The Umbral Realm
Unknown to the common person, we walk surrounded by the invisible worlds of spirits - the Dreaming Mists and the Umbral Shadow that overlap with the Astral in the near Fringe. The Umbra bubbles with the smallest spirits - the Motes and Sprites that rise from emotional resonance, acts and dreams or fears, which which the Fae call Gossamer in the Mists.-Olon Bavroka: Shaman of the Eagle
Geography
The Near Umbra of the Fringe (or Penumbra) is the spirit world reflection of the mortal world. It is where the shadows of lifeless (aside from inherently living) ideal True Forms of the Astral, the reflections of the living world, and the sweep of wish and hope of possible and shifting Dreaming make shadows of shadows. Things look similar but manifest the spirits - trees show faces, the branches moving as if stirred by missing winds. The small spirits of hopes and fears scamper and scurry over the scintillating breath of roads, streets and houses. The whole of it lives top to bottom in a savage jungle that is both predator and prey and fealty and procession. The least, or spirits of right types are fed upon by the next level, and the next. Or essence paid as acts of fealty and obedience to the higher orders. It is the persistence of memory as well, as each heart beat and breath pushes back onion layers of what was. If one could stay in one spot forever, it would peel back and back and back while growing dimmer until the falling into the Underworld where the weight and crush of all the lives and all the years pile one over the other compressed into the flickering strobe of ghostly layers in the air and squeezed into the very soil and dark stone of the Underworld.
Fauna & Flora
The Spirit Flora and Fauna of a location are of course dependent on location, but also somewhat by species or cultures that influence types and appearances. A spirit’s appearance is as a version of it’s ideal self and what feeds it. Swords are swords. Trees are the tree type. More abstract spirits of Fear may be the shadow of the thief or mugger, more focused on the slashing knife or the mace in the shadow's hand or take on some amalgam of Fears - spidery legs, flaming eyes, skeletal if there is Fear of Hunger or these things added to trees for a scary forest that has started to feed on the Fear. Of course then the tree spirits that are most hungry will start to create material effects to generate more Fear in those traveling the forest. Or maybe they demand worship and offerings. People will frequently make small offerings or prayers to please spirits of wells and springs, perhaps understanding that this is a food of spirits. The appearance of a spirit is the whole of the spirit - meaning the Fear spirit's weapon is part of it and can neither be taken, broken or traded. This also means that the spirit with claws is equally perilous to one of similiar size or strength carrying a pillow, or one that is, like a floating eye of Envy, without limbs or teeth. If “Killed” a spirit explodes in a cloud (leaves, fur and bones, gush of blood and bile, shards or broken metal), leaving a residue of ectoplasm that feeds other spirits, and will reform at it's Fetter manifestation in the Umbra. Many made things lack even swarm spirits until they have been objects of use and familiarity.
Spirit types
In sorting spirits into types there is first, the orders of size and strength. Not all spirits of high power are larger, some disguise themselves in smaller forms.
Spirits are also swarms of small shard spirits where the individual is made of small parts such as a patch of grass or swarms of bugs. Individual of types are distinct but conform to a general type such as the Po of animals or trees. The individual types climb from Anima of plants, shrubs, trees, animals or small spirits of place. Incarna are higher order things like Night, Death, storm, rain, fog, light or lightning, market, trade, hearth, field, tool, road, art, writing, math, building or emotions independent from Po or Mind. Elementals are also of the Incarna order. Terrestrial are the spirits of Places -rivers, mountains, forests, lakes, Ocean, desert, plain. Also village or City. Totems representing the whole of anima types. Next are Celestials: Sun, moons, the moonlodge constellations, the Seasons and years. The highest are the Archons -the concepts of Gods, Wyrd of Fate and order, or the Wyld of Nature.
Broods
Wyrd: the class of order, procession and placement: Chains and webs. Rightness, cause and effect, the spirits of building and math
Wyrm: The class of death and decay within the natural order. Ferments, Rot, Filth. Decay. The Po, spirit of the body. Restless hungry Po result from bodies lost or not attended to. Most Po move on when the body is cremated.
Wyld: Plant types, animal types, Themes of murder-fear-lust-cut/crush/bite, pleasure-food, drink,music, comfort, place & cycles - grass, grazers, predators, fires, water. Hearth-fire, habitation, comforts, food.
Banes: The general class of evil spirits.
Spirit types
In sorting spirits into types there is first, the orders of size and strength. Not all spirits of high power are larger, some disguise themselves in smaller forms.
- Motes: Tiny motes are mindless and weak, lacking fetter and lacking any powers save motion and ability to consume their own kind and grow. They begin to dissolve within a hundred heartbeats.
- Sprites: Insect sized motes that last for hours. spawned by storms, or mass emotions from a single small event between few participants. Love, hate devotion, worship, fear of bandits or gangs. They exhibit 1-2 powers.
- Toki: small animal sized and fettered. These spawn with new born or sprouted things, large event or frequent gathering: a shrine or cult gathering place, wedding halls or an inn or tavern/ bar, sporting events, concerts, or lock up. A big battle. The spooky abandoned house or ruins. They will have 2-4 powers and these and above exhibit the more typical powers of strengthening or urging their source.
- Shin: These are small humanoids or child sized. They form at places of long duration association: churches, sanitarium or orphanage, major battle sites, slaughterhouse. Graveyards. Prisons. They have powers 5 to 7 powers.
- Myo: Adult humanoid sized and may have upto 10 powers.
- Zo: Larger than human - centaur or ox sized and may produce upto 12 powers.
- Bo: Giant sized like a small hut or upto 3-4 meters. They show upto 15 powers.
- Jigan: Huge that may be Dragon sized or large building river, field or mountain. The most powerful may have 20 powers.
Spirits are also swarms of small shard spirits where the individual is made of small parts such as a patch of grass or swarms of bugs. Individual of types are distinct but conform to a general type such as the Po of animals or trees. The individual types climb from Anima of plants, shrubs, trees, animals or small spirits of place. Incarna are higher order things like Night, Death, storm, rain, fog, light or lightning, market, trade, hearth, field, tool, road, art, writing, math, building or emotions independent from Po or Mind. Elementals are also of the Incarna order. Terrestrial are the spirits of Places -rivers, mountains, forests, lakes, Ocean, desert, plain. Also village or City. Totems representing the whole of anima types. Next are Celestials: Sun, moons, the moonlodge constellations, the Seasons and years. The highest are the Archons -the concepts of Gods, Wyrd of Fate and order, or the Wyld of Nature.
Broods
Wyrd: the class of order, procession and placement: Chains and webs. Rightness, cause and effect, the spirits of building and math
Wyrm: The class of death and decay within the natural order. Ferments, Rot, Filth. Decay. The Po, spirit of the body. Restless hungry Po result from bodies lost or not attended to. Most Po move on when the body is cremated.
Wyld: Plant types, animal types, Themes of murder-fear-lust-cut/crush/bite, pleasure-food, drink,music, comfort, place & cycles - grass, grazers, predators, fires, water. Hearth-fire, habitation, comforts, food.
Banes: The general class of evil spirits.
- Corruptors: These seek to pull nature and order aside. Waste, sewage, sludge, pollution. Temptation and desire, envy & want.
- The Hungry: This faction want to rule a realm of the dead returned. Fear, terror and death feed them and allow Loci. Cold Undead, Ghenu, Spectres, Wraiths.
- Abyssal. These want nothing less than destruction of all. Carnage spirits ( murder and violence), Manitou - Atrocity: Pain, suffering & Torment/ Torture
- Malices: Harm, pain and suffering. They were exiled and hate the world and want to remake it in their image. Broken. These include The Hells. Blood spirits. Contagion spirits (plague, Affliction: Malaria/ smoke/fumes/ash/ ruin or Toxins: poisons, drugs), or Shedim. hate, rage and Wrath, abuse, balefire. Psychae: Madness/Insanity, Despair and sadness. Deceivers: Deception, falsehood and lies.
History
The Shadow is behind and under the other realms and was formed from the making of them and followed from the light of the Astral. It was said that the Primordial Gods set the boundaries of the Realms and Essence flowed from the Highest to the lowest and was cycled back by the Wyrm Oboros via the realm of Change and dreams. But the Primal Gods warred - outsiders and others desired to take the Realms to rule, to play with, to shape in their own images and ways, or to wipe it away as an affront to the Pure Void of the Rift or teaming, swirling Chaos. And a deathless Primal God died, falling and crashing into the Underworld never meant for it's kind. That God's memory and being created the Pit of Oblivion that slowly draws all into itself. The Wyrm was broken and split into Apophis, choking on the fallen Primal God and Oboros which circles, trying to gather and return in the ancient cycle. The very Umbra was also cracked and warped, throwing up shoals and bars and casting coals back into the Mortal world and ripples across the Dreaming.
A sampling of spirits:
City Types:
Nosey: Big eyes and mouths dripping bright green venom. Gangly monkey like spirits with elongated weasel bodies and large noses like beaks, sticking them into cracks so they can peek in doors and windows, watch the street. They feed on gossip, petty talk, smug superiority.
Torches: These wander at night or in dark spaces. They feed on fear of the dark ( Fears of Dark like to extinguish torches, they are indistinct figures in gloom) or the relief of light. They dance and cheer and light ways, or lead to traps and robbers.
Tamed Fire: Braziers of animal shapes with hot coals on the back or head and glowing eyes. They smell of smoke and cooking foods. They start fires or choke if angered. They may cause smoke and confusion or comfort and warmth.
Small Comforts: furry puffballs of warmth. They sit in meals. They bask by the fire. They rub the aching spot. Or cover the chilled.
All Fears: bulgy eyes in a sharp face. Large claws dripping blood. Hissing whisper voice. White as bone and covered in oozing boils of pus, with pale white eyes, It eats the food, and smears it with filth. It steals coin. It awakens sleepers, sitting on their chests and stealing breath.
Small Trade: It may appear as any species, gender indeterminate. They feed on daily transactions - fruit and pies, drink and labor. They also hunt Coiners.
For coin (Coiners): figures made silver or gold stacks of coin. They are fed by anything done or traded for money.
Bad Deal: Spirits of regret - they radiate sadness and displeasure while looking like brightly colored ribbons. They cost too much, tarnish or lessen goods. Their touch is rust and decay, fraying and breaking or a weight on the shoulders.
Envy: Floating eyballs - they hunger but can’t eat, they can’t hold or take. They batter and roll in gossamer and envy/ want.
Street spirits: major roads or lesser allyways. They are mud spattered serpents seemingly made of flagging or brick, with refuse and debris around the lower body. They guide or confuse and lose. They love crowds and will cause accidents, or reveal attacks or deaths, or may conseal the same.
Panatay- Hearth and home spirits, kitchens and beds. They keep out rot and keep the home happy when respected. They hate Filth and dirt, which invite corruption spirits. The like offerings of pleasing scents, and foods. If angered the house is is disarray and conflict, blankets are pulled short, rot and corruption spread.
Nature Spirits:
The Scrub and Barrens: A large dragon-spider of stone and spikes. Looking closely there are flower blooms and fruits over it's frame. It’s voice is a husky whisper of wind. It radiates heat or cold. It wants water to bloom. Lives to feed upon and plants to eat.
Deep Forest Utukku: A willow tree-like creature with hundreds of tentacle roots.
City Types:
Nosey: Big eyes and mouths dripping bright green venom. Gangly monkey like spirits with elongated weasel bodies and large noses like beaks, sticking them into cracks so they can peek in doors and windows, watch the street. They feed on gossip, petty talk, smug superiority.
by Terajima Ryōan 1712
Torches: These wander at night or in dark spaces. They feed on fear of the dark ( Fears of Dark like to extinguish torches, they are indistinct figures in gloom) or the relief of light. They dance and cheer and light ways, or lead to traps and robbers.
Tamed Fire: Braziers of animal shapes with hot coals on the back or head and glowing eyes. They smell of smoke and cooking foods. They start fires or choke if angered. They may cause smoke and confusion or comfort and warmth.
Small Comforts: furry puffballs of warmth. They sit in meals. They bask by the fire. They rub the aching spot. Or cover the chilled.
All Fears: bulgy eyes in a sharp face. Large claws dripping blood. Hissing whisper voice. White as bone and covered in oozing boils of pus, with pale white eyes, It eats the food, and smears it with filth. It steals coin. It awakens sleepers, sitting on their chests and stealing breath.
Small Trade: It may appear as any species, gender indeterminate. They feed on daily transactions - fruit and pies, drink and labor. They also hunt Coiners.
For coin (Coiners): figures made silver or gold stacks of coin. They are fed by anything done or traded for money.
Bad Deal: Spirits of regret - they radiate sadness and displeasure while looking like brightly colored ribbons. They cost too much, tarnish or lessen goods. Their touch is rust and decay, fraying and breaking or a weight on the shoulders.
Envy: Floating eyballs - they hunger but can’t eat, they can’t hold or take. They batter and roll in gossamer and envy/ want.
Street spirits: major roads or lesser allyways. They are mud spattered serpents seemingly made of flagging or brick, with refuse and debris around the lower body. They guide or confuse and lose. They love crowds and will cause accidents, or reveal attacks or deaths, or may conseal the same.
Panatay- Hearth and home spirits, kitchens and beds. They keep out rot and keep the home happy when respected. They hate Filth and dirt, which invite corruption spirits. The like offerings of pleasing scents, and foods. If angered the house is is disarray and conflict, blankets are pulled short, rot and corruption spread.
Nature Spirits:
The Scrub and Barrens: A large dragon-spider of stone and spikes. Looking closely there are flower blooms and fruits over it's frame. It’s voice is a husky whisper of wind. It radiates heat or cold. It wants water to bloom. Lives to feed upon and plants to eat.
Deep Forest Utukku: A willow tree-like creature with hundreds of tentacle roots.
Type
Dimensional plane
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