The Umbra
The universe is larger than just the Earth; much
larger. There are worlds upon worlds out
there, spirit realms with infinite possibility and infinite danger. A Mage must be skilled, brave, and a little
foolhardy to make any extended voyage into the spirit realms of the Umbra.
Entering the Penumbra from Horizon requires at least Spirit
3. Horizon is technically already in the
Umbra, but being inhabited for over 500 years has created it’s
own Penumbral ‘shell.’ A Mage could
potentially shift out of the Umbra and into real space while in Horizon, but he
would find himself in hard vacuum, several hundred thousand miles from Earth.
For Our Game:
The Umbra
has many parts, but there is only one part of the Umbra that matters, the
Penumbra. The rest of the information on
this page is unnecessary, unless we’re doing a special adventure in the Umbra.
Horizon is
anchored to the physical world, so Mages may still shift into the Penumbra while
in Horizon, as long as they know the Rotes to do so. A player should hold one hand in front of
their chest or face, bisecting their body (imagine a monk meditating) to
signify that they’re in the Umbra. While
in the spirit world, the Mage cannot be seen (unless someone else uses Spirit
to look into the Umbra), but they cannot see the material world (unless they
use another Spirit Rote to look back across the Gauntlet). Other senses are similarly muted. A Mage in the Penumbra perceives people in
the material world as hazy clouds of emotion, and speech is an unintelligible
whisper of ideas. When in the Penumbra,
the Mage is invisible and immaterial, and cannot be hit by weapons. He passes through doors and walls with no
difficulty, unless they are magically warded.
No Rotes can affect the Mage unless they use Spirit or Prime to affect
his spiritual essence.
Two Mages
within the Umbra may interact normally, see each other and speak to each other,
and use Rotes on each other normally. While in the Umbra, the Mage floats and moves at his normal walking
pace, although he may also float upwards slowly, to a limit of approximately a
mile above the planet’s surface.
Similarly, a Mage takes no damage from Umbral
falls, as his body has no more mass than a passing thought. A Mage may not sink down beneath the surface
of Horizon.
Further Descriptions of the Umbra
Mages have
identified many, many different worlds within the Umbra. It’s not necessary for you to know any of
these, but if you want to be able to ‘speak the lingo,’ here’s some more
information on what you can expect to find in the spirit world.
The Gauntlet
This is a
term for the barrier between the human world and the world of spirits. It keeps humans from just stumbling into the
Umbra – and it keeps many of the dark creatures of the Umbra out of our
world. A Gauntlet also exists around
Horizon, protecting it from the random spirits of the Umbra.
The Penumbra
The nearest
realm of the Umbra is surprisingly like the one we know. This realm is a reflection of the world’s
physical form, accentuated by the power of belief. For example, an old, decaying house where a
kind woman lives might be a pristine cottage with beautiful roses in the
Penumbra. A corporate building that
controls the city would literally loom overhead, blocking out the feeble rays
of the sun. The Penumbra is the
almost-Earth that exists just out of sight but is always in the heart.
This is the
world where everything has a spirit, where you can (with enough Spirit) talk to
trees, bribe cars, or gamble against a poker chip. Mages with Spirit 2 are limited to the
Penumbra.
The Near Umbra
After passing through the
Penumbra, the Mage may proceed to one of the three levels of the Near Umbra –
the Astral Umbra above it, the Dark Umbra below it, and the Spirit Wilds around
it.
Entering
these worlds requires fully extending yourself physically or spiritually across
the Gauntlet, and thus Spirit 3.
The Astral Umbra
(High Penumbra)
One step
away from the Penumbra is the Astral Umbra, or High Umbra. As the Penumbra reflects the emotions of
humanity, the Astral Umbra amplifies thought and rationality. Anything that one could want to know about
the universe can theoretically be found here…assuming that there ever is a
truth to the question. The Astral Umbra
is where masters of Mind go when they astrally
project. The most commonly visited part
of the Astral Umbra is the Vulgate, where it intersects with the Penumbra, and the beliefs of humanity exert their strongest
effect.
Above the
Vulgate are the Epiphamies, realms embodying a
concept, thought, or enlightenment.
Visiting one is almost always a life-changing event, although not always
for the better.
The Dark Umbra (Low
Penumbra)
The Dark Umbra, the Underworld,
the Deadlands.
This is where the recently deceased end up before they move on to
oblivion or up to reincarnation, a realm of entropy and universal decay. If the Penumbra is what people feel and the
Astral Umbra is what they think, the Dark Umbra is what they dread. Cities are crumbling mounds of decay, and
everything is on the brink of destruction.
The dead envy the life of a visiting Mage, and will do their best to
snuff it out. The Dark Umbra is not a
place you go to casually, and you’d better be capable
if you expect to come back.
The Spirit Wilds
(Middle Penumbra)
The
hard-to-find middle ground between the High and Low Umbra is the Spirit Wilds,
reflecting different facets of the animistic world. Primal forces work openly there, as vast
hierarchies of spirits serve the Earth Mother who rules those realms. These realms are patrolled by her guardians,
and they are extremely dangerous places for unwanted intruders.
Domains and Realms
In a world of infinite
possibility, there are plenty of things that don’t fall into general
categories. There are Paradox Realms,
where reality forces a Mage to atone for his magical sins. There are sub-Realms created by masters,
which may be their utopia or their vision of destruction. There are Realms representing concepts, influential
people, ideas.
Truly, anything you want can be found – just ask a Storyteller.
The First Horizon
Everything
mentioned before is called the ‘Near Umbra’.
This world extends as far as Earth’s atmosphere, but to go further –
where the influence of humanity is not felt – requires crossing the First
Horizon.
The True Horizon
This isn’t
as much of a barrier than the First Horizon, simply a
grand and dangerous realm where no man has gone before. This is where the Sons of Ether propose their
‘etherspace’ exists, and it extends from the
atmosphere of earth to the asteroid belt.
Horizon Realms
These realms were once easily
accessed from Earth, but are now cut off and dying, adrift in the Horizon. Finding one requires extensive searching, the
equivalent of finding a ping-pong ball adrift in the
The Deep Umbra
The Near Umbra is a realm of infinite
possibility, but still ruled by the reflections of the Sleepers of Earth. Beyond the Umbra, there is no such
limitation. Impossible
creatures. Deadly
forces. Realms
which exemplify each Sphere, and each concept of magic; a twisted magical utopia. Alternate Earths. Things mankind was not meant to know. The universe is infinite…too infinite to be
safe for exploration or even sanity. The
Traditions lose many Masters of Spirit that way, brave Mages who think they can
handle anything that’s out there. They
generally don’t come back.
The Far Horizon
The
asteroid belt has a reflection in Umbra space – a shifting, swirling barrier,
where masses of Umbral rock swerve and smash
unwitting Mages. It takes a supreme
amount of planning to proceed past the Far Horizon, and the rewards aren’t
great – but some Mages still try, seeking the Shard Realms, or something else
in the Void.
The Void
The Void is cold, deep, and
deadly, and stretches from the Far Horizon to infinity. In Umbral space,
the Void is the home of ancient entities, grand monsters who
predate mankind. For the moment, the Far
Horizon keeps us safe…but Nephandi, Technocrats, and
Traditionalists are constantly making contact with beasts from the Void,
bringing them a little bit closer to Earth.
The Shard Realms
In the Umbra, each planet (and
the Sun) casts a reflection of itself in the Umbra, where one of the nine
Spheres reigns supreme. However, these
realms tend to be instantly deadly to the unprepared. How would you survive a planet of pure
force? What about one where time follows
no rules, and a step forward can age you to dust?
Sun Prime
Mercury Correspondence
Venus Life
Earth The
Nine Spheres, in Balance
Mars Forces
Jupiter Matter
Saturn Time
Uranus Spirit
Pluto Entropy