NOCTURNE METAPHYSICS

NOTE: None of the following is required reading. This document simply exists as a resource to settle metaphysical disputes OOC.

Nocturne is set not only in the real world, but several other dimensions too. Lots of creature types can enter different dimensions and different places. We must establish SIMPLY how all these things relate to one another. However, this page is a deep dive and deals with man metaphysical leaps and bounds. The Cosmology -CAN- be a huge mess, and maybe its meant to be. Most of this will be regarded as meta information. Its unlikely any character a player chooses to play will have a full understanding of what is presented here. Some characters will be incapable of breaking how their species views the cosmos as they don't have to tools to see the many varied layers of it. This lack of ability to perceive the -whole- leads often to conflict in character, which is fine. But when players decide to force their cosmology on different species ooc, it can become problematic and needs resolution. This document therefore stands as the house rule when nocturne metaphysics are concerned.

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A WORD ON COSMOLOGY PARADOXES

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"what you were told was true, from a certain point of view" : Obi-Wan Kenobi: Star Wars: Episode VI :Return Of The Jedi

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FRACTURED COSMOS : NO

We do NOT use the Fractured Cosmos approach made famous in the Mage : Ascension time of judgement book. That philosophy ONLY works for Mortals and a game featuring -one- supernatural species. Example: This cosmos model asserts infinite realities all with precisely the same outcome, except in some "Vampires were created by the Wyrm" and in others "Werewolves are simple savage beasts called lupines" In short, it uses the species being played  source book as 100% correct and renders other species as the NPC entries in the source book. This becomes problematic in a game where -multiple- species can be played.

The problem with this world view is  we're not using NPC lore or statistics. We use the source books of many different species.

Our challenge therefore is to create metaphysics that honours fundamental truths of individual species, but concede that at best, all species know approximately -half- of the story.

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REASONANCE: YES

Everyone is partially correct! 

"Consider this coffee we're drinking. It's only coffee, right? It's not anything else?, In the uncorrupted world, this coffee could also exist simultaneously as a song or an aesthetic idea or even a sentient and helpful creature. Different things on different layers, all equally real, all similar, but each discrete - even while they were simultaneously experienced....The universe was made in seven days, on one level, but that same span of time was billions of years on another level. Or consider the Angels of the Firmament. On some levels of reality they were conveying the life-giving breath of the Maker on a purely scientific level — they were, literally were, the process by which solar energy striking simple carbon molecules agitated them into forms of ever increasing complexity, until they became organic molecules, then primitive single-celled animals, then nucleated cells and so on, up to and including dogs, cats and humans. But at the same time they were crouching over the mouths of newly sculpted creatures of all types, breathing into their mouths to animate them. These contrary things really were simultaneously true in the young cosmos. It makes no sense to you because you're used to living in this, the singular world. But once you accept the idea of the multiple world, it clears up a lot of the problems you humans have with faith, miracles, the Divine Architect…Can an omnipotent being create a boulder so big he can't lift it? I'm not trying to attack anything, just demonstrate a point. If God can create the boulder so big He can't lift it, then His power isn't infinite: It's not sufficient to lift the boulder. But if He can't make a boulder too big to lift, than His power is still not infinite: It's not sufficient to create the boulder. That's the kind of problems you run into in the singular world. But the multiple world resolves those paradoxes. Paradise was layers of varied and interrelated realities each revealing and relating to the others, showing them from different perspectives or providing new joys and experiences. Or they were supposed to, anyhow. -sigh- Paradise was purer and richer and more fulfilling than this reality by an incalculable measure. Compared to Paradise, this world is Hell. Although, to be fair, compared to Hell, this world is Paradise."

 

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THE YIN & THE YANG

SMOKE & MIRRORS

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"Imagine darkness. Not the modern conception of a night sky illuminated by millions of electric lights, but the absence of light. A darkness before light, wherein the existence of light is an affront to the dark. Imagine a blast of light so bright and sudden that it rips the darkness into shadows. From an Absolute, there are now Two. Divided. Opposed. Where one goes, the other cannot follow."

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The many scholars of word of darkness have wrongly attributed the forces of YIN and YANG with Stasis and Dynamism, but then find difficulty fitting Entropy into that mould. This shouldn't be a surprise, because that's a -backwards- way with dealing with YIN & YANG. Some may reason the "Dots" in Ying and Yang represent "Entropy", but that's not how the dots work. The dots represent smaller amounts of Yin in Yang and vice versa. Not some third element that is not related to the two forces at all. Anyhow, one does not count downwards from one. It's one begets two, two begets three. Not one begets three, three, begets two!

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• YIN & YANG represent DUALITY.

• That is their PRIMARY purpose.

• They are the indisputable fact that there are TWO sides to every coin!

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• It is well known there are two types of spirits that inhabit the umbra. 

• Spirits of the LOW umbra are YIN 

• Spirits of the MIDDLE and HIGH umbra are YANG

• Year of the lotus makes this clear.

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When we consider that Wyrm and Oblivion are separate entities entirely and that Wyrm is "Active" Entropy and that Oblivion is "Passive" Entropy

then we begin to understand that Yin & Yang are not "Parts" or the Triad or the Trait at all.

We understand that Dynamism, Stasis, Entropy are simply the coin and that YIN & YANG are the "Faces" of the coin.

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On the Yang side of that coin lay "Wyld, Weaver, Wyrm"  on the Yin side of that coin lay "Chaos, Order, Oblivion."

 

Of course.. there is a third face, that face being -the edge- , the edge was "THE ONE/BALANCE ", the one thing keeping both sides in harmony, however, for whatever reason, that edge is gone now, and the coin is warped and deformed and Imbalanced.

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SPIRITS & UMBROOD

We need a classification here as world of darkness deals with essentially 2 types of spirit.

Wraith and Demons are -Technically- spirits as are Nature Spirits and Chimera. However this classification does nothing to help an individual or a story teller make a distinction. As a rough guide we use the following monikers.

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• UMBROOD have RAGE & GNOSIS traits and exist mainly in the HIGH and MIDDLE umbra.

• Anything that a Garou refers to as a spirit is technically an UMBROOD.

• UMBROOD are the shared concept or spiritual belief in a thing given spiritual form. 

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• TRUE SPIRITS: Typically means any non physical entity that does not possess a rage and gnosis trait. (Wraith, Fallen, Earthbound)

• Spirits are INDIVIDUAL souls and characters. They were not -invented- by shared beliefs or ideas. They simply exist as spirits of individuals.

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WHAT DO YOU WORSHIP?

Many claim to worship demons, the term is thrown around an awful lot. Here is how it actually is.

• Koldunic Sorcerers and C.O.T.E.B : Earthbound (Fallen Angels who escaped the Abyss and became bound to objects) 

• Balli and Abyss Occultists: Neverborn (Fallen Angels that escaped to the underworld during the end of the war of wrath and evolved into the Neverborn)

• Nephaldi: Umbrood Demons (Conceptual or Spiritual beliefs manifested into form. They did not exist till human subconscious created them)

• Celestial Chorus: Umbrood Entities (Conceptual or Spiritual beliefs manifested into form. They did not exist till human subconscious created them)

• Garou: Umbrood Entities and Celestine's. (Conceptual and Spiritual beliefs manifested)

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THE UMBRA

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THE WHOLE

If you want the EMPIRICAL truth, visit the LOW UMBRA (mage) DARK UMBRA (Garou)  of MEMORY 

If you want the SPIRITUAL truth, visit the MIDDLE UMBRA (mage) SPIRIT WILDS (Garou)  of BELIEFS   

If you want the CONCEPTUAL truth, visit the HIGH UMBRA (mage) DEEP UMBRA (Garou) of IDEAS 

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DEEP UMBRA  , Is a place that surrounds exists outside of the main umbra. If we imagine the "known" umbra as a sphere then the Deep umbra is all that exists outside of that spheres horizon. Garou have never ventured this far, so do not have a term for it. They do use the term "Deep Umbra" to refer to the HIGH UMBRA

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SPECIAL NOTE : THE DREAMING

The DREAMING is the odd duck in umbral cosmology and has its own unique rules, that doesn't easily fit with the rules of the other umbra. The Dreaming is shaped by the dreams and nightmares of humans in a way different to the Middle or High Umbra.

Fae Souls and Chimera operate as if they were both UMBROOD and TRUE SPIRITS, They are are born of "Dreams", like Umbrood are born of Ideas or Beliefs. However like TRUE SPIRITS, they were once real. In a sense they are spirits of the MYTHIC AGE, one of the layers of varied and interrelated realities each revealing and relating to the others. 

Imagine a glass. This is called creation. Outside of Creation exists the Deep Umbra. When the layers of reality separated, the low umbra sunk to the bottom, the middle umbra formed a layer above it, the high umbra formed the top. The dreaming formed bubbles in the various layers.

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 SPECIAL NOTE: THE YOMI WORLD 

The YOMI WORLD or the 1000 hells is simply TWO umbral locations divided into YIN and YANG. The Yomi wasn't always a place of suffering and torment, nor is it limited to the middle kingdom. (South East Asia) The original purpose of the Yomi was to prepare souls for reincarnation. It was presided over by the August Personage Of Jade, The Ebon Dragon and The Scarlet Queen, Many of the Celestial Bureaucracy (Of which there were many) Helped in the Running of it. When the August Personage Of Jade (God) Turned his face away (Left Creation), the Yomi , like the rest of creation became corrupt and imperfect. Those who inhabit the Yomi World are known as YAMA KINGS, but this is more a title than a specific type of spirit. Malfeans and  Neverborn  are the YIN Yama kings, Banes and Incarna make up the YANG Yama Kings. The Yin half of the 1000 hells exists in the LOW umbra, The Yang half of the 1000 hells exists in the MIDDDLE umbra.

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THE UMBRA (according to mages)

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Videre

(Descriptive term for areas of the umbra uniquely accessible to certain beings, The Dreaming, The Shadowlands, Yomi Wan)

Because the Umbra is especially mutable, beings with different outlooks experience radically different Umbrae. This disjunction was first identified by mages (who have the most diverse outlooks on the nature of reality), and they termed it videre. Importantly, videre is not simply a matter of perception. Rather it seems that different worldview and mental states bring people to different areas of Spirit Lands. Some videres are entirely incompatible with certain realms or regions of the Umbra. Few beings in the World of Darkness can visit every nook and cranny of the Umbra - most are locked out of at least part by their own preconceptions.

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The Realm (Skinlands, Mundane Reality)

This is mundane reality as common man perceives it. While it is contrasted with Umbra the Spirit World, it is not completely devoid of spiritual energies. Rather the advancement of rational paradigm (groomed by Technocracy) significantly reduced its amount while hardening the Gauntlet at the same time. However, Mystics fear that further successes of Technocracy will completely separate Tellurian into mundane Earth and inaccessible Umbra.

The terminology here is similar to that of "the Moon" that denotes the moon of Earth among several other moons. Similarly, some mystics theorize that the Realm of mundane Earth is just one of many realms of similar status. The others claim that the Realm is special as it is root of Tellurian from which all the worlds spring as its emanations.

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Gauntlet

The barrier preventing the Umbra from interacting on a regular basis with reality is known as the Gauntlet, though it goes by other names as well (wraiths call it the Shroud, Kuei-jin call it the Wall, and Technocrats call it the Horizon). It is a sort of mystical barrier of strength depending on spiritual power of given area. The Gauntlet manifests as a sort of force or plastic wrap causing difficulty for those passing through.

The permeability of the Gauntlet is directly linked to how technological the area surrounding it is - in the wilderness it is loosely woven, and easier to traverse, whereas in a city, the weave is much finer, and it becomes increasingly difficult to cross, becoming almost impossible in areas of high technology (such as a science lab, or an automated production line).

The exact form and influence of the Gauntlet varies depending on the passing entity. Generally, spirits face great difficulty reaching physical reality and vice-versa: physical entities have trouble getting to the spiritual side. The difficulty of the passing of a physical object depends on the strength of the Gauntlet in that particular area, as well as the object's innate spiritual strength. Garou for instance can penetrate the Gauntlet at will, though an individual Garou without a high Gnosis rating will find it a very difficult feat to attempt. Most mundane things are fixed in the physical world for good, requiring very special circumstances to be carried into the spirit realms.

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Periphery (Tears in the fabric of the  Gauntlet/Shroud/Wall)

The Periphery is a state in which Umbra seems to seep through the Gauntlet into otherwise mundane reality. At certain times and places the spirit world intermingles with the mundane one to form reality as it was at the beginning of time (as some mystics claim). There are clear signs of the Periphery, observable to even the common man: the world seems more vibrant and alive, and the spiritual side or (true nature) manifests. Also, where the Gauntlet is weakest, it is much easier to get from one to the other side of reality. Peripheries exist primarily in places of great spiritual power: mages' Nodes, werewolves' Caerns, wraiths' Haunts, changelings' Freeholds, also Kuei-Jin Dragon nests. Invariably there is strong feel of spiritual power, even though Videre may be different. Other Periperies are passing phenomena that occur at places of mediation between mundane and spiritual.

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Penumbra 

Immediately across the Gauntlet from reality is a domain that mirrors reality closely, called the Penumbra. It is possible to "see" physical reality from the Penumbra with some effort--Garou in particular possess the ability to do so naturally (an ability called "peeking"). Major landmarks such as large buildings, old trees, or topographic features have visible variants in the Penumbra. Each videre has its own version of the Penumbra, but these versions have some passing interaction due to their proximity to one another. Wraiths and Demons call the Penumbra the Shadowlands, while Kuei-jin call it the Mirror Lands. These Penumbrae are the starting points of the Four Worlds, the four aspects of the terrestrial Umbra.

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Near Umbra

Broadly, the Near Umbra (the Umbra relatively close to Earth) can be divided into four subtypes, along lines roughly defined by the four videres:

• The High Umbra or Astral Umbra corresponds to the astral plane, and is defined by abstract ideas.

• The Middle Umbra is more akin to a shamanistic spirit world, and is dominated by primordial forces.

• The Low Umbra is essentially the underworld and is the realm many (but not all) humans go to when they die.

• The Near Universe is essentially deep space, and is home to various locations seemingly drawn from science fiction.

 

Horizon 

Not to be confused with the Technocracy's term for the Gauntlet, most beings in the World of Darkness use the term Horizon to describe a nearly-impermeable barrier that separates the Near Umbra from the Deep Umbra. It is sort of immune defence the Earth-rooted reality denizens project to protect it from (depending on videre) alien beings, spirits or memes.

This barrier requires considerable supernatural power and skill to breach and it is the anchorhead for a wide variety of realms known as Horizon Realms or Horizon Constructs. 

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Celestial bodies

Each planet seems tied to a particular aspect of reality, and manifests this association through a Shard Realm, an incomprehensible realm composed of a single aspect of reality (for example, The Shard Realm of Time, associated with the planet Saturn, is composed entirely of time). These create the almost-survivable Shade Realms along the Horizon, which are diluted forms the Shard Realms that can be survived with considerable skill and luck. Though spacially within the Near Umbra, the Shard Realms of the Sun, Mercury, Venus, and Mars remain beyond the Horizon.

Shard Realms (called "Fragmenti" by older mages) are umbral realms connected to one of the nine spheres and mapping over one of the planets of the solar system.

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In the view of the Celestial Chorus, every Shard Realm is a fraction of the One. A Shard Realm is connected to one of the planets within the Solar system and form its own specific Umbra. Each Shard Realm is connected to a specific Sphere that is dominant within its boundaries. Every Shard Realm is also connected to a Shade Realm, which is rumoured to lead into a parallel universe dominated by one of the Spheres. Each Shard Realm is inhabited and ruled by a powerful Celestine.

The Order of Hermes traditionally refers to the Shard Realms by their corresponding Sphere. Modern terminology usually refers to the Shard Realm simply as the associated celestial body.

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• Sol (Shard Realm of Infinity)

• Mercury (Shard Realm of Correspondence)

• Venus (Shard Realm of Life)

• Earth (Shard Realm of Prime)

• Mars (Shard Realm of Forces)

• Jupiter (Shard Realm of Matter)

• Saturn (Shard Realm of Time)

• Uranus (Shard Realm of Spirit)

• Neptune (Shard Realm of Mind)

• Pluto (Shard Realm of Entropy)

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A Shade Realm or Vada is an Umbral realm dominated by a single Sphere of magic. Each Shade Realm is linked to the Shard Realm of one of the nine planets in the solar system, but manifest within Earth's Horizon--like a shadow cast on the ground by a passing cloud. Some of the more accessible Shade Realms have been colonized by mages; the great Hermetic chantry of Doissetep was transferred to the Shade Realm of Forces, for instance, to protect it from the Technocracy. Minor realms may be connected to a given Shade Realm, much as satellites may orbit a planet.

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SHADE REALMS

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Correspondence (Mercury) 

• This Shade Realm cannot be directly reached from Earth, and those who do manage to get there find themselves moving though omnidimensional space according to unfathomable geometries

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Life (Venus) 

• This Realm is a lush, ever-changing jungle. Its relative accessibility from Earth has made it a frequent battleground in the Ascension War.

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Prime (Earth & Moon)

• This Shade Realm has never actually been found, possibly due to the crowded nature of Earth's Umbra.

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Forces (Mars) 

• The Shade Realm of Forces is a never-ending tempest with only rare, isolated spots of relative calm. Doissetep occupied one of those calm spots, at least until its destruction. Like the Shade Realm of Life, its is a frequent (if dangerous) host to mage battles.

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Matter (Jupiter)

• This Realm may be connected to Hollow Earth, or may be similar but on a far vaster scale--an empire of dinosaurs, lost civilizations and other things that no longer exist.

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Time (Saturn) 

• Any visitors to the Shade Realm of Time are taking a serious risk, as even the slightest movement results in temporal distortions and uncontrolled time travel.

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Spirit (Uranus) 

• There is no Gauntlet in the Shade Realm of Spirit: spirits and mortals can interact directly. It is also possible for a mage's Avatar to manifest corporeally here and converse with them.

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Mind (Neptune) 

• The nature of the Shard Realm of Mind is, as one might expect, defined by what one expects to find there. It reflects back the visitor's own thoughts and feelings, much like a mirror.

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Entropy (Pluto) 

• The Euthanatos Tradition have closed off access to this Shade Realm except by their own members, so its nature is subject to considerable speculation. Supposedly here the Great Karmic Wheel of the Universe is laid bare, and it may even have a direct connection to the Shadowlands. The reclassification of Pluto as a dwarf planet in the Consensus may have something to do with these conspiracy theories, or it may be a plot of the Euthanatoi themselves.

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The zones 

In addition to the cosmology describe above, certain realms or regions defy conventional Umbral topology. They are called Zones and are unique, operating under their own rules.

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The Shenti 

The Shenti are regions representative of the three resonances (Dynamism, Stasis, and Entropy) and are arguably the homes of the Triat (the Wyld, the Weaver, and the Wyrm). The true hearts of the Shenti appear not to exist in any particular place, instead existing apart from the rest of the Tellurian and reaching out to touch many places.

• Flux 

A realm of constant creation and raw power, Flux appears to exist in many places at once. Its reflection in the Spiritual Umbra (also called Flux, as well as The Radiance) pulses with the energies of the Wyld. Pangaea is said to be touched by Flux, accounting for the realm's uncontrollable nature. Charybdis, a swirling vortex in the Deep Umbra, is said to absorb the detritus of the universe and 'recycle' it back into Flux. Given the Wyld's inconstant nature, however, concrete locations associated with Flux are few; more commonly, the energies of Flux pass over an area, causing rapid change and general chaos, then move on.

• The Pattern Web and the Great Machine

The ubiquitous sign of the Weaver's influence, the Pattern Web refers to an apparently infinite network of threads composed of raw spirit-stuff and controlled by the Weaver. According to some, these webs are the scaffolding of reality, though their absence in some areas of the Umbra suggests that reality can exist without them. More likely, these webs are the Weaver's presence, defining and clarifying the Tellurian. Though primarily found in the Middle Umbra, the Pattern web appears to touch most parts of the Tellurian (including the Digital Web) as well as lead to some unknown central mass, believed to be the Weaver itself. Many theorize that this logical heart of the Pattern Web is the Shenti of Stasis, but this has never been proven as no mortal being has successfully reached the Web's center. The Shenti of Stasis also manifests a powerful presence in the form of the Great Machine (called Autocthonia by the Technocracy), a massive technological structure that is in a constant state of self-improvement. While it seems unlikely that Autocthonia is the Weaver, it may be one of the Weaver's "Incarna" or avatars. Ironically, one of the Technocracy's most important Constructs may be inadvertently built into the hide of one of the fastest-growing spiritual beings known to exist.

• Malfeas 

The home (some say prison) of the Wyrm is a realm assembled from the tatters of fallen bits of the Umbra, woven into a patchwork that defies both attempts to map and to tame it. Home to Nephandi, servitors of the Wyrm, and other noxious beings, Malfeas is a realm whose constant growth is the only way to overcome its constant internal disintegration. Malfeas is said to be related closely to the Labyrinth of the Tempest (some say they are one and the same), and the Wasteland is an extension of Malfeas that reaches into the Near Umbra. Malfeas also touches innumerable small blights and cesspools through the Umbra and many of the more unpleasant regions of the Astral Umbra, spreading discord and decay in its wake.

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The Bygone Umbra 

Some realms and aspects of the Umbra no longer exist, or are no longer accessible in the same ways. The Gauntlet has historically grown stronger and thicker as civilization has developed into its modern form, and this has led to the Umbra being increasingly isolated from Earth. At the same time, parts of the Umbra have withdrawn into themselves, and can no longer be found. Whether this process occurs through artificial exclusion or natural withdrawal is unclear. Finally, some aspects of the Umbra, built artificially in the past, simply have not stood the test of time.

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Arcadia 

Changelings say that their home country is a place called Arcadia, a now unreachable place of pure dream deep within the Dreaming (Dream Umbra). Faeries, they assert, are the dreams of humanity made manifest, and Arcadia is the heart of those dreams. The facts, however, are difficult to determine (a) because changelings, by definition, are not 'true' faeries, but a sort of faerie/human hybrid adapted to dealing with the mortal world and (b) because Arcadia itself has been impossible to reach or even detect for a very long time (fae scholars mark the Black Plague as the first moments of the Shattering, the process by which Arcadia broke away from Earth's Dreaming).

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Mount Qaf and the Web of Faith

Considered by many mages to be the key to winning the Ascension War, Mount Qaf was the so-called Correspondence Point allowing access to all parts of the Tellurian, the perfect junction point for the flow of information, travellers, and power. The Ahl-i-batin are credited with discovering it, and used it as the architectural keystone for the Web of Faith, a network through which information was transmitted at enormous speed during a period spanning the eighth century to the thirteenth century. The Web of Faith itself collapsed as a result of infighting, crusades, and the weakening of magical places of power, but its foundations remained, discovered by the Difference Engineers in the 1950s, thanks to whom it became the Digital Web. Access to Mount Qaf itself was lost at roughly the same time, but the Digital Web appears to continue to take advantage of its unique properties.

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The Paths of the Wyck

For thousands of years, spiritual travel wore trails through the Periphery. This so-called Paths of the Wyck behaved in a manner similar to the trods still found in the Dreaming, but allowed even mundane humans to "walk" into the Umbra, sometimes by accident. Such paths figure prominently in mythology (examples including Orpheus' trip into the Underworld and Rip van Winkle's apparent stroll into a fae celebration). These paths began to fold in on themselves, either due to the reinforcement of the Gauntlet or the spread of banality, the force of disbelief that also harms changelings. Today, while a small number of other paths that lead into the Umbra remain open, the Paths of the Wyck themselves are gone forever.

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The Dark Umbra 

The dark or Low Umbra is the land of the Dead and is constructed in much the same way as the Spirit Umbra. It has the Shadowlands (the location closest to our world where things are almost seen as we see them, except with a veneer of entropy), the Tempest (a sea through which navigation is dangerous and under which can be found the Labyrinth and the kingdoms of Oblivion) and the Far dark Umbra where the Dark Kingdoms reside, where the far shores are and where Wraiths with no fetter or connection to earth are stuck. This completes our round trip of the Umbra.

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THE DIGITAL WEB

There’s the Zone that remained an esoteric secret until recently but has since become a fulcrum for the mortal world: the Digital Web, a metaphysical reflection of the Internet. As theoretically boundless as the human imagination, this region began as a hazy, unformatted sector fading in and out
of existence. Within the last few decades, though, it’s swelled to a point where even its most dedicated travellers don’t know where… or if… it ever ends.

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UMBRA LEXICON

• the Tellurian: A name given to the infinite whole of Reality, combining the material and spiritual worlds into one; also known as Creation with a capital C.

• the Tapestry: A metaphor for the structure of the universe – infinite potential given finite form.

• the Near Umbra: Everything between the Hollow Earth and the Horizon.

• the Deep Umbra: Everything past the Horizon. 

• the mortal realm/ consensual reality: The world as most people experience it.

• the Periphery: Basic spiritual Awareness.  

• the Vidare: A person’s perspective on the spiritual world.

• Node: A place of power.

• Domain: An area of profound spiritual influence.

• the Gauntlet: The barrier between the Near Umbra and the mortal realm.

• Shallowing: A natural hole in the Gauntlet. 

• Old Roads/ Paths of the Wyck: Primordial pathways through the universe. 

• Astral travel: Projecting one’s consciousness into the Otherworlds.

• Stepping sideways: Transforming body into spirit-stuff.

• Agama sojourn: The only way to enter the Low Umbra without dying or being taken there.

• Dimensional Science: The Spirit Sphere as defined by mages who prefer to believe in technology and science. Under this viewpoint, the Otherworlds are simply alternate dimensions. 

• Portal: A gateway to another realm or Realm. The Worlds Beyond

• Otherworlds: When capitalized, this term refers to the various realms and Realms beyond the Gauntlet.

• the Three Worlds: Collective name for the High, Middle, and Low Umbrae. 

• Penumbra: The layer closest to the mortal world, reflecting most of the features of that world.

• Pericarp: The Gauntlet bordering a Realm.

• Realm: When capitalized, a certain place or type of place in the Otherworlds.

• High Umbra/ Astral Realms: Realm of abstract thought and heady concepts. Divided into the Vulgate (region of common concepts); Spires (conceptual
mountains of rising abstraction, including the Courts and peaking at the Epiphamies); Courts (homes of Umbrood entities and various Afterworlds); and Epiphamies (sublime abstract concepts).

• Middle Umbra/ Spirit Wilds: Realm of capital “N” Nature. Divided into a variety of Realms and connected to the High and Low Umbrae by Pattern Webs. Also known as the Velvet Shadow.

• Low Umbra/ Underworld: Realm of death, entropy, and decay. Bordered by the Shadowlands (the Penumbra of death) and haunted by the Tempest. Various Kingdoms of the Dead are said to exist within that Tempest.

• Moon Path: A spirit road through the Middle Umbra, leading and often moving between Realms.

• Pattern Webs: Metaphysical spider webs that bind the Three Worlds together.

• Zones: Ephemeral regions that float through the Umbrae as a whole. Existing separately yet interdependently within the Three Worlds, these are the Digital Web, the Maya Dream Realm, the Mirror Zone, the Null Zone, Vistas, and probably something else as well.

• Mount Qaf: Supposedly the center of Creation, existing outside the material world in a reality all its own. 

• the Aelder Bole/ the World Tree: Like Mt. Qaf, a spiritual center of Creation based in a hidden place beyond Earth’s physical realm.

• the Digital Web: Metaphysical reflection/ essence of the Internet.

• the Maya/ Dream Realms: Source and/ or reflections of dreams, possibly linked to the lost Faerie Dreaming. Comprised of a baffling number of layers, none of which might actually be real to anyone except the person experiencing them.  

• the Mirror Zone: Mysterious lost space where the normal order of things as they appear to the observer seems to be inverted.

• the Null Zone: Infinite corridors between the earthly world and Umbra realms; might be the current shape and/ or appearance of the Old Roads as seen by other travelers who’ve stumbled across them.  

• the Hollow Earth: Fabled Inner Umbra that supposedly exists in an alternate dimension-space within the Earth. The Horizon and Beyond

• The Aetherial Reaches: The inner layer of the Horizon, experienced from inside as the tops of mountains and wide open sky. The lowest Aetherial Reaches are often called Oblivion, where Creation gets recycled.

• Horizon: Earth’s massive metaphysical barrier, or outer shell. Also called the Dreamshell.

• Horizon Realm: A magickal/ technomagickal realm carved out of the conceptual space of the Horizon.

• Anchorhead: A demi-portal to Realms beyond the Horizon.

• Ghost Realm: An ephemeral Realm in which the place and its inhabitants were cut off from Earth and have since become Disembodied spirits. 

• Shade Realms: The spiritual shadows cast upon the Horizon by the Shard Realms.

• Shard Realm: Metaphysical embodiments/ reflections of the planets and the mystic principles associated with them.

• Paradox Realm: A Realm of punishment or isolation caused by a bubble of misused magick.

• Etherspace/ Deep Umbra: The infinite reaches of space, where the spirit and material realms supposedly become one.

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