ANDERS MAGE PAGE 2.0

The Zones

A few Umbral Realms defy simple categorization. Called Zones, these Realms seem to permeate the entire Umbra, from the physical world out to the Deep Umbra, and through all Three Worlds. Some mystics believe that Zones are Umbral Realms like any other, with an unusually large number of Spirit Gates connecting them to different places. Others believe the Zones are special, somehow transcending the usual boundaries. A few mystics believe that the Zones are in fact distinct layers of the Umbra, much like the Three Worlds.

Given that Zones permeate the entire Umbra, some mystics try to use them as short cuts for travel from one part to another. This is not as easy as it sounds. Though most zones connect in many places, these connections do not always follow discernible laws. A mystic rarely has control over where he will enter or leave a Zone. Often a mystic will not physically enter a Zone, only projecting his consciousness into it. This is especially true of mystics entering the Land of Dreams or the Digital Web. The mystic must return to his body when he leaves the Zone.

One of the better known Zones is the Digital Web, an idealized Virtual Reality like the Net of cyperpunk fiction, formed out of spiritual rather than digital energy. The playground of the Virtual Adepts, it is believed to be a relatively new Realm. Much of the Digital Web is still "unformatted", waiting for explorers to define its nature. The Digital Web has connections to most powerful computers in the physical world, the Pattern Web of the Weaver, the Cyberrealm, Autochthonia and various Horizon and Concept Realms in the Astral Plane.

Another well known Zone is the Realm of Dreams. Arguably, this is the best traveled part of the Umbra, for sleepers enter it every night. The laws of the Dream World are strange and unfathomable; everything seems possible. An ordinary sleeper can enter and leave it without harm, but the mystic trying to consciously chart his path through the Dream Lands is taking great risks. There are powerful inhabitants of this world, and they do not appreciate others meddling in their affairs.

A careless mystic may accidentally step through to the Mirror Zone while crossing between worlds. Most mystics are aware of this danger when crossing the Gauntlet, but in fact it can happen when crossing any Umbral boundary. Just next to but not quite the same as our reality, the Mirror Zone is a universe with a important differences. Friends can become enemies, political powers can change and reality can change in any number of subtle but frightening ways. Some mystics say that there are many Mirror Zones, each reflecting unresolved possibilities or realities that might have been. Return from this alternate universe can be a task indeed.

The last well known Zone is but a rumor but if it exists it would be useful indeed. Called the Null Zone, it is said to be the back drop of reality. Described as either a vast network of interlocking tunnels or an endless field of uniform gray, the Null Zone provides reliable connections to different places throughout the Tellurian. Unlike other Zones, the knowledgeable mystic can control exactly where he enters and exits, and thus travel anywhere. It is so difficult to enter and exit the Null Zone that is must be a path of last resort.

For more details on the different Zones, see the 2nd Ed. Mage Rules, pg. 24, or Umbra: the Velvet Shadow, pg. 108-114. You may also want to look at Digital Web. These are by no means a complete list of all the Zones in existence.

Supernaturals and The Umbra

The different supernatural creatures interact with the Umbra in different ways. Each species has a special relationship with the Umbra. There are certain generalizations that can be made but like all stereotypes, they only go so far. The Umbra is a place of individuals and there each being ultimately approaches the Umbra in its own way.

Vampires have the least to do with the spirit world. Many of them are unaware of its existence. Those vampires that do interact with the spirit lands tend to do so in a limited and specific fashion. One vampire might have the power to summon ghosts, another the power to call animal spirits. Auspex gives a vampire a limited perception of the spirit world. It only allows a vampire to see beings in the Umbra that are actively seeking to view or affect the physical world. Such spirits are "close" enough to the Gauntlet that the vampire can perceive them.

The Garou (and the other Changing Breeds) are perhaps the ultimate spirit travelers. Some mystics believe that the Garou are in fact spirits made flesh. All Garou naturally have the ability to step into the spirit world, and most werewolves believe it is their duty to protect the Umbra from incursions of the Wyrm. Garou are naturally inclined toward the Middle Umbra, and spend most of their time there. Many of them are unaware of the existence of the Upper or Lower Worlds, though a few can walk those paths.

Mages as a group have a wild variety of powers. Most are aware of the existence of the Umbra, but not all of them can travel it. Those that can tend to have truly potent spiritual power. Mages have the greatest flexibility when it comes to interacting with the Umbra, and are famous for carving out spiritual Realms of their own. Most mages are inclined toward the Astral Plane, but Mages are nothing if not meddlesome. If so inclined, they will invade the Middle and Lower Umbras, and not a few have paid for their hubris with their lives.

Wraiths have little choice but to deal with the Umbra; it is where they reside. Wraiths exist exclusively within the Lower World, though most would be happy to leave. In fact, wraiths have a great deal of difficulty affecting the physical world, trapped as they are within the Underworld. Few Wraiths are aware of the existence of the Middle and High Umbras, but rumors persist of secret paths between the worlds.

The interaction between changelings and the Umbra is most mysterious of all. Changelings have both a physical and spiritual side, their Mortal Seeming and their Faerie Kith. Because of their innate spiritual side, changeling can sometimes interact with spirit world. Because their spirit form is tied to a mortal body, they find it difficult to actually leave the physical world.

Changelings have a special connection to one type of spirit called Chimera, and always perceive and interact with them as if they had physical form, though Chimera are invisible and immaterial to everyone else. Changelings can occasionally see other spirits as well, mistaking them for some strange Chimera. Other times they are oblivious to spiritual presences. Fae weapons cut through spiritual boundaries and are capable of harming creatures on the other side of the Gauntlet or Shroud. Exactly when and how Changelings can affect spirits seems to change under different circumstances, and the Changelings themselves seem not to notice these changes.