ANDERS MAGE PAGE 2.0

While a few mystics enjoy exploring the raw vistas of the Near Umbra itself, most pass through it on the way to one of the various Umbral Realms that lie within it. Each Umbral Realm is a separate spiritual world. Realms vary greatly in size, shape and character.

For the most part, mystics must traverse the Near Umbra, High, Middle or Low, to reach the different Umbral Realms. There are a few direct passages, however. These passages are called Spirit Gates, or Portals, and they can directly connect two Umbral Realms, an Umbral Realm and the Penumbra, or even (rarely) an Umbral Realm and the physical world. Usually these Portals were created with a specific purpose in mind. Often they are hidden, and almost invariably they are guarded.

Each Umbral Realm is separated from the rest of the Umbra by a barrier resembling the Gauntlet. This barrier is called the Pericarp. The thickness of the Pericarp is different for each Realm. Sometimes it is so thin as to be barely noticeable, while other times it is thick enough to be nearly impenetrable. The thickness may depend on the way the mystic is traveling as well. Some Realms are easy to enter, but very hard to leave.

The Umbral Realms of the Near Umbra, often called Near Realms, are closely related to the Earth in some way. They can be dangerous and confusing, and definitely bizarre, but they are never immediately fatal to mystic travelers from Earth. Usually they are reflections or expressions of some earthly concept. This is not the case for Realms deeper in the Umbra, which can be completely inhospitable to Terran spirits.

A complete description of every Realm in the Umbra is impossible. The possibilities are infinite. Some of the more widely known Realms are detailed below.

The Near Realms of the Living Umbra

The Garou have explored the Living Umbra more thoroughly than other mystics from Earth, and they describe thirteen major Realms in the Near Umbra. Some of these Realms are in fact so specific that they are nearly inaccessible to non-Garou. Erebus is a Garou hell that can cleanse their souls of taint, while the Legendary Realm manifest both the ancient legends and homelands of the different Garou tribes. Wolfhome is a mirror of the physical world, in which the Garou are forced to remain in wolf form until they better understand its nature.

Some of the Thirteen Realms are connected to forces of the Weaver, Wyrm or Wyld. The Flux is a Realm of powerful Wyld energy, ever changing, while the Cyberrealm is an advanced technological manifestation of Weaver energy. The Scar is a manifestation of the Wyrm's polluting power, while the Atrocity Realm and the Battleground are manifestations of the evils that men do both to individuals and in war.

Some of the Thirteen Realms do not fit neatly into any category. Arcadia Gateway seems to be a long forgotten "back door" from the Near Umbra to Arcadia. Pangaea is a reflection of the primordial Earth, in the age before man walked the world. The Aetherial Realm is on the border of the Near Umbra, with manifestations of each of the Celestial bodies and Anchorheads into the Deep Umbra. The Summer Country is said to be a reflection of the peace and beauty of the world before the physical and spirit worlds were sundered, but it is so difficult to reach that many believe it to be a myth.

For more details on the Thirteen Near Realms of the Garou, see the Werewolf book, pg. 172-4, or Umbra: the Velvet Shadow pg. 24-105. There are very likely other Realms in the Living Umbra, unknown to the Garou.

The Near Astral Realms

Mages are the Umbral travelers most familiar with the Astral Plane. They recognize several important types of Astral Realms.

The most familiar Realms are those the mages have constructed themselves. Called Horizon Realms, mages carve them out of the raw substance of the Astral Plane as safe havens to perform their magick. These Horizon Realms require a great deal of power to maintain, and mages need the strength of one or more Nodes just to keep the Realm in existence. The exact nature of a Horizon Realm is limited only by the power and inclinations of the mages who constructed it. Horizon Realms are carefully hidden and protected, and are often only accessible by Spirit Gates.

The most common Astral Realms are the various Concept Realms, or Epiphs. Each is the reflection of some idea derived on Earth. Some reflect the Heavens and Hells in the minds of man, though the true afterlives are said to lie elsewhere, perhaps in the Lower World. Others mirror abstract mathematical ideas. Each realm embodies a single idea, and meditation in such a realm can lead to deeper insight into that concept.

Also of importance are the nine Shade Realms, each associated with one of the different Spheres of magick. The Shade Realms reflect the nature of their Sphere, and are inhabited by spirits whose power is that of the Sphere. Given the tremendous potency of these Realms, their exact locations are a well kept secret.

It is known that the Shade Realm of Forces is guarded by the powerful Doissetep Chantry, while the Shade Realm of Entropy is held by the House of Helekar, an aged Euthanatos Chantry. It is believed that the Shade Realm of Matter is guarded by the Technocratic world of Autochthonia. Some Virtual Adepts claim that the Shade Realm of Correspondence is in fact the Digital Web, while some Dreamspeakers claim that the entire Umbra is the Shade Realm of Spirit. It is also believed that each Shade Realm is but a reflection of a more powerful Shard Realm, the true home of each sphere, which lies in the Deep Umbra.

For more details on the Astral Realms, see the 2nd Ed. Mage book, pg. 22, 25 and 239, and the 1st Ed. Mage book, pg. 38-40.

The Near Realms of the Tempest

Realms in the Tempest must be forged, and only raw soul energy has the power to stave off the might of the storm. The mighty city of Stygia is perhaps the most famous Realm in the Tempest, and also the most common destination for travelers. There are also several Waystations along the Stygian Byways, safe havens where travelers can rest temporarily.

There a number of minor Realms or Shifting Zones in the Tempest, which the unwary traveler can stumble upon. In some, Shades of the long dead reenact some violent occurrence of their past. Others are traps of malignant spectres, waiting to draw their prey down to Oblivion. Most of these Realms are small and ephemeral. There is little safety in the Tempest.

Far beyond all other Realms in the Tempest lie the Far Shores. The Far Shores are numerous afterlives of the dead, believed by some to be the ultimate destination of the soul, and by others to be clever traps by greedy spirits. In ages past the Far Shores sent emissaries to Stygia and the Shadowlands, but now the hostility of the Iron Kingdom prevents this. No one knows for certain what happens in the Far Realms, but rumors of spirit wars and strange angelic or demonic spirits abound.

For more details on Realms in the Tempest, see The Sea of Shadows, pg. 22-27.