Orientation Primer

There is a wall between realities. Some call this wall Shadow. Most of the time, Shadow keeps each reality from intruding on the others. But on occasion the wall weakens, the barrier between worlds frays, and the things from one universe slide into another. These openings between worlds are known as Rifts. The reason for the Rifts is unknown, although there are numerous theories. The results, however, are clear – an influx of fantastic creatures to this world and, with them, a sudden radical increase in ambient magical capability. In other words, magic and monsters are now quite real. The new arrivals only dimly recall the world from which they came. The Rift robs them of all but the most superficial of memories. They have reached this mundane world with whatever they carry on their backs and a few remembrances. They are collectively known as Creatures of the Shadow, and the various humanoid species among them are called Shadow Kind.   Rifts are fleeting and can appear anywhere without any warning, a rising tide that cannot be predicted. The borders of Shadow seem to permeate our own plane. There are reports of Rifts taking the forms of great pools of tar, abnormally dense fog, or even waves of intense darkness. When these effects recede, they leave items or creatures marooned in our world. Rifts often manifest in remote, desolate locations, and these creatures enter our world confused and alone.   The particulars of the Rifts do not seem to be at all connected with the items or creatures that come through. The same type of Rift might admit a wave of vermin in one manifestation, a group of monstrous humanoids in another, and a single great beast in a third. Then there are times that no creatures are left at all, but items are washed up on these mundane shores. This could be anything from a single glass vial filled with a colorful liquid to a sword that glows pale blue in the moonlight. There are even occasional reports of whole buildings (a keep, a tower, an entire castle) appearing out of thin air.   Passage through a Rift alters Creatures of Shadow at a fundamental level as they are brought “in tune” with the mundane world. They gain a few abilities in the process, such as the ability to speak local languages. But the most disconcerting aspect is that the passage through a Rift has blurred their memories.   Shadow Kind refer to this phenomenon as “The Gift of the Lethe,” and it results in the dimming and outright elimination of memories. Close details are not forgotten – name, relations, closely held beliefs, as well as personal experiences all remain. However, a great deal of education and raw information is expunged – legends, tales, geography, politics, and others bits of nonessential secondhand knowledge disappear forever.   As a result, an elf likely remembers her name, her family, her profession, the nature of elven life (traditions and customs she believed in, ancient enmities with orcs, and so on) and the existence of magic. She likely won’t remember who her clan’s leaders were (unless she was related to or worked closely with them), the geography of her homeland, the names of other kingdoms, or any other matters concerning the details of her former life and world.   Many of the Shadow Kind do not remember how they fell into the Shadow in the first place, let alone how they traveled through the Rift. Some speak of passing through doorways, others of fog rising in the middle of the night. But most can do no more than acknowledge that they suddenly appeared here in this world with no memory of where they were or what they were doing mere moments earlier.   The loss of so much knowledge has different effects on different individuals. Some take the loss well and adapt quickly to their new environment. Others seeks to rebuild their homeland, gathering together individuals of similar species, temperament, and motivation. Still others spend their lives trying to find a way back home, away from the madness of our modern world.   So far, the trip through the Rift is only one-way. Those that arrive here have no ability to return. To date, all attempts from this side to breach the wall of Shadow via technology and magic have failed.   From the shattered memories of various Shadow Kind, though, we have been able to assemble a picture of the world on the other side of the Shadow. It is mostly medieval in technology, with a high level of supernatural power that we call “magic.” A diversity of various sentient species are closely tied to creatures of mundane myth and lore.   This is not the first time that the walls if Shadow have thinned between our world and the next. In fact, it appears to be a phenomenon that occurs every few centuries. There are those that also theorize that the Shadow overlaps with numerous worlds and the Rifts opening do not always share the same origin.   Events and people from these past Ages of Shadow have worked their way into our legends of dragons and knights, of ghosts and demons. Some eruptions were regional while others were global. Time and again they have altered our history and the way the mundane world thinks. A large incursion occurred in prehistoric Greece, and left behind tales of medusas, chimeras, and centaurs. A rise in magic swirled around Wales and western England in post Roman times, and brought us the legends of Arthur and Excalibur. The gargoyles of medieval European cathedrals were originally based off living models.   Yet, like all tides, Shadow eventually ebbed and the Rifts closed. The people of old allowed knowledge to be transformed into myth – the mundane world leaching the vitality from certain practices until they became nothing more than superstitious ritual. The ancient Egyptians, who raised pyramids to honor rulers with godlike power, continued to wrap their dead in bitumen-soaked cloth long after Shadow removed the power that gave the practice any real function.   Just because Shadow waned and magic stopped working doesn’t mean that all evidence and recollection of these events were wiped from the world. Like bits of flotsam scattered on the beach at low tide, some Creatures of Shadow have been in the mundane world during these long, dark years. All their magic drained away, creatures like gargoyles and mummies fell in to deep hibernation waiting for the day the magic would return.   Other particularly long-lived members of the Shadow Kind (dragons, celestials, and infernal creatures just to name a few) have even been conscious during the passing centuries – indeed, several have been quite active. They have kept track of the old sites of power, and tracked off spring through the generations. No one knows better than they do that there are many otherwise mundane folks in the world whose blood pulses with an ancient power. Now that magic is returning, the power in their genes has awakened and they discover they have a powerful legacy.   Creatures are not the only Shadow remnants that have survived the long magical drought. Ancient arcane weapons, devices, and artifacts remain, some in museum cases, others as family heirlooms, but all regaining their eldritch power now that the magic is returning to the world.   Our world has been awash with Creatures and items of the Shadow. But if you look at the world outside your window it is not awash with beasts from legend and magical weapons. So, a pivotal question arises: If fantastic creatures are coming through from the other side of Shadow, they must live in our cities and walk down our streets – so, why don’t we see them?   The answer is twofold. The first part being that this Age of Shadow has just begun. Things have just begun to again emerge from Rifts into our world and magic is just now pooling within our world again. It has not really been all that long since the first recorded Rift for this Age of Shadow. They began as rare events and have slowly increased in frequency. It is only recently that they have become a fairly regular occurrence.   The second part is as simple as it is insidious: We do see them – we just don’t notice them. And that has more to do with the nature of the human mind than the nature of the universe or of Shadow. This seeing without seeing is referred to as the Veil.   To most people, the world is a mundane place; ordinary, predictable, easily divided into categories. People generally walk around in a state that can fairly accurately be referred to as autopilot. They do not pay close attention to the people or things around them. After all, why should they? Fashion is ubiquitous, opinions are guided by mass media, people are people. This is perfectly natural.   If you had lunch at a restaurant yesterday, you could probably recall what you ate. But could you describe your server? If you parked your car this morning, you almost certainly recall where you parked. But can you describe the car next to yours?   Unless something odd or strange happens, most people interpret the world as a series of ordinary, explainable events and pay little or no attention to the details. But what about when something odd or strange does happen?   Say, for example, that a person sees a gang of goblins on the rampage, or a dragon committing arson by breathing on an apartment building. Surely that person would notice that something odd was going on. Absolutely. But the minute the bizarre stimulus disappears, human nature takes over.   We are assured as children that monsters don’t exist. So even when someone sees a monster, he still doesn’t recall seeing a monster. In his mind’s eye he sees a “big dog” or a “large man” or a “blur at the edge of his vision” - anything except a creature that he “knows” doesn’t exist. A magic fireball is recalled as a gas leak. A werewolf becomes a howling drunkard. The easy answer completely papers over what really happened, and the world continues on, blissfully ordinary. These Mundanes are unlikely to ever know the real world around them.   Some individuals, however, can see the oddities all around them. They are aware. They can see past the Veil. They perceive the mind flayer as a mind flayer, the bug bear as a bug bear. They are more alert, more observant, and more in tune with their surroundings. You have been judged to have the potential to become one of these aware individuals. Thus, Draco Industries has given you the enhancements that you will need to be capable of engaging with the Creatures of the Shadow.   Your job, now that you are a member of Department 7: Shadow Investigations, is to respond to Rift events as they occur, to investigate the movements of the Shadow, to engage with Creatures of the Shadow and to learn everything you possibly can about the world beyond the Shadow and those that inhabit it. You will be expected to keep this knowledge within the company. You are also expected to always present yourselves to the world well, despite the fact that they fundamentally hate what you are. After all, many see you as the very monsters that they are struggling so hard not to see.   There is much profit and power to be had from the things emerging from the Rift and Draco Industries intends to be amongst the first to capitalize upon it. Do well and Draco will reward you with additional genetic enhancements as well as worldly comforts. Do poorly and you will be discarded. Draco Industries expects a return upon all its investments. So, do us proud.