl
glanced at her, and smiled a little subtle, dimpling, wholly compre-
hending smile, and shook her head stubbornly at the glass.
— Shirley Jackson, The Haunting of Hill House
Ah, ha! My turn again. In this chapter, • Shadowlands

you get to read all about the most mysterious As long as we’re being spooky and talking about
Otherworlds, the places only the boldest and cloaks of courage, why don’t we stop by the Shadowlands
bravest set out to understand. If you’re willing, first. Never having been there myself, I can’t tell you too
if you dare, gather thy courage about thee like much. Those who study them say that the Shadowlands
a cloak and hold it tight. Forsooth! The deepest are similar to the Penumbra. The Shadowlands supposedly
riddles of the Otherworlds await naught but thy reflect physical reality as seen through the mask of death
spark of knowledge, thy pursuit of understanding and decay. Not being one much for death and decay, I
to unfurl themselves before thee… but they don’t find this a very appealing place. Nonetheless, we
await also thy fear and hubris, so to consume thy very essence. are trying to produce a comprehensive travel guide here,
Just melodramatic enough, don’t you think? so we’ve called in one of our panel of experts to introduce
Briefly put, this chapter concentrates on Realms which you to the place.
don’t fit into simple categories, or abide by simple laws. All • Paradox Realms
of them can be perilous to travel. Each “type” abides by its I sort of feel like we’re touring the dungeons of the
own rules, which are not the laws of the Umbra as a whole. Umbra. That’s pretty much what Paradox Realms are. If you
Leave your preconceptions at the door. violate the laws of static reality too often, the reality police

send you here, locked away until you repent and perform have the skill and the desire, you can even go mucking about
enough community service to earn yourself parole. From in other people’s dreams. But that wouldn’t be a very nice
what I understand, Paradox Realms are rather frightening thing to do, now would it?
things. I’ve been fortunate never to get Paradox spirits so • The Hollow Earth
upset with me that they’ve felt the need to put me out here. Dinosaurs and sabretooths and mammoths, oh my!
If you are a bad little mage and unravel reality enough that it Welcome to the fabled Hollow Earth. Incredibly, even
wants to send you to your room, just remember you’re there many mages don’t believe this place exists. A land of
as a punishment. You are being punished for using magick, savage tribes and enlightened monks, extinct creatures
so don’t try to use magick to get out. I hear it’s one of the and some just plain really odd things await your dis-
worst things you can possibly do. covery. If you look carefully and luck is with you, you
• Maya: The Dream Realms might just find one of the cryptic pylons that some of
Do you dream in color or black and white? Well, no my fellow Etherites claim are traces of an ancient, ad-
matter, all dreams exist here. Stop that snickering, you. Yes, vanced civilization. Just be careful while you’re looking.
even the Sleepers’ dreams are here. Many Sleepers contact Ending up as a meal for a hungry sabretooth isn’t going
the spirit world only through their dreams. And yes, if you to help you find one.
The Low Umbral Underworld

Death hath a thousand doors to let also known as the Dark Kingdom of Iron. The Deadlands
out life; of China are called The Dark Kingdom of Jade by outsiders,
I shall find one. and the Yellow Springs by those who dwell within. And so
— Philip Massinger it goes throughout the world, as ghostly mapmakers and
You have not walked the paths that semanticists argue over what should be called what. Unlike
I have. Few can claim to have seen the most things in the Underworld, in this case the perception
marvels and terrors I’ve known, for I have matters little.
traveled to the very heart of the lands of The second lesson is that the Underworld is like noth-
the dead, and returned, a living man, to ing you, I, the Technocrats or any religion in the history
tell my tales. It would be best if you listened. of thought could possibly have imagined. Your Christian
An introduction? Of course, I forget my manners. You Heaven? A version of it has been built in the Underworld,
may call me Aliksandros, after one of my countrymen, long perhaps several versions, but as for an absolute, perfect
dead. It is not my real name, of course — real names have Heaven? It doesn’t exist. There are but two absolutes in
power, and I see no need to give you that power over me. the Underworld: Transcendence, by which certain souls…
As for my profession, I am a humble student of the paths move on, and Oblivion, which my Tradition calls the Great
of magick followed by the Euthanatos Tradition. I am also Unmaking.
a tale-teller, an explorer, and when the occasion permits, a Instead of absolutes, then, there are layers. The lands
little added momentum on the great Wheel of Being. of the living, the “Skinlands,” are something but a few
Tea? Ah, a cultured soul. A cup awaits you on the tray wraiths can touch. A Shroud of fear, disbelief and hatred
to your left; sugar, milk and lemon are provided should you then stands as a wall between the Skinlands and their
wish. Drink deep; listening is thirsty work. overlaying, ghostly counterpart: The Shadowlands. Beyond
that, screaming under the skin of the world is the infinite
The Names of the Underworld
Ghosts are real. That is the first lesson you must learn. • My Dinner with Aliksandros
Ghosts are quite real and dwell in a Realm a half-step away Despite some colleagues’ misgivings, I went out
from ours. Others call the Lands of the Dead the Dark Umbra, to confer with Aliksandros in a cafe in Nepal. As
or the Deadlands, or other, similar names, but to most who he spoke, my recorder caught vague impressions,
have lived and died under the consensual reality of the West, half-heard voices that seemed to waver in and out
the afterlife that ghosts share is simply called the Underworld. of the transcript differently each time I listened to
Of course, there are those who have died in other places, it. As for Aliksandros’ hospitality, I’m glad to declare
with other beliefs and other expected destinations. Thus is that I survived intact.
the afterlife divvied into so-called “Dark Kingdoms,” though I’m sure he was only joking. You know, just to
this is a name applied by outsiders. The western Deadlands, make a point. Really.
also known as the Empire of Stygia (after its capital city) is

expanse of the Tempest, an eternal storm. There are is- The Skinlands
lands of stability and safety in this storm — the great city These are the lands of the living. Ghosts, or “wraiths” as
of Stygia is one, the islands of the Far Shores are others. they prefer to be called, travel there but rarely, and usually
There are also safe paths through the howling madness, with the aid of something dear to them in life. Fetters, these
called Byways, and a place at the storm’s heart which is things are called, and they anchor a wraith against the pull
the least safe of all. of the Great Unmaking.
Layers around layers around layers, that is how the The ways in which wraiths affect the living are greater
Underworld is built. The trick of it is, of course, that the than one might suppose. They can manipulate objects and
further in you go, the more the next layer encompasses. So computers, steal dreams and even souls, and sometimes even
inside the Tempest, which is beneath all of existence, is a materialize. This, however, is of little import. You are not
Labyrinth that holds at its heart a Void. Correction: The here to learn about how wraiths can travel to our lands, but
Void. Oblivion. The Great Unmaking. rather how we can reach theirs.
I have seen it. I have also seen its servants, though. I
have sojourned with one, and know how the nearer one The Shroud
comes to an ideal, the more one can be twisted by it. I still The stronger disbelief is in a place, the more the worka-
serve the Great Unmaking, but with greater care, if that is day world exerts itself, the stronger the Shroud grows. It is a
possible. I very much believe it is. simple cause and effect relationship. Of course, the opposite
holds true; derelict “haunted” mansions at midnight, with
Places of Interest thunder rolling about and lightning snaking across a witch-
How does one describe the ports of call in a World scoured sky above have a Shroud worn thin as cheesecloth.
vast enough to swallow our own mortal vision of Earth? I What does this matter? Simply put, the thicker the Shroud
should instead concentrate on the largest aspects of that is in a place, the more difficult it is for wraiths to affect the
World and let the curious elaborate on that brief but om- Skinlands. The thinner the “barrier between the worlds,”
inous glimpse. After all, the descent into the Underworld as our Verbena brethren would put it, the easier it is for the
is a tool of teaching, is it not? Some lessons can only be ghostly to affect the mundane. Watch where you walk, then,
gained firsthand. lest you rouse the ire of the dead.

The Shadowlands and Dwellers Of course, death has changed these poor souls. Just as
the buildings there are the products of memory and impres-
Therein sion, so are formed the “bodies” of dwellers in that dimness.
The thing you must understand about the “Shadowlands” Ponder that for a minute. Consider what that means.
is that they are the memories of what is and what once
Every wraith’s visage and form, at least at first, are created
was. They are all about passion, and all about the power
by their idea of how they ought to appear. Most, thankfully, are
of that passion. Anything that anyone ever cared about is
lacking in imagination. They recreate themselves as they were
mirrored in the Shadowlands, though riddled there with
in life, complete with their favorite apparel and knickknacks,
rot and shackled in decay. The hatred of 10,000 school-
and spend eternity with the same face they wore when they
children will ensure that their five-day-a-week prison will
died. Men who died at their century mark dodder around the
rise in the Shadowlands, long after the school building they
Shadowlands, appearing exactly as they did just before passing
attended has crumbled to red brick dust. Of course, passions
on. Why, when they could imagine themselves young and
fade, and that’s why everything looks as if it were falling
strong again? It shows a distinct lack of imagination, and for
to shreds. Memories vanish and passions fade, and those
that I am thankful. A tiny minority actually have the hubris
things sustained by memory and passion fade with them.
to recreate themselves better than they were, and strut around
But those places, those things that are much loved — or
with the visages of angels.
hated, or envied, or anything — they live on in the lands
of the dead, long after their forms here have disappeared But pity those wraiths with any imagination at all, for
into the misty past. they resemble nothing of this — or often any other — Earth.
Imagine what the creeping devil of self-hatred might do,
Thus we explain the nature of the Shadowlands, the
when granted the power to shape your flesh.
nature of its rot. It is all detritus, flotsam and jetsam that
should sink to the Great Unmaking, but refuse to go. What I recall memories of tea in the Shadowlands of Providence
can you say about faded beauty and doddering old age; ideas with a woman who wore the ghosts of elbow-length gloves. In
that don’t know that they’re dead? It is among these faded life she was the wife of a merchant captain who had dabbled
relics that the Restless Dead make their home, shuffling in hedge magick. She dared to peek into a few of his grimoires
through the ruins. upon occasion. On one of these occasions, she became con-
vinced that something had stripped the flesh from her hands.
They are the flames that burn brightest here, for they
She was wrong, of course, but she died, as all do, and journeyed
are Passion instead of being crafted by it. Each, it would
to the Shadowlands. There, within her Caul, her birth-sac of
seem, is a creature of the emotions that live on after death.
the dead, her spirit clothed itself in garb it felt appropriate.
Rather than being recreated by the passions of the living,
they exist as constructs of passion. They are identities that I will hear the faint clicking of ghostly fingerbones on
hide deathless motivations, primal drives given faces. china for a very long time. I can still see those gloves flapping
loosely ‘gainst the bones of her delicate arms. Nor was this
One of my teachers once referred to wraiths as, and I
highborn New England lady the most horrifying specimen
quote, “the bubblegum on the Great Wheel, stuck to things
of self-sculpting I encountered.
they should have left long behind, and getting strung out
trying to cling to them.” One might think they would be The torment for me, was, of course, that each and every one
happy for a chance to move on, to take the next step and of them had done it to themselves. This self-inflicted mutilation,
be free. Like shipwreck victims clinging to the side of the this eternal psychic flagellation spoke clearly to me as to the
lifeboat, though, they refuse to let go. Of course, having essential rightness of our calling. Had these wretches received
seen the Great Unmaking with my own eyes, I cannot the Good Death, they’d not spend centuries twisting themselves
blame them much. into mockeries and priding themselves on their handiwork.
Cosmology Narnia. The lands of

a ser ies of lev els, similar in form to fictional
s, is com pos ed of directly is actually a
The Underworld, or Deadland onl y rar ely ent ere d by wra iths. To affect the Skinlands
nlands, and are
the living are called the Ski corporation or worse.
adl ands, and is punishable by dis Shroud (a.k.a. the
crime in the Western De
der wo rld is a vei l of fear and disbelief called the
m the rest of the Un lt it is for a
Separating the Skinlands fro lar spo t, the thi cke r its Shroud, and the more difficu
ne reality is in a particu ed mansions on
Gauntlet). The more munda tin g firm s ten d to hav e a thick Shroud, while desert
there. Thus, accoun
wraith to affect the Skinlands
crooked peaks tend to have
thi n Shrouds. ond precisely to the Skin-
the tru e lands of the dead. These corresp
Beyond the Shroud are the so-
cal led Sha dow lan ds, aiths can walk through these
gs and obj ects manifest there dimly. Wr
lands in terms of physical loc
ation, and ear thly bui ldin er hand, memories of beloved
stly hea lth (called Corpus). On the oth
e of one lev el of the ir gho ated in the Underworld.
Skinlands objects for the pric the se are abs olu tely soli d to a wraith, as are items cre
ear here, and
objects or buildings also app
A wraith incarcerated in a
cell in a Skinlands prison can
had burned down and manif simply walk through the bar
ested as a ghost of a buildin s and escape. However, if tha
the most determined wraith g in the Shadowlands, then t prison
. the walls would prove impen
Forever boiling under the sur etr able to
face of the Shadowlands is
imaginable is possible in the an eternal storm called the
Tempest, from fishing for Tempest. Anything and eve
hyperspace beneath the “re lost memories to storms of rything
ality” of the Shadowlands, shattered glass. Existing as
storm bursts forth into the the Tempest links all points in a sort of
Shadowlands; this horrific the Underworld. Occasion
allowing passage between eve nt is called a Maelstrom. Les ally , the
Shadowlands and Tempest ser rips in the fabric of the
called Byways. , are called Nihils, and safe rea lity,
routes (rare) through the
Tempest are
Travel through the Tempest
is faster for those wraiths pos
other travelers often find the sessing the Arcanos called Ar
mselves lost in the storm and gos, but wraiths without Ar
At the heart of the Tempest atta cke d by Spectres or other beings gos and
is a titanic Labyrinth, inhabi .
from the stuff of nothingne ted by Spectres. Legend has it
ss by the great Spectres called that the Labyrinth was gna
the like-titled Nephandi has Malfeans. The nomenclatu wed
been pondered extensively re in common between the
the great maze is the Void, by ma ny mages, but no satisfactory lin se bei ngs and
the so-called "maw" of Obliv k has been made. The core
not recognizably. Euthanat ion . No thing that has entered the of
os cosmology holds that the Void has ever returned, at
if so it is a hellishly oppres Vo id is merely the final gateway on lea st
sive barrier. the road to reincarnation,
In the Tempest, entropy works but
as gravity. Darker souls and obj
more quickly than the pure of ects possessing more entropy
spirit. to them drift down towards the
There are islands of calm and Void
safety within the Tempest. Th
synonymous with the empire e one most familiar to Wester
of the dead that rules from thi n wraiths is the isle of Stygia
Springs, Swar, and so on. Th s seat. Other cultures also hav , now
ose who have connections to e their Realms in the storm;
enough from them to reach Sty the lands of the living find the Yellow
gia. Some wraiths have no suc it difficult, if not impossible
present a problem). Others, bou h bonds and can travel to Sty , to travel far
nd by so-called Fetters, find the gia freely (though the Shado
journey more difficult. Living wlands can
Beyond Stygia, in the depths humans often find the trip imp
of the storm, are the Far Sh ossible.
have journeyed so far, even ores, islands modeled on a
among the dead; almost no thousand heavens and hel
to the Astral Afterworlds, ne of the living have reached them. ls. Few
but this is conjecture at bes Gateways are said to link the
t. m
Stygia The Tempest

The capital city of the Empire of the Dead is, at the same The Tempest is impossible to describe, as its geometry does
time, magnificent and repulsive. Classical architecture struggles not quite match up with that of the real world. I have been
against Gothic monstrosities and modern needles of glass and told that it is a great storm, a Maelstrom, that has hovered
steel. There are levels upon levels upon levels, with Roman fora beneath all reality since the year 1580; I am not sure if I can
pierced by obelisks and shaded by suspended walkways. Far below, permit myself to believe that. What I do believe, though, is
huddled masses move among the crushed remnants of what might that the Tempest contains anything and all things. Memories
have been temples to forgotten gods, and through it all echoes are there, and fragments of wraiths long gone. There is no “up”
the low moaning of the chains. During my stay as a guest of one or “down” there, save the steady, entropic pull of the Void. It
of the most potent wraiths, a blackened and twisted mockery is a sort of hyperspace, a place between, and other than hard
called Ember, I saw the towers piercing the eternal night sky reality. I traveled in it briefly with a guide, and can remember
of this place, gaily lit with watchfires against the dark. I knew little of my journey. What I can recall is inscribed below:
what burned there, though, and turned my gaze away. Out past Cloudscape flew past us, and as its various humors changed,
the farthest building, I could see dark waves rolling against the we were pelted with a soot-black rain, a blizzard of snowflakes
seawall of the city, and a titanic gate guarded by distant soldiers. made from bone, twisting rainbow filaments that burned to the
So, would you like to see the Library of Alexandria, touch, and other unspeakable things. Occasionally, the shapes
complete with original contents? Charon, the first and below us turned to what appeared to be water, or occasionally
last Emperor of the Dead, had it brought to Stygia when it miasmal swamp, but always we sped on and I didn’t ask our
burned. Adventurous tourists also have their choice of the destination.
first and second temples of Jerusalem, though the ghostly I recall that I did not ask our destination because I
Heretics known as Fishers claimed and abused the latter. feared I knew what it was. I was, unfortunately, correct in
All the great ones are here, as Stygia is where imperial cities my hypothesis. My guide steered me straight to Oblivion.
go to die. They all fall, given time. They all find themselves A word must be said about my guide ere I go on. He was not a
replaced, and their pieces straggle to the Underworld. But wraith,notassuch.Norwasheoneofthe“Whishtimmu,”themythical,
in the meantime, the dead have treasures enough. monstrous beasts of all shapes and sizes that haunt the Tempest in very

small numbers. No, my guide was one of the wraiths who, in service walls — hospital corridors stinking of death, ossuaries where
to Oblivion, are twisted by it. He was, fair though his face might the bones dance at Spectral whim, coal mine shafts claustro-
have been, a Spectre. Spectres are wraiths whose Shadows take phobic enough to make the strongest soul whimper for a hint
over permanently. They are vicious, sadistic, deadly and, at of blessed light — all of these are within the eternal maze. I am
least in this instance, a great deal more clever than I. told that the Spectres use these settings in little shadowplays
Shadows? Each wraith has a Shadow, yes, an animate and psychodramas called Harrowings, during which they are
voice for evil inside her own mind. The Shadow is of each permitted by some grand metaphysical dictum to torment
wraith — it is her darkest impulses given a mind, a voice and, wraiths with the victims’ worst nightmares. I was forced to
every so often, the ability to seize control of the shell it shares take part in one of these Harrowings — that is how I met
with the rest of the wraith’s personality. The more tainted Ember — and can honestly say that I have seen and done
the personality, of course, the stronger the Shadow is and the nothing more abhorrent in all of my days.
easier it becomes for the Shadow to seize control. Spectres, as I I was given the chance by my Spectral guide to look upon
have said, are wraiths whose Shadows have become dominant, the Great Unmaking in person. I did so, and have regretted it
have become their “selves.” They do not make, in case you ever since. The mouth of the Void was before me, and I could
were wondering, optimal traveling companions. feel its hunger. Souls spiraled down past me, some screaming,
A word of warning about Shadows and Spectres: They are some passive. All fell into that impenetrable blackness, and
part and parcel of Oblivion, part and parcel of Entropy. By using nothing emerged. It had a hypnotic pull, an insatiable appetite,
that Sphere in their presence, you feed them. You give them and I found myself stepping off into the Void.
strength. This is a fearsome thing at the best of times and, in It was only my guide’s hand that saved me, and then
the lands of the dead, the best of times is usually no time at all. only because he wanted me for other things.
The Labyrinth and the Great A Foul Practice
Unmaking Even among the dead, the wish to create is strong. Fur-
The Labyrinth itself, the great maze of tunnels gnawed thermore, with the depredations of Spectres and the howling
from the stuff of nothingness by the greatest of Spectres at Tempest-born winds of Maelstroms, wraiths needs must craft
the dawn of time, is indescribable in the same way the storm the necessities of afterlife existence or else tumble to the Void.
that surrounds it is. All things are contained within its foul This, to them, is a fate literally worse than death. They do not
see that beyond the mouth of Oblivion is rebirth; they would Do I believe in it? Most certainly. Even Incarna come from
rather cling to memories of what was than take a chance on somewhere; why not from the ranks of the dead? Then again,
what could be in another life. perhaps I merely wish for something to counter the horror of the
Upon reflection, though, I do not much blame them. Great Unmaking. The belief itself, though, is enough, I think.
Still, in order to maintain their ghostly state the citizens
of Stygia do something that is unpardonable, monstrous and
foul. Not content to halt their own progress upon the Great
Travel to the Underworld
So, how does one reach the Deadlands? In a manner
Wheel, they have the hubris, the sheer gall, to arrest the of speaking, you and I are already in the Underworld. The
movement of others as well. Skinlands is a home to the dead as well, albeit one in which
Do you not yet understand? Some wraiths refuse to they are not entirely comfortable. That, however, is likely
move on actively. They see the choice, yes, and refuse it. not an answer to your satisfaction. You wish to know how
Others, though, do not have that choice. Nor, for that to reach the Shadowlands, the Tempest and beyond, the
matter, do they still have mind, spirit or any manifestation places where the dead dwell and where you would truly be
of the soul beyond the physical one. At the hands of their an outsider. Well, there is a brace of methods for traveling
fellow wraiths, they have become things. Objects. Swords to the Shadowlands. One is difficult, the other is easy.
and torches, ashtrays and objets d’art — these are all made The difficult one is, perhaps, the more rewarding. Through
from souls! And not the souls of animals, no — the souls of the magickal practice of agama, the ritual visit all my kind
women and men! All caught and hammered — or somehow make to the Shadowlands to learn the impermanence of
shaped — by whatever means the foulest of wraiths use to our reality, one can separate spirit from body and become,
drain others of their will and trap them for all eternity as tools. albeit temporarily, a wraith. During the agama sojourn,
Horrible, is it not? One almost wishes that the Great one’s own body serves as a Fetter — something much
Unmaking would rise like the spring tide and claim all those loved that holds the traveler to the lands of the living even
who have been falsely kept from it. Almost. as his soul searches the domains of the dead. With luck,
one can employ this method, journey to the heart of the
Transcendence Underworld and return with a wealth of experience and,
Here is the sole source of hope in the lands of the dead. dare I say it, knowledge.
The Far Shores, touted as heavens and hells beyond count- The other method? It is much simpler. Think back
ing, are neither so far as I know. They mimic form but not to the tea that I offered you when you first arrived,
function, providing a heaven’s landscape or a hell’s torments and which you were gracious enough to accept. That
without the spiritual authority of either. tea had a hint of almond to its taste, did it not? A
Transcendence remains, though. It is Oblivion’s op- slight bitterness? Think on that and close your eyes.
posite, a lifting off of the Great Wheel to… what? I do not After all, I did mention that the second method of
know. I have not witnessed it, I have not seen it — I have reaching the lands of the dead was much, much easier
merely heard it rumored and gossiped after. than the first.
Maya
In the drowsy dark cave of the mind than instinct. Maybe you have even accomplished the
Dreams build their nest with fragments astral visitation known as hayimn, where your mind seeps
Dropped from day’s caravan. across the barriers of other sleeping minds and steps into
— Rabindranath Tagore a communal Realm. Or possibly the fae have invited you
Speak to me of raindrops and I’ll sell you on one of their mad dances, intoxicating you just enough
to share the wellspring of their nature. And, of course, you
a migraine. Breathe in my ear and I’ll vomit
have read books. Many books. And in each book lie the
forth rainbows in which all the wisdom of
seedlings of a dream.
Greece can be heard. Confused? Get used to
it. If you venture forth into the Dreaming, You doubt me? Just look at the hordes who greet an
author at his signings, at the millions who hang upon each
you must accustom yourself to contradictions.
installment of a fictional hero’s escapades, no matter how
You have already visited the Dreaming many times; contrived they may be. Visit a fantasy convention, and see
perhaps the adventures you had there seemed beyond your the dozens, the hundreds, who mold their lives after the
control, or perhaps you have already learned the ways of creations of Tolkien, Lovecraft, Stoker or McCaffrey. Look
what mortals call “lucid dreaming,” the art of moving your- at your own actions; in buying this book, you have consented
self through the Maya with conscious deliberation rather to share our dreams.

dell’arte, the gods we immortalize as planets, myths or psy-
• Janis Freyal, Chronicler of the Impossible chological complexes, all spring from the ageless Oneira.
I owe this person a big favor. Although he (or In their Deep Dreaming homes, the Virgin, the Hermit,
she; I’m never sure) was hesitant to describe the the Temptress, the God of War, and so many others hold
Dream Worlds, I convinced Janis to give me a few court, sending their influence into our consciousness,
thousand words on the subject. Janis warned me where we feed them our imaginations and make them
that whatever s/he contributed would be virtually grow stronger still.
negated, yet reinforced in all the wrong ways when • Two: That such beings have what power we give
I published it. I thought I’d put it in anyway. If Janis them, but that such power should never be underestimated.
seems impatient, blame me. Simply declaring “I don’t believe in you any more” may
Surprising as it may seem, Janis is not a Dream- dispatch a Night Terror, but a dream lord will simply laugh,
speaker (although her/his associate Monaco Sabine “Ah, but so many others still do….”
supposedly is); many of my acquaintances — including • Three: That by observing these beings as both
my dear friend Laughing Eagle, who kindly but firmly symbols and as living entities, we can learn greater truths
declined to contribute — felt that the Dreaming was about ourselves, the human condition, and creation itself.
far too sacred an enigma to set on paper. Given the For the practical traveler, I have a simple truth: Be
trivialization his own culture has received through- careful what you do, where you go and whom you speak to
out “history,” I can sympathize. Janis, however, is an while dreamwalking. The forces you disturb can and often
outspoken advocate for preservation of the Dreaming. will follow you into the waking world. Unless the vision
From what I’ve heard, s/he has a strong fae heritage, you enter is your own, it can turn against you in surprising
and is painfully familiar with the ways in which ba- ways. And remember when visiting that dreams can also
nality can kill. become nightmares.
If nothing else, Janis’ insights may prove enter-
taining. Just don’t expect them to provide you with a Dream Realms and How to Reach
road map. That road doesn’t exist.
Them
— Alexis
The easiest way to reach the Maya is, of course, by
going to sleep. Naturally, as a mage, you will want more
This is the reason I chose to place my observations of detailed travel plans, so I advise those of you who wish
dreams on paper. Not because other media cannot portray to reach the Maya on your own to practice meditation.
the Dreaming — visual art and music convey the Maya’s Once you achieve the right state of mind, you may
essence more potently than the written word — but because enter the space between dreams, the Near Dreaming.
writing is dreaming. In the very act of employing a language,
Walking into a dream is always harder than drifting
we bring the essence of creating into form. Writing is the
into it through sleep. Some shamans can wander into
lasting impression of that form.
the Maya in spirit form, but most of us remain on this
side of the Big Dream until we slumber. Those who
The Origins of Dreams specialize in mental magicks can send their minds
To many authorities, creation started with a dream, into this Zone through astral travel. From their bodies,
with the vision of One whose longings led to many. More they reach up and out, sweeping into the astral sky and
humanocentric mages claim that dreams flow from us, not heading for the Moon. As the clouds enfold them, the
the other way around. While that’s certainly the case with dreampaths open.
most small Dream Realms, where ideas become realities
The paths to the Maya wind through dark hallways,
unto themselves, the larger aspects of the Deep Dreaming
bridges or tunnels, emerging into either a dreamscape in
seem far older than humankind. These Realms, often
progress or into a vast and shimmering ocean of Ether (or
dominated by godlike beings called Oneira, may be the
other landscapes; see sidebar).
source of the ideas which then become Dream Realms.
The possibilities are as circular and as ephemeral as the Floating like a bug in 7-Up, you can watch the blobs
dreams themselves. of “imaginoplasm” drift past, often opaque but occasion-
ally transparent enough to display the show inside. From
I have three theories about the Oneira; I cannot prove
there, a skillful traveler can walk through the pericarp
them, for I have never met one personally, but I can make
and enter the Dream Realm itself. Once in, you’d best be
educated assumptions about them based on what I have
clever. Getting out, I’m told, is often much harder than
noticed about other, lesser dream spirits:
getting in. Once you’ve walked into a dream in progress,
• One: That the “dream lords” are archetypes incar- that dream becomes your dream as well, and it conforms
nate, living symbols put into vaguely human terms. The to your actions and expectations.
Major Arcana of the Tarot, the stereotypes of the commedia

ander across
of the Dreaming trods, paths which me
The “Geography” on the Maya, I’ve encountered tan ce sp ea k of
acqu ain perils. As with
l lan ds ca pe s filled with wondrous
Trying to place borders my sti ca can assume that
ies th at other authors doub
tless found
ma ny ot he r Ot he rworldly things, we
fic ult so ms.
the sam e dif
the Realms that I de
scribe refuse es many different for
in th eir ow n sec tio ns :
take what I the Far Dreaming tak pe s, take all the
undaries. Therefore, called dreamsca
or m to sta tic bo Dream Realms, also ex pand to fit
to co nf ll depend upon n feeds into them an
d
wi th sal t; yo ur adventures there wi imagination a perso r a few minutes
say
t on my description
s. ese Realms last fo
your imaginations, no dent reality it. In most cases, th es can linge r, dr aw ing the
ng exists as an ind en
ep
then di sa pp ea r; po te nt on
The most pow-
First of all, the Dreami ter ial world by curring phantasies.
Umbrae and the ma dreamer back into re other people
(a Zone), tied to the ac t, it hugs the — those shared wi
th
ed. In its nearest cont erful dreams of all g larger and
slender threads inde th e fae consider th eir own, beco m in
imerical reality that — take on a “li fe” of
sits them. In
waking world in a ch th e wo nd ers that each dreamer who vi
th faerie sight can see more elaborate with ends, then
home. While those wi sy in ter sec tion, come stories, th en leg
th of gold across a bu time, such dreams be dle Umbra
surround them — a pa reh ou se — most m ay “lodge” in th e M id
e an abandoned wa myths. In tim e, th ey r Two).
a dragon’s grotto insid wo nd ers. s (described in Chapte
remain blind to such and beco m e M yth ic Re alm
ns — they take
mortals, even mages, Dreaming, e such potent creatio
d by some the Near That’s why books ar d archetype,
This first layer, calle but ists apart
ex itt en language, symbo an l
ra of the spirit worlds, the ele m en ts of wr ence, and
resembles the Penumb amour by the e im ag ination of a vast audi
this “realm,” called Gl mix th em wi th th
from it. The energy of s and creatures logy.
agination into magic give birth to mytho les. The
changelings, shapes im ons — cantrips Realms drift like bubb
can see. These creati Once created, Dream alm created
that few human eyes only over those larger and slower the Re
it
vely — have power greater the dream, the ssly between the
and chimera, respecti iliar with such eamscapes bob listle
em. Thus, many fam becomes. Smaller dr orlds; although
who can perceive th em — yes, even l, Middle and Dead W
e to anyone around th Umbrae of the Astra ents mirror the
magicks appear insan muffles these ne apart, their cont
. Lack of imagination they remain in a Zo es, nature dreams
to us “enlightened” few eaming itself. ss, giving rise to puzzl
s the fringes of the Dr World they pass acro up in a more
forces until it threaten ty of faeries in r Realms tend to end
counts for the scarci and deathmares. Large habit” colors the
This phenomenon ac ny people in the ; the World they “in
d explains why so ma or less fixed location
our modern world, an deeper — and visitors feel its powe
r.
ult directly into the whole Realm, and all
“modern” world catap e restful buffer s of the Near Dr ea mi ng, the Dream
aya Realms without th On the furthest fringe other side of this
more disturbing — M t. the Horizon . On the
to cushion their fligh bis ec ted by
of the Near Dreaming r Dr ea mi ng , the shards Re alm s are
me val portion of the May
a called the Deep
es, the Fa e is th e pri
In these further reach me mb ran m dreams, the
eam Realms — float in
an endless sea . If cre ati on did indeed spring fro
ati on — Dr Dr ea mi ng massive Realms,
of im ag in
travelers see this reg
ion as an ocean ts of th os e ep iphanies exist here as
. So me fra gm en e fearless drift
of po ssi bil ity
, while others envision
themselves
era e. Th e co ma tose, the mad and th
red isl an ds th e On eamers this far
wi th sca tte
able to breathe but
compelled to ese cy clo pe an spirit-homes. Few dr
at oc ea n, in to th the fae avoid
be ne ath th
that dreams have be
come. I know
ne ev er ret ur n to ou r waking world. Even
e bu bb les go be.
see k ou t th
ims her dreamwalks
take her to a friends, true dragons
am an wh o cla this place. Here, my
of a sh most fae of my
ser t sp ot ted wi th glittering cities, and
de
Descriptions of Dreams
Leaving someone else’s dream can be tricky; unless How does one detail the dream? Summarize an epiphany?
you can overpower their mind, your fate belongs to them Measure the drifting foundations of imagination? It is a task
and you leave at their pleasure. Exiting your own dream that cannot be done. Merely trying reduces the dream to
is easy; unless some spirit captures you (and this can banal words and empty metaphors. Even so, you the reader
happen…), you simply snap yourself awake. Note that wish to know the experiences others have shared while
the moment between sleep and wakefulness produces a traveling the Realms. Even when we may find the answers
vortex which allows dream spirits into our world. Most inside our own memories, we do not feel validated until we
of them dissipate after a moment or so, but some linger in have seen those same territories mapped out with surgical
the dark corners of your room, feeding on the imagination precision by one with “authority.” Very well. Rather than
and passion you shed while awake. Not all such creatures reveal my own experiences — which I have done about as
are hostile — some, like the elusive Amore Muse, are to much as I care to do — I present two friends of mine, Monaco
be treasured — but it’s worth remembering that dreams Sabine and Malcolm, to elaborate on places they have seen.
can follow you home. Fare thee well, O brave magicians!

Hollywood without Technicolor, runs down the sidewalk, shouting,
“It’s a wonderful life!” His black and white image stands
Hollywood is like being nowhere and talking to nobody out perversely against the glittering red sequins of Ginger’s
about nothing. ball gown as he pushes past her.
— Michelangelo Antonioni These characters appear and disappear as if magically
Who hasn’t dreamt of being a Hollywood movie star? transported in and out of existence. A Wells Fargo truck may
Every child, every adult who’s ever seen a movie has at appear several blocks away, come down the street and pass
one time thought of it, dreamt of it, yearned for it. To deny you, only to disappear several hundred feet further down as
this is to deny what makes you human, to deny that which if driven through an invisible curtain. People appear out of
makes you yearn for a better life, for a happier home, for nowhere, stroll past and nod just as they begin to fade again.
achievement, for enlightenment, for Ascension. Though I found this effect very disturbing at first, it adds to
As we all know, things are never simple, even in dream- the surreal atmosphere of the Realm. On several occasions,
land. The first-time visitor to Hollywood must endure the my conversations with these characters were interrupted when
“casting couch.” A sort of screen test, this experience has they suddenly vanished from my presence. The disappointment
proven, for most, to be a very emotionally charged event in of meeting your favorite character or actor, only to have him
which the visitor must act through a dramatic scene. Those disappear before your eyes, is particularly frustrating.
who give themselves over to the scene are welcomed in. The Realm itself seems to draw a distinction between
With the casting couch behind them, these visitors find the characters and the actors who played them. Both are rep-
themselves in a Hollywood movie studio. resented here. The characters replay their scenes, their lives,
One main street, known as The Boulevard, runs the their triumphs, and their tragedies over and over again. Here,
length of the Realm, disappearing in a dot at the horizon. in Hollywood, they live and breathe. They can talk and think,
A plethora of sights, sounds and smells assault the senses. their existence made all the more tragic for the unchanging
First one theme song, then another, tantalizes your ears, events around which their fictional lives revolve. No matter
taunting you to name that movie. Similarly, a cacophony of how many times they replay it, the endings never change.
odors reaches out to pull at your memories: cigarette smoke, These events leak out onto the Boulevard in the bubbles of
a salty ocean breeze, gunpowder, all with underlying hints fiction which surround each of the characters. I have found it
of paint, perfume and popcorn. impossible to have a conversation with these automatons. They
The Boulevard teems with extras, stunt men, grips and remain so locked into the story for which they were created
gaffers pushing racks of costumes or carrying odd props. From that they cannot break free from it. They spout their lines and
time to time, a western hero jumps from a roof onto the back see only what their director told them to see.
of his horse and rides off into the sunset, or a cop car goes The actors, on the other hand, do not seem quite so
screaming by. Actors, famous of face and name, mingle among trapped in a story. They can converse as any normal person
their supporting cast, playing out a love scene, blowing ador- can, recognizing you for who you are. Amazingly, they also
ing kisses or lolling, drunk, in the gutter. The actors are not have a conscious understanding of where they are. James
themselves, but the characters they most famously portrayed. Dean taught me more about this Realm than I could have
They appear in costume, in character, and those filmed in learned in 10 years otherwise, with his thoughtful, though
black and white are black-and-white. I’ve seen several Bogies, angst-filled, understanding of the human condition. Some of
a black and white version of Rick from Casablanca among my colleagues have suggested that these actors are actually
them. Marilyn’s white convertible cruises the Boulevard, wraiths who, instead of passing on as most others do, were
her blond hair caught back in a pink scarf. Jimmy Stewart, drawn to the Hollywood Realm. I reserve judgment on this
theory until further investigation can be conducted.
• Monaco Sabine Long rows of buildings line both sides of the Boulevard,
Hollywood, one of the largest and most stable of comprising a large variety of structures from saloon to skyscraper.
the Maya, floats among the other dream bubbles, a These buildings change regularly. A farmhouse can become a
glistening, glittering gate to the grandiose. Entering corner drug store in the flash of an eye. People exit and enter
the first time is difficult, but once you’re in, you can the buildings, and it would seem that a given building’s nature is
never be turned away. The casting couch awaits. Prove dictated by the characters who surround it at any one moment.
that your heart is as big as your dream, and you’re in. Entering a building transports the visitor to the locale of the
The adventure starts then. But to truly appreciate the movie. On one occasion, I made the mistake of entering the Bates
Hollywood Realm, one must understand intimately Motel. I found myself, in black and white, standing at the foot of a
the expression “larger than life.” My associate Monaco long hill, looking up at an old manse. In the uppermost window,
Sabine, bani Dreamspeakers, shares her insight into a woman looked down at me. Behind me stood the motel, dark
the Realm of Hollywood Idolatry. and ominous. A woman’s scream cut through me and without
further thought, I turned and left the way I had entered.

Background humanity for making that “unreality” a part of its dreams,
for persevering on that fantasy?
The girl from an Iowa farm, the boy from the Bronx, the
woman at the San Diego convenience store, and the man The average Sleeper simply “fades into” a role when
waiting tables in Biloxi, all have one dream in common: he arrives; to him, the Realm becomes an opportunity
Hollywood stardom. Is it so surprising that generations of to relive his favorite film, or to rewrite it with himself
as the star. A deliberate traveler enters the dreamscape
individuals, from different places and different lives, so
in a more concrete way — she actually assumes one of
many starstruck nobodies, could share a dream large enough
the important roles in a given story. If you understand
to create a Realm in the Maya? As I’ve sat in that dark
how to break the cinematic spell, you can walk away
theater, sharing the fantasy on the screen with a roomful
from the storyline when things get nasty (if you want
of faceless strangers, I’ve often marveled at the magic of to; many don’t). If not, you’re there until the film roars to
it. In those two hours, if the magic-makers did their job its climax. This can be a really fun ride, so long as you’re
properly, the suspension of disbelief becomes a physical prepared for the trip.
thing. For a short time, everyone knows that superheroes
Outside the sets, the visitor becomes another star,
can fly and that a girl from Kansas can have a wondrous a feature of the Realm that may be more powerful than
adventure with her dog. Together, the moviegoers allow the re-creations themselves. For as long as the traveler
their minds and hearts to open. remains “behind the scenes,” her life becomes a whirl-
Movie stars become gods. Is it any wonder that so many wind of offers, vices, rejections, triumphs, awards and
people want to be a part of that? To live the fantasy rather disappointments. You can go from boom to bust in a
than watch it on the big screen? To become the god or single visit to Hollywood, rushing from aspiring starlet
goddess who can, with a look or a wave of the hand, change to fallen goddess in a single long night. The sensation
the face of reality as we know it? To win against all odds and never lasts, but it’s as intoxicating as the real thing
benefit from coincidence that would or could only happen and involves a lot less waiting. Remember, though,
in the movies? And then, to come out at the other end of that this “career” mirrors the legend of stardom, not the
adventure with perfect make-up or a suave comment to real-life business of acting. The dream, after all, is so much
brush away the seriousness of the moment. Who can blame more exciting than the reality.

Places of Interest • The Sets: The buildings which line the Boulevard,
The disorienting nature of the Realm and its shifting dropping in and out, trading places, appearing and disap-
cast of characters make it a hard place to pin down. All the pearing, each represent one movie in the entire body of
same, some features remain throughout the myriad changes work produced for “Hollywood.” From the desert of Arabia
the dreamscape undergoes: to the depths of the ocean, if a movie has taken place there,
a set exists for it; some structures on the Boulevard welcome
• The Casting Couch: As I mentioned above, the
visitors inside and recreate familiar moments. The characters
Casting Couch is Hollywood’s foyer. More a moment than
an actual place, all who want in must cross this threshold. linger here, solid ghosts, re-living their parts, coming and
I have heard that this experience varies greatly between going, oblivious to all but their roles. I have seen Dorothy
visitors. For most, or so they say, it merely tests the limits and Scarlett O’Hara and Darth Vader and Sara Connor. I
of your imagination, throwing the visitor into a scene and learned, as all visitors must, that upon entering a building,
demanding a performance. For me, it was much more. For you enter that world, still an outsider, but a participant nev-
my Casting Couch, I was faced with one of the most emo- ertheless. I have watched my favorite films from the inside,
tional moments of my life and forced to play it all out again. trembling in terror, crying in pain, aching with love, more
Although at the time I didn’t realize it, it actually occurred deeply involved than ever I was in the theater.
in the flash of an eye in my mind. As the scene unfolded, Here’s the danger in a Hollywood visit: when you enter a
I could not change a thing. The words, pre-scripted, flew set, you enter the story. Dream spirits treat you as one of their
from my mouth with as little control as the emotions that own, and soon consider you part of the story. This is fun as
overtook me. Needless to say, I emerged, somewhat rattled, long as you remember that the essence of drama is Conflict,
on the other side. usually with a capital “C.” Every experience in Hollywood is
Apparently, I got the part. Now, when I go to Hollywood, intense, and that intensity can be draining when you’re a part
I’m welcomed by a throng of autograph-seekers and agents of the action. Oh, and stay clear of bullets, knives, monsters
who want to represent me during my visit. It’s rather strange, and explosions — they don’t just hurt, they can kill.
and at first I didn’t know how to react. The key, of course, is • Inter-Reality Possession (IRP): I’ve heard reports of
to be gracious with your fans and aloof with the agents. It’s all visitors actually becoming one of the characters in the story,
a matter of attitude. Always leave them wanting more. in a sort of “inter-reality possession” (IRP). I suspect that

this relates to the dreamwalker’s state of mind at the time pitiful display of nostalgia. Unlike the native inhabitants of
he or she enters the set. Identifying a bit too closely with this Realm, these ghosts aren’t the characters they played.
the character you play can open the doors for a rip-roaring Each is the actor, the person, the human soul it was in life,
case of IRP, which can be disconcerting at best and lethal with all its faults, fears, addictions and hates. Beware these
at worst. Although anyone who enters a set puts himself at beings, for their egos and psychoses can be powerful forces.
some risk, the visitor who falls victim to inter-reality pos- Especially if you’re stealing their scene!
session does so even more drastically — he loses all control
of the plot and must ride out the movie in the body of the
character. As you can imagine, if the character is slated to
The Land of Nod
In the next room was Michael. When Michael was seven, a
die, this could be disastrous.
school friend’s mother had instilled in him a mortal fear of cancer.
This phenomenon of inter-reality possession seems to
Unfortunately, she hadn’t explained what cancer actually was.
occur only in the sets, as soon as a visitor enters one of the
Michael had his own ideas.
buildings lining the Boulevard. Survivors have described
the feeling as extremely disorienting. They essentially drop — Alan Moore, “…A Time of Running…” (Swamp Thing)
into another body, another time, and another place, in the The Land of Nod squats atop a dreamscape mountain
middle of someone else’s life. Powerful forces control them on the fringes of the Underworld, a brooding monster,
and they become like spectators watching from the inside-out. as hungry as any that ever hid beneath a child’s bed. In
Interviews with some of these survivors have indicated the Land of Nod, all the fears of childhood come racing
that once the original disorientation wears off, you discover back to confront you in flesh and blood. If you thought
some amount of autonomy and can actually change the they were scary in your imagination, just think what
unfolding events — with a powerful effort of will, of course. they’re like here. Although it isn’t officially considered
This is not recommended, however, especially if you know a Nightmare Realm, I personally think it comes close. I
that your character comes out all right at the end of the am Monaco Sabine, Dreamspeaker and frequent visitor
film. Why risk turning events against you? to the Land of Nod.
The sets themselves seem unaffected by the laws of phys- This Realm has one fascinating and dangerous aspect
ics. They don’t seem like sets at all, but like actual locations. that it shares with few others: Its influence reaches beyond
Each one takes up more space than it should be able to do its “physical” boarders. Many other dreamscapes contain
given the restraints of the building. Through some miracle dismal paths to this eternal Realm, winding roads with a
of illusion, the sun overhead appears real. What should be sickening dread growing at the end of each one. A mile
no more than 40 square feet expands to become a valley, a or so away from the Land of Nod’s borders, revulsion sets
desert, an ocean. Rain actually pelts down; hurricanes and in. It’s as if someone had given you a plate of spider soup
tornadoes blow; the cold bites. Herein lies another danger for supper. Even so, once your feet end up on the road to
of Hollywood. Do not underestimate the impact of a bul- Nod, it’s almost impossible to change your course. The
let, nor the power of a speeding car in Hollywood. While, further you go, the sleepier you become. Soon, the shadows
in the theater, these things cannot harm moviegoers, in lengthen and walking becomes a chore, then a burden,
Hollywood they can. then impossible. Even the mightiest mages fall victim to
the slumber of childhood remembered. If the tales I’ve
Ecology heard are any indication, the really powerful mages are
Documenting the “ecology” of Hollywood is an impos- the most vulnerable of all.
sible task. Visitors should just stay on their toes and never At the end of the pathway, surrounding shadows length-
underestimate the power of the imagination. The characters en and stretch; the landscape fades, twisting and darkening,
and creatures inhabiting the Hollywood Realm have the and the desire to lie down becomes overwhelming. Squares
skills and abilities they have in their respective movies, of light, like those created by a car passing outside your
which makes some of them incredibly dangerous. Although bedroom window, travel across the sky. They’re usually the
this also means that the villains miss more often than they last things you see before sleep overcomes you.
hit (they certainly miss more often than the hero), it’s a
bad idea to get trapped into a slasher flick or macho movie Description
unless you’ve got the skills to survive it. The second time I visited the Land of Nod, the dreamscape
As I mentioned, it’s been suggested, but never proven, had changed somewhat. Undoubtedly, it varies for other visitors
that some of the characters roaming the sets are wraiths, as well. Even so, I’ll attempt to give you an idea of what Nod is
actors in life who couldn’t leave Hollywood behind when like, or at least how it was during my own travels….
they died. They mingle with the characters they played, I awoke in complete darkness. Something small and furry,
often stepping back into their old roles or playing alongside with more legs than any creature should have, ran across my
their character, mirroring their motions and words in a hand. A loud booming, regular and steady, like the footsteps

of an approaching giant, commenced in the distance, getting The House
louder and closer. The footsteps stopped and the sound of a The archetypal haunted mansion, the House sits
doorknob turning preceded a thin crack of light, approxi- on top of a hill above the field of flowers I mentioned
mately 30 feet tall, which appeared in the darkness. Ever so earlier. Its outer walls are painted black, with white shut-
slowly, the crack broadened, illuminating the room. Snakes ters. Walking around the outside, you might notice that
and spiders slithered and crept everywhere. although it appears to be rectangular in shape, like any
A loud, angry growl sounded from the other side of the normal house, it actually has five outer walls. The grass
door as the crack grew wider. I decided to make a run for it. all around the house is dead and yellow. The windows
I bolted through the crack, around the monster and out into are dark, arranged upon the facade like eyes and mouths.
sunlight. A field of flowers and green, green grass spread out The front door opens of its own accord to all those who
before me, cut in half by a sparkling brook. A path led me would enter, then shuts — and locks — behind. The
across the field to a bridge. As I stepped up and began to cross, entire first floor is a living room, from which a door
I heard from below, “Halt. Who dares to cross my bridge?” leads down to the basement. A bedroom and bathroom
The Land of Nod, as we have come to call it, is the take up the top floor where a hatch in the ceiling leads
manifestation of the fairy tales (read “horror stories”) that to the attic.
everyone heard as a child, and of the nightfears that plague • The Living Room: From inside the house, it always
children around the world. Herein, the visitor will find the appears to be pitch-dark night outside. In the living room,
living, biting, clawing version of the monster he forgot years large windows consume the walls. Oddly, they differ from
ago when he grew up. Don’t underestimate these creatures, those you see from outside the house. French doors open
the Kid Fears and Night Terrors — they’ll tear you apart. For off one side of the room. Heavy curtains, parted, flank all
who but children have such powerful imaginations? the windows. A howl from outside invariably marks the
The most disconcerting aspect of the Land of Nod is beginning of the attack. Red eyes glow in the darkness
the fact that everything is somewhat larger than it should beyond the windows. One window may fly open, allowing
be. The Realm has been created from a child’s point of view, a strong breeze to throw the curtains aside. A crack of
you see, and the world around them looms so much larger lightning illuminates the creature waiting to get in.
than we adults remember. A long set of stairs climbs up to the second floor.
They’re creaky, metal stairs, open in the back. Anything
Background could reach through and grab you. Furthermore, the area
The wicked witch, the child-eating troll, the hungry behind the stairs remains hidden in an unnatural inky
hairy monster, the bogey man, the wolf, Bloody Mary…. blackness. Periodically, a shuffle, a smack, or an exhalation
The list goes on and on. How many horrors do we inflict can be heard coming from the dark.
upon our children? How many leave permanent psy- • The Second Floor: Whereas one would assume that
chological scars? How many nights do they lie awake, children would perceive their bedroom as the safest place
afraid to move or to even put a toe over the edge of in the house, this doesn’t appear to be so. The window is
the mattress, for fear of the thing under the bed? How always dark, night-time, but outside, red eyes glow and
often has the darkness become a living, breathing thing, some thing claws at the glass. The bedroom rumbles with
hungering for child-flesh? And how often do the parents monsters — under the bed, in the drawers, on the ceiling.
themselves become the monsters, the feared ones who Beware, especially, the odd clown doll sitting in the rocking
come to hurt the child? chair. It’s not as sweet as it would seem.
Children have powerful magic, and their imaginations In the bathroom, an oversized toilet sits next to the
have not been restrained by culturalization and “grown-up” wall. A strange green glow emanates from inside the bowl.
rationality. The belief of a child is undiluted. Is it any wonder From time to time, a large bubble gurgles to the surface of
that one of the largest and most dangerous Dream Realms the water. Don’t toy with the monster in the toilet. Nearby,
was born of the fears and beliefs of children? a gigantic porcelain bathtub holds a gaping drain. Strange
burbles and groans rise from the drain hole. Creatures crawl
Places of Interest out of it, and scaly hands reach up to pull whatever they
Each child fears different things; those fears, in turn, can find back down with them.
affect the journeys we endure in the Land of Nod. My • The Attic and the Basement: Remember the fear
own experiences in the Realm reflected a somewhat a kid feels when he sticks his vulnerable little head up
prosaic American childhood. I can only imagine the through a hole into a dark and mysterious place? Don’t go
shapes a Bosnian child’s nightmares might create. And up in the attic. If the skittering and red eyes don’t convince
imagination, as you know by now, is the stuff dreams- you, then perhaps the darkness will. A clean square of light
capes are made of. shines through the trap door in the ceiling, but beyond

that, everything remains obscured. A shuffle, a growl, a Inside, distance warps. It takes forever to get anywhere,
scratch heard at first in the far corner moves slowly out, no matter how fast you walk. In the anteroom, a handful of
advancing bravely upon the intruder to its space, until people stand around, men and women, all wearing black.
its claws extend into the square of light. By then, you’ve Their faces are loose, wet with tears, and extremely sad.
waited too long. Then they look at you, all of them at once, and their gaze
The basement is, by far, the most dangerous area in grows hard, accusing. Their fingers stab toward you like
the whole house. Monsters live in the walls down here, pikes; their hands reach out, clasping, groping. Some grasp
hiding in shadowy corners and especially behind the stairs. your shoulders and drag you to them. Their hugs are like
They can come up through the dirt floor to grab at anyone stone. Their bodies smell bad. Stale. Dead.
passing by. Giant spiders hang on webs near the ceiling Through a rounded doorway, another room awaits.
and rats watch from the window sills. Trunks and boxes, Its aisle stretches out forever between towering rows of
stacked around, provide perfect hiding places and a labyrinth chairs. Other people, like gray statues, glower from their
for lurking. One bare bulb lights the room, perpetually rigid seats. All gazes fasten on you, as hands push you for-
swinging, sending shadows running back and forth across ward, hard, insistent. The reek of rancid flowers enfolds
the floor and walls. In one corner, the light does not reach. you like a cloying fog, and the organ’s tune crawls like
Here, the dirt floor falls away into a bottomless pit from spiders on your skin.
which no one has ever returned. No indication warns the At the end of the aisle, a large black coffin dominates
visitor; the pit appears as little more than a shadow upon a dais. The lid is open, but the dais is too high. No matter
the floor. Step carefully. how tall you may be, the platform looms above you, beck-
oning. To see inside, you must step up on a narrow ledge.
The Doctor’s Office The hands behind you will not tolerate refusal. You must
Located on another hill overlooking a wide corn- look into the casket.
field, just past the House, the Doctor’s Office resembles The corpse inside is not pretty, but it is familiar. Think
an austere old mansion. The sign out front says simply, of a loved one — any loved one — and there she is, all
“Doctor.” Inside the smell is nauseating. It’s that hospital/ laid out in ghastly make-up and dusty dress. Beneath the
old-people/sickness/cover-it-up-with-antiseptic smell that dress, something moves. Lots of somethings.
burns itself into your nose and doesn’t go away for days.
Worms. Everything is full of worms.
The waiting room is filled with lepers and decrepit old
people who have dirtied their underwear. A puddle of
blood remains unattended on the floor.
The School
The two-room school on the far side of the apple tree
The doctor himself is a terrifying caricature, with
has brick walls, a cracked sidewalk and a decrepit play-
a broad mouth and whiskers like those of a catfish. His
ground in the back. On the playground, a fat little boy,
white coat has odd stains all over it, insipid reds and
nearly eight feet tall, walks around with his fists clenched,
yellows and greens. He carries cold, steel tools which
looking for someone to pick on. A group of laughing girls
are four times as large as they should be. Whenever he
sprout teeth and claws and giggle around their victim, even
approaches, he appears all warped and stretched as if
as they tear his flesh away.
you view him through a convex lens. The closer he gets,
the larger he seems. His hand, outstretched, seems huge Welcome back to school. It’s as bad as you remember.
in comparison to the rest of his body. The same occurs From time to time, a bell rings, echoing painfully in
if he leans his face forward; his whole head grows to a your ears. The teacher, a twisted old woman with angry
disproportionate size in relation to his more distant body. eyes and cruel words, carries a metal pointer in one hand,
The doctor likes to poke and he likes to prod and he likes swinging it mercilessly at naughty boys and girls. Books
to look at all your private places. fly constantly around the room, slamming into anything
that gets in the way. When the bell rings again, everyone
The Funeral Parlor piles back out onto the playground. Everyone, that is, but
Undoubtedly born from the terrors of children who’ve the unlucky victim who has been singled out for a trip to
experienced a funeral, this place seems unbearable, even the principal’s office.
for an adult. The smell alone, as you walk in through the At the end of a long empty hallway, the door to the
giant front doors, is enough to send you running back principal’s office looms large and menacing. From inside, a
out to find the sunshine. Located on the other side of funeral dirge plays softly. The door opens of its own accord,
the forest, the Funeral Parlor is completely black on the growing taller and wider as the darkness inside swells. A growl
outside. Giant pillars line a narrow front porch. A gloom emanates from the black interior, then out of nowhere, a
hangs over the building, blocking out the sun without scaly finger with a broken, yellow nail, motions the visitor
the help of clouds. within, and instinctively you know this is going to hurt.

Ecology War makes the air too thick to breathe, makes fathers
Many strange and dangerous beings roam the Land of choke on their own blood while mothers cower under soldiers’
blows. War makes the night explode with screams and makes
Nod. Dream spirits, known by some as Kid Fears or Night
the market dance into flying bits of glass and bodies. War
Terrors, sweep into view, taking whatever form seems fitting
makes your belly howl and grinds your fingertips to bloody
at the time. Some of them even follow you home and greet
shreds, as tanks rumble by. Worst of all, War grows inside
you the next night with a closet full of shadows. No one is
you, scraping your soul until one day you feed the War with
immune to the terrors of the Realm, or to the helplessness that
broken bodies. This is perhaps the saddest, meanest spirit
comes with them. Children see a great deal and understand
in the Tellurian — the child’s dream of War in all its glory.
little. What may, to an adult, seem perfectly natural can be
horrifying and repulsive to a child. Every half-heard sound, In the Land of Nod, the War descends from above, like
odd shadow or funny smell becomes a nightmare. And all a great black cloud settling down upon the landscape. More
children’s’ nightmares end up here. a storm than a monster, it ravages an area, then moves on.
The War begins as a darkening, then dry winds and the
A small sampling of them includes:
distant sound of sirens fill the air. In moments, the area
• The Wolves: Dogs are scary — big, smelly and vicious, swarms with soldiers. A red haze builds from the ground up,
they snap off little boys’ fingers and eat little girls’ guts. Every- a bloody fog that clings to the skin and turns the stomach.
one knows the bad dog down the road, the pit bull trained by Horrors begin, pain without measure, without substance,
the drug psycho or the Doberman that tasted human blood without reason. Soon enough, it subsides. Subsides into
and liked it. Wolves are worse — everyone knows they eat the stillness of death, and the promise of more to come…
children and tear farm animals to pieces. In the deepest woods,
And speaking of death…
the wolves howl like doomsday, waiting to devour the careless
child who wanders off in the night. You can see their eyes,
coal-red and hungry, burning from the darkness at the foot The Underworld’s
of the bed or outside the windows. When you’re all alone,
they’ll come for you. Huge. Hungry. And smarter than all Dream Theatre
hell. Don’t try running. It’s already too late. We sheltered here,
• Bugs: Squirming, slimy, with huge horns and tearing But now the tide of beauty
mandibles. Did you ever wonder why girls are afraid of bugs? Has dispersed
It’s because all bugs know how to find your secret parts, the We once we home
cavities and soft places where they can latch on with their But now are cast away
poisoned fangs and burrow inside, digging deep until no doctor The ballrooms caved
(not even the doctor!) can pry them away. And then they The pillars crumbled into dust
start to munch, slowly, painfully, spreading venom through
And we are playing still
your belly as they tunnel inward toward your heart. Don’t look
The chords to call the angels
down — there are spiders on your shoes. Don’t look up — the
bees are unhappy with you for breaking their nest, and they’re To their thrones
not good with apologies. Bugs are everywhere. Even in bed…. — The Changelings, “Earthquake at Versailles”
• Scaryman: Didn’t they tell you never to talk to Hi there. Are you awake? No? Doesn’t much matter. Either
strangers? Didn’t they? Now look what you’ve done. The you’re going to read this during the day, and then dismiss it
Scaryman awaits, with his smile full of razors and his flapping as so much drug-addled garbáge, or you’ll read it while you’re
black coat. Sometimes he’s a bum, a Chester Molester from asleep and promptly forget it when you wake up.
the seedy part of town. Sometimes he’s a monster, like the I don’t know why I even bother.
ones Big Brother watches on TV with his friends. Sometimes Okay, well, I do know why — something about enlightening
he’s a cop, with a can full of mace and a studded billy club. our brethren. (Hah! Whose lame piece of irony was that? Trés,
Sometimes he’s Daddy, or Uncle Fred or Grandpa. The Sca- trés gauche!) Still, it’s not like you’ll listen to me, or believe
ryman has many faces, and some of them look too familiar…. me if you do. Nobody ever believes poor old Malcolm.
• The War: What tumbles from the sky in war-torn Yes, yes, that’s me. Malcolm. I’m a mage. Bibbity-bob-
lands, killing brothers, sisters, friends, parents? What pounds bity-boo and you’re sitting on a lily pad croaking out beer
upon the door in the middle of the night, howling orders commercials and all that. Lucky me, I’ve been told that I
or kicking it to splinters, dragging Daddy off to the Scream have to tell you all about the Dream Realms of the Dead,
Hotel? What buzzes in the corner like an insect full of the little dream theaters where the ghosts like to put on
shrapnel and a voice like a thousand thunders? The children summer stock renditions of Oklahoma and Carousel.
of Belfast, of Sarajevo, of Somalia and East L.A. know the Damn straight I’m being petulant about this whole
monster’s name. It is War. thing. Look, I’ve been to the dreamscapes, you’ve been to

the dreamscapes — hell, probably everyone you know has you’ve been swaddled away on wings of dream. There isn’t
been to the dreamscapes. Let me amend that: Everyone a general look to them, really, but they all seem to go to
you know who has a vaguely interesting personality. That the same tailor. Most of them are wrapped in bits of old
makes it, what, three, possibly four of your acquaintances? dreams and whatnot, making them perfect tatterdemalions.
No family members, I’m sure. The newer the piece of dream they’re wrapped in, the
So, where to start? The beginning? Why not. Listen more brightly it glows. Some of them look like positive
closely, as I’m not in the habit of repeating myself. fireflies, I tell you.
Sandmen The Places You’ll Go

The first thing I have to tell you about is the Sandmen. Once a Sandman has abstracted you from your body,
No, put the bloody comic book down, you literal-minded jerk. there are two places he might take you. Unfortunately, neither
I mean the dead ones. The ghosts. Yes, they call themselves is a little café in Paris, with the almond trees blossoming
Sandmen, and I have no idea why. In any case, that’s not and a violinist on the Rue nearby and… I’m rambling again,
important. What is important is that they like to swoop in aren’t I? Well, sorry.
on people who are asleep, ever so gently ease them out of The first place they might take you is the land of the
their bodies, and carry them off to dreamland. The thing is, dead, which they quaintly call The Underworld. It’s not a
even people like me (I am not trying to snub you, I have no pretty place, and the property values are through the leg-
idea if you’re Awakened or not, so get your knickers right endary floor. Someone who gets carted off by ghosts into
back out of that twist) who can sometimes see ghosts can’t these Deadlands ends up as a sort of super-tourist ghost
always see these phantoms coming. I mean, generally they herself, being entirely too buff to be so much as dented by
don’t swing by until you’re asleep anyway, so it’s not much most pesky wraiths. The ghosts can tell when a visitor is
good looking for them in any case, but you know wha… still alive, you see, and generally they give the living wide
Excuse me? I’m rambling? Never mind. berths. Jealous, probably.
What I was trying to say before being so rudely inter- However, most Sandmen aren’t into just playing
rupted was that while you probably won’t see a Sandman tour guide. No, when they ghostnap a mortal (Is that
coming, you will be able to see him (or her, or it) after the right word? Is that a word at all? Who cares!) usually

it’s for purposes of their — hold your breath now, here That doesn’t mean that your Spheres work any better
comes the big announcement — ahem, for purposes of there — how things work depends on the individual
their Art. That’s with the capital and the italic, in case you dreamscape. Each one has its own rules, depending
were wondering. No, it’s not some sort of magical ghostly upon the intent of the dream crafted. Don’t go looking
word, it’s just that even dead people can be pretentious for your silly little Life spells to help you out too much
angst-ridden bastards. in the Horror Show, for example — unless the wraith
What these Sandmen are best at, you see, is creat- running that particular nightmare wants you to have
ing what they call dreamscapes. They make little worlds, a fighting chance.
little stages that exist outside of this Underworld of theirs, Oh, incidentally, don’t get killed in a dreamscape. Bad
and which ghosts dream their way into. Think about it: things happen, very bad things, and even the Sandmen
Any place, any time, any setting — even the dead need can’t control the nightmare you fall into. The wraiths call
vacations, you see. them Harrowings, and frankly, they just suck.
Plus, those clever little Sandmen stock their setting Don’t ask me how it works. I’ve got no idea. I’m just
with actors, plots, props and whatnot. Mostly the actors telling you what is.
are other ghosts — union regulations, as I understand it
— but every so often, they pull a living person in there as Famous Dreamscapes
“This Week’s Special Guest Star.” Usually the poor idiot There are four or five dreamscapes that simply
has no idea what’s going on. All he knows is that he’s in everybody in the land of the dead knows about. That
a particularly vivid dream. Often the wraiths just gather doesn’t mean that they’ve actually been there, or even
to watch the star of the Pageant wander from mishap to have the vaguest notion of what the place is like, but
mishap, much like a situation comedy. Other times they rather that everyone knows the place’s name and what
like to take active parts, and the living man (or woman, it’s supposed to be like. Even I haven’t seen them all,
or bunches of each — the Sandmen aren’t picky) becomes but here are brief rundowns as to the popular rumors.
one of a host of characters. It varies. • The Horror Show: Trust me, you don’t want to
be there. I’ve seen it and it’s worse every time I go back.
Dreamscapes The Horror Show is a generic setting for all sorts of night-
The landscape of a dream is called its dreamscape. marish Pageants, with little sub-enclaves of weirdness.
The term holds for the real estate of any dream, wheth- So you’ve got your brooding Gothic dungeon here, your
er one that the Sandmen construct brick by brick or Lovecraftian backwoods town there, your splattered urban
a construction worker’s catnap vision of a tropical hatescape over there — you name it. Even worse than the
paradise. Sandmen can work with the very reality of ambiance, though, are the inhabitants. There are Sandmen
dreams, you see — yours, mine, their own — and mold who’ve taken up permanent residence, more or less, and
it to their wishes. It is a power that most mages, vam- spend their afterlives just playing parts in nightmare after
pires, and other various and sundry Awakened beings nightmare. They look the part these days, too — you can
would simply kill to have. However, most draw the line hardly tell they were human souls once.
at dying for it. Pity. • Amphitheatre of the Elders: Now this one, nobody
Most dreamscapes have all the staying power of a soap besides the Sandmen themselves has ever seen. Supposedly,
bubble balanced on a sea urchin in the middle of a hurri- it looks like the great theater at Athens, the one they used
cane, which is to say not much. Someone closes her eyes, for the Dionysiac festivals, but in perfect repair. All the
dreams a little dreamy dream (which, incidentally, calls high muckety-mucks of the Sandmen use it as a meeting
a dreamscape into being) and then wakes up. Poof! The point for private business, or so the rumor goes. Very few
dreamscape’s gone. End of story. Sandmen ever find their way to the Amphitheatre, only
On the other hand, when the Sandmen build a the most deeply trusted.
dreamscape, they build it to last. They’re much like the • The Boudoir: Yes, this is where they do those dreams.
BBC, I’m led to understand, constantly recycling sets Even the dead get a little… anxious sometimes, and this
with just a little tweak to things to make it look a teensy is where the best Pageants to sate those wonderful fleshly
bit different. Apparently the bloody things are too much urges take place. Most of these aren’t for large audiences,
work for a Sandman to make and then just discard when mind you, they’re more intimate performances. The heart
he’s done. So, whatever metaphysical place they reside of this little dreamscape is a romantic beach where it’s
in is stoked to the gills, I’m sure, with abandoned and always sunset, the seagulls never crap on your head, and
mothballed dreamscapes, as well as the ones that the the sand never gets into embarrassing places. Plus, there’s
Sandmen use a tad more frequently. the requisite green meadows, over-decorated bedrooms,
Furthermore, when you’re in a dreamscape, some- crashing waterfalls and premade flower leis for strategic
how you’re not in the Underworld at all any more. placement. One end of the dreamscape has a sunset, the

other has a moonrise. Essentially, any cornball romantic • The Mere: Changelings simply must have had some-
fantasy you can imagine has been built into this particular thing to do with this place. It’s magical, and it’s the only one
patch of dreamscape by snickering Sandmen for the pleasure of these places that I enjoy dreaming of. Small compared to,
of the voyeuristic dead. say, Knossos, the Mere is simply a pool in the midst of some
• Knossos: Rumors of this place puzzle me. It’s a maze, woods. It’s always night there, with a full moon over the trees
a giant, cyclopean maze, and the Sandmen have stocked and a tapestry of stars dotting the sky. The willows on the pond
it with monsters. Yet it’s not decorated like the palace at banks are full and lush, and behind them is verdure. As for the
Knossos, like any sane person would expect. No bulls, no lake? Perfection. It’s mirror smooth, and depending upon the
giant columns, none of that is anywhere in evidence. In- mood of the “author,” either wreathed in milk-white mist or
stead, it’s an endless maze loaded with boojums, snarks and perfectly reflective. I highly recommend you dream of it one
other unpleasant things, which the Sandmen insist upon night when they’re holding a ball upon its surface. Waltzing
descending into repeatedly. I’ve no idea of its purpose, but with a queen 400 years dead whilst the mist wreaths your
if you’ve ever had one of those horrible dreams about be- ankles and the ghostly musicians play… you could do worse.
ing completely lost in a labyrinth with no way out, you’ve So here it is. I’ve told you absolutely everything I know,
probably seen Knossos. which isn’t that much. Now you know it too. Pleasant dreams.
Paradox Realms
Madness in great ones must not unwatch’d go. time, however, these “ornaments” disentangle themselves
— William Shakespeare, Hamlet from their Earthly connections and drift away into space.
When I think of Paradox Realms, I think of The chances of returning from a Paradox Realm after that
those spiders that live under water within bubbles occurs are slim indeed.
of their own trapped air and spittle. Many such
Realms exist in the Deep Umbra, floating there Rugnir’s Crib
like blisters. Why anyone would want to go near The first is Rungnir’s Crib, the oldest Paradox Realm
them is beyond me. Not to contradict myself, of we have recorded. Can you imagine the gaffe this Rungnir
course, but that’s what I do. I study and document must have committed in order to create a Paradox Realm
Paradox Realms in the hope of someday better first discovered over 1,000 years ago and still going strong?
understanding them, of freeing those already trapped within Theories have been flying for centuries, some plausible,
them and finding a way for us to avoid Paradox altogether. some totally ridiculous. What do we know? We know that
My name is Alexandro Manuella and I head a Sons of Rungnir was a Viking chieftain. The markings on his body
Ether team whose main goal is to better understand Paradox tell us that. We know that he was dealing with Life magick;
through in-depth study of these Realms. We watch and learn. the nature of the Paradox tells us that. And we know that
From time to time, we have become actively involved in a he’s never coming out. The look on his face tells us that.
Realm, and sometimes even have managed to free the mage This Paradox Realm is not only one of the oldest, it is also
trapped within, thus bursting the bubble and relieving the one of the most intriguing. Because it’s been around for so long,
Tellurian of an irritation. Each Realm must be treated as a we can gain insight into the way Paradox Realms change as
unique enigma to be solved. Herein lies the true challenge time passes. Rungnir’s Crib has evolved over the centuries. An
of what we do. Preconceptions hold no sway here. account by its discoverer indicates that it was once a large Realm,
The cosmological causes, effects and locations or such vast enough for its discoverer to enter and walk around, while
Realms have already been treated upon elsewhere in this Rungnir hung inside it. In recent decades, we have watched it
book. I have been asked to describe three Paradox Realms shrink down until it clings to Rungnir’s body like a second skin.
in particular: the one that’s been around the longest, the one Inside this Umbral amniotic sack that is his Realm,
that’s the biggest, and the one that’s the baddest. Dozens more, Rungnir is conceived, grows, passes through infancy to old
perhaps hundreds more exist, strung between the Horizon age, dies, turns to a pile of dust and then is conceived again.
and the Void like shimmering Christmas ornaments. For All of this occurs within a matter of days. Some Scientists
a while, perhaps as long as a month on so, Earth time, the believe that centuries of this have driven Rungnir mad.
mage imprisoned in such a Realm may ponder the actions he Others don’t agree, however; my colleagues and I think
committed to bring him to this fate. If he does, the Realm frees that Rungnir’s repeating life has merely confused him. He
him and disappears; oddly enough, the victim returns straight exhibits no signs of insanity during any of his youth or adult
to Earth when this happens, although his “trajectory” may stages. He gives no outward indication that he’s in pain or
land him in another part of the world. After a relatively short that he cares about what’s happening to him. Having been

reborn time and again, his identity has conformed to the Fleckman’s Folly
Paradox. This is not the same as insanity. However, it also The largest Paradox Realm we’ve discovered to date is
means that he will never strive to break from the Realm in Fleckman’s Folly. It is located in the Umbra, near the San
which he is imprisoned. He does not learn throughout his Andreas Fault. A mage by the name of Theodore Fleckman
lifetimes. On the contrary, it would seem that his personality brought it into existence when he used the Sphere of En-
has been subverted, made malleable by the recurring cycle tropy in an attempt to make California fall into the ocean.
of life. I believe he has forgotten his original life. He had purchased a ton of land on what would become the
Several of my colleagues have been working with him new beach. Needless to say, he was insane long before he
on this. They take turns putting various stimuli before his ended up in his own personal hell.
staring eyes. They stay with him from the moment he ex- Fleckman’s Folly is shaped like a sausage, 100.5 kilo-
periences his “birth” to the moment he dies. Using items meters long and 13.26 kilometers wide. Although it has
and flash cards, they hope to rebuild his thought processes shrunk by an average of 15 square kilometers per year since
and bring his consciousness back to life. They know this will its creation in 1906, it’s still a huge snag in the fabric of the
take some time, possibly thousands of his lifetimes, but their Tellurian. From outside, the Realm gives a panoramic view
ultimate goal remains: to return him to the point where he of an arid landscape. A huge crevasse cuts along the length
will understand his predicament and make an attempt to of the land, parallel to the long axis of the Realm. To enter
save himself. He’s making progress; he smiled the other day. the Realm, you merely step in at any point.
With luck, they will soon have him thinking. Once inside, a visitor immediately notices the change from
Entering the Realm is actually possible, though not sedate landscape to cataclysmic danger zone. The ground is in
recommended. One Scientist, reaching out to touch Rung- a permanent state of flux; the land heaves and bucks. Large
nir, found his hand passing through the outer skin and into chunks of stone and soil thrust forth from beneath the surface,
Rungnir himself. Before he could cry out, the rest of his body dislodging boulders and sprays of dirt. It’s extremely difficult
was nearly pulled in as well. One of his companions managed to stand in Fleckman’s Folly and even harder to get out alive.
to grab his leg and yank him back out. The Scientist spent Whether Fleckman is still here or not remains unanswered. No
several months in a fetal position, sucking his thumb and one has ever seen him, although it’s not inconceivable that he
rocking himself back and forth. To this day, he refuses to is buried somewhere in the layers of rock and dirt and that he
discuss his experience in Rungnir’s Crib. will someday come pushing up as the ground overturns itself.

Amnesia strange body in the middle of the Umbra? No wonder most
That brings us to the baddest of all Paradox Realms. of them go into shock the moment they begin to realize that
Even I will never set foot in this Realm. Two out of three something has changed.
who did came back completely scrambled. We don’t know Mages who have come out of Amnesia with their lives
exactly how this Realm came into existence and we still and minds intact have described an odd, surrealistic place. A
don’t agree on its nature. Most of my peers believe that it haziness hangs over everything, not quite a fog, but enough to
was formed when a mage misused the Sphere of Mind. I, make it difficult to perceive exactly what is occurring. Colors
however, have reached a different conclusion. melt together and converge to form a moving picture. People
Mages who end up here — and there have been a good form in the colors, now dressed in business suits, now dressed
many, I can attest — suffer from a form of complete amnesia. in military uniforms, now dressed in cowboy chaps. Here a
I’ve interviewed many people who either purposely or inad- horse and buggy drive by, followed by a blue Corvette and a
vertently wandered into Amnesia and have no recollection black Model T. Skyscrapers turn into teepees and igloos into
of who they are or why they are here. Some have returned ranch houses. A witch burning at the stake changes, mutates
to Sleep, their Awakenings totally forgotten. This fact alone into a girl in a red sequined dress, then she melts into a little
tells me that Amnesia is not connected to Mind Arts; simple boy in a red wagon. No one of who exits Amnesia with his
Mind Effects cannot undo Awakening. memory intact can describe the Realm any better.
Furthermore, in-depth interviews with these survivors One bit of information recurs consistently across all
have shown a pattern psychosis in which they believe them- the varying descriptions of the Realm. All visitors describe
selves to be someone other than who they are — different seeing an angel. They say that she floats above them, a halo
career, different race, different sex. Their memories seem of golden hair upon her head, her gauzy white robes flowing
complete and well-constructed. Some of my colleagues have out around her. They describe her wings as pure white,
suggested reincarnation might explain this phenomenon, always extended, and thick with feathers. We have named
theorizing that the total loss of memory for this lifetime has her Amnasthai, from the Greek, and we believe her to be
caused the mages’ minds to seek back and grasp onto the the Realm’s Paradox Spirit. Only one report exists of her
most recent lifetime that they do remember. appearance outside her Realm. At that time, she descended
I disagree with this theory. I think this Paradox Realm upon a mage, wrapped him in her arms and carried him away
was formed by a combination of Spheres including two, or all, into the Umbra. We assume, now, that she brought him here.
of the following: Spirit, Correspondence, and/or Time. This Multitudes of other Paradox Realms exist; some contin-
phenomenon, this combination of elements, rarely occurs in ue, like the ones I’ve just described, long after their origins,
a Paradox Realm. Or perhaps it would be more accurate to while most simply seal themselves up and float away into the
state that it is rarely diagnosed correctly. In Amnesia, these depths of the Deep Umbra. While we make what efforts we
poor souls are yanked from their bodies and switched with can to free those imprisoned within the Realms, I caution
people from different times and different places. This has all readers to avoid the very phenomena which bring such
serious implications for those amnesia sufferers out there in places into being. When you use magick, do so wisely and
the world. Are they also victims of this Paradox Realm? Have with good intentions. The ravaged victims of Paradox I
they been abducted from their everyday lives and placed in a have met or seen from afar are all the object lesson I need.
The Hollow World

Proponents of alternative realities are not Most importantly, I am a geologist, an inveterate caver (not a
scientists and shouldn’t try to be scientists — spelunker; those amateurs are always having to be rescued by
they are artists and mythmakers for a constantly cavers!), and a member in good standing of the Sons of Ether.
changing culture, and should be respected for I have published in Paradigma and many other notable journals.
their abilities as poets, shamans, tricksters, Those damnable dead-worlders of the Void Engineers
and storytellers. almost managed to wipe the place out once, closing off the
— Walter Kafton-Minkel, Subterranean Worlds only known entries. They’ve been sniffing around again now
Publish or perish they say in academic circles. that other paths to the truth have been discovered, and it’s
I suppose this qualifies? Well, no matter; the only a matter of time until they find the entrances to the
important thing is to disseminate the information as widely as Inner Earth and start mapping it out of existence the way
possible among the Traditions. We may still be in time — barely. they did outer space. We can’t allow that to happen. Not
I am Professor Geode. That isn’t my real name, of course, but this time. The Inner Earth is far too important.
that hardly matters at this point. I hold several degrees from promi- They’ve already convinced most people that the Earth
nent universities and am a fellow in a number of eminent societies. is nothing more than a molten core covered with miles of
through the correct hole. By this, I mean to say that physical
• The Professor Speaks
entry into the Hollow Earth is not only possible but, in fact,
The following is a transcription from a taped more likely than a spirit crossing. The Gauntlet separating
journal entry. Professor Geode kindly consented to the Outer Earth from its Inner Umbra is frightfully thin in
an interview but regretted that writing everything out places, more like a Nebulous Curtain than an actual barrier.
would take far too much precious research time. Even
This phenomenon exists, no doubt, because of the
so, I think him for his insights and can only hope that
persistence of rumors and first-hand experiences among
someday I manage to make it to this fantastic world
he describes. many of the un-Awakened. Not all the stories of lost worlds,
secret underground alien strongholds or encounters with
Brief Note: My collaborator and co-editor Din-
elder races come from the annals of our Tradition. Many are
daine has theorized that the Hollow Earth is, in fact,
verified by so-called “crack-pots” and science fiction writers
the Shade Realm of Matter. Going by the “alternative
who have achieved some sort of contact with denizens of
Umbra” thesis that Professor Geode professes, I think
the Inner Earth.
she may have a point. There certainly seems to be
a connection between the two; if nothing else, we I digress from my original intention of enumerating the
may assume that portals link both Realms together. various methods for entering the Inner Earth. Let me begin anew.
Were either of them once part of our Earth? I think First, and most importantly, you must understand that
it’s likely. Perhaps the Professor will someday provide the Inner or Hollow Earth is not a singular Realm that can
the necessary link that helps us to understand their be reached through a particular mode of travel. It is a whole
interconnection. Umbra. While many places within that Umbra share certain
But maybe that’d take all the fun out of it. characteristics, most are as diverse and amazing as the rest of
the Tellurian. Like Dr. Who’s TARDIS, what’s inside is bigger
rock. They’ve used their instruments to measure it, assay its than what’s on the outside, and only a fool would claim to
contents and to formulate theories of plate tectonics. But the know more than a tiny corner of that vast region — or even
Hollow Earth is a true and verifiable fact. That pale imitation most of the entrances to it. Further, the portals that lead to
Horizon Realm masquerading as the Inner Earth may have been the Inner Earth are never obvious; most people simply walk
intended to salvage what we could when the Void Engineers around them, never realizing that a slightly different perspec-
succeeded in closing the polar openings for a time, but hardly tive would allow them to walk through, giving them entry
holds a candle to the real thing. Like the better-known Umbra into a most wondrous Realm beneath their feet.
of Earth, which overlays the physical reality of the planet and Those who aspire to enter the Inner Umbra may avail
atmosphere itself, the Hollow Earth is an Inner Umbra, which themselves of either physical or non-physical routes. Both the
overlaps the material substance of the Earth’s interior, occupying north and south poles still retain their ethereal connection to
the same space, but accessible only to those whose world-view the Inner Earth — the so-called “holes at the poles” — despite
can encompass such a vision. Imagine! A whole new Umbra persistent attempts to transform them out of existence. Relying
inside the Earth, and we may be the first to recognize it as on compasses and such instrumentation is, of course, useless,
such. That has become my life’s work, you see. though Ether goggles work smashingly for showing the true
You may believe me when I say that the World Wide route into the interior. Certain volcanoes and underwater
Web has nothing on the web of tunnels, roadways, caverns passageways also provide access, although they present unique
and passages to be found under the surface of the Earth. navigational challenges. One of the most unusual entries is
Many lead nowhere, of course. But the others — those are through the sub-basement of a building in New York City,
the exciting ones, and they lead to worlds you can barely accessible only through a certain elevator. Those pushing the
imagine. correct combination of buttons bypass the basement, exiting
Before I continue any further, let me assure you that I deep within a cavern that leads downward into Inner Earth.
have thoroughly checked the seals within and without my That route is not recommended, however, as it passes quite
laboratory, which is lined with successive layers of steel, close to a dero lair.
concrete, lead, glass and aluminum to ensure that the thought From my own experience, however, traversing the vast
rays of the dero will not penetrate. The dero? I shall explain system of tunnels that lies beneath the surface of the Earth pro-
about them in due time. vides the surest means of penetrating the Nebulous Curtain and
gaining entry to the Inner Realms. These once stretched in an
Entering Inner Earth unbroken series from China through India and up into Europe,
under the oceans, up the length of South America and on into
I’ve often thought Lewis Carroll had the right of it. Canada. Various shiftings of earth, due to earthquakes and the
While it seems as though crossing the Gauntlet into the birth of new volcanoes, have broken the ancient tunnels into
High Umbra is a matter of will and skill, the Inner Earth pieces, sealing off many of the doorways. It is no longer possible
can apparently be entered by any fool who happens to fall to enter the warren in Asia and emerge in America, though

by traveling through an Inner Earth Realm to another tunnel One factor is common to all the inner worlds: the
opening, such a journey is feasible — and may be quicker, as interior sun, which is called the “Smoky God” by some of
distances are not always the same inside as they are outside. In the inhabitants of the Earth’s inner Realms. This sun is
the end, it is all a matter of choosing the correct route to lead not always visible as a ball of energy. In some areas, it is
you where you want to go. perceived only as a strange luminescence that lends light
For example, one entrance through the north pole leads and heat to the inner world; in others, it rises and falls (or
to a pangaeanic paradise of dinosaurs, mammoths and jungle seems to) just as the exterior sun does. In a few, the interior
growth that we have catalogued as Biotopia, or Lost World sun is always visible in the sky, bathing the whole Realm in
No. 3. Taking another direction leads to the forgotten land a never-ending noontime glow.
of Eden where a race of enlightened giants dwells at the My travels have not been extensive enough as yet for me
crossing of four great rivers. The south pole entryway trans- to determine whether each of the Realms occupies its own little
ports a traveler to Rainbow City, a highly evolved outpost niche (such as is found in other Umbral Realms), whether they
of Agharta, which is itself, another inner Realm. Agharta are part of a continuous, though divided, whole that overlays
was once a Utopian land inhabited by the mystickal Goro the inner surface of the Earth (as if adhering to the underside of
monks, and has been chronicled by Joe “Lucky Skunk” Ross, the rock strata), or if each constitutes a sort of orbiting planet
who popularized the exploits of Doc Eon and his Terrific set into the ether which surrounds the interior sun. I do know
Trio. The roads to Agharta include an entry through the that gravity works differently in different Realms, and it’s best
north pole, a deep cavern system in Tibet and an ancient to know which Realm you are in before you attempt to leap
underground roadway in Peru. Though no one has visited down and end up throwing yourself into the sun!
that Realm since the end of World War II, it is generally
believed that several prominent Nazi scientists escaped to
Agharta and set up secret laboratories and factories there
Biotopia (Lost World
designed to bring about the Fourth Reich in the near future.
We can only hope that the mystickal Mind magick of the
No. 3)
The extravagance of this Edenic Realm immediately
Goro monks is able to keep them in check long enough for assaults all the senses upon one’s emergence into what can
us to reestablish communications with the Realm. only be described as “paradise.” The word “green” hardly
The Arianni, Atlanteans and Lemurians who live in begins to describe the thousand gradations of verdant color
various communities within the Hollow Earth may also present in the thick, all-enveloping foliage. Here and there,
offer travelers rides in their craft, which surface dwellers bright swatches of purple, yellow, crimson and blue threaten
have lumped into a category referred to as UFOs. The more to overload eyes just beginning to adjust to the startling
gullible Sleepers may believe they have been taken to Mars realization that the outer world pales in comparison to this
or Venus, but in actuality, they’ve never really left the Earth. inner cornucopia of color.
As can be seen from these examples, those wishing to travel The air here is moist and fragrant with the odor of
underground physically should either know where they’re going living matter: the aromatic bouquet of floral and herbal
or be willing to take their chances in the name of True Science essences, the tangy musk of the animal denizens, the thick,
and exploration. There are, of course, other ways. almost tangible smell of unpolluted soil and the redolence
For the more traditional among us, the Nebulous Curtain of natural entropic decay. Permeating all is a freshness that
can be crossed utilizing those Spheres we employ to cross remains untainted by the reek of exhaust fumes or chemical
the other Gauntlet. This apparently has the same effect as contamination. The temperature is pleasant, remaining
when used in the Outer Umbra, transforming us into spirit around 75 degrees year round, though the rainy season lasts
(as opposed to falling through holes and visiting the place in for four months and soaks everything thoroughly.
the flesh, as it were). The really exciting transport into the At first, all seems quiet. The noises associated with the
Hollow Earth, however, is via Innercraft. Based on some of hustle and bustle of the modern world are, thankfully, absent
the same technology as our Etherships, the Innercraft travels from this Realm. But the silence is only a mask for the true sym-
through the ether that permeates the Inner Earth. Crossing phonic display of sounds that form a constant accompaniment
the Nebulous Curtain, the Innercraft travels through and is to travels in Biotopia. The call of the dinosaur, the trumpet of
fueled by the radiant energy generated by the interior sun. the woolly mammoth, the predatory shriek of the prehistoric
raptor, all punctuate the steady drone of the insects and smaller
The Inner Realms avians who populate this grandest of jungles.
Although I have devoted my life to the exploration of Dangers lurk here as well as beauty, of course. It
the Inner Umbra, my knowledge of the myriad Realms that could hardly be otherwise in what is basically a prehistoric
lie beyond the Nebulous Curtain is far from exhaustive. The preserve, though one with more modern flora and fauna
following excerpts from my travel journal detail three of the intermixed with earlier species. One of the tallest ferns is
Realms I have visited personally. covered with hair-fine fronds that can cut like a knife, and

the loveliest black and purple orchid exudes a poisonous the jungle, several layers of canopy overlap, as tall trees
sort of pollen (for lack of a better term) that can blind or eclipse smaller trees and are themselves topped by yet
choke someone unwary enough to smell it. Distant rum- taller species. Lianas, mosses, trellis plants and the like
blings and deep red clouds against the sky tell of the unrest encircle the massive tree trunks and string together the
of Borotoku, a not-quite-extinct volcano that dominates lower canopy like giant spider webs. This is the home of
the landscape. Brilliant blue butterflies with wings that the great cats and the smaller reptiles, the birds and insects,
reach three feet across share the skies with frightful fanged the apes and the rodents. The dinosaurs rarely come here,
pterosaurs whose wingspans can reach 50 feet. Lovely pro- though several tribes of Wybassa and Ogoni have staked
to-horses gallop through the open grassy parts of the Realm claim to aerial homes in the middle and lower canopies,
while a peaceful, plant-eating camptosaurus is grasped and where they have carved out game trails.
ripped apart by a 24-foot-tall, sword-toothed allosaurus. Inside the encircling jungle, the heavy foliage thins out
Though the dinosaurs are the most impressive danger and travel at ground level is possible, as relatively few plants
in Biotopia, the native tribes that inhabit this Realm pose except for giant fungi thrive in the deep twilight. Most in-
their own menace to travelers unused to dealing with soci- telligent creatures avoid the jungle floor, however; traveling
eties whose customs and mores differ vastly from modern along it invites attack from hidden enemies above. Some few
surface society. Just as now-extinct creatures have found a drops of rain penetrate the leaves; the sunlight rarely does.
haven in Biotopia, cultures which have passed from exis- • The Valley of Dinosaurs
tence upon the Earth seem to thrive in its fertile embrace. The Valley of the Dinosaurs is really a misnomer, some-
It is almost as if the Realm has extended an invitation to what akin to calling Kansas a farm. The area is actually a
all those forgotten and “lost” societies whose grandeur vast bowllike plain with tall grasses, rolling hills and stands
preceded our own and which, shamefully to say, have of tall trees. The plain is cut by two major rivers, which
been destroyed by the greed of Technocratic exploiters. flow from a mountainous area of the nearby great rainforest
Either that, or else Biotopia is, in fact, the seed from which and from a series of stark cliffs which border the valley to
surface life germinated. the north. Also, the Valley of Dinosaurs features a large
swamp and the awesome, singular presence of Borotoku,
Background the Smoking Mountain. This vast area, which eventually
The creation stories of many ancient cultures begin with slopes down to a calm, glassy sea, is the home of numerous
the saga of how their people arrived upon the Earth’s surface dinosaurs, mammoths and prehistoric water creatures. The
after a journey from deep within its inner core, crawling from dinosaurs, some of which reach 90 feet in length, are the
the womb of Mother Earth to claim the outer world as their lords of the valley.
birthright. Many of those who refused to leave their primal Travel across this region requires extreme caution. The
home and insisted on remaining behind became transformed terrain itself poses physical obstacles, though it remains far
into monstrous parodies of their true selves, warped by the easier to negotiate than the Modassai. The chief dangers arise
convulsive “birth pangs” of the Earth. When, later, the from attracting the attention of the valley’s predatory beasts
defeated remnants of those noble peoples who’d traveled or straying into the path of one of the larger herbivores (many
surfaceward retreated from a world that no longer allowed of whom do not notice the pesky squirming “lump” beneath
their existence, they found themselves confronted by the their massive feet). Stampedes also pose a threat to travelers in
now-savage descendants of their ancestors. Thus, despite the parts of the valley inhabited by herd animals, while attempts
diverse outer trappings which speak of a plethora of bygone to navigate the rivers often lead to unfortunate encounters
cultures, there now exist within Biotopia two main groups of with plesiosaurs and oversized river serpents.
intelligent beings: the Ogoni, those who never left and who • The Smoking Mountain
devolved into cannibalistic savages, and the Wybassa, those Borotoku rises over 6,000 feet from the plains which form
who returned to their first home after their cultures were the Valley of Dinosaurs. The volcano, which the natives call
destroyed. This state of affairs has transformed Biotopia into a “the Angry One,” is a huge cone of deepest black, zigzagged
battleground between two fundamentally opposed ways of life. with streaks of red lava. A deep crimson glow lights the sky
around the volcano, which frequently belches forth clouds
Places of Interest of deadly black smoke, cinders and ash. Stories abound of
• The Modassai (Mother of Jungles) Ogoni sacrifices to their “mountain king,” and range from
The Wybassa name for Biotopia is Modassai or “Mother the usual tales of captives cast into the burning caldera to
of Jungles.” It is an apt description of this enormous rain unfortunates being staked out and burned alive piece by
forest. Like its Earthly counterparts, this jungle runs thick- piece. In the latter case, the heads are said to be preserved
est along river courses and hunting trails, which are the and thrown into the volcano as the offering the “god” desires.
only two means of travel within the forest itself. Within No one has verified the stories, to my knowledge.

• Village of the Fisherfolk cheating and stealing are seen as terrible acts against the best
One group of Wybassa live along the banks of the interests of the tribe as a whole, and Kokoni who engage in
Kokoniwaba, “the Great Serpent River,” which snakes its such behavior are either exiled or killed.
way through mile upon mile of the Modassai. The Kokoni, The Kokoni revere river snakes, though the reptiles
or Serpent Folk, live on the bounty provided by the river. are quite poisonous, and keep many within their homes —
Their few crops are nourished when the river floods nutri- woven reed shelters they build along the river bank. These
ents into the soil. The Kokoni initially appear to be quite folk brew deadly poisons, which they use to tip their spears
frightening, for they are a serpent-headed people. While when they hunt big game or fight enemies. If a tribe mem-
they have hair (which they dress elaborately, somewhat like ber is bitten by one of the river snakes, it is because she is
ancient Egyptians), their skin is made up of tiny scales like zankoru (unclean). If she recovers, she has repented; if not,
those of serpents. Additionally, their eyes are slitted like she needed to return to the serpent father to renew her spirit.
those of snakes and include a nictitating membrane. Most They make no antidote for the snake’s venom and consider
disconcerting is the length of their split tongues, which they the idea of doing so repulsive. Yearly festivals in honor of
use to display certain emotions or to clarify the meaning of the serpent are held, with dancing and singing followed
their speech to one another. They found my lack of such an by days of feasting. During the rainy season, the Kokoni
appendage a great disadvantage in comprehending whatever move their belongings onto platforms built up in the trees
I tried to say to them. They speak some few surface languages, and drop nets and fishing lines into the water below. They
but with a lisping accent which renders their speech almost keep canoes in the upper branches of the trees, using them
incomprehensible to the uninitiated. only when the flood waters make travel on foot impossible.
The Kokoni use spears and nets to capture fish, turtles • Caves of the Misshapen
and river fowl. Turtle shells become their bowls, small im- Overlooking the Valley of Dinosaurs stands an escarp-
plements and jewelry, feathers serve as decoration and as ment honeycombed with caves. The Pokotan, one tribe of
filler for their mattresses, and river plants provide them with Ogoni, make their homes here. Some of the largest caves
pulp which they beat into a kind of felt for their clothing. reach far inside the cliff and lead to underground water. While
Men and women share all duties, with each taking turns surprisingly dry and inviting as dwellings, these caves are
hunting, farming, fishing, crafting and caring for children. extremely hazardous to those who live inside them. Though
Their society is built on mutual trust and community. Lying, they seem to offer the perfect haven for the savage Ogoni, in

fact the cave walls emit toxic levels of radioactive materials. Unlike Biotopia, the Hidden World does not seem out
The tribe has undergone massive mutations, resulting in of place inside the Earth. In fact, its natural cave formations
terrible deformities, depressed intelligence and heightened constitute one of the chief dangers in traveling the network of
aggressiveness. Whether they jealously seek to make all others tunnels beneath the surface. You might be caving and come
like themselves, or whether they believe that warping others is upon a deeper shaft than would normally seem possible, or swim
some sort of holy duty is not known. In either case, the Pokotan into an underwater cavern and emerge into a dry area which led
kidnap and torture outsiders, twisting them into deformed onward and downward. You might even fall down an old well and
shapes akin to their own. Such torments include breaking end up traversing the dero caves. Many of the old silver mines in
bones, hacking off limbs and other gruesome practices, that the western United States lead into the dero complexes, as did
often twist the captives’ minds as well. Once such captives the Lost Dutchman Mine. Emerald workings in Venezuela twist
are sufficiently changed, they are bred into members of the deeper and deeper beneath the surface, eventually encountering
tribe (assuming they survive the initial torture) or sacrificed the dero caverns as well. One credible source claims that the
to the Pokotani gods. caves at Lascaux in France have been opened to the dero by
mind-controlled archaeologists. I have no doubt that govern-
Ecology mental underground shelters in many areas are little more than
Biotopia exhibits a complex ecosystem made possible fronts for nefarious dero activity.
only by the constant presence of the never-setting inner The dero lairs are a series of interconnected caves and
sun. Biotopia’s moisture-laden atmosphere combines with caverns that could plausibly exist, were it not that they
the constant heat generated by Borotoku and the many remain dry and level most of the time. All really deep caves
thermal pools to create a hothouse environment in which are solution caves, or those made by water seeking its lowest
plants attain extraordinary size. This provides both abundant level. The water carves out passageways through limestone,
food and suitable habitats for the many herbivorous species, sandstone or other porous rock and forms a series of pas-
including dinosaurs and other creatures now extinct upon sageways and rooms that slope, cut off abruptly, twist, turn,
the surface. The plant-eating animals, in turn, supply meat become narrow as a needle, or squeeze down into cramped,
and carrion for predatory animals and the tribal peoples who inches-high crawlspaces. If that weren’t enough, literally all
make this Realm their home. caves are wet, or at least damp. These aren’t. The sound of
Though the dinosaurs most often remain in their val- water dripping, an almost constant background sound found
ley home, they occasionally make forays into the jungles in any large cave system, is absent. Nor are such caves dark.
in search of easier prey or especially tasty plants. Such Were they shored up, the caves of the Hidden World would
incursions sometimes lead to misfortune for tribespeople. look like mine shafts; instead, they look as though they were
A hungry brachiosaurus may destroy entire villages while carved out of sheer rock by some sort of laser that squared off
plodding toward some tantalizing growth of greenery, while the corners and polished the walls to a glinting smoothness.
an allosaurus which finds its way into the forest might savage These intersect with obviously natural caves that were consid-
a hunting party unlucky enough to discover it and make the ered large enough to leave “as is.” Natural phenomena, such as
fatal mistake of running. particularly large stalactites, stalagmites and interesting rock
Although the vegetation of Biotopia seems to occupy formations, have been left as well, creating oases of art within
the lowest rung of the food chain, this classification is not the otherwise sterile-looking tunnels.
altogether true. Plants achieve such great size in this fertile Rather than being cold, as caverns away from the equator
land that carnivorous species such as the Venus Fly Trap should be, these caves maintain a temperature a little over
can present a very real danger to both animals and human- 65 degrees. No plausible explanation accounts for the light
oids that come within their reach. On the positive side, which illumines all sections of the caves equally; it seems
hundreds of natural medicines abound within the Realm, to be a luminescent quality of the air itself. And that air
merely waiting to be harvested. is fresh, as if just pumped in from the surface, rather than
stagnant air trapped miles underground.
The Hidden World Within these eerie tunnels live two dwarflike races
known as the dero and the tero. The word dero is short for
(a.k.a. the Dero Lairs) “detrimental robots,” while tero refers to “integrative robots.”
Doc Eon, in his travels through Agharta, became aware Though referred to as robots, they are not mechanical beings,
of a race called the dero. He thought they were robotic slaves but races who were once under the telepathic control of
to Hitler’s Third Reich, little realizing the true peril they beings known as Titans. Because they thus lacked free will,
represented. In actuality, I maintain that they were often in they were termed “robot” races. At least, that’s what poor
control of Hitler’s minions. Their plans for the people of deluded Richard Shaver believed when he chronicled his
Earth are sinister in the extreme. dealings with the dero in Amazing Stories.

Background devices. Despite their love of tormenting foes at a distance,
According to dero mythology, the Earth was once the deros’ greatest pleasure is to capture surface dwellers and
populated by beings from a distant planet, called Titans, spend years tormenting them with hallucinations, tortures
or more commonly, Atlans, in honor of their first home on and mind control. Captives are used by the dero as laborers
Earth. These beings lived thousands of years and possessed and sex slaves as well.
sophisticated technology that humans could only dream The tero are few in number, and completely oppose
about. Using genetic engineering, they bred new races to the dero. Though they have access to only a few of their
serve them, including those who became our ancestors. The creators’ devices, they use them to locate dero lairs, interfere
Titans could travel at the speed of light in their space craft with the deros’ plans, and warn humans against the terrible
and control others’ thoughts using a telaug or telepathic threat which lies right beneath their feet. Unfortunately, it
augmentor. After living on Earth for some time, however, is not possible to tell simply from looking (or even a short
they discovered that the sun had begun emitting radioactive conversation) whether one speaks to a dero or a tero. The
rays that were deadly to them. They went underground, but dero are extremely clever and can trick others into doing
couldn’t escape the effects even there. Finally, they left. their work for them.
Because there was not enough room on their craft, the robot Most of the above is true. One small detail, however,
races were left behind. Our ancestors found a way to live on changes the entire story. There never were any Titans. May
the surface, but many others stayed in the caves. all the powers that be forgive us, the Sons of Ether created
A large number of these peoples, angered by their the dero. Long before we abandoned the Technocracy, we
abandonment and warped by the poisonous rays, became found the inner Umbra and used its freedom from Paradox
psychotic and extremely jealous of the surface dwellers. Using to “play God” in the name of advanced Science, creating
the machines and devices left behind by the Titans, these servants to ease the burdens of humankind. The devices the
dero began tormenting humankind. Their machines produce dero now have are constructed from plans and designs we
rays that can cause mass hallucinations, create illusions, were forced to leave behind when our creations rebelled and
instill hypnotic compulsions and even kill at a distance. began slaughtering us. Only a few, the tero, remained loyal.
I believe many of the greatest ills besetting humankind Though they did not attack us, they didn’t help either — at
(wars, mass murders, terrible air crashes, and famines) are least not directly. The attack was swift and deadly. Once we
really the work of the dero and their terrible mind control had been routed from their lairs, the dero used their relative

immunity from Paradox to strike at us, savaging Sleeper and no way up to the city short of flight. Those who try flying
Awakened alike with their hallucinations and thought rays. (either magickally or in ships), teleportation, or other
We abandoned our plans to retake the lairs, hoping this types of easy travel are doomed to disappointment. It
would deflect their anger, and it has lessened the number simply doesn’t work.
of attacks. They still exist, though. Pity the poor fool who In actuality, a transparent stairway twines upward
falls into their clutches. from the ground to the city gates, but it remains invisible
Most frightening of all, I have heard a disturbing unless a seeker travels directly under the city in search
rumor. An impeccable source tells me that the dero may of it. The ascent itself is dizzying, and the clear stairs
have Awakened. If that is so, we must mount an effort now cause most climbers anxiety. The stairway serves as a
to wipe them out or contain their danger. If given time to barrier or gauntlet, a test of resourcefulness, courage and
develop, they will surely do the same to us. resolve for those who seek the wisdom of the Hidden
Masters. It is said that only those who bear no malice
The Storehouse of Scientific toward the city or its denizens can reach the top of that
Experimentation slender stairway.
Somewhere within the vast network of tunnels
lies a hidden cache of tools, weapons, ships, amazing
Climbing Invisib
inventions, ray guns, thought transference equipment le Sta irs
and other such wonders designed and created by our All who climb the
stairs must make W
Tradition. Huge amounts of Tass have been worked into rolls (target 7) twic illpower
e during the climb
place with terror. or freeze in
many of the Devices, and some few have the capacity Those who are ac
of heights have a tively afraid
to counter magick. Plans and blueprints for hundreds target of 9. Those
in their rolls can he wh o succeed
more also lie within the vaults. What Scientist wouldn’t lp comrades who ha
by talking to them ve frozen
covet such a treasure hoard? More than simple greed and reassuring them
inspiring them wi , in effect
for our lost treasures must motivate us now, however. th courage. Storyt
feel free to add othe ellers should
We must recover everything, lest it be turned against the r obstacles to the sta
darkened portions irway, like
surface and our world annihilated. If your book can con- where characters m
way along, guardi ust feel their
vince even a few of our fellow magi of the terrible danger ans who questions
the stairs and atte travelers on
I describe, Dr. Hastings, you will be hailed as the saviors mpt to remove thos
approve of, airbor e they don’t
of humankind. ne attackers from
who somehow de other Realms
Do forgive me. I tend to become quite excited con- feat whatever devi
others from flying ce prevents
cerning the dero. It is imperative that you believe me, near the city, or an
that could add exci ything else
you see. You mustn’t think me mad. That would be falling tement to the clim
b.
right into their trap. Well, enough about that. On to the
third world — one holding out great hope that we may
find answers to the dero menace.
At the top, the city gates open to reveal a crystal-
line city filled with light, laughter, music and dancing.
Rainbow City Passersby offer luscious fruits and sparkling drinks,
While Agharta seems to have fallen into the clutches and the smell of incense permeates the air. Many of
of the Nazis, one of its outposts (or perhaps an allied city; the women adorn their ankles with tiny bells, and all
it isn’t always clear where the borders are drawn) holds the inhabitants wear bright, colorful and attractive
aloft the beacon of enlightenment and esoteric knowl- clothing decorated with gold and silver threads, fine
edge. Upon traversing the tunnels which lead down from needlework and intricate designs — sort of a cross
the south pole, one can enter an enormous cavern with between the Arabian Nights and Mandarin Chinese.
a burning sun in its center. Within the cavern, a river Rooms — indeed whole palaces — stand empty, awaiting
of light leads to a shining citadel that glows with all the whatever occupant chooses to claim them. Free food,
colors of the rainbow. Suspended in the air about a mile clothing, jewelry and all the necessities of life stand
above the cavern floor, the great crystal-clear city turns close at hand, ready to be used.
in place, presenting different facets of itself as it revolves.
Glittering towers and stately domes vie for attention Background
alongside glowing palaces and sparkling fountains. White When the world began to change in response to
and crimson birds circle the spires and clouds suffused the Technomancers’ victory, many masters of magick
with golden light drift over the buildings, alternately sought a refuge where they could hide their books,
highlighting and shadowing them. There appears to be their magickal workings and themselves. They looked

within and found the Rainbow City, where Hidden Mas- The Library of Arcane Knowledge
ters had dwelt since time began. It is unknown whether Among the beauties and wonders of the city, the Library
the Hidden Masters are, in fact, the last remaining Pure of Arcane Knowledge stands out both for its purity of form
Ones or just extremely long-lived sorcerers. Known as and its purpose. A great crystalline block with no apparent
the Keepers of Ancient Knowledge, they claim alliance entrances, this place supposedly serves as the repository of all
with the Goro monks of Agharta, yet make no move to human knowledge — past or future. All magickal workings,
assist that Realm in throwing off its Nazi invaders. Some all inventions, all philosophy, science, poetry, literature — in
claim that this Realm is actually Shamballah, and that short, everything that the human race ever thought or ever
the masters are Atlanteans or Lemurians who survived will think can be found inside the library. Or so they say.
the catastrophes that destroyed those lands. Others say The Hidden Masters grant users the right to the knowledge
the Rainbow City is not a city at all, but a hallucinatory contained therein — or refuse such requests. No explanations
Umbral Realm ruled by powerful Umbrood who take are ever given for their decisions, nor is there any appeal if
human form because it suits them to do so. When nec- the request is refused. Occasionally, a seeker can ask again
essary, the city simply fades from view, either becoming later, once she has progressed in her understanding, and be
totally invisible to all senses and magickal searching, allowed the knowledge she was denied before.
or entering some other dimension or hidden Horizon Thank you. I believe your tape has run out, and I really
Realm of its own. must get back to work.

Chapter Four:
Realms of
Interest
People see things as they are and ask why. I

dream of things that never were and ask why not.
— George Bernard Shaw
Horizon Realms
I suppose there are a few of you out there the predations of Deep Umbral critters. The Horizon also
who are going to insist upon trying to visit the makes a wonderful neighborhood for Umbral Chantries, and
fortresses your fellow mages have set up and everyone who’s anyone wants to move in. You see, here in
like to call Chantries. Very well. Some of them the Horizon, you can build your very own dream Chantry.
are actually lots of fun to visit. The first thing Want a world where water routinely flows uphill? Or perhaps
I ought to do for you is try to explain how the a world in which the pink rays of the two suns shine down
Horizon works. Let’s see… you can think of on yellow and purple polka-dotted grass? Tacky, I’ll admit,
the Horizon as the skin of the Near Umbra, but easy enough to do. A Horizon Realm is a custom-built
if you’d like. A membrane between the Near reality, as opposed to the spontaneously created realities of
Umbra and the Deep Umbra, keeping out all other types of Realms. Most mages create Chantries that
of the foreign particles just waiting to infect us. conform perfectly to their own world view and magickal
Well, the analogy breaks down right about there, be- (or Scientific) theories, making them wonderful places to
cause the Horizon does far more than just protect us from study and experiment.

Establishing a Horizon Realm Constructs in Russia about two years ago, and lots of people
Building such a Realm requires tremendous amounts died in a pretty hideous way. Well, nobody’s quite sure
of skill, patience, luck, power and Quintessence. Through a whether it was hideous or not, but I can think of better
monumental effort, which may take days or even weeks, the ways to go, personally.
creators tear a small “pocket” in reality, feed it Prime juice,
seal it back up, then set the wheels of evolution turning inside
Entering and Exiting
the pocket. A tie or series of ties from various Nodes keeps the Generally, you can only enter a Horizon Realm through
Quintessence flowing into the Realm while the construction a portal (often on Earth), which is nearly always well-guard-
team works inside the Realm, establishing its geography, reed. They have to be, you know, because each one of these
sources, limitations, and overall appeal. In time, they usually portals is like a gaping wound in the skin of the Horizon,
shunt buildings, people and livestock into the Realm through beckoning a noxious Nephandi or mutilating Marauder to
portals built for that purpose, which are sealed after all the come and feast on the exposed Near Umbra. To say nothing
major “shipments” are through. A couple of portals are left of letting some stranger in to mess with your little world.
open for travel (you wouldn’t want to be sealed up in your Horizon Realms with direct access to the Horizon itself are
own reality for all eternity would you? Talk about a Quiet even rarer and better guarded.
attack!), and various protections are set up around the Nodes Portals form wormholes in space — shortcuts that
and portals. The whole process can take anywhere from a few allow you to cross an enormous distance in very little time.
days (for a really tiny Realm) to years or even decades (like Entering a portal can be as simple or as complicated as the
Horizon Chantry itself, or Autocthonia). builders want it to be. I’ve been to tiny labs that were con-
Whoever sets up a Horizon Realm make the rules; reality nected to doorways on Earth; step through, and there you
— and the means to change it — are established during the are! The hidden entrances to Horizon Chantry itself contain
“blueprint” stage. Once everything’s in motion, everyone has so many locks, correspondences, codes, guardians and traps
to abide by the laws of the Realm, by the “set” the creators that Houdini himself couldn’t get in or out.
give the local reality. If a bunch of nature-mysticks, like Most Realms have powerful wards, sentinels, or both;
Verbena, establish a Horizon Realm, you can bet the Virtual lots of them have access codes, rituals, tests, ordeals, lunar
Adept’s computer won’t behave the way it should there. Other cycles or other conditions which must be met before a visitor
forms of magick, Science, technomagick or whatever (hey, can step through on either side. Literally anything you can
they’re all the same thing, after all!) will work, but those forms imagine — and lots of things few of you could imagine —
which don’t fit the local reality set will be vulgar, as they say, regulate the openings and closings of Horizon portals. After
and will be harder and riskier to perform. all, she who owns the keys owns the castle!
These creators must also attach their Horizon Realms That concluded, there’s little for me to do but turn you
to Nodes and Chantries on Earth to provide them with over to our panel of experts. They will be describing some
power. Horizon Realms whose access to Quintessence gets of the most prominent Horizon Realms, including Victoria
cut seal up within themselves and literally cease to exist. Station (one of my favorites — no bias there!) So, pull out
This happened to a lot of Chantries and Technocracy your Ether Goggles and your glow-stick, and read on!
Autocthonia
By degrees — it is happening year by year, This massive Realm/Construct exists in the Deep Uni-
appliance by appliance — we are wiring ourselves verse, orbiting the sun directly opposite Earth. It appears to
to a gigantic hive. be a polished chrome sphere, but is, in fact, a polyhedron.
— Sven Birkerts, The Gutenberg Elegies At most recent count, it has 4,294,967,200 sides. Set into
This place is incredible. the surface are solar panels measured by the acre, delicate
Autocthonia is a futuristic “arcology,” as 100-foot-tall antennae, and sealed ports concealing satellite
envisioned by contemporary architect Paolo probes, shuttles and weapon emplacements. Alien entities
Soleri: essentially, a self-sufficient, city-sized known as Geomids swarm about their native Realm.
community encompassed entirely within a Rarely has anyone outside the cyborg Convention or
single structure. In this case, that structure is a space station the Void Engineers’ Autocthonia Research Corps seen this
10 miles in diameter. To hundreds of Kamrads, Techno- place. Few mages can overcome the many problems of Deep
mancers, cyborgs and artificial constructs, it serves as both Universal travel. Fewer still can avoid being calcified by aggres
place of employment and residence. The rest of Iteration X sive Attack Geomids. Furthermore, Iterators and we Void
considers it a logical replacement for heaven. Engineers carefully restrict space exploration, as you know.

The interior decor is both High Industrial and vaguely
organic, a metallic hive of echoing halls, slidewalks, transways,
access tunnels and ducts, sphinctering or irising hatches, cav
ernous chambers and Spartan cells. The steel bulkheads are
reinforced with riblike beams, and occasionally pockmarked by
corrosives. Every surface throbs with power. Between ceilings
and walls run conduits and transparent pipes that carry unknown
fluids in steady pulses. On regularly spaced monitors, updates
and orders scroll constantly; interfaces are everywhere. Illu-
mination is provided by shafts of amber light. The air smells
vaguely of cut-steel and oil, rubber and heated circuitry, and
the temperature remains at a consistent 37˚ C.
• Forbidden Planet
Among Traditionalists, the name “Autocthonia”
engenders the same mix of mystery and dread as Hades
or Hyperborea or any other mythical Realm. Hermetic
mages refuse to speak that name, as if afraid to invoke
the wrath of some demon. When they must, they refer
to it as “the Realm of Binding.”
Though imaginative tales abound, no Council mage
has seen Autocthonia, or even knows its location. Even we
Ethermages — who were associated with the Technocracy to
some degree since our founding — can only hypothesize about
its existence. This we rarely do, however; any Machine Realm
of Iteration X must be lifeless and unimaginative, contrary to
the philosophy of True Paradigm Science.
The other Techno-Tradition, the Virtual Adepts,
used to have a cocky nickname for Autocthonia: “Graybar
Land.” It refers to the mindless limbo created when your
computer slowly processes gigabytes of data and you’re
stuck watching a gray progress bar creep across the screen.
Four months ago, that most elite Virtual Master, RAMses,
claimed to have discovered a Restricted Sector linked to
this “Graybar Land” and hacked himself an “ultra-Elite”
access code. Last week, I checked on him at the hospital
— still no improvement, of course, but it’s hard to simply
accept the neurologist’s report. Naturally, the Graybar
joke is now pretty lame.
In any case, Autocthonia is apparently all too real.
The following text file was intercepted in the Digital
Web. After three years of cracking the encryption, we’ve
learned that it’s a report — a “pilgrim’s narrative” of
sorts — from a Void Engineer known as Quantum to his
superiors at DSEATC (Dimensional Science Evaluation,
Administration and Training Committee).
I know this Quantum well; he has quite a rep
among Cybernauts. An impressive number of sectors
bear his formatting imprint. On at least one occasion,
he infiltrated the Crystal Palace — the Virtual Adepts’
sanctum. On a personal level, the bastard has dumped
my icon more than a few times. Now, apparently, he’s
been assigned to Autocthonia. From his zealous attitude,
I think his tour of duty has lasted far too long.

Autocthonia runs by strict schedules. One doesn’t dare In any case, this Pattern Shenti existed long before
be late. The halls are alternately vacant, or packed with Iteration X’s foundation. During the reign of Sh’n Tsung
dense but orderly crowds going about their assignments. (A.D. 1068-86) of the Sung Dynasty, Chinese Artificers
The above description is pretty typical of the outer noticed this celestial object. They invented a device — a
layers. As one moves closer to the core, however, the decor disk inscribed with a diagram representing the Twelve Ter-
gradually changes. Rooms and halls become more spacious restrial Branches and Ten Celestial Trunks (indicating the
and less cluttered: more and more interfaces are cyber- cardinal and intermediate points), further verified by means
netic. Coloration shifts to antiseptic white, or polished of the Five Elements, Five Colors and Eight Trigrams — that
chrome. Lighting brightens to almost-blinding intensity. enabled them to chart its position at any time of year. Aided
Warning signs — RESTRICTED: COMPTROLLERS by of such a device, the first Artificer shifted through space
ONLY BEYOND THIS POINT — become unavoidable; to this Shenti of Pattern.
security tightens. Only the most efficient and loyal The Artificers found this Realm ideal to their needs.
Iterators reach the central core, site of The Computer. Their technology-based philosophy and the local Pattern
I have been told that I am the only Void Engineer to emissions [Editor’s Note: Quintessence. — Alexis] reso-
receive this honor. nated perfectly. In fact, by studying the regular formation
This next feature is not immediately obvious, but of Forces, Life and Matter, they first formulated the fields
integral nevertheless. As befits a cybernetic Utopia, of cybernetics and biomechanics. Soon, the Artificers
Autocthonia provides an almost-ideal interface between established a Construct here, shaped from the Realm
human and environment, human and tools. From the size itself. They named it Qian-Chengshi (“Thousand City”),
and shape of rooms, to the level and angle of monitors; after the number of Artificers, mundane thinkers, soldiers,
from the form and positioning of controls, to “comform” and so forth assigned to study, survey and fortify and the
(comfort-forming) chairs and advanced interfaces — every- place. This Construct gradually expanded to completely
thing has been designed upon the principals of ergonomics encompass the Realm.
(convenience) and anthropometrics (proportional to the In 1766, Qian-Chengshi was lost to the Artificers
human body). Existence here is very comfortable, almost during a war with Chinese wizards called Wu Lung. These
effortless. I now understand the appeal that a cybernetic so-called “Dragon Wizards” somehow bumped the entire
existence holds for Iteration X, and I look forward to being Realm out of orbit, rendering centuries of careful calcula-
assimilated by The Big Machine. tion useless. Without exact coordinates, it was impossible
for Artificers to reach the place. This magickal assault was
Background a crude sledge-hammer blow, but impressive and effective
Before Autocthonia, there was only as single Pat- nonetheless. Deprived of their most prized possession, the
tern Realm drifting through the Galaxy, one of those Artificers fell demoralized. For the first and last time in their
Deep Universe enigmas the reality deviants call Shenti. long history, the Convention admitted defeat, and soon lost
According to Iteration X databases, this Realm formed much of their influence over mainland China.
65,845 years ago as a one-sided shape. After a year, it Qian-Chengshi remained lost for almost 300 years. In
split into a two-dimensional surface; after two years, into 1931, however, a Void Engineer named Terrell Kree redis-
a tetrahedron; after four years, into a 16-sided shape; and covered the Realm, now orbiting the sun, after a navigation
so on right up to its current form. The Realm continues error led his ship astray. Despite centuries of isolation, the
to evolve, expanding indefinitely, striving ever toward Construct still operated efficiently. Apparently, inhabitants
that most perfect of shapes: the sphere. This account fits of the Thousand City had resolved that their work could
certain facts: that the Realm is a platonic solid; and that continue without contact with Earth, and that Earth-bound
30 years ago, every one of the 65,536 facets divided into Artificers would find their way back at an appropriate point
65,536 more sides. in the Timetable. Kree called the “lost tribe” of Techno-
However, any mathematician could point out a serious mancers “Autocthonians,” because he initially theorized
flaw in this reasoning (aside from the problem of initial that they had sprung from the Realm itself. The name
creation from nothing): one times one equals one, not “Autocthonia” eventually stuck. In any case, Artificers —
two. So how did this Pattern Realm ever evolve beyond now known as Iteration X — used Kree’s navigation charts
a one-sided form? This question has become a constant to reestablish links with Qian-Chengshi. Their first action
source of consternation among Statisticians. The task was to transplant their valuable Command Computer into
force formed in 1941 continues to hammer out a mathe- the core of Autocthonia, probably as a means of reunifying
matical formula which would solve the problem without the Terrans and Autocthonians under one logical authority.
contradicting the current paradigm. By comparison, the Their second action was to reward Terrell Kree; henceforth,
conceptual difficulty of a one-sided form was solved rather we Void Engineers were permitted to maintain a staff of
easily by non-Euclidean geometry. observers on Autocthonia. Thus my presence here.

Shielded from prying eyes by the Sun and employing Sleep Pods
aggressive defense measures, Autocthonia has maintained While Autocthonia still has standard dormitories,
its secrecy up to this day. It has also grown immensely many Iterators prefer the more efficient sleep pods, artificial
powerful. One mistake that many Traditionalists make is wombs recessed into the walls. To enter, one need only press
to consider our Technocracy static and stagnant. In fact, against the membrane covering the opening; if your genetic
this Construct epitomizes our ideal of carefully planned, pattern matches, this membrane becomes permeable. Inside,
controlled expansion. Autocthonia represents a product the resident is enfolded by fleshy cushions, lulled to sleep
that has gone through hundreds of design iterations and is by alpha-wave inhibitors, and rejuvenated by intravenous
approaching perfection [Editor’s Note: the Summer phase, feeds and power-cords.
in Hermetic terminology. — Alexis].
Research Departments
Places of Interest Autocthonia has scores of research departments.
Autocthonia is a vast Realm. The following describes BioMechanics maintain medical bays where experimental
only the most visible or significant locations. implant-surgery is performed. Time-Motion Managers favor
Auto-CAD cubicles and machine shops. These perfection-
Reception ists run through thousands of design iterations before their
Autocthonia is not accessible directly from Earth. In- concepts for new HIT Marks, Digital Implants, and other
stead, a supplicant must use the Digital Imaging Chamber technologies are even put into production. Then the real
(a type of transporter) of a major Iteration X Construct. testing begins. In Restricted Sectors of the Net, Statisticians
Even then, one must know the correct coordinates and/ conduct computer simulations to determine how a new theory
or have a high security clearance. Triple-redundancy or technology might affect the current paradigm.
security programs, including retina scans, handprint One notable research department is headed by
analysis and voice recognition procedures, protect the 1011111111. Their current project (designation: Pulse)
Construct from unauthorized visitors, and HIT Marks attempts to create a new generation of Cybernauts raised
and cybernetically-enhanced personnel wait close by entirely in the Net. This could easily be a Virtual Adept
each Chamber to intercept intruders. Thus, the Realm enterprise, if not for the 10 vivisected, hard-wired infants
remains rather secure. suspended in nutrient tanks. The Virtual Adepts would
Upon arriving in Autocthonia, a visitor steps out of the never have vision enough to implement such a bold and
destination Digital Imaging Chamber and finds herself in a innovative strategy.
reception/security room (one of 10 in the Realm). Nine other
DICs open onto this 40-foot-deep, semicircular chamber. Control Room and Central Core
Two sliding doors — one entrance, one exit — facilitate Autocthonia’s control room is a multistoried ring sur-
traffic. Projecting from the flat wall is a biomechanical device rounding the central core. The interior wall is lined with
with human-looking features. This Interface combines the windows overlooking the core, to facilitate communication
functions of security officer, information kiosk, and energy between Comptrollers and The Computer. The exterior
dispenser. If need be, it also provides a formidable line of wall is a checkerboard of monitors that flash information
defense. at dizzying rates. This control room’s strangest feature is its
apparent lack of control panels. Black, alien-looking chairs
The Complex with bone-like frames and fleshy padding provide the only
As a wise Comptroller once said “Even machines rest.” furniture. These chairs are, in fact, anthropometric control
Just as mundanes sleep most soundly after intense exertion, panels, equipped with a spinal tap that permits an instant
cyborgs recharge best after draining most of the power from communication relay between occupant and computer.
their capacitors. Consider it a form of ritual purging. Part At a thought, the chairs swivel to facilitate viewing of any
fitness center, part military training academy and more, the screen or window.
Complex provides a range of sanctioned recreation activities. The Central Core is a massive shaft lined with computer
Weight machines, sparring rings (with robotic opponents banks and power grids. These walls house The Computer —
available), tracks, obstacle courses, firing ranges, vast arenas the artificial intelligence behind Iteration X. Autocthonia’s
devoted to organized wargames, and even Holographic Im- entire structure provides an extension of The Computer,
mersion terminals are all available. Though this is the most Its CPU and main I/O ports. From what others have told
popular way to spend down-time, some Iterators prefer to me, the voice and image of The Computer materialize
read (certain approved texts, of course) or write, fiddle about as a buzzing, swirling hologram, one which occasionally
in workshops, render using paint programs, participate in visits loyal servants in other Constructs. I have never
Net-games, or listen to digital recordings. communicated directly with The Computer myself — this

singular honor is reserved for Comptrollers and Iteration X’s
most senior Programmers. However, I have been told that
It resembles a pillar of static, with a voice like bass thunder
and a gaze of magnesium fire. In Its presence, the hot dry
air smells of charged ions and burning copper wire. Those
who prove unworthy to look upon It — by harboring fear
or ambition — are struck down by the shocking truth of
their own insignificance.
Power Core
Adjacent to either pole of the Central Core lie the
primary and secondary power generators. The primary
generator taps into a micron star [Editor’s Note: Per-
haps a Node of raw Quintessence. — Alexis] which fuels
the Pattern Realm. This raw plasma generates a virtually
unlimited supply of particles, which then generate energy,
food and water and materials. Thus, Autocthonia remains
completely self-sufficient, free from the despicable machina-
tions of the MECHA Construct. The secondary generator
is a backup, kept idle in case the primary generator fails.
Linked to a minor anti-matter pocket [Editor’s Note:
An Entropic Node, perhaps? — Alexis] on Earth, this
generator may recycle various Patterns if necessary until
a new power source could be acquired. Because Iterators
are wary of Entropy, the secondary generator is maintained
at minimal power.
The robed engineers who monitor the power genera-
tors go about their duties faithfully and in somber silence.
I have often seen them gazing into the flickering reactions
deep within the core, as if mesmerized by the sight of some
greater entity.
The Realm’s mundane residents believe that Autoc-
thonia is powered by a solar-assisted fission generator. The
photovoltaic shingles on Autocthonia’s surface operate at
50% efficiency, meaning that half the sunlight striking them
is converted into energy. (By comparison, the current Earth
record is 29.5%.)
Ecology
This Construct has a mixed reputation as a place
whence visitors never return. This truth has two deriva-
tions; first, any intruder close enough to see Autocthonia
is also within range of the Construct’s security/defense
system. Few trespassers are ever seen again. The second
truth behind disappearances is more intriguing: Iterators
assigned to Autocthonia eventually become integrated
into the Realm — body, mind and “soul.” Iterators con-
sider this the highest honor. The Interfaces are perfect
examples of such integration. Autocthonia itself is, in a
sense, alive.
This makes Autocthonia a powerful symbol for the
Technocracy. Though humans are mortal, the collective is
Immortal. By contributing to the superorganism — in this
case Autocthonia — a piece of every Technocrat can live

forever. This helps explain the hundreds of Kamrads and Autocthonia is defended on all fronts. Anyone who
scores of Technomancers who stay content to live entirely approaches from the Deep Universe must evade the
within Autocthonia, never returning to Earth if they can calcifying touch of swarming Attack Geomids and two
help it. Once assigned to the Construct, it is a horrible Newton shuttlecraft equipped with extra armament for
disgrace for a Technocrat to be removed. I have known two patrols. Those who attempt entry via the Digital Web
Iterators myself who dispatched themselves rather than be must bypass security subroutines and the 10 Pulse units.
relocated back to Earth. Even if an intruder were to reach the interior, he would
A comfortable estimate of Autocthonia’s inhabitants never get past the patrols of Guardian Constructs. Auto-
might be: 100 Iterators and Enlightened cyborgs, 10 Void cthonia employs the latest in HIT Mark technology, the
Engineers, 500 Kamrads, 200 HIT Marks, 300 un-Enlightened NT-1 (NanoTech Assemblage) series. When necessary,
cyborgs, and 50 Cyber-tooth Tigers. This does not include these form from the Realm itself and deploy by morphing
the robots, automated vehicles, Advanced RotorCraft, through walls, floors, or other convenient surfaces. Thus,
and so forth. (And yes: a number of places — transways, they have an excellent response time. When no longer
balcony-lined courtyards, maintenance shafts, etc. — are needed, they are reabsorbed.
spacious enough to permit vehicle traffic.) What a glorious world!
Balador Pleasuredome
One half of the world cannot understand the
pleasures of the other.
Background
It’s said that Akrites Salonikas, one of our Tradition’s
— Jane Austen
founders, laid the cornerstones of Balador Pleasuredome.
The road to wisdom, said Blake, comes Other rumors claim that it began as the Xanadu built by
from excess. We Ecstatics call that road anan- Kublai Khan’s demands. Records are scant, and back-traces
da, the bliss which stops time and expands reveal a bewildering array of impressions. The Greco-Ara-
the consciousness beyond mere mortal sight. bian architecture hints at a joint venture in the early part
On Earth, ananda’s path is shot through with of the first Common Era millennium. Who knows where
potholes — laws against pleasure, necessities the Realm really came from? Whatever its origins, Balador
of survival, and other dangers offered by one’s has become the premiere Chantry of the Ecstatics, a world
own inner demons. In the controlled environment of Balador, of pleasures, adventures and stimulations galore. Its history
devoted Ecstatics can experience ananda without outside spans centuries and its design melds all the best elements of
distractions. Everything a person could want — aside from past ages into a chaotic yet pleasurable whole.
wealth — is there for the asking. The earliest accounts of Balador come from the
Balador is not a free ride; only Cultists of Ecstasy and records of Horizon, where diplomats from other groups
their chosen guests are allowed, and it helps if some regular were brought to “…a Magickall Land where divers Seers
gets you your first pass in. All pleasures are consensual, or cavorted with each other in Great Chambers like unto
they don’t occur. No exceptions. Each visitor must perform the Halls of Sodom, but with less purpose and without
a service for the Chantry for every three days of their stay. Divine punishments.” As always, our forebears made a
Debtors and troublemakers are escorted to the Crystal lasting impression on their peers. No official foundation
Doorway, ejected and forbidden to return. All personal dates exist within the Pleasuredome itself; the earliest
possessions, including clothes, are left to an attendant at financial transactions date from the late 1700s, and we
the Doorway. No “insurance” exists; as ye harm none, do know the Realm is far older than that. Occasionally,
what you will. If you get hurt, it’s your problem.
Although it’s fairly notorious, few mages outside the • Wolfgang Blacksin
Cult have actually been to Balador. Like most rumors, the It’s been said I love to hear myself talk. That’s probably
stories of this “den of iniquity” have grown larger than true. But at the risk of breaking my sterling reputation, I’m
the Horizon Realm itself. Those who see it only for its afraid I’m going to be brief. For one thing, the place isn’t for
excesses miss the point, anyway. It’s still an impressive everybody’s R&R. Only known Ecstatics and their special
sight, and not a place for the easily-shocked. The bodies guests are allowed in. Secondly, if I went on at length about
sprawled across the Great Hall of Aphrodite, the Chan- Balador’s secrets, everyone on Earth would want to visit. And
try’s main entrance, are enough to rattle the composure trust me, this Realm is not for casual consumption. Sorry folks!
of more refined folk. The residents of Balador are nothing –Wolfgang Blackskin
if not active.

people step out of the time flow speaking archaic dialects, The Great Hall of Aphrodite
ignorant of the last few hundred years of Earthly affairs. Most earthly portals lead to the Crystal Doorway,
Although some curious folks (myself included) have an alcove in a Great Hall dedicated to that most famous
peered through the past to find out what set the whole Goddess of Love; the Hall’s marble chamber vaults nearly
place in motion, the psychic residue from thousands 100 feet, like the apse of a grand cathedral, and has a
of visitors brought to unendurable passions clouds the 1000-foot diameter. As its name suggests, the Great Hall
view. Perhaps that’s for the best. evokes a Greek temple with some modern touches. Six
The Earliest known Master of the Pleasures was huge gates lead to subrealms, while a host of smaller doors
Del Ryhann, a Welsh sorcerer who had helped to free lead to private apartments, storage rooms, kitchens and
imprisoned “witches” throughout Europe. During the other, smaller Halls. Magickal candles light the interior
tumultuous centuries between the foundation of the with a soft glow; a central fountain runs 20 feet deep,
Council and the modern revolution, Balador became and its water remains cool and pure. Stairs lead up to
a refuge for lots of folks fleeing witch-hunts and the other chambers, and a network of trapezes, swings and
so-called “Age of Exploration.” Faeries and mysticks wires tempt naked aerialists to try their skills. A host
from other Traditions came here and never left. Or of couches, low tables and benches make the Hall a
never wanted to, anyway. Unfortunately, not everyone comfortable place for liaisons, massages and simple talk.
grasped the spirit of the Pleasuredome; some visitors felt Despite the Hall’s expanse, all sounds muffle at about
compelled to violate one of the only rules within the two yards’ distance, for privacy’s sake.
Realm — harm no one who doesn’t want to be harmed
— and brought the violence they had fled along with The City of Altua
them. Finally, things got nasty; a showdown between Outside the Great Hall lies Altua. More like a large
Del Ryhann and a gang of rapists turned into a battle town than a city, Altua mingles Arabian and Greek
which left scores of people dead. For a while, the portals architecture in a fairy-tale setting. This settlement
were closed and the protocols revised; visitors soon had houses the acolytes and mages who live in the Realm
to pay their way in service, and a list of infractions was full-time, and features elaborate homes, massive gar-
drafted. Even heaven has its limits, and the Pleasuredome dens and the all-encompassing sea which marks Altua’s
had established a few. boarders. For such a large Realm, Balador’s population
Del Ryhann died — happily — in a bed of concubines is small; no more than 300 people are allowed in at
in 1787; his successor, Lady Lorali Estelle Domingo, one time, including guests.
seemed uncertain of her post, and soon passed it to
James Togarde of Rackham, Virginia. He eventually The Subrealms
offered the office to the current supervisor, Marianna. Luxury grows boring eventually. To test their
Her tenure has been so successful that she’s acquired skills and endurance, many Ecstatics pit themselves
the title “Marianna of Balador” from Ecstatics and out- against the harsher environments of the six subrealms
siders alike. Under her gentle yet firm administration, connected to the Hall of Aphrodite. Survival depends
Balador has become what its founders desired: a center on your skills, wits and magicks; no camping gear is
of enlightenment through intense stimulation. available. It’s you against the wilderness. May the
best side win.
Places of Interest Balador’s six subrealms feature a tropical island,
I’m not sure there’s a place in Balador that’s not inter- a desert with high mesas, a jungle, a deep forest,
esting; all the same, I’ll limit myself to the most notable mountains and a zero-G environment for adventurous
places. visitors. Each subrealm contains complete ecosystems,
On the whole, the Realm resembles a massive copy carefully balanced to avoid strange diseases or pop-
of the Hagia Sophia, a cathedral in Istanbul, Turkey. ulation explosions. These places are fun to visit, but
All kinds of scents and sights await the curious visitor, not always safe…. Perhaps that’s the reason the most
and even longtime residents find each day in Balador a profound visions seem to come from such expeditions.
delight of new sensations. The folks who maintain the Pushing yourself to the limits and beyond is what
Realm make a contest of creating new ways to excite ananda is all about.
one another’s senses. When the visions subside, they
gather into groups and discuss what they’ve experienced, The Nine Epicurean Halls
then try to share those visions with the others. This, In addition to innumerable private chambers,
in turn, creates other stimulations, and so on, and so kitchens, playrooms and storage facilities, the Chantry
on, and so on…. itself boasts nine large halls:

• The Nightclub, which features different sounds on The Eternity Pool has been carved from solid rock
different nights. The most common include Goth Night, beneath a 100-foot waterfall on the outskirts of Altua. Re-
Midnight Rave, Nostalgia Night, Tribal Beat, Hip Hop freshingly chill, the Pool goes down nearly 50 feet before
House, Industrial Workshop, Sodom-Nite (all gay), and sloping upward. Anyone who wants to swim there is free to.
Disco Infernal. Some deejays mix all of the above. The Near the bottom, the currents have shaped a series of caves
club is large, with Matter-trained bartenders who can and grottos; the fish that dwell there come in an assortment of
literally mix any drink imaginable. The light shows have surprising colors. Some Ecstatics anchor themselves halfway
to be seen to be believed. down and meditate in suspended space; others use the Pool
• Lotus Hall, where any kind of drug is yours to for liaisons impossible under normal conditions. Occasion-
explore, free of charge. The decor reminds me of the ally, a guest who overstays his welcome tries to prolong his
height of the Age of Aquarius. Off to one side, a sensory visit by remaining underwater; when this happens, he’s left
deprivation chamber awaits the curious. to his own devices. After all, he’ll get bored — waterlogged
• Torture Garden, a haven for those who favor — sooner or later.
SM, BD, fetish shows and pain exhibitions. With the
healers available at Balador, any kink can be explored
with little risk.
Ecology
Balador is designed to keep itself running with as
• The Spartan Gym, where physical workouts can little effort as possible. While outsiders insist that the
be enjoyed Greek style. The gym is co-ed, but has pri- acolytes are kept there in bondage (a rumor which began
vate-hours for those who wish to exercise alone. Large two ill-fated crusades against the Realm over the last
steam baths and several deep cold pools lead off from the century), everyone is there of their own free will.
gym; these too are co-ed, and kept germ-free through Resident acolytes are chosen for their beauty and
constant magick. skill in a variety of arts. Their children often inherit
• The Theatre Dionysos, which features plays, films those blessings — good genes certainly seem to carry
and shows by those who want more passive entertainment, over to children born in Balador. Food and other goods
or for Cultists who wish to perform. are usually grown in large gardens, harvested regularly,
• The Arena, where bands play. More often than not, and traded for favors in a small market in the city square.
these guests are brought from Earth during induced fugue No currency debases the Pleasuredome — everything is
states in which they remember little except performing done through a system of barter. Thus, the Realm suffers
for a small but enthusiastic audience. no crime or poverty. Occasional harsh storms buffet the
• The Circle of Pain, an elaborate certámen arena city (stirred, no doubt, by the Resonance from Balador’s
where Cultists with a grudge can work it off without endless passions), but the buildings are constructed so
hurting anyone permanently. solidly that little actual damage is done.
• Stim City, where techno-Ecstatics wire themselves Two strict laws apply: All liaisons must be consensual,
and their friends into weird stimulations, VR thrillrides, and no children are to be involved. Murder is frowned
and “live” MUSHES, MUDs, sex lines and video games upon, but it’s been known to happen. Marianna’s pun-
through a back door to the Digital Web. Although casu- ishments for these infractions are harsh: empathic links
alties are rare, they do happen. Remember, Balador is a from abuser to abused, with some Time thrown in to
“use-at-your-risk” facility. prolong the experience, followed by sensory deprivation,
• The Hall of Ishtar, where the greatest orgies imag- then banishment. Few offenders repeat their mistakes,
inable occur daily. Satyrs, Ecstatic musicians and even here or anywhere.
the occasional vampire weave seductive music beneath The residents of Balador are scrupulously honest; if
an endlessly changing tapestry of flesh. Ambient magicks they’re caught stealing or lying, they’re banished from the
heighten the sensual atmosphere, and free pregnancy and Realm for life. Marianna heads the Arbitration Council, a
VD control spells are performed at the door. loose group which decides matters of concern, when nec-
essary. All Chantry consors are renowned for their talents
The Eternity Pool and good looks; their ranks contain a handful of faeries
A dive in this purewater spring doesn’t really last and shapechangers as well as a couple of mythic beasts.
forever, but it certainly seems to. Beneath the surface, a The Realms’ mages — the North Sky, Celestial Peacock
combination of permanent Life and Time magicks take and Midnight Leopard cabals — take turns with security,
swimmers out of time while allowing them to breathe service and maintenance. One tour per week, with one
indefinitely. So long as you remain below the waters, no week off for pleasure. It’s a small price to pay.
time passes above them.

Darkside Moonbase and the
Copernicus Research Center
His said “Science Is Truth Found Out.” sought me unsuccessfully during the years since my escape?
Mine said “The Truth Can Be Made Up If You You presume that I, a woman who has endured emotional
Know How.” mutilation and physical trauma beyond your wildest imag-
— Jane Wagner, The Search for Signs of Intel- inings, am willing to endanger what little peace I have
ligent Life in the Universe managed to bring to my pathetic life?
Well. Well. Well, well, well. You want Where shall I begin?
me to tell you about these places you’ve heard
of, “the Cop” and “Darkside Moon Base.” No
small feat, that. You want me to place my
What and Where is the
existence in jeopardy, to risk life and limbs,
such as they are, to expostulate upon the two most highly
Darkside Moon Base?
What, pray tell, is not connected to the Moon, that almighty
classified enigmas in all the Technocracy? You expect me
force with the gentle manifestations? What laboratory walls can
to chance discovery by the soulless Technocrats who have
keep her in or out? Who can study our Grandmother? Who can
measure her, she who was the first measurement, never quite
• Bio of a Space Tirade fitting? Who can study her effect on humans when everyone who
Dr. Catherine Nichols is, in her own words, “a tries to study her is already under her influence?
former vassal of the Technocratic Ideal, bound eter- — Zsuzsanna E. Budapest, Grandmother Moon
nally from achieving knowledge of the mysteries of the The creatively named original base of the Void En-
Universe by bureaucratic red tape and administrative gineers is, as is obvious to all but the densest thinkers, on
brouhahas” — that is, an ex-Void Engineer. She was the dark side of the Moon. Set roughly in the center of this
born in 1918, during the height of the influenza epi- unobservable side of Earth’s nearest celestial neighbor, in
demic, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The youngest a crater named Daedelus, Darkside is a hulking gray dome
of several children, most of whom never completed pushing through the selenic crust rather like a wart working
high school, much less college, she received an op- it’s way out of someone’s finger.
portunity to attend Oxford University through the Under the lump of concrete, steel and ceramic is the
generosity of a mysterious mentor. She graduated with carefully recycled stale atmosphere of the Void Engineers’
a bachelor of science degree in physics in 1938, and oldest extant base. The air tastes of heavy metals and plastics
was pursuing her graduate studies when the world and petroleum products, and the water smells of condition-
exploded into war. ing salts and vast iron filtering tanks. Over it all is the feel
She has a Ph.D. in physics from Oxford University, of clammy sweat, a vague, ever-present blue haze, and the
as well as an additional Ph.D. in astrophysics from the heavy, pressing vibration of vast, seemingly ancient engines.
University of California at Berkeley (achieved much Moving around the blank corridors, one or two at a time,
later in life). She participated in much of the Void are slightly tarnished silver robots, humanoid in build and
Engineers’ progress during the great steps in space proportion, their eyes glowing with blind purpose or occa-
exploration of the 1960s and 1970s. sionally malignant resignation. You never see a person. Or
Dr. Nichols became disenchanted with the Tech- rarely. An insidious and pervasive lethargy drains everyone
nocracy in general when the Challenger exploded in who arrives. Anyone stationed there for any length of time
1985, and within the year she planned her escape from simply lets the robots handle things.
the Engineers. The plan fell apart somewhat, resulting For years, problems persisted with young Void Engineers
in what she describes as “not so much a dogfight as a stationed there for even the briefest tours. The suicide rate
donnybrook in powered armor.” She did manage to skyrocketed.
elude pursuit, despite severe injuries. The living quarters are uniformly ascetic, with board-
She lives alone now, despite being severely dislike cots that slide out from the walls, and kitchen facilities
abled, and kindly agreed to assist this project with a that turn out the finest in cardboard cuisine. Everyone is
description of the two Void Engineer bases. However, expected to recycle everything, down to the smallest droplet
to ensure her own safety, she did change her place of of sweat if you can help it. Times are difficult at Darkside…
habitation to an unknown site after speaking to us. but then, they always have been.

Beneath the living quarters lie vast monitoring computer New World Order, I think, and give them some purpose so they
systems that don’t seem to have been updated since humans first didn’t end up like the cranky Sons of Ethanol… er, Ether. An
walked upright, chugging along day and night. Independent idle mind is the devil’s playground, so to speak.
monitor-links receive messages from beyond the Horizon and Anyway, the Engineers needed somewhere to go; after
detect anomalies entering Earth’s vicinity. And beneath them all, they couldn’t just jet around in orbit for eternity. So
lie the great life-support engines, thrumming and pounding they picked a sumptuous spot on the far side of the Moon
through their daily chores, resounding through the entire and settled down to business.
base and everyone in it a mighty, oppressive orchestral I’ve been convinced for years that many of the Void
movement that never ends. Engineers realized for the first time at that point that the
Or is that simply a mighty oppressive orchestral New World Order was slowly closing its iron fist around
movement? I always think of Wagner played too slowly the entire Technocracy. Perhaps a number of these hapless
and slightly out of tune when I recall my time at Darkside. explorers fell into an abiding depression at the thought. It’s
According to what I understood at the time, a number of the only way I can explain Darkside’s design.
the local craters have been turned into huge radio telescope-like History maintains that Darkside was built with the most
receivers, ready to field any transmissions from inside or outside futuristic view possible at the time in mind. Someone who
the Solar System. I know that the craters Keeler, Aitken, Gagarin, hasn’t been there cannot imagine how bleak this view of the
Pavlov and Van de Graaff are receivers because those were in my future could be. Perhaps if you go home and watch Fritz Lang’s
monitoring quadrant. I know nothing about the others. Metropolis, you might get some inkling of it. Marvelous movie.
Believe me, Darkside earns its name. It is certainly the darkest Too bad the happy ending hasn’t happened yet.
side of the Void Engineers as far as sheer atmosphere is concerned. In the era when Darkside was built, it was easy to take
people for use as slaves… er, technicians. People noticed
A Dark, Dark History disappearances, but it never reached the enormous media
Way back when the Convention really got started on their proportions such things achieve today. For a long, long time,
Technocratic “duty” — guarding the Earth from weird alien the halls of Darkside were peopled with barely-animated
invasions — many Void Engineers moved off Earth. This was drones who did monitoring work for the Void Engineers,
probably sometime in the early 1870s. It was a nice stunt to themselves far too busy looking outward and upward from
get the Technocracy’s freaks out of the hair of the Victorian their dreary existence to do menial tasks. The tiny barracks

were packed in conditions barely better than those in the Schopenhauer Square
future Nazi concentration camps. Perhaps that’s where the The center of the main, populated levels of Darkside is
Nazis got the idea. a vast, open square, designed for the social gatherings that
Now, that’s a frightening thought. the Void Engineers occasionally forced their workers to
Originally, Darkside was a pair of connected twin bases, endure. I expect that said gatherings were veritable block
each set in a separate crater. The idea, I suppose, was to have parties, particularly raucous around the stern, forbidding,
separate research and living facilities. At least, that’s what rather ill-formed lead statues of the Void Engineers’ founding
I understand the reasoning to have been. fathers, setting out in their ashes and sackcloth on their leaky
At some point, so the story goes, a group of workers got dinghies to scout the Technocracy’s promised lands. Truly
some crazy idea to rebel against their infinitely patient and one of the wonders of technological artistry.
compassionate masters. They plunged one of the drills used Honestly, though, Schopenhauer Square is one of the
to research the composition of the lunar crust as deep as it most outstanding features of Darkside. Why, I believe it
could go beneath the life-support engines, and then maxed even has a tree and an entire bed of flowers.
out the power levels. The result was a localized moonquake
that shattered the integrity of half the base, instantly killing The Monument to Technological
everyone in the research quarters. Well, almost instantly.
Aspiration to Utopia
I suppose that’s what they get for establishing a base in
Leaning in dark, soaring, metal lines over the Square,
a crater they happened to have named Icarus.
as if to topple over and crush those unfortunate enough to
So they had to salvage what they could from Icarus and be gathered in the streets, looms the Monument to Tech-
resettle everything into the Daedelus part of the base. They nological Aspiration to Utopia. Despite the glaring, sterile
never bothered to repair or rebuild the other half. The disaster array of mercury vapor lamps installed in the last half century
so reduced the monitor population that the Engineers feared or so, the color of this building continued to elude me for
their surveillance of the Moon and Deep Universe would my time at Darkside, and so did the particular details and
suffer. They appealed to Iteration X, who built them the first proportions.
batch of robots. Thanks a lot, guys. All of the robots look
I’ve only been inside once: The stern, unforgiving
alike, absolutely identical. It’s maddening, not knowing if
brow of Queen Victoria perched larger than life at the
the robot standing in front of you is the one you just ordered
entrance was sufficient to deflect my curiosity. The
to do something, or if it’s another one. Something in their
main hall was stark gray-streaked marble, the windows
programming makes them eliminate any identifying marks
bedecked with heavy red velvet tapestries. Dense carpets,
placed on them. They’re simply maddening.
of obscure Eastern origin, paved the floor in such a way
Even after the Cop went into use, the Committee kept as to thoroughly destroy the sound dynamics of the vast,
Darkside open. One of the things the base is supposed to monitor angled ceiling and wide, polished walls. No sound trav-
is unusual activity on the surface of the Moon, especially activity eled well at floor level, though; all noise drifted upward
that might threaten the Earth. I know of two different incidents, to be trapped in the upper reaches of the architecture.
but have only vague details, so I won’t bore you. Both have been During my mundane duties cleaning the ornate wrought
commemorated, though, by someone with a flash of humor not iron chandeliers, I tried, as had many decades of students,
entirely stagnated by Darkside. The craters nearest those incident to somehow scour the sickly yellow stained-glass panels.
sites are called Jules Verne and H.G. Wells. There, barely keeping my balance on the support beams,
These days, other than the occasional group of students I could hear these imprisoned sounds, every one of them
coming through the base for training, Darkside is fairly lifeless. distorted into a wail of despair.
Only a dedicated core group of scientists who are entirely I’m told that this meeting area is frequently used as a
without personality continue the monitoring responsibilities. place to impress visiting members of other Conventions,
particularly the New World Order. However, I’ve never
Points of Interest heard of any visitors or administrators staying in any of the
Despite its lifeless appearance, Darkside boasts a human adjoining smaller rooms, or actually staying anywhere in
population of roughly 200. Like I said, it’s not the lack of the Base at all. I suppose it’s an excellent ploy to encourage
people but the utter lethargy of the place that makes it seem outsiders from staying and looking around.
so empty. No one there has much energy to speak of unless The Monument is a vast, black-and-white, art deco
there’s an emergency, and even then, they’re pretty slow to caricature of a cathedral. Have you ever read The Haunting
respond. It’s a wonder the base has survived as many attacks of Hill House? The lines of the Monument, like the lines
and crises as it has. and angles of Hill House, are just a little off, giving it a
Me, I think everyone there has a death wish. A subtle frightening, unwieldy look, as if it were about to crash
one, perhaps, but present just the same. down around you.

The Cybernetic Maintenance dull, dim classrooms to being dull, dim dormitories — the
original dormitories were converted to laboratories — as
Facility well as Universal Suit storage and repair cubicles. This is,
Well, of course, all those robots need to be recharged after all, no longer where the students come to learn book
and repaired somewhere, you know. Originally, this was knowledge, but where they come to learn how not to die in
where the last dregs of the human technicians were rele- hostile environments. Considering just how hostile Darkside
gated — to care for their own replacements. There was a is, it seems like the perfect place to learn survival.
tall room fitted with technological niches that the robots The building seems molded against the dome in order
simply snapped into like Legos. Academy stories relate that to have the maximum number of ports to the lunar surface.
these last humans just sort of disappeared into the Facility. This is also logical in the event of a radiation containment
Of course, the professors flatly denied that any such thing breach, when you want plenty of useless bodies to block
ever occurred. At any rate, the robots care for their own, the path of destruction. In essence, this turns the entire
now. I find it unlikely that any human has been in there for building into an emergency bulkhead for that region of
years. I also find it unlikely that any human knows the exact Darkside. The students are encouraged, after their initial
number of robots on Darkside anymore. It’s so ungodly hard training in the Universal Suits, to take a “shortcut” when
to tell them apart, much less count them. going anywhere in the building. This shortcut consists of
Of course, you never know what the Facility looks like donning a suit, trekking across the barren Moon surface, and
now. Anything could be happening behind those doors. reentering the building in the desired location. The verbal
And the robots look so… cognizant of their surroundings encouragement by the teachers is punctuated by the ill-lit,
sometimes. It’s really uncanny. labyrinthine corridors inside the Facility proper. I’ve heard
tales of new students getting hopelessly lost and starving to
Darkside Icarus death en route to the dining hall.
The ruins of Darkside Icarus are dark, dusty and cold; Buried in the center of the boxy brick building that
the connecting tunnels between the two bases were blocked houses the Facility is the Museum of the Explorers, a dismal
during the artificial moonquake that racked Icarus. I’ve heard chamber filled with dusty mementos of the early Deep-Uni-
that the bodies were never recovered, nor was any attempt verse pioneers. It contains ancient cathode-ray tubes once
made to do more than salvage the equipment. Have you used for radar-type displays and visual transmissions, the
ever seen a dead spaceship? When you walk in, there’s no enormous metal pipes with battery packs that were the
gravity, no sound, no motion. Just cold, dead equipment original Smart Guns, and the eerie, inflated Buck Rogers
and pale, frozen faces, eyes wide with surprise. I can only reject spacesuits that dangle precariously from the ceiling.
imagine that Icarus is like that. In my imagination, though, Everything is covered quite uniformly with a layer of dust
the eerie part is that I expect no surprise on the faces. Just that even the robots ignore. I’m told it’s the place to go when
quiet, tired resignation to fate and disaster. a student or two wish some semblance of privacy.
I’ve heard stories that commanders of student corps The Convention made an effort to reduce the unfriend-
in the Marines often relegate their misfits and behavior liness of the dormitories several years ago. Thus, the central
problems to patrolling the ruins. Rumors among these lounge on every floor boasts a looming 100-gallon aquarium,
patrollers (which are quickly and cleanly crushed) include populated with the most unusual and colorful salt water fish
hearing echoing giggles, moans and screams of agony, and the ocean explorers could capture. The experiment was all
seeing flickering white and blue lights. One report tells of but abandoned when the fish showed a remarkably irritating
a cadet who swore that a corpse reached out, grabbed hold habit of losing their color and drifting somewhat lethargically
of his environmental suit’s faceplate, and shook him from around the tank before simply ceasing to move. There are
side to side like a terrier before hurling him into some of a few hardy survivors, I’m told, mostly fish that no one can
the broken machinery and resuming its former deadness. seem to identify, though they are large and lumpy, gray and
It strikes me as unlikely that any but the most unlucky rather malignant.
ghost would be trapped on the Moon. Probably just the poor
lad’s imagination. I heard though that there were indelible Construction and Launch Bay
fingerprints on his faceplate. Outside the dome lies a small scar on the moonscape,
Cute story. a tiny area scraped clear of rocks and rendered absolutely
level by some monstrous machine or other. A network of
The Heinlein Student Facility interlinked cabins sits upon this flat zone, joined by pulsing
The Heinlein Facility was originally a central portion life-support tubes. At any hour, you can see people in Uni-
of the old School of Dimensional Science, but it’s been versal Suits puttering about with tools and guns and assorted
relegated to training ground status since the creation of the gizmos and gadgets. Periodically, one of the lower-lying
Halley Academy in the Cop. It was renovated from being buildings opens and spits forth a Void Engine or three.

The Void Engineers use these cabins for the construc- Corps is an equal-opportunity destroyer. About 20% of
tion and launching of satellites and vehicles, and for staging today’s space marine crop are women, and they’re trained
some orbital and Solar Space operations. Yes, this is where to be every bit as stupidly efficient as the men. Upper-body
UFOs are born. mass doesn’t count for much in zero-gee. The average train-
Laid underneath the packed surface is the wiring for the ing period runs about six months. Anyone who can put up
base’s Dimensional Science Transferal Unit. The DSTU is with Darkside that long is prime cannon fodd… I mean,
the means for staging Solar Space missions. candidates for the Saviors of the Universe award.
A rotating guard of 50 marines keeps full-time watch
Space Marine Facility over Darkside Base. Whether they’re protecting, policing
Rambo is alive and well and living on the Moon. When or harassing the rest of the complex depends on who you
the Deep Universe was proving itself to be, shall we say, ask. Twenty to thirty Boarder Corps cadets train at the
unpleasant, the Void Engineer high command created an Facility, which is neatly separated from the main complex
elite corps of dunderheads to go out there and fight. For by a series of tunnels. Armories and equipment storage
the good of all the Earth, of course. It wasn’t difficult; give chambers mark the distance. In spite of their supposed duty
a man a gun and an excuse, and he’ll go to great lengths to to safeguard the other Base personnel, the marines regularly
blow things away. Anytime, anyplace. assault their peers for lack of anything better to do. Since
As the jumping-off point for Deep Universal travel, Dark- the Neanderthal complement makes up about half of the
side became the perfect place to let aspiring Flash Gordons kill base’s population, there’s not a whole lot that anyone can
themselves without putting too many other people in danger. If do about the problem. Official noises get made, of course,
they survived their training period (I’d say about 75% of them but boys will be boys, after all, and most incidents are swept
do), they would be strapped into Universal craft and shipped under the lunar dust.
off to ports of call in the Final Frontier. Very few of them ever Every once in a while, things get crazy outside the base;
see the Earth again, but hey, it was getting too crowded there people show up dead, and weird “aliens” start hopping about
anyway. And with the marines out of the gene pool, the the moonscape. When that happens, the valiant Border
planet is better off for their sacrifice. Corps marines get out their guns and go target-shooting.
These days, of course, it’s not just men. My own, shall They never seem to kill much, but the effort makes them
we say, state of health is ample indication that the Border feel better.

Ecology tually, go directly through the center, it seems, and straight
off into infinity.
Ecology? What a silly question. There isn’t anything Then you actually arrive in the star’s planetary region
alive on the Moon, or in our bases. Well, except for the Void — hey, remember, this thing is huge— but there are no
Engineers. At least, I think they’re still living. planets, just the sphere. Which star is it? Oh, something
Actually, there are a few living things. Rats. Big, ugly, near Sol. Alpha Centauri, I believe. I cannot recall if it is
Norwegian rats. You can’t keep a good rat down. I rather expect A or B. The system is a binary, you knew that, didn’t you?
that rats were the only things that managed to escape the death No? Oh, I could go on for hours about binaries… incred-
of Icarus. Cockroaches. Cockroaches in space. Hate ‘em. Don’t ibly common, you know, fascinating revolutionary and
have anything with more than four legs here, you know. But rotational dynamics. The stars bulge on the sides closest
they got into Darkside and are as rife as the bugs the NWO to each other, you know that? Simplistic observation, but
leaves for surveillance. Big, clicking things that look like they I could stare at them for days, just watching the bulges
should be wearing little biker jackets and carrying switchblades. move and shift and….
Armed vermin. That’s what wanders Darkside. And they’re a Once you reach the immediate vicinity of the Cop, what you
really good reason not to go into the dark, unused corners of see is this massive orb, dancing with lights, bisected equatorially
the base. You never know when a small gang of rats might mug with a ring of darkness. And blazing pillars of light projecting
you for your dinner of cardboard paste. from the poles. Oh, it’s simply a glorious sight!
Actually, there are a fair number of “reality deviants” The star in the center is the most intriguing bit, though.
plaguing the base on a semiregular basis. Of course, Border At such a range, one can see that the star is no longer a sphere.
Corps trainees with Sanitization experts are dispatched to No, not more lovely bulges around the middle. It’s a torus.
every disturbance, and all the deviants are eliminated as What’s a torus? A torus is a doughnut shape. A ring. It’s
“security threats to the fabric of reality.” At least, that’s got a hole in the middle, do you see? The star is a doughnut
what’s always published in the Universal Update, the monthly shape, a giant sphere wraps around it, and a laser network
publication everyone in the Convention gets detailing all is arrayed around that.
encounters and new developments and such. While I was
Of course there’s a way in. It would be stupid to build
there, I watched a detachment get sent out and half the
something like this without a way in.
detachment come back in, only to get shipped off to the
Most of the original entry ports are closed. There used
Descartes Institute of Mental Health, a pack of gibbering
to be six, one at each pole. You do know that there would be
idiots. The encounter was termed “a setback in defense that
three sets of poles in three dimensions? Oh, good, you’re not
was rapidly remedied.” Ain’t the media grand?
entirely unschooled. Yes, well, four of the ports are closed
now, leaving only the ones that run beside the laser columns.
What is the Cop? That can get dangerous, but as long as your navigational
In pride, in reasoning pride, our error lies; computer isn’t on the fritz, it shouldn’t be a problem. It’s a
All quit their sphere, and rush into the skies problem when you get a drunken pilot who wants to fly in
Pride still is aiming at the blest abodes: manually. That’s when you vaporize your pilot’s head and
set up the nav computer.
Men would be angels, angels would be gods.
The entry port and laser corridor stretches for miles,
Aspiring to be gods, if angels fell,
with metallic doohickeys protruding dangerously from one
Aspiring to be angels, men rebel. side and the concentrated light of a star searing by on the
— Alexander Pope other. Not a time for playing games, though some idiots still
The Copernicus Research Center. The Cop. It’s quite do. One of those ways of weeding out bad space cowboys. It’s
extraordinary. Quite. From the depths of outer space, better all right to be a cowboy, or cowgirl, in the Void Engineers,
known to the Engineers as the Deep Universe, you see something as long as you’re not bad at it, you know.
resembling a large, fairly dim star. And then you get closer, and Finally, the corridor broadens and you’re inside. Sen-
you begin to see that there’s something, perhaps a gas cloud, sible flight paths then veer sharply away from the stellar
ringing the actual star, making it appear diffuse. Closer still, and lasers. The interior of the sphere is rather more congenial
you realize that there is a web of light surrounding the star, and than the exterior. It’s quite bright, actually, and the farther
within that network is a sphere, a remarkably large globe that you get from the lasers, the more you are enveloped by the
contains the stellar material within it. atmosphere. Yes, there’s atmosphere filling almost all of the
That’s right, it’s a Dyson sphere. A translucent Dyson globe. It’s blasted away from the star and the lasers, so it’s
sphere. thinner in those areas, but it’s quite breathable elsewhere.
Oh, yes, I forgot to mention the threads. It looks like How big is it? About 1 AU in radius. AU. Astronom-
the entire thing, star, globe, network and all, are threaded ical Unit. The distance from the sun to the earth. About
with light like a pearl on a necklace. The strings, lasers ac- 93 million miles.

Yes, yes, that is rather large. But this is space we’re the “south” sides — of the star. Those sides correspond to
talking about. You have to think big when you’re dealing the flattened sides of the star, the top and bottom of the
with space. Planet-spanning bases, time travel, universal doughnut if you will.
conquest. You know, that sort of thing. The reason that the star is flattened is that there are
Just how much space is that? Heavens, I haven’t done gravitational lenses above and below it. Those lenses re-
those calculations in years. I could tell you the volume of flect the gravity back on the star, pressing it into the torus,
the sphere and such, but it would mean absolutely nothing leaving a dark nexus that has been surrounded with gravity
to you, dear. Nothing at all. It would just be a number with diffusers to make it zero-gee. The lenses also focus some of
a lot of zeroes after it. Just like seeing the actual size would the electromagnetic radiation being emitted by the star
mean nothing to you. The human mind really just can’t into the lasers. Those lasers are the center of the defense
conceive of how much space is encompassed by a Dyson grid. The energy storms are caused by the attraction of the
Sphere. Think big and mind-boggling and you’ll do just fine. electromagnetic energy to the gravity lensing.
M.C. Escher’s dreamland exists inside that cold, ineffable You simply don’t want to be near the north or south
sphere. The only true gravity comes from the sun. The Cop poles of the star or the Cop. Trust me.
itself has a bit of a spin, just enough to give it somewhat
of an artificial gravity band around the equator. That’s the History of the Cop
dark line of demarcation that you can see from the outside. Never open the door to a lesser evil, for other and greater
That’s where some matter has collected and some plant and ones invariably slink in after it.
animal materials exist. Some of the Void Engineer facilities — Baltasar Gracian
are here as well. The band itself is far more surface area than Years and years ago, well before you were born, the Di-
the surface of Terra. Just amazing. mensional Science Evaluation, Administration and Training
Spinning alone in the vast breathable “void” are little Committee (DSEATC) decided that Darkside no longer
planetoids, either “natural” or unnatural in origin. The fulfilled the needs of the Void Engineers. Well, that’s the
natural ones are conglomerates of flora and fauna that live party line. I think that a certain pressure was being exerted
together for survival. The unnatural bits are usually laboratory by the high muckety-mucks to get farther away from Earth
groups. The lab conglomerates are truly boggling to behold. and the rest of the psychopaths in the Technocracy. Besides,
Usually, they comprise a number of different laboratory more and more of the influential research groups were mov-
constructs linked together at a hub. They can be attached ing farther and farther from Terra. There had to be a way to
at any angle, with or without spin, and can be of any design. make the Void Engineer central base more accessible for the
One that I belonged to had a sleek silver orb, a Skylab-type people doing wild and crazy research. The Moon was just a
contraption and a Gothic cathedral all linked together. little endangered by the encroachment of the Horizon (and
Which one do you think was mine? by other little anomalies, as we’ve seen).
Oh, yes, there are bodies of water here as well. Huge, They say it took them something like 40 years to plan and
undulating raindrops. You’ve seen what water looks like construct, then take apart and replan and reconstruct, and twist
in zero gravity, haven’t you? Think of those little droplets and change and adapt for unexpected gravitational forces, the
floating around on camera in the space shuttle, only the Research Center. Engineers, don’t you just love them? They
size of the Pacific Ocean. More incredibly, a large number forget that they’re only human, and inevitably make mistakes.
of those huge droplets are utterly sterile. Perhaps they’ve The mistakes made in building this place could be counted in
passed too close to the sun, or a laser, or perhaps they’ve bodies. Could be, except in many cases, the bodies couldn’t be
never had the good fortune to stumble across any spores, found. Hundreds died for the Cop, just to build it. Rather like
plants or other bodies of water, but they are completely the pyramids, I would suppose, or the Tower of Babel.
without contaminants. Oh, the Progenitors love these Finally, though, in the early 1970s, they cut the ribbon
places. Gives them a chance to play god, or goddess, or at the Halley Academy, and there was much rejoicing.
something like that. The Cop had become, at various points, a thing of awe,
Yet some of these vast oceans teem with life. Some of of mockery, of disregard, and finally, of respect. It was the
them are hard to identify, because they’ve acquired some closest thing to the future the Technocracy had yet seen, a
kind of algae or lichen that has enveloped the boundaries veritable crystal ball for the Technocratic Utopia. If they
of the sea and entirely contain it in a network of greenery. could create something like this, one of the seven wonders
No one has dared to penetrate those frontiers yet. Or if they of the Deep Universe, they could certainly overcome human
have, they haven’t returned to speak of it. nature to make the Earth safe for humanity.
Now, once inside, you will notice that the lasers do not With the crash of a champagne bottle, the giant STAR
actually go completely through the sphere. The “north” and engines were induced to concentrate the solar wind into one
“south” lasers are independently generated from a mael- monstrous blast, and the Cop was spun to create simulated
strom of energy on each side — you know, the “north” and Earth normal gravity at the equatorial band. The Halley

Academy gently settled down to its appointed location with DSEATC’s main laboratory nexus. At least two members
very little ado, and life went on. of the Committee died that day, burning themselves out
After a few trees and rocks were attracted by the equatorial and their machinery as well, but they managed to use the
region, falling rather like meteors with some of the same regrettable three remaining engines — Hawking, Bohr and Maxwell
consequences, it apparently occurred to someone to wonder what — to directionally vent solar wind in carefully calculated
would happen if one of the droplet-oceans were caught. A buffer spurts. Well, that’s what they’d have us all believe. They
system was developed and installed shortly, its generators main- probably said, “Oh, shit! We have to stop this! Quick, guys,
tained in position by remote control from the Halley Academy. do something!”… and then they did it off-the-cuff and were
Now, originally, mind you, the Cop was of a different design incredibly surprised and relieved that it worked. They man-
than it is now. The star in the center was untouched. There were aged to almost completely stop the rotation and the wobble,
no crystalline strands of energy. No, no, there were six enormous which saved everyone who was stupid or unfortunate enough
solar vents, one at each pole, and STAR engines installed in to still be somewhere in the Cop.
each of them to distill Quintessence for the lab groups’ use as In the aftermath, the Engineers realized that their
they moved their facilities into the Research Center and set up detection and defense grids had been next to useless. The
shop. Each pole was named for a famous physicist or astronomer: Schrödinger and Tsiolkovsky engines were completely
Schrödinger, Hawking, Bohr, Maxwell, Tsiolkovksy and Planck. unsalvageable. They would either have to rebuild the Cop,
All men, you’ll notice. Then again, most of Science’s “Grand and rebuild it better, or face becoming the laughingstock
Old Men” were indeed old men. of the Technocracy. So, bold and intrepid individuals
The design was lovely for a peaceful site of scientific that they were, they decided to rebuild. Rather than try to
research. Unfortunately, what many people forget is that the rebuild the polar engines, Research and Execution created
Deep Universe is rarely peaceful. Within a year of its comple- the polar gravity lenses. Originally, I think the idea was just
tion, the Cop had its baptism of fire, and it failed miserably. to lase the star and create the satellite network for the new
They say they’ve never been sure if it was an inside job or laser defense grid. Some wag then decided to doughnut the
not, whether there were barabbi in their midst that they didn’t star, just to see what would happen, I suppose. At any rate,
know about. Of course there were, but whatever the case, the the defense grid went up, and the fixed satellite network
Nephandi and their allies simply walked in the front door, they installed can now produce directional lasers capable
nearly undetected. I’ve heard that one young student noticed of splitting most spacecraft into atoms. So they should be
an anomaly, but when he pointed it out to his supervisor, the able to dent the occasional ravening demon from the Void.
elder scientist threw a tantrum at him and shredded the readings. It’s a high-maintenance design. So much so that the whole
Before anyone could respond, the two “polar” STAR en- place has become rather a joke to the younger generation, myself
gines were destroyed in shattering explosions. The Schrödinger included. We used to call it, “Tychoides’ Folly.” Tychoides is
sextant blew one way, the Tsiolkovsky another, and the entire the leader of the DSEATC, and the Convention as a whole,
sphere was thrown into a degrading wobble. I understand that as far as I understand it. The Cop is simply this cosmic white
it rather resembled the penny, spun on its edge. Then they elephant, lumbering about, mostly useless. There will never
threw their forces against the Planck engine, one of the “equa- be enough members of the Convention to utilize even one
torial” vents, and severely damaged it. The carefully calculated per cent of the space in the Cop. It’s just insane. Even if they
equatorial gravity was negated, lab groups crashed down and up created a planet and transplanted thousands of humans onto
and sideways, atmospheric storms ripped through the sphere. it — which the Progenitors would love, by the way, if they ever
You must understand that the explosions were more than thought of it: captive human lab rats with no Paradox! — it
planet-sized; think of what would happen to the Earth should would take millions of years for a population to even begin to
the Moon be shattered! That’s small-scale compared to what strain the environment. It could be the perfect solution to
happened in the Cop. I don’t think they ever got an accurate creating the Utopia the Technocracy wants.
total of the deaths that occurred just in the first blasts. Again, But I find it really difficult to believe that the Void
with that sort of force in space, the bodies are rarely found. Engineers created the Cop. So do many people, now that
The sphere was teetering on its precarious gravitational the Engineers have been somewhat demystified to the rest of
suspension, threatening to plunge unchecked into the heart the Technocracy. Even with every Technocrat pitching in
of the star itself. together, something the size and scale of the Cop wouldn’t
What remained of the marines in the Cop were scram- be possible in a millenium, much less 40 years. They say that
bled to deal with the Nephandi. It was a brief and bloody there is evidence — suppressed by DSEATC, of course —
battle, and resulted in the decimation of both sides. The that the Cop is old, much, much older than the 30 or 40
things from beyond departed, no doubt satisfied with the years the Convention has been in possession of it. That it
havoc they had wrought. was built by someone — or something — else.
Meanwhile, an emergency team of the best surviving Do I believe the rumors? Think about it yourself, and
Engineers gathered in the emergency control center in see what you think after I tell you a bit more.

Points of Interest further. Several years of analysis led them to believe they could
jury-rig a control center on the outside of the vessel, tapping
How many interesting places can there be in a place a vast exoskeletal network into engine conduits, and into the
that’s orders of magnitude larger than the Earth? Well… impressive and terrifying weapons array. They did so, and happily
brought this giant back toward the solar system.
The Centrus Complex After some sort of mishap with the main weapon —
At the center of the star, in the nexus, a spheroid con- which, by the way, I believe involved the dropping of a
struction nestles within a set of gravitational diffusers: the miniature black hole on Tunguska, Siberia — everyone
Centrus Complex. I suppose the name signifies the place’s decided the ship was best left untouched until they could
position at the center of the Cop. It’s about a mile across, find a way to delve its internal enigmas. There has been a
with a thick, reflective layer to protect its contents from the rotating team on it ever since, according to what I was told.
heat and light of the stellar material surrounding it. From I never joined the staff. I stayed away from everything that
appropriate locations in the Cop, you can pick out the tiny didn’t involve my own research, you understand.
bright point in the center, assuming you have sufficient Ultimately, the Vivo was placed in orbit around the
filtering mechanisms on your telescope. Cop. The Void Engineers keep it nearby for study, but far
Naturally, the only way to get here is through the use enough away so that no one gets tempted to fly off with it. Of
of a Quantum Field Inverter with the appropriate coordi- course, should that misfortune ever occur, the Technocrats
nates — a transporter, if you must. Only two or three QFIs could be expected to blast the Vivo out of space, rather than
in all the Cop have the correct coordinates. Miss the right let this marvel slip into other hands.
transport spot and you’re toast. It’s rather strange to look at… just a huge, dead lump of
According to what I’ve heard, the inside of the Centrus matter. But there’s a feeling of something not-quite breathing
is null-gravity and very dark, with heavily polarized and ra- on the back of your neck, something not-quite seen watching
diation-shielded observation areas set all around the outside you, something taking a slow, deep, waking stretch and peering
of the sphere. Some of the more mystically-minded Void at you in slowly dawning comprehension.
Engineers retreat here for meditation, and some of those
more inclined toward stellar dynamics set up semi-permanent The Hive
data collection stations here. Supposedly, the very center A slowly rotating, perfect, 10-mile-wide sphere of wrin-
of the Complex is an entirely dark room with no gravity, kled gray parchment. No, really, that’s what it resembles.
completely empty of everything but air, and quite thoroughly Very much like the outside of a hornet’s nest. It looks quite
sound-proofed. Rumors say that some of the specialists from fragile, as if it would ravel apart upon first contact. One
the Descartes Institute of Mental Health use this place as a section of the wall has indeed torn away over the years,
sensory deprivation environment for extracting information and inside you can see perfect hexagonal cells — each wall
or for performing experimental treatments. soap-bubble thin and transparent, with rainbows playing
The slender ring built around the Centrus Complex is over what look like transient surfaces. I’ve been told that
a prototype Quintessence Furnace, collecting and distilling when these walls are touched hard enough to break them,
Tass from the vast energies of the nearby star. Once the they shatter, rather than pop, into crystalline fragments, and
collection process proves stable, the STAR engines can be these shards vaporize as they touch other objects.
taken offline once and for all, and all of the Cop’s labora- The odd part is that no one knows who or what built
tories can be hooked to the Furnace, providing internalized it, or how, or when. The Progenitors apparently deny any
self-sufficiency for the Convention, and increasing the involvement, though they’re willing to send in an analytical
security of the Construct. team. Respectful scientists that the Engineers are, though,
A number of Void Engineer factions have been vying they refuse to send anyone in to invade it until they know
heartily for control of the Centrus Complex for a few years if it belongs to someone.
now. Last I heard, the applications were “in committee for
discussion,” which is another way of saying, “the admins The Halley Academy
aren’t letting loose of it for nothin’.” The Academy is where all Void Engineer students
learn how to be good little Technocrats, and to learn skills
The Vivo appropriate to the research they want to perform. It’s quite
Around the turn of the century, according to my source a facility, complete with rather luxurious dormitories, hy-
for this story, a team of far-traveling Void Engineers stumbled droponic gardens, domestic animal farms, recycling plants,
upon an apparent rogue asteroid drifting between stellar systems. state-of-the-art research equipment, simulators, barracks for
Suspicious, they landed and discovered that it was no asteroid the enforcement divisions… just about anything you could
— the thing was a ship! This juggernaut, with what seemed like ever desire in a Utopian technocratic environment to make
a mind of its own, let explorers penetrate its outer crust, but no it totalitarian… I mean, totally self-sufficient.

It’s one of the few Void Engineer structures actually set have done in their spare time, or for class projects. I’ve heard
on the equatorial surface, placed in a cleared area of rain something about Elvis sightings, but I prefer to disbelieve
forest they’ve managed to engender in some regions. The those rumors. The King doesn’t really have much of a place
land around it is scarred by the vagaries of the complex itself in alien environments.
during the Great Wobble episode, and probably will be for Generally, you’ll find two types of creatures inside the
several years more before some topsoil resettles itself there. Cop: the ones which prefer the surface and those which
The buildings themselves are designed to be as futur- float through the atmosphere, though some may inter-
istic as possible, in a narrow sort of hard science-fiction change between one environment and the other. Most of
way. As Darkside Moonbase was the vision of the future in the recognizable surface-dwelling life is confined to within
the early 20th century, the Academy is built in a mosaic of three million kilometers of the “gravity” belt, since it really
visions, varying from Heinleinian to Roddenberryesque. It’s hasn’t had the time to travel any further. However, it is still
a conglomerate of structures from several generations and a something of a mystery how they managed to perambulate
panoply of designers; sprawling in some areas, towering in that far, most organisms not having spaceships. However, I
others, yet somehow managing to be homogeneously bright think it’s likely that some of them are taking advantage of
and oppressive. Void Engineer vessels. Either that, or some of the mutations
have developed faster-than-light travel.
And then there was Life… The ground-dwellers along the equator closely resemble
creatures from Earth. Plants of all sorts, mammals, insects
The inevitable seeds and spores and small lives that
accompanied the Void Engineers out into the wide open and birds flourish, though close inspection reveals that
spaces of the Cop have flourished and changed. The eternal new species already exist, probably through mutational
daytime of a world built to surround its sun, the intense sources natural and human. As things move away from the
levels of radiation and Quintessence generated by that Earth-normal gravity at the central part of the band, they
carefully manipulated star, and above all, the vast regions change. Plants become both taller and more deeply rooted.
of space with breathable air and water provided, have all Animal life becomes both elongated and more fragile than
combined to form near-ideal conditions for the spread of its Earth counterparts.
life. The combination of radiation and free Quintessence Yes, fragile. You hardly need to waste energy making
provides impetus for a rapidly diverging population. The extraneous muscle and bone in zero-gee when you’re worried
genetic diversity of the Cop is already supposed by some about finding something to eat in all that space.
to be as vast in comparison to Earth, as Earth’s is to the Under negligible gravity at the edges of the most fertile
Galapagos Islands. matter of the “gravity” band, plants begin to take on fan-
Galapagos Islands, with those tiresome finches. Haven’t tastic and impossible shapes: lacy fronds and threadlike “air
you ever taken biology? Saint Darwin, you know. roots” to gather water. They reproduce through runners and
The Dyson sphere supports an astonishing variety multiplication underground. Seeds are too chancy to cast
of organisms. Recall that the entire globe is filled with off into a world where they may never touch ground at all.
breathable atmosphere, with the minor exception of a Trees may be literally miles tall, though their trunks and
zone starting about 20 million kilometers above the sun’s branches may be no thicker than a pencil. Animals develop
surface. Oh, yes, minor, believe me. Most of the known life wings far less exacting in their design than wings on Earth
here surrounds the comparatively narrow “gravity” belt of would be, and clawed or sticky feet enabling them to cling
the equator, since most of the Void Engineers who know- where they wish. Very pretty.
ingly or unknowingly carried the ancestors of the current Remember, when there’s no gravity, you can potentially
organisms live and work in this region. As life creeps like produce escape velocity by exhaling too hard.
a mostly green carpet away from its original landing place, Many of the organisms that spring into being in the
it grows stranger and stranger, adapting to this enormous null-gravity zones also cast off into the atmosphere, either
and un-Earthlike environment. to stay aloft all their days or until they somehow manage
Well, it’s un-Earthlike now. I don’t know if it ever was to find other places to land. Insects have assumed truly
Earthlike. Brobdingnagian proportions, while some mammals re-
The Progenitors, thoroughly enveloped in their collec- semble air-gliding stingrays. Bats are among the largest of
tive deity-complex, have carried out a number of experiments mammals, with monstrous wingspans and proportionally
adapting Terran genetic material to gravity-free environ- tiny, low-mass bodies, while birds quickly adapt to the
ments. Inevitably, a number of these experimental organisms, demands for greater speed, while reducing their muscle
grown in their artificial wombs, have sprung forth into the mass required to stay aloft.
ether of the sphere, either intentionally or accidentally. I Of course, the first organisms to launch themselves
shudder to think what some of the Progenitor grad students into the atmosphere were unicellular, photosynthetic, and

asexually-reproducing. These qualities are musts if one is surface tension and flora of these oceans, and some of the
floating randomly around an environment so immense that “fish” have evolved air-swimming capabilities to hunt them.
no real chance exists of ever meeting another of one’s kind. So that’s bugs, and birds, and fish, and plants, and bats.
Eventually the larger organisms joined them, and together What else? Oh, yes, frogs. There are indeed frogs and their
they began to form independent, floating ecosystems. Trees ilk hopping and slithering around, but they usually live
actually form the structure for many of these, growing only on the algal oceans. Someplace to sit near water, you
completely spherical, with both roots and leaves thrusting know, rather than being completely immersed. They thrive
outward from a solid woody core. A number of them have on these things. You can always tell when an algae glob is
evolved broad paddle-like leaves whose sole purpose, besides nearby, since it’s always croaking with a chorus of bullfrogs.
photosynthesis, is to gently flap, rotating the epiphyte slowly An interesting note is that no one seems to have bothered
so that all sides can take advantage of the eternal day. The to bring reptilian DNA with them to the Cop. Perhaps no
largest reported tree was 60 kilometers across, slowly flapping one wanted a snake in this particular Garden.
its indolent way toward being quite planet-sized. I’m sure
The Cop has no nighttime, no light variations, no sea-
it contained more genetic variety in the animals and birds
sons and little weather save clouds and misty precipitation
and bacteria it housed than most of the remaining sections
(though huge, ravaging windstorms are fairly common).
of the Amazonian rain forests.
Weirdly enough, the center of the star is the only place in
I’ve been told by a Progenitor I once knew that the the sphere which knows absolute darkness. But recall that
strangest aspect of the trees is that they are something between much of the vast space available here is stark and sterile, the
a single giant tree and a colony of trees. The genetic material light brassy and unmitigated, and therefore, more terrifying
seems to be extremely mutable, and gradually changes from for revealing so clearly what hides in the darkness.
“branch” to “branch” and “trunk” to “trunk,” so it is actually
unclear whether each is a single organism with incredibly Conclusion
diverse genetic materials, or a community of organisms with
Intriguing comparison, isn’t it? Two important Void
rather similar genetic material. He seemed to think this
Engineer bases, so different it almost seems they were built
was terribly fascinating and rare. I told him he should look
by two wholly different Conventions. One, a tribute to a
carefully at any moderately complicated computer program
bleak horror of technological Utopia, and the other a trib-
to see something of the same sort.
ute to the joys of biological diversity that at once defy and
Of course, the other major type of floating ecosystem celebrate the technology around them.
is the droplet ocean, which I mentioned previously. Inside
Ah, but I’m waxing far too poetic, a sure sign I’m tired.
the confines of these oceans, “normal” fish live side-by-side
with radially symmetrical “fish” — different species and I certainly hope this helps your book, young Hastings.
different ecosystems in each ocean. Insects, and organisms Do go ahead and mention my name. Perhaps I’m ready to die.
rather removed from the genus of arthropoda, live on the Or perhaps I’m prepared to defy technology.
The Gernsback Continuum

This is another dream, the dream of H.G. Daytime in the Gernsback Continuum: Sunlight glints
Wells, in which the tall elegant engineers rule, with off argentine spires, satellite dishes and glass globes. Build-
perfect benevolence, a humanity which has no busi- ings strike up into the sky, a conglomeration of sharp lines,
ness except to be happy. To H.G. Wells, this was curving ornamentation and glass, Art-Deco monuments
a dream of heaven — a modern version of the idle, forming a levigate metropolis, a cityscape built to glorify
harp-resounding heaven of other childhood pieties. the Gods of Science.
—JacobBronowski,Science and Human Values
• Caleb Whittaker
Located in a great Horizon Realm, the
Gernsback Continuum is one of the most cel- A new and eager voice in the pages of Paradigma,
Caleb studied under the esteemed Dr. Julian Spence,
ebrated of all the Tradition Realms, and rightly so. Over the
an apprenticeship prestigious enough to convince me
past decade, hundreds of Etherites have combined their efforts
that he should be included in this book. Perhaps in the
to build this testimony to the power and glory of Science in
future, Dr. Whittaker will prove a valuable member of
all its forms. I, Caleb Whittaker, Son of Ether, take great pride in our society. After all, someone who can portray our pride
having been asked to write a treatise on it for the education of my and joy with such elán while studiously avoiding certain
fellows. And so, I introduce the Gernsback Continuum, a whizzing, important secrets promises to be a significant contributor
wheezing, wheeling collaboration of purest innovation, awaiting to our journals and tour guides.
the visitation of all Sons of Ether and their occasional guests.

Metallic zeppelins, Etherflyers and jet-packed aeronauts An Offering to Science
vie with the clouds. Ether-powered phaetons zoom along For years before they began its actual construction,
raised highways like shiny silver beetles, their helmeted the Sons of Ether Assembly debated potential layouts for
drivers looking out through rounded windshields. Scien- their greatest Horizon Realm. Because it would be the most
tists stroll or ride the moving sidewalks that parallel these important of the Sons’ Horizon Realms, many crucial design
highways, linking the magnificent buildings of the Realm. elements had to be hashed out. Overall, the plans which
Their various odd toys, equipment and apparel combine resulted perfectly expressed Scientific philosophies, and
with the vehicles and the laboratories to produce a constant proved elegantly imaginative and appropriate.
background song of zaps, crackles, bleeps and hums. The
More debate surrounded the choice of the Realm’s name
Gernsback Continuum is never silent.
and the Assembly finally decided upon “The Gernsback
By night, the Gernsback Continuum becomes a city of Continuum,” in honor of the extraordinary inventor and
science-fictional tomorrow. The buildings light up, becoming publisher, Hugo Gernsback (1884-1967). During his lifetime,
uniquely beautiful monuments to Scientific excellence. In the Gernsback had received more than 80 patents for such ad-
sky, stars twinkle among giant planets: a Saturn, a Mars and a vancements as an early form of the bone-conduction hearing
Venus. Magnified, these not-so-distant planets crowd in for a aid and a sleep-learning device which he had dubbed the
closer look at the Scientists, looming large and heavy over the “hypnobioscope.” A respected editor and publisher, Gerns-
Realm. Illuminated zeppelins struggle for primacy against this back was the force behind Modern Electric magazine (which
impressive backdrop of celestial bodies. Giant spotlight beams later became Popular Science), a renowned Son of Ether outlet
criss-cross the sky; and the electro-converters, hydro-accelera- for insinuating new technologies into the mainstream, and
tors, and ion dispensers drone in the background. Amazing Stories, the first magazine devoted exclusively to
We, the Sons of Ether, built the Gernsback Continuum science-fiction or “scientifiction,” as Gernsback called it.
as a representation of our perfect Reality, a world in which In his lifetime, Gernsback himself contributed a great body
Science runs free. Many of us remain in the Realm all our of work to the genre. His technological foresight showed in
lives, performing experiments and investigating theories. his imaginative fiction. He predicted with startling accuracy
Gleefully, we heat our test-tubes, argue our points, soar in a number of upcoming inventions such as radar, microfilm,
our Etherflyers and fight our duels. For many of us, the Gerns artificial fabrics and fluorescent lighting. Gernsback was
is the closest thing to Heaven. recognized for his contribution to the advancement of the

genre when the top annual prize for science-fiction novels was wish to pass! Master McKinney has a long and illustrious
named the Hugo, in his honor. Although he was old when history of dealing with intruders, and his experienced sen-
the Realm was completed, Gernsback himself was present tinels have many wonderful toys with which to pulverize
at its official opening, and is said to have wept with joy. unruly visitors. Only the overconfident and stupid would
Since its establishment, the Gernsback Continuum has dare to be anything but polite to them. Any Son of Ether
changed little, yet the frenzied level of activity in the Realm may enter the Gernsback Continuum; however, those who
stimulates the occurrence of many exciting and strange have gained Master McKinney’s favor will of course receive
events. Thus the Gernsback Continuum has earned the priority status, while those who displease him would do best
nickname “The Realm That Never Sleeps.” to avoid the Hall altogether.
Once the visitor has passed all muster, he or she is es-
Places of Interest corted to one of the wondrous portals. Tucked away in dark
alcoves or behind faded curtains, these wooden doors teem
Where to begin? Such a fascinating place, with so
with carved collages of aeronauts, rocket ships and streaks
much to do! Perhaps I should start where so many visitors
of lightning. The doorknobs glint with a special shininess,
and residents alike begin their journey to this wondrous
their brass polished by thousands of turnings. Beyond their
world: on Earth….
doors lies the Gernsback Continuum.
The Great Hall Chantry The Great Hall on the Horizon
The Gernsback Continuum Horizon Realm can be
A mirror reproduction of the Great Hall exists on the
reached through the Great Hall Chantry in Paris. Designed
other side of the portals, more brilliantly decorated and cared
in the tradition of royal Parisian architecture, the Great
for than its mundane twin. Extremely elegant in comparison
Hall has only two levels, albeit tall ones. Located on Rue de
to the Earthly Great Hall, the Gernsback Continuum’s
Puilly, near the Centre Pompidou, its large front courtyard
accommodates panhandlers and street performers spilling Hall has velvet wall-coverings and heavy cherry furniture.
over from the crowd at the Centre. The Sons of Ether Silver Art-Deco lamps with fringed and Tiffany shades
appreciate the daring of young people who walk on broken provide light above early 20th century chaises, high-back
glass and breathe fire, performing their tricks to an excited chairs and leather couches. The smell of cigars and cognac
gathering of tourists and pigeons. The smells of butane and lingers in the air.
bodies mingle near the doorway of the Chantry. While the Great Hall Chantry in Paris has mock windows
I must confess that we have let our Great Hall go to pot designed for outside decoration and inside privacy, the Great
somewhat; its upkeep, I fear, has been neglected in favor Hall of the Gernsback Continuum has floor-to-ceiling glass
of the Gernsback Continuum. The interior decor has seen lining every exterior wall. This mighty mansion rests on a
better days: worn, fabric-covered chairs surround square hill above the cityscape, looking out over a glorious view
wooden tables. The lighting comes from dim overhead fix- of the entire Realm. Robots scuttle here and there, serving
tures. The walls bear paintings and tapestries whose dusty drinks and tidying the rooms. Odd gadgets and thingama-
surfaces dull their original splendor. Even the drapes have jigs hang on the walls and sit on tables, each with its own
faded a bit with age. Although I notice only the aroma of unique purpose.
aged pipe smoke, some visitors claim the Great Hall reeks Outside the building, a park of green grass and flow-
of faded elegance and abandoned glory. ering trees surrounds the hill on which sits the Great
The Great Hall houses our esteemed yet un-Awakened Hall. Sculptures and fountains which move, spout and
colleagues and the newest members of the Chantry. Other even spark decorate the lawn. A clear glass orb, 12 feet
than that, its rooms serve primarily as hasty meeting places, in diameter, occupies the front courtyard. At the core
classrooms and settings for discussion groups. The more of this sphere, an electrode sends blue lightning leaping
secretive and subversive scientific gatherings precipitate to around inside. Anyone who touches the glass finds a bolt
this earthly Chantry. of electricity drawn to the point of contact, although she
Most visitors these days come solely to pass through receives no shock. This orb serves as a monument to the
to the Gernsback Continuum, where the real action takes late Nikola Tesla, one of the greatest Scientists to plumb
place. The only three portals to the Realm remain hidden the mysteries of Forces.
in remote corners of the Great Hall, guarded by special in- The residents of our wondrous haven ride through the
ventions designed to foil the unwelcome. Horace McKinney, park on bicycles covered with dials, lights and even rockets.
the capable majordomo of our Great Hall, strictly guards all Others coast by on jet-powered rollerskates. At a picnic on the
access to the portals through a series of checkpoints. His lawn, young couples are served by robotic picnic baskets whose
special sentinels, both human and robotic, wait at these telescopic arms lay out the blanket, pass out the food and clean
checkpoints to screen visitors. Visitors had best be prepared up afterward. The Sons of Ether do normal things — we simply
to answer many personal and professional questions if they don’t do them in mundane ways.

The Assembly of Science Campbell termed this dimension “hyperspace;” to honor
This powerful body convenes in the Great Hall of the his contribution to Correspondence theories, the building’s
Gernsback Continuum. The Assembly of Science initiates designers chose his name to grace it.
only those Sons of Ether who have proven themselves under • The Doomsday Building (Entropy)
extraordinary circumstances; as you can imagine, our definition Located on the edge of the Realm, Scientists in the
of “extraordinary” is truly extraordinary! The Assembly hears Doomsday Building concentrate their research on the pro-
and rules upon matters of dissent among Chantry members. duction of destructive devices. Out of necessity, the exterior
of the building has been reinforced with a special Ether
Honor Rock material, stronger by far than either concrete or steel. This
On the far side of the city, a vast open area, roughly four heavy exoskeleton shines brilliant opal in the brightness
football fields square, serves as the Realm’s certámen dueling of the Realm. Beautiful in its lines and exterior ornamen-
site. Honor Rock resembles a pyramid with the top sliced off. tation, the building requires this extra insulation in order
Stairs run up the side facing the Great Hall, flanked by a long to shield the Continuum from any entropic mishaps which
snaking ramp for easy access of wheeled robots and personal might occur within.
vehicles. We Etherites call this the Walk of Honor, for all • The Electrodyne Towers (Forces)
contestants must climb the stairs to the top. Named for the Electrodyne Engineers who first began
Duels occur for many reasons, among them the resolu- research into Forces in the late Victorian era, these two
tion of disputes, defense of Scientific honor, or merely fun identical 10-story towers stand side-by-side. Combinations
and practice. When Sons of Ether duel, we first must decide of copper and gold girders criss-cross between multi-colored
the method of combat. We may choose foot combat, with windows, creating a giant three-dimensional stained-glass
hand-to-hand or missile weapons, or personal vehicle combat structure. Giant electrodes attached to the facing sides of
with armored phaetons, a battle which ultimately resembles a the buildings produce electrical currents which leap period-
Demolition Derby. In other duels, great Scientists may each ically across the open air between them. Inside the towers,
pilot an armored zeppelin equipped with gamma guns and a network of laboratories continue to provide new insights
ray beam weaponry. These duelists attempt to out-maneuver into the natural Forces.
and shoot down each other. • The H.G. Wells Life Sciences Building (Life)
Spheres summoned for Honor Rock duels appear differ- In this Center, Scientists study the Sphere of Life in all
ently than those used in normal certámen challenges (see its many variations. Named for H.G. Wells, who co-authored
The Book of Shadows). Instead of the traditional floating one of the most famous books on the subject, The Science of
ephemera favored by so many of our mystic counterpart, we Life, in 1931 and who made a lifelong study of the mysteries
Scientists favor physical representations of the Sphere in of biology, this building resembles a turn-of-the-century
question. Although such creations, made of energy rather mansion, entwined with vines and surrounded by a rose
than matter, are not true devices, they serve us well in the garden. Its peaceful, healing energies are renowned among
circle. The Sphere of Time, for example, may appear as a our Tradition, and many tired souls come here for rest and
simulacrum of a hand-held dish with a firing array in the relaxation in the strange spa-like atmosphere.
center, while Forces might appear as a lightning gun. When • The Natural Philosophers’ Tower (Matter)
a duelist activates the Sphere, the array sends out waves of Named for the Natural Philosophers’ Guild, the true
multi-colored vibrations which create the desired effect. originators of our Tradition, this Center continues our
ever-present explorations into the nature of the Absolute.
The Centers for the Eventually, we will convince our Council companions that
Advancement of the Sciences the origin of all other forms lies in the primordial Ether,
incarnated in simple Matter. A solid black tower juts from
In specially-advanced Research Centers, our students
the bare rock where the Center rests, its stairways climb-
and Scientists investigate, study and invent the nine ele-
ing into the sky and descending deep beneath the Tower’s
ments of reality. Here, we explore our theories and test our
foundations. Inside, dedicated Scientists carve ever deeper
tools without fear of the Earthbound Paradox effect. Each
tunnels in search of the elusive Factor OX5, the keystone
of these Centers has special qualities in its design, qualities
of our studies into the Tenth Sphere.
which reflect the nature of the laboratory’s purpose.
• The Metaphysics Lab (Mind)
• The John W. Campbell Center for the Study of
Dimension Zero (Correspondence) Three spires rise from the corners of this triangular build-
ing, representing the creative, analytical and metaphysical
Clear, crystalline gargoyles perch atop this Gothic-styled
aspects of the brain. The complex’s surfaces reflect the Con-
stone and glass building, symbolizing the empty within the
tinuum back upon itself, a looking glass of self-examination
solid, the nakedness within the form. The Sons of Ether
and internal travel. Inside, Scientists create devices which
who work in the C.S.D.Z. investigate a dimension that cuts
enhance or destroy the abilities of the mind.
short the distance between two locations. In 1934, John W.
• The Tower of Quintessential Power (Prime) purchase test-tubes, diodes, sheet metal, clothing, simply
The Continuum’s greatest Node sits under the foun- everything here. This remarkably large mall has nearly three
dation of this building. A giant rod, driven down into the miles of shops on three stories. If you need it, you’ll find it
Node, taps Quintessence and draws it up into the hollow here, from toilet paper to office supplies.
center of the tower. Translucent walls allow the glowing rod
to be seen from the outside, a beam of blue neon shining
within a block of ice. Here, Scientists study better ways to
Ecology
All Sons of Ether visit the Gernsback Continuum at
store and tap “the juice.” Like the Wells Center, this facility some time or other. Many live there full-time, conducting
provides a welcome respite for Scientists grown weary with their research and their lives in complete rejection of the
long and fruitless studies. A short visit here allows them the Earthly world’s ugliness. Although I reject the notion that
strength to carry on. such isolation produces madness, these Etherites do tend
• The Center for the Advancement of Extradimen- to be somewhat out of touch. Nearly a hundred Scientists
sional Travel (Spirit) inhabit the Realm, and an additional 20 or so can be found
The tallest building in the Gernsback Continuum, visiting at any one time. Over a thousand un-Awakened
the C.A.E.T. houses those Scientists who study the Ethe- companions, loved ones and robotic servants make up the
ric dimensions that make up the Tellurian. On top of the rest of the Realm’s population.
building, a glass dome houses their central offices and the Over the years, the Gernsback Continuum has become
control tower for their airfield. This vantage point allows its own society, with an infrastructure sturdy enough to
them a spectacular view of the entire Realm, while Etherships support the people who have chosen to live there. A cross-
and dimensional rockets take off from a grassy field next to city transportation system, consisting of raised highways and
the Center, practically under the Scientists’ watchful eyes. flying shuttles, allows citizens to travel quickly and easily
• The Temporal Investigations Unit (Time) from one place to another. These highways connect all the
An Egyptian-red pyramid, covered with glowing mys- buildings, and mass transit stops are made at each one, every
tical symbols, tops this square, blue, windowless building. five minutes or so. Personal vehicles, called phaetons, use
The pyramid rotates slowly, coming full circle every hour the same highways, zooming around the city like bubbles
on the hour. Here, Scientists who have turned their tal- of skittering mercury. The zeppelins, which dot the sky, do
ents toward the development of time machines and the not serve the same functional purpose; instead, they are for
investigation into the nature and flow of time perform duelling or sight-seeing, rather than for actually propelling
their arcane calculations. I am told they have perfected people from one place to the next.
the impossible — traveling back in time. Sadly, this sup- Because so many have made the Gerns their permanent
posed development remains confined to the Gernsback home, it has developed an economy all its own. Residents
Continuum only, and very strict protocols prevent wide of the Continuum use a system of currency, called the G.C.,
research, at least for now. for all intra-Realm commerce. The G.C. is a gold coin
which can be used to purchase supplies and services from
The General Mess and the Supply other inhabitants of the Realm. Approximately 10 G.C.’s
will purchase a meal and 500 will lease a house-robot for a
Mall year. The coins come in denominations of one, 10, 100, and
Even Sons of Ether need supplies to live and to perform 500. As you can imagine, counterfeiting, though possible,
their experiments. At the general mess, food is grown and is grounds for permanent expulsion.
processed, then sold in a market-like atmosphere in a giant At the general mess, a giant farm and grocery store,
warehouse of chrome and glowing tile. Everything you robots and other automated systems produce food and water
could desire from the mundane world, from “fresh” squab to for the entire Realm. Many of the necessary raw materials
cheeseburgers, is available here. Although many of the older are shipped in from the Earth, although special Life Sciences
Scientists prefer their synthesized foods in their traditional are used to genetically enhance the vitamin content and
form, some of our more futuristic colleagues simply gulp growth rate of vegetables. Food produced in the Continuum
down pills and drinks that combine the tastes of the “real” begins in pill form. When water is added, it expands into
food with their nutritional capabilities. a full meal, warm or cold as warranted, with all the aroma
At the supply mall, merchants licensed by the and taste of a home-cooked supper.
Assembly sell mundane (i.e., non-magickal) goods Beneath the city, out of sight, great pipes connect the
and services to Sons of Ether too busy to travel back buildings. This arterial system carries waste in its many
through the portals to obtain their goods. This ex- forms to a central processing plant beneath the Doomsday
tremely profitable trade has produced an elite class Building, where it is destroyed. Special Sanitation Robots,
of merchants; applications for approval are backed up jokingly nicknamed Laxatives, roam these sewers, ensuring
several years. The Scientists living in the Continuum that all runs smoothly.

The ever-present robots serve a necessary role in the under strict orders to protect the portals at all cost; while on
day-to-day maintenance of the Realm. Scientists create duty, they take no chances and trust no one.
them to perform the routine jobs so necessary to an effi- Although they realize the seriousness of their duties,
cient community. Each robot, oddly unique in shape and many sentinels use their positions to harass new visitors
design, has a specific job. Together, they zoom from place to the Realm. Some mislead newcomers into strange and
to place, performing their duties, or park patiently to one embarrassing situations by making up their own admission
side waiting until they are called or needed. These robots rules. One of the most famous “pranks” involved a newly
sweep, dust, cook, and even do windows. If there is a task to Awakened Son of Ether visiting the Gernsback Continuum
be accomplished, there exists a robot designed to perform it. on the orders of his mentor. The sentinels on duty that
day convinced the young man that he had to remove all
The Sentinels of the Great Hall his clothing before he could pass through the portal. The
Those brave folk chosen to man the checkpoints in the naive young man believed them. It caused quite a stir when
Parisian Great Hall must prove themselves trustworthy and he crossed over into the midst of a crowded room, naked.
accomplished Scientists before the critical eye of Master McK- The sentinels responsible were punished, but not harshly.
inney. These sentinels work in pairs, screening each visitor. Any Vigilance, even if occasionally mischievous, is essential
challenge to their authority will be met with equal or greater when guarding so precious a Realm.
resistance, depending on circumstances. These sentinels are All hail Science, the savior of Humanity!
Midrealm
I am Forethought, not confirmed (or denied, for that matter) at this time, even
The Death and Resurrection god, by your so-called “Masters of Correspondence.” More symbol-
The Flayed One, the Scapegoat. ically, “Midrealm” refers to the place’s reputation as a neutral
For three eternities, meeting-ground for spirits of all kinds. Spirits who gather here
I have hung upon these hooks in the searing to discuss matters beyond Earthly import.
heat-haze,

My flesh burned and bleeding.
Background
These spirits tell a myth, one widespread and consistent
Each night, the Creeper comes to torment me,
to a remarkable degree with many of our own:
To consume my flesh and burn of my blood.
At first, there was nothingness — the Wyrm, the Void,
This is my self-sacrifice, and punishment in advance.
Oblivion, Entropy. This Void persisted indefinitely, since
Each morning, I am born again with greater insights. even Time had yet to be conceived. Then suddenly, a drop
In the pain and ecstasy of death, of Wyld, of primordial essence, splattered into the Void.
I learned of runes and charms, the nature of sin. Another drop followed the first, then another. Where
I sent these secrets to human-kind, drops of Wyld struck the Void, the two essences canceled
Along with community and cultivation, one another. Something was created. This Something
Hope and faith, fire and invention. (also known as Pattern or the Weaver) took the form of
For this boldness, I punished myself, a single seed. Fed by the erratic Wyld-Void reaction, the
seed grew into a sapling: the Alder Bole. As the tree grew,
By hanging from the hooks,
My flesh burned and bleeding.
• An Anonymous Description
For I am Forethought,
The traveler who wrote me this account desired
The Death and Resurrection god,
that I keep his name a secret, and I have. His research
The Flayed One, the Scapegoat. has proven to be valuable to my Chantrymates in the
Aboriginal gods and spirits wander freely across all past, so I asked him to detail a Realm he frequents on
of the Middle Umbra, from the Penumbral reflection of his journeys, a Realm somewhat apart from the Near
Earth to the Near Realms of Garou Cosmology. Yet when Realms described in Chapter Two. A Realm not quite
some significant issue arises, concerned parties meet here “Horizon Realm,” one beyond all simple categories.
in Midrealm for discussion. Supposedly, this place bridges the paths of all Three
Midrealm is aptly named. Not only does it lie in the Middle Worlds. Deeply hidden, this Umbral Garden may answer
Umbra, but most Umbrood contend it exists at the very center questions many of us are too insecure in our own beliefs
of Realty, known to some of you mages as the Correspondence to ponder. I leave conclusions up to you.
Point and to others as Mount Qaf. The validity of this claim is

its roots spread across the Void and eventually covered it
completely. And yet, the Alder Bole continued to grow,
its vast and wide-reaching network of branches brushing
the High Umbra. At the tips of each branch, a bud opened
and a new Realm blossomed. Meanwhile, its roots had
burrowed into the Low Umbra, giving form the Lands of
the Dead. This part of the myth explains why the Alder
Bole reaches into many Realms.
According to myth, the Alder Bole gave form to other
things as well — the Sisters, Umbrood and aboriginal spirits,
and entities you would consider “gods.” Where Pattern was
most vital — in the Middle Umbra around the trunk — a
physical reality eventually formed: the Earth, its elements,
animals, plants and mortals. In short, all things sprang from
the Alder Bole.
At present, the Alder Bole is stable and wide-reaching.
Yet Wyld essence continues to fall on the upper branches.
Here dwell minions of Dynamism, such as the Protean
Hawk. The Void still exists, as well. One of its minions,
Typhon, gnaws upon the roots of the Alder Bole. Most spirits
believe that the Void will eventually free itself, the Alder
Bole will fall, and reality will collapse. They also believe
that falling Dynamic essence will strike Entropy to create
another pocket of Pattern. And thus a new cycle, and a new
reality, will begin.
Midrealm itself exists at the base of the Alder Bole,
where ground girths the trunk of a mundane tree. The
curious among you — but aren’t all humans curious at
heart? — probably wonder how you might reach this
Realm. Perhaps you should begin by meditating on ar-
cane patterns which unwittingly evoke the Alder Bole:
the rood or cross, the swastika, mythic accounts of the
Tree of Life, or even a simple tree. The Alder Bole is
the beginning and center of all things; its influence is
omnipresent and universal.
Places of Interest
For the point about Hell — as of Heaven — is this: when
there, you are in your proper place, which, finally, is exactly
where you want to be.
— Joseph Campbell, “The Mythology of Love”
Midrealm’s Barrier and Beyond

Surrounding Midrealm is a mystick barrier, a shimmering
rainbow wall of unimaginable height (seemingly reaching
the Horizon itself). On closer inspection, a wanderer might
realize that the barrier consists of an unknown type of Quin-
tessence: neither free for collecting, nor shaped into a raw
Pattern… unknown, at least, as mages understand things.
Four burbling, ephemeral rivers issue forth from the barrier
at what would be considered the cardinal points on Earth,
and they continue off in four directions.

The barrier is almost impervious to attack. Certainly, and 50 feet high at the gables. Its wooden walls seem as
no wanderer I’ve met could create a permanent breach, sturdy and immortal as Time itself. Depending on one’s
and I’ve known Grand Masters in my time. Experienced perspective, its architectural detail might resemble that of
Spirit-mysticks find that they can push through the barrier, a Viking greathall, an Amerindian longhouse, a bamboo
just as they would Earth’s Gauntlet. Strangely, those leaving jumba, or a wooden pagoda. The interior is decorated by
Midrealm face no resistance. painted skins and detailed, carved reliefs in many differ-
Within the Realm, the first thing visitors notice is the ent styles. Five hearths waft rainbow vapors through five
Alder Bole. Though it stands far distant, the human wanderer smoke-holes in the roof.
must strain her neck to follow its trunk from tangled roots The Hall serves as the meeting place for aboriginal spirits
to mist-distant boughs. Its crown brushes the Horizon; its and other Umbrood. The nature of Midrealm is “common
branches penetrate the barrier. Four rivers gush from beneath council,” a remnant of the days before Babel. All voices
the great trees’ roots. Though overshadowed by the Alder carry weight here. Whether aboriginal spirits are meeting
Bole, the rest of the Realm is no less remarkable. From bar- or the Hall is otherwise vacant, three beings are always
rier to Bole stretch vast swaths of meadow and glade, forest present: the Sisters.
and wetland. Each one of the hundreds of biomes supports
abundant animal-spirits and ephemeral foliage. Ecology
Midrealm’s “native wildlife” includes animal spirits,
The Alder Bole Glade Children and Elementals of the four most common
Depending on one’s perspective, the Alder Bole could varieties. Other spirits hold council at the Hall of Many
easily be called the Tree of Life, of the Knowledge of Good Meetings, or pass through while using the Alder Bole to
and Evil; the Sacred Tree; or the World Tree. The Alder travel between Realms. The following Umbrood dwell in
Bole is said to have existed since earliest times, even to Midrealm only, and never leave.
have spawned many Realms. A manifestation of Pattern
(or the Weaver), it is certainly one of the last vestiges of The Sisters
pure creation remaining. The Pure Ones are said to have The Fates lead those who are willing; those who are un-
sheltered themselves beneath this tree, and some claim willing, they drag.
that the One Itself climbed the Bole’s branches and hung — Seneca
upside down searching for wisdom.
Known as Fate, Being and Necessity, the Sisters resemble
The Alder Bole leads to many Realms. The upper dark-skinned women in simple gowns and bare feet. One
branches reach into Realms on the High Umbra, while is wrinkled, the second worldly and mature, the third fresh
the dark burrows beneath its roots descend to the Lands and innocent. Though these forms are not their true ones,
of the Dead. Worm-holes within the bark run between no one visitor has seen them otherwise.
the Realms into what travelers call the Zones, and the No one truly understands the Sisters (as they are
Bole’s leaves drift upon Deep Umbral winds. By following formally called), but many claim they are but one of
the great tree’s swaying shadow, one can travel to any the manifestations of Crone, Mother and Maiden.
place in the Middle Worlds. These paths are safe and Spirit lore credits them with the existence of spirit and
swift, though not without complications. The Protean mortal alike. Supposedly, Fate defines an individual’s
Hawk that wheels about the upper branches demands an pinnacle of existence, his or her best possible destiny;
ever-changing toll. Travel beneath the roots takes one Being rules over daily happenstance and chance, which
past the subterranean lair of Typhon, where the bones might end existence prematurely; Necessity oversees
of gods bleach in an eternal sunshine. one’s intern al well-being (aging, illness, etc.) Whether
As wondrous as the Alder Bole itself is its yield. these claims are true or not, all afford them respect.
The Fruits of Eternity are seedless, with golden skin and On a few occasions, intervention by the Sisters has
juicy-sweet, honeycombed flesh. Besides being rich in been enough to quell an argument between even the
Tass, legend suggests that the fruit can have a wondrous haughtiest Umbrood.
effect — immortality or enlightenment — upon those who
eat of it. Unfortunately, Typhon tends to hunt those who Forethought
tamper with the fruit, so the truth behind such legends Nestled between roots of the Alder Bole stands a
is difficult to confirm. copse of tall pines. The lowest boughs are 30 feet off the
ground, allowing for clear visibility. In the midst of the
The Hall of Many Meetings copse, a large, well-muscled man hangs suspended from
At the base of the Alder Bole, nestled between dozens of chains, secured by hooks pierced through his
gnarled roots, lies the Hall of Many Meetings. This skin. Beneath him, a patch of flowers and ferns poke up
great loghouse is about 150 feet long, 50 feet wide, through the blood-nourished soil.

This is Forethought. He holds no affiliation, and hails Typhon, Jaggling of Ialdabaoth
from a time before the Earth’s formation. His self-im- An aspect of the Eternal Wyrm Ialdabaoth, Typhon is
posed punishment is this: by day, he hangs exposed to a giant twisting serpent with centipede legs and a head at
the elements in a near-death trance; by night, Typhon both ends. This dark beast coils beneath the Alder Bole’s
consumes a part of him. Such suffering will not kill him, roots, gnawing at the Patterns of Reality and guarding the
as he is eternal. Instead, the ecstatic experience provides way to the Lower Umbra. Occasionally, it ventures forth to
him with hidden insights, which he has shared with cause grief for those seeking the Fruits of Eternity.
mortals in the past.
Should someone ask Forethought the destined ques- The Protean Hawk
tion, “What ails thee?” the hooks finally rip through his The Protean Hawk is a manifestation of Dynamic essence
flesh and he tumbles to the ground. Chains immediately residing in the highest branches of the Alder Bole. A creature
wrap around the stranger and haul him up into the boughs. of chaos given static form and sentience, it patrols the byways
Forethought rises, quickly regaining his strength, and towards the High Umbra. Travelers are expected to pay a
looks at his savior: “By taking the mantle of suffering upon variable toll before being permitted passage.
yourself, you have confirmed my faith in humanity.” He The fruits and plants of Midrealm are nutritious to eat, but
then departs, to begin a mortal life. poisonous if taken from the Garden. Those who would leave the
Until someone else asks this same question, the new Realm must pass through the shimmering rainbow barriers once
Forethought is destined to suffer continual torment. For- again. Although it is said that a mortal visitor may enter only once
tunately, until freed, this new man can be considered a in a lifetime, I have been to Midrealm many times. But then, by
demigod; he will not die, despite his own desire to do so. most accounts, I am not mortal, and know little of your ways.
The second consolation is that, if finally freed, he will Fare you well, good sirs and madams. And be careful
have gained many insights. what you do.
Victoria Station
Innumerable Suns exist; innumerable Earths
revolve about these Suns in a manner similar to
Background
the way the seven planets revolve around our Sun. Originally,VictoriaStationwasapartofrailbaron(andElectro-
Living beings inhabit these worlds.” dyneacolyte)StephenLawrenceRobertson’sTrans-SpatialRailroad.
The year was 1871. Through a network of teleportation tunnels and
— Giordano Bruno, February 17, 1600
Spirit gates, this intriguing venture attempted to link the world by
(just before being burned at the stake)
rail. At first, only select Awakened conductors knew the routes;
Victoria Station is a wonderful Neo-Ba- but eventually, it was hoped this mode of transportation would
roque edifice of marble and glass. Doric be available to everyone! Victoria Station stood in the Penumbra
columns support the sculpted facade, and of London, anchored to several powerful Nodes and protected by a
the main structure is topped by a copper dome, tarnished a deserted warehouse (its material shadow).
marvelous shade of turquoise. It looks much like any railroad
To the detriment of Progress, the Trans-Spatial Railroad
terminal built in 19th-century England. The only difference
project ended in disaster. After only a dozen runs, the Spirit
is that this one stands on a chunk of ephemeral rock floating
of da Vinci took a wrong tunnel and disappeared from ex-
through the electromagnetic currents of Luna’s Horizon. In
istence. After a flurry of finger-pointing, the Electrodyne
layman’s terms, it’s a space station orbiting the Moon… in Engineers began multiple investigations into the cause of the
the spirit world, no less! “accident.” The results were inconclusive. Ultimately, they
From this forward base, Sons of Ether launch missions placed blame on a combination of “human and technical
of exploration into Etherspace, also known as the Deep error” and then attempted to forget the whole embarrassing
Umbra. Only three ways of reaching Victoria Station exist: experiment. Victoria Station fell into abandonment.
first, by Umbraship; second, by employing powerful Spirit (As an aside, one Euthanatos claims that the train and its
magick; third, using some sort of teleportation device (but if crew — including many noble Scientists — was side-tracked
such a “transporter” exists on the station, it is not common into the Low Umbra. At midnight on each anniversary
knowledge). Void Engineer sentry satellites make the journey of its disappearance, one can supposedly spot the train at
difficult, but every attempt these brackish fools have made certain haunted switching yards. Currently, Professor Neon
to assault the Station has failed. As far as I know, they have is perfecting ectoplasm-sensitive photographic plates with
since given up hope for such malfeasance. which to confirm or refute this rumor.)

• From Doctor Van Baas base. One of the first to receive an invitation was Dubrius
(then just a Student). This was quite fortunate. Dubrius’
When Alexis Hastings asked me to write the Vic-
newly-patented Oxygen Engine — originally designed for
toria Station chapter of her new Realm traveler’s guide,
submersibles — made life much more comfortable aboard
my reaction was two-fold. First, I was quite honored.
the Space Station Victoria.
Alexis is a capital mage, and a close friend — she and
I collaborated on a number of experiments and even When the Electrodyne Engineers defected to the
a few articles for Paradigma: “Prominent Daughters of Council, Victoria Station became an Ethermage-only
Ether” [Vol. 82, No. 3], “Blueprint for an Envirosuit” club. Void Engineers were banned. Even mysticks from
[Vol. 84, No. 2], and “Kelvin 6500: The Melting Tem- other Traditions could come aboard only as guests of
perature of Primium” [Vol. 89, No. 1]. an Ethernaut. Since then, the history of the station has
been relatively uneventful. Let me mention one point of
My second reaction was confusion. Though an
interest: Professor Dubrius was aboard Victoria Station
Ethermage, I have only visited Victoria Station on
on July 20, 1969 and reports that no mortal landed on
a handful of occasions. The first was shortly after
the Moon. “Rubbish. Nobody since Horatio Savage has
Graylock Chantry was destroyed; in the course of
set foot on Luna. That is irrefutable fact. Humph. Jules
being assigned as chief engineer aboard the starship
Verne may have invented science fiction, but the Void
Etherjammer, I made a layover at the station. Since
Engineers perfected it.”
then, I’ve spent a couple shore-leaves there. As Alexis
has since explained, it was precisely this “visitor’s [Editor’s Note: When the Fisher Princess and I
perspective” she sought. interviewed Dr. Catherine Nichols, rogue Void Engineer,
In writing this entry, I wish to thank Professor Dubrius concerning the possible existence of any Technocracy
for making time for an interview, and security specialist bases in the “Deep Universe” (as they call it), her an-
Henri Maudir for his guided-tour of the station. swer gave me quite a shock. Dr. Nichols claims that a
Darkside Moon Base has existed since the 19th century!
Cheers!
(For the complete account, check elsewhere in this
— Doctor Van Baas
chapter.) I passed this information along to Professor
Dubrius. Initially, he scoffed at this “load of rubbish.”
The history now fast-forwards a dozen years, to However, I have heard rumors that — as of this very
1893. Captain Horatio Savage had just returned from his writing — a team of Ethernauts is preparing to survey
moon-landing. His original crew were missing, his Vernwell the far side of the Moon with the most innovative
rocket virtually shaken apart at the rivets. Shockingly, scanning devices available. Until this contradiction is
Savage refused to publish his findings! In his one memo to cleared up, I thought it best to publish both “truths”
the Inner Circle, he stated simply that “Luna is unworthy of verbatim. — Alexis]
further scientific research.” A year later, the hastily funded
Void Seeker probe Raptus was destroyed upon contact with
Luna’s surface. This has been the case with every attempted Places of Interest
landing since. Disintegrations and air pollution strictly prohibited.
Let us return to Captain Savage. Despite his appar- — Brass plaques posted at each spacedock entrance
ent failure, Captain Savage was even more insistent on
exploring the Deep Umbra. However, he knew a forward Outside
base would be necessary. When the Order of Reason The station’s foundation resembles one-half of a
refused to fund him — and even fellow Electrod yne spherical asteroid, a quarter-mile across. The top is
Engineers failed to support him (a bit of petty academic smooth and flat, covered in manicured lawns, trees,
vengeance) — Savage uttered a dramatic oath and went paved walkways, a few stray rail tracks, and buildings.
his own way. A week later, the captain’s peers were buzz- The underside looks like a plaster cast of some mun-
ing with news of Victoria Station being ripped from the dane moon crater. The entire body is contained within
Penumbra and reestablished in orbit around Luna. Rumor an artificial atmosp here. Every so often, bubbles of
had it that Savage had rediscovered Arcadia, the Faerie steam, smoke or carbon dioxide break loose and drift
realm, and had made some sort of pact with the fae. True into the Ether.
or not, Victoria Station is something of a wonder. Unlike Four spacedocks fork out from the edge of this as-
the vast majority of Horizon Realms, this one is located teroid. No more than cast-iron girders, wooden planks,
in Luna’s orbit — not Earth’s — and draws Quintessence and chain-and-post moorings, they are ugly things, yet
from that realm. utilitarian. Usually, one or two of the station’s Um-
Despite his earlier rash words, Savage made it clear braships are docked here. The sister ships SES Nautilus
that fellow Ethernauts were welcome aboard the new and SES Argo, shaped like barbed arrowheads, are classified

as cruisers. Each is supposed to carry four crewmen and a
10-man boarding party. More often, they ferry Ethernauts Ecology
to and from Earth. The station’s grounds are home to a few Earthly life forms: grass
On the lip of the asteroid, between the docks, stand rows and trees (imported), and mice (stowaways). In addition, plant-crea-
of warehouses (rumored to house moth-balled inventions and tures known as mosslings are indigenous to the rock. Somewhat
strange discoveries). Not only do these buildings provide a resembling a sponge, Mosslings can drift through the Umbra or
protective perimeter, but they also prevent absent-minded slowly crawl along solid surfaces. They seem to ingest raw Ether
Scientists from falling off the edge. Dominating these lesser and produce Tass as a by-product. Gathering the Tass is a bit
structures like the monarch it was named after, Victoria difficult, as it takes the form of needle-thin stands, hundreds
Station stands large, harsh and imperious at the center of of feet long; Mosslings also have very slow metabolisms, and
the asteroid. produce only about one Dram of Tass per month.
Scuttlebutt has it that invisible Brownies live on (or at
least regularly visit) the station. Broken objects are mysteriously
Inside repaired, and unfinished work is sometimes completed by the
The station’s main doors are 10-foot-tall, brass-bound,
next day. It is even said that the station’s steady orbit is due
maple monsters, replete with grotesque knockers. When
entirely to faerie glamour.
they open, a gong echoes through the station. Visitors
As for the mage presence, three Awakened Ethernauts
enter a spacious lounge/anteroom, roughly 40 feet by 40
reside aboard the station permanently. These are:
feet, decorated with plush chairs, a great fireplace (in which
burns a greenish fire), oaken coffee tables, oil-paintings of • Professor Dubrius, the station’s current commander,
illustrious Sons of Ether, brass etherlamps, an Indian rug, best known for inventing the Oxygen Engine. A bit eccentric,
and even a billiard table. The room smells of imported coffee perhaps, this esteemed Master Scientist drifts from subject to
mingled with tobacco. subject during conversations. Although he seems a grandfa-
therly chap, a few cocky young pups have learned the hard
Here, guests are met by Thea, the resident robotic
way that this aged Scientist was once a accomplished pugilist.
domestic, a charming android hostess who resembles a
Maxfield Parrish dream girl in bare feet and a flowing • Urr Re’ok, a saurian envoy from another time. She resem-
gown. Few human socialites could match the gracious bles a pink protoceratops (a dinosaur related to the more familiar
triceratops) and works strange magick. Supposedly a refugee from
wit and etiquette Thea displays. It’s a shame her memory
a long-perished saurian race on Earth, Urr Re’ok communicates
circuits are so fallible — she rarely remembers a face past
telepathically in English, German or French and constantly warns
the first meeting.
us that our probing into the Deep Umbra will lead to disaster. For all
Immediately beyond the lounge lies a great hall (80 feet
you skeptics, Urr is not a figment of my imagination. Compared
by 240 feet). Two stories tall and running the length of the to some of the things I have seen while serving aboard the
building, it looks much like a church nave. On occasion, Etherjammer, a sentient dinosaur is positively commonplace!
it has doubled as a ballroom. Dozens of doors lead from the
• Margrave Karl-Werner Luftwelle III, a distinguished
aisles to the restaurant and kitchen, library, chapel, public
old-world gentleman with interesting theories about the
water-closets, secret passages, the security office, and other
Umbral Realms and an abiding skill at cards. Despite his
places. The upper gallery doors lead to guest rooms and to
inherited title, Luftwelle is the most progressive Scientist
the private suites of those who live aboard the station.
aboard and an expert in the neglected field of trans-dimen-
A swaying spiral staircase climbs to the observation sional communications. His manners are impeccable — he
dome. Through telescope or viewport, one can view Earth, build and programmed Thea — but I can attest that he is the
Etherspace and the Moon. most accessible of all those who dwell within the Station.
Six acolytes act as servants and technicians. Their current roster
Below includes a cook and a waiter (both based in the restaurant), a janitor,
A few other rooms have been carved into the a general laborer, Thea the robotic domestic, and security specialist
asteroid itself. Below ground proves a perfect spot for Henri Maudir. Maudir patrols the station in the full dress uniform
laboratories, since even ephemeral stone is excellent of a 19th century hussar, complete with sash and medals. Very
for muffling the sound of explosions and the occasional proud and serious about his job, he is equally competent with ray
scream (done for effect by beautiful and weak-willed pistol, saber, and the science of deductive reasoning.
lab assista nts, hired expressly for this purpose; trust Captain Tiberius and my crewmates from the Etherjam-
me…). One very secure room houses Professor Dubrius’ mer visit frequently between Deep Umbra assignments, as do
Oxygen Engine. This device transforms rock, garbage, many other Sons of Ether. Even a few Tradition spirit-walkers
and nearly anything else into breathable air. Anyone occasionally drop by for a visit. Although the residents of
found tampering with it will be immediately exported, this entertaining Realm seem quite preoccupied with their
with or without transport, depending on the outcome research, all of them gladly assail visitors to attain a bit of
of an ad hoc trial. gossip about their former home, our Earth.

Verbena Seasonal Realms
A grove there was, untouched by men’s hands in 1969, during her Awakening. More powerful Verbena
from ancient times, whose interlacing boughs subsequently located the Cottage in An Giblin Coille
enclosed a space of darkness and cold shade, and (“April Forest”), a primordial springtime Realm. Soon,
banished the sunlight far above. No rural Pan the Cottage, the only man-made feature in the place, gave
dwelt there, nor Silvanus, ruler of the woods, the Realm a new and more familiar name. Sticklers for
no Nymphs; but gods were worshipped there tradition still call the Realm by its older name.
with savage rites, the altars were heaped with • Summer Grove: Supposedly, this Realm was once
hideous offerings, and every tree was sprinkled a part of Prester John’s kingdom, which stretched from
with human gore. Ethiopia to Zimbabwe. In 1165, this enlightened African
— Lucan (Marcus Annaeus Lucanus), Pharsalia monarch sent a letter to the Holy Roman Emperor and
The Verbena Seasonal Realms, which exist within the Byzantine Emperor of Constantinople. He claimed to
the Shade Realm of Life — shadow of the planet Venus, rule a kingdom as full of marvels as the Low Mythic Ages,
if you’re a rocket-jockey — are actually four separate where mortal, mystick and mythic beast coexisted. This
places. It is possible they are all linked by mystick byways, news disturbed the philosopher-scientists of Europe (and
though we Verbena haven’t discovered more than a few of later, the Order of Reason). Over the next three centuries,
them. If the ancient lore holds true, other byways might they began searching for this place. Actually, they found
resemble wells, rainbow bridges, rings of mushrooms, or the kingdom rather easily, but the war lasted 300 years. In
any sort of hole in the natural environment (e.g., a cave the meantime, Void Seekers sent back a constant stream
or hollow log). Most life-mages, though, treat each as a of messages claiming that no sign of Prester John could be
separate Realm, and resort to more usual means of traveling found. Eventually, Sleepers abandoned the myth. At this
to and from. How do you get there? If you don’t know, you’re point, the last remnant existed only in the Umbra. In 1592,
not welcome. Other mysticks have a difficult enough time a Verbena spirit-walker found Summer Grove; though his
finding the Seasonal Realms. They don’t need the corpses name has been forgotten, his story of being led there by a
of novices to trip over. dark goddess has not.
• Autumn Circle: The oldest of the Seasonal Realms,
Background Autumn Circle was a druidic sanctuary in Celtic Britain.
Verbena tradition holds that all of the Seasonal Realms Then the Romans came, saw, and conquered. Affronted by
once existed on Earth, and that Lilith, our semi-legendary the Celts’ practices and open defiance, the Romans began
“founding mother,” saved them during the fall of the Mythic a systematic purge of the most powerful order of Celtic
Age. Each Realm has a unique history. mystics: the druids. The last of their kind retreated to their
• Winter Castle: Once the palace of the Dragonlord oldest Node on the Isle of Man. When the Roman forces
Viouvre, this castle in the French Alps was thought to invaded in A.D. 61, the druids called upon their pagan
have been pulled down during a Jacquerie uprising in gods for aid. Their prayers were answered: in exchange for
1361. Wrong! Winter Castle was rediscovered by Primus every one of their lives, the Node was saved… by Lilith,
Nightshade sometime between 1457 and 1466, as a result presumably. Autumn Circle was rediscovered by the Welsh
of a conversation with a Hermetic mage she met during bard Myrddin in A.D. 575.
the Grand Convocation.
• Spring Cottage (An Giblin Coille): A strong Ver- • Talien, Technopagan at Large
bena presence has long existed in eastern North America. Listen. I’ve done a fair bit of traveling on both sides
Our exact history is debatable: whether life-mages always of the Gauntlet, and been to all four Seasonal Realms;
existed alongside spirit-shamans, whether they came ashore I’ve devoted my life to learning Verbena lore; and it’s
with Leif Ericsson in the late 9th century, or whether they my job as bard to relate the stuff I’ve learned. That’s
arrived with the pilgrims in the 17th century remains a probably why Heasha recommended I write this section
controversial subject. In any case, our predecessors sanc- for Hastings’ little “Pocket Guide to the Magiverse.”
tified a number of Nodes to their purposes. One such site It could also have something to do with the fact that
was a quaint rustic cottage — the home of a sin-eater or most of this stuff was already on my hard drive and I
a medicine woman; the accounts vary. Located in the could simply e-mail it to Hastings et al.
backwoods of the Catskill Mountains, it held out against If you’re looking for more info, check out my
“Reason” until 1913. When all memory of it had slipped webpage at http://www.tradition.com/talien
from the minds of the locals, it shifted into the Umbra. A – Talien
vision of Spring Cottage appeared to Lady Charlotte Quay

Places of Interest To some visitors, this cold-hearted Realm seems to
hunger for life. It numbs the senses, saps strength from limbs,
Each Seasonal Realm boasts an infinite number of slows the blood, and catches your breath in crystal frost as soon
wonders. I’ve can only mention the most well-known here. as it escapes your throat. More optimistic Verbena interpret
Many living miracles abound in the Seasonal Realms, and these same phenomenon as reminders of the preciousness of
only those who actually travel there are counted worthy to existence. Winter, too, is a part of the Eternal Year.
know the Realms’ deepest secrets. In other words, nyah-nyah
na nyah-nyah! :-P Spring Cottage
Visitors enter this Realm through the orchard. Row
Winter Castle upon row of cherry trees there resemble the hands of
This Realm resembles an idealized alpine setting. bag-ladies — brown and weathered, split and seeping,
Some of the graystone mountains are tall (20,000 feet) outstretched and awaiting handouts. Ugly as they are, the
and jagged, like the highest peaks of East Africa. Others trees bear the most beautiful pink blossoms. The orchard is
have the rounded contours of the Carpathians (8,000 alive with them, drifting through the air in lazy streamers.
feet). Still others are mere nunatak-strewn plateaus, like Now you might imagine maids-in-waiting throwing petals
those of Greenland or Central Asia, barely rising above before the skipping feet of newlyweds. The scent of spring
the 4,000-foot snowline. All are capped with crystalline — of damp earth and sap and fertile pollen — hangs thick
snow and ringed in gossamer cloud. The air here is chill in the air. Too sicklysweet, I’d hazard, for any travelers
and scentless. save the Verbena.
The only warmth in the Realm lies in the dark evergreen The orchard gives way to a stand of thicker trees;
forests, in the insulated layer between prickly pine boughs willows and crabapple, mostly. A garden walkway winds
and the carpet of needles, shielded from the whistling wind through a sodden yard. The cold flagstone slabs are
and swirling snow. Yet those who have sheltered here claim splotched red from trampled apples and slick with fallen
that the forest is filled with “dark and secret things,” and apple blossoms. The occasional sunshower sends sheets
that the smell of earth, sap and rot forcibly remind them of rain pattering through the branches. Off to the side, a
that some life is more ancient than man…. stream babbles. Only the most perceptive visitors notice
Yet the Realm is not all peak and pine. Many other the well — ancient and crumbling, overgrown with moss
wonders lie hidden amid the valleys. One such site is the and weeds. Most mistake it for a natural formation. To
Caldwell (“Cold Wall”) glacier, its crystalline face covered those who peer inside, or who drop a stone or light-source
with stylized sculptures of mythic beasts and other, more into it, the well seems bottomless. When I first visited this
natural forms. By comparing today’s designs with a sketch Realm, my guide pulled me away, gently but insistently.
from 139 years ago, it seems that the carved relief has been “Best leave that alone, Talien,” she urged. “Or you might
altered over time. No one knows whether some patient hand find answers to questions you don’t dare ask.”
carves these slow and subtle changes, or if the crawling ice Beyond the well lies the focus of the Realm — a quaint
shapes itself. little cottage set amid a wonderful garden. The dew-dappled
Supposedly, there exists somewhere a place where the foliage includes tall purple tulips rising from dark green
cliffs crack into fjords before falling away into an icy sea. swaths; crocuses of many colors; yellow trumpet-shaped
Who knows what lifeforms dwell in these chilly waters, or daffodils; yellow-flowered forsythia bushes; and gray-tufted
what land (if any) lies beyond them…. pussywillows. You can hear wind-chimes tinkling and smell
Finally, I should mention the site which gives this woodsmoke. The Spring Cottage itself, roughly 30 feet by
Realm its name — Winter Castle. The foundation of this 60 feet, is constructed of shaved timber beams, notched
elegant medieval palace is carved from one of the graystone together at the corners. Age has split the weathered-gray
mountains; its walls consist of stone blocks, each layer a wood, yet the cracks between the beams have been freshly
paler gray than the one beneath, lightening as they rise filled with clay.
until they meet ivory parapets. Protective runes have been Inside, the Cottage is decorated with a scythe, a yoke,
chiseled into many of the blocks. Set above a sheer cliff, brass plates, and other antiques. Lanterns and wall-sconces
only skilled climbers or those capable of flight can access send light dancing about the cozy little rooms. The living
the main portcullis. Other welcome guests are shown in room, kitchen and dining room are components of one
through a hidden postern gate at valley-level. Permanently large open space (roughly half the Cottage), separated by
“garrisoned” by Guardians of the Tree, the Castle provides a creative arrangement of furniture. Three bedrooms and a
shelter for any Verbena visiting this Realm. In the palace’s porch complete the layout. The place smells of herbs and
covered courtyard stands an old oak, its bark blood-red. potpourri. Considering the amount of brass and wood, I
Empty nooses hang from the bare branches, and a tangle of sometimes wonder if Verbena are actually rustic cousins
spears lies upon the loamy earth amid its roots. of Ethermages.

Spring Cottage isn’t always this quiet. Though nobody
lives here full-time, many Verbena gather during Imbolc
and Candlemas (February 1 and 2). Other times, the Moon
seeker “caretakers” hold frequent parties. No “time-share”
arrangements exist. It’s pretty much first come, first serve.
When the place is packed, you simply mingle as best you
can, and crash wherever you like. When I visited, my guide
and I had the place to ourselves. She read my fortune by
the light of a thick wax candle. We made love by the fire.
Most first-time visitors ask about the World Tree: all
Verbena Chantries are supposed to have one, right? These
folks are taken out back and shown a waist-high oak. “This
sapling,” goes the traditional explanation, “represents the
seeds of myth yet remaining on Earth, slowly taking root
under our guidance. They will grow, and eventually bear
fruit of their own….”
Summer Grove
Two rows of standing stones flank the dusty path into
this Realm. The shrill buzz of elusive “heat bugs” and the
distant hint of maniacal laughter carry well through the
still, dry air. A traveler’s tread kicks up mosquitoes, black
flies and sand fleas.
The trail leads into a vast grove of sacred oaks. At the
center stands one of the largest World Trees ever seen. Five
humans could stand arm in arm and still not encompass its
girth. Tradition holds that it’s the adopted form of a Pure
One in age-old slumber. For most spirit-walkers, this is the
limit of their exploration: the one trail in, the grove, the
same trail out. Every instinct warns you that in the rest of
the Realm, human laws no longer apply.
One mystick I know claims to have explored beyond
the Grove itself. A shape-changer, Kamaria was operating
almost entirely by instinct at the time, which is perhaps why
she was allowed to return home. It also means her memories
are vague flashes, mostly impressions of scent and sound.
Apparently, the oak grove becomes a forest of beech, walnut,
chestnut, apple, and even cherry trees. Eventually, the trees
begin to thin; the distance between branches growso great
she had to run among the roots. Much further on, the land
became savanna: scattered trees; termite mounds buzzing
with activity; searing open sky; very little shelter. In a de
pression in the savanna lay a watering hole with powerful
impressions. All manners of creatures — mundane and
mythic, predator and prey — come there to drink. Kamaria
sensed no fear, but some very strong auras.
It seemed to her that she caught the scent of endless desert
beyond. But even Kamaria was afraid to investigate further.
Autumn Circle
The portal to this Realm is formed by the trunks,
twining roots and interlocking branches of any two trees
that ring the crest of a hill. Within this circle exists a large
clearing, pounded flat by eons of dance. In the center squats

a flat stone altar, shaped like a ring. From its center grows In the circle of life, plants nourish voles, hares,
the Realm’s World Tree. Its leaves — and those of the seed-eating woodpeckers, red squirrels, caribou, mammoth
surrounding trees — are shot through with brilliant colors, and woolly rhinoceros. In turn, herbivores feed the Arctic
rather than the usual oak brown. foxes, giant eagles, wolves and wolverines, mountain bears
By the light of cracking fires held aloft in cast-iron and cold drakes. In the frozen seas, rumor claims, a pod of
braziers, one notices that the altar has had many years blue whales thrives. If this is true, then some Verbena have
of use. Layers and layers of symbols are chiseled into its been doing for modern endangered species what we once
smooth-worn surface. The most ancient marks are hardly did for mythic beasts.
discernible, but seem to be swastikas, spirals and other Besides mundane creatures, Winter Castle supports a
ancient symbols we no longer recognize. Deeper, newer host of mystick fauna. The Dragonlord Viouvre supposedly
inscriptions are in Ogham, Gaelic and Latin. Rust-red still resides somewhere in the Realm. Instead of scales, his
coloring helps to bring them out. hide is said to be covered with semi-precious stones, such
Beyond the ring of trees, and the dancing firelight as amethyst, aquamarine, white sapphire, and all shades of
within, the Realm gleams dimly as if under the light of a quartz. Some say that the elusive fur-clad “Lapps” who roam
full moon: a silver-blue land leached of color, every detail the frozen wastes are not men at all, but Yeti or even Troll
accentuated by deep, stark shadows rather than highlights. fae. The only spirits who care to visit are ice elementals.
Strangely, though, no silver disk hangs in the wrinkled, The caretakers of this Realm are mostly Guardians of the
blue-velvet sky. Except for the crunch of twigs underfoot or Tree, bards and druids by vocation. They can be found exploring
the rustle of blown leaves, an uncanny silence reigns. One the snow-bound land on skis or huddled around a firepit in
can explore beyond the ring of trees; not every opening is Winter Castle, sharing mugs of warm mead or rum-and-coffee
a mystick portal. The sacred circle lies upon a hill. Below it and exchanging lore. At Winter Solstice (December 21 or 22),
stretches a mossy greensward covered in toadstools. Some a cross-section of all Verbena gather here to welcome new
seers have gained great insight by eating the fungi. Others members to the Tradition. Though the land is harsh, capable
have retched for hours. hunters survive quite nicely on the native game. (That said,
The surrounding land consists of soggy, mist-shroud- bringing down a woolly rhinoceros is still quite challenging,
ed downs. Some explorers have stumbled upon a thick, even for a half-dozen hunters. Magick is considered cheating.)
thorny hedge-maze. One possible path through the Creative recipes based on lichen, roots or tree-bark help to
labyrinth leads to a set of narrow stone steps, a rickety supplement a primarily protein diet. The most popular retreat
dock and a small pool. Its water is as clear as sheet glass is Winter Castle itself. Anyone who can get inside is welcome
and its cold, clear depths go down forever. Beyond the to find a corner and light a fire. Just be respectful, that’s all,
yellow-orange sand of the shallows, the center drops away or else! In a pinch, though, a wanderer can construct her own
between a few interlocking roots into blue nothingness. shelter with whatever materials are at hand — an igloo keeps
Some say this way leads to other worlds. No one has yet the chill wind out just as well as any castle!
tested this theory. • Spring Cottage: Fauna include wood duck, grouse,
rabbit, raccoon, porcupine, deer, ferret, lynx, and black
Ecology bear. For these creatures, life is a rapid and eternal cycle of
mating, bearing and raising young, and mating again. Besides
May you be whole, Earth, mother of men;
mundane animals, some visitors claim to have seen nymphs
May you prosper under God’s protection, and satyrs frolicking in the orchard.
Food filled for the profit of men. The Verbena caretakers are mostly Moon-Seekers.
— Part of an Anglo-Saxon “field-remedy” charm During Imbolc and Candlemas (February 1 and 2), many
Each Seasonal Realm, predictably, has its own ecosys- different Verbena gather at Spring Cottage to celebrate
tem, rules and inhabitants. Needless to say, anyone caught re-awakenings.
messing with the natural order, leaving trash, or other • Summer Grove: For those who care to notice, the
“civilized” pastimes is dealt with harshly, especially if he’s typical vegetation is predominantly red oat grass. The
a Verbena (we’re supposed to know better). Making a mess trees that dot the savanna include cedar and 30-foot-tall
in the Seasonal Realms is tantamount to shitting in the branching cacti.
Goddess’ face. Just don’t do it. This Realm harbors warthog, buffalo, elephants, vultu-
• Winter Castle: Trees range from pine-and-birch res, a phoenix, lions, a mated pair of griffins, and sinuous,
forests in the valleys, to stands of giant lobela on the slopes, multilegged crocodiles. Herds of jentink’s duiker (a little
their pillarlike branches decorated with lichen tresses. In deerlike animal, virtually extinct on Earth), and a pack of
the highest altitudes, only mosses and tussock grass grow. thylacines (marsupial Tasmanian “wolves”) also roam the
Scattered amid this greenery are a few flowering plants, such grasslands. This Realm’s fauna is particularly notable in
as northern monkshood, great valerian and winter rose. that even the mundane animals are spiritually aware; when

threatened by mystick assault, they fall into a trance and • Autumn Circle: Strangely for a Verbena Realm,
allow their animal spirits to defend them. Similarly, every Autumn Circle appears to be almost devoid of animal life…
tree is inhabited by a Glade Child spirit. unless you count the occasional set of green eyes that watch
The caretakers of this Realm are exclusively Lifewea- from a distance. One mage claims to have seen a unicorn,
vers. Those who can change shape spend most of their time ash-gray instead of white, with a horn of solid jet. Then
in animal form; the Realm’s inhabitants do not care much again, he had eaten quite a few mushrooms.
for the scent of humans. Mages must bring down prey with This Realm’s Verbena caretakers, mostly Twisters of
only natural weaponry. Everyone who has dared to carry Fate, go about in ominous hooded robes. The sickles they
a rifle — or even a bow — into the wilderness has either bear have been used for more than just gathering holly
disappeared or been found horribly mauled. Your other berries…. During Lammas (August 1 or 2), many Verbena
option is to bring a pack lunch (but don’t ask what happens converge here to Awaken the Avatars of their apprentices
to those who litter…). During Beltain (April 30), many and initiate them into our Tradition. No mage lives here
Verbena crowd into Summer Grove; few stray far from permanently. The caretakers come and go as need arises.
the World Tree. One year, hundreds of beasts ringed the One more time, for the dense of skull: If you enter
grove, silent witnesses to the celebration. Nobody knows the Realm, be respectful. If you kill, do so cleanly. If you
why, though a popular rumor holds that the child born of make a mess, take it out with you. If you ignore these rules,
that year’s union between Young Lord and Maiden will pray. In the Seasonal Realms, Mother Nature can be quite
turn out to be very special. unforgiving.

Chapter Five:
Celestial Bodies
First of all, we must note that the universe is spherical. The reason is either
that of all forms, the sphere is the most perfect, needing no joint and being a
complete unit; or that it is the most capacious of figures, best suited to enclose
and retain all things; or even that all the separate parts of the universe, I mean
the sun, moon, planets, and stars, are seen to be this shape; or that wholes strive
to be circumscribed by this boundary, as is apparent in drops of water and other
fluid bodies of water when they seek to be contained.
— Nicolaus Copernicus, On the Revolutions of the Celestial Spheres
The Fisher Princess Speaks

I thought opening with a quote from always comes up. Despite the early myths of the flat Earth,
Copernicus would get the attention of certain I believe the concept of the spherical planet is as inevitable
hidebound individuals who feel as though this magickally as it seems “scientifically.” And if, in observing
man — who was nearly burned as a witch for a phenomena, he was limiting that phenomena, then this
his revelations — was a traitor to his kind. book is a similar act of hubris.
While I concede that his ideas helped the Ah, well. In this chapter, I speak of planets and the
Order of Reason accelerate their hold on the Realms which overlay them. Despite the “scientific” pos-
Earthly paradigm, I must also concede that turing which seems to limit these Shards into lifeless balls
he had a point. of gas and rock, we who have traveled there in person know
Copernicus was right, of course. Whether we speak of that the truth is more complex than those pronouncements
planets, cycles, societies or elements of magick, the sphere would have us believe.
Outside our own Horizon, off our Earth, Realms Consensual Space
still await the brave and foolhardy explorer. The closest One of the great mysteries of celestial bodies is the
Realms — Shade and Shard Realms — have ancient concept of consensual space. After all, anyone with a
connections to our world and our kind. Ageless portals modern education “knows” that every planet in our System
still lead to many of them. Old tales recount how the is a lifeless rock. Yet mages have populated these “rocks”
One splintered into Many; its larger fragments became for centuries, and they continue to walk among Realms
Shard Realms, planets embodying elements of its new which are, in essence, the Umbrae of those same Shards.
being. The smaller bits became spirits, forces and all How is this possible?
living things. These tales, however one views them, give
As we know, when the majority of people (or at
us a starting place when asking why the planets and the
least, of beings with will), believe in something, that
Spheres should be one.
something comes into being. When many people believe
Then there’s deep space — the Deep Umbra, Ether- that a place is a certain way, it becomes that way. When
space, the Void. Some of Alexis’ own Tradition compete the nature of that place differs from the new beliefs about
in a crazed “Great Race” with the Technocracy to discover it, a separation occurs. Our own world’s Gauntlet shows
new Realms and colonize planets before their rivals do. Most what happens during this separation.
of them end up as fodder for the Nephandi, Marauders and
I use the term consensual space to define the belief
worse who exist in the Void. Maybe they deserve it. These
the majority holds. Or more precisely, to define what most
“pioneers,” in their race for glory, endanger that which
people choose to see. We walk in the consensual space of our
they seek. Like naturalists trampling a flower to catch a
world. The Otherworlds lie outside that space, still existing
butterfly, they destroy that which they cannot see in order
but separate from the mortal world. Many planets are the
to capture that which they can. Maybe space is best left to
same way; “science” or some other folklore describes them
its native inhabitants. And some of those inhabitants can
one way, our travels there tell us things are different. Thus,
insure that they are left alone.
while the Shard Realm of Life occupies Venus, a space probe
Space Travel landing on the planet itself would record something very
different. Whether it does so because the probe’s creators
Theoretically, it has always been possible to travel
expected a dead world, or because the rest of us have been
into space or the Deep Umbra. Legends tell of Si Ch’in,
told to expect a dead world is open for debate. Either way,
the Sky Emperor who ascended to the stars in a chariot
the thing is done and the Realms are separate. This is the
of gold, or of Elynne Dragonchilde, who crossed the
Technocracy’s legacy and its goal: to replace lands of wonder
heavens on a dragon’s back. Stairways to the Moon and
by convincing us they do not exist.
cloud cities are part and parcel of every culture’s folklore,
and I do not dispute their authenticity. According to
elders among the Dreamspeakers and Verbena, timelost Shard and Shade
paths lead through the various Realms to the river of the
Horizon, and to the Shards we now call planets. It is a Realms
long journey, but an achievable one. Heaven is our heritage,
Most mages who attempt a trip beyond the Horizon, Earth but a player’s stage;
however, prefer the more “credible” technomagicks of the Mount we unto the sky.
Void Engineers and Sons of Ether. These two factions, who — Thomas Nashe, A Litany in the Time of Plague
began an extraterrestrial rivalry in the late 1800s, actually
left the Earth behind in the early part of that century, be- Fragments, or Shard Realms
fore either group had assumed its present form. Over the Lord Gilmore said it simplest in the Introduction —
last 150 years, this exploration has reached into the next the Shard Realms are the Sun, the nine planets and Luna.
Solar System, uncloaking secrets that might be best left These are all large, solid, well-defined Realms, and
undisturbed. For, although most tales claim the Nephandi most are easy to travel to by magickal or “scientific”
and Marauders began their existence on Earth, their kind means. Though the official consensus descriptions are
seem most comfortable in the Void. not entirely true, you can rely on them to be fairly
Magick in space has no limits. Whatever you will accurate about the physical characteristics of the plan-
assumes form there without Paradox interfering. As ets. Because of this, I skip over things like magnitude,
explorers search for new sources of Quintessence and mass, albedo and diameter. Where day, year, weather,
other raw materials or lifeforms, the so-called “Great temperature or gravity are interesting or necessary, or
Race” grows more deadly. The appeal of a trip into the differ from the “official” versions, I give them. Every
Deep Umbra is certainly understandable. Just, for God’s orbital characteristic is omitted — most means of travel
sake, be careful! ignore them entirely, some paradigms defy the notion of

planetary motion, and those few Tradition mages who
need this information need it in far greater detail than
can be given here.
Tales abound about the Celestines who “rule” the
Shard Realms. One story even recounts the capture of the
god of Jupiter during a war in the city of Chicago. I make
no claims either way on this subject; if there are gods on the
various planets, I do not care to anger them by revealing
their secrets. If there are not, then I have not closed the
possibility of their existence by saying so.
Shadows, or Shade Realms

These are slightly harder to explain. The most commonly
used metaphor is that the Shade Realms are the shadows cast on
the Horizon by the Shard Realms. This is a completely useless
description. The only thing it explains is the location of their
“entrances” — drifting areas of space in the vicinity of the
Horizon. These areas act as portals to the Shade Realms, but
because of their enormous size, they are often confused for the
Shade Realms themselves. (The smallest reported was slightly
larger than a football field. By comparison, an evacuation or
freight portal opened by normal means is rarely larger than a
house.) Their appearances vary. The entry to the Shade Realm
of Forces, for example, may manifest as a huge electrical storm,
a sea of plasma or an invisible, rolling plain.
Most serious travelers think of the Shade Realms as
completely separate universes, “parallel” to our own, in which
a different Sphere is paramount. By this theory, we live in the
Shade Realm of the 10th Sphere (the Infinite, Ether, Drahma or
whatever). The substance of this Sphere surrounds everything;
there is nowhere in this universe that it is Not. Little areas of
the other Spheres speckle it — planets, suns, humans, spirits,
etc. When we pass into the Shade Realm of Matter, we find
that it is an entire universe of solid matter, speckled with hollow
spaces of Prime, Life, Forces and the rest, roughly where our
planets would be. The same holds true for the other Shades.
The dominant Sphere makes up most of the Realm.
Where we know anything about a Shade Realm, I have
included it. Unfortunately, certain Realms are difficult to visit,
to understand, or to return from. I have omitted idle speculation
except for the most interesting. This leaves several unavoidable
gaps in the “travel guide,” for which I do not apologize.
• A Note on Terminology
There is a definite and demonstrable connection be-
tween the Shade Realms and the planets. Because of this
linkage, when the Mercurian Cosmology was written, Her-
metic mages stopped calling the planets by their common
names and began to refer to them as “the Shard Realms of”
whatever Sphere was associated with their Shade Realm.
Mars, connected by several portals to the Shade Realm of
Forces, is often referred to as the Shard Realm of Forces.
Modern theorists have abandoned this habit; it makes debate
on the subject even wordier than usual for the Order, and
is incomplete.

The Cosmology was written before the Europeans had
Shard Realms Shade Realms (S.R.) realized that Pluto, Uranus and Neptune existed. While
Sol Infinite Pluto is undeniably the Shard Realm of Entropy, to this day
Mercury Correspondence no one has conclusively proved which of the other two is
Venus Life Mind, and which is Spirit. Because the Shard Realm term
Earth, Luna Prime has been dropped by nearly everyone except my hidebound
Mars Forces father and Nicodemus Mulhouse, the standard is to refer
to the Shard Realms by their planetary names and to the
Jupiter Matter
Shade Realms as S.R. and the name of their Sphere. thus,
Saturn Time “S.R. Forces” means “the Shade Realm of Forces.”
Uranus (or Neptune) Spirit Because certain groups of heavenly bodies are too at-
Neptune (or Uranus) Mind tached to each other to deal with separately, I will deal with
Pluto Entropy them together. Porthos would prefer me to stay strictly on
format, but I do not feel the universe will mind.
The Sun and Mercury

The glorious lamp of heaven, the sun, Disappointed in the beginning; looks like so many savage
The higher he’s a-getting, huts, primitive farms. Few real buildings of any size, and the
The sooner will his race be run, floors of most of the sleeping quarters are dirt, not stone. Villagers
And nearer he’s to setting. friendly, though. Clean, polite, well-fed and proud. Took us to
the town’s center, where the mages live. Passed many empty
— Robert Herrick, “To the Virgins, to Make
archways, marker columns, circles set in the earth in stone.
Much of Time” There were hundreds. Told me that every one was a portal to
To understand the sun, and why we know somewhere. Grogs very casual about it, pointing out inscriptions
so little of it, you must know the history of and different stone colors to us, explaining parts of the coding.
Mercury and its moon. Met the elders in the afternoon, still twilight. Much more
Long ago in their study of Correspondence, the Batini impressed. Sat in courtyard of large Moorish building, something
found their way to Mercury and slowed its spin. They trans- like the mosque on Mus, had strange coffee. Have been given
ported villages and farmland to the new world, and built a formal permission to return, assigned escort, young man named
base from which to study the Shade Realm of Correspondence. Ali. Fell in love with their library, must learn Arabic. He seems
Known as the City of Brass (in Arabic legend the kingdom of willing to teach me.
unholy people who shunned the teachings of the Koran), the • August 13, 1844: …and hope that the situation settles
Chantry rivaled Doissetep in size, if never in power. It took down on Mercury. Elders very uneasy, watchful still, and growing
its name from the odd effect the Sun’s magick-altered light more suspicious. I asked if any of my people were the cause, but
had on the appearance of the white limestone and plastered they assure me the problem is internal. I feel a witch hunt in the
mud which made up most of the buildings. wind. More and more of my Batini staff are leaving, or being
The Realm is lost now, and all the portals to it are closed. called to the planet.
The planet itself is uninhabitable. The Record of Marcella Decia is • May 16, 1847: Ali came to Mus today, for the first
by far the best eyewitness account of the mystery surrounding time since the baby died. Should have known it would be bad
the loss of the Chantry (and through it, Mercury), though as news. Delivering message from the elders. They tell me they are
with Mohejeno-Daro and the Roanoke colony, we may never betrayed, infiltrated. Not certain who is rotten, or for whom
know the whole story. Decia, a Hermetic mage of the Fraternal they work, but the elders say isolation is the only way to find
Order of Tytalus and the twenty-second Chancellor (from out. Acting quickly. Will spend next week evacuating all those
1831 to 1556) of the Fors Collegis Mercuris, was the leader not suspected, calling back professors and students still under
of the university Chantry on Mus, Mercury’s hidden moon, the shadow. Rough on my staff, difficult to house the grogs and
at the time of the disaster. The first except is from before her consors on such short notice. Made the announcement, censored
accession to the Chancellorship, and I provide it because of the of course, at dinner. Grumbling, but we will do it. Only for a
excellent descriptions of the City of Brass in its Golden Age. few weeks, regardless.
• April 9, 1827: Saw today with my own eyes the famous • June 1, 1847: …after the fight, sent for the few senior
Batini Chantry. Went with Cor and the others. Took some time to Batini we have. Asked them to speak to the villagers for me,
adjust to the yellow twilight, and to walking in a bowl. Cor says and whether there was word yet. They agreed to keep the peace.
entire settlement built in the basin of a crater, on the edge of day. No news.

• August 30, 1847: The Batini villagers are making
good homes here. Mercury
• September 24, 1847: No word from Mercury. Astron- In consensual space, Mercury is a barren, airless, heavily
omy department tells me the planet is beginning to rotate faster. cratered world with a slow rotation and no volcanic activity.
I think I understand now. It is the closest planet to the sun.
• November 15, 1847: The end came today. The magicks The day is roughly two thirds the length of the year, (59 and
that kept the planet habitable are gone, and the twilight zone has 88 Earth days, respectively) though this has not always been the
moved into daylight. This morning, through the telescope, we saw case. Before the Batini Chantry was destroyed, Mercury’s rotation
the fields and buildings burn. Tried to send scouting cabal to look took precisely the same time as its revolution. The planet kept
for survivors, but there are no portals open. Shade Realm cut off as one hemisphere always facing the sun, and one hemisphere in
well. Doubt they would find anything; the library would never have constant darkness. The Batini settlement was built in the twilight
been abandoned by the living. Have offered to adopt the apprentices area between the two, where the climate was more bearable. Now
as our own, and house the rest until they decide what to do. no part of the planet escapes Mercury’s incredible extremes of
temperature: 700°F by day, -274°F by night.
Sol and S.R. Infinite Mercury has only one moon, Mus. This tiny satellite is
unknown to Sleepers because its defenses render it almost
In consensual space, the sun is a huge ball of gas in fission,
invisible.
fusion and the plasma state. To the Awakened, the sun appears
the same, and is frustratingly unattainable. The Technocracy
and Traditions know very little more than do Earthbound
Background
astronomers; although both the Void Engineers and the Sons Mercury was once the home to the largest Umbral Batini
of Ether send regular probes and close-passing ships, they are Chantry. Since their Sphere was Correspondence, the Shade
unable to study the star very closely. The Engineers are rumored Realm of Correspondence was associated with Mercury.
to be building an extreme-approach vessel to fly through the It is no longer possible to travel to the Shade Realm of
photosphere, but even at this outer stratum the sun has a grav- Correspondence, historically the richest and most varied
ity 28 times Earth’s and a temperature of 9000 °F. Even with nexus point for portal-style interrealm travel. If there ever
technomagick of mythic proportions, the ship is likely to melt, were any gates to the Shade Realm of the Sun or the spirit
implode or kill the crew very quickly. Obviously, traveling in lands fabled to exist inside it, they have been closed with
the Technocratic paradigm has its disadvantages. magicks the Virtual Adepts have not yet rediscovered.
Awakened astronomers and cosmologists have been unable Mercury remains the best physical base from which to
to find signs of a Gauntlet or Umbral landscape on the Sun. study the sun itself, but the barriers prevent even physical
Many legends tell of a “Land of the Sun” and vast Realms approaches to the planet. Even the Technocracy realizes this,
associated with it, but if these are true, modern mages have and NASA has been discouraged from building a lander.
lost the secret to finding the Shining Country. The most likely Mariner 10, the only probe thus far, was an orbiter only.
places to seek portals for it would have been Mercury and S.R. For over a century, the Traditions have been trying
Correspondence, on which we offer more below. to reconnect to Mercury and S.R. Correspondence. These
Sol’s “Shade Realm” affinity is one of the most hotly attempts are spearheaded by the Order of Hermes, working
contested areas of cosmological research. While almost until recently (see below) from their base on Mus, and the
every theorist agrees that the Sun is the Shard Realm of the Virtual Adepts, working from the Digital Web. The two
Infinite, the debate over what that infinite Sphere is rages groups have learned a great deal about portal magicks and
incessantly. Each Tradition has their pet theory, and each Correspondence, but have made no tangible progress so far.
Tradition wants to prove it. Before the fall of the College on
Mus, the university Chantry was crawling with researchers Ecology
from every sect seeking portals in the vicinity, or clues in Unknown. No reports of any indigenous fauna or flora,
the writings that survive from the Batini settlement. but mages and their consors once imported pets, chickens and
However, if the idea of Shade Realms as universes meat animals, beasts of burden, food crops, flowers, shade trees,
dominated by one Sphere is true, we will never be able to and (accidentally) rats, mice and flies. It is unlikely, however,
study the 10th Sphere by traveling to its Shade Realm. We that the oases created by the Batini still exist.
already live in it.
S.R. Correspondence
Ecology According to our sources, the Shade Realm is a very
Many spirits of fire, light and energy claim to have dwelled disturbing place, difficult to navigate in and nearly impossi-
on the sun in their “youth.” We assume that at least a few speak ble to perceive accurately. Our universe has one nonspatial
the truth, and that many Umbrood live there, but that few are dimensions and three spatial ones. In S.R. Correspondence,
able to survive outside their specialized environment. there at least five spatial dimensions and two others.
Before the Realm was closed off, its entryway on the Hori- Background
zon appeared as a huge, flat plane with its broad side always to In the earliest days of the Council, the Order of Hermes
the viewer. No matter how many observers examined it, none and the Batini were still allies, tied more closely together than
could find an edge or any indication of volume. When they any other Traditions. The Batini invited the Order to build a
approached the portal, those mages with any understanding of university on Mus to which both could send their students.
Correspondence magicks could decide to “slide” along it and Because the Nephandi and the Craftmasons were interested
enter the Realm, or to pass through it to the other side. The even then in Mercury and the Sun, and because the Ascension
entryway seemed to have no thickness whatsoever. War was yet young, the College was built as a fortress as well. It
was designed to be the keystone of the planet’s outer defenses.
Mus Unfortunately for the school, the stonecutter who built
Mus, a small, flat, rocky satellite only 40 miles across and sculpted the original door lintels for the Library, the Great
in its least dimension, and barely 154 miles in its greatest, Hall and the Main Gate, was nearly illiterate. Instructed
cannot be seen from Earth, or by conventional astronomical to carve “ARX COLLEGIS MERCURIS” — the Fortress
instruments. College of Mercury — he wrote down the instructions in
The surface is rough, barren and airless except for the his native language. Later, realizing that the mages wished
area enclosed by the shield wall and buildings of the College. to have the words in Latin, he took it upon himself to
These are the only structures on the little moon. Their ar- translate the name. What he carved in the end was “FORS
chitecture is (or was) rather odd — very heavy medieval and COLLEGIS MERCURIS” — “the Accidental College of
Romanesque buildings combined with lighter, more Moorish Mercury.” The name stuck.
structures. Imagine southern Spain crossed with northern The College has been the site of many important events
Germany. The complex covers roughly five square miles and in Council history. It was here that the Mercurian Cosmology
(before 1995) included a mosque, two chapels, the Great Hall was developed, it was the base for the Circle of Seven, and
of Reason, the third-best library of the Order of Hermes, and of course it became the home of those Batini innocent of
the usual dormitories and other offices. A small village and the betrayal on Mercury. Marcella Decia was said to know
farming area was set aside for consors, the College’s guards the secret of reversing the blocks the Batini placed on their
and retainers, and the families of the faculty. portals, but if so, she took her knowledge to the grave.

After the Second World War and the fall of the Batini, the The College, as a body, still exists. Refugees of the
Order of Hermes did their best to help the shattered remnants massacre have found asylum on Cerberus, Pluto’s second
of the Tradition. They schooled the remaining students, took in moon. Lord Gilmore has asked us to make this known, and
huge numbers of refugees, equipped search parties and assisted the to keep a mailbox open for other survivors who may have
Errants. The College lost many good mages in the effort, mainly been separated from the main group. We are also taking a
to Batini barabbi, but their loyalty never wavered. collection for their assistance. (Contact Alexis at her Web
In August, 1995, the Chantry on Mus was attacked by address for more information, or write to Doissetep Press.)
a fleet of small Technocratic fighter ships accompanied by Today the Fortress on Mus is held by the Nephandi,
a Qui La Machina carrying ground ships and infantry. The and the Traditions lack the forces to retake it. Scouts report
Order of Hermes mobilized their forces and managed to push that the battlements have been rebuilt, stronger than before.
the invaders back, but as the battle began to turn, both sides Perhaps the Technocracy will mount another expedition
were assaulted by a third force: savage shock troops, a swarm soon. I hope so. Make of that what you will. I’d rather see
of strange Umbrood, half-a-dozen wormlike creatures, and a this important outpost occupied by our least enemies, rather
bevy of Nephandi sorcerers. The Technocratic forces with- than by our worst.
drew with heavy losses, rejecting Chancellor Lord Gilmore’s
plea for co-operation, and the Nephandi took the College in Ecology
an overwhelming wave. Gilmore and a handful of students, Mus has no native life, but inside the walls of the Col-
mages and consors escaped to Horizon via a last-ditch portal lege there was a fairly normal settlement mix of plants and
opened in the floor of the Library. To guard their retreat, the animals. With the Nephandi in residence, the very ground
three surviving Batini instructors, resident on Mus since the now crawls with dangerous Umbrood and warped animals.
College’s founding, remained to destroy the entire building. Anything goes.
Venus and Mars

Mars and Venus have what no other the air pressure 90 times that of Earth and the temperature
Realms outside the Horizon do: Penumbrae. far too high (900°F) due to the greenhouse effect of that
These “memories” of both planets show clearly mammoth atmosphere. At various times, the Technocracy
that Earth is not the only source of life in the and the Council have sponsored outposts and small research
Solar System. We are merely the only life left. stations, but even with magick and Primium, Venus is simply
Both worlds are unique in location, as too hostile.
well. Technically considered “outside” the Venus does have a Penumbra. The Gauntlet seems to
Horizon, Mars and Venus are nonetheless be the same for the entire planet, and the crossing is so dif-
easier to reach than the Horizon itself. Their ficult that it is easier to leave the physical aspect completely
proximity to Earth, particularly in the case of Venus, makes and enter the Penumbra from space or S.R. Life than it is
their Shade Realms and Penumbras interact all year round, to cross directly.
creating permanent overlap zones. Until the 1960s, mundane scientists thought Venus
was a watery planet something like Earth during the Coal
Venus Forest period. In science fiction and popular myth, storytell-
ers populated it with ferns, horsetail plants, mosses, molds,
Green, how much I want you green,
fungi, lizards, and dinosaur-type animals.
green wind, green branches…
In the Penumbra, Venus is still a watery planet some-
The long wind was leaving
thing like Earth during the Coal Forest period. There are
in the mouth a strange taste two continents, Ishtar Terra and Aphrodite Terra, and a
of gall, mint, and sweet-basil. mini-continent, Beta Regio. These are covered with swampy
— Federico Garcia Lorca, “Somnambule Ballad” lowlands and jungle highlands, and dotted with active
Often referred to as Earth’s twin, Venus is roughly the volcanoes. The rest of the planet is one huge, salt-marsh
same size as our home planet. Explorers for whom gravity is ocean of no great depth.
an issue will be comfortable, weighing about 90% of what Why a Penumbra here? The theory is that the planet was
they would on Earth. No moons. The planet rotates from once exactly as it appears to the spirit world. In the beginnings
east to west (the opposite of Earth’s rotation). of the Solar System (or soon after the division of the One into
Unfortunately, the physical aspect of Venus is almost Shard Realms), the sun burned much cooler than it does today.
completely uninhabitable. The atmosphere is corrosive, At those temperatures, Venus could have developed along the

same path that Earthly life followed later. If you are a die-hard Suppose Alexis, for instance, were to walk a few miles
evolutionary and this seems unlikely, remember that spirits into Life, blazing a trail with spray paint or cloth strips
and the Celestines have intervened many times with our own (knowing that the worst thing she could do when surrounded
world, and probably modified our sister-world, too. by Life-loving spirits would be to hurt anything), then sit
Conventional maps of the planet are good enough to down for a picnic. A few hours later, she packs up and tries
navigate by, provided you make the climate and sea level to walk back out. The territory she returns through may
adjustments in your head or by computer. The astronomers have the same geography as before, but the flora, fauna
who mapped Venus by radar assigned names to the geological and climate will be very different. Wherever Alexis is, the
features, temporarily enraging the Verbena (who regard the environment seems to grow at normal speed, but outside that
planet with a fierce maternal affection). But the astronomers ecosystem, time seems to rush by. Those blazed trees are coal
had already decided (apparently of their own accord) to name by now. Fortunately, Alexis read this book, knows exactly
every feature (except the Maxwell mountains) after a woman where she wants to go and has at least a basic knowledge of
or goddess, and the terms are now used almost universally, Correspondence (I assume).
though not without grumbling. Time is not truly affected by the Realm, or perhaps vice
Despite the planet’s pleasant, habitable guise, be careful versa. Living things simply grow and change faster here. Again,
here. I will deal with the lively dangers below, but watch out evolutionaries will have to cope with the “impossible.”
even for the land itself. Those volcanoes, particularly Rhea The Horizon entryway to S.R. Life looks like a large tract
Mons, erupt frequently and spew large clouds of poison gas. of wilderness. Occasionally, it may be linked to some remote
The Penumbra quickly “forgets” the poison, but the process location on Earth, such as the Amazonian rainforests, unin-
can take several weeks. Try not to get caught in it. habited mountain valleys, or the African or Asian jungles.
Background Ecology
As the nearest, easiest Shard Realm to travel to, Venus Which ones would you like? They all exist here. Bygones
has a long history of visitors and conflicts. All Nine Tra- are more common in S.R. Life than anywhere else, and
ditions and most of the other Awakened sects come to our Marauders frequent it. Be careful not to tangle with them.
sister planet for one reason or another. Researchers can detect no pattern in the climate shifts.
Between Venus and the S.R. Life, there are four overlap Jungles sit next to deserts that butt up against oceans. Animals
zones. The zones are referred to as the four Verbena Seasonal stay in their own habitats, never crossing into regions they
Realms. (See Chapter Four for more information.) aren’t designed to cope with. No one knows what happens
to them during the sped-up evolutions.
Ecology
Imagine a rain forest. Cross it with a greenhouse. Multiply
by 10, and add small dinosaurs. That is the Bygone Venus.
Mars
In 1877, the first really detailed map of Mars was
Watch out for mold spores and mildew. Keep moving, published, made by G.V. Schiaparelli. It updated the no-
or things will grow on you and your equipment. Bring rain menclature, classified a fair number of the geological features
protection and breathing masks, or make sure you have and added something strange: dark lines which Schiaparelli
someone in your party who can disinfect you magickally called canali. These channels, or canals, were thought to be
every few hours or so. Don’t sleep on the ground if you can artificial waterways. Percival Lowell agreed with him, and
help it, and certainly not without that Life specialist around. hypothesized artificial waterways built by a sentient Martian
Watch out for the bollixes, too. Venus is blessed (or race. The canals were later “proved” not to exist, and the
plagued) with a vast number of this semi-intelligent species of “dying civilization” theory was abandoned. Unfortunately
Bygone. Whether or not they are dangerous depends on your for science, the theory was right.
point of view, but you should never take your eyes off them. How exactly Schiaparelli and Lowell, both Sleepers,
saw the ruins of the canals — through the Gauntlet,
S.R. Life across a million miles of space, and through a mundane
In its most stable areas, the Shade Realm of Life looks and telescope — we may never know, but the map is a fairly
feels like a perfect version of any ecology you care to name, accurate depiction of the spirit structures built by the
and a few known nowhere else in the Tellurian. There are Martians. The canals run along natural Ley lines, and the
deserts, jungles, temperate forests, grasslands and tundra, and Martian cities were built at the Nodes at their junctions.
even the most exotic climate exists here. Deeper in, one finds In its physical aspect, Mars is a smallish ball of rusty
gas-giant ecologies and even stranger things. red rock, completely lifeless. Though there is water, it ex-
Travelers get into trouble easily in S.R. Life. Not only ists only in the rock itself and in combination with carbon
are there poisonous plants, dangerous animals and nasty dioxide in the polar ice caps. The atmosphere is too thin to
insects, but the Realm itself is constantly in flux. breathe, even for the Technocracy’s genetically engineered

servants. (Ether breathers will have no difficulty.) Mars has Ecology
two moons, and many active volcanoes. The Viking land- Normal for an Umbral Chantry: pigs, cattle, humans,
ers have crushed mundane science’s hopes of ever finding rats, etc. Food crops are the main plant life. Unlike Venus,
sophisticated life on this planet. there are no Bygones on Mars. Cosmologists theorize that
In its Penumbra, Mars is much more interesting. Here, any spirit life present would be too likely to stumble into
Schiaparelli’s canals do exist, and two Tradition settlements the uninhabitable physical aspect to survive.
grace the landscape at the junction of seven such canals, Unofficially, the Sons have begun to wonder. No one
the Trivium Charontis. from the expedition was willing to be quoted here, but
The main colony, of course, is the terraformed grounds “ghost stories” of apparitions resembling the TriCha A
of Doissetep. The farms, the village, and many of the teach- and C figures are common among the junior members of
ing buildings are located on Mars proper, in the Penumbra. the team. The folklore of the villagers, long discounted as
Doissetep itself lies in a permanent overlap zone, the one peasant superstitions and anoxia hallucinations, is finally
caused by the interaction of the Shade Realm of Forces and being taken seriously. With so much of Mars unexplored
the Martian Penumbra. even now, no one is willing to bet we won’t see Bygones
The second colony is also within the terraformed region. before the end of the century.
Officially titled Marsbase One, (affectionately nicknamed
“Bradbury”) the settlement is only temporary. The Sons Deimos and Phobos
of Ether established their camp with the permission of the Neither of the moons of Mars is very big; both are air-
Deacons in summer of 1996. The digs themselves are outside less and the two seem to be captured asteroids rather than
the habitable zone, by necessity (see below). original companions. Deimos, the outer moon, is currently
The Martian day is only 37 minutes longer than Earth’s, unoccupied. Doissetep foiled a rather half-hearted attempt
but its year takes 668 of those days. Doissetep and Bradbury by the Void Engineers to take it in 1978.
run on local time for daily activities, but keep their records Phobos’ orbit is very small; the little world (only 17
by Greenwich Mean Time. The local “weather” is erratic. miles long) literally zooms around Mars, rising and setting
Mars is subject to fierce winds, which occasionally cause more than twice a day. Its largest crater, Stickney, is six miles
dust storms that cover the entire planet for weeks. Doissetep wide. The whole moon looks like a potato with a big hollow
is partially protected from the storms, but visitors are still bite taken out of one end. This “bite” houses a small fortress,
advised that the Realm is tempestuous on the best of days. Eris, ostensibly commanded by the Glass Eye cabal. In the
For navigational purposes, a Schiaparelli map with absence of the Glass Eye, the Society of the Case-Hardened
modernized nomenclature is best. Paradigma publishes an Soul has taken on duties there. Eris is Doissetep’s first line of
excellent version. defense against intruders, and the Society sees it as an excellent
military base for their war against Iteration X.
Background
Mars is home of the largest, oldest, most decrepit Tradition S.R. Forces
Chantry of them all. When evacuating Doissetep’s Earthly Much like the inside of a star, or the center of a light-
manifestation during the dawn of the Ascension War, the ning rod, but easier to live in. I recommend staying away
Chantry’s masters sought the most powerful of Mars’ Nodes from it until you have at least a basic grasp of the Forces
(still very weak, compared to Earth’s magickal centers) to place Sphere. Even with protective gear and magicks, this is a
it on. When the Order of Hermes moved Doissetep to Mars, dangerous Realm.
and from Mars to their “invincible” position between Realms, There are calm areas within S.R. Forces. “Flat” areas, force
they landed the castle, the mountain and the grounds smack bubbles and strange plateaus spring up out of the raw energy
on top of the central part of the ruined city. The magicks without warning, and disappear just as fast. Take advantage of
that melded the imported soil to the native strata destroyed them while they last; inside one, it becomes far easier to speak
the best part of the ruins entirely. The Sons’ dig is in the with the local spirits. A favorite Son of Ether trick is to prepare
only remaining “neighborhood” of the city. Even should the a container ahead of time and persuade an energy spirit (a
Deacons renew the archeologists’ lease, the Sons will have fusion elemental, for example) to leave the Realm and see the
to move on when the area is exhausted. universe. The spirit gets to travel without dispersing, the Son
The Sons and their Dreamspeaker allies are doing their gets a spaceship-level power source, and everybody’s happy. It
best to fight the red tape, however. The Dreamspeakers, is important to keep the spirit happy, however.
normally apolitical, have only recently moved in on the The entryway on the Horizon appears most often as a
debate. Their interest here seems to be tied to the lifestyle huge electrical storm, but as I mentioned before, the open-
of the Martians; any race so perfectly balanced in the Pe- ing’s appearance varies. There are reports of dazzling clouds
riphery must have known more than a few things about of red light that led to S.R. Forces, but these are infrequent
the Spirit ways. and questionable.

The Earth and Luna
I rather like the world. The flesh is pleasing Umbra, which is covered in Chapter Three. Most research
and the Devil does not trouble me. sources skip over it, but for your safety, my father insisted
— Elbert Hubbard it be covered. Just don’t go there.
The Earth is flat. The Earth is a sphere. For beginning worldwalkers, I recommend leaving the
The Earth is a goddess, sleeping restlessly. Earth and all this confusion behind as soon as possible. Learn
The Earth is the center of the universe, and the basics in the High or Middle Penumbrae if you want, and
the Earth orbits the sun. All these are true. then get to the Horizon. The best teachers are out here. The
I absolutely refuse to describe the Earth universe is simpler, and even though the Ascension War is
further in this format. all around you, at least the fight is out where you can see it
I will, however, take this opportunity to explain a few and there are fewer civilians in the way.
things about navigation, and why you should never start
learning real worldwalking inside the Horizon. Luna
Earlier, we mentioned that when Shade Realms overlap The true twin to Earth is not Venus, but the Moon.
each other or interact with Penumbrae and Shard Realms, Everything that happens there affects our homeworld, and
they create a new Realm called an overlap zone. Inside the every change on Gaia is reflected in her sister. Even consensual
Horizon, there are the Earth, the Moon, one Lunar Penum- science reflects this: By their definition, the Moon — the only
bra and three Gaian Penumbrae (one in each of the Three moon that needs no name, the moon which created the very
Worlds), Arcadia and the three Great Enigmas. That’s 10 idea of moon — is no moon at all, but a world in its own
worlds, all large and close enough to affect each other year- right, the other half of our double-planet system.
round. The Traditions have been trying to identify every Certainly the two worlds enjoy a very unusual rela-
Realm within the Horizon since the earliest days of the tionship. Many cosmologists believe that the Earth and
Council, and the tally is still growing. We have no space Luna together form the Shard Realm of Prime, not one or
to list even the names of the permanent Realms, let alone the other. They seek to prove it by finding S.R. Prime and
the thousands of conjunction overlap zones. mapping the portals from it to each world, but so far with
It is all very complicated. Most of these areas have no success. The entryway on the Horizon has never been
their own sections in this book — pay particular attention found, giving rise to the question — can a Shard Realm cast
to the Shadowlands, or Penumbra of Earth in the Dark a shadow on the Horizon from the inside?
The Triple Moon

The triple nature of the Moon confuses cosmologists and travelers alike. By all accounts, the place has three
aspects — the lifeless rock the Void Engineers have “conquered”; that same planet’s dying Umbral shadow, orbited
by Victoria Station; and the vibrant Court of Luna. How can one Realm have three aspects?
For the answer to that, we need look no further than our own Earth. Would all the countless Otherworlds
disappear if, by some obscene stroke of luck, the Earth were to perish? Most cosmologists say no. The material
aspect of the world could be destroyed, but its surrounding shadows would survive, at least temporarily. During
the lag time between Earth’s annihilation and the death of the Umbrae, beings with the means to do so would
set up new homes, perhaps in the orbit of their former worlds, perhaps elsewhere. Maybe Luna decided to do the
same when hostile ants in metal ships came calling on her Realm. After swatting a few (see the early history of
Darkside Moonbase, Chapter Four), she decided simply to move and leave a barren husk for the ants to play with.
This same theory may explain why a few Umbral travelers encounter vast spirit worlds governed by demigods
(see Chapter Two), while most others enter the equally vast but independent Shade Realms described in this
chapter. Maybe the gods don’t like to be bothered.
Maybe it’s also vain to think that the reasons for these triple aspects have anything to do with us whatsoever. Perhaps
it’s just one of creation’s truths. Cosmologists point to the various mystic trinities — Father, Son and Holy Spirit, the Triple
Goddess, Mind, Body and Soul, etc. — and suppose that each planet has three aspects. We simply know more about the
aspects of our closest neighbor than we do about the outlying planets. And consider that, for all the journeying the
“walker” mysticks might do, most accounts of other planets come from Technomancers; as loath as Alexis might be
admit it, the Sons of Ether have their own blinders when it comes to admitting the “Scientific” proof of hidden gods.
Perhaps there are certain things they were simply not meant to see.

The chief rival theory on the Shade Realm problem
claims that S.R. Prime (wherever it may be) is associated
only with the Earth, and that Arcadia (see below) is the
“Shade” of the Moon. Though not popular with the Order
of Hermes, this theory does explain the immense legendary
geographic extent of the Fae Realm — provided always that
the Shade Realms are the separate “universes” of modern
cosmology. I prefer to consider Arcadia an Enigma; the Fae
would likely rather it not be classified at all.
The physical aspect of the Moon is exactly as the
Consensus portrays it — an airless, barren, cratered, lava-en-
crusted world. Only a Technocratic station and a few of their
sentinel satellites break the dead monotony. Unfortunately,
the Moon may be like this because the Consensus portrays
it that way. Enough evidence of life remains to convince
many angry Dreamspeakers that the Technocracy has won
the battle here already.
The Penumbra seems but little different. Most of the
surface is the same barren, cratered wasteland. In the shadows
of the craters, however, the Moon shows a different char-
acter. Here are the remains of forests, the ruins of villages
(and at least one city) built in a strongly Egyptian style. In
the Penumbra, too, you may meet other travelers — the fae
themselves, various strange werecreatures, other mages and
many spirits. I have heard tales that a spirit manifestation of
the Moon, called Phoebe or Luna, sits on the other side of
the Gauntlet instead. Her Realm, a gigantic sphere of pure
moonsilver, swarms with Lune spirits and rejects all who
would despoil Her. If these tales are true, there may be a
third Moon hiding from the Technocratic presence on the
planetoid’s surface. I do not know the truth, and I prefer
not to speculate on the ways of shapeshifters.
It is important to note that even Ether breathers will
need life support equipment on the mundane side of the
Gauntlet. Perhaps this is a side effect of Dark Side Moon
Base (Chapter Four) and its eerie history.
Background
The Moon has always been a gathering-place for Ver-
bena and Dreamspeakers (who revere her), and most other
Traditions (merely respecting her) travel here for their own
reasons. The Garou revere Luna as a goddess, and their myths
attribute many of their talents to Her. Cats are said to walk
to Luna on moonbeams, and the Triple Goddess of elder
cultures is often pictured as the phases of the Moon. Many
Paths and well-worn tracks through the Umbra lead here.
The early Council should have guessed that these would be
the first ways off-planet that the Order of Reason would find.
Darkside Moonbase has changed the whole character of
the Moon. Once fairly friendly to visitors, the Moon now is
hostile, and the fae, Garou and other weres have become even
more protective and belligerent than before. Be careful, and try
to avoid contact, particularly with anything that looks catlike.
Never disturb any ruins, cairns or artifacts you find.

• From an anonymous Web posting: Put off your plans
Ecology for visiting Faerieland, you tree-hugging New Age dabblers.
Nothing lives on the barren surface of the physical Moon
No portals, freaks. No teleporting in — that Correspondence
except a few Void Engineers. The Penumbra shows signs of
shit only goes if you’ve already been where you’re going, or you
old forests, and scraps of seaweed in the Mares suggest old
know –exactly– where it is, right? No Paths lead there, and all
oceans. There is very little life left, and all of it stays in the
the old gates are CLOSED. C-L-O-S-E-D. Titania’s pulled in
shelter of crater walls. From time to time, especially during
her washing and Oberon’s barred the door.
what we on Earth see as the Gibbous and Full phases of the
Come on, why the hell do you think they’d want you tracking
Moon, weird creatures can be seen dancing across Luna’s
mud and Technocrats in behind you? If we can get there, the
surface. The Technocrats, I’m told, get very edgy during
Conventions can get there! I’m asking you, as a personal favor,
such events.
to -stop posting- to this damn board. What if you come up with
Arcadia something that works? Or you give the Techies a -really- good
idea? Oops! Goddamn dead faeries, enslaved faeries, Nephan-
I include this Realm in this section only because
di-corrupted faeries.
it is certainly located inside the Horizon. I cannot say
whether it truly is associated with the Moon or not; make FIX THIS WORLD FIRST!
your own judgments. We cannot find it. That is all I know.
Asteroids and the Horizon

Asteroids are large rocks in space. Mount Third, more cosmology: Are the Asteroids and the
Everest torn from its roots and set in orbit would Horizon two parts of the same structure? Odd as the first
be a medium-sized asteroid. Most move around two concepts were, this hypothesis is the most debatable.
the sun in a wide Belt between the orbits of The only basis for the connection is a slight accident of
Mars and Jupiter (in the scientific paradigm, position (the Asteroids separate the “inner” planets from
anyway). There are a few closer in than Earth, a the “outer” planets; the Horizon separates the Near Umbra
few farther out than Jupiter, and a few in clusters from the Deep Umbra), and of composition (the Asteroid
ahead of and behind Jupiter in its orbit. Mundane Belt is a wide region dotted with small Realms; the Horizon
scientists have charted over 5,000 asteroids, and is a wide region dotted with small Realms). No one has
low-security Void Engineer files hold orbital data established a connection, though Ceres and Horizon (the
on at least 3,000 more. The Technocracy and Sons of Ether Realm, not the region) are said to be the same world seen
each maintain fueling stations on various medium-sized rocks, different ways. Shangri-La and Vesta are another famous
but there are no large settlements or Chantries. pair. Since none of the “obvious” connections are willing
I have few facts to give you on these tiny Realms, but to permit the Realm-shaking experiments needed to prove
theories we have in plenty. or disprove the point, the matter remains in limbo and no
First, the Lost Planet: Early astronomers and cosmologists serious cosmologist will touch it.
asked themselves “Where did all these rocks come from?”
The answer they preferred was that a long, long time ago, The Horizon
there had been another planet between Mars and Jupiter. As we know, the Horizon is the dividing “line” between
For some unknown reason, the planet exploded. From the the Near Umbra and the Deep Umbra. The Three Worlds
debris came the asteroids, the two moons of Mars, and many become one as you cross it, and Realspace becomes indis-
of the gas giants’ smaller satellites. Consensual and mystick tinguishable from Etherspace beyond it.
astronomers are now finding organic material in the Belt; Though frequently referred to as a barrier — largely
therefore if there had been a planet, it might have had life because that is exactly what the Technocracy would like to
on it. This is unlikely, but interesting. make it — the Horizon is not too difficult to cross. I cannot
Second, stemming from the first: What Sphere could tell you what it will look like to your eyes, but I myself see
the Lost Planet (assuming there was one) have been asso- a wide and shallow river. To me, the Horizon Realms are
ciated with? Is there evidence in the asteroids of a Sphere boats and islands in the river and along the shores. Many
that no longer exists? Or, on the Horizon, could we find people see nothing, but do know when they have crossed
the entryway of a forgotten Shade Realm? A few armchair it, and most Ethernauts of my acquaintance see a diffuse
cosmologists and theologians are working on the first half band of dust and light. Either way, the magicks required to
of the problem, and a few suicidal explorers on the Horizon pass through are powerful on a mortal scale but minor on
search for the second. a cosmic one.

This area of space is heavily patrolled by the Void Engineers, Air and Ether
and they maintain several defensive satellites “between” Luna and Sam: So let me get this straight. We can breathe here then?
the Horizon. Be careful here, particularly when traveling toward
Max: I guess those candy-butt astronauts didn’t have the
the Earth — the systems are designed primarily to keep intruders
stones to try it.
out, not to track ships and walkers on their way to deeper space.
Sam: I could never say that about an astronaut.
Anchorheads — Steve Purcell, Sam and Max: Bad Day on the Moon
Swirling gates of energy mark the places where the Horizon Once past the Horizon, explorers fall into two categories
gives way to the Deep Umbra. These gates, called Anchorheads, — people who can breathe and people who can’t.
appear and disappear at random, sometimes sweeping unlucky Technocrats can’t. Not only do they think that space is
travelers out of the Near Worlds and hurtling them into space. airless, they believe it so strongly that a Technocrat kicked
Occasionally, Anchorheads manifest in Realms, but more often out of an airlock dies. A Technocrat who lives is not a
they appear along Moon Paths or on the edges of the Horizon. Technocrat anymore. Recruit her.
Some Anchorheads, rippling with the energies of the places they Most Tradition mages and Umbral natives can breathe
lead to, reach from Shenti (see “Space”) and connect inside the “space.” Dreamspeakers in particular rarely understand the
Horizon, creating a direct passageway to these enigmatic Realms. problem mundanelyeducated explorers face. Ether-breathing
I do not advise following their lure. requires some expertise, but most people without it don’t
Anchorheads seem to be more prevalent inside the make it far enough to find out.
Horizon than outside. Although these vortices do appear The trick of it is to know that you can. Step outside
from time to time in open space, the “barrier” seems stronger and take off your airtank, but keep it close by. This may
from without than from within. Many Anchorheads link the be something which you will not get right the first time. It
Horizon with Shade Realms or the mysterious Shenti, and helps to find a person who breathes Ether and watch them.
bridge incredible distances in a matter of moments. Believe what you see, and try some more. It is simple, and
Travel through an Anchorhead is a frightening affair. it is not magick, or consors could not do it. It is our best
As the worldwalker enters the whirling vortex, her body advantage past the Horizon.
shudders as crackling energies seek to pull her apart. No Even so, long trips into deep space require some sort of
magick works inside an Anchorhead — the traveler is life-support system, magickal or otherwise. Like a traveler in
there for the duration. As the whirling clouds disperse, the the wilderness, your survival depends on more than simply
explorer finds herself at the other end of the wormhole. Her breathing. Cut off without any Earthly link, any traveler
reception depends upon where she has landed. will die in time.
Jupiter and Saturn

These two I take together, not because driven from Earth in large numbers), and continues like a
of their similar physical compositions, but living chess game. The warriors here are isolated from Earth
because on their moons, the Ascension War and seem to like it that way. My father speculates that they
rages more fiercely than anywhere else in the have found some massive source of Quintessence on one or
Tellurian. both of the planets. This fortune, if it exists, could tip the
Earth is an enormous, deadly battle- balance of the War on Earth, and so both the Council and
ground, but the combat there is kept quiet. The the Technocrats send people and supplies through portals
Horizon, hotly contested itself, is composed of in the moon complexes. Then again, the whole war may be
artificial Realms too fragile for all-out war and a ruse for a handful of demented mages who want to play
hazardous obstacles like Shade Realm gateways. The moons Flash Gordon. I don’t know.
of Jupiter and Saturn are large, stable and solid enough for To give you more detail on the complicated interplay
massive fortresses and heavy assaults. There are no Enigmas of power here, I went not to the mages, but to a real expert.
in the area, and no Sleepers or civilians to hide from or to Jedediah “Rambling Jed” Barnes has been a consor of the
shield the enemy. Sons of Ether since WWII, and has lived on one of these
In the strange complexes that surround these planets, moons or another for almost 70 years.
dozens of Awakened mages and hundreds of acolytes (often • From a letter written January 4, 1996: …and of
bolstered by Otherworldly allies) battle from technomagickal course I’ll help out with your book, girl. I’m just not sure exactly
strongholds. This war began early this century, accelerated how far back you want me to go — do these folks need history,
during the Second World War (when the Nephandi were or current events? Hell, I’ll just try to get the idea across. By the

time this thing comes out Callisto may have changed hands again,
and the whole story would take two of your books.
Ecology
Well, so far as I know there’s nothing down there but
the Technocrats and Mitch and Eliza Beth [in the manned
Jupiter pod]. ‘Liza went on last time about how she’d seen a damn
The largest planet in the Solar System, Jupiter is roughly big blip zoom past on the scanner, and how it just couldn’t
a thousandth the size of the sun. At the “surface,” this planet have been a Techie ship — but nobody believes her. I wouldn’t
has a gravity two and a half times that of Earth. Though the credit it myself, but I know Jupiter. It’s so damn big that
world’s composition is complex and stratified, Jupiter is best anything could be there, and we wouldn’t know it unless
thought of as a huge ball of cold gas swirling over a core of we hit the right cloud level, at the right time, with the right
hot, solid gas with no real surface or dividing line between kind of scanner.
them. The atmosphere is famous for its enormous hurricanelike So maybe.
storms, of which the Red Spot is the best known.
Be careful in the open space around Jupiter; the planet’s Moons
magnetic field interacts with the solar wind to create very The moons of Jupiter fall into three categories: large
dangerous radiation. Worldwalkers will not have a problem worlds of rock and various kinds of ice (Ganymede, Callisto
(there are clear routes visible through the poisoned areas), but and Europa), smaller rock-worlds and Io. Ganymede is the
space-paradigm travelers need to monitor their instruments largest moon in the Solar System.
carefully or use extra shielding. Io’s crust is nearly entirely sulfur and sulfurous com-
pounds. The Realms many volcanoes erupt sulfur, and
Background an eruption’s always occurring somewhere. Io is the most
There’s really not a heck of a lot of activity going on down seismically active world known. Its orbit lies in Jupiter’s
there right now. We [the Sons of Ether] have a few sensor stations radiation belt, and because of this, an unprotected human
and an off-and-on manned outpost, and [the Technocracy] has on Io is dead within hours. Io shares an unusual, power-
an experimental gas-mining station that we know about and they ful magnetic bond with Jupiter in scientific terms; mage
know we know about. cosmologists fear that there may be strong mystic bonds
Jupiter is just too big to know much about. connecting the two as well.

Portals are very easily opened between moons and Settlements out here are strong and portable. Most of the
the Horizon, between various Jovian moons, between little moons’ bases are really just damn big ships docked in the
these moons and Saturn’s, and between Saturn’s various rock, so when the bad guys are about to take over the crew can
moons. The smaller the Realms, the less difficulty in lift off and make it to their home Gallilean.
establishing the link. This is one of the reasons for the
constant territorial battles — a fortress needs heavy S.R. Matter
warding or Primium defenses to keep gates from being Most people are already familiar with S.R. Matter by
opened under the defenders. another name; this is the universe of the Hollow Earth.
All right, hold on, it’s a long damn list. Long thought to be an Enigma, the Hollow Earth now
seems to be a “pocket-Realm” inside S.R. Matter. The
The biggies first, what you’d call the Gallilean moons ‘cause
Shade Realm itself seems to mirror our universe — where
he was the first Sleeper to find them. Right now, everything is nice
we have vast, interplanetary space, it has vast, interplan-
and balanced — the Traditions hold Ganymede, the Technocracy’s
etary solid. Science and alchemy have long struggled to
got Europa, the Marauders have Callisto, and the Nephandi are
analyze the substance of Matter, but have not succeeded
camped out on Io.
in determining its exact composition. The substance
But to show you the kind of thing that goes on out here: breaks down to topsoil and Earth-type crust materials in
About two years ago, the Marauders tried to establish a beach- the vicinity of the pocket-Realms.
head on Europa. They managed to take the lesser Techie base
There are thought to be as many Hollow Worlds in
and bring in reinforcements. The Technocracy lost about five
S.R. Matter as there are Shard Realms here, but only the
of the little moons when it brought in enough troops to defend
Hollow Earth and Hollow Mercury have been discovered.
the main Europan base. So the Nephandi took two of those,
and we grabbed the other three. Then we used some of the The Hollow Mercury was not recognized as such until the
ships we had acquired that way to try a sneak attack on the pocket-Realm theory came along; the Mercurian Cosmology
Technocracy’s main base. It didn’t work, but the Nephandi got considered it an Enigma, and since the loss of the City of
another moon from us while we were busy, and then retreated Brass, no further research has been possible. Cosmologists
explained the Hollow Earth 20 or 30 different ways; the
to Io again, leaving all their moons undefended. The Marauders
Realm was once thought to be the “fading” remnant of an
tried to take these, and after they had two of them the Nephandi
old part of the Earth itself. The connection between them
attacked Callisto in force, driving every last Marauder off the
was ignored until a comparison of the two phenomena at a
planetoid. At this point, the Marauders had a base on Europa
cosmology conference conducted last year by Dr. William
and seven little moons, but didn’t control a Gallilean. Two
Bridges (Son of Ether).
months later, they took back Callisto (we figure they had portals
the Nephandi never found) and abandoned the Europan base. Now the hunt is on for a third Hollow World to confirm
The Technocracy moved back in, discovered that the base was the theory. Paradigma-sponsored scouting parties leave (or
just too booby-trapped to live in, and started work on a new have already left) this year for the polar regions of Venus,
fortress for that hemisphere — which brings us up to now. Luna, Mars, Saturn, Neptune and Uranus. For more infor-
That’s just two years, kids. Think about it. mation, contact Paradigma’s website.
Amalthea is the biggest non-Gallilean, and it’s a Technoc-
racy world. You’ve heard of Metropolis 2? It’s on Amalthea. Saturn
It practically is Amalthea. Metropolis 2 gets hit a lot, but the Saturn’s a damn sight easier to deal with. That’s where
Techies’ defenses there are better than anything but their main most of our [Sons of Ether] mining goes on, and the Conven-
base on Europa. tions have at least three cloud stations themselves. Less gravity,
Himalia is a pretty decent size, and last time I checked we less radiation, less hassle. And it’s gorgeous; Saturn, the rings
still had it. There’s a small garrison there of Order of Hermes folks and moons together are about the prettiest thing in whole damn
who like to keep an eye on Metropolis; I think they’re originally System, aside from Earth.
from Doissetep. We keep our own people there, and a few other This Realm’s composition is much like Jupiter’s, but on a
Traditions, mostly Akashic and Verbena fighting mages, stay smaller scale. The weather patterns are also similar. Saturn has
too. The fortifications are pretty bleak though; the Verbena don’t more large moons than its neighbor (nine instead of six), and
hang around long. Most of those girls like it better on Ganymede, many smaller satellites (nine of which NASA has discovered).
where things are a little greener and permanent. The enormous ring system is the world’s most famous feature
Everything else is real small, and changes hands too often to and the sight should not be missed.
count. In the same group with Amalthea, there’s Thebe, Metis
and Adrastea. In the same group with Himalia, there’s Elara, Background
Leda and Lysithea. Farther out, there’s Phasiphae, Ananke, Let’s see here… the mining stations have been there, one
Carme and Sinope. There’s six or seven more tiny ones (some way or another, for at least 60 years. Not much to say, except
artificial) but they don’t matter. to warn folks about a few rumors.

What we’re hearing out here is that one of the Tech- west. Rhea is cloaked pretty good, but we’ve figured out what
nocracy’s bases, poking its nose into a storm center, found they’re up to — big shipyards cover most of the northern half
a portal going somewhere strange. A little vague, sure, but of the Realm. I’m guessing this must be about their largest
God only knows how the information is getting from there to in-System dock and repair station, and maybe the largest
my bar stool. What we’re absolutely sure of is that there are a construction dock. There’s sure an awful lot of space-junk
lot of Techie troops going through Tethys down to the planet floating around Rhea.
and not coming back. There’s definitely no new settlement, Dione, Enceladus, and Iapetus have got Marauders
so the question everybody here wants answered is: Are these crawling all over them. We try not to look too closely.
scout teams sent to check out dangerous territory, or are So far as we know, the Nephandi don’t control any of
these shock troops sent into [S.R.] Time to fight somewhere the big moons out here. There’s no Io-perfect real estate for
in the future? Could really ruin your day, seven divisions them around Saturn. And while I doubt anybody’d admit to
of Techie troops popping up where you don’t want them…. it, there’s kind of a gentleman’s agreement between us, the
Techies, and the Mad Ones. Nobody wants the Nephandi
Ecology getting in the way while we’re fighting each other, so we take
No indigenous life known. turns ousting them when they’ve had a little moon too long.
I think right now they’ve got three of the pebbles, and they’re
Moons about due to get kicked off two of them.
What we’ve got here are nine biggish balls of rock and The NASA-named pebbles are Pan, Atlas, Prometheus,
ice. There are a bunch of pebbles floating around, but they’re Pandora, Epimetheus, Janus, Telesto, Calypso and Helene.
not important. I know that a few escaped Voyager, and I’m pretty sure
Titan is the second-largest satellite in the Solar Shrimp, Ichiban, Corvus, and Roll Over all have the old
System. This strange Realm has a methane atmosphere, names to them.
methane oceans and a methane-ice-covered crust. Be-
cause planets with water-vapor in their atmosphere, S.R. Time
water oceans, and water-ice in their crusts have a habit Probably the most dangerous Shade Realm of all.
of developing life, some consider that “triple-point” Even the most experienced mages get lost in it, and few
planets — with one substance in three states — may explorers have ever returned to share their research.
produce life, no matter what the substance is. It is a thin Cosmologists and Time Masters think they know what
theory, but strengthened by the fact that Titan is heav- the difficulty is, but are helpless to prevent it.
ily defended by a spirit of at least Incarna-level powers. The theory is this: Our home universe has three spa-
There are also faint signs that may indicate a Titanian tial dimensions, in which, with practice, we move freely.
Penumbra. The Dreamspeakers are trying to communicate It has one time dimension, in which we can move in
with the guardian, but either the spirit doesn’t talk or the only one direction, usually at a constant and unalterable
Dreamspeakers won’t. rate. Masters of Time can change only the rate, never
So Titan’s off limits. I’ll let you handle that, it’s all the direction. Enter S.R. Time, and (according to the
hocus-pocus to an old man like me. Everything else is just very few who come back) space feels normal, but all the
the normal squabbles. dimensions are time. However you move, you are time
Hyperion and Phoebe are ours [the Traditions’], traveling. If you stand still, you are time traveling. Few
and both of ‘em are pretty little ports. We’ve had a can understand how their seemingly spatial movement
long time to reinforce the settlements, and I don’t think relates to the world outside. On return, a mage may
we’ll lose them any time soon. Mimas is different; discover that his three steps in and two to the right have
the whole place is just a staging area for scout ships, sent him forward 20 years, and aged him 10. Alexis, for
experimental weapons, suicidal Errants and deranged instance, goes in, takes the same five steps, and returns
explorers. It’s mostly Ether Kids like young Alexis, 5000 years later, younger than she went in. This effect,
old Virtual Adepts who’ve decided to get physical, and which some Cultists of Ecstasy call “the Blink of Brah-
weirdoes from other Traditions. There’re even a few ma’s Eyes,” has yet to be surmounted, even by Masters
Hollow Ones hanging out there — and to show you of Time. The great Akrites Salonikas, among others,
just how young the crowd is, the whole Realm’s been supposedly took a journey into S.R. Time as the last
nicknamed the Death Star ‘cause it’s gray and has act of his career.
a huge crater that looks like the main cannon array My advice is to avoid this Realm like the plague.
from the movie. Those who study the mysterious Zigg’raugglurr claim
Tethys and Rhea belong to the Techies, heart and soul. that this time-spanning race might have originated in
Tethys Station is an important port for them, and like I said, S.R. Time, and no one wants to encounter more of those
the troops really pour through there to Saturn and points monstrosities.

Uranus and
Neptune
Space flights are merely an escape, a fleeing
away from oneself, because it is easier to go to
Mars than it is to penetrate one’s own being.
— Carl Jung
Saturn is the last busy planet; the next
two are cold and dark, too far out for easy
Horizon access and lacking any attractions
worth traveling the length of the System for.
Their Shade Realms, however, are another
story. Though no one has decided which is which, one of these
planets “represents” Mind and the other, Spirit. If you, the
reader, have been Awakened for any period of time, you have
already traveled to these Realms without realizing it. Each of
these formless universes expresses our deepest selves — our
minds and souls. The reality we bring there is the reality inside
our own beings. In short, these are the places we go for Seekings
and Epiphanies. The trials we encounter here are those things
which we must overcome to progress on Earth.
Uranus
Uranus appears as a huge, green gas giant. It and Neptune
(twins in size and type) are cooler than the inner colossi, and
of slightly different composition. Astronomers hold two main
theories on Uranus’ structure — the first (and more likely),
that the cold, dense atmosphere covers a slush-ball kind of
core; the second, that the atmosphere covers a water ocean,
beneath which would be a silicate, rocky core. Neither has
been confirmed by explorers; very few travel to this Realm.
Uranus is unusual for a gas giant; the Realm has no
internal source of heat. The planet’s oddest feature is that it
“lies on its side.” If you think of the Solar System in spatial
terms, the equator of the sun and the equators of all the
other planets lie more or less in the same plane. Uranus’
equator is tilted 98° to that plane.
Moons
The names of the moons come from Shakespeare and
Pope’s The Rape of the Lock. Puck, Cordelia, Ophelia, Bianca,
Cressida, Desdemona, Juliet, Portia, Rosalind and Belinda
are “pebbles;” Miranda, Ariel, Umbriel, Titania and Oberon
are world-sized Realms. The Akashic Brotherhood has a
monastery, the Red-Wind-Forest-Home, on Miranda, and
there are at least seven scattered outposts of other Traditions
on the other sizable Realms. I heard two years ago about a
cabal of Hollow Ones planning a trip to Ophelia and Juliet,
but lost track of them afterwards. The smaller moons are
largely unexplored — the Akashic monks are typical of set-
tlers here in that they do not wish to bother or be bothered.

The Marauders hold Puck and Oberon, and no one “liberated” spirit remains tied to its “subject” by a thin thread
seems to mind. The Technocracy has only one known similar to the astral-traveler’s silver cord. Breaking the thread
facility in the area, a refueling station on Ariel. Nephandic frees the trapped spirit to roam on its own. Reuniting loosed
movements around Uranus remain a mystery. spirits with their vessels is extraordinarily difficult.
Breaking an Avatar’s thread leaves its mage soulless but
Neptune alive. If the Avatar stays in the area, it can be reattached,
but anyone who would cut a mage’s cord will certainly try
Neptune appears as a huge, blue gas giant. The atmo-
to destroy or kidnap the Avatar immediately afterward. If
sphere is famous for high-velocity winds that blow west over
the soulless one leaves the Realm, she may never find her
the equator and east over the “temperate” zones. Neptune
Avatar again — remember that Shade Realms are probably
is a more lively world than its twin; its weather patterns
universes in their own right. A kidnapped Avatar is usually
resemble Jupiter’s rather than Uranus,’ and the Spots visible
taken outside the Realm by the culprit. Be careful.
on the inner gas giants also manifest here.
Why visit such a potentially dangerous world? For
Moons consors seeking Awakening, Dreamspeakers seeking knowl-
Neptune has eight known moons: Naiad, Thalassa, edge, or any mage simply Seeking, this Realm — where
Despina, Galatea, Larissa, Proteus, Triton and Nereid. face-to-face conversations with Avatars are possible — is
Triton is the largest; the Technocracy’s last in-System sometimes the only hope.
station sits on the Realm’s North Pole. Only Naiad and
Thalassa are “pebbles;’ both are uninhabited. We know of
S.R. Mind
four Tradition Chantries (two mixed, one Dreamspeaker, Similar in many ways to S.R. Spirit, S.R. Mind changes
one Celestial Chorus) in the area, but because no one its appearance based on the visitor’s mental state rather
has yet checked NASA’s findings against the features of than nature. Anger produces storms and earthquakes, con-
these Realms, I cannot tell you which world houses which tentment brings sunshine and cool breezes. The weather
Chantry. I do not even know whether Voyager found the fluctuates quickly, but the landscape remains much the
Chantry moons at all. same throughout a visit.
S.R. Mind’s entryway is a blue-white field of light, either
Background vertical and walked through like a door, or horizontal and
If anything of significance has happened on either world, dropped into. Once a visitor arrives, she finds herself in a
the facts have not been recorded. landscape which best reflects her mental state. A frightened
Virtual Adept might end up in a Kafkaesque prison, while
Ecology a calm Dreamspeaker walks her ancestral hills. If a number
No life, aside from the Chantries based on the moons, of worldwalkers enter the Realm at once, the landscape
is known to exist in either place. becomes a composite of their collective psyches — a very
disconcerting thing, no matter how well you may think you
S.R. Spirit know your cabal!
Travel to this Realm is outstandingly simple. S.R. No traveler enters S.R. Mind or Spirit without some
Spirit has a wide, open entryway on the Horizon, often kind of test which must be overcome. Hence, the regions
described as a “mirage of feeling.” Vague, but accurate. become unconscious staging grounds for the conflicts we face
Some travelers see what they expect the gate to look like to Ascend. “Walking” travelers rarely face the kind of trials
— a massive palace gate seething with mist, or an outcrop that mages on a formal Seeking do, but they may discover
of rock lit by inner sunlight. Most simply find a glade or unpleasant things about their companions before they all
thicket on the Horizon which appeals to them strangely leave the Realm. Every attempt to “barge in” through a group
— strong impressions of home and familiarity emanate Seeking has ended in failure; from what I’ve heard, the true
from the area. Once you’re inside, the mirage ends and benefits of Seeking can only be learned alone.
the Realm’s nature becomes apparent. This Realm is a grand tool for self-discovery. Because
The landscape you enter depends entirely on the state of it reflects all the levels of the conscious and subconscious
your own soul. Nephandi surround themselves with hellish mind, a worldwalker can discover the cracks in her armor, the
vistas, Technocrats tend towards austere and mountainous fallacies in her assumptions, and all the forgotten skeletons
terrain, and Tradition mages create a wide variety of scenery. in her closet if she looks hard enough.
Still more disturbingly: When a mage crosses into S.R. One very unsettling aspect to S.R. Mind remains: If the
Spirit, her Avatar takes on separate form. Any bound spirits Shade Realms are truly parallel universes dominated by one
escape their housings — fetishes included — and your Avatar Sphere, then chances are good that this entire universe is
exists as a separate entity. The Realm forces possessing entities sentient, and that when you walk into it you are entering a
out of their vessels, and here they show their true forms. Any single enormous mind. This is only a theory. However…

Running La
nd sc apes
When charac
ters enter S.R
is determined . Mind or S.R.
by the characte Spirit, the envi
description to r’s Demeanor, ronment adju
fit the charac in S.R. Spirit, sts to reflect th
te r an d th h er Nature is the em. In S.R. M
Because of the e chronicle, bu important fact ind, the lands
S to ry telling difficul t w e’ ve included sugg or. You can cu cape
in the same ar ti es in herent in runn es ti on s below to get stom-tailor yo
ea, you may w ing the compo you started. ur
your direction ant to run See site landscape
) one at a tim kings (particu ge
e. larly in S.R. S nerated by six
If you do deci pirit, where th mages all walki
de to run com e Avatars beco ng
will represent posite landsca me NPC’s and
the spirit or m pes, figure them n ee d
instance, a Bon indset of the gr out ahead of ti
Vivant, a Con oup as a whole, me. You need
all together, th niver, a Survivo or be a layerin to decide whet
ey stand aloo r and a Critic g of all the ch her the settin
Loner. This w f fr om other caba fo rm a scouting caba ar ac te r’s Archetypes g
ould get them ls and mage so l, the Elephan together. For
cityscape with si mple desert or ci ety in general t’ s Children. W
flashing neon forests from th , making the hen they’re
but all the righ and fancy casi e suggested li cabal-as-a-wh
t angles off by nos, surrounde sts. Layered, th ole’s Demean
a degree or tw d by nasty urba ey might find or
Normally, ther o. n streets — ev themselves in
in S.R. Spirit, e ar e n o inhabitants in er yt h in g very lush an a
but because th any of the stru d pleasant,
Few Umbrood ere are no disg ct ures generated
frequent S.R. uises, they can by the visitor’
M in d. ’t become part s minds. Umbr
Examples: of the scenery ood may show
there unless th up
• Architect: ey already belo
Unformed citi ng.
• Avant Garde es, young orch
: Empty plain ards, ruins, em
s, open tundra, pty foundation
• Bon Vivant: rolling grasslan s. Raw materia
An endless ro ds, fields of pu ls without form
• Caregiver: und of almost re white snow .
Farmland, gard exactly whatev .
• Conformist: ens. More freq er the characte
uently, a war r enjoys most.
Suburbs. Hom zone, ravaged If life’s a beac
• Conniver: e — wherever la n ds, or hospital h…
Las Vegas-typ the character w ar d.
• Critic: Any e cityscapes. Als be lo n gs , but with not
Earth-type en o forests. hing quite in
vi ro n m the right plac
• Curmudgeo ent, but with e.
n: The World everything slig
• Deviant: G of D arkness lookin h tl y skewed.
lass houses to g even worse.
• Director: P smash, signs to Murphy’s law
ictures to stra disobey. Tends incarnate.
• Fanatic: Lot ighten. Like th to be rocky.
s of cliffs, gorg e re al world, but m
• Jester: Dull es. Extremes of anageable wit
prairies, bleak whatever terr h just a little
seashores. Th ai n is most like hom more effort. H
• Judge: Law is e. illy.
less wildernes pl ac e needs a party.
• Loner: Des s, or da rk , siren-filled ci
ert or sparse fo tyscapes.
• Martyr: Cli rest, full of ot
ffs, deserts. Em her people’s fo
pty cities, not otprints.
• Rebel: Has merely unpopu
sle. Quicksan lated ones.
• Survivor: T d, thorns, mou
ough but livabl ntains, roots tr
e forest, Robin ipping you up
• Traditionalis son Crusoe isla , walls blockin
t: The good ol nds, prairie, ur g your path.
• Visionary: d days made m ba n
Ordinary Earth an ife st , including the fir ju n gl e.
know how to ly lands. Cloud st signs of what
look. s, dirt, water, ever destroyed
woods — but them back hom
with patterns e. Hazy.
and signs hidde
n for those wh
o
Pluto
I include Pluto here as the ninth planet and the Shard Realm of aren’t big enough, so either Lowell was very lucky, or there is
Entropy, but with reservations. I shall start by going into why roughly more out there than even Awakened cosmologists are aware
half of our leading cosmologists disagree with the classification. of: possibly the real ninth planet and true Shard Realm of
Pluto was discovered (according to Sleeper history) by Clyde Entropy, referred to in theory as Planet X, or Proserpina.
Tombaugh in 1930. Tombaugh was following calculations made All this may sound like nonsense if you aren’t a Son of
by Percival Lowell (the same Sleeper who managed to see Umbral Ether or an astronomicallyminded Orphan, but there are a
structures on the surface of Mars using a mundane telescope). Pluto lot of people who would like to explore the local system —
was more or less where Lowell had predicted it would be. Pluto itself, the scientifically known moon Charon and the
Lowell based his calculations on eccentricities in the “unknown” moon Cerberus. Unfortunately for cosmologists,
orbits of Uranus and Neptune — but Pluto by itself is not big the entire area has been effectively quarantined by Senex,
enough to cause them. Pluto and both its moons together the leader of the Euthanatos Chantry on Cerberus.

The one stable portal into the planetary system leads to
the death-mages’ school, and apparently no farther. Senex
allows no traffic through, no use of the portal by explora-
tion teams, and no scouting bases on Charon. A ship-based
expedition might land on Charon or Pluto and search, but
the attempt would be slow, obvious and possibly rude. The
mages on Cerberus are capable of destroying Technocratic,
Marauder, and Nephandic craft in the area, and often do
so. No Tradition ships have been willing to press their luck.
No one has been able to find any other portals leading
into the Pluto system, or discover a route from the Dark Umbra
to S.R. Entropy (None that can be used, at least. Rumors hint
that some portal runs from Pluto to the bottom of the so-called
"Labyrinth", but no one living has made the trip). Cosmologists
presume that there must be a portal from Cerberus to the other
moon, at least, perhaps to Pluto, and maybe even to Planet X.
S.R. Entropy
We know very little about this Realm; until the Sphere-uni-
verse theory became popular, no one was looking for it. Not to say
that the Realm has never been visited, but it is nearly impossible
to confirm that a world last traveled to three centuries ago truly is
the world you’re looking for when there is nothing to guide you
but ancient diaries and the memories of very old men.
Because of the quarantine, all travel to S.R. Entropy takes
place on the Horizon. Very little of it has been successful or
enthusiastic. The tendency to avoid any contact with Entropy is
understandably strong, and until explorers with more experience
in the Sphere are available, we won’t know much.
Scouts sent through what is believed to be the Horizon
entryway find themselves in what feels like a section of the
Shadowlands and looks like the inside of a coal cellar at midnight.
This gateway appears as a completely black and lightless area that
occludes stars and objects that pass behind it.
Charon and Cerberus

Charon is a small, rocky ball of ice, and mundane science is
probably correct in considering it a captured comet. Very little
is known about this Realm; there are no known stable portals
to or from it. The few gates which have been opened collapsed
before the return of the scouts who were sent through.
Cerberus, slightly larger, is rocky and craterpocked. The
surface conditions are desertlike, and surprisingly warm this far
from the Sun. The Euthanatos Chantry is located on the equator,
to take best advantage of the heat. Two main structures make
up the settlement: The Gatehouse (the only edifice remaining
from the first Chantry here), and a walled complex that houses
the modern settlement. Made of dark red basalt, the ancient
Gatehouse is notable for its labyrinth, intricate design, and heavy,
subtle warding. The walled teaching colony was constructed in
this century, and most of it is white sandstone. The Chantry
seemed built for a much larger residency than it would ever house,
but the spacious, quiet quarters and once-empty dormitories are
full to overflowing now (see below).
Background Current events may throw off Cerberus’ idyllic growth,
I skip over Charon completely here; Cerberus is the however. The refugees from the Fors Collegis Mercuris
real center of interest in the system. (see Mus, in this chapter) were offered, and have accepted,
sanctuary with the Euthanatos. Sources on Cerberus describe
We have few details on the Chantry which preceded
the situation as temporary, but with Mus under Nephandic
the current Euthanatos establishment. It was definitely much
smaller; the two surviving cabals were both living in the same occupation, it’s difficult to see where the College refugees
section of the Gatehouse when construction began on Senex’s could turn next, and they certainly will be staying for the
new complex. Rumor has it that the original occupants were indefinite future. Rumor has it that there is already friction
also death-mages, but no confirmation is forthcoming. Since between the residents and their unexpected guests.
Senex took over at the turn of the century, Spring has returned
to Cerberus. The population of teachers and students has grown Ecology
steadily, if slowly, and the Chantry’s influence is surprising for Cerberus has a normal settlement mix of animals and plants.
so small and distant a Realm. Its main garden is famous for its selection of rare herbs and flowers.
Space
Space is the stature of God.
Shenti
— Joseph Joubert
Outside the Horizon, yet close enough to reach, three
ThisendsthetouroftheSolarSystem.Ican’ttake enigmas exist without any tie to consensual space. No astron-
youmuchfarther.AfterPluto,theonlythingsoutthere omer can detect them, and few Technocratic probes record
still tied to our sun are the rocky snowballs called the them. Even so, travelers stumble onto these places every so
Oort Cloud by astronomers. The walking Traditions often. Iteration X even has a base in one of them. For lack
(mostly Dreamspeakers and Verbena) recognize them of a better term, the Akashic astrologer Cho Lu called these
in different form, and I like their version better — these enigmas Shenti, or “bodies.” It is as appropriate a name as any.
are the standing stones at the edge of the known world,
The three Shenti seem to embody aspects of the Metaphysic
and dimly lit however you see them.
Trinity, at least in some accessible fashion. Some Akashics believe
Past that, we are only certain of one thing. Deep space is vast, that the Technocratic Realm Autocthonia rests on the fringes of
lightless and alive. The Nephandi and their corrupt masters lie some- Stasis’ Shenti. Umbral roads lead to a place called the Flux, where
where in the Void, perhaps in the Realm called Malfeas, perhaps in Dynamism warps everything it touches. Malfeas, a boiling obscenity
other places as well. Marauders seem to spawn in a place sometimes called of pure corruption, is said by some to be the Shenti of Entropy, or
the Flux, and beings without names prowl the void between worlds. Most at least of the worst aspects of it. Nephandi and Marauders spring
of those who pass the Horizon never return. Remember that. from the latter two Shenti, and the most fanatical Technocrats
Although most walking explorers pass through portals consider Autocthonia a kind of heaven. Perhaps the Earth itself
in the different Realms, the occasional traveler finds she can is the Shenti of the middle Path. I don’t know.
indeed walk in space. How is this possible? Isn’t space an airless All three Realms are very large, apparently stable, spiraling far
vacuum, without gravity or surface? Well, yes and no. It is a past the Oort Cloud. Anchorheads link all three to places within
desert of reality, a barren nothing dotted with islands of some- the Near Umbra. These places, always hidden, often manifest near
thing. If you have the power and the will to bring your own places which epitomize their nature. The Technocracy maintains
pocket of something with you, you can shape that nothing to gateways to their chosen home (see Chapter Four), while unpre-
your needs. (See my notes under “Air and Ether.”) dictable spirits, demons and Umbral storms protect the others (see
Most walkers fashion a path through space. Skill with the Chapter Two). Even the maddest Etherjammers avoid the Shenti.
Correspondence, Mind or Spirit Spheres helps in this regard — the I recommend following their example.
distances are still unimaginably vast. Generally, a traveler will need
some form of ship if he wants to go far; walking in space can literally The “Great Race”
take lifetimes. Long-term survival requires powerful magicks; other- The Etherjammers themselves pilot their odd craft as far
wise, the trip through nothing drains your very soul. The fact that as their theories will carry them. Void Engineers do likewise.
Mad and Fallen exiles have survived outside our Horizon attests that Most establish outposts such as the Copernicus Research
vast reserves of Quintessence exist in space. Those discovered have Center and Victoria Station (Chapter Four) to return to for
been few and far between, though, so it is best to bring yours with you. rest, fuel and food. Though Alexis may hate me for saying
As for the Realms these exiles create, I have heard stories of so, I find the actions of these “Ethernauts” to be analogous to
night-black seas in space, of asteroids honeycombed with living other Victorian gentlemen who found it impossible to acquire
flesh, of screaming stars and glowing, acidic clouds. I imagine that their “trophies” without wiping out whole species. Here is
whatever hells these beings — and their masters — create, those the lesson in the hundreds of lost worlds we may never again
Realms are always changing, nightmarish, and suicidal to enter. discover: Once you snatch your butterfly from the air, it dies.
Chapter Six:
Those Beyond
I suppose every single one of us that comes here, knowing that his work will
mean contact with extraterrestrials, thinks that he will be an exception, that he’ll
find a way to make friends with at least some of them. You figure you’ll get the
Lingoe to teach you a few words...”Hello! How are you? Nice whatsit you’ve
got there!” That kind of thing. You think, we can’t just go on forevermore being
strangers, right? But when the time comes, and you get close to an Alien, you
understand what the scientists are talking about when they say it isn’t possible.
— Suzette Haden Elgin, Native Tongue
When traveling the Otherworlds, you a task beyond our current scope. (Not that Porthos doesn’t
are going to meet many strange and myste- have plans already.)
rious beings. Some will be weaker than you What follows is admittedly a compromise. We chose our
are, some stronger. All are dangerous to the favorites from the common, the interesting and the perilous. The
unwary, careless or stupid. descriptions are as detailed as we could make them, and I hope
In an effort to give our readers an edge that they will be useful. One warning: Even the best written,
in caution, care, and foresight, we set out to best-illustrated guidebook can’t really portray the essence of a
present a detailed listing of the most common creature. Treat every Umbrood you meet, no matter how well
types of Umbrood. Alexis and I polled Dois- you think you know it, as if it were unidentified, all-powerful
setep and our contributors for just those spirits (and other and temperamental — because you might be right.
things) they had encountered frequently. When the list hit And show no fear.
2,000, we called a halt. The complete Guide to Umbrood is — Alexis and The Fisher Princess

Creatures
God is good, God is great them telepathically have suffered mental hemorrhages and
God’s a big invertebrate. insanity. Some have even burst into black flames.
— Boiled in Lead, “The Microorganism” In combat, a Raamas Ka swirls about its enemies and
dissolves their bodies and equipment. Some Nephandi riders
Raamas Ka (Alien Horrors) suffer the same fate, but the Fallen don’t seem to mind; indeed,
An obscenity hatched from the outer reaches, reports claim the dying Nephandi often laugh as their skin
this Nephandic pet rides into battle with Fallen falls away. The Raamas Ka themselves shrug off most forms
warriors wrapped in its tendrils. A shifting mass of harm and magick without pain; although a Device which
nearly 50 feet long, the Raamas Ka resembles a disrupts the creature’s body with pure Prime energies has been
boiling merger of a hairball, fog and a nest of successful, Etherjammers have yet to discover a reliable way to
spiders. As it rides upon the Umbral winds, the creature bawls harm a Raamas Ka with physical force. Even so, the entities
like a giant baby or whispers a feminine sing-song of destruction. appear to be flesh, not ephemera; Life magick, not Spirit, has
In the final days of the war in Europe, Nephandic Labyrinths the greatest effect on them.
summoned nearly a dozen Raamas Ka to aid them against the Attributes: Strength 8, Dexterity 3, Stamina 9,
allied Traditions and Technocrats. Wreathed in flame, the Perception 6, Intelligence 1, Wits 3
creatures bathed in Dresden’s firestorms and sucked the souls Abilities: Alertness 3, Awareness 3, Brawl 3, Stealth 3,
from Germans trapped in the sewers beneath Berlin. Although Cosmology 5
mop-up teams believe they got the last of the horrors — surely
Spheres: none
none of them could have survived the Paradox effect for
Willpower: 8
long, anyway — travelers who meet the Fallen in space
discover there are plenty more where those came from…. Health Levels: OK x 6, -2 x 3, dispelled
Raamas Ka appear to be intelligent; no one who has Armor Rating: 4
not suffered the Nephandic rebirth can communicate with Attacks/Powers: Dissolving touch (6 dice of aggravated
the creatures, but they do seem to recognize battle tactics. damage; can be used at range with a Dexterity + Brawl roll,
The Progenitors and Sons of Ether have both probed the difficulty 7. Appears to be voluntary); mystick sight (all
rotting remains of Raamas Ka corpses, but their findings Spheres at Rank One only)
are inconclusive. Primal mysticks who’ve met the beasts Innate Countermagick: 4 dice (does not work against
claim they mix flesh, spirit and entropic energies in a Entropy + Prime conjunctional Effects, though it does stop
highly unstable whole. Mages who’ve tried to contact each Sphere separately)
• Gamespeak Alert: Storytellers are advised that an encounter with Otherworldly denizens can be much more than
a simple “bug hunt”; these creatures, especially the more esoteric ones, operate on wavelengths far different than our
own. While a “monster” stands and fights or runs, an Epiphling may buzz wonderingly in and out of an explorer’s ear,
hoping to see what color her brain is. Similarly, a being who has survived for hundreds or even thousands of years isn’t
likely to jump into a potentially fatal fight when he could simply wave his fingers and disappear. As a general rule when
you’re running Umbrood creatures, think of whatever action is most obvious and appropriate. Then do the opposite.
These Umbrood are organized in the following way: Alien Horrors are living tools of the Nephandi (or is that
the other way around?); Dream Spirits inhabit the Realms within the Maya; Epiphlings can be found cruising any-
where in the Near Umbrae, and draw from the essence of a single thought or concept; Major and Minor Umbrood
also travel the Airts on their own strange missions, and Realm Dwellers inhabit a certain Realm described in an
earlier chapter. Note that spirit entities use their Gnosis for Social and Mental Attributes when they’ve Materialized.
These Umbrood are only the tip of a huge iceberg. Plenty of additional Otherworldly oddities can be found in
the following games and sourcebooks:
• Werewolf (Book of the Wyrm, Axis Mundi, Umbra: The Velvet Shadow, Werewolf Storytellers Guide
and Players Guide)
• Mage (The Book of Madness, Ascension’s Right Hand, Horizon: The Stronghold of Hope, The Mad
Masque [forthcoming])
• Wraith (The Sea of Shadows, Dark Kingdom of Jade Adventures, Midnight Express)
• Vampire (Clanbook Malkavian, Storytellers Guide to the Sabbat)
• Changeling (Changeling Players Guide)

The Watchers in the ore asteroid. One type in particular seems to enjoy terrorizing
Technocrats, hiding on the hull of their ships until said vessels
Deep (Alien Horrors) are far from help, then effortlessly shredding the bulkheads
and slaughtering all the crew they can reach. Void Engineer
Over the last 50 years, Void Engineers, Sons of Ether and other Marines have taken to calling these Watchers “Hull Squid.”
Deep Umbral travelers reported encounters with a race of mysterious
The available data is sparse, comprising nearly incoherent
entities. The individuals of this race can be related by their striking
ravings of maimed survivors and a few on-board videos. Based on
and horrifying resemblance to Terran undersea dwellers such as squid,
this evidence and the study of some “squid” tissue remnants, the
octopi and cuttlefish. By all appearances, all of them are invertebrates
Progenitorshaveformedahypothesis:afoundationrace(tentatively
and radially symmetrical (as opposed to the bilateral symmetry shared
named Cephalopoda malefica) occupies the region of space now
by humans with most of the bony animals on Earth). They possess a
explored by the Void Engineers. This race happens to have
number of tentacles that seems to vary from individual to individual,
some incredible genetic engineering at their disposal and can
and these tentacles can have the suction cups so familiar to Terrans,
therefore do exactly what the Progenitors have been dying to
barbed hooks similar to the vampire squid of Earth, or even more
do: tailor their own species to the rigors of the Deep Universe,
esoteric things (some survivors have reported leathery, whip like
appendagesandmusculartendrilsbearingenergyweapons).Everysur- and to any other problems they might encounter, as well.
vivor has mentioned the malevolence of the creatures’ gelid blue eyes. Obviously, any information leading to the location of
Void Engineers find these things especially disconcerting, this race would be of great interest to the Progenitors.
since they swim with the greatest ease through the airless Void History: An eon ago, perhaps more, perhaps less,
of space. The Sons of Ether have less difficulty with this concept, something sluggishly oozed out of the primal slime. Once it
though even they find the historical echoes of 100-foot-long moved into the life-giving liquid around it, it began eating
tentacles wrapping around their ships and dragging them off to smaller, less developed things. And it grew. And it budded.
who-knows-where a little disturbing. And then there were two.
These“Watchers”varywildlyinsize.Somearetinyenoughtoswim Soon there were many. One day, a group of the many came
intothebreathingpassagesofaworldwalkingDreamspeaker.Thelargest together, in just the right way at just the right time in just the
are giants that could swallow the Queen Elizabeth II. Masters of stealth right place, and had the first thought: “We are All.”
and camouflage, most have chameleonlike hides that easily match Growth and lifespans beyond imagining created an intensely
the sleek, shiny hull of a ship or the rocky surface of a dark patient and confident race. When the first bony things grew
near them, they ignored them, rather like a middle-aged
person will ignore teenagers’ fashions as passing fads. The
Watchers slowly continued to grow and think and develop,
discovering other Realms beyond the simple “pond” of their
origin. In time, however, the bony things got annoying. As
they began to think, they began to mistakenly believe they
could rule the world. Under the glare of an array of icy blue
eyes, their burgeoning civilization was extinguished without
a whit of mercy.
Subsequent encounters have shown bony things to be a
fairly universal annoyance in need of extermination. How-
ever, the Watchers have a unique perspective of immense
patience. They have time to explore everything to the fullest,
and they gather even the tiniest scrap of information before
taking action. To this end, they have learned the tricks of
genetic engineering, creating a vast array of body types and
subspecies, each designed for specific duty. The engineered
types include frontal assault machines, tiny intelligence
gatherers, and the behemoths that guard the deeply hidden
genetic growth centers.
Recently, in Earth’s time frame, and a mere eyeblink ago (if they
indeed blink) to the Watchers, humans entered into the paradigm
of the rulers of the Great Sea (as they call the universe). Somehow,
the humans stumbled across one of the Watchers’ vessels, tucked
away after the last spate of exterminations (see “The Cop”). The
actual taking of the ship didn’t attract the horrors’ attention.
Neither did fumbling with the ship’s controls and engines. It
was the extremely crude and rude manner in which one of the
singularity projectiles was injected into one of the Watchers’
Deep Ocean portals. After several decades of consideration and
distant observation, the Watchers determined that they needed
more in-depth information on these new bony things.
The Watchers keep zoos containing the various “speci-
mens” they discover in their explorations — zoos which function
as centers of observation and experimentation. Several such
zoos have “fallen into” the hands of human explorers, and a
number of the Watchers’ lesser castes have attacked far-wan-
dering spaceships. A group of Progenitors once managed to
obtain some of the Watchers’ convoluted genetic material
and, through their own tremendously primitive experiments,
produced their sentient guard cephalopods (See Technocracy:
Progenitors). These creations have actually elicited what
might be interpreted as amusement from the home race.
The long-term result of this amusement remains to be seen.
Behavior Patterns: The foundation race, Cephalopoda
malefica, has not yet revealed itself to human eyes. Or if it
has, those human eyes are now probably pickled for further
study somewhere. They are the most meticulous and patient
of all the Watchers, hidden away somewhere in the Deep
Universe, watching and watching and watching….
The subspecies, while still sharing the basic behaviors of their
parent race, tend to live faster and die sooner, and are therefore
not quite as patient. The frontal assault types wait until the
best time to strike, and certainly aren’t hasty about doing so,
but they do indulge themselves a bit, much like a child with
a magnifying glass indulges himself with large and juicy bugs
• Attributes
Three basic body types of the commonly encountered “squid” exist. These entities bear little resemblance to
the “mother race,” C. malefica. See below for generic attributes for these three as well as C. malefica.
Strength: 5 (warriors) 1 (spies) 10-15+ (behemoths) 4-15+ (C. malefica)
Dexterity: 4 (warriors) 3 (spies) 2 (behemoths) 2-4+ (C. malefica)
Stamina: 4 (warriors) 1 (spies) 8-10+ (behemoths) 5-12+ (C. malefica)
Charisma: 0 2 (spies) 0 3 (C. malefica)
Manipulation: 1 5 (spies) 5 5 (C. malefica)
Appearance: 0 0 0 0
Perception: 3 (warriors) 5 (spies) 3 (behemoths) 5 (C. malefica)
Intelligence: 2 (warriors) 5 (spies) 3 (behemoths) 6 (C. malefica)
Wits: 2 (warriors) 5 (spies) 3 (behemoths) 5 (C. malefica)
• Abilities or the light waves which give it color), the Watchers add
• Warriors: Alertness 2, Awareness 1, Brawl 5, 3 extra dice to their Stealth pool.
Dodge 5, Intimidation 4-5, Firearms 1-4, Leadership 2, • Slow Regeneration: If limbs are severed or
Meditation 2, Melee 4, Stealth 5+, Survival 4, Technology otherwise lost, they soon grow back. Warriors grow about
2, Computer 2, Cosmology 2, Enigmas 1, Science 2 one per day, while spies regenerate one per week, and the
behemoths could take months.
•Spies:Alertness 5, Awareness 3, Brawl 0-2, Dodge
3-5, Intuition 3, Intimidation 2, Subterfuge 3, Meditation 3, Melee • Tentacles: Watchers may attack multiple foes
3, Research 2, Stealth 6, Survival 2, Technology 3, Computer without dividing their Dice Pools. Alternatively, a Watcher
2, Cosmology 2, Culture 1, Enigmas 2, Investigation 4 could focus all its attacks upon a single foe, either gaining
an extra die for each tentacle used (Dexterity + Brawl,
• Behemoths: Alertness 3, Awareness 3, Brawl 6,
difficulty 8, 5 for vessels), or adding one more damage die
Dodge 0-3, Intimidation 8, Meditation 4, Stealth 3, Survival
per tentacle. Once a creature is grappled, it is immobilized
5, Cosmology 2, Enigmas 2
(no Dodge roll versus the tentacles or beak) until it breaks
• C. malefica possess a variety of skills, depending free (Strength roll, difficulty 6 + 1 for each additional
on their professions and roles. tentacle employed).
Spheres: none (but see below) Some Watchers have several other genetically enhanced
Willpower: 6-10 abilities that can often be mixed and matched for maximum
Health Levels: 8 (warriors); 6 (spies); 16-26 (behe- variety. Few possess more than two such powers, but other
moths); 14-20 (C. malefica) Watchers suffer no penalty for specimens might command other powers not listed here.
injury until their final two Heath Levels, at which point • Armor: The strengthened shell provides two
they drop to -4. A Watcher’s tentacle can withstand one extra soak dice unless opponents specifically target vul-
half of the creature’s total Health Levels before being cut nerable areas (raise the difficulty by +1).
through. This damage does not count against the Watcher’s • Ink Cloud: The Watcher can emit a blinding
total Health Levels, but renders that tentacles unusable. cloud of ink approximately equal in volume to the body
Armor Rating: (see below) of the creature itself.
Attacks/Powers: Tentacles (Strength, crushing); beak • Squeeze: Some Watchers have entirely soft
(Strength + 2 dice damage, difficulty 8); other powers bodies and can cram themselves through holes less than a
include: tenth their thickness.
• Jet Propulsion: All of the subtypes have the • Barbs: Like the vampire squid of Earth, these
ability to move rapidly through any medium they perceive Watchers have thousands of barbs in place of the suction
as liquid or liquid-like (such as water or deep space). The cups normally occupying their tentacles. Add three dice
speed of movement averages about 40 mph in viscous to the damage Dice Pool.
solutions like water, or hundreds of miles per hour in space. • Magick-like Effects: One or more of the follow-
• Chameleonic Coloring: The Watchers’ skin ing: Co-locate Self (Correspondence 4); Pierce Gauntlet
can change rapidly to match the color and texture of its (Spirit 3); Disruption (either Entropy 3 — for destroying
surroundings. Unless someone magickally negates the structures and machines — or Entropy 4 — for destroying
ability (Life or Forces magick can rework the skin color, flesh. Either attack has a Dice Pool of 7.

Amore Muses (Dream Spirits) Almost counterparts to the Bitter-Sweet Epiphlings
Willpower 5, Rage 4, Gnosis 8, Power 20 (see below), the Kid Fears are primal and irrational. Kid
Fears are the other side of childhood lost — the darkness
Charms: Airt Sense, Appear, Blighted Touch, Influ-
in the closet and the tapping at the window which all of
ence, Inspire (grants an additional 3 dice to the subject’s
us knew so intimately as children. These are the forgotten
Expression die rolls for 24 hours after they meet. Costs three
phobias we outgrew. Kid Fears, unlike Bitter-Sweets, ac-
Power); Reform, Shapeshift (some can supposedly Materialize
tually seek out contact with those foolish enough to enter
with Physical Traits of 2 or 3 for brief periods)
the Umbra; though they prefer the Dream Realms as their
Image: See below homes, some actually manifest in the material world for
Everyone dreams of love and lust, and it’s no secret fun and… profit.
that many people draw their greatest inspirations from Kid Fears bring back the terrors of our youth with
such dreams. While most Maya scholars believe that the the precision of a surgeon. Every beating from an angry
Dream Realms offer a meeting place between mortals and parent, every leering stranger who wanted to do dirty
the gods, some lesser spirits bring their own magic to the things while promising sweet rewards, every creaky
dreamer’s table. Among these spirits are the Amore Muses. floorboard and scurrying spider from the past returns in
An Amore Muse appears as an incarnation of the an instant. Unlike the Bitter-Sweets, Kid Fears like to
dreamer’s fantasy partner; this doesn’t have be a lover stay around for as long as they can. They regain Power
— parents, siblings, friends and even pets can manifest, from a victim’s screams and tears. Sometimes these
causing the dreamer some concern upon waking. Ste- nightmares like to follow the dreamer home. In the
reotypes aside, lust isn’t always a factor in this spirit’s waking world, they take the form of some threatening
involvement. The important thing is that the Muse figure and chase the dreamer around for a minute or
appears as someone who the dreamer loves so deeply that two, then fade into the shadows… often to reappear
he’s inspired by her presence. This person doesn’t even later that night, or the next.
have to exist in “real life,” so long as the dreamer is As frightening as they appear, Kid Fears cannot inflict
warmed by her presence. Like all Dream spirits, Muses real physical harm in any form. Perhaps this explains their
affect the whole tone of the “scene” in which they relentless hostility. Even so, they can destroy a psyche with
appear. Subtle differences, like the dimming of light, little effort. Kid Fears bring out the very worst in their victims.
or major ones, like a sudden sensual thunderstorm, The defensive need to lash out often grows overwhelming,
follow the Amore Muse’s appearance. Depending on and a violent mage is often a deadly enemy. Nastier Kid
the dream (and on whether or not someone interferes Fears can supposedly enter a living host and “drive him
in it), the Amore Muse may stay until the dream fades, around” for a while. Worst of all are those who can drag
leave in anger or tears, or turn into something else — you back into their personal hells for a long, long game of
like a Night Terror…. “I Scream, You Scream.”
Kid Fears (Dream Spirits) Night Terrors (Dream Spirits)
Willpower 5, Rage 0, Gnosis 8, Power 10, + 10 for Willpower 5 to 8, Rage 5 + 1 per point of the victim’s
every dot in Expression or Wits the target has. In the case Expression or Wits, Gnosis 8, Power 20
of multiple targets, assume 30
Charms: Airt Sense, Blighted Touch, Flash of Horror
Charms: Airt Sense, Appear, Blighted Touch, Corrup- (drains one point of temporary Willpower from a mortal on
tion, Materialize, Shapeshift, Tracking (some are rumored a successful Gnosis roll, difficulty 8. Costs five Power to use.
to have Possession, Spirit Away, or both) Limit three per dreamer per night), Influence, Shapeshift
Materialized Attributes: Strength 3 (only to move or Image: See below
damage objects, never to injure), Dexterity 4, Stamina 5
High-octane nightmare spirits, the Night Terrors
Abilities: Alertness 3, Brawl 5, Expression 5, Intimida- come when a dreamer has summoned up some memory or
tion 5, Subterfuge 3, Stealth 4, Culture (children) 5 thought so crippling that it can literally kill. According
Materialized Health Levels: 3 for every point of the to sages of the Dreaming, Night Terrors emerge when
target’s Expression; assume 15 for multiple targets something has disturbed a person so badly in waking life
Image: These nightmares get their name from their that she’s forced to confront it in her sleep. Mages who
appearance — dark silhouettes, murky faces at the window, enter the Maya on their own occasionally meet these
distorted shadows with the liquid grace of a serpent. In spirits face-to-face, especially when they’re on a mission
some cases, Kid Fears take on the form of a school bully, into someone else’s psyche. Mind Masters who specialize
an abusive parent, a wild clown or a fearsome stranger. in dream magick sometimes guard their own dreams with
Despite the name, Kid Fears disturb adults, too. You never Night Terrors that they control. Such “watchdogs” are
grow out of terror. risky but effective.

Like most dream spirits, Night Terrors shift form con-
stantly; naturally, each one has an innate knowledge of its
target’s fears and acts accordingly. Even so, their most dev-
astating attacks come as ambushes: the sleeper or explorer
will be passing through some innocuous dreamscape when
the Night Terror springs forth and scares the crap out her
— sometimes literally. At worst, Night Terrors can actually
kill a dreamer in her sleep.
Unlike Kid Fears, Night Terrors can manifest as a
whole scene, usually out of nowhere. A dream about visit-
ing your favorite aunt can suddenly turn into a bound man
thrashing while a frenzied mob rips him apart. One image,
one Night Terror. When it strikes, the spirit uses either a
Flash of Horror Charm or a Rage roll; the former drains the
sleeper’s Willpower, the latter can kill. Unlike Kid Fears,
these spirits don’t stick around; they ambush their prey,
attack and disappear. Until next time….
Akai (Love Epiphlings)

Willpower 3, Rage 3, Gnosis 10, Power 30
Charms: Airt Sense, Appear, Cleanse the Blight,
Influence, Shapeshift
Image: Love has many faces. A person who meets an
Akai sees whatever she truly loves. This doesn’t have to
be sexual lust — carnality is a different thing entirely. The
spirit may take the form of a Divine being, a departed family
member, a beloved child, a soul-mate, or something more
esoteric, like a golden ray of light, a violet haze, a rainstorm
or even a mirror. Everyone loves something.
Born in the first spark between loving eyes, in the
gaze of a new mother on her infant, in the first kiss of lovers
and the embrace of brothers, the Akai embody love in all
its forms — familial love, chaste friendship, sexual passion,
parental affection, even religious awe. Those of faith insist
that the Akai came forth when God first gazed upon Creation,
or that the spirits sprang from the first touch of the Goddess
upon the land. Whatever their origins, Akai come forth when
mortals doubt the miracle of their own existence.
An Akai appears in a shimmer of light; while it
never appears to be entirely material (it isn’t, after all), the
spirit impresses everyone in the area with a vision of that
which they love most — not of a material pleasure, but
that person or thing which gives them hope. Those who
touch or are touched by the spirit experience a sudden bliss
which removes all doubts from their minds, at least for a
while. (In game terms, assume everyone gets two temporary
Willpower points, for nonviolent uses only.) Akai rarely
speak in any human language, but Spirit Masters have
discerned messages of peace and goodwill in the spirits’
whispered assurances.
Akai rarely come forth in numbers; when they do,
battles have been known to stop and disasters to subside.
During moments of impossible hopelessness or tragedy,
many people have been visited by a sudden touch on

the shoulder and a soon-forgotten image that let them come, have even committed suicide after contact with
know everything would be all right in the end. Umbral a Bitter-Sweet. This aftershock is not an attack — it’s
travelers who’ve encountered the Akai often meet them the natural effect of remembering for just a moment
at crossroads or during disputes that threaten the group. how good your life once was. Many philosophical
Though they seem most comfortable in the Vulgate, mages (once they stop crying) comment that meeting
Akai can be found in any of the Near Worlds, even the a Bitter-Sweet can be an uplifting experience for the
Shadowlands. same reason. That flash of remembrance lets you recall
the happiness that life offers; even though it fades,
Bitter-Sweets (Nostalgia the person who meets a Bitter-Sweet has the chance
Epiphlings) some people never get — the chance to relive the best
Willpower 3, Rage 3, Gnosis 8, Power 15 moments of his life.
Charms: Airt Sense, Shapeshift, Total Recall (for just
a moment, the spirit brings an incapacitating ecstasy from
Loors (Color Epiphlings)
Willpower 4, Rage 3/6, Gnosis 6, Power 15-25
the best moments of the “target’s” childhood. For a turn or
more, he can’t do anything but revel in the sensation; then Charms: Airt Sense, Illuminate (lights an area roughly
the feeling falls away, leaving a depression so profound it 50 feet around, or changes the color of the light in the same
often leads to tears. Costs three Power) area. Costs three Power.), Influence, Shapeshift
Image: These spirits have no visible form; they’re best Image: Floating forms of raw color, Loors epitomize those
described as a shimmer in the air and an almost overwhelm- hues we see in spectrums of light. In their basic state, these
ing feeling of nostalgia and loss. Most carry an ephemeral Epiphlings appear as solid blots hovering in the air. Some
scent from some distant memory — Grandma’s cookies, seem substantial, like blobs of paint, while others resemble
your old teddy bear, your first girl’s perfume, etc. — or a hazes of airbrushed color. While Hermetic scholars claim
fleeting sound or touch. that one Loor exists for each shade of every color, no one
Every child has a special place in his heart for imaginary can be sure how many there really are.
friends and for the sense of wonder that comes with being Travelers who meet these Epiphlings claim they speak
new to the world. Every adult must, of necessity, murder an empathic language of tones and tints. As a Loor con-
that special innocence in order to grow up. Just as ghosts verses, it wavers and fuzzes, sending streamers or clouds of
of humans killed by violence linger, sometimes the specters itself to the recipient. These tendrils influence the subject’s
of our childhood continue on long past their time. mood (as the Charm), communicating the spirit’s feelings
Bitter-Sweets are the remains of childhood. Although to her. The spirit’s “partner” can reply through Mind or
passing through one can be devastating emotionally, they Forces magick, or by manipulating her own sentiments
mean no harm. More roving bits of memory than intelligent (Wits + Expression) or the local color spectrum. Loors do
beings in their own right, Bitter-Sweet spirits wash over not understand spoken words, sounds or abstract thoughts,
people in either the Umbra or the material world. Even only feelings and colors.
experienced shamans seem unable to speak to them, or to Most Loors seem peaceful, more curious than any-
counter their Charms. thing else. Vivid spirits, like black, red, orange, violet
Meeting a Bitter-Sweet is a mixed blessing; when or white, seem aggressive toward strangers (no one’s
the entity first “appears,” it drifts across you in a sudden, sure what they’d call “friends,” but Loors do seem to
all-encompassing memory-flash. Every childhood dream recognize certain individuals after meeting them once).
and ambition is real again. Every imaginary friend is remem- These latter Epiphlings have a higher Rage score than
bered clearly and the happiest moments from your youth more passive hues like blue, green or pink. Those who
return again with the intensity of a first kiss. The scent study auras claim that the soul-colors descend from
of honeysuckle near the softball field returns, along with the primal essence of these spirits; thus, an explorer
the excitement of Christmas morning and the mysterious who recognizes the meaning of these hues can guess
packages beneath the tree. the temperament of a Loor (see chart). Travelers who
And then it disappears. Not softly and slowly, as encounter a Loor all feel the mood-essence of the spirit’s
when childhood died the first time, but like the violent color long after it departs.
slash of a razor across your throat. In one moment, all Although “real” colors may be changed by fluctuations
the dreams of youth are remembered and then murdered of light waves, no magick may alter the essence of a Loor.
again. In their absence, depression crashes down like a They are eternally what they appear to be. Such spirits
hammer. Some people fall into fits of weeping, others often travel through the lowest reaches of the Vulgate,
grow melancholy for days afterward. Several Nephandi, but occasionally venture into the Middle World or High
upon realizing what they’ve allowed themselves to be- reaches as well.

to time, flashes of fire burst out from their eyes and
Loors burn the sinners before them. After all, “there are
Mood-Essence Color none righteous, no not one.” Those who fall before
Passivity Light Green their Rage suffer painful but impermanent damage;
Envy Deep Green when a victim “dies,” her Health Levels return. If
she has confessed her crimes and repented by then,
Comfort Light Blue
she regains any Willpower she may have spent up
Love Deep Blue
to her normal rating. If not, she is flung from the
Hate Black Umbra and back to the material world. Those who
Sadness Silver-Gray admit their wrongdoings find that a Nemesis is kind
Depression Gray and understanding, willing to discuss human imper-
Joy White fections. Those who maintain their innocence burn
Sympathy Pink until they see the truth.
Rage Red As Christian as the concept of the Nemesis might
Lust
Dark Red seem, their origins lie in the first comprehensions of
Excitement Violet right and wrong. As soon as humans (or perhaps their
forebears) realized that some actions were “good” and
Fear Orange
others “evil,” they began to be disturbed by the con-
Serenity Yellow
flict between the two. This conflict shuts many people
Wisdom Gold out from the sight of whatever they acknowledge as
heaven — only by admitting that they’ve done wrong
can sinners walk in peace. Nemesis spirits embody
Nemesis (Guilt Epiphlings) the guilt that comes with wrongdoing. By invoking
Willpower 10, Rage 5, Gnosis 10, Power 20 the spirits’ fire, a mortal punishes herself. No one,
Charms: Airt Sense, Appear, Cleanse the Blight, they say, meets a Nemesis without cause.
Influence, Know the Sin (allows the spirit to discern what
a target’s worst misdeeds. Requires a Willpower roll. The Shanti (Peace Epiphlings)
difficulty depends on the person; a really guilty or sinful Willpower 5, Rage 0, Gnosis 8, Power 20
person would be 3 to 5, while a virtual saint would be Charms: Airt Sense, Cleanse the Blight, Influence
a 9 or 10. Costs three Power), Mindspeech, Shapeshift, Image: See below
Tracking Rare as they may seem in the modern world,
Image: The Nemesis appear as punishment incar- these spirits of peace do exist. Explorers who’ve
nate, or as evidence of dirty deals. A lapsed Christian met them speak of healing winds, calm hearts and
might see the Face of God or a vengeful angel; a corrupt stilled tempers whenever these Epiphlings passed by.
politician might be haunted by visions of bribe money Obviously, such spirits are drawn to people or places
or angry constituents. To a follower of Kali, the Nemesis attuned to their essence — places with quiet, restful
would appear as an angry representation of the Goddess, and balanced energies (Resonance). Some Shanti
set on retribution. Whatever the actual shape may be, it’s follow people around, either as unseen companions
always bathed in a white light of powerful intensity — a or as spirit-guides. While most peace spirits wander
light referred to as “Nemesis’ Halo.” off eventually, some pick a spot or patron and stay
Everyone has things they’d like to forget; Neme- until something happens to it.
sis spirits embody those feelings of guilt, those dirty Shanti wash across those who meet them like water.
secrets, hidden fears or covert lusts that cry out for To the Umbral eye, such spirits usually take the form of a
punishment. The Nemesis is only too happy to oblige. translucent wave, a rainbow-hued cloud or an archetypal
In the material world, a Nemesis Epiphling image like a dove or a tree. No matter what form it attains,
appears to the sinner alone, a proverbial “tell-tale a Shanti blows freely in an ever-present breeze. No force
heart” that can drive her to confess or repent. In or obstacle can hold it in place for very long. Sometimes,
the Umbra, such spirits float outside the After- especially in glen Domains, a Shanti or two will settle,
worlds, assuring that visitors deserve to enter. In coloring the place with their presence. Most times, though,
that state, the Nemesis appear as terribly beautiful the Epiphling moves on to another destination, or is driven
women made of painfully bright light. From time off by violence, envy or fear.

Angelics/Celestials
(Major Umbrood)
Just as humanity invents demonic terrors from its
fears and hatreds, its better nature invents angelic hosts.
Call them devas, seraphim, totem spirits, angelic hosts, or
a hundred other names; either way, such entities embody
justice, righteousness and Divine will.
The usual authorities debate whether or not these celestial
beings predate humanity, and whether or not our desires shape
their forms. While religious and spiritual mysticks maintain
that these higher powers carry the shape of the Almighty, more
secular studies prove that whatever their original form may
have been, these angels usually resemble what a worshipper
expects to see. There’s no real reason why both ideas can’t be
true. After all, they say that Divinity wears a thousand faces.
Why can’t its servants do likewise?
Each faith has its angels, guardians, protectors and
avengers. Like the demons they oppose, these spirits embody
creation itself — they’re like forces of nature, not people with
wings. Some Angelics may be stern and fierce, while others
tend the sick, nurture lost children or lead pilgrims off on
enigmatic (but always fruitful) quests. Those who believe
in the original Pure Ones insist that Angelics are Avatars
unencumbered by flesh; others call them the hand servants
of whatever Divinity exists. The most cynical mages claim
that Angelics are just another form of Umbrood. These folks
do not, we should note, make that claim to an angel’s face!
That face may take a hundred different forms; tales speak of
winged humans, talking animals, naked and sexless spirits, beings
of light, or towering figures looming across the sky. Although some
Celestials appear as blazing balls of fire, most of them take on a
recognizable form and personality. Mages given to record-keeping
maintain long lists of angelic hosts, their provinces and their
powers. If these records are to be believed, thousands upon
thousands of Celestials roam creation on endless errands. Maybe
they’re right. If so, the majority of Angelics stay out of obvious
sight. Unless an explorer actually visits the Heavens, angels
leave most humans to pursue their own destinies. Unlike their
demonic kin, Celestials seem to come and go between worlds;
neither Horizon nor Gauntlet hinders them. When a Celestial
does appear openly, she ripples creation itself with her presence;
winds blow, birds sing, colors brighten and lights flare brightly.
The sheer charisma of an angelic being in full glory is enough to
knock most mortals to their knees. Talk about getting religion!
The two characters below represent two Angelics who
occasionally deal with mysticks. The minor angels walk
the Earth in many forms and tend to mortal matters, while
greater Celestials roam the Otherworlds and rarely venture
to Earth except on the most extreme occasions. All Angelics
have mortal and immortal forms, one to travel with, one
to impress with. Note that most shapechangers and their
allies have their own angels — the totem spirits and Incarna
described in the various Werewolf books.

Kalina (Minor Angel — Minion) Image: A stern and forceful archangel, Gabriel embodies
Willpower 10, Rage 8, Gnosis 8, Power 50 the anger of God and His displease with sinners. Although
most art depicts him as a white man with blond hair and
Charms: Airt Sense, Appear, Armor, Blast Flame, Cleanse
fiery blue eyes (a guise he sometimes affects), his immortal
the Blight, Create Fires, Influence, Create Wind, Lightning
form towers nearly a thousand feet into the sky, with wings
Bolts, Materialize, Mind Speech, Reform, Shapeshift, Spirit
that span the horizon and eyes dark as storm clouds. His skin
Away, Tracking; Kalina’s damaging Charms usually inflict 8
shimmers blue-black in the lightning which surrounds his
dice, and her Armor often stands between 5 and 10
body, and the skies deepen into twilight. Gabriel’s voice is
Dominion: Protection a thousand thunderclaps, and anyone who even thinks of
Nature: Caregiver questioning him (let alone fighting him) is immediately
Demeanor: Child silenced by his grandeur. If this is only a servant of God,
Essence: Primordial what must God Him/Her/Itself be like…?
Materialized Attributes: Strength 5, Dexterity 7,
Stamina 5 Lunes (Minor Umbrood)
Abilities: Alertness 5, Athletics 5, Awareness 7, Brawl Willpower 8, Rage 4 (8 during the full moon), Gnosis
5, Dodge 3, Expression 3, Intimidation 5, Etiquette 7, Leadership 7, Power 35
3, Melee 5, Technology 4, Cosmology 5, Culture 5, Enigmas Charms: Airt Sense, Open Moon Bridge (creates
7, Linguistics 7, Lore (all) 5, Occult 8 a Moon Bridge to wherever the Lune desires. Costs five
Materialized Health Levels: 15 Power), Reform
A defender of children and a guardian of purity, Kalina has Image: See below
a mischievous nature surprising in an Angelic. Although tales The handmaidens of the Moon Herself, these bright
about her first appear in the Shorot Sutra nearly 1,000 years ago, spirits confound the Technomancers at Darkside Moonbase
this entity acts like a young woman with a lusty humor and a and guide (or mislead) travelers in the Middle Umbra.
constant smile. In some guises, Kalina is pregnant and speaks Although they tend to be peaceful — if somewhat erratic —
in a mother’s lullaby; other times, she resembles a dancing girl most of the time, these spirits become hostile and outright
from some Tantrick bas relief. Unless something endangers dangerous during the full moon.
her charge, this angel likes to laugh, play games and sing. No Lunes appear as shimmering ribbons of gold-blue light
wonder children love her — Kalina is childlike eternally. which pulsate and twist into enigmatic shapes. Those
This angel is slow to anger, but her fury is venomous. who can read them (Perception + Enigmas, difficulty 6 to
She tries to joke and charm those who anger her first; if this 9) recognize prophecies of the near future (like a Time 2
doesn’t work, she’ll take a firm but polite stance and block Precognition Effect). Like will-o-wisps, Lunes dart along
them from whatever evil they might try. If anyone actually the Airts and Moon Paths, hover over the Pattern Web,
attacks the angel, the Afterworlds will probably receive a or dance across the Moon itself. Those who’ve tried to
new tenant soon enough. Kalina laughs like a child, dances communicate through Mind magick find nothing to speak
like a woman, and kills like a typhoon. of, but the spirits’ actions betray some abstract intelligence.
Image: A young woman of Indian descent, Kalina dresses to “Talking” to a Lune is possible (though trying) to those who
suit the occasion when in disguise but wears only elaborate Hindu know the language of spirits.
jewelry and a batik skirt in her immortal form. In one hand, she
bears a lotus, in the other, a dagger. Depending on the needs of
the moment, she can use either one to comfort or to destroy.
Trinity Spirits (Minor
When disguised as a mortal, this angel has two arms,
legs and eyes. When pressed, she can shift into an immortal
Umbrood)
At the far ends of the Metaphysic Trinity, spirits form
guise with six arms, three eyes and an overpowering aura. to represent the extremes. In the case of Entropy, those
Sometimes she appears as a cow or a peacock (her favorite
spirits often become the demons, Spectres and Banes
animals) or a waterspout spinning across the ground.
that encourage all forms of corruption (see The Book of
Madness, Wraith and many Werewolf books). At another
Gabriel (Higher Celestial — Incarna) end of the triangle, Stasis breeds both Pattern Umbrood
Contain yourself! This is one who cannot be fought. who build the interlacing grid holding the Tellurian to-
— The Phantom Stranger, “Down Amongst the Dead Men” gether, and the Paradox spirits all mages fear. Garou call
(Swamp Thing Annual #2, by Alan Moore) this aspect the Weaver, and distrust its brood. Extreme
Dominion: Wrath Dynamism leads to Chaos manifestations, which some
Nature: Judge call Wyld spirits. These unpredictable Umbrood whirl in
Demeanor: Judge living clouds of possibility, changing their natures to suit
Essence: Pattern their whims.

The Shenti (see Chapter Five) are aswarm with these • Structural
so-called “trinity spirits,” although the Umbrood can be found Willpower 8, Rage 5, Gnosis 10 Power 30-150
almost anywhere in the Tellurian. Realms strong with a par- Charms: Airt Sense, Reform, Solidify Reality
ticular essence are more likely to host a given type of spirit, These Pattern spirits take one of three forms: Informational,
but even the methodical Pattern Spiders tend to venture into Attack and Structural. The first incarnate bits of information,
other worlds. Travelers who try to communicate with trinity which may be accessed by someone with the right skills; the
spirits find they tend to be rather single-minded and often second defend other types or attack intruders who try to destroy
barely intelligent. In the Umbrood hierarchy, they’re Minions their territory; Structural Geomids provide stability and infor-
or Gafflings. Even so, those who understand the spirit ways mation for the other Web-builders. All three varieties resemble
(Spirit Lore or Enigmas 3 or better) can gain insights from large geometric shapes in an array of colors.
the limited thought-patterns such Umbrood possess.
Pattern spirits weave and repair the Pattern Web which Chaos Spirits
links the Otherworlds. Travelers familiar with Garou feel • Color Strings
these Umbrood do their job too well. Realms constructed by Willpower 10, Rage 1, Gnosis 9, Power 30
the Technocracy swarm with Pattern spirits, like the Pattern Charms: Airt Sense, Intangibility (allows the spirit
Spiders found in Mage (page 283). Ironically, the Techno- to shift into a Zone, remaining visible but untouchable, even
crats who recognize the spirits’ existence at all consider the to those in the Umbra. Costs seven Power), Reform
Umbrood to be technomagickal machines of their own design.
Playful and mischievous spirits, Color Strings resemble thin
In a way, they are. Another form of Pattern spirits, often
threads of ever-changing hue. These small chaos Umbrood enjoy
called Geomids, embody information. Especially common
companionship; more to the point, they enjoy people they can
in the Digital Web, these Umbrood carry messages, plans
play pranks on. Alighting on clothing, gear or exposed skin,
or attack programs. The Garou say they provide a “message
Strings pulsate with rainbow colors or hover in the air right in
service” to the more active Pattern Spiders.
front of a “visitor’s” face. Capricious guides, they often lead a
Chaos spirits embody change in all its forms. Few of traveler to some valuable revelation… or into a trap. Although
them maintain a stable body for any length of time. Instead, the Strings tend to be solitary, some congregate into groups,
they waver and billow, shifting colors and textures as they weaving themselves into brilliant and beautiful patterns before
transform everything around them into chaos, too. Shape- dissolving into tangled masses.
shifter shamans insist that the Wyld is blissfully unaware,
• Vortices
that it has no sentience to speak of, and thus remains
sane while the other two have gone out of control. Many Willpower 8, Rage 8, Gnosis 10, Power 80
mages, fascinated by the idea of unformed potential, wish Charms: Airt Sense, Break Reality (by disrupting
to guide this intuitive force to greater awareness. Perhaps the reality of a substance, the spirit can turn it into something
with Dynamism truly awake, creation could be saved from it was not, or change its shape to suit the spirit’s purposes
its downward spiral. Other mysticks point to the theory’s better. The more successful the spirit’s Gnosis roll, the greater
living example — the Marauders. The Mad Ones seem to the alteration. Making a door in a wall would demand two
be proof of the concept of self-aware Dynamism — and the successes; turning the wall into Swiss cheese would take five
greatest argument for why it shouldn’t be pursued any further. or more. Costs two to 10 Power, depending on the change),
Disorient, Materialize, Reform, Shapeshift
Pattern Spirits — Geomids Materialized Attributes: Strength 8 (inflicts aggravated
• Informational damage), Dexterity 8, Stamina 8
Willpower 5, Rage 4, Gnosis 10, Power 20-100 Abilities: Alertness 3, Awareness 7, Brawl 3, Dodge
Charms: Airt Sense, Reform, Informational Link 3, Expression 3, Intimidation 5, Cosmology 5, Enigmas 7
(allows access to all the knowledge in the local Pattern Web. Materialized Health Levels: 10
A Gnosis roll, difficulty 9, lets them answer any question At the opposite end of the Wyld spectrum, the me-
they desire. Costs 10 Power.), Solidify Reality ga-destructive Vortex whirls through an area undoing all
• Attack it touches. A virtual tornado of energy and matter in one,
Willpower 9, Rage 6, Gnosis 4, Power 20 this Umbrood occasionally passes into the material world
Charms: Airt Sense, Materialize, Reform, Group as well, ripping apart the landscape and draining magickal
Fusion (a group of three or more Attack Geomids may energies from Nodes. Powerful Marauders often summon
surround a target and fuse together around her. Each one them for battles on both sides of the Horizon. More often,
drains one dot in a Physical Attribute from the target every however, Vortices hover about the Deep Umbra, or at the
turn, and they hold her with a strength equal to the spirit’s fringes of Anchorheads, which they resemble. Travelers’
Willpower. Once the target has lost all her Physical Attri- tales recount the grisly fates of those who mistook a Vortex
butes, she is calcified. Costs one Power/turn.) for a breach in the Horizon….

• Wonderwhats Health Levels: OK (x3), -1 (x4), -3 (x4), Incapacitated
(Beauty/beast forms) Willpower 8/4, Rage 3/8, Gnosis Attacks/Powers: Bite (9 dice, difficulty 8); claw (8
8/8, Power 30 dice, difficulty 8)
Charms: Airt Sense, Shapeshift, Tracking (Beauty form: Description: An aspect of Ialdabaoth, Typhon has
Create Wind, Influence, Heal (cures 1 Health Level per 2 existed for as long as anyone, mage or Umbrood, can recall.
Power spent), Mindspeech. Beast form: Armor (6 points), This manifestation can be destroyed, but another will form
Blighted Touch) within days.
These chaos spirits are drawn to mages much like moths Typhon is a giant twisting serpent with centipede
to flame. When they appear, experienced Umbral travelers legs and a head at both ends. Its thorny scales are as black
run. There’s no telling what will happen when the Wonder- as despair. Only the beast’s milky eyes are clearly visible.
what attains its full form. However, most hear Typhon — a sound like the buzzing of a
A Wonderwhat first appears as a sphere of light, much million flies, and the hiss of dripping venom — long before
like a will-o-wisp. Some people even hypothesize that these seeing it. Those who sense the Great Creeper’s approach
spirits are will-o-wisps, though no one is certain. After lo- freeze in terror.
cating a “patron,” the Wonderwhat immediately takes one This beast has but three duties, which it performs
of two forms: the form of the beauty or the form of the beast. more out of natural inclination than out of a sense of duty:
The beauty appears either as a magnificent butterfly By gnawing on the Alder Bole’s roots, it hopes to free the
of enormous size and impossible colors, or as an androgy- Void trapped beneath. It guards the twisting root-tunnels
nous being with wings of fire. Both are harmless and will leading to the Low Umbra because it considers this a lair.
follow an explorer for hours before growing bored and Finally, Typhon occasionally leaves the darkness to patrol
leaving. Some few can actually speak, and these often aid Midrealm, and has a particular hatred for those who would
the traveler by offering directions or even leading the way attain the Fruits of Eternity.
past dangerous areas.
The beast form of the Wonderwhat is an ephemeral Protean Hawk (Realm Dweller —
nightmare, a gangrenous mass of rotting meat and internal Midrealm)
organs with a vile temper. Teeth and fangs sprout from within Willpower 8, Rage 5, Gnosis 7, Power 35
its shapeless body, and long, deformed limbs grow from its
Charms: Airt Sense, Create Wind, Disorient (Lets the
depths, reaching out with barbed claws and spidery fingers.
spirit confuse travelers by altering landmarks and directions
The only good news is that beast manifestations seem less
with a successful Gnosis roll. Costs two Power.), Materialize,
common than the beauty.
Reform, Tracking, Updraft (lifts man-sized creatures into
the air. Costs three Power.)
Typhon, Jaggling of Ialdabaoth
Dominion: Creation
(Realm Dweller — Midrealm) Nature: Fanatic
Willpower 8, Rage 10, Gnosis 5, Power 50 Demeanor: Guardian
Charms: Armor, Fear (treat as Calcify, but the petri- Essence: Primordial
faction is purely psychological and drains Willpower. Costs
Attributes: Strength 5, Dexterity 5, Stamina 5
three Power), Materialize, Tracking, Venom Spray (inflicts
10 dice damage in an area 2 yards x 10 yards. Once hit, the Abilities: Alertness 5, Athletics 3, Awareness 5, Brawl
target suffers damage over time, at 2 dice per turn. If the 2, Dodge 4, Investigation 3, Stealth 3, Survival 4, Cosmology
first 2 dice can be soaked, no damage occurs. Dexterity + 3, Culture 5, Occult 5
Brawl to attack. Costs 20 Power.) Spheres: Prime 5
Dominion: Ruin Arete: 6
Nature: Critic Willpower: 8
Demeanor: Bravo Quintessence: 20
Essence: Primordial Health Levels: OK, -1, -3, -5, Incapacitated
Attributes: Strength 8, Dexterity 3, Stamina 6 Attacks:Bite (6 dice, difficulty 6), claw (5 dice, difficulty 8)
Abilities: Alertness 4, Athletics 1, Awareness 3, Brawl Description: The Protean hawk is a manifestation of
3, Dodge 2, Intimidate 5, Subterfuge 5, Stealth 1, Survival 5 Dynamic essence. It resides in the uppermost branches
of the Alder Bole, patrolling the branch-ways toward
Spheres: Entropy 5
the High Umbra. The Protean Hawk can be driven off
Arete: 6
or even killed, but will eventually return (or another will
Willpower: 4 take its place).

Due to prolonged contact with the Alder Bole’s Pat- Bollixes travel in social groups called tribes. Tribes
tern, the Protean Hawk has a more stable form than most range in size from three to 50, and stake out large areas of
Wyld spirits. Its voice recalls an eccentric elder speaking territory (in the jungles, not the marshes) which they mark
in a traveler’s native language — sometimes male, others with cairns of shiny stones, bits of metal and white fungi or
female. It resembles a large, though otherwise mundane, flowers. Lone bollixes are rare, but apparently less belligerent
bird of prey, though the bird’s silhouette and coloration than the groups — Enain Thorngrove of the Circle of Seven
match no known genus. supposedly tamed one and kept it as a familiar. Bollixes will
The Protean Hawk is fickle and unfathomable. It not attack unless travelers disturb them or their territorial
may swoop to the attack without cause or treat a stranger markings, or unless travelers have something the bollixes
like an old friend and detain her indefinitely in trivial want. Because most explorers on Venus today come “pre-
conversation. The toll to pass the into the High Umbra is pared” with tropical camping gear or increasingly techno
based upon the Hawk’s whim: it could be 1 to 10 points of tools for their magicks, bollix attacks are on the rise.
Quintessence, a Talisman, a promise of one’s first child, a Attributes: Strength 1, Dexterity 3, Stamina 1, Cha-
kiss, currency (from rupees to cowry shells), an entertaining risma 1, Manipulation 2, Appearance 2, Perception 2,
tale, nothing, a mundane object (somehow transformed Intelligence 1, Wits 2
into ephemera), or whatever. The scary thing is, should Abilities: Alertness 2, Athletics 1, Brawl 1, Dodge 2,
the cabal go find the required object and return with it, Intuition 1, Drive 0 (1 if the creature can watch the vehicle
the toll may have changed! operated first), Firearms 0 (1 if the creature has “met” a gun
before), Melee 1, Stealth 3, Survival 4 (Venus’ jungles),
Bollix (Realm Dwellers — S.R. Technology 2 (apparently pure instinct), Medicine 1
Life) Willpower: 4
Monkey see, monkey do. Health Levels: OK, -1, -2, -4, Incapacitated
Voted the most annoying creatures in Etherspace five Attacks: Bollixes without technological exposure
years running, the bollixes seem to have been created to use their weaker front legs to hold on to a foe while their
vex technological voyagers to Venus’ Penumbra. clawed back legs rip into it (claw, 3 dice). With a little
Many are the Scientists who have awakened to find more know-how, the tool-using critters grab big sticks and
their camp overrun by a tribe of the vicious little tinkerers. try to swing at the enemy while hanging upside-down from
Gifted with little intelligence but a great deal of mechanical vines and branches. It doesn’t always work, but they enjoy
instinct, the bollixes love shiny objects that do things. Camp it. (difficulty 7, 4 dice.) Most bollixes take to knives, swords
stoves, sensor scopes, jet packs or ray guns — anything and guns immediately if they ever get the chance, but it
the bollixes can get their hands on, they will steal, make takes them a few turns to sort things out. Until the bollix
work or break as fast as they can. rolls a success, it cannot use the weapon at all. If the bollix
Verbena and Dreamspeakers who live and work in botches any roll using a weapon, it wounds or kills itself or
the Venusian jungles merely smile when the little lizards the bollix next to it.
run through their camps — the only shiny equipment Powers: The bollix’s only power is its innate technolog-
they usually keep are athames, beads and mirrors, none of ical instincts and an amazing memory for actions performed
which can keep the little buggers interested long enough in sequence. Push a button in front of a bollix, and the bollix
to be stolen. Most of these mages even call them cute. will remember what you did, what happened next, and what
The average bollix stands about two feet high, and looks you did before and afterward.
like a combination of a newt, a lizard and a kangaroo. The
long tail (roughly half the length of the bollix concerned) Dinosaurs (Realm
is prehensile. It’s used for balance when the creature walks
or hops on its powerful, three-toed hind legs, but a bollix Dwellers — Hidden Earth)
can also hang from branches or swing branch to branch On some Realms, the creatures from Earth’s past remain
with its tail. A bollix’s arms are smaller, but strong and alive and well. The following statistics cover a variety of crea-
well-adapted to boreal locomotion. The front toes (four to tures; an exhaustive list would take up a whole chapter or two.
a foot) are more like fingers, but we can all thank the One As a general note, dinosaurs are generally considered
that the bollix never developed a true opposable thumb. creatures of instinct. Naturally, you the Storyteller can play
Even healthy bollixes look emaciated to human a dinosaur as you see fit. After all, there’s no reason why
eyes; their shiny, moist skin seems pulled tight over bare a Horizon Realm tyrannosaurus can’t have evolved better
bones. This appearance is deceptive; though not strong reasoning abilities than its ancient counterparts had. Imagine
individually, a small tribe of bollixes (four or five) can a 50-foot-long version of the velociraptors in Jurassic Park.
overpower a grown man. Scary? It should be….

Carnosaurs (Meat-Eating
Dinosaurs)
The ultimate “killing machines” of prehistoric times,
carnosaurs range from 10’ long to more than 50’ from nose to
tail. Towering into the air, these gigantic meat-eaters exhibit
certain common characteristics: large heads — equipped with
rending jaws — set upon massive necks, sturdy hindquarters,
vestigial forelimbs and tanklike bodies. The most easily
identifiable members of this group of dinosaurs include the
allosaurus and tyrannosaurus rex. Smaller examples include
deinonychus and the infamous velociraptor.
The allosaurus, or “strange” reptile, possesses a squat,
stocky body, powerful hind legs, a short back and massive
shoulders. A distinctive, bony ridge above the eyes marks
its rounded head. A long, thick tail helps balance the
creature’s top-heavy build. Its jaws contain sharp, serrat-
ed teeth ideal for stabbing and cutting. Both its powerful
hind limbs and stubby forelegs possess large claws. The
creature’s huge, cumbersome mass keeps it from engaging
in long-distance, high-speed pursuit, so the allosaurus
feeds on the larger herbivorous dinosaurs, hunting them
in groups and pulling down weaker individuals. Allosaurus
also scavenges the kills of other, faster carnivores.
Tyrannosaurus rex, the “tyrant” of dinosaurs, is easily
the biggest and most notorious of the carnivores. More than
40’ long, this monstrous predator weighs up to seven tons.
Multiple layers of muscles power the creature’s enormous
legs, allow for freedom of movement along its hindquarters
and give surprising mobility to its massive, blunt head. Its
broad hind feet end in sharp talons, allowing it to grip
the ground as it moves. A heavy, elongated tail provides a
counterbalance for its body. Its tiny forearms seem almost
an afterthought.
The hunting style of tyrannosaurus rex combines short
bursts of speed with canny stalking tactics. As an active
hunter, this creature frequently waits to ambush its prey.
Its long stride enables it to outdistance smaller, “quicker”
creatures. The sheer impact of tyrannosaurus’ jaws, backed
up by seven tons of bodyweight, generally ensures a short,
bloody confrontation between predator and victim. In a
pinch, tyrannosaurus rex also subsists on scavenged food.
The smaller “raptor” predators measure roughly eight
to 12 feet in length. They kill mainly with powerful hind
legs equipped with huge disemboweling talons, but also
use their sharp, ripping teeth. Stiff balancing tails com-
pensate for a hunched-over running stance, while raptors’
forelegs function better than the larger beasts’ withered
limbs. These dinosaurs prefer pack tactics and ambush
over face-to-face battles; one tends to draw the prey’s
attention while the others rush in from the sides or chase
it to exhaustion. Once in close, these smaller carnosaurs
slash with their scimitar claws, ripping the opponent open,
then feast on its entrails.

Attributes: Strength 3 to 10, Dexterity 3 to 5, Stamina Another notable herbivore is brachiosaurus, the most massive
3 to 10, Charisma 1, Manipulation 3 to 6, Appearance 1, dinosaur known at 74 feet and 77 tons. Its extremely long
Perception 3, Intelligence 1, Wits 2 neck allows it to feed, like giraffes, from high trees when
Abilities: Alertness 3, Athletics 1 to 3, Brawl 3, Stealth the animal lifts itself up on its hind legs.
1 to 3, Survival 4, Tracking 3 Some herbivores offer more of a threat. Triceratops,
Spheres: none a horned dinosaur that reaches a length of 30 feet and a
Willpower: 8 weight of 5 1/4 tons, possesses three sharp yard-long horns
Health Levels: small: OK x 2, -1 x 3, -2, -4, Incap.; middle: on its face, one horn on the snout and one above each eye.
OK x 3, -1 x 3, -2 x 3, -4, Incap.; large: OK x 5, -1 x 4, -2 A bony frill protects its neck. Stegosaurus, the best known
x 4, -4 x 2, Incap. of the spike-tailed dinosaurs, displays a double row of tail
spines extending the length of the backbone. All have the
Armor Rating: 1/3/5
flat teeth characteristic of the herbosaurs. Such teeth are
Attacks/Powers: Bite (Strength + 2, difficulty 7. If the used for pulling and grinding plants, rather than for biting
victim fails to soak at least half the damage, he has either into meat.
been bitten in half or swallowed whole); claw (Strength +
Attributes: Strength 8 to 15, Dexterity 2 to 4, Stamina
3, difficulty 7); tail (Strength + 1, difficulty 5)
15 to 20, Charisma 1, Manipulation 2, Appearance 1, Per-
ception 3, Intelligence 1, Wits 1 to 3
Herbosaurs (Plant-Eating
Abilities: Alertness 1 to 3, Brawl 1 to 3, Survival 4
Dinosaurs) Spheres: none
The chief danger associated with these gigantic herbi-
Willpower: 8
vores is being trampled by them, or getting between them
and whatever might be pursuing them. This group includes Health Levels: (oh, geeze — just assume 15 for armored
the diplodocus and apatosaurus, which exemplify the popular herbivores and 20 to 30 for the larger ones. Do you really want
image of the dinosaur. They possess long necks, longer tails, to keep track of Health Level penalties for something this big?)
and four equal-length legs. Apatosaurus weighs about 30 tons Armor Rating: 4
and feeds on low-lying vegetation. Diplodocus only weighs Attacks/Powers: Stomp (Strength + 3, Difficulty 8); Horns
10 to 11 tons, but is longer, at 88 feet, than the apatosaurus. (Strength + 3, difficulty 8 versus man-sized targets, 5 otherwise.)

Pterosaurs and Plesiosaurs Attributes: Strength N/A, Dexterity N/A, Stamina N/A,
Pterosaurs are winged reptiles, contemporaries of the Charisma 3, Manipulation 3, Appearance 4, Perception 5,
dinosaurs. Like birds, they have light structures and air Intelligence 6, Wits 5
passages throughout their bodies. Though they’re generally Abilities: Alertness 5, Expression 2, Intimidation 3,
much weaker than the dinosaurs, pterosaur wingspans can Instruction 1, Sense Deception 4, Etiquette 4, Research 5,
reach 50 feet. Their teeth are set into long snouts, enabling Technology 3, Area Lore 5 (Autocthonia), Computer 3,
them to skim fish as they fly over the surface of the water or Culture 3, Investigation 3, Linguistics 10
to crack and eat eggs. Further, their taloned feet can pick Spheres: Correspondence 2, Entropy 1, Forces 4, Life
up man-sized or smaller creatures. Pterosaurs drop victims 1, Matter 1, Mind 3, Prime 3, Time 1
seized in this fashion from a height of several hundred feet, Willpower: 5
a process that serves both to tenderize their meal and to Arete: 5
expose its more delectable parts for the creatures to devour Quintessence: effectively unlimited.
at leisure. Rumors abound of aerial battles between tribes Paradox: 16 (permanent; cost of being merged with a
of pterosaur-mounted warriors. computer)
Plesiosaurs are marine mammals, often mistaken for Armor Rating: 5
dinosaurs. Possessed of long necks, compact broad bodies,
Health Levels: OK x 5, Incap.
flipper like paddle arms and short tails, they also have sharp
Attacks/Powers: Magick, astral projection (to the
teeth and large mouths.
Web only)
Attributes: Strength 5, Dexterity 4, Stamina 5, Charisma
1, Manipulation 2, Appearance 1, Perception 4, Intelligence Pulse Units 1 (one) to 1010 (10)
2, Wits 2
Abilities: Alertness 4, Brawl 3, Dodge 3, Survival 4, (Realm Dweller — Autocthonia)
Tracking 2 An as-yet untested experiment, Project Pulse is intended
Spheres: none to create the next generation for Iteration X — Techno-
mancers raised entirely within the Net. Before their birth,
Willpower: 8
10 gifted infants were abducted from Earth or acquired from
Health Levels: OK x 3, -1 x 3, -2 x 2, -4, Incap. (if a the Progenitors, integrated with artificial life-support systems,
pterosaur takes enough damage to bring it to -2, it can no and cyber-linked to the Computer. Taught by computer
longer fly and must land.) simulation, the infant Pulse units are already a match for
Armor Rating: 2 many adult Virtual Adepts. When mature, they will form
Attacks/Powers: Bite (7 dice), claws (6 dice); buffet the nucleus of a new Net Corps which will finally secure
(3 dice damage from either pterosaur wings or plesiosaur the entire Digital Web.
flippers); dropping people from great altitudes (see Mage, Pulse units are the latest in cybertech: their CPU provides
page 265.) raw processing power and automated responses, while their
biological components confer instincts, a rapid learning curve,
Interface (Realm Dweller — and an Avatar. Despite appearances, these are not infants, but
Autocthonia) rather databases that require information. Not surprisingly,
Each of Autochthonia’s 10 reception rooms is minded nature-mages would regard Pulse units as abominations. It
by an Interface — a once-human Technomancer who has remains to be seen whether one could ever be saved if rescued.
melded with the Realm. They are responsible for screening In the Net, the Pulse units rarely bother with icons.
visitors who step from the Digital Imaging Chambers, provid- Their presence can only be sensed by the invisible elec-
ing directions, interfacing with the Realm’s computer system tronic impulses of their pattern codes. This has no effect
(even some Iterators are more comfortable addressing a living on combat, but can prove unnerving to Earth-born mages,
person than a computer), and distributing power. who remain effectively blind to them. In Autocthonia, their
Each Interface resembles an attractive human face physical forms resemble discolored babies suspended in tanks
emerging from the wall amid wires and pipe. Minuscule of nutrient solution and cyber-linked to a computer system.
circuitry and tooling decorate their skin like hitech tattoos. As they mature, the redundant flesh and bones are stripped
An Interface is stationary and has no limbs or locomotion. away until only the growing brain remains.
They can access the Net via astral immersion, however; (Note on statistics: Though essentially children, the
there, their icons look completely normal. Normally Pulse units have access to computer databases that supply
courteous to visitors, they become cold and ruthless when the rudiments of many Skills and Knowledge; this explains
confronted by intruders or inefficiency. Those who break such seeming contradictions as an infant with Melee 1. The
rules in front of an Interface are terminated with extreme stats in parenthesis below represents the projected values of
prejudice. a Pulse unit upon reaching maturity.)

Attributes: Strength N/A, Dexterity N/A, Stamina Spheres: Correspondence 1 (3), Forces 1 (3), Mind
N/A, Charisma 2, Manipulation 1 (5), Appearance N/A, 1 (4), Prime 1 (3)
Perception 3, Intelligence 3, Wits 4 Willpower: 5
Abilities: Alertness 3, Brawl 1 (2), Dodge 2 (3), Intimi- Arete: 1 (4)
dation 1 (3), Firearms 1 (2), Melee 1 (2), Research 3, Stealth 3, Quintessence: 20
Technology 1 (2), Area Lore 2 (5) (Digital Web), Computer 3 (6), Paradox: 0
Investigation 1 (3), Law 1 (3) (Technocratic), Mathematics 3 Attacks/Powers: Magick, astral projection (Web
Backgrounds: Arcane 5, Destiny 3, Mentor 5 only)
Etherships
Give me one tall ship to sail craft sometimes take more than their due — they’ve been
A star to guide her by know to eat their own “masters” halfway through an
Let me orbit unknown worlds engagement. Prisoners taken aboard Nephandi ships live
A thousand miles high long and sickening lives.
— Emma Bull, “One Tall Ship” Marauders may not be more humane, but they do seem
Technomancers — and that includes more refined. Their ships often hold a group delusion to-
Ethernauts — who ply the spaceways know gether by conforming to each crewman’s hallucinations and
that only one thing stands between you and providing common ground. Thus, a Marauder vessel might
the Void: a good solid Umbraship. Under seem pieced together from bits of shipwreck, spacecraft,
optimum conditions, these vessels travel at unimaginable mansion and WWII fighter plane. Some theorists believe
that the Bermuda Triangle and Sargasso Sea supply “spare
speeds and provide safe and (somewhat) comfortable lodg-
parts” to shipbuilding Marauders. Living quarters aboard the
ings for their crews. Even so, life on an Umbraship can be
Mad Ones’ ships can be as well-appointed or as squalid as
cramped, monotonous and sterile.
individual Marauders prefer. Many craft boast artwork that
The Sons of Ether deal better with such problems than
unhinges the sanity of those who see it from a distance —
the practical-minded Void Engineers do; the Sons’ ships
demented Jolly Rogers from hell.
resemble Victorian drawing rooms in space, with ample
These vessels are presented for maximum story potential
supplies of choice tobacco, comfy chairs, good books and
and easy use. Some of the more refined ship equipment can
magnificent gadgets to while away the time. Life-support
be found in Technocracy: Void Engineers; most, however,
machines are elegant and comprehensive. Ship designs
is self-explanatory.
range from pulp sci-fi rockets to archaic star-riggers.
Whatever works.
The Engineers let their hair down considerably when Ship Combat
away from the other Conventions (see “The Big Joke” in Umbraship combat is best left to narrative storytelling;
Technocracy: Void Engineers), but still remain bound to nothing gets in the way of a good space fight like a lot of
their own laws of mass and energy. With the logistics of chart-checking. The “rules” below aren’t meant to be tac-
Technocratic physics, there’s not much room left for lux- tical simulations, but quick-and-dirty resolutions for tense
ury. And, as any good Technocrat knows, a good scientist situations. Feel free to complicate or ignore them as befits
isn’t supposed to need such comforts. Is it any wonder the your own game.
Engineers enjoy pulling the wool over their comrades’ eyes? • Basic Rolls: When rolls are necessary, like during a
The alien craft of the Fallen and the Mad have no dogfight or pursuit, the Storyteller should have the helms-
need for such rubbish; many of these Umbraships are men of both craft make resisted Wits + Piloting rolls (see
alive in their own right, and maintain their “crews” as the “Combat Maneuvers” Chart for difficulties). Whoever
a large animal hosts its parasites. Although their living scores the most successes wins that turn. If both sides were
quarters are as decadent as their crews can make them, trying to do damage, and both succeed, both ships are hit.
the Nephandi prefer twisted constructions of black For simplicity, don’t split Dice Pools.
metal and tattered gauze; their warped vessels combine • Multiple Gunners: If an additional person controls the
the slick refinement of polished bone with the agonies ship’s guns, that character can make an additional Dexterity
of pulsating flesh — occasionally their own. Travelers + Heavy Weapons or Wits + Pilot roll on the chart. Figure
who’ve met the Fallen Ones in space insist that they damage normally. For ships with a lot of guns, simply make
feed their Umbraships with their own blood and fluids, one roll and add two more damage dice for each additional
or channel their very souls to power its weapons. Such gunner firing at the target.

• Hull Strength: Ship hulls can take a number of “Health 8). This is considered vulgar magick. The Converter is capable
Levels” in damage before ripping open, and automatically of absorbing 24 points of Paradox before shutting down or
soak a certain amount of the attacker’s successes before dam- exploding. Such propulsion isn’t necessary past the Horizon.
age is applied. Many ships have been treated with some sort On the underside of each cruiser is a docking clamp.
of countermagickal procedures. Reduce any Effect thrown This can be used to secure the ship against an asteroid, or to
against them by the number of successes given. board hostile vessels (see “Ram”). Once the clamp is secure,
• Hull Damage: A ruptured hull leads to all kinds of a cutting torch can be enabled, which does 12 dice damage.
problems — explosive decompression often sucks debris Image: The sister-ships SES Nautilus and SES Argo are
and crewmen out the hole, and drains air from the damaged shaped like barbed arrowheads — two “sparrow” wings and a
chamber. Attacks like tentacles, gunfire or magick can bypass tail fin flaring out from a conical hull. One large engine fires
the ship’s armor and tear up the inside of the ship if they from the rear. Each side has six round portholes, ringed in
target the hole (+ 2 difficulty). Even Ether breathers suffer brass. The forward canopy is made of thick, telescopic glass.
these hazards — imagine a hole in a ship at sea. Although The interior is furnished with mahogany bulk-heads and plush,
player characters should be able to avoid the worst effects of red-velvet seats. A row of cabinets hold books, pipes, good
a hull breach, the damage should add an element of urgency brandy and changes of clothes. In the rear of the rocket, a large
to a Deep Umbral fight. and well-furnished washroom attends the crew’s baser needs.
Description: Modeled after the infamous Vernwell
Ship Combat Maneuvers rocket of Horatio Savage, the SES Nautilus and SES Argo
Attempt Difficulty Notes were designed by Professor Dubrius and constructed by many
Distant evasion 6 Leaves fight talented engineers. They were originally intended to patrol
Close evasion 8 Escapes pursuer Etherspace around Victoria Station, and to protect that
Pull “up” 9 Change course suddenly base from attack. Now they’re more often used to transport
Closing in 7 Gets you in tight Ethernauts between the station and Earth.
Ram 5 Crash!
Rend 6 Rip hull open
Newton Shuttlecraft
Size: The Newton shuttles are about 15 yards long by
Unlock 8 Pull away from boarding
10 yards wide by 8 yards high.
Strafe 8 Rake target with fire
Crew: Anywhere from two to 15 individuals can cram
while passing
into this small transport. Usually, at least two regular shuttle
Blast 6 Shoot target pilots occupy this type of vessel. Young Void Engineers often
Dodge fire 8 Avoid being hit pull pilot duty as a training exercise, inevitably guided by
Target breach (+2 difficulty) an experienced Technician.
Long-range target (+2 difficulty) Armament: A Mark V laser cannon (10 dice of damage)
juts from the belly of the shuttle, and is set on a rotating mount
for maximum range of motion. The ship usually depends on its
SES Nautilus and SES Argo speed, high maneuverability and Mark 10 Mulcahy deflectors
(Ethernaut Cruisers) (five extra dice to soak damage) to escape conflict.
Size: 30 yards, tip to tail-fin; 10-yard wing-span Hull: Takes six Health Levels before rupture; subtracts
Crew: Six (pilot, co-pilot, communications/sensors/ five successes from most attacks, and three from magickal
navigation officer, engineer, two rear gunners); plus a 10- ones. The Deflectors (above) grant it an additional five soak
man boarding party (or 10 passengers) dice, which must be successfully rolled to deflect the damage.
Armament: Two rear-mounted .50 caliber machine Special Equipment: Each shuttle has at least one
guns (8 dice damage, capable of seven full-auto bursts before Quantum Field Inverter (see Technocracy: Void Engineers)
requiring reload); two forward torpedo bays, each holding with a variable setting, so that passengers can be Inverted to
four Thunderbolt Torpedoes (16 dice damage). Both weapons their Terran labs, to their labs in the Cop, or onto another,
are perfectly capable of damaging spirit targets. larger ship. Often wired for Gateway travel.
Hull: Takes 10 Health Levels before rupture; sub- Image: Although an ovoid would probably be prefera-
tracts five successes from most attacks, and three from ble, the designers of the Newton Shuttles were tired of the
magickal ones. Void Engines they were used to. The shuttles are sleek and
Special Equipment: These Umbraships are equipped with trim, but still have “windows,” slight “wings,” and a vaguely
an Ephemeral-material Converter, allowing them to pass blocky sort of build, with some angular lines that make
through the Barriers (the Gauntlet and the Horizon). From them look wildly different from most of the other ships of
eight dice, the engineer must generate 15 successes (difficulty the Convention.

Description: When a regular shuttle service was created place on the vessel, their duties varying with their power and
to ship instruments, Devices and some people from the Solar influence in Malfeas. Periodically, The Brand conveys one
System to the Cop, the Research & Execution department of the direct representatives of the various Malfean Maeljin
was charged with the creative task of coming up with a new Incarna (see Book of the Wyrm) to some arcane meeting
design. The new service was begun with the unveiling of the place, and thus also carries the enormous entourage such a
snazzy Newton Shuttles, and the vessels have done yeoman personage would require.
service ever since. A detachment of 50 to 100 elite fomori perform stan-
dard guard, torture and similar duties, and act as shock
Greigen Test Platform troops for boarding parties.
Size: A transforming vessel, the test platform is, in its Armament: There are direct and indirect weapon
spherical form, 200 yards in diameter. In its fullest unfolded systems. The direct weapons are powered by radioactive
state, it could be as long as 600 yards. elementals and similarly toxic spirits. These guns and mis-
Crew: At least one Void Engineer pilot needs to be siles do material damage to enemy vessels, and also provide
aboard one of these craft, and she usually needs about 50 foci for the Nephandi aboard to combine and utilize their
Technicians to help her control the engines, motion and Forces, Matter and Entropy Spheres.
reformatting of the structure. The ship can carry up to 500 The indirect weaponry envelops enemy bases and
people comfortably. vessels with more emotional effects. Often jokingly
Armament: You can mount just about anything you referred to as the “Seven Deadlies’ Ray,” or “Pandora’s
can imagine on this ship. One of the ships is being used as Punishment,” this spiritual attack employs Banes and
the test platform for an Entropic Field Generator Gun right Epiphlings representing things like anger, avarice, pain
now. The EFGG, a long, metallic tube, runs through the and lust. Designed to be used in long-term settings at
length of the ship. It fires a beam from the front of the ship great distances, some of these weapons can be launched
that exponentially increases the innate Entropy of a target, at a target in a probe or satellite that maintains the field.
doing damage to carefully ordered computer systems, weapon The target’s residents slowly begin to experience the
systems and living systems. From the rear of the weapon, influence of these spirits. If the Nephandi can maintain
another beam fires that exponentially reduces the innate the field long enough, the targets often self-destruct, at
Entropy of a target, which stops just about any process that least internally, or convert to their cause.
fires the engines and the weapons systems, as well as causing For faster effect in a shorter term, the Nephandi can
damage to living systems. Both functions employ Entropy use these weapons as foci for their Mind and Life magick.
4, with an “Arete” of 6. Hull: Takes 15 Health Levels before rupture; subtracts
Hull: Takes 12 Health Levels before rupture; subtracts five successes from most attacks, and three from magickal
eight successes from most attacks, and four from magickal ones. ones.
Special Equipment: This ship type is designed to carry Special Equipment: The Brand has an extremely effec-
all sorts of special equipment. Use your imagination. tive cloaking Device that renders it undetectable to most
Description: Kristof Greigen created this vessel to magickal scanning Effects (Arete 6, Quintessence 35). This
carry large scale experiments into optimum positions for Device can be operated for long periods, and its running
testing (preferably far, far away from any Constructs). The time is often extended by feeding it random low-powered
basic form of the craft is spherical, but that sphere can be Banes, similar spirits and prisoners.
reconfigured by the twisting, unfolding parts designed into The engines of The Brand are a monstrous conglomerate
it, letting it unfold, refold, twist, shift and rearrange as the of Banes, forged in the pits of Malfeas. They continuously
primary research team might desire. move the vessel through the Umbra with their combined
spirit essence. This conglomerate feeds upon the agonies of
The Holocaust Brand (Nephandi the luckless individuals consigned to the torture chamber
Warship) that occupies the underside of the ship.
Size: The Brand is approximately 100 meters long, 50 Image: The Brand’s outer hull is slick, shiny and black,
meters wide and 25 meters high. No one has managed to as if coated with the chitin of millions of black beetles.
acquire more accurate measurements. Beneath that outer shell, white bones show through in
Crew: A triumvirate of Malfean mages commands this spots, crossed, packed and bound in sinew and spider silk.
vessel, each bringing a hand-picked entourage of at least 10 The shape is roughly cigar-like, except for the bloated belly
personal assistants, some lesser Nephandi, some fomori and that swells out under the vessel like the distended abdomen
an occasional Black Spiral Dancer werewolf. Under this elite of a starving child. The skin of the hull here bulges, shifts
corps, a crew of 50 or more fomori and mortal slaves work and moves with the agony of those within.
to navigate the vessel, maintain its function, and operate its The interior of the vessel is a dripping, breathing
weapon systems. Hundreds of Bane spirits flit from place to mesh of pipelines, some of them acidic to the touch.
Corpses litter the floors or cling to the walls, and writhing The Vivo (Experimental
things that might once have been human grind them-
selves into pulp under the gears of shrieking machines. Progenitor/Void Engineer Vessel)
Description: The Holocaust Brand is one of the Size: Roughly ovoid and about a kilometer in diameter
premier Malfean battle cruisers, certainly not the flagship through its largest axis.
of the fleet but a privileged command nevertheless. Dis- Crew: Approximately 100 people staff the Vivo.
patched for major attacks that require decisive victories The command crew consists of 10 Technocrats — five
or huge quantities of raw carnage, the ship is rarely used Progenitors and five Void Engineers — which ensures a
to its greatest potential. Once, it led an assault on the political balance of power aboard. The remaining crew
Copernicus Research Center, and since then has not been are Technicians from the labs of both Conventions and
pressed nearly so hard. It occasionally makes morale-boost- marines dispatched from the staging area of Darkside
ing appearances at major battles with Void Engineer or Moonbase. The slight political edge the Void Engineers
Son of Ether forces and has loomed in the background have by maintaining an enforcement contingent is offset
of several engagements near Neptune’s moons. by the fact that they don’t really understand how the ship
The vessel’s torture chamber is infamous as a place works. But then, it’s doubtful whether the Progenitors
of punishment for disobedient servitors of Malfeas as know all of its ins and outs, either.
well as hated enemies. The room echoes with screams Armament: While the Progenitors work with the
and pleas at all hours of the day, which makes it a fa- Void Engineers to develop more advanced weaponry,
vored duty post among the fomori on board. Vampires, the Vivo at present has a number of explosive missile
when they can be captured, make marvelous guests in weapons that resemble thorns. The design is such that the
the Brand’s toy shop. Rumor has it that several Tzimisce thorn-missiles can be propelled at targets with a suitable
vampires have signed on for tours of the torture cham- detonation to accelerate them rapidly. On impact, the
ber lasting a year and a day, simply for the experience missiles explode; not a truly damaging explosion, but
of being subjected to the most jaded and imaginative enough to transform the kinetic energy of the forward
torturers in existence. momentum into heat energy. The real damage comes from

the missile’s contents, a flash-thawed acid concentrated
enough to dissolve a hole through the hull of most targets
with ease (10 die explosion, with an additional 8 Health
Levels/turn done for five more turns).
Hull: Takes 20 Health Levels before rupture; subtracts
six successes from most attacks, and five from magickal ones.
Special Equipment: A heavily guarded artifact of
unknown origin has been installed on the Vivo . It makes
instantaneous travel possible with minimal energy, but
has one big drawback: It will transport only living objects.
After some experiments and adjustments, recentlyliving
material such as hair, fingernails, wood and cotton also
travels, but nothing inorganic or heavier than 300 pounds
can be transported.
The first test run of this ship was a memorable experi-
ence, since the entire crew, in one of those weird cultural
oversights, was wearing artificial fiber clothing. The artifact
(which is classified to such an extent that even rumors of
it are dangerous to hear) was supposedly found in the Cop.
No more information — not size (although it has to fit on
the Vivo, of course) nor appearance, nor guesses as to its
origin or workings — is presently known, except to the
select few who supervise its testing on the Vivo.
Image: The rippled, red-and-green-mottled surface
of this ship seems to undulate as it moves. Seemingly
random transparencies in the outer hull allow glimpses
of strangely-colored shapes, foliage, circulatory systems,
and the occasional crew member wandering around like
an intestinal parasite. Great green vanes of an incredibly
thin and tough material unfold from many parts of the ship
and angle to catch and store energy from any available
source of light.
Description: The Vivo is, as its name suggests,
alive. (The name, apparently, is a rather obscure joke
among some Progenitors, who evidently find it hilar-
ious to inform their co-workers that they are going
somewhere in Vivo.) It is, however, not a single living
organism (although there are rumors of research being
done in the Progenitor labs towards such a project) but
rather several different living systems fused into a single
floating ecosystem. The hull and energy vanes provide
most of the energy for the interior systems, including
the crew, through photosynthesis and related activities.
The life support system is particularly complex in that it
not only supplies air, water and recycling, but food and
other resources as well. Of course, this gets out of hand
sometimes (the orange tree in the command center was
particularly troublesome), but the Progenitors report that
they are “working on it.”
The ship consists of many different living systems,
including plant and animal complexes (not including the
crew, that is), as well as other forms of life less well defined.
The systems that support the ship are modular; in-
stead of having a single waste-recycling plant and a single

food-growing plant, there are hundreds of these scattered early on, when it was discovered that one of the systems
throughout the ship, none of which are identical. The used for fine maneuvering of the ship emitted a gas which
diversity of the systems actually adds to the stability of the caused the membranes of the “windows” to weaken (a
ecosystem as a whole (although it does cause a somewhat situation that was quickly remedied). The term “bugs
chaotic and complicated layout) and to the ship’s ability in the system” also took on an entirely new meaning
to deal with the differing needs of its crew. If, for example, after the Progenitors had to deal with an infestation of
the weapons systems are needed, the systems that deal Japanese Beetles which thought the hull very tasty. The
with the waste products of the weapons array experience Progenitors hope they can “fully integrate” the systems
a growth boom in order to deal with the increased output. eventually, with the ultimate goal of making the ship
The drawback to having the systems arranged this self-replicating.
way is that the ship is, in the words of one of the Void The Vivo itself is surely a wonder of achievement,
Engineers, “even less predictable than usual.” The ship’s based as it is solely on living systems, and powered entire-
systems do not necessarily deal with the same stressor in ly by light and a small amount of Tass. Self-contained,
the same way twice, and systems not directly connected efficient, potentially self-replicating, but, it is hoped, not
with one another sometimes interact in odd ways. One self-aware, theVivo is the heart of its creators' hopes for
of the most unfortunate of these interactions happened what the future could bring.

Appendix:
Game Systems
So many worlds, so much to do.

So little done, such things to be.
— Lord Tennyson
Travel To and Fro

In game terms, travel between worlds is perceptions offer a slight glimpse into the “between,” while
possible, but requires certain powers. Before the other Traits help him tap the feelings that come with
you go, it’s always good to know how you’re increased awareness. Vampiric Auspex (Level Two and up)
getting to your destination. Systems have “skirts into” this extraordinary state, as does fae enchantment.
been offered here for those who might want Changelings themselves (along with shapeshifters and ghosts)
them, but they’re not essential to running already exist in the Periphery by nature of what they are.
a story in the Otherworlds. Remember — As for seeing through the Periphery, the Spirit Sphere
imagination is everything. lets you to gaze straight through the Gauntlet itself. Sev-
eral Garou Gifts allow a shapeshifter to do the same. Rank
• Perception: One Mind magick (or various “aura perception” powers
Anyone with the Awareness Trait, the Dream Back- that other beings have) grant the character glimpses of the
ground or any of the magickal Spheres can perceive the Astral Umbra; only by crossing over through astral travel,
Periphery simply by using those abilities. Rank One Sphere however, can she see it in all its glory.

Beginning the Journey would any other mortal.) People who dwell in Horizon
Any character who enters the Otherworlds starts in Realms don’t suffer this effect, but gradually take on the
the Penumbra, the shadow of our own world. (A portal lets aspects of the Realm in which they live, and they shape
you skip that part, but we won’t complicate things right that Realm in return.
now.) From there, she must walk or fly into the mists which
surround where she stands. Her intentions and knowledge
Magick and Combat
lead her where she wants to go. As the Mage rulebook says (page 242), all magick is
coincidental in the Umbra. Time and Forces magick work
The Penumbra always appears to be in twilight, filled
at +1 difficulty, and Life and Matter generally don’t apply
with foggy haze. During the day, this haze lightens and
to things you find there. Spirit magick makes the caster
colors become more vivid; at night, the moon provides
shine like a beacon, and acts as Life against spirits and
the strongest light and the shadows take on a near-life of
Matter against ephemeral objects. A mage with Spirit 3
their own. By day, the worldwalker must rely on her own
instincts (Wits + Cosmology or Perception + Enigmas), or better can also touch an Umbrood entity, which other
spiritual assistance or luck to find her way around. As night mortals can’t do (shapechangers and changelings are ex-
falls, trails called Airts or Moon Paths stretch out before ceptions to this rule, but vampires are not. Unless they’re
her. These paths lead to all the various Realms, although in Frenzy. How odd…).
the trip to some of them may be long and difficult. Mortals suffer an automatic +1 to all their attack dif-
A character who wants to fly can do so if she has the ficulties in the Umbra; shapeshifters are the exception to
power; this often involves magick, wings or some device. this rule, being largely spirit themselves. For more details,
Many Astral travelers can glide naturally. A flying traveler see Mage, page 261.
can look down on the world from a distance, and may Correspondence magick is tricky; it won’t cross through
encounter paths to worlds that a walker couldn’t reach, portals, gates or Realms, but it can shift around the Pen-
like the Aetherian Reaches in Chapter Two. Unless she umbra, or around the Realm you occupy. “Teleportation”
does, though, she remains in the Penumbra. and co-location is really dangerous — fewer than three
Astral travelers may interact with spirit travelers in successes, and you end up wherever the Storyteller feels
the Middle Umbra. Those who wander through Spirit like putting you! Entropy is deadly in the Shadowlands.
magick may enter the lowest reaches of the High Umbra Those rules can be found in Chapter Three.
(the Vulgate), but may not advance farther. Spirit beings Realms are little worlds unto themselves; the guide-
deal with everyone normally. The exception is the Low lines above do not apply inside them. Many Realms have
Umbra; without certain Gifts or magicks, the living cannot their own rules, and the systems section of each chapter
affect the Shadowlands, and spirits of the dead cannot cross detail those rules. Most Realms have their own versions of
into the other two Umbrae. what is and what is not considered “coincidental magick.”
• Disconnection: The Three Worlds represent what Horizon Realms are notorious for realities “slanted” to
humans once had, but lost. Technomancers (including Sons favor their creators.
of Ether and Virtual Adepts) have a very hard time even Stepping sideways in a Realm is often useless — there’s
reaching Umbral Realms; they tend to wander around in no “spirit world” on the other side. Really advanced Spirit
the mists, going nowhere unless someone more knowledge- magick (Spirit 5) can get a mage through the pericarp, or
able leads them to a destination. They cannot attain the Realm Gauntlet, allowing her to exit the Realm without
Aetherial Reaches ever, and have a difficult time entering using a portal. This brings the traveler into the “space
the Afterworlds described in Chapter One. between worlds,” just outside the Realm itself. Passing
Explorers without shapeshifter blood eventually lose through a pericarp this way requires at least three successes
their connection to the Earth if they stay in the Umbra for at difficulty 8. A botch seals the wizard inside the pericarp,
long. After a while (one to four months for most people, where she must be freed by someone else.
four months to a year for primal mysticks), they forget their • Magickal Difficulties: Many Realms can alter
lives on Earth and become spirits. Their physical bodies the difficulties for certain Spheres by their very nature.
fall away (or die, in the case of astral travelers) and their These adjustments can be found in the sections for each
consciousness shifts them into spirits which embody their chapter, and will not affect the overall difficulty by more
true nature. This is a one-way process. Umbrood like Aelida than 4 points (+/-4), total. Ten is the maximum difficulty
are said to have begun their existence as mortals who fled in all cases, and 2 the minimum difficulty. Certain feats
the material plane. The same disconnection affects the might be automatically successful in the right Realm
changing breeds as well, but it takes longer, typically one (creating butterflies in the Verbena Seasonal Realms, for
to five years. (No, vampires who drink werewolf blood do instance) if the mage has a high enough Dice Pool, at the
not gain this resistance. Disconnection affects them as it Storyteller’s option.

Travel in the Three her body, however, stands in the Penumbra, along with
anything she brought with her. Passing through is easier
Worlds when you wear or carry nothing (Mage, page 217), but
whatever you bring enters with you.
Pop Goes the Wizard! From there, travel simply involves walking. The
— Dr. Volcano paths one takes, though, become pretty arcane. Most are
guarded by hostile Umbrood, blocked by spirit-webbing,
Entering the High Umbra or move of their own accord. Moon Paths, the easiest
To pass into the Realms of the mind, a traveler must routes, are glowing roads that link the Realms. Those who
leave her body and advance her consciousness. Entering walk such paths must deal with the Lunes (see Chapter
the Astral world requires either outside assistance, Spirit Six) and other hazards. Other roads, called Airts, mark the
3, Mind 4 or 5, Auspex 5, the Garou Astral Mind Gift, places where spirits travel. Airts are hard to find without
or the Psychic Numina of Clairvoyance. help, but connect all Middle Realms. An adventurous
Explorers who enter the High Umbra through Astral traveler can try to climb the Pattern Webs which link
projection travel nude by default; no material items (with every location in the Middle World. This is dangerous
the exception of certain Talismans) can become one with — Pattern Spiders swarm across such Webs — and can
the traveler’s essence. A mental link, often called a silver get you hopelessly lost.
cord, connects the traveler to her body back home (Mage, Navigating through the Middle Worlds involves either
page 211, or Vampire, pages 160-161). Those who enter Perception + Enigmas (for shapeshifters) or Wits + Cosmol-
physically through portals, or who become ephemeral ogy (for everyone else). Difficulties seem tied to the phases
through Spirit magick, can carry or wear anything they of the Moon; when it’s full, Moon Paths glow everywhere;
want. No silver cord binds them. the smaller it appears, the weaker the moonlight and the
Stepping sideways will get you in, but only so far. more difficult the journey. Moon Paths disappear completely
Many Umbral travelers whose minds tend toward abstract during daytime. Mages still ponder why this is.
reasoning (like Technocrats, Virtual Adepts, Sons of Ether,
Hermetic mages and Akashic Brothers) see the Penumbra Entering the Lower World
with Astral Videre, but cannot venture beyond the Vul- The easiest way to cross into the Land of the Dead is
gate with Spirit magick alone. Only a highly developed to die. Since this tends to be a one-way trip, the Agama
mind can reach the upper Realms. Although some portals Sojourn (Entropy 4/Life 2/Spirit 3) spell may separate the
go directly to the Courts, the highest Realms are beyond spirit from the body, allowing the traveler to “die” while
Spirit magick’s reach. her body remains between life and death. (A similar Effect,
To travel beyond the Vulgate, the explorer must concen- commonly practiced by the Euthanatos, sends another
trate on changing her level of being. As she does so, her body person on an agama sojourn. This variant is Entropy 4/
becomes a shimmering mass of colors and shapes, weaving pat- Life 3/Spirit 4.) An agama is risky magick at best; many
terns which grow more complex as she enters higher states. From dangers await the successful voyager, and a failed roll
there, she sends her body up the Spires, metaphysical symbols makes the trip permanent.
for higher consciousness that appear like towers, mountains or Agama magick can only carry a mage as far as the Shad-
stairs. In game terms, this involves rolling Perception + Occult, owlands, the Low Penumbra. Traveling further requires a
with difficulties ranging from 6 to 10. Reaching the Epiphamies ghostly guide (preferably with the Argos Arcanos) and a
(the highest Realms) demands a mental shift to Intelligence willingness to literally risk your soul for the trip. Chapter
+ Occult, with the difficulties going higher as the character’s Three describes the journey in detail.
consciousness ascends; the lower Epiphamies demand difficulty
9, and the outer reaches go beyond mortal thought. Only a Entering Other Realms
mage who has ascended can reach the most theoretical • Most Horizon Realms, Shade Realms and Shard
astral reaches, and the trip might be beyond many of them. Realms have portals linking them to the mortal world.
(See the Mind Sphere in the Mage rulebook, or the listings Crossing through these gateways and Anchorheads may
for Auspex or Numina in Vampire or Hunters Hunted, involve complex rituals, certain circumstances, or simply
respectively, for the rules of Astral travel.) walking through, depending on where the portal is an
where it goes. Magick is often unnecessary.
Entering the Middle Umbra • Paradox Realms open for you. Getting to one de-
Stepping sideways through innate power, Gifts, Spirit liberately is more difficult. Sometimes, a spirit traveler can
magick, or its variant, Dimensional Science, brings the step sideways and follow a Paradox spirit’s trail — its Airt
explorer to the Middle Umbra. As we’ve already said, — back home. This begins at difficulty 8 and goes up from
what she sees when she gets there depends on her mindset; there; knowing the nature of the spirit (Spirit Lore) can
reduce that difficulty by -1 to -3. Those who study Paradox Travel Beyond the Horizon
Realms claim that you can reach them by passing outside Despite the Fisher Princess’ remarks in Chapter Five,
the Horizon and searching for their silvery trails. New Par-
the Horizon is an impressive barrier. All travelers perceive
adox Realms float close to the Earth, while old ones drift
it differently: some see a huge river or a “Dreamshell,”
into deep space. Getting in is easy — just step through the
others a living membrane coursing with creation’s blood,
membranous surface. Getting out requires clever magick.
and still others an endless wall of iron. Most Etherjammers
Using the same Sphere that brought the Realm into being is
see a belt of cosmic rays, which their ships must navigate
not wise. Funny thing — when you escape a Paradox Realm,
without disaster. Either way, a traveler passing through
you return directly to Earth. Where you return to depends
the Great Barrier must ford the Horizon (often with
on the length of the trip and the wishes of the Storyteller.
Spirit 5 or Mind 5, but sometimes by sheer Willpower)
• The Dreaming: Traveling the Maya is as mysterious with 10 or more successes on an extended roll. Getting
as the Realm/Zone itself. Changelings and their enchanted back in usually demands 15 more successes the same way.
allies dwell in a sort of “dream Penumbra” which corre- An Anchorhead vortex Domain makes the passage easier
sponds to the normal Penumbra but looks considerably (five successes only).
different — it’s a vital world which mixes the best and
Anchorheads link the Near Umbra with the Void.
worst aspects of the Middle Umbra and traditional folk
Some also pass into the Shade Realms or Shenti. Most
tales. The fae call this the Near Dreaming and Dream-
Anchorheads appear to be energy storms or whirlpools,
speakers call it the Dreamtime. While mages can see it
but some of the more well-traveled ones — gateways to the
with Mind 1/Spirit 1, non-Dreamspeakers cannot “travel”
Shade Realms — take a more permanent form as landscapes
there without being enchanted by fae magic. The fae
on the far side of some obstacle. The Anchorhead to Life’s
themselves can travel the trods at will — the Dreaming,
Shade Realm, for example, might look like a moss-covered
in many ways, is their home.
log bridge across a bottomless chasm. On the other side,
From there, paths called trods lead to the Maya, the
a vast grassland awaits those brave enough to cross over.
Dream Realms which changelings call the Far Dreaming.
The character makes her roll as she balances across the log
Here, floating bits of imagination — called Dream Realms
bridge. Characters who cross through an Anchorhead need
for lack of a better word — create the worlds imagined
only make a Willpower roll (difficulty 8) to finish the trip.
by sleeping minds. Mind 3 allows a mage to enter these
places, but everyone goes there while asleep. Mind magick The Aetherian Reaches (Chapter Two) offer an
simply allows the explorer to choose where she goes, and easier path to the Deep Umbra, but only the most pri-
for how long. Wits + Enigmas rolls can guide the trip. mal travelers — shapeshifters, Verbena, Dreamspeakers,
When dreamwalking, the mage’s body remains alive, as Cultists of Ecstasy and some changelings — can even
if she were using astral travel (see above) without a silver find this spirit Realm. Past the cloud-cover of certain Middle
cord. Only Dreamspeakers may step sideways and travel Umbral Realms, the sky goes up forever, passing up to the
to the Far Dreaming, although powerful ones may bring Horizon and beyond. The planets one sees from this perspec-
other people with them. tive are more like the Shade Realms than like the Shards we
recognize. Here, the traveler needs only five successes on a
By most accounts, the Maya bleeds outside of the
Willpower roll (difficulty 8) to pass through. Anchorhead
Horizon, blending into a hazardous eternity at the fringe
vortices, which sweep across the “sky,” lead directly to the
of the Far Dreaming. Trods are generally the only way to
travel this far, although it’s rumored that people in comas Shenti, which epitomize Wyrm, Weaver or Wyld.
or Quiet mindscapes send their minds here. Only Dream- Once in space, the traveler’s perceptions guide her journey
speakers, changelings and their allies, or astral travelers (Perception + Cosmology). Most modern-educated mages
may come and go here under their own power, and it’s a understand that space is an airless vacuum; a worldwalker has
hazardous journey. Navigation difficulties range from 9 to fly to cross it, and the distances are vast. Some primal mys-
to 10. Travelers who lose their way end up devoured by ticks, however, can simply picture an endless desert and walk
Night Terrors (Chapter Six) or wander around in their across the Void. To others, the explorer’s still floating, but
own imaginations for eternity. in the traveler’s mind, she wanders through a vast expanse,
• The Hollow Earth: Most explorers reach this Realm waiting for some landmark. This kind of journey can take
by mistake. Many of the known passages — including caves lifetimes, and has it own problem — survival.
beneath the Andes, a plateau in India and a tributary of The deeper one goes into the Void, the more pressing the
the Amazon River — have been blocked off, except for need for magickal protection grows. Imagine drifting in the
one cave at the North Pole. That’s not to say that a lost Pacific ocean — sure, you can breathe for a while, but how long
group in some primordial area won’t find a new entrance will you last? A mystick Talisman or Device may protect the
into these Lost Worlds, but doing so doesn’t require any traveler for a while, but she’ll die out there without something
special magicks. Just luck. more to sustain her. The Void, moreover, exerts a more subtle
threat than simple physical starvation: dissolution of the soul.
The Void’s spiritual vacuum pulls slowly but insis- And then there are the things…. Occasionally called
tently at a traveler’s essence. As she wanders, her soul “Demon Hordes” by explorers, the entities that dwell on
begins to scatter. Unless some magick, like the rank five the endless stars and planets are far too frightening for
Spirit Effect Deep Umbral Travel or a technomagickal mere statistics to convey. Besides, the idea’s already been
life-support system, keeps her body and soul together, done to perfection, so why bother when a perfectly good
the two gradually drift apart and disintegrate. For some game called Call of Cthulhu already exists? Chapter Six
reason, Marauders and Nephandi seem immune to this presents a few denizens of the Void Beyond. If you, the
effect. (The Fallen Ones’ exile past the Horizon was Storyteller, want to get more sadistic, check out CoC.
supposed to kill them. It didn’t.) The aforementioned
safeguards will protect an explorer indefinitely; still, most Travel Between Realms
Etherjammers prefer to ride on some kind of Umbraship, Astral traveling from the High Umbra or the Dream Zone
if only for security. to another World requires a Willpower roll (difficulty 8) to make
The Void houses some unpleasant company. A mighty the necessary shift in consciousness. Doing so places the explorer
effort by the Traditions and Technocracy combined in the mists of the Penumbra. She must travel from there herself.
ripped the most powerful Nephandi from the Earth in A Middle Umbra traveler can climb the Pattern Web
1944, killing many of them and hurling the survivors into the lower reaches of the Vulgate (or vice versa), but
into the Deep Umbra. Another working locked the cannot advance further than that. Only the Dreamspeakers
metaphysical door behind them, making it impossible can walk from the Dreaming into the Umbra. Coming or
for the Fallen Masters to breach the Horizon directly. going from the Lands of the Dead into the High or Middle
Since then, the Nephandi have had to sneak in through Umbra requires Entropy 5/Spirit 4, Entropy 5/Mind 5
back doors and dreams, or corrupt new followers. Most for an Astral traveler, or Argos 4 in the case of a wraith.
cosmologists feel the ritual dropped the Fallen Ones Portals are usually the only way out of Horizon or Umbral
into Malfeas (see Chapter Five), but no one’s been able Realms — very few Realms have Gauntlets you can step
to check. The Marauders seem to prefer living outside sideways through, and it’s almost always easier to get in than
the Tellurian’s confines; even so, many of them enjoy to get out. Most Horizon Realms have back doors into other
jumping some harmless worldwalker or Umbraship when Realms or onto Moon Paths, but these are usually guarded
the opportunity presents itself. by elaborate wards and sentinel creatures.
Travel Methods
Place Means of Travel and Navigation
Periphery Awareness, Dream, Rank One Spheres, Auspex 2
Astral Travel Mind 4 or 5, Auspex 5, Clairvoyance 5, Gifts; navigate by Perception + Occult
Stepping Sideways Spirit 3 (4 to bring others), Gifts (innate to Garou); navigate by
Perception + Enigmas (shapeshifters) or Wits + Cosmology (mages)
High Umbra Astral travel, stepping sideways (Vulgate only); navigate by Perception +
Occult, or Intelligence + Occult (Epiphamies)
Middle Umbra Stepping sideways, astral travel
Low Umbra Entropy 4/Life 2/Spirit 3; navigate by Wits + Occult
Realms Portals, gates or Anchorheads
Paradox Realm Find (Perception + Spirit Lore), step through
Maya Mind 1/Spirit 1, or fae enchantment to see; sleep, Mind 3 to visit (only
Dreamspeakers can step sideways); navigate by Wits + Enigmas
Hollow World No magick necessary
Horizon Spirit 5, Mind 5, or Willpower roll (10 successes out, 15 successes in)
Anchorhead and Aetherian Reaches Willpower roll (5 successes, difficulty 8)
Deep Umbra Spirit 5, Mind 5, Life 3, or life-support device for long survival;
navigate by Perception + Cosmology.
World to World High Umbra/Dream Zone to other: Willpower roll (difficulty 8);
Middle to High Umbra: climb Pattern Web (Dexterity + Athletics or
Cosmology); Low to any: Entropy 5/Spirit 4, Entropy 5/Mind 5 for an
Astral traveler, or Argos 4; Realm to Realm: Portals and gates.

Systems, Chapter by Chapter
For all intelligent human beings have had some The Realm’s “native” inventions here work under their
brief experience of moments of contemplation, own power, and never require fuel, power or ammunition.
when consciousness seems to widen and become Devices from outside have their usual needs. Everything here
aware of the sheer interest and complexity of is “solid”; that is, it’s made of matter and natural elements,
the world. And when you are in this state, you not ephemera, so long as it remains inside the Realm. Visitors
cease to feel the same intense desire for individuals cannot take items from the Inventium with them; once an
or objects, because you are aware of so many. item passes out of the place, it turns to dust.
— Colin Wilson, Poetry & Mysticism The people living here should seem stark and insular.
Years of hiding in what amounts to a giant toybox has made
Chapter One them all pretty crazy, especially the ones who were born
here. Everyone in the Realm expects an army of invaders
• General Notes: Remember that astral travelers use
their Social and Mental Traits in place of their Physical ones: from Earth to come any time now and take the inventions
Dexterity becomes Wits, Manipulation becomes Strength, away from them. Visitors, even allies, will be given a cool
and Stamina becomes Intelligence. Damage is subtracted (or even hostile) reception.
from Willpower instead of Health, and when a character’s • The Elemental Domains: Nature magicks (includ-
Willpower drops to zero, his silver cord snaps. ing magick with no focus at all) are coincidental. A spell
When and if the silver cord is severed, a character loses involving elements in its focus reduces its casting difficulty
all connection to his body and flies upward to the Epiphamies. by -1. All technomagickal Effects are considered vulgar. All
This is usually a good time to take the player aside and run Forces and Matter-related Effects reduce their difficulties by
him through a series of quick sensory impressions, then go an additional -1 (maximum modifier +/-4).
back to the others while he puzzles out what’s happened. Spirit and matter are one and the same in the elemental
For further details about astral travel, see the Mage (page domains. All Spheres work as usual, and the surroundings are
211) and/or Vampire (pages 160-161) rulebooks. not made of ephemera. All elemental spirits are considered
Materialized (as the Charm) in these Realms.
The Realms All of the elemental Courts are dangerous to travelers
• The Grand Hall of Endless Gates: All forms of magick who aren’t equipped to handle extreme climates. Vampires
are coincidental here, but supernatural beings (including in the Fire Courts are not long for this (or any other) world.
werewolves, vampires and such) add +2 difficulty to their Characters in their astral forms will remain unharmed but
“casting” rolls when they try to use a Discipline, Sphere, uncomfortable — the domains can be pretty unsettling.
Gift, or whatever. A bit of planning (magickal or otherwise) can prepare
The doors and windows to the various Realms operate worldwalkers to survive the Courts, but the traveler who
both ways, but you have to see them in order to use them. simply wanders into the home of Hon So the Wooden
Many Grand Hall portals cannot be noticed from the other Dragon without an invitation had better be prepared for
side except with a Perception + Awareness or Perception + some nasty surprises.
Enigmas roll (difficulty 8). When seen this way, they often • Umbrood Realms (including the Umbral
link up to some other kind of “transition place” (a mirror, Courts): All forms of mystick magick (that is, magick
pool, gate, crossroads, etc.). A magickal or mundane lock that looks like magick) are coincidental; the spirits are
will bar the portal for a little while, but will be swept away old-fashioned and consider technomagick a vulgar aberra-
by the sentinels in time. tion (“That thing won’t work in my home, child!”). Some
As for the sentinels themselves, consider them a plot technology-spirits may be the exception to this rule, but
hook, not a “wandering monster.” They should seem mys- most Umbrood Realms reject Technocratic ways. Magick
terious, unknowable and invincible. Any character who casting difficulties are:
attacks one should be dealt with in a harsh but non-fatal Coincidental: Sphere + 2
manner (turned to stone, hurled out a nearby door, frozen Vulgar without witnesses: Sphere + 3
in mid-air, etc.). The sentinels never speak. Vulgar with witnesses: Sphere + 4.
• The Inventium: All forms of technomagick are The residents of these Realms are as weak or as powerful
coincidental in this Realm; natural Arts are vulgar unless as you want to make them. The Book of Madness offers some
they’re really subtle (making a seed fertile, flipping a coin sample characters to give you an idea about the relative power
out of probability’s range, etc.). of the Umbral Court’s denizens. Such spirits are almost always
haughty and condescending toward humans, but tend to be

extraordinarily curious about them, too. They often insist There’s only one way into the Paradise Realm: through
on ceremony, and get badly bent out of shape if they don’t the front door. No portals, Null Zone corridors or Pattern Webs
receive the proper respect. Umbrood often have more subtle lead here, and the only other way out is by offending the hosts.
ways of dealing with annoyances than simple combat; Lady Any character stupid enough to attack the Gates of
Aelida is more likely to summon a flock of birds to crap on Heaven is annihilated. Period. It doesn’t matter if he has
a trespasser or to fling him off her cloud-castle than she is a True Brujah grandfather, an Arete of 10 and sixes in all
to jump on him and start swinging. his Spheres. The light engulfs him and he’s gone forever.
• The Nether Realms: Characters cannot exit either Nearby travelers get a chance to run; they’ll only suffer three
of the Afterworlds easily; they must leave the way they came aggravated Health Levels (no soak, even with Fortitude),
in, or through some other portal like the Catacombs or the be struck blind for several days, and suffer an eternal mark
Dread River. Spirit 5 will not get you out of the heavens or on their foreheads and souls for what they’ve been a party
hells. Mortals can visit the Afterworlds only by preparing to. Travelers who wish to profane Paradise once they’re
themselves for the trip, or by following some demon or angel inside — through violence, insults, vandalism, whatever —
back home (not an easy task). can do as they wish. When they finish whatever it is they
All forms of magick are considered vulgar with witnesses wanted to do, the Realm fades around them and they find
throughout the Nether Realms. (What? You thought you themselves in hell. Getting out is their problem — after all,
could just march in and start slinging spells? Sorry, buddy, rejecting Paradise was their choice. A character who suffers
this is hell.) Holy magicks — Chorus Songs, healings, this fate may not ever return to Paradise unless he offers a
shamanic medicine, etc. — are especially hard to perform sincere repentance.
in the hells (+1 difficulty), but people with True Faith and A visit to Paradise restores all the Willpower (temporary
blessed Talismans add two extra dice to all their Dice Pools or otherwise) a visitor has lost, and grants her a new point
and glow with searing light. Which, of course, makes them as well (maximum 10). Such trips, however, are rare and
good targets… wondrous experiences. A person would be extraordinarily
Paradox points don’t just pile up on a character sheet. lucky to do this once in her entire life, and two trips would
They hurt. A lot. Backlashes take the form of Infernal tortures, be almost unheard of. The angels and resident souls are
but will not kill the victim, only cause him pain (-1 to all Dice kind and peaceful — not perfect, perhaps, but innocent and
Pools for every five points of Paradox expended). Escape through well-intentioned. At the same time, those imperfections
Quiet is not an option. A mage is stuck with the consequences make Paradise seem that much more hopeful.
of his actions. The storytelling elements of a journey to Paradise cannot
Infernal chains, shackles and cells cannot be moved or be overemphasized — that journey must be one of the most
broken with mortal strength. It takes a Dice Pool of at least 10 dramatic and significant chapters in your chronicle. The
dice to resist such blocks or bindings, and breaking or moving same is true, to a lesser extent, of a trip to hell. The Nether
these obstacles usually demands at least three successes. Realms lie closer to the World of Darkness than the heavens
For each day spent wandering in the Nether Realms, do, however, so it’s easier to travel more than once to the
a character loses one of her permanent Willpower points. Infernal depths than to the Celestial reaches.
Lesser visits cost two temporary points. Anyone killed in • The Epiphamies: These are all Realms of pure Mind;
the Nether Realms is trapped there, possibly forever, and no other form of magick, Gift or Discipline will work here
joins the ranks of the tormented. at all. Mind powers reduce their difficulties by -2, and are
Demons aren’t stupid, as a rule. Dumb servitors may considered coincidental magick.
hurl themselves at an invader, trying to bring her down A character should have fours or better in all of her
by sheer force, but the smarter ones will mutter enigmatic Mental Traits to even consider coming here, and some of
phrases, display minor feats of power, and try to get on the really abstract Realms are simply off-limits. Stepping
the character’s good side. In short, they play games. These sideways is not an option in the Epiphamies; worldwalkers
Infernal pastimes can be a great deal more fun than simply must visit in their astral forms. Especially rare Null Zone
beating the stuffing out of a trespasser, and they have the corridors might lead a material visitor to one of the highest
same result. The explorer may leave hell alive one day, but Realms, but he’ll have to leave the way he came in.
she’ll remember what she’s seen for the rest of her life. And An astral wanderer who ends up flung into the Epip-
who knows? She may well be back…. hamies when her silver cord gets cut buzzes around the
• Paradise: All peaceful magicks are considered coin- netherspace. She may cross into the more common Realms
cidental here, and do not require a focus regardless of the (like those described), but cannot stay anywhere for long.
mage’s Arete. All violent or offensive Effects are vulgar with Unless she finds a way home, she becomes an Umbral
witnesses, and all Paradox for such attacks is doubled. A vagabond, looking for a Realm or fellow traveler that can
Paradox backlash expels the whole group from the Realm. reunite her with her Earthly body.

Chapter Two In game terms, an Umbral Windstorm changes the
landscape drastically in its wake. It disrupts Moon Paths,
• General Notes: Most mages never see the Realms blows travelers off course, and throws a hefty scare into
of the Middle World; they’re too shut off from the primal everyone. If characters end up in the middle of such a
essence of nature to go far in these elemental regions. Those storm, have them make Stamina rolls (difficulty 6-9,
who stay in touch with nature, however, like Cultists, depending) to see how well they come through. Failure
Verbena, Euthanatos and especially Dreamspeakers, find means a person is swept away and gets hurt (one to three
there’s a fascinating and intoxicating play going on behind Health Levels). Botching injures her badly (three to five
the Velvet Curtain. Health Levels) and strands her far away. Success means
This is, of course, the Umbra described in the Were- she’s shaken but unhurt.
wolf books. Many of the Realms depicted in that game’s Umbraquakes occur when a powerful spirit gets really
supplement Umbra: The Velvet Shadow, like Wolfhome, angry. Everyone in the vicinity gets thrown to the ground
Pangaea and the tribal homelands, are virtually impossible for and injured by the spiritual outburst. This usually inflicts
non-Garou to reach. Other Realms are seen quite differently one to five dice in aggravated damage to everyone in the
by non-Garou visitors. The names and descriptions of each area, and shakes the surrounding Umbrascape to bits.
Realm have been changed a bit to reflect the perceptual shift.
For the record, the Realms are as follows: The Aetherian Zones
Reaches = the Aetherial Realm; the Chasm = the Abyss; • Maya: See Chapter Three.
Dystopia = the CyberRealm; Hy-Brasil = Arcadia Gateway; • Digital Web: See Mage, pages 242-244. For real
the Mythic Worlds = tribal homelands and the Battleground; detail, see the Digital Web supplement.
the Radiance = the Flux; and the Wasteland = an overlap of
• Mirror Zone: As the Storyteller, invoke any rules
the Atrocity Realm and the Scar. Storytellers are advised to
change you want in order to throw the players off balance.
send mixed parties to one variation or the other. The Hollow
Possibilities include turning successful rolls into botches,
Earth (Chapter Three) may be an aspect of Pangaea, but no
adding Paradox to successful magick rolls, exchanging
one has been able to prove a connection.
Wits + Enigmas rolls for any other form of roll, and
Technomagick is vulgar in all Middle Umbral Realms anything else your demented little mind can envision.
except Dystopia; there, the reverse is true. Paradox back-
• Null Zone: No form of technology works at all in
lashes usually summon spirits to “correct” the problem.
the Null, nor does any form of magic, including Arts,
These entities aren’t necessarily Paradox spirits, but simply
Disciplines, Spheres, Gifts or Arcanoi. Werecreatures
Umbrood defending their territory.
can shift into their other forms, but that’s about it. Yes,
The spirits themselves respect any mage with the Spirit these are, in fact, aspects of the Paths of the Wyck, and
Sphere; the higher his rating, the higher their regard. This they’re fairly deserted. Some Realms transcend these
doesn’t mean they’ll do everything he asks — they might corridors, but for the most part, the Null goes almost
hate him for having powers mortals shouldn’t possess — but everywhere. Getting there is easy — just step through
they’ll notice him and grant everything he does with a mea- the door (if you can find one). Stepping sideways while
sure of importance. As for other characters, the reception concentrating on the Null can get you there (difficulty
spirits give them might range from amusement to hatred, 10); failure strands the character elsewhere, and a botch
depending on the spirit, the character, and the things both pretty much destroys him, so it’s not a good idea to try.
sides do when they meet.
Time effectively stands still for characters in these
halls; a group could walk from London to Maui in a few
Umbral Storms moments if they knew where to go. Navigating the Null
The Middle Worlds are the most tempestuous of the corridors requires an Intelligence + Enigmas roll, difficulty
three layers. Although mass insanities may trigger storms 10. Getting to an exact destination requires five successes;
in the High Umbra, and maelstroms may sweep across the botching the roll leads the characters to some hideous
Underworld, the stresses of Wyld, Weaver and Wyrm alike doom (a hell, the Chasm, etc.).
rip across the Middle Umbra in the form of frequent Umbral
• Vistas: Nothing a worldwalker can do will affect a
Winds and Umbraquakes.
Vista in any way, or vice versa. Characters are spectators,
The Umbral Wind brings storms which resemble Earthly nothing more. Vistas often require that each viewer makes
tempests, but in a far more horrifying aspect. They’re the a Willpower roll (difficulty 10 minus the viewer’s Arete,
elemental essence of storms, more violent and awe-inspiring Gnosis, Courage or Glamour). Failure means that character
than hurricanes. Imagine being out on a small boat in the loses a point of temporary Willpower. A botch means she
middle of an ocean when a waterspout hundreds of feet high loses two points. Interestingly, wraiths are unaffected by
bears down on you. Nowhere to run, no shelter in sight. Vista visions. Maybe what they’ve already seen is so much
That’s the terror of an Umbral storm. worse that simple visions don’t bother them.
The Realms work normally here, but Correspondence or Entropy-based
• Aetherian Reaches: As mentioned, this place is so Effects add +3 to their difficulty or backfire wildly. Time
does not work at all, except to utterly disorient the caster.
alien to (or so guarded against) Technomancers that they can
Paradox manifests as angry sprites who rip into the victim
never enter it. If someone leads them here, they end up lost
with tiny magic swords (physical backlash).
somewhere else. All forms of mystic magick are coinciden-
tal, though Paradox still exists for those who botch. Spirit The residents of this Realm are fae, not spirits; they’re
magicks reduce casting difficulties by -1. Garou characters material, essentially immortal, and vulnerable to cold iron.
gain an automatic Rage point when they enter the Realm. Changelings who visit here gain an additional two points of
Glamour, but realize instinctively that this place has no real
To get to the Reaches, a traveler must go up somehow.
connection to Arcadia, much as the folk there would like
Once she does, no matter how high she goes, she remains
to think that it does. These residents behave in capricious
immune to the effects of high altitudes or outer space (except
ways, as faeries often do. Manners are essential; rude people
for weightlessness) until she reaches the Horizon. Once here,
wind up in nasty traps, while visitors with a good grasp of
she may walk on clouds as if they were solid; if she falls, she
etiquette gain favor. Don’t take the gifts they offer, however;
will not be hurt (she might be really freaked out, but not
the old tales about eating and drinking in faerieland apply.
injured, after a really long plunge).
Visitors who accept such tokens may find themselves unable
• The Chasm: All forms of magick are vulgar here, and to leave (Storyteller’s option).
Effects add +1 to their difficulties. The Chasm is a siphon
• Mythic Worlds: Everything about these myriad
of mystick energies and disrupts any attempt to use them.
Realms is larger than life. All forms of magick are coincidental
The exception is Spirit magick; any pure Spirit Effect (that
in most worlds. Technomagick is usually, but not always,
is, one which uses that Sphere only) is coincidental and
the exception; a cyberpunk Realm will accept those foci as
reduces its difficulty by -1. Spirits summoned here, however,
“normal” as well. Magick is never totally without risk — even
will be very angry — a visit to the Chasm is considered a
a high-fantasy Realm will have nasty consequences for fouled
virtual death sentence. spells — but a trip to the Mythic Realms offers a troupe a
Anything (or anyone) who falls into the Chasm is lost chance to cut loose and have some wild fun.
forever. Scaling the walls requires a Strength + Athletics Although the Realms are really just spiritual represen-
roll (difficulty 6 or more), while descending the path may tations of imagination, all Spheres work as they normally
demand Dexterity + Athletics rolls to avoid slipping. Any- would; Life kills or heals the denizens of a Mythic Realm as
one who stares into the Chasm must make a Willpower roll it would on Earth, and Matter can bring down mountains.
(difficulty is Storyteller’s option) to look away. All visitors, Time, however, works cockeyed. All Time Effect difficul-
regardless of their temperament, will be depressed by the ties add +3 (maximum 10), and even successful spells have
Chasm’s atmosphere, and really unstable ones may loose odd after-effects (blurry vision, speaking or hearing “out of
their cool completely, depending on the circumstances. speed,” etc.). Paradox backlashes depend on the Realm; a
• Dystopia: As mentioned, technomagick is coinci- Classical Greek Realm might invoke a thunderbolt from
dental here, and all other styles are vulgar. Cybernetic foci Zeus, while the OK Corral might conjure up a dust storm
reduce casting difficulties by an additional -1. Paradox or an angry Indian spirit.
often takes the form of electric shocks or “security alarms” A character who joins a quest cannot leave the Realm, no
summoning nearby police. matter what. Nor would he want to — the quest is an exciting
Strangers are not welcome here, by the way; all outsiders thing, even if you’re a mage or werewolf. Astral travelers who
raise the difficulty of their Social rolls by +1. die during a quest go home, but those who wander in spirit
The Digital Web links into Dystopia through a series form suffer a true death. Those who succeed gain a point of
of hidden “back doors.” Characters can jump in here the temporary Willpower and refresh any points they may have lost
same ways they access the Web (see above). Like the VR during the adventure. And these trips are adventures! They
Zone, the Computer Net here exchanges a character’s should be fast, exciting and filled with action.
Mental Attributes for his Physical ones. Intelligence be- • The Radiance: All magickal Effects add two dice to
comes Strength, Wits becomes Dexterity, and Willpower the caster’s Arete roll, but often go way beyond the mage’s
replaces Stamina. An experienced computer-type can intentions. A spell meant to grow wings, for example, might
change her appearance (her icon) in the Web by rolling change the subject into a bird. All forms of magick are co-
Manipulation + Computers (difficulty 6) and spending a incidental here, although Technomancers rarely find the
point of Quintessence or Gnosis. place unless they have an experienced guide.
• Hy-Brasil: Magick with “traditional” European foci Prime is especially powerful in the Radiance: all Effects
(runes, wands, chants, etc.) reduce all casting difficulties by using that Sphere reduce their difficulties by -2. All mages
-1 (maximum -4). Magick without foci, or using “foreign” absorb five points of Quintessence, which stay with them
tools, is normal but coincidental. Matter, Life and Forces until it’s used. Correspondence spells don’t work at all, but

they give the caster a great head rush. Paradox “snaps” always The Realms
take the form of searing bolts of energy (physical backlash), • The Low Umbra: All forms of magick are considered
and can consume a wizard whole. Backlashes also add two coincidental in the Underworld, but Arete rolls are at +2
dice to their effect! difficulty. Life and Prime spells are always vulgar; Matter
A mage who ventures into the Pulse banishes all the and Forces do not work at all. Large Effects can rip open
points she had in her Paradox Pool at the time she entered. Nihils, gateways to the Tempest. The Tempest itself disrupts
Once there, she can always gain more by screwing up, but all Correspondence and Time-related spells, making them
whatever Paradox she had before she entered is purged by useless. Entropy magick is a bad idea here. It flows easily
bathing in the heartbeat of the world. (-2 difficulty), but unlocks the Shadow which lies at most
Nothing and no one may be bound while in this Realm. ghosts’ hearts. Once freed, these Shadows attack everyone
Blood Bonds, spirit fetish-bonds, addictions, possessions in the vicinity. Only Mind and Spirit function with any
and all forms of Mind control are snapped if the subject or real accuracy, and they’re still hard to use.
master enters the Radiance. This freedom is permanent. Paradox backlashes summon hordes of screaming
Shapechangers who enter the Realm (including mages who spectres (like Paradox spirits), which carry an unlucky
shapeshift) change back and forth at random intervals be- mage into the heart of the Labyrinth; there, he undergoes
tween their various forms. The landscape changes as well (see a Harrowing, a group torture where the character confronts
description). A strong-willed individual can control those his worst fears. In game terms, the troupe usually shifts roles
changes and remake the landscape to her will by spending to become the tormenting Spectres, who in turn become
a Willpower point (Gnosis for shapeshifters) and rolling the character’s fears. See Wraith: The Oblivion’s second
Manipulation + Enigmas. The difficulty depends on the size edition rulebook for details. If you don’t have that book,
of the change. Such alterations last only a few minutes, but assume the mage has entered a Paradox Realm in hell (see
can be made again later. A mage can even change herself as Chapter One). He can’t leave until he faces a gauntlet of
if she had Life 4 by spending a point of Quintessence and emotional tortures he cannot escape. It’s said the Nephandi
willing a change. This only lasts a minute or so, but can be consider Harrowings a cross between Sunday school and
very amusing. entertainment.
• The Wasteland: Magick does not work here at all. • The Maya: These Realms work best without firm
Any attempt to use it backfires and make the situation even rules. If you need systems, assume that magickal styles
worse. Any group which enters the Wasteland is scattered; can be either vulgar or coincidental (depending on the
each person must face his torments alone. Once a scene is dream), Mind and Spirit magick work at -2 difficulty, and
played out, the visitor is free to leave, or might be swept into Time-related Effects boot you out of the dream.
another atrocity exhibition. At the fringes of the Realm, all Changelings know the Dreaming best; their enchant-
travelers may be reunited. Given the harsh lessons of the ment allows other folks to see the chimerical reality they
Realm, they’ll need the company. dwell in. (see Changeling: The Dreaming and Nobles: The
Most of the Realm’s “residents” are spiritual reflections, Shining Host for details about the fae and their world.)
not actual people or even spirits. You can kill them, but Astral visitors use their Mental Attributes instead of
they come back to life. If one of them “kills” a character in Physical ones. Creatures here seem as material as anything
return, she’ll fall out of the Realm and end up back on the else; dream spirits are ephemeral, but should be considered
Moon Paths. Visitors — like the Banes who occasionally Materialized when they meet characters in the Maya.
come here to feed on the sheer misery of the Wasteland — Dying in a Dream Realm catapults the traveler into an
are an exception; they’re as solid as anyone else, and may Earthbound coma. In game terms, this resembles a Quiet
be injured physically if the character has the power to do so. mindscape (Mage, page 179), usually for a few weeks. If
The Realm’s defeat-laden atmosphere may, at Storyteller’s he perishes in a particularly horrible way, he may have to
option, drain a point or two of temporary Willpower from make a Willpower roll or die for real. Entering another
mortal visitors. person’s dream is easy — a simple Mind 3 trance gets you
in. Getting out is more difficult, and typically demands a
Chapter Three resisted Willpower roll, with the dreamer having a lower
• General Notes: Each of these Realms is a world unto difficulty than the trespasser (often 2 less). A character
itself. The means of traveling or navigating through them who meets one of the Oneira makes a disturbing discovery:
can be found at the beginning of this Appendix. Detailed Within their own Realms, these beings are gods. If a visitor
treatments of the worlds of Wraith and Changeling are displeases Myathia of the Twelve Collars, for example,
beyond the scope of this book; those Realms are a mystery that visitor may awaken mute, or forever cold, or speaking
to most mages, anyway. Troupes who wish to incorporate backwards (the punishments dealt out by Neil Gaiman’s
the Underworld and Near Dreaming into their chronicles Morpheus can give you the general idea). In other words,
should consult the other games’ rulebooks for details. travelers should behave!

• Paradox Realms: The Sphere or Spheres that bring Sphere is completely useless except in the Central Core,
a mage to a Paradox Realm are vulgar inside that Realm. although its Dimensional Science variant (see Technocracy:
Any magickal failure or botch compounds the punishment. Void Engineers) works normally.
It’s usually best to avoid using magick at all once you’re in a Paradox causes an especially vicious backlash here: Of-
Paradox Realm. The only way to escape is to confront some fending mages either slide into Quiet and have their bodies
test or obstacle and overcome it without using mystick power. gathered up for fuel or forced labor, or take physical damage
Those who struggle mire themselves further in, leading to such as choking, followed by disintegration. Each turn, the
situations like Rugnir’s Crib. mystick suffers one Health Level of aggravated damage (no
• The Hollow World: All forms of magick are co- soak); if he reaches zero Health, his body begins to scatter. His
incidental in the Hollow World, much to the delight of molecules float away and become integrated into Autoctho-
the few Technomancers who find the place. No magickal nia’s structure. Other reality deviants, such as vampires and
complications are necessary. Sample listings of common werebeasts, suffer minor pains, which grow worse the longer
dinosaurs can be found in Chapter Six. The existence of the they remain. Changelings discover an agonizing place with
dero and tero is left completely to the Storyteller. White an effective Banality of 10, and ghosts find the Shroud just as
Wolf refuses to confirm or deny such rumors. impenetrable. Thus is the Pattern maintained.
Surveillance cameras, monitors and bugs are everywhere.
Chapter Four Turning invisible may handle the cameras, and silence may
deter the bugs, but few preparations can elude the motion
• General Notes: Creating a Horizon Realm requires sensors, laser grids, thermal monitors, probability counters,
a massive ritual involving the following elements: a linked temporal shields, brainwave readers and lifeform scanners.
network of Nodes; Matter 4, Forces 4, Prime 4 and Spirit Treat these systems as all-Sphere sensory Effects plus mundane
4; and months or years of work. Guidelines must be estab- sight, touch and hearing perceptions, with a Dice Pool of 8.
lished, Nodes found, ley lines created, mighty spells crafted, Foiling them requires someone with Computers, Computer
precautions taken, and efforts coordinated. A glitch at any Hacking, Technology, or at least Misdirection.
portion of the process may have disastrous consequences.
Hacking difficulties aimed at disabling Autocthonia’s
Once the process is completed, a pocket in reality is computer systems require at least 10 successes at difficulty 10 for
formed. Inside, the work begins on the shaping and structuring a localized shutdown. A total shutdown is virtually impossible.
of the Realm. Here’s where the great difference between an No Earthbound computer systems link Autocthonia with the
Umbral Realm and a Horizon Realm — the first occurs nat- planet, although a system of complex relay stations exists within
urally, the second, deliberately — becomes obvious. Anyone the Digital Web for transferring information. This creates an
who wants to construct a Horizon Realm had better have inefficient lag time, but avoids security risks. Information often
access to lots of money, materials, magick and time. The takes one to 10 minutes to transfer from Earth to Autocthonia,
Book of Chantries and Horizon: The Stronghold of Hope far longer if the transmission is from someone other than an
present some of the larger Horizon Realms in the modern Iteration X Comptroller. A patrol of machine-spirits (ironically
world; Chapter Four of the first book runs down many of the enough) and Void Engines defend the Construct’s exterior from
details (some of them now out-of-date ruleswise, but other- invaders, and an advanced obfuscation shield (no relation to
wise helpful) of Realm construction, politics and ecology. the vampiric Discipline) deflects radio signals and mundane
It’s worth noting that spirit-summoning and Gaunt- satellite photos. The interior bulkheads can withstand eight
let-piercing Effects tend not to work well in most Horizon Health Levels worth of damage before rupturing, and the
Realms because, quite simply, the spirits are out in plain exterior walls can take a great deal more.
sight. Realms which have spirits, like the Dreamspeaker Failures and botches while breaching any of Autoc-
Lodge of the Gray Squirrel, have no Gauntlet between thonia’s security measures alert The Computer, which can
the worlds; those which don’t, like Autocthonia, have discern the offenders’ location with a successful Perception
no spirits around to affect (except The Computer and + Technology roll (eight dice; difficulties range from 4 to 9,
the Geomids, both of which are pretty distant from the depending on how skilled the trespasser is and how badly
hallways of the Realm). In short, most Spirit-magick Ef- he blew his own roll). A squad of 10 HIT Mark Vs will be
fects are worthless in Horizon Realms, unless they either dispatched to the intruders’ location immediately. The
pierce the pericarp or allow a mage to summon or see a Computer is nothing if not precise.
spirit out in plain sight. • Balador: All forms of technomagick are strictly vulgar
outside Stim City; most forms of magick are vulgar, for that
The Realms matter, save those which tap into the primal passions or
• Autocthonia: As you can guess, anything except for mental disciplines. The Cultists are pretty exclusive, and
technomagick is considered vulgar with witnesses in Tech- don’t want any tight-assed Hermetics or Celestials messing
nomancer Heaven. Entropy Effects are at +3 difficulty, and up their Realm. Paradox takes the form of Quiet in almost
failed attempts set off alarms all over the area. The Spirit every case.
• Darkside Moonbase: All forms of magick except the immortal and archetypal, and thus defy simple rules. Sug-
Technocracy’s preferred methods are vulgar on the dark and gested “rewards” for those who eat the Fruits include full
lifeless aspect of the Moon. Even Technocracy procedures healing, new points of Willpower, deep sickness, madness,
add +1 to all their difficulties, and occasional “disruption or even immortality (freedom from age and disease, at any
storms” (read: Luna getting pissed) raise that difficulty even rate), depending on the players, the chronicle and the
more. Paradox usually results in equipment failure; that, in story’s needs. Those who would take Forethought’s place
turn, is usually fatal. of suffering must ask themselves “Do I really want to lose
Ether-breathing doesn’t work well on the Technocracy’s my character this way?”
Moon; those travelers who try to do it find themselves gasping • Victoria Station: As with the Gernsback Continuum,
for air within a minute or so. Occasional werecats or faeries step the rules of the Station belong to eccentric technomagick.
through the Moon’s Gauntlet when they can (at difficulty 10, Paradox, however, is not as much of a problem here.
that’s pretty rare; see notes for Chapter Five), but they don’t Instead, mages who screw up end up in Quiet, often for
hang around for long. Darkside Icarus is quite haunted; the some time. Thea has a room set aside for such victims to
Shroud here drops to 8 under most circumstances. During the recover in, as the Realm’s own residents fall into that state
“disruption storms,” it falls to 5. Most smart Void Engineers quite frequently.
avoid the ruins during those “days.” Victoria Station is renowned for mysterious benefactors
Despite all the problems, Darkside Base is well-equipped who help do the work when nobody’s looking. In game
with advanced gear. Technocracy: Void Engineers, Chapter terms, anytime a character begins a non-magickal task and
Three, offers an overview of common toys, as well as details leaves it overnight, it’s possible that some of the work will
about the space marines and technicians. Even so, morale be done for him when he returns. The Storyteller should
here is perilously low, and “off-the-record” violence is pretty roll once for the invisible helpers; the difficulty depends on
high. Most Engineers stationed here would do a lot to get whether or not the visitor has been respectful or amusing. If
another post somewhere, anywhere else…. so, the difficulty is 6; if not, it’s 9. For problems that involve
• The Copernicus Research Center: Anything goes Technology, Science, Computer, Faerie Lore or any other
in a “Realm” this big. Use your imagination. Strict tech- artistic or craft skill, roll six dice. For all other tasks, roll
nomagick is the rule in the living complexes, but outside, three dice. Unless the faeries finish the job or botch it, the
the rules are as flexible as you, the Storyteller, want to make person can pick up where the “help” left off when he returns.
them. (See the “Travel Beyond the Horizon” section earlier Victoria station’s best defense is its virtual invisibility;
in this Appendix for some guidelines.) planted as it is in orbit around the Umbral “dying moon”
• The Gernsback Continuum: Eccentric technomagick aspect of Luna (see Chapter Five), the Sons of Ether never
is the rule here; all forms of mystick magick or Technocra- see the Void Engineers, and vice versa. Some of those
cy-style hair-splitting are vulgar, my dear chap, vulgar. The entities which call the Moon home have recognized the
emphasis of the Realm is on wonder and excitement, and Station, but by now they understand that the Scientists
the parameters of its reality support that. Paradox, when it wouldn’t do anything too wrong, so they leave them alone.
occurs, usually takes the form of a) a nasty malfunction, like Odd pockets of reality-shift (like the one that brought a
an explosion or runaway, or b) a sudden bolt of Tesla-esque sentient dinosaur to the Realm) occasionally flutter around
lightning, probably thrown from a nearby coil tower designed the Chantry, disguising it even further. Is this some legacy
for defense purposes (can’t have nasty mages running around of Arcadia, or just Luna and Phoebe playing tricks? Only
loose, now can we?). Consider either form a physical backlash the Umbrood know for sure….
and be done with it. • Verbena Seasonal Realms: As Autocthonia is to pri-
• Midrealm: A Realm of archetypal symbols incarnate, mal magick, so the Seasonal Realms are to technomagick.
Midrealm allows nothing but the most primitive magick Paradox strikes as bolts of lightning, ice storms, swarms of
styles. Paradox consists of Typhon and the Protean Hawk, insects, and other forms of physical backlash. Visitors who
which hunt anyone who disturbs their home’s integrity. despoil the Realms, magickally or otherwise, find themselves
The Alder Bole’s roots and branches can be considered plagued by runs of bad luck. Animals become hostile, tempests
parts of the Null Zone; they may in fact be the Null Zone spring up out of nowhere, diseases strike, and the Realm’s
in another aspect. Any place those corridors can reach is guardians, often ancient and powerful Verbena witches, seem
accessible through the trees and roots, although a traveler to materialize from the very trees themselves….
who climbs the Bole must hang on tight (Dexterity + Ath- Life magick is the Realm’s essence; all Effects using this
letics or Climbing, often difficulty 7). Those who fall from Sphere reduce their difficulties by -2, and some spells may
the Bole might land anywhere in the Tellurian, from Earth be considered automatically successful if the mage has a
to a Dream Realm. Dice Pool that adds up to more than the difficulty number.
The Fruits of Eternity, the Sisters and Forethought Autumn Circle is a strange exception: This Realm is so
are best left to your own discretion. These powers are hungry for blood that wounds will not mend without Life

2 or 3 healings. The harsh weather around Winter Castle Despite all rumors, no link between Arcadia and the Moon
requires either warm clothing or adjustments through Life exists. At least, not any longer. The Celestine manifestation,
magick; an unprotected traveler may need to make Stami- Phoebe, can be reached by travelers who pass through the
na rolls every hour or so (difficulty 6 to 10, depending on Aetherian Reaches. Long ago, Luna conceded a bit of her
the weather) or lose one Health Level per hour (no soak). essence to the obnoxious humans who insisted on setting up
Death, of course, is the flip side of life, and worldwalkers shop on the Moon. She put a false Penumbra aside for those
who venture to the Seasonal Realms should remember that. who wanted to try out their pathetic magicks on the planet
and drew her true form into the spirit world, where her favored
Chapter Five shapeshifters can still visit her. Umbra: The Velvet Shadow
contains more details about Phoebe’s hidden face.
• General Notes: As a general rule, all magick is
• Jupiter/S.R. Matter: Using the portal at the Earth’s
coincidental in space. The standard difficulty, therefore, is
North Pole, no magick is necessary to enter S.R. Matter. If
Arete + 3. Some Realms may differ.
a character wished to go to the Hollow Jupiter or Mars, a
Past the Horizon (which extends as far as Mars), there
polar portal would work the same way on those planets. At
is no Paradox. Botched rolls, however, often cause the Effect
the Horizon gateway, an explorer needs Correspondence 4 to
to backfire. A bolt of fire may explode in the character’s
cross into the Hollow Earth, and theoretically this method
hand instead of in the target’s face, a transformation may
could work going to the other Hollow Worlds.
go horribly wrong, and a life-sustaining spell might end up
• Saturn/S.R. Time: See listing; all Time magick is at
draining the subject instead. Old Paradox Flaws often (but
-4 difficulty, and has double the normal effect, or more. The
not always) fade when a mage crosses the Horizon.
consequences of using it, though, are impossible to predict.
Any space station is considered a Realm with the co-
The war raging across these planets’ moons involves
incidental “edge” stacked in its founders’ favor. A group of
nearly 300 mages from the various factions, and hundreds of
Void Engineer marines who board a Son of Ether station
consors, space marines, Bygones and horrific things. There
may have the Devil’s own time with Paradox, as their Effects
are permanent portals between these stations and Darkside
will often be vulgar. This makes space warfare more difficult
Moonbase, Victoria Station, the Gernsback Continuum,
than it would appear. Common ground, like laser pistols, jet
Null-B, MECHA and Doissetep. Just when the combatants
packs and power armor, are considered normal technology,
think they have the other sides figured out, someone springs
and always work.
a new surprise. A really wild chronicle could be run around
Assume that, on the planets and Shade Realms, all Effects
the moons of Jupiter and Saturn, but the details go beyond
which use that Realm’s Sphere reduce their difficulties by -2.
the scope of this book and may clash with the tone of many
Automatic success may apply with those Spheres alone.
Mage chronicles. Good sources for such a game include Void
Engineers, Sons of Ether, The Book of Madness and The
The Realms Book of Chantries.
• Venus/S.R. Life: Venus has a Gauntlet of 10, and
• Uranus and Neptune/S.R. Spirit and Mind: Travelers
the difficulty is the same everywhere on its surface. Explorers
to these Realms need no special knowledge or equipment.
need Life 2 magicks (or equivalent equipment) to be safe in
Indeed, those who meditate into Seekings go there auto-
the Venusian Penumbra. Life 1 is sufficient to get by, but
matically, leaving their bodies behind (Mage, pages 31-32,
for every week the character is exposed to the raw marshes
227-228).
and jungles, he loses one die from all Dice Pools. Subtract
the same for every two days that a completely unprotected When any kind of spirit crosses the threshold of the
human spends outside. Realm, it takes on its true form (no disguise Charms work
• Mars/S.R. Forces: Visitors need magicks or equipment here) and a separate “body.” This includes almost all Um-
of about Forces 2 to be safe, though short trips are possible brood (Bygones, demons, whatever), mage’s Avatars and
with Forces 1 (which enables the explorer to see what’s nearly-Awakened Avatars.
coming and dodge). Without any protection or detection Few other supernaturals frequent S.R. Spirit, but for
devices, it’s just a matter of time before a big shock wave or crossover purposes, use the following rules: Vampires have
energy blast hits and destroys the mage. no visible spirit. Garou have no separate spirit, but seem
• The Moon/S.R. Prime: The Gauntlet of the Moon “doubled” when they visit (which is almost never; imagine
is related to the amount of light it receives from the Sun. every fetish-bound spirit in a medium-sized pack let loose at
Inside large craters (particularly near the rims) the Gauntlet once). Wraiths become visible and can communicate and
is 3. Outside the craters, in the light (two Earth-weeks to a interact freely here. Changelings show their true seeming,
day, two Earth-weeks to a night), the Gauntlet is 5. In the but have no visible spirit.
dark, the Gauntlet is 7. For 10 or 20 miles around Darkside Marauders, by the way, calm down in these Realms and
Moonbase, the Gauntlet is 10. Except, perhaps for the ruins become as sane as they can get (not very). Their landscape
of Darkside Icarus. is determined by their madness — Miss Zhao, (for example)

whose delirium involves ancient China, would see ancient come from a galaxy whose explorers have not survived to
China. Other explorers passing through would also see things share their discovery. Chapter Six offers a few samples of
as Miss Zhao does. these horrors.
• Space: See Introduction for rules about travel and • Shenti: Gateways to the Shenti form and fade on
Anchorheads. their own accord. Storytellers can feel free to put them
Nephandi, Marauders and other wild things live wherever they like. The Wyrm Reaches, Wyld Reaches and
in this Void. We leave the details about them to your Weaver Reaches of the Aetherian Reaches (Chapter Two,
chronicle, although The Book of Madness, The Book of and Umbra, pages 36-37) can be said to be reflections of the
Chantries and the Book of the Wyrm offer many possi- Shenti, as the Shade Realms reflect the Shards.
bilities. Sons of Ether, Void Engineers and Hidden Lore The Shenti of Stasis, Autocthonia, can be found in
offer a variety of Umbraships, and Chapter Six contains Chapter Four. The detailed yet distant nature of the other
a few more. Shenti, Malfeas and the Flux, are beyond the scope of this
A mysterious race, called the Ka Luon by the Traditions, book. Malfeas is discussed in Chapter Three of Book of
continues to appear in Void Engineer and Etherjammer the Wyrm, Flux in Chapter Two of Umbra: The Velvet
records, but no encounter with the “hidden ones” has yiel- Shadow. Assume that all magicks except Entropy are at +2
ded decisive information as of yet. The “Demon Hordes” in difficulty in Malfeas, and everything is coincidental. The
the Deep Umbra are better known by far. Some accounts Flux can have whatever game effects you want it to have,
claim they hail from Malfeas, while others speculate they so long as they change constantly.

Index Deep Umbra 13, 149, 185-186, 193
see also Space, Space Travel
Aetherial Reaches/Realm 26, 54-56, 183, 185, 190, 194
Demons 39
Afterworlds 34-43, 75, 183, 188
Dero/Tero 92, 96-98, 192
Airt 19, 50, 183
Digital Web 12, 17, 24, 51-52, 61, 105, 107, 189, 192
Aisling 19
Dinosaurs
Akaa 27, 33
see Characters
Alder Bole 126-127
Doissetep 144-145
Amnesia 91
Domains 11, 19, 51, 53
Anchorheads 55, 149, 185
Dream Realms/Zone
Arcadia 62, 129, 190, 193-194
see Maya
Asteroids 148
Dreamscapes
Astral Travel 14, 19, 24, 183-184, 187
see Underworld Dream Theatre, The
Astral Umbra
Dystopia 26, 59-61, 190
see High Umbra
Earth 146
Astral Videre
Elemental Domains 32-33, 187
see Videre
Elemental Lords 33
Attack Geomids
Epiphamies 24-26, 43-45, 184, 188
see Characters: Geomids
Etherbreathing 4-6, 149, 185-186, 193
Autocthonia 31, 102-107, 157, 192, 195
Etherships 176-181
Awareness (Talent) 10, 182
Etherspace 13, 149, 157
Balador Pleasuredome 107-109, 192
see also Deep Umbra, Space
Biotopia 93-96
Faeries in Victoria Station 130, 193
Blights 11
Fleckman’s Folly 90
Byways 73
Flux, The 157-195
Cerebus Chantry 155-157
Forethought 127, 193
Charon and Cerebus 156-157
Fors Collegin Mercuris 17, 142, 157
• Characters
Fortress of Government 45
Akai 165-166
Fruits of Eternity 127, 193
Amore Muse 79, 164
Gauntlet 10, 19, 74, 182
Angelics/Celestials 41, 168-169
Gernsback Continuum 120-125, 193
Gabriel 169
Glens 11, 19
Kalina 40-42, 169
Grand Hall of Endless Gates 26-28, 187
Bitter-Sweets 166
Great Enigmas 19
Bollixes 144, 172
“Great Race,” The 138, 157
Chaos Spirits 169-172
Greigen Test Platform 178
Color Strings 170
Hestilics 25, 33
Vortices 170
Hidden World, The 96-98
Wonderwhats 171
High Umbra 11, 17, 19, 23-47, 182
Dinosaurs 94, 149, 172-175
Hollow Earth/World, The 72, 91-99, 151, 185, 194
Carnosaurs 173-174
Hollywood 80-83
Herbosaurs 174
Holocaust Brand 178-179
Pterosaurs & Plesiosaurs 175
Horizon Realms 12, 20, 101-102, 184, 192
Geomids 60, 102, 107, 170
Horizon, The 12, 19, 148-149, 185, 194
Interface 105, 175
Hûo the Flame Lord 32-33
Kid Fears 84, 86, 164
Hy-Brasil 61-63, 190
Loors 46, 166-167
Inter-Reality Possession 82-83
Lunes 50, 169, 183
Inventium 28-32, 187
Nemesis 167
Jupiter & Saturn 149-152
Night Terror 78, 84, 86, 164-165, 185
Lady Aelida 32-33, 183
Protean Hawk 126, 128, 171-172, 193
Land of Nod, The 83-86
Pulse Units 105, 107, 175-176
Lexicon 19-20
Raamas Ka 160
Lord Hyperion 56
Shanti 167
Lord Lysander 61-63
Typhon 126, 128, 171, 193
Low Umbra 11-12, 17, 71-77, 129, 156, 191
Watchers in the Deep, The 161-163
Luna
Chasm, The 56-59, 190
see Moon
City of Brass Chantry 140
Lunes
Computer, The 103, 105-107, 192
see Characters
“Cop”/Copernicus Research Center, The 115-120, 157, 193
Malfeas 39, 157, 186, 195
Courts
Maya 12, 19, 51-52, 64, 72, 77-89, 185
see Umbral Courts
see also Zones
Darkside Moonbase 110-115, 147, 193-194
Mercurian Cosmology 16-18, 139

Middle Umbra 11, 17, 49-69, 184, 189-191 Stepping Sideways in a Realm 183
Midrealm 125-128, 193 Storyteller Hints 20-21
Mirror Zone 12, 52, 189 Travel 182-188
Moon 55-56, 110-115, 128, 146-148, 193-194 Travel Methods Table 186
Moon Paths 19, 26, 50, 56, 184 Umbral Storms 189
Mosslings 130 S.R. Correspondence 141-142,
Mus 140, 142 S.R. Entropy 156-194
Mythic Realms 24, 51, 63-65, 79, 190 S.R. Forces 145, 194
Mythic Worlds S.R. Life/Shade Realm of Life 131, 144, 194
see Mythic Realms S.R. Matter/Shade Realm of Matter 92, 151, 194
Near Umbra 10-12 S.R. Mind 154, 194
Nether Realms 35-39, 188 S.R. Prime 146-148, 194
Newton Shuttlecraft 177-178 S.R. Spirit 154, 194
Neil Gaiman’s Morpheus 191 S.R. Time 152, 194
Nightmaster 59 Sandmen 87
Null Zone 36, 52-53. 188-189, 193 see also Neil Gaiman’s Morpheus
Oneria 78, 191 Seekings 153, 194
Overlap Zone 19, 146 Seline 32-33
Paradise 39-43, 188 SES Nautilus & SES Argo 130, 177
Paradox Realm 13, 20, 71-72, 89-91, 192 Shade Realm/S.R 12, 20, 138-157, 184-185, 194-195
Pattern Spiders 50, 184 Shadowlands
Pattern Web 19, 24, 26, 50, 184, 186 see Low Umbra
Penumbra 10, 19, 50 Shard Realm 12, 20, 138-157, 184-185, 194-195
Pericarp 19, 50, 183, 192 Shenti 20, 55, 103, 157, 185, 195
Periphery 10, 20, 182 Ship Combat
Phantom Tollbooth, The 16, 26 see Rules
Phil Brucato’s San. Loss 1-197 Sisters, The 127, 193
Phoebe 56 Space 137-157, 195
Pluto 155-175 Space Travel 138, 157, 185-186
Portal 20 Spires 20, 24, 184
Princess Mariana 61-63 Stepping Sideways 11, 20, 183-184, 188
Radiance, The 26, 65-66, 190-191 Sun & Mercury 55, 140-141
Rainbow City 93, 98-99 Symbols/Symbolism 44, 46-47
Realm 20 Thought Anchor 66
see also lots o’ stuff Three Worlds 11, 17, 20, 24-77
River of Language 45 Triple Moon, The 146
Rugnir’s Crib 89-90 Trods 79, 185
• Rules 182-195 Umbral Courts 24-25, 32-33, 54, 187-188
Astral Travel 184, 186-187 Umbral Realms 53-54
Beginning the Journey 183 see also Realms, Umbral Courts
Between Realms 186 Umbral Storms/Wind 15, 51, 189
Beyond Horizon 186 Umbrascape 50-54
Chapter One 187-188 Umbrood 14, 50
Chapter Two 189-191 see also Characters
Chapter Three 191-192 Umbrood Realm 13, 32-33, 187-188
Chapter Four 192-194 Underworld’s Dream Theatre, The 86-89
Chapter Five 194-195 Uranus & Neptune 153-154, 194
Climbing Invisible Stairs 98 Venus & Mars 55, 143-145, 194
Common Symbols 46-47 Verbena Seasonal Realms 131-135, 144, 193-194
Disconnection 183 Victoria Station 128-130, 157, 193
Dream Zone/Dreaming 185, 191 Videre 10, 20
Entropy in the Shadowlands 183, 191 Videre Mortum
High Umbra 184, 187-188 see Videre
Hollow Earth/World 192 Videre Spiritus
Horizon Realms 186, 192 see Videre
Low Umbra 184, 191 Vistas 15, 53, 189
Magick and Combat 183 Vivo, The 118, 179-181
Magickal Difficulties 183, 187 Void
Middle Umbra 184, 189-191 see Deep Umbra
Paradox Realms 192 Vulgate 24, 26, 184
Perceptions 182 Wasteland, The 67-69, 191
Running Landscapes 155 Well of Souls 45
Ship Combat 176-177 Zones 12, 17, 20, 51-53, 189
Index 197

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And all embraced in skylight

© 1996 by White Wolf. All rights reserved. Re-

2 Beyond the Barriers: The Book of Worlds

4 Beyond the Barriers: The Book of Worlds

6 Beyond the Barriers: The Book of Worlds

Introductions All Around 9

10 Beyond the Barriers: The Book of Worlds

The Three Worlds

Introductions All Around 11

The Horizon and Beyond

Introductions All Around 13

14 Beyond the Barriers: The Book of Worlds

Introductions All Around 15

16 Beyond the Barriers: The Book of Worlds

Introductions All Around 17

Beyond the Barriers: The Book of Worlds

Introductions All Around 19

20 Beyond the Barriers: The Book of Worlds

Introductions All Around 21

We are the stuff that dreams are made of.

Chapter One: Astral Worlds 23

24 Beyond the Barriers: The Book of Worlds

Chapter One: Astral Worlds 25

The Grand Hall

Chapter One: Astral Worlds 27

28 Beyond the Barriers: The Book of Worlds

Chapter One: Astral Worlds 29

30 Beyond the Barriers: The Book of Worlds

Exington Hall The Scavengers’ Refuge

Chapter One: Astral Worlds 31

32 Beyond the Barriers: The Book of Worlds

Chapter One: Astral Worlds 33

34 Beyond the Barriers: The Book of Worlds

The Nether Realms

Chapter One: Astral Worlds 35

36 Beyond the Barriers: The Book of Worlds

Chapter One: Astral Worlds 37

38 Beyond the Barriers: The Book of Worlds

40 Beyond the Barriers: The Book of Worlds

Chapter One: Astral Worlds 41

42 Beyond the Barriers: The Book of Worlds

Chapter One: Astral Worlds 43

44 Beyond the Barriers: The Book of Worlds

Chapter One: Astral Worlds 45

46 Beyond the Barriers: The Book of Worlds

Chapter One: Astral Worlds 47

The universe is the Practical Joke of the General at the Expense

Chapter Two: The Velvet Curtain 49

50 Beyond the Barriers: The Book of Worlds

Maya, the Dream Zone

Chapter Two: The Velvet Curtain 51

52 Beyond the Barriers: The Book of Worlds

Chapter Two: The Velvet Curtain 53

The Aetherian Reaches

• The Planetary Spheres

• The Citadel of Hyperion

Chapter Two: The Velvet Curtain 55

56 Beyond the Barriers: The Book of Worlds