ANDERS MAGE PAGE 2.0

The Horizon

At the far edge of the Near Umbra lies the Horizon, also called the Membrane. Like the Gauntlet, it separates the immediate spiritual atmosphere Earth from the more alien Realms of the Deep Umbra. The Horizon is difficult to cross, with good reason. The Deep Umbra is a deadly place, and the unprepared traveler would not survive the transition. There are also powers from beyond the Horizon too powerful or dangerous to be safely contained in the Near Umbra and the Horizon prevents their entry.

The only easy pathways through the Horizon are various weak points in the Membrane called Anchorheads. Like Nodes and Caerns, these are sites of power, and are usually under someone's control. Anchorheads are controlled by powerful spirits more often than the supernatural races of Earth, though there are exceptions. It is possible to slip into the Deep Umbra through these portals, if the mystic can get the permission of the Anchorhead's guardians.

In recent decades, some mystics claim they have witnessed a frightening phenomon. These mystics say that the Horizon is retracting, moving inward, and more and more of the Near Umbra is slipping out into the void. This phenomenon is most pronounced in the Astral Plane, but a few say it is happening to a lesser degree in the Middle Umbra as well. One by one, Near Realms are being pulled through the Horizon out into the Deep Umbra. Some of the larger Realms survive the transition, but others are destroyed.

The exact cause of the retraction is unknown. It could be caused by the same forces hardening the Gauntlet. Some mages claim it is a plot of the Technocracy to push the spirit world still farther from Earth. Others say it is the work of powerful malevolent spirits from the Deep Umbra pushing in, hoping to breach the boundary and enter the Gaian Realm. Many mystics scoff at the very idea, saying that the position of the Horizon is as immutable as the Gauntlet. If the retraction is indeed occurring, it could be another sign of the coming apocalypse.

The Deep Umbra

Beyond the Horizon lies the Deep Umbra. Many mystics compare the Deep Umbra to the depths of space, and the analogy is an accurate one. The very environment of the Deep Umbra is dangerous and only the most powerful mystics or travelers in some sort of protective vehicle have any hope of surviving.

The vastness of the Deep Umbra staggers the mind. Unlike the Near Umbra, no set paths cross the Umbral depths. The mystic plumping the Void had best know exactly where she is heading, because a traveler can wander for all eternity in the Deep Umbra and never find anything but unending darkness. In the Near Umbra, a mystic can stumble about and eventually run into some path or another. In the Void, a lost traveler is lost forever.

In the Deep Umbra, the boundaries between the Three Worlds again break down. Travelers in the High, Middle or Low Umbra may find themselves slipping from one layer or another, and their return journey may be strange indeed.

The Far Realms

Umbra Realms lie within the Deep Umbra as well. Unlike the Near Realms, the Far Realms need have nothing to do with Earth, and can be totally incomprehensible in nature. The mystic may find his mind and body instantly shredded by entry into these Realms unless they have great reservoirs of power.

Some Far Realms are truly immense. It is likely that some of these Realms surround worlds of their own, with their own Horizon, Near Umbra, Near Realms and Gauntlet. A few mystics claim to have reached such worlds, but they are not widely believed. More have attempted such a journey, never to return.

Mages believe that the Shard Realms, true manifestation of each of the nine magickal Spheres, lie somewhere in the void. Some mages believe that each Shard Realm is associated with a particular planet in the Solar System, but none of them have ever been able to agree on exactly which planets. The Shard Realms are said to be so alien that only the Oracles can enter them safely. The Garou speak of Celestial Realms, associated with the different planetary bodies, and these may or may not be the same as the Shard Realms.

The Garou believe the ultimate manifestations of the Weaver, Wyrm and Wyld lie somewhere in the Deep Umbra. The center of the Weaver's Web, the Vortex of the Wyld and the Wyrm's dark Realm of Malfeas are hidden somewhere in the Void. These Far Realms have tendrils reaching back into the Gaian Realm. Garou particularly fear that Malfeas has outposts in the Near Umbra, allowing easier access by the Wyrm's minions.

The great Umbral Courts of the spirits are also said to lie in the Void. By various counts, they number three or four. The Western Court houses the gods of myth from the Western world, while the Eastern Court holds their Oriental counterparts. The mysterious Egyptian somehow remains aloof from both East and West, making its own way. The Dreamspeakers believe in the Lodge in the Sky, a court consisting of the displaced native spirits from throughout the world, in uncomfortable allegiance against the most vigorous Eastern and Western courts.

The True Heaven and True Hell, if they exist, are said to lie in the Deep Umbra. Their exact nature is a mystery, even to the deistic mages of the Celestial Chorus. Some claim that they are a reflection of the good and evil in all earthly religions, while others say that they are beyond human conception.

Mages are sometimes trapped in special Paradox Realms. Though no one is certain, it is widely believed that these Paradox Realms lie in the Deep Umbra. No one has ever been able find such a Realm independent of Paradox backlash, however. Mages that escape from Paradox Realms immediately return to the Realm, while mages that do not escape are never seen again.

There are rumors of Realms stranger still. Alien dimensions where time and space operated in radically different ways, and physical laws are turned on their head. These vast realms are filled with hideous beings not so much evil as utterly alien from all things human. Perhaps they are remnants of ages long past on the Earth, and ages that perhaps have never been. A few Umbral travelers, Nephandi and Marauders in particular, claim to have traversed such realms. Judging by the results, the mystic's sanity may be the price of entry.

The Deep Tempest

One mystery of the structure of the Umbra is what the outer levels of the Tempest are like. Explorers of the Tempest have never found the equivalent of the Horizon in their travels. As such, no one really knows what lies beyond it. Some mystics believe simply that no one has ever pushed far enough to find the Lower World's Horizon, but others consider a darker possibility.

It may be that the Underworld has no Horizon at all. The Far Shores may in fact lie at the edge or in the depths of what would be the Lower Deep Umbra. Given that it is widely believed that the Three Worlds merge out in the Deep Umbra, this is a frightening possibility. The Underworld may be a "back door" into the Gaian Realm, though which horrors from the Deep Umbra may slip all the way through to the physical world. If this is true, it may be fortunate indeed that the Shroud is less permeable than the Gauntlet.