Nexus — The Realm
Nexus is a generally Earth-like environment, in that the atmosphere is breathable, liquid water is present and the flora and fauna are compatible with those of Earth. The scenery is spectacular, though.
Nexus apparently has no sun. However, it is continually illuminated by the light from many stars. Night night does not exist on Nexus. In addition, five large moons circle Nexus, equally spaced along the same orbit. The moons go through phases, which is odd considering there is no sun. Their day sides are reddish, implying that the source of the light is red in colour. A search for the light source in the sky using telescopes has as yet revealed nothing which baffles Continuum scientists. At any given point, all the phases are accounted for; one moon is new, another is crescent, another is half, another is gibbous and the last one is full. A day is defined as the time it takes between moonrise and moonset - 32 hours. A month is defined as the time it takes for a given moon to pass through all its phases - 50 days.
The atmosphere on Nexus is thick and humid but pleasantly warm. It rains a lot and occasionally great thunderstorms sweep across the land. There appears to be no seasonal variation. Gravity is Earth-like.
The landscape is very extreme. There are vast oceans, huge perfectly flat plains and towering mountains that dwarf the largest on Earth. An unusual rock that appears in some areas is known as Timestone. From a distance it appears solid but on closer inspection other realities can be seen through the shimmering translucent rock. Nexus is largely unexplored by the Continuum but appears to be a vast place, much larger than Earth.
The flora and fauna are generally Earth-like, although the vegetation varies in color from greens and blues to reds and purples. The plant life is striking in its variety. There are towering Needletrees that reach up to 200' tall that do not sway in even the strongest hurricanes and others (Lowtrees) that are about 2' high but spread over and area of about 100 square feet!
Fauna is varied too. Some animals are dangerous, many are not. Predators can be difficult to deal with, since they often have some precognitive ability to know where their prey is. Some prey species also have this ability but in many cases they allow themselves to be killed by the predators anyway.
Other more dangerous species feed on time itself and will either age their prey or create a time loop in which they repeat the same actions. Somehow they derive sustenance from these shifts in time.
There is no direct evidence for any intelligent life on Nexus but there are ancient/future artifacts on the plane. A lighthouse, paradoxically dated as being built 3000 years from now, stands at the edge of the Shifting Sea. This is not a sea at all but is rather a plain, where reality itself ebbs and flows with some cosmic tide. Elsewhere, ancient ruins depicting the entire histories of realities lie, untouched by time, below the Sands of Time.
Time and the Environment
Time is a strange and highly localized phenomenon in Nexus. It appears that individual, aware beings (animals and sapients) have their own internal time field in which they operate, regardless of the external (environmental) time field. For example, a human mage from Main Corridor Earth caught in an external field where time apparently passes 10 times slower will still be able to move at his normal rate. However, everything around him (that is not another animal or sapient being) will be moving much slower. Plants will sway lazily in the wind, bullets will take longer to reach their targets etc.
However, it is still possible for mages studying time to contract or dilate their own time fields. Thus, in a part of Nexus where time passes twice as fast as normal, the mage can speed up his own internal field (using Time magick) to match the external field. If this is done, the external and internal fields are synchronised and, to the mage's perspective, time passes at a normal rate.
Being the Shade Realm of Time, Nexus is subject to unusual temporal environmental effects. The most important of these are the Temporal Waves that sweep across the realm. These appear as immense transparent linear waves that travel across the land, moving at varying speeds. Some travel very rapidly, others can be escaped simply by walking. These waves have the property of altering the flow of time by their passage. The exact effect of the Temporal Wave can be deduced by looking through the wavefront as it approaches. The image of the environment on the other side is sped up or slowed down depending on the effect of the wave. Thus, if a wave will speed up the flow of time three times relative to the present rate, images seen through the wavefront will appear to move three times faster than those nearer the observer.
This results in a form of temporal weather prediction as sensors in the field detect the incoming wave and transmit data to Central Office. This is then processed and transmitted to field agents operating in Nexus so they can prepare for the approaching Temporal Wave.
Studies of the geometry of these Temporal Waves has shown a slight curvature to them, which indicates that they emanate (like ripples) from a very distant central point somewhere to the south of Central Office (CO). This is certainly in the unexplored regions of Nexus. What could be causing the waves are another matter and an expedition to the origin is being considered by the Research Section of CO.
The actual rate of passage of a being's internal time field depends on the external time field of the universe in which it was born. The external field of Main Corridor is the one with which we as humans are most familiar. It is what we consider the normal passage of time. Most of the Virtuals, being derived directly from MC, have this same external field. However, in Nexus itself there are zones in which the basic external field is different to that of MC's. These stable zones are known as Time Zones and can be thought of as islands of stability in the temporal storm. The passage of time within these Time Zones is unaffected by the passage of a Temporal Wave. Central Office itself is built in the only known Time Zone where the passage of time is equal to that of MC. However, there are many others in which the external field is slower or faster. Note that Time Zones can have any physical size and shape. The largest known is a square whose sides are 25 km long. This is where Central Office is located.
Time Zones are frequently inhabited by indigenous creatures which either evolved there or migrated from other Time Zones and temporally adapted to the new external field. This means their internal fields are synchronised to the external field of the Time Zone they live in, even if they move outside it. Animals indigenous to the slower Time Zones to Central Office are rarely a threat to humans since they therefore move at an inherently slower rate. Those originating in the faster Time Zones are often quite dangerous, since they can naturally operate at much faster speeds. Agents are frequently advised to be on their guard in the field in Nexus. Time 1 effects will help mages sense when they have entered a Time Zone.
Some Zones have been disovered where there is no external time field. In these places there is no apparent passage of time. Past, present and future have no meaning in these zones. Indigenous creatures are effectively immortal. Because their internal time fields are synchronised with the external field, time does not pass for them. However, humans entering these fields can still grow old since their internal time fields operate as normal. The external field will still be present, though so they will not be aware of the passage of time at all.
Time fields are quantified as follows: a time field where the passage of time is equal to that within Main Corridor is known as a Class 1 Time Field. The number indicates the rate of passage of time relative to Main Corridor. Thus, faster fields are known as Class 2, 3, 4, 5, etc. fields (non-integer flow rates are possible, so there are Class 2.5 fields, for example). Slower fields are defined by numbers less than one, usually written as a fraction. A field where time passes at half the rate of MC is known as a Class 1/2 Field, for example. Time zones in which there is no external field are known as Class 0 Fields.
The Weather in Nexus is generally Earth-like but the temporal effects of the environment can produce several unusual phenomena. The most striking of these are the slowstorms. These are thunderstorms that accumulate and disperse very slowly, almost as if they were in a much slower time zone. When they do accumulate, the lightning bolts they throw travel to the ground very slowly - slow enough for beings to see them coming and dodge!
Other unusual meteorological conditions include faststorms and Hard Hail. Faststorms are like slowstorms but they accumulate within minutes and are over very rapidly. Seeing one from a distance is one of the most spectacular sights on Nexus, as thousands of lightning bolts rain down in a few minutes. Hard Hail is hail falling in an accelerated external field. Thus, when they strike humans (moving with an internal Class 1 field) they appear to fall much faster and can actually cause serious physical damage when they strike.
Timestone is nothing less than solid space-time. It is the base from which all reality is constructed and is extremely rare in the MetaVerse. Indeed, it has so far been found only on Nexus. In situ, it is a brownish-tinged translucent rock through which other realities can dimly be perceived. Its properties are largely unknown but it is known that if one concentrates and tries to "walk through" a Timestone exposure one can enter the Virtual that lies on the other side. However, it is often much easier (and more reliable) to enter a Virtual using Spirit magick than via Timestone, since the same Virtual rarely remains behind a TimeStone exposure for long.
It has been discovered that TimeStone has the property of being detectable within other Virtuals through the use of Time 1. Being a part of Nexus, it is only perceptable to MC mages and those with Temporal Avatars. Thus it can be used by Continuum agents as a kind of homing beacon to others of their kind in other realities.
In Nexus, TimeStone has a most useful property: a kilogram of TimeStone is equivalent to a single pawn (1 point) of Level 0 (MC quality) Tass. However, it can only be used to fuel either Time or Correspondence effects. The mass required precludes it from being carried around by individuals in large quantities. Unfortunately, outside of Nexus, Timestone is simply another lump of glassy brown rock which has no effect on magick. Presumably, it is too unique to Nexus to be of any use anywhere else.
In many places in Nexus the geology is generally Earth-like. However, the rate of geological evolution is quite varied and confusingly seems to have no connection with the external time field. Mountain ranges have been known to appear overnight and erosion can occur extremely rapidly (usually depending on the Entropy rating of the area). Glaciers have been observed travelling very quickly, while volcanic eruptions have occurred at very slow rates. Fortunately, CO appears to be situated in a reasonably stable region of Nexus!
Sphere Ratings
I think it's a good idea to not only treat ratings as + or - but also as actual Sphere levels. As it stands, Correspondence +3 implies that Immediate Spatial Perception (Corr. 1), Colocality perception (Corr. 2), and Teleportation (Corr. 3) are naturally possible in a realm.
However, what if a Storyteller just wants a realm in which teleportation is natural but the perception effects are not? Simple, just put the rating as Correspondence 3. No pluses or minuses. This implies that effects involving Correspondence 3 alone are natural in this realm and do not require an effect roll (or at most just require a coincidental roll). All other Correspondence effects involving other levels are treated as normal magickal effects.
Correspondence: 3
Entropy: Special
Forces: 0
Life: 0
Matter: 0
Mind: 2
Prime: +3
Spirit: 3 (Virtuals only)
Time: +5
Correspondence 3: Indigenous creatures on Nexus are capable of teleporting themselves. The natural laws here allow that. Colocating or spatial perception is not naturally allowed, though. This makes a jaunt in the local jungles very dangerous indeed! Central Office is, however, magickally shielded to prevent invasion by teleporting predators.
Entropy: This is variable since Entropy is so closely linked to Time. In faster time fields (where things can decay/break down faster) this is set at ratings 3, 4, and 5. This means eroding matter/withering life/intellectual entropy is easier to do in the background of the faster time flow.
Conversely, in slower time fields (where things decay/break down slower), destructive Entropy magick is harder to accomplish. All difficulties to level 3, 4, and 5 Entropy effects are at +2 difficulty.
Pattern Magick: +/- 0. Forces, Life and Matter are treated no different here than anywhere else. Granted, the forces of nature here are much more dramatic than on Earth but I don't see that this would warrant an increase in the Forces rating. Storms are just more violent and spectacular (lots of electrical discharge), while winds are quite strong.
Mind 2: Many creatures on Nexus are telepathic or, more precisely, telempathic. They are capable of transmitting emotional commands. Sirens (creatures that lure prey to their doom in their maws) use telepathic impulses to dupe their prey.
Prime +3: The sheer number of Nodes that supply Nexus make the place fairly aglow with Quintessence. As a result, it is very easy to see Nodes or transfer Quintessence (even Virtual Quint) from one place to another in Nexus.
Spirit (3): This Spirit Sphere rating is only in regards to connecting to Virtuals It is very easy to enter Virtuals from Nexus. All other realms are at normal difficulty to enter from Nexus. Access to the Deep Umbra from here is impossible (effectively at Spirit -6).
Time +5: Any Time effect is naturally possible here. This includes the creation of time loops, the ebb and flow of time, complete cessation of time and contraction and dilation. This is, after all, the Shade Realm of Time!
Paradox
Nexus is so much a part of the Continuum's Paradigm that magick in it is considerably harder for those who live outside this paradigm. The situation is rather similar to that which must exist in Autochthonia, the realm of Iteration X. Tradition magick must be very difficult there since it goes against the paradigm of that Convention.
Continuum agents can cast their magick as normal in Nexus (using the Sphere ratings described above) but any invading Traditions (or the Technocracy) have to cope with Paradox. Paradox thus strikes as normal for any mage whose Paradigm is different than the Continuum's. All magick cast by an invading mage requires an effect roll, even if they are usually automatic because of the realm's sphere ratings. Paradox strikes in exactly the same way as on Earth, though it does not seem to affect Continuum agents. This is one reason that the Continuum managed to hold off the Technocracy when they seceded from them in the early 20th century. Additionally, it is rumoured that this may be the result of a change in the nature of the realm created by the Continuum's Oracles.
Fortunately for the Continuum's allies, there is a way around this. Through training, the outsider can be acclimatised to the paradigm within Nexus such that he does not gain Paradox for casting magick there. In addition, every outsider entering Nexus is given an ID badge which contains a tiny piece of modified TimeStone. This acts as a kind of barcode which is used to identify the outsider. This must be worn at all times in the realm and must be returned when leaving Nexus. Since TimeStone acts as a beacon outside Nexus for those with Time 1, it can be used to unerringly follow those who try to smuggle their ID badge out of the realm (for duplication, for example). Since Timestone is unique to the realm, it is very hard to duplicate outside it. This provides another security measure.
Nodes & Virtuals
Nexus is fuelled by many nodes from a wide variety of (largely unpopulated) Virtuals, as well as Earth itself.
The Orb of Lucifer: An extremely powerful Node, this is located on the major continent of Lucifer, a Level 1 Virtual. In this timeline, life never evolved on Earth. The planet remains a hostile hothouse world, with surface temperatures ranging between 50 and 120 degrees Celsius (120 to 240 degrees Fahrenheit), a large proportion of steam and carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and very hot polar seas. There is extensive volcanic and seismic activity. Of course, there is no oxygen in the air at all. The planet itself is tipped at an angle of 40 degrees to the vertical and a day is equal to a mere 8 hours. As a result, winds and storms on Lucifer can be extremely powerful.
Interestingly enough, Lucifer has no moon, leading many Continuum scientists to believe that the formation of the Moon played a critical role in the formation of life on Earth.
In this hostile environment, however, lies one of the most powerful Nodes in the Metaverse. The Node itself is a 10' diameter globe, the Orb of Lucifer, hovering a few feet above the ground on the planet's major continent. It is constructed of a black material that defies all analysis, even magickal. It rotates around its axis, tipped at 40 degrees to the vertical, once every 8 hours - exactly like the planet! Its power is immense. No ley lines or other Nodes exist on Lucifer. It is almost as if all the planet's Quintessence is channelled to and concentrated at the Orb.
The Orb's origin is unknown. Its connection (if any) with the present state of Lucifer is also unknown, as is its purpose. Whether its builders will return to claim it one day is a matter that most Continuum Agents would rather not think about.
The Orb is heavily guarded by the Continuum's finest agents and it is presently located in a sealed guard station that has been built around it. Humans require spacesuits or atmospheric protection to survive outside the station. The Orb and station have already been the focus of several concerted attacks by agents of the Darkness, all of which have been successfully repulsed so far.
Nada One: This is a mysterious city of glass which appears (along with the small rocky island on which it is situated) out of thin air in the southern Indian Ocean on Earth. It always appears at sunset and is only visible while the Sun's disk touches the open sea. Even then it is only physically real if viewed/approached from certain angles. After the Sun sets, it disappears for until the next sunset.
Nada One is a beautiful, eerie and silent place. It is uninhabited and completely unaffected by the environment. It is extremely clean and the glass it is constructed on is perfectly unblemished. The glass itself appears to be indestructible - it cannot be broken.
It is not known where the Island disappears to after Sunset. It is believed that the city travels through the Corridor, appearing at random points in time. If anyone or anything is left behind on the isle, they are never seen again. When Nada One returns, no trace of its accidental passengers are ever found. Indeeed, anything moved in the Glass City resumes its normal place when Nada One returns.
Easter Island: Located on Earth itself, Easter Island is a collection of hundreds of smaller Nodes, each represented by one of the famous stone heads that gaze out to sea. It is quite powerful and the Order of Hermes has been vying for access rights but so far the Continuum is having none of it.
Concentration Alpha: Alpha is located in a Level 1 Virtual codenamed "Neverland". Neverland is identical to Earth until January 18th 1993. On this day, every higher life form on the planet (all human and animal life) suddenly vanished without a trace.
The only clue to this vanishing is the continual signal emitted from the Aricebo Radio Dish in Puerto Rico, aimed at what is apparently a point of empty space about a billion kilometers beyond the orbit of Pluto. Further research by the Continuum through Neverland Aricebo and U.S. Government records has so far yielded no official explanation for the transmission and no target for the signal has been described. However, the signal was activated on the 18th of January, 1993. Interestingly enough, there is no record of such a transmission in the Aricebo records on MC Earth at that time...
Aricebo itself is a major Node in this Virtual, which is beaming out Quintessence to its target point. Although the Continuum has deactivated the transmitter, Quintessence is nevertheless still being beamed to the target. In addition, Aricebo is the nexus of all of the ley lines on Neverland. This ley line network is believed to be artificial and hints at some secret magickal experiment (probably set up by the Technocracy) that backfired horribly. It is even possible that the Darkness partially intruded on this Virtual before it was re-attached to Nexus, which may be an alternative explanation that accounts for the disappearance of the planet's higher lifeforms.
The Continuum has managed to at least tap some of the flow but with this came the discovery that Neverland itself is actually losing cohesion; the Quintessence is actually disappearing from the Virtual at the beam's target point! The Continuum is trying to prevent this loss before Neverland becomes a Level 2 (or worse) Virtual or completely loses cohesion.
Central Office (CO)
The following are guidelines to the integration of the Continuum to a standard Mage chronicle. This section largely covers the policy of the Continuum regarding Virtuals and other outsiders. They are by no means complete and need not be considered official. The existence of the Continuum and Nexus can change the focus of a campaign, so I leave it largely up to the individual storyteller as to how they should be included.
Overview
Central Office itself is a complex of interconnected utilitarian red-brick buildings situated on a large, flat prairie in Nexus. It is located in the only known stable Class 1 Time Zone. The buildings include several towers and fortification, a holdover of the days when the Technocracy sought to actively invade Nexus and wrest control of it from the Continuum. CO is still heavily defended and regularly patrolled by experienced, well-armed guards. It is also magickally shielded so that it is impossible to enter it from outside using Correspondence magick.
Inside, Central Office is a network of laboratories, ready rooms and offices. It is powered by its own generators in the basement and has several backups in case of a power failure. It also has a computer network directly connected to the main Intelligence Acquisition Station in London, England on Earth. It has extensive research facilities (though not as much as other home Chantries) and a huge catalogue of data on the known manifestations of the Darkness.
Entrances to Nexus are small in number and are found only in the vicinity of Central Office and as such are very heavily protected by checkpoints and guard posts. While the level of security can sometimes be oppressive, those working in Nexus acknowledge that it is essential to prevent the realm from falling into the wrong hands. The security is not invasive, however, and many mages often forget they are working inside a fortress.
Continuum Policy Regarding Virtuals
The Continuum has a fixed policy regarding the inhabited Virtuals (those that contain indigenous sentient life). It only deals with them when necessary and even then only with Awakened members of that society. Sometimes it actively quarantines them (such as the more hostile Virtuals like Reich and Terra Prime). This is akin to a "Prime Directive" and is largely a result of the Law Of Continuity. However, those with Temporal Avatars that originate in these quarantined Virtuals and attempt to leave are quickly hunted down and contained. This usually involves Mind, Prime and Spirit manipulation which blocks the Temporal Avatar and prevents it from leaving the Virtual. However, many have escaped this fate and most have gone on to join the Technocracy on Main Corridor Earth. A few fight a guerilla war on Nexus itself but these are rarely a significant threat to the Continuum.
In most cases, the Continuum leaves the inhabited Virtuals alone, though it often welcomes those with Temporal Avatars (from the Non-Quarantined Virtuals) who blunder through to Nexus and discover the truth about the extent of the universe. Indeed, many of the Continuum's finest agents are from other Virtuals.
Although there is a vast amouunt of Nodes available to tap among the Virtuals, the Continuum leaves those in the inhabited Virtuals to their residents - there are plenty of Nodes to be found in the uninhabited Virtuals. The Law Of Continuity could easily be violated if a Continuum agent is capture by the inhabitants of a Virtual, who then discover that they are in fact no longer the prime universe. The social consequences of this within the Virtual could severely undermine the world-view of the inhabitants - a fate the Continuum wishes to avoid. Many Continuum agents in the field are extremely careful and Intelligence Acquisition sets up complex identities to allow them to fit into the Virtual more easily. In some cases (like Sauron), the agent has to be physically changed to fit in.
However, the Continuum has an open policy when it comes to the uninhabited Virtuals. These it uses for resources (minerals, Quintessence, etc.) and exploration. Many uninhabited Virtuals are simply catalogued and forgotten but bases are frequently set up in the more unusual Virtuals (such as Neverland and Lucifer).
Policy Regarding the Traditions & Technocracy
While the Continuum remains comparatively open with the Traditions, it frequently has to hold them at bay from raiding the Quintessence of the Virtuals. Tradition mages are extensively vetted before they are allowed to enter Nexus and those seeking to join the Continuum must often pass stringent examinations to do so. Any allied mage found compromising the security of the realm, Virtuals or Central Office is dealt with harshly.
The Technocracy is not allowed within Nexus. The Continuum is aware of what this organization could do given access to the Virtuals and does not wish to take the risk of them invasively plundering the resources of the Virtuals to give them a huge advantage in the Ascension War. The Traditions as a whole are similarly prevented.
The Continuum fully places itself outside the Ascension War. It plays no part in the domination of reality and seeks to remain neutral. It has its own role to play in the defense of reality, which is a fulltime job in itself.
Policy Regarding Marauders
The Marauders are one of the main enemies of the Continuum. They are a constant thorn in their sides, since their immunity to Paradox applies even within Nexus. Virtual Marauders, while limited to their own Virtuals, have been proving a problem since there are reports that some have kidnapped MC mages and somehow transplanted the Temporal Avatar to their own bodies, effectively turning them into MC Marauders able to access any Virtual, Nexus and Main Corridor. It is not known why the Marauders are so interested in Nexus and the Virtuals. Perhaps it is because it represents the dynamic aspect of time - the infinite possibilities that lie in the alternate universes of the Virtuals. Many think the Marauders seek to free time from the constraints of the Virtuals, creating a realm where all the alternatives exist at once. Regardless, the Continuum repels Marauders wherever they are found in Nexus.