Reaver

Reaver-class NullGrav vessel
The Reaver is the work-horse of the Ordo Ultima Thule. It has a modular construction that allows for easy configuration for different tasks; troop-carrier, assault-craft, cargo-hauler, and VIP-transport are but some. One of the great advantages of the Reaver is it's capability to travel both in atmosphere as well as in the Void. The cylindrical cargo/troop compartment can be lifted off and replaced, according to need. The load-grapples slung beneath the hull are capable of lifting heavy loads, but can also be used to lower, or extract, troops. If configured as a troop carrier, it can carry 20 troops, as a cargo-hauler, it can lift 6,500 kg.

EXODUS I

EDIT: I have no idea why this post ended up being moved from it's original date to today's date. I was admining the tags, and this happened. Some days Blogger acts strange. Oh well, there are worse things it could have done to me. *knocks wood

CHANCELLOR'S ORDER 10.221 

It is now clear that the inhuman forces of the Commonwealth of Man, guided by their hellish engines of reason, intend to destroy our entire civilization. Our outlying colonies have been blockaded and submitted to ruthless bombardment. No surrender has been asked for, nor accepted when offered. Tens of thousands have been killed: men, women, and children. Our homeworld is now facing a direct attack, and despite the heroic efforts of our armed forces, we have to prepare for the worst thinkable outcome. 

Thulist Architecture

This is a reference post for the Ordo Ultima Thule's various installations on Argos. While Deep Command has suffered a terrible blow, and the lunar base has been hit hard, the Thulists have gained a far to firm grasp on Argos to disappear overnight. They may no longer be able to operate at will, but they are too well dug in -- often quite literally -- to abandon the areas they have occupied.

In this post I will look at some of the structures the Outsiders have erected, and are in the process of building, since they arrived.

Chapter: Nemesis No More

Cast: Bansl, Galan, Tito and Toadface. Also, as NPC's: Aegir, Dr. Mörbius, Droctors Misterio and Toombs, Commander Spearhawk and Master Ludenius.

The following takes place between 28 Decanum and 3 Undecium, YE 1022.

Locked in a trance, in combat with the evil master-mind, Galan and Toadface makes a stand, all the while, Tito's soul, given over to his spirit-totem, stalks the labyrinth – the tide turns, van Zaar disappears again, and the survivors have to carry the lifeless bodies of two of the cabal to safety.

Chapter: Dr. Mörbius, I presume...

Cast: Aegir of the Enæidùn, Gryff Galan, Velimir Tito, Yolander van Zaar, and Toadface. Guest starring: Deep Thought.

The following takes place on 28 Decanum, YE 1022.

Having reached the position of the OUT mother-ship, EXODUS I, the heroes decide to play fair: one by one, they enter the labyrinth designed to bewilder, weaken, and kill them – Bansl has already gone missing, soon others will too; meanwhile, van Zaar reappears with new visions of imminent doom.

Chapter: Into the Darkness

Disclaimer: Due to a lengthy bout of rampant procrastination, combined with the afore-mentioned blockage and vactaioning, the details of this chapter is more than a little vague in my memory. Therefore I ask that you pardon any mistakes and omissions, and if you happened to be there you should pipe in. Note that certain liberties have been taken due to who will be playing in the next chapter.

The following takes place between 20 Decanum and 28 Decanum, YE 1022.

Having successfully cleared out the catacombs of Zalburg, the cabal, now without the steady urgings of Master van Zaar, decided that it was time for them to take a stab at the heart (brain might actually be more accurate) of the Ordo Ultima Thule: the good ship Pius is taken into the Void, where Bansl, now a Disciple of the Abyss, steers her deep into the eternal darkness.

Agent Nix

"I don't know where he's from, ma'am. I don't think anyone does, really. He quite the private sort, this one. From what I gather, it's most likely somewhere in the Outer Colonies. A barren, sun-scorched rock, where dust is the number one commodity, like as not. An orphan too, from reading his files."


"He entered the Royal Academy at age twelve, and despite a list of infractions long as my coachman's arm, he quickly impressed his teachers with his natural grasp of all things concerning the Aether. He's a bit of a loner, and seems to have a deeply rooted contempt for authorities. At age fourteen he almost got himself expelled for punching a professor. Only after direct intervention from the Bureau of Unforeseeable Affairs did the Academy relent -- yes, ma'am, direct intervention, it says. No, ma'am, it does not mention a name."


"At age fifteen he built his first Aether-craft, a sun-board. The professors said it was quite ingenious, and that the boy had solved a problem that had confounded the Queen's best engineers for generations. This, however, did not mean that he had relented his earlier wild ways. He broke just about every harbour-regulation, up to and including causing an Aetherjammer to crash into the piers. Needless to say, the gendarmes cared little for the boy genius's bright future, and the Bureau had to step in again. No name this time either, ma'am. The magistrate gave him the choice between hard labour and joining the ranks."


"His service record is as one might suspect: disrespecting a superior officer, neglect, breach of conduct, misappropriation of the Queen's property... Would you like me to continue, ma'am?"


"Very well. He served on a patrol skiff in the Lesser Colonies for a year and a half, then he goes absent without leave for five weeks. He is apprehended in a star-port on Alenna by the provosts, with a girl of course, and shipped back to Corregidor for sentencing. This time he does time -- no, ma'am, the Bureau isn't mentioned, but one can only assume someone saved his neck from the noose. Three years in Duskrock, he got, and it seems it did him good."


"The girl, ma'am? Died on Alenna a year later. Grey fever, ma'am."


"Upon release, he is recruited by the Bureau, and since then he's been all over the place, Baradin, Cordomar, Varanger, Fellport, New Waymar, Hesselrich, the list goes on... You may literally say he's been to Hell and back, ma'am."


"Yes, ma'am, I think he's the perfect man for the job."

Serf IV

Fragments of Truth and Fiction II

"I'm told we won the Battle of Radhof, but how anyone could call what happened on that field a victory I cannot understand. We fight for truth and humanity, they tell us. I saw neither that day. What I saw was fear and terror, hatred and rage, suffering and death. But they tell us we won, and I guess that's better than the alternative."

"Lord Rector, the factories are at full capacity, and I'm informed that the new student-regiment has performed better than expected. I believe we are ready to teach His Majesty the Emperor a lesson quite soon now."

Again the alarm sounded. Falangist Arham rushed to his post, a shallow trench in the grey and lifeless soil west of the settlement. They were drilling harder than ever, and rumours had it that the witchmasters of the Pius Cabal could appear any day now. They had been told that the dogs would be able to detect the warlocks in advance, and Arham could only hope that was true -- he had heard stories.

Beloved Catherine,
I do not know when or if you will receive this letter, but still I write to you each week. Since we arrived on Argos, we've been training and exercising almost each day. We hear little from the outside, but they tell us that soon now we will see some action. I hope that is the case, Catherine, for I've grown weary from the long months of waiting. I think of you each day, and I dream of seeing you again.

With love,

Richard

"Aeons ago, when a great and terrible darkness seemed to smother all the lands, and the Enemy appeared to be undefeatable, three great kings led their people to new worlds. They left their homes behind, and sailed across the vast and empty spaces between the stars. At long last they arrived at strange and virgin shores, and there they settled. This, my son, was how our forefathers left Argos, our home."




[Picture source: 1, 3 & 4 unknown; 2 Jeffrey M. de Guzman; 5 Svet Mateev]

Moon Base "Nattland"

Storyteller's note: This post will attempt to put what information has been gathered thus far in context (here: what is known by Onkel Smit and Master Arachnidus). As with the previous connect-the-dots posts, little or no new information will be presented.

The Ordo Ultima Thule has had a base on the dark side of the moon for at least 25 years. It is believed that this is the logistical and command centre of the Thulist activity on Argos. Nattland lies in the Crater of Yogoth, deep in the Ocean of Despondency. The crater measures about 36 furlongs across, its walls reaching up to about 2,300 feet from the crater floor, and some 1,000 feet above the external surface. Six fortresses line the crater's edge, among them Tower Helreginn. Situated on a lofty peak South West on the rim, this tall tower is assumed to be the heart of the moon-base.

The actual function of Nattland, whether it be supply, troop- and/or fleet-base, research, or perhaps even a colony, is not known. Still, that the base represents an important anchor-head for the outsiders is beyond doubt. 

East in the crater lies what appears to be a town or larger settlement, and a rudimentary analysis suggests that it can house somewhere between 4,000 and 6,000 people. Apart from this, the other installation large enough to house a significant number is the fortress guarding the pass allowing entry to the crater from the North. The crater's floor is criss-crossed by roads that allow access to the various sites and installations, and Reavers patrol incessantly above the lifeless landscape.


Scouting of the area has so far not revealed any natural occurrence of neither water nor vegetation. While the Thulist civilization is well adapted to living in constructs deep in the void, according to the Commonwealth, they are to a certain degree dependent on supplies from nearby worlds -- either through plunder, taxation or trade. Reports from the Waymar Islands point towards regular shipments of minerals and victuals, as well as slaves, going off-world, most likely to the moon.

Available information also suggests a high level of fortification. Given what is known about the OUT defensive doctrine, as well as the fact that Nattland has been successfully breached once before (ref.: Morfeus and the incident concerning the Key of Ahuramazta), one can assume a high concentration of artillery, over-lapping and semi-independent defensive sections, as well as occult/arcane countermeasures.


Lastly, according to certain ancient scrolls, when the Dead Star entered the Plane of Argos, a piece broke off. This piece crashed into the far side of the moon and buried itself below its surface (note that conflicting interpretations exist). Again referring to the Legend of Morfeus, it is assumed that the Thulists were in the process of attempting to somehow harness this power when the Rogue Navigator intercepted the Key of Ahuramazta, and subsequently freed some entity from a black crystal. Which, if any, significance this has on an assault on the moon is unknown.




[Picture source 1 & 3 unknown; 2 Iron Sky]

OUT Rank-and-File -- Poll Closed

The results are in, and I am surprised and pleased by the turn-out. Twelve people voted, and the results were unequivocal. The Ordo Ultima Thule twelve-a-dozen thugs are now called Falangists. I'm quite pleased by that, as it was my favourite, and after having used it in play, I find it rolls easily off the tongue. It also distinguishes them from the other types of allies and enemies in the setting.


The results were as follows:
Legionaries: 0 - 0%
Falangists: 7 - 58%
Hirdmen: 3 - 25%
Other: 2 - 16%


A special thank you goes out to Trey, Toadface, and C'nor, for contributing with new suggestions. To the rest of you, thanks for helping out.


I'll edit this into the Villains-post ASAP.


Origin of the word

Falange is Spanish for falanx, and came to mean the Falange Española de las J.O.N.S. During the 1930's it was one of the parties in the Spanish Civil War, and it eventually became a unified party under General Franco. The members of the party were called Falangists, or in Spanish, Falangistas. [Wikipedia]

Link to poll-post

Link to OUT Villains-post

[Picture source: 1 & 2 unknown]

OUT Corpse Soldiers

The Ordo Ultima Thule has had an interest in the Red Death almost since it arrived on the Erian shores, and the order's scientists have been working on ways to weaponize zombies for just as long. Dr. Hildebrun Möttelgrab, one of the leading inventors in the field of goethic medicine, was appointed as scientific commander of Operation Auferstehung's Tactical Developments Section, and her reports have so far been very uplifting. Despite several failed experiments, at least two types of Sonderkampfleiche (SdKpfLce), lit. Special Combat Corpse, have been developed to a state of combat deployment readiness. What follows are excerpts from Dr. Möttelgrab's reports to Deep Command.

SdKpfLce I-c (Leichensoldat)
"By injecting the subjects with Abytombtredyxaltid (ATT), a serum refined from extracts from the spinal fluids of the more potent of the natural specimens ("prowlers"), and infusing them with Ketholabyssalditraxid (KAD) throughout the incubation period, while exposing them to continuous enforced impressional therapy, the result is a vicious soldier who will attack without regard for personal safety. The advantageous secondary and tertiary effects are, respectively, short term collapse of enemy morale, and possible long term undermining of the enemy's civilization. They will not target friendly personnel."


Stat-block:
Intelligence 1, Wits 3, Resolve 1
Strength 2, Dexterity 2, Stamina 1
Presence 1, Manipulation 0, Composure 3


Brawl 2 (bite dice-pool 5)
Firearms 2 (rifle dice-pool 8)


Health 6
Size 5
Initiative 5
Defence 2
Speed 9

SdKpfLce III-b (Sturmleiche)
"Type III is constructed using the same serum as with Type I (ATT), but instead of thaumaceutical treatment, a psychoscoptic device (Obermas's neuro-syncophant Type 23) has been implanted in the subject's cranium, and wired to the cortex. Further enhancements include an optical implant connected to the weapon (machine-gun/grenade-launcher/flame-thrower) a short range vox-caster connected to the OT-23, as well as constant exposure to XT-107 (delivered through a standard V-XIV gas-mask). The subject is mounted on a modified Waldmeier 47 bipod. The result is a semi-autonomous weapon system -- an officer can issue simple orders (fire, cease fire, advance, retreat, right, left, etc.) via the vox-caster."


Stat-block:

Intelligence 1, Wits 2, Resolve 1

Strength 2, Dexterity 2, Stamina 3

Presence 1, Manipulation 0, Composure 3

Firearms 3 (dice-pools MG 12 + auto; GT 8 + dmg 8/8; FT 10 + burn)

Health 8

Size 5

Initiative 5

Defence 2

Armour 4

Speed 19 (+10 equipment factor)

[Picture source: 1 Dead Snow; 2 Keith Thompson]

Thulean Technology

"If you want to do evil, science provides the most powerful weapons."

~Richard Dawkins

Cthonic device being readied for detonation below ground

Thaumatechnology
The Ordo Ultima Thule have achieved a remarkable level of technological development, and in many areas they are far beyond any other known human civilization. Most of their science is based on thaumatechnological principles, i.e. science married with thaumaturgy. Following, in order of association, are the different thaumatechnological disciplines.

Goethic science - The science of harnessing the power of Umbral entities. In essence the principle is to capture a spirit, bind it to a device, and use its power to fuel or enhance the object. The first goethic theories were formulated by the scholars of Varanger, the now dead homeworld of the Thulists, almost a millennium ago. Since then the OUT scientists have broken vast new grounds, and now all void-ships, as well as many installations and constructs, run on the power from goethic reactors.

• Goethic medicine - A discipline all to it self, it has allowed the Order not only to survive for centuries in the Void, but also to develop their super-soldiers (e.g. Hellghasts and Cyclopes).

Caernkraft reactor

Dieselkraft - While the OUT relies on goethic power for most of their needs, the reactors are too cumbersome, not to mention that their construction is quite resource demanding, for smaller bases and vessels. In these cases, dieselkraft engines and generators are used to provide the necessary energy. These are explosion engines running on refined Exunge, a vile substance bored out of the deep layers of a world -- in more poetical terms, it can be described as the lifeblood of the Abyss.

Cthonian - As of yet, the Order has not been able to develop a stable cthonic reactor, but the military uses of this science has proven quite advantageable. The blast generated from a cthonic bomb will essentially tear asunder the Umbral fabric, bringing the Abyss very close to the Prime Material Plane. Such an area is called a blight, and few Umbral entities, not to mention enemy theurges, will dare enter, let alone survive here.

Caernkraft - The OUT has long been on the verge of a thaumatechnological breakthrough that would allow it to harness the very power of the Abyss. By creating a magnetic field between an active-shardakeem core and ruinian rotator-rings, vast amounts of energy can be drawn upon. In previous experiments, the radiation from these reactors have been found to have severe detrimental effects on unshielded personnel, but the benefits of a stable reactor are believed to by far outweigh such sentimental concerns.

See also:

Villains: Agents of Ordo Ultima Thule

[Picture sources unknown(#2 is from Event Horizon)]

Chapter: Aftermath

The fourth chapter of The Black Spear.

Cast: Aegir of the Enæidùn, Mandan Bansl, Gryff Galan, Velimir Tito, Yolander van Zaar, and Toadface. Also, various NPCs.

The following takes place on 29 Octavum, YE 1022.

Following the victorious Battle of the Tower of Man, led by the Pius Cabal, various events takes place as the magicians take stock of the situation; van Zaar and Toadface takes an interest in genealogy, Bansl makes an alchemic breakthrough, two Black Friars delves into the dungeon, and nature reclaims what was taken from it.

Casefile: HELLGHAST

CONFIDENTIAL

(restricted)

The Corps of Hellghasts is the elite of the Ordo Ultima Thule. Following the defeat of general Helmand Döner's forces on the world of Varanger the OUT went into hiding, and it is believed that they today control one fringeworld, as well as at least two larger constructs.

According to intelligence, the Hellghasts are picked at age five, and they go through at least fifteen years of gruelling training before they are accepted into the Corps. Reports indicate that they go through several graduations where they are pitted against one another in deadly combat, the victor being allowed to continue his training.

The final stage of the initiation is said to involve the cadette being inserted on a Netherworld alone, unarmed except for a knife. Here he is expected to track and kill a wolf-demon and capture it's spirit. If he survives, he will then have the demon-spirit bound to his soul.

The greatest caution is reccomended when dealing with Hellghasts, for they are utterly corrupt and extremely dangerous. They are all equipped with high technological weapons and equipment, they are highly trained, and they are fanatically loyal to the OUT.

Luckily, as far as we have been able to ascertain, the Corps of Hellghasts count no more than two and a half thousand, and as far as we know, they are deployed in batallions of five hundred.

CONCLUSION

When confronted, exercise great caution and proceed with due dilligence. If possible, kill on sight, failing that, observe and report. Do not approach!

Photogram A-04

References: Commonwealth

The Commonwealth of Man is the other faction of human Outsiders involved in the current affair on Argos. This post is intended to be a reference-post, providing imagery for elements allready in play. As the PC van Saar said, the Commonwealth may appear to be a new friend, but they are bound to have their own agenda where Argos is concerned.

No further information will be provided at this point.

Expeditionary Corps officer

Marine

Locust-class flying vessel

Learman 2-pounder automatic cannon

Millhouse-Burns Mk. XII service-rifle

Paladine service-revolver

[Picture source: 1 & 2 Duncan's 20mm Colonial Modeling; 3 Cloudships of Mars; 4 NavWeapons; 5 Wikimedia Commons; 6 REME Museum]

Villains: Agents of Ordo Ultima Thule

Original inspiration for the Ordo Ultima Thule

Storyteller's note: In this post I will try to sum up what is known about the OUT. No new information will be presented, but I will make an attempt at putting the pieces gathered so far, on the table.


The Thulists are based on the simple concept Space Nazis. As Argos is an Early Enlightenment-era world, where magic and creatures from beyond play a big role, I needed a faction of super-villains. Aliens have never tickled me, and demons are too cheap, I believe. Thus the choice fell on evil Nazis from outer space. In stead of ray-guns, they use machine-guns.


The OUT has been a part of the Book of Worlds almost as long as Cthulhu himself.

~o~

It is believed that they originally came from Argos, and that their forefathers left this world sometime during the First Age - probably after Maleastra fell onto Argos. Varanger, the world they thereafter called their own, was destroyed in a great war many hundred years ago, and its final death was witnessed by Franko da Cola and William the Black Staff of Argos. Those Thulists who are now involved in the Great War are believed to be the descendants of those who fled the original destruction of Varanger. Since then they have hidden in Constructs deep in the Void, mined fringe-worlds for resources, and bided their time.

The doctrine of the OUT was first laid down by one Hellmand Döner, who viewed all spirits to be resources to be tapped into. His greatest work, and the downfall of his world, was the binding of Bazrak the Eater of Souls, a fallen, and possibly corrupt Daeva. Now they are devoted to somehow, and for some reason, awakening Cthulhu himself - so say those who are learned.

The OUT's thaumatechnology is by far superior to that of any other known civilization. Among the power-sources known to be used by them are electricity, dieselkraft, clockwerk and Goethic reactors. They command motorcarts, flying vessels, as well as Void-ships. The latter two apparently constructed from a mystical metal called Graviton, making them buoyant in the very air itself. The most feared weapons of the Thulists are those that use Shadarkeem ammunition, a metal so vile that exposure to it can make a human mortally ill. 

The first time agents of the order was encountered on Argos is recorded in the works of Franko da Cola, and names one Dr. Mörbius. This source dates back to the last years of the 10th century of Enlightenment. In these texts, Morpheus, Prince of Nightmares, has a dream that shows him a burning tower in the ocean to the west. Thus writes da Cola: "When Morpheus ventured there, I found it to be a metal construct, placed above Kraken's Deep. Here was encountered the mysterious Dr. Mörbius, a man so decrepit that nothing but his brain, sustained in a glass tank connected to some type of machine, remained."

What further can be gleaned from the text, is that inside the Burning Tower there was a great drill, boring deep into the Abyss and releasing black corruption into the world. The Tower was razed by the Morpheus, the Dreamlord, together with Agamon, the Second Dragon. Afterwards, Morpheus placed his Castle of Nightmares over this portal to the Deep, thus sealing it.

Dr. Mörbius escaped the destruction of the Burning Tower, and it has later been discovered that he is central in the Ordo Ultima Thule's Deep Command. One of the projects under the command of the doctor is Operation Black Spear - little is known about this evil plot, but it is believed that an ancient artifact plays a crucial part in its success.

The most feared agents of the OUT are the Hellghasts; elite warriors with thaumatech-equipment and extremely advanced weapons, whose souls have been merged with demons from the Abyss. Fortunately, they are relatively few in number, but even one is capable of posing great danger, even to an Exalted. See also this post.

Another type of OUT agents - perhaps minions is a more covering word - are the Cyclopes. They are humans who have been augmented with a clockwerk-electric ocular device, known as a Monocle, that is connected to their brains. As far as anyone knows, some type of malignant spirit is also integrated with this contraption. The Monocle appears to make them able to see in the dark, as well as through some type of Arcane vision. The Cyclopes encountered so far have shown tenacity, but little initiative.

The Men of Science are an important part of whatever evil the Thulists are working. They employ advanced machines, and follow complex Goethic methodologies to reach their goals, and have been encountered on every base so far breached. On one occasion, a Man of Science was even encountered in the field, digging up artifacts on the Dark Continent. See this post for details.

The OUT can call upon armed forces beside the Hellghasts. Little is known about these troops, but they have been encountered in bases, and, by logical extension, on vessels. These minions appear to be normal humans.

The last type of Thulist encountered thus far is the Fomori, or Hollow Men. These hideous creatures are have given up their soul to an Abyssal entity, and have displayed powers beyond that of any normal human. These powers, as well as the physical size and appearance seems to vary from specimen to specimen. The corruption does however appear to warp the host into a perverted image of its normal self. One such manifestation had a morbidly obese Hollow Man spew forth a terrible insectoid, killing its host as the entity came into the world. See these chapters for details. Another one, of enormous size, proved able to withstand a terrible amount of punishment before being brought down.

Finally, although not an agent in the same fashion as the above, there are the Zaprophytes. These pseudo-spirits are attached to the neck of a host, and are able to cloak their presence. Once attached, they control the host, and its removal will kill the bearer. The Zaprophytes were first encountered when the Pius Cabal abducted the previous Arch Primarch of the Temple of Man Supreme. See this chapter for details.

[Picture source: 1 Per Haagensen; 2 Xah Lee Web; 3 Castle Brimstone; 4 Young Actress Reviews; 5 Cyberpunk Review; 6 Peter Fendrik; 7 Fear Net; 8 The Babylon Project]

Flying Vessels of Argos

Who rules the heavens, rules the earth.

-Vanazar, The Eternal War

Dr. Locker's Tropospheric Gondola

In 959 YE Dr. John Locker demonstrated his Tropospheric Gondola for an enraptured Pendrellian Royal Court. While the balloon was fragile, and it's flight at the mercy of the elements, it was acclaimed as reason's triumph over scepticism. Fifty-six years later, in the Corillian War, Pendrellian forces first used aerial vessels in warfare, as scouting platforms, and for dropping grenades on enemy units. These balloons were still at the mercy of the winds, and only a very few of the Argonauts were able to actually navigate these vessels to any degree.

Metaphysical Topography

The fabric of the multiverse is made up of five different planes, the Prime Material, the three ethereal planes, the Astral, the Shadow and the Underworld, and the Abyss.  Each of these abide by its own laws, and denizens of one may not act without impunity in another, even if they may at places overlap. The barrier between the Prime Material and the Umbral planes is called the Gauntlet.

The entities that dwell in the ethereal planes are often referred to collectively as spirits, although anyone who have studied the matter will agree that this is a far too generic term. Still, most of the ethereal beings share a common trait -- they lack a permanent physical manifestation, something that hampers their abilities to interact with the Prime Material.

Ancient myth tells us that before the Fall all the planes existed in harmony; spirits, humans, ghosts of the dead, gods, avatars and elves, all existing side by side. If the oldest sources are to be believed, each knew their place in the metaphysical framework of Creation. While this didn't mean that all were equal, interactions between the realms were guided by the Compact.

The details of this Compact has been lost in the mists of time, and some claim that the existence of such a thing is nothing by retrospective romanticism. Still, the Batini believe that the Bans, Boons and Contracts that govern many ethereal denizens' interaction with the Prime Material Plane stems from this ancient Compact.

The topography of the ethereal planes are not easily quantifiable in terms understandable by man. Concepts like space, time and matter all adhere to different rules than in the Prime Material. There are also different realms within the planes, some being in a state of constant flux, others utterly unchangeable.

Most knowledge of the realms beyond the Gauntlet has been lost, or destroyed in the Great Purge following the Covenant, and much has never been known by anyone born by woman. There are also things so unfathomable that the knowledge of which will break the mind of those who learn it.

The Prime Material Plane

The physical world, or worlds, if you believe the words of certain Outsiders, are found on this plane of existence. The Prime Material plane is the home of all things living, and all things physical. It is the plane on which the world of Argos nestles, and the natural home of man, beasts, mountains and forests. The Wise argue that the Prime Material binds the three ethereal realms to existence, and that should the one cease to exist, the three would unravel. They say that this is where the Circle of Creation continuously unfolds, death following birth, and destruction following creation, over and over again; without this, the rest would be nothing.

The soul of man is bound to the Prime Material Plane at birth, and passes beyond at death. This, the Temple of Man Supreme argues, proves the blessed nature of man, for no other entity is part of all Creation in such a manner, and man is alone amongst all created in having both an eternal soul and a corruptible flesh.

The Ethereal Planes

The Shadowrealms

When someone passes through the Gauntlet from the Prime Material, they enter the Shadow. Everything native to the Shadowrealm is composed of ephemeral spirit, and here all spirits are alive. Of all the ethereal planes, this is the one that is closest to the to physical reality.

Closest to the Gauntlet the metaphysical landscape will resemble that on the other side, but places with a strong resonance will appear more physical, while those without might be missing all together.

As one travels deeper into the Shadowrealm, the surroundings will become more primordial, and man-made structures will become few and far between.

It is said that there are caves or dark passages in the Shadowrealms that leads down to the Underworld, or even to the Abyss.

The Underworld

Death comes to all who live, so goes the saying. This plane is anathema to life, and the living is not welcome here. The landscape may be made up of cavernous grottos, labyrinthine tunnels, or vast empty plains. What is constant is the feeling of absence. Absence of self, of hope, of colour. Absence.

Deep within the Underworld runs the River Styx, and many dead are put to their final rest with two coins to pay the Ferryman for passage to the Shores of Dìs. Now that the god of death has been slain, most of the dead never reach the Farthest Shore, instead becoming Lost, or worse, they are drawn into the cold river and swept out to the Deep.

Beneath the Underworld lies the Abyss, and now many of the foul beings from that blasphemous plane creep into the Land of the Dead.

The Astral Plane

This is the demesne of abstract concepts, of gods, and of beings so different from us that we cannot begin to understand them. Legends tell of great magicians who set out to explore these realms, only to become lost to the world for all time.

Amongst other things, this is where the gods make their home. Examples of divine realms are Ethelingagard and the Dreaming. Other such realms have drifted too deep in the Umbra to be reached, or abandoned to entropy and roaming spirits when the man killed his gods in the Second Age.

There are two major theories regarding the nature of the Astral Realms. The Humanists claim that it exists within the soul of man, that it is in fact the consciousness of the Enlightened mind. This theory states that by going deep enough, one may get to the very core of one's being, and thus to the core of Creation itself. The Hermetics hold this to be untrue, and instead see the Astral Realm as the sum of the consciousness of all of Creation.

The Abyss

With the Fall of the Exarch, the Tapestry was torn, and the balance was forever upset. The Speakers of Mÿn believe that before the Fall, there was no Abyss. They claim that the Things That Must Not Be comes from outside of Creation, and that such was the havoc wrought by their coming that everything was forever thrown into madness and chaos.

From the Abyss, dark things crawl forth, and foul things seep into the fabric of everything that comes into contact with it. Deep in its darkest depths the Lord of the Locust, Great Cthulhu, lies stirring, dreaming vile things into Creation.

Of all the Umbral Planes, the Abyss is the easiest to access from the Prime Material.

The Abyss and Paradox

There are ancient scrolls that speak of the Dawn of Man, when Hermes stole the fire of the gods. In these early days all things were in Harmony, and Paradox did not exist. Then came the Fall, and the Fabric of Creation was forever corrupted. Regardless of the truth in this, the insanity that often claim those magicians who disregard the dangers of vulgar magic lends weight to the argument.

[Artist 1 Tomasz Maronski; 2 Kirsi Salonen]