The Third Law Canon The Current Landscape

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Third Law has a wider scope than most canons, lacking an
Startup (1881-1939) overarching narrative or a fixed setting. Instead, Third Law
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- is defined by a single continuity, a common tone, and a set of
The early days of the paratech industry, as companies like recurring themes; as a result, almost any story which fits
Prometheus Labs form to capitalize on the potential of these criteria is eligible for inclusion in this canon.
anomalous research in the wake of the Sixth Occult War.
Many important discoveries are made during this period, a. Continuity. While a full overview of Third Law's expansive
laying the groundwork for all future paratech development. continuity would be too long to cover here, the following are
Normalcy preservation organizations begin to assume their the basic tenets of the canon's worldbuilding which form the
modern forms, and the idea of the Veil — long upheld by foundation of the continuity. If an article contradicts a point
informal consensus — is first articulated as a formal policy. listed here, it is fundamentally incompatible with Third Law.
b. The universe is ultimately comprehensible. While there
Bubble (1939-1992) are many things that exist which defy the conventional
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The Second World War, the concurrent Seventh Occult War, ordered and logical, and all anomalous phenomena may
and the subsequent Cold War create a surge in demand for eventually be understood, given time and effort. This is most
paratech, leading to a parascience bubble that will last until evident in the fields of parascience — thaumatology,
the end of the Cold War. This period is filled with numerous metaphysics, psionics, etc… — which have succeeded in
mergers of paratech suppliers as the market consolidates in providing theoretical frameworks for many anomalous
order to better meet growing demands. Normalcy phenomena, even if they remain separate from conventional
preservation organizations and national paranormal physics. This is a more optimistic take on the
agencies reach the height of their power, giving rise to a Foundationverse than is usual, and it means that works
strong Veil and the so-called "Golden Age of Normalcy". which take a more pessimistic stance — works that can
usually be classed as cosmic horror — are likely to be
Burst (1992–1999) incompatible with Third Law.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- c. Paratech is common. This serves as a corollary to the first
The fall of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War point. Rigorous parascience has allowed for the extensive
causes the paratech bubble to burst. An anomalous black development of paratechnologies, which are widely used on
market begins to emerge as old Soviet paratech stocks are both sides of the Veil. Many consumer products contain
lost and looted. The decline and eventual dissolution of technology that is paranormal in nature or derived from
Prometheus Labs in 1998 sends further ripples through the paranormal phenomena, although the truth of this may only
already reeling paratech market. The downsizing of national be known to a few. In an expanding anomalous world,
paranormal agencies and the emergence of new mass normalcy preservation agencies like the Foundation
communications technologies puts the integrity of the Veil in increasingly rely on paratech to uphold the Veil, despite
question for the first time in decades. potential ideological reservations.
d. The Veil is present but weakening. The existence of the
Repercussions (1999– ) anomalous, including entire fields of parascience, is
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The emergence of several smaller companies from the preservation agencies and national governments, in an effort
remnants of Prometheus Labs leads to increased known as the Veil. This largely takes the form of suppression
competition within the paratech industry, driving a period of of information relating to anomalous phenomena, although
technological advancement and economic recovery. The agencies such as the Foundation may take a more proactive
paratech black market continues to expand as Prometheus role in attempting to contain anomalous objects. The Veil is
Labs paratech lost during the breakup falls into criminal not absolute — most people have at least a vague awareness
hands. Normalcy preservation organizations fight to of the existence of things unexplained by science, although
maintain the weakening Veil as they adapt to the chaotic few individuals would admit to such if pressed. Indeed,
landscape of the new millennium. entire cities and communities exist on the other side of the
Veil, populated entirely by people aware of the anomalous
and the efforts to conceal it. Peaking in strength in the
middle of the 20th century — shortly after the 7th Occult War
— the Veil has been steadily deteriorating since the end of
the Cold War, despite the best efforts of normalcy
preservation agencies.
e. Normalcy is defined by consensus. Anomalous
phenomena are an inherent part of the universe and are only
deemed "abnormal" by the consensus of those who uphold
the Veil. Many thoroughly understood fields of parascience
are kept behind the Veil, while many mysterious phenomena
have been publicly documented by conventional science. The
decision on what is and is not anomalous is often due more
to politics than science.
f. Artificial Intelligence is exceedingly rare. Due to the
extreme potential danger posed by the possible development Parahistory
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of machine thaumaturgy, all research into general AI is
heavily restricted by normalcy preservation agencies. As of It is nearly impossible to give a concise summary of
2020, the only general AI in existence are the GOC's Silicon parahistory, for the history of the anomalous is expansive,
Nornir, the Foundation's SCP-2897, and a small number of long, and prone to time-travel-related complications. Much of
uncontained Bardeen-derivatives. it has been naturally lost to time, but even more has been
g. There is no Heaven. There are various empirically destroyed by those who seek to conceal information of the
observable phenomena which can be considered "souls", and anomalous. Seemingly basic pieces of information, such as
it is possible for consciousness to persist after death, the date of the First Occult War, are entirely absent from the
independent of a body, but cessation of consciousness is parahistorical record, forcing scholars of the occult to rely on
final. If there is an afterlife, no one's found it yet. hearsay and speculation.
h. Tone. Third Law is best described as science fiction in an The modern era of parahistory is thus defined by the
urban fantasy world, a combination which gives rise to its consistent presence of reliable records of paranormal events
own unique tone. The world is full of fantastical wonders and and is generally regarded as having begun after the end of
horrors, but through human ingenuity and capability, they the Sixth Occult War. The emergence of modern normalcy
can ultimately be understood, and even harnessed. Yes, there preservation organizations, the codification of the Veil, and
are monsters and demons and even worse things from the start of the Paranormal Renaissance in the aftermath of
Outside, but humans can and will fight them. Thus, the the war all contributed to the widespread documentation of
overall tone of the canon is one of optimistic stubbornness in anomalous phenomena — even if the conditions of the Veil
the face of a universe that is terrifyingly vast and unknown. meant that such documentation was kept secret.

The Sixth Occult War

Themes
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The first major occult conflict in over two centuries, the
If the tone of Third Law is one of scientific optimism, then Sixth Occult War lasted from 1875 to 1882. A multi-faceted
the themes are those of scientific consequences. Stories and conflict involving many different occult groups and
articles within Third Law should try to explore the effects — individuals, the underlying causes and motives that led to the
both direct and indirect — of parascience on the world at outbreak of hostilities are still poorly understood to this day.
large. This can range from technical documentation of a This is in large part due to the unprecedented level of
paratech project to a slice-of-life tale about a day in an devastation caused throughout Europe and the Middle East,
anomalous enclave. Another potential avenue is to take the resulting in the destruction of most primary sources created
various frameworks of parascience to their logical during the conflict. The war reached its climax in 1881,
conclusions, examining edge cases in a framework or when a cabal of German occultists completed a working
looking at how different paranormal phenomena interact. which resulted in the destruction of an ancient Semitic deity,
a. Knowledge is power. This is important enough that we a demiurge with power over the nature of thaumaturgy and
made it the subtitle of the entire canon, and it's the in- the distribution of occult potential throughout the human
universe motto of both Prometheus Labs and the population. Backlash from this working created a massive
Foundation's Department of Analytics. Every organization in storm tide in the North Sea, which inflicted thousands of
the Foundationverse is ultimately working to increase their casualties along the western coasts of Europe.
own knowledge — of the anomalous, of each other, of Reacting to the widespread destruction and the perceived
everything — because knowledge gives you the power to alter threat of mass hysteria, national governments intervened to
the world, sometimes extremely literally. bring an end to the conflict and conceal its very existence
b. Actions have consequences. Usually unintended. The long- from the general public. These efforts led to the emergence
term effects of any individual action are numerous and of national paranormal agencies and normalcy preservation
unpredictable, and even the best intentions can go horribly organizations in their modern forms and resulted in the first
awry. Try to keep this in mind. formal codification of the Veil. The paranormal, long an open
c. Magic is just another form of science. This ties back into secret among scholars and intellectuals, was now segregated
the universe being comprehensible. There's a lot of weird and hidden from the world at large. As mundane science
stuff going on, but it should all behave consistently, because continued to charge forwards, belief in the anomalous and
there is an underlying logic to even the most bizarre the occult was relegated to the superstitious and the
anomaly. You don't have to reveal this logic, but you should secretkeepers.
know what it is.
d. Technology is a force multiplier. No technology is
inherently good or bad, but it can make good situations
better and bad situations worse. Everywhere paratech
appears, it should be used to further the ends of the person
using it, whether those ends are good or bad.
e. Humans are jerks. Tying into the above, technology might
not be bad, but humans have a tendency to quickly find the
worst way to use it. Human ingenuity is the most powerful
tool at our disposal, and it so often ends up being applied
against other people. Most conflict should be driven by
human motives and actions, and not outside context
problems.
The Paranormal Renaissance The Seventh Occult War
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However, the Veil was not absolute. The demise of the Largely coinciding with the Second World War, the Seventh
demiurge had caused a tremendous amount of occult and Occult War is normally considered to have started in 1939,
psionic backlash, triggering a mass awakening of occult following the German annexation of Czechoslovakia. In the
potential across the world and creating a surge of new years leading up to the war, the Ahnenerbe Obskurakorps
paranormal phenomena. This sudden spike in the and their allies in the Thule Society had been acquiring
parahuman population in turn gave rise to new fields of artifacts needed to perform the Rite of Solomon, with the
science behind the Veil — thaumatology, psionics, intention of using the Rite to restrict occult ability to
metaphysics, and others. While normalcy preservation members of the Nazi regime. As Nazi Germany continued to
organizations initially opposed this Paranormal make gains in the face of British appeasement, the
Renaissance, they eventually became the driving force Obskuracorps grew more overt in their efforts to acquire
behind its growth, once they realized the potential artifacts, eventually bringing them into conflict with other
applications of parascience in technologies for maintaining occult groups. Spearheaded by the Knights Templar and the
the Veil. British Occult Service, the Allied Occult Initiative was soon
Already weakened by the Sixth Occult War, and facing heavy formed to oppose the Obskuracorps and their operations.
scrutiny from national paranormal agencies, the After securing an early victory in the Battle of Prague, the
longstanding occult orders and cabals that had previously AOI would spend the next six years covertly battling the
dominated the paranormal community soon found Obskuracorps across the world. The coalition of occult
themselves in competition with new organizations and organizations present within the AOI continued to expand
companies that had formed in reaction to the aftermath of throughout the course of the war, even as the Nazi regime
the war. Applying a more methodical, scientific approach to came to occupy most of continental Europe. Despite their
the study of the anomalous, organizations such as numerous successes, the AOI would not become fully aware
Prometheus Labs and the International Center for the Study of the Obskuracorps' intentions for the Rite of Solomon until
of Unified Thaumatology rapidly advanced the the last year of the war.
understanding of the paranormal, laying the groundwork for With the conventional war clearly turning against Germany,
much of modern parascience. the Foundation finally entered the conflict on the side of the
While the early portion of the Paranormal Renaissance was AOI in September of 1944, when they launched a surprise
dominated by advances in theory and experimentation, the strike to capture Konrad Weiss, the director of the
later half was marked by a focus on archeological and Obskuracorps' research arm. With the intel provided by
exploratory expeditions. Working off a basis of folklore and Weiss' capture, the AOI and the Foundation discovered both
fragmentary parahistory, the first efforts at systematically the Obskuracorps' plan for the Rite, and their intention to
documenting localized paranormal phenomena across Earth attempt to complete it with ersatz components created to
were made and initial forays to catalogue the local replace the missing artifacts which were in AOI custody. A
multiverse were launched. This would eventually culminate final operation was assembled to strike at the location where
in an archeological race in the years leading up to the the Rite would be performed, which succeeded in stopping
Seventh Occult War, as numerous organizations competed the execution of the ritual and routing the remaining forces
to acquire paranormal artifacts — both for their scientific of the Obskuracorps, bringing the occult portion of the war to
value, and to deny them to competitors. a close.
The Golden Age of Normalcy The New Millennium
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In the aftermath of the Seventh Occult War, the Allied Occult The Golden Age of Normalcy came to an end with the
Initiative was reorganized into the Global Occult Coalition dawning of the new millennium, as events of the last decade
and placed under the aegis of the nascent United Nations, of the 20th century drastically altered the fundamental
with the intention of creating an international and nominally landscape of the paranormal community. The collapse of the
impartial normalcy preservation organization to serve as a Soviet Union had resulted in the dissolution of the KGB
more accountable counterpart to the Foundation — and to Division of Special Circumstances, formerly tasked with
ensure the mistakes of the Seventh Occult War could never securing the country's supply of weaponized anomalies,
reoccur. With the backing of national governments and the resulting in a paratech black market flooded with illegal
larger paranormal community, and occasionally playing on Soviet paraweapons; the end of the Cold War brought about
Cold War paranoia to their advantage, the GOC and the a downsizing of national paranormal agencies, which had
Foundation were able to greatly strengthen the Veil, been greatly expanded out of political paranoia; the
ushering in an era that would become known as the Golden conclusion of the paraweapons arms race dealt a staggering
Age of Normalcy. blow to the paratech industry, eventually resulting in the
The Seventh Occult War had brought a great demand for breakup of the Prometheus Labs conglomerate, once the
new paratechnologies, and this demand continued unabated global leader in parascience research and paratech
into the new age of normalcy. Normalcy preservation development.
organizations required new and better tools for maintaining Moreover, the world outside the Veil has changed. As the
the Veil in the face of accelerating technological 21st century opens, the human population is approaching 7
advancement and a growing population, and the Cold War billion, and growing rapidly; mass communication
powers had challenged each other in a paranormal arms technologies are proliferating, with cell phones and
race that rivaled the nuclear one in fervor. As they expanded household internet already commonplace, and smartphones
to meet increasing demand, paratech developers began to and social media approaching on the horizon; attitudes
leverage their control over paratech supplies into a series of towards mainstream science have shifted, and conspiracy
concessions from normalcy preservation organizations, theories are starting to gain greater traction. Consensus
eventually resulting in permission to sell obfuscated normalcy is under threat from behind and beyond the Veil,
paratech outside the Veil. The paratech industry flourished, and normalcy preservation agencies are struggling to
with companies like Prometheus Labs growing into grapple with these newfound problems.
international conglomerates with billions of dollars in However, even more concerning than the failing Veil is the
revenues. growing threat of another occult war. The weakening of the
Even as paratech covertly infiltrated conventional products, Veil has resulted in an accelerated progression towards
normalcy preservation agencies cracked down harder on general AI, which brings with it the danger of machine
more overt paranormal phenomena. A mass exodus of thaumaturgy — and the possibility of mass produced
anartists and parahumans began near the end of the 1960s, eigenweapons. Normalcy preservation organizations are
as the Foundation worked to expel these communities from stuck playing for time, as they race to find a permanent
urban areas in Europe and North America, driving them into solution to the looming crisis.
pocket universes like Three Portlands and Backdoor SoHo. Meanwhile, the world grows weirder every day.
Partially in response, the GOC orchestrated the creation of
Eurtec to serve as a regulated paranormal enclave, where
the Veiled community could flourish under its watch. As a
result of these efforts, the paranormal was almost completely
segregated from the normal world, with the strength of the
Veil reaching a peak sometime in the late 1970s.
Anahuman Anahuman Freelancers
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When creating an anahuman, there are a few points to
Anomalous consider: a) to be a weird entity from beyond the knowledge
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of mundane science, b) to have no control over what abilities
If one were to map all the planes of creation, the Outside is
you have; to accept randomness in your destiny, c) to be
that maddening un-place off the edge of the paper.
aware that other characters may find you as alien as you
Occasionally its strange dimensions intersect with reality,
really are and may seek to even harm you, and d) to be aware
giving birth to anomalies, and some of those errors have
that several paranormal agencies are probably after your
forms that could be analogous to flesh and spirit. When
procurement and/or detainment, if you are seen outside
permitted to be molded by the dreams of human, something
occult enclaves.
akin to a humanoid is spawned.
Anahumans favor the wizard, warlock or sorcerer classes.
Two sample freelancers are described below.
Physical Qualities Scar Korlov is a sorcerer. He is the three-dimensional
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shadow of the sentient plane of the Squamous Garden as it
Anahumans range from reality benders to shapeshifters and
intersects reality. He delights in mutating time and space
may or may not have dissociative morphologies culled from
with a mere thought and takes odd jobs for the Global Occult
the self-image of living things– from pond-life to animals and
Coalition to gain mastery over his psionic abilities.
humans. Adventuring anahumans appear like normal
Decaf David is a wizard and the son of the Lord of the
humanoids but may have hidden or clear abberant qualities,
Unwavering Eye. He seeks to produce new, impossible
like multiple eyes, eyestalks, pseudopods, tentacles, chitin,
coffee blends and is somewhat inconsiderate about their
mandibles and other pseudobiology. Their flesh might
effects on his traveling companions' sanity and/or circadian
resemble the stuff of the material plane, but when wounded
rhythm.
they might bleed fluid, color, sound, or even concepts.

Attitudes & Beliefs Anahuman Names

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As with their society, anahumans will take names from their
Beings influenced by the Outside are often seen as being
host culture and are often named by their parent (assuming
chaotic, or evil, but anahumans are more coherent in their
their survival of the union or birth).
interactions and are able to forge relationships with sentient
Male Names: Zechariah Southern, Johnny Trinidad, Evgeny
creatures, but are usually Chaotic, due to their inherent
Kritzkow, Chauncey Sturm
nature of unstable powers. Anahumans are often kept to the
Female Names: Andrea Hutchins, Greta Goldman, Michiko
fringes of history, appearing in texts and recountings as
Milam, Karie Clemens
monsters infiltrating societies for their own nefarious means,
but can emerge as “gods” or leaders when in leadership.
Traits
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Anomalous Communities As a child of the confusing Outside, you can put your
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anomalous features to good use.
Their strange tendencies always alienates them and often
Ability Score Increase. Your Anomalous Ability Score
frightens mundane communities into shunning them. Some
increases by 2, and one other ability score of your choice
anahumans have a strange, insidious force of personality
increases by 1.
that at its strongest can dominate groups of humanoids, with
Age. Anahumans often outlive their mundane kin by
cults forming around them. Those who want peace, however,
centuries or even millennia, due to the otherworldly nature
often turn to occult enclaves, where their quirks and abilities
of their being. As each individual is so varied, roll a 10d10
are not as weird to those often exposed to thaumatology and
and times the result by another 10d10 to get your maximum
other paranormal stuffs, and their abilities are more often
age, in years.
than not curtailed by other more powerful anahumans,
Alignment. Anahumans can be considered to be normally
demigods, or deities.
aligned entities, however, if the anahuman accesses the
information about their origin, they often turn to either their
chaotic nature, or their sense of control magnifies into
lawfulness.
Size. Anahumans range from just over 5 feet to more than 7
feet and weigh 80 to 260 pounds. Your size is Medium.
Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
Languages. You can speak, read and write Common, and
one Exotic Language of your choice.

Random Height & Weight

Features Wandering Arms
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You have advantage on ability checks to grapple creatures
Anomalous Ability Score and your reach increases by 5 feet when using a one-handed
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melee weapon. You cannot wield multiple two-handed
The entities within the Outside are as varied and as alien, as
weapons with this trait.
they come, and it is only natural you are too. Number your
ability scores one to six and roll a d6. The ability score that
corresponds to the number rolled is considered your Wandering Hide
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Anomalous Ability Score.
You can use a reaction to instantaneously gain AC equal to
your Proficiency bonus. You can use this ability a number of
Shifting Nature times equal to your Anomalous Ability Score per day.
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Wearing armor will render this ability useless.
While some anahumans may look as humanoid as they
come, their instability sometimes shows through their
carefully constructed facades. Roll a d6 every long rest. Even Outsider’s Mind
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numbers reveals your creature type to be an Abberration.
When a creature attempt to read your thoughts,
This effect will last until the next long rest.
telepathically communicate or form some other mental bond
with you, you become aware of the attempt, that creatures
Anomalous Qualities
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location and you can read their thoughts or communicate via
the same method as if you had telepathy or had used
When you create your character, assign values ranging from whatever means they had to initiate this contact.
1-12 to the abilities in the table. Roll a d12 to get a racial
feature. You can flavor this feature to explain how the Outsider’s Eyes
mechanics work for your character. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
You can see in dim light within 120 feet of you as if it were
bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can't
Wandering Gaze discern color in darkness, only shades of gray. In addition,
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You gain proficiency in Perception, you can see in all you have advantage on saving throws against being blinded.
directions, and cannot be surprised.
Outsider’s Will
Wandering Voice ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
You have advantage on saving throws against being charmed
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You can choose two other Non-Exotic Languages and mimic or frightened.
any sound or voice you have heard within a day. Creatures
can tell that these sounds might be imitations if they make a Outsider’s Rush
successful Wisdom check against your Deception Check. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
You may add your proficiency bonus to your initiative bonus
and as a bonus action, you may teleport 30 feet to an
Wandering Mind unoccupied space you can see. You regain use of your ability
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You can communicate mentally with another creature that to teleport when you complete a short or long rest.
knows at least one language within a 60-foot radius. This
creature doesn't need to share a language with you but Outsider’s Face
unless they have telepathy themselves, they can only receive ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

and respond but can't initiate or terminate a telepathic As an action, you can polymorph into any humanoid of your
conversation. You must be conscious to use this trait and size that you have seen, or back into your true form.
cannot telepathically communicate with multiple creatures at However, your equipment does not change with you. If you
once. die, you revert to your natural appearance. You retain all of
your normal statistics while in this form. You may use this
feature once before you must complete a short or long rest to
Wandering Fate use it again. Additional uses beyond the first incur one level
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You have a limited amount of control over this and it is of exhaustion.
largely up to your Dungeon Master what happens. However,
when a creature attempts to teleport within 10 feet of you or Outsider’s Blood
attempts to teleport while within 10 feet of you, you may ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

force them to make a Wisdom saving throw a number of You are immune to diseases, the poisoned condition, and you
times equal to your Anomalous Ability Score per day. On a have resistance to poison damage.
failed save you become aware of the means they were
attempting to teleport and can force them to teleport to a
location of your choice within 30 feet of the creature's
original destination. The DC for this saving throw is equal to
8 + your proficiency bonus + your Anomalous Ability Score's
modifier.
Sidhe Society
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Sidhe society is deeply rooted within the rules that govern
Otherworldly Grace them. They are very tricky with words due to their inability to
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lie, and the nature of their deals. The Summer Sidhe are
Sidhe are typically beautiful beyond any mortal dream, with
generally viewed as being kind and benevolent due to their
pointed ears, reminiscent of elves, and occasionally possess
association with warmth and growth, but this perception can
feline or otherwise animalistic traits, like cats eyes. Rather
be misleading. While Summer does seem warm, they are
than detract from their normal beauty, these features tend to
still dangerous and can be vicious, perhaps doubly so
enhance them. Summer Sidhe have hair and skin that
because it can be unexpected. The Winter Sidhe are seen as
feature warmer tones, while Winter Sidhe tend to be pale
malevolent and dangerous, giving in to their more predatory
with hair the various colors ice can take, such as shades of
nature. They are associated with the cold, death, and decay.
blue, white, and silver. Finally, Wild Sidhe take after the
There are also a portion of the Sidhe who are unaligned,
forests and greenery, and are often found with chestnut or
known as the Wild Sidhe. They are more neutral, though
hazel hair and an earthy skin tone.
their actions can shift closer to those of the aligned courts.

History Sidhe Names

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Sidhe have been around since the dawn of time, waging war
Sidhe tend to have names that are rather long and eloquent.
between the courts of Summer and Winter.
Their given names are not their True Name, but a name by
Their magic has long been coveted by the rest of humanity,
which are known, or a title.
and time and time again, wars and battles have broken out
Male: Kringle, Talos, Oberron, Herne
between the two races. By the end of the 10th century,
Female: Titania, Maeve, Aurora, Mab, Leanansidhe
however, the Sidhe had already been corralled into their last
bastion, Avalon, aided by the legendary King Arthur and his
mage advisor Merlin. Traits
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Another encounter would involve the enigmatic Factory,
The Sidhe are fae creatures that are usually bound to either
wherein the mechanisms would enslave and brutalize the
the Summer (Seelie) or Winter (Unseelie) courts.
captives into the production of several anomalous and
Ability Score Increase. Your Charisma increases by 2, and
malevolent items This resulted into a bloodbath when the
your Dexterity increases by 1.
Foundation decided to finally intervene.
Age. The Sidhe are immortal, though they grow based on
After the global thaumic backlash at the end of the Sixth
power/responsibility. Some are born as a Changelings, who
Occult War and the subsequent collapse of the Sidhe
are children born of a Fae parent and a mortal. These beings
homeland, British agents would negotiate with the native
have the level of development of whatever age they chose
genius loci and siphon the refugees to the Portlands.
their fey nature.
The Sidhe has sine coexisted with the other humans and
Alignment. Sidhe are always Lawful alignments, with
entities within the city, and even influenced the local English
Summer being Good, Winter being Evil, and Wild Fae being
dialect.
Neutral.
Size. Your size is Medium.
Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
Languages. You know Common and Sylvan.

Random Height & Weight

 Winter Court
Features ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Cold. You gain resistance to cold damage.
Natural Spellcasting. You know the Frostbite cantrip. When
Fey Sight you reach 3rd level, you can cast the Bane spell as a 2nd-
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level spell once with this trait and regain the ability to do so
You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were
when you finish a long rest. When you reach 5th level, you
bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can't
can cast the Crown of Madness spell once with this trait and
discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.
regain the ability to do so when you finish a long rest.
Charisma is your spellcasting ability for these spells.
Compulsion
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A Sidhe cannot tell a direct lie, however they can twist the Wilderblood
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truth in such a way to mislead and deceive. You also must
Wild. You gain resistance to lightning damage.
give a direct answer to any questions that are asked of you
Natural Spellcasting. You know the Minor Illusion cantrip.
three times and are bound to your word in such case.
When you reach 3rd level, you can cast the Sleep spell as a
2nd-level spell once with this trait and regain the ability to do
Iron Adversion so when you finish a long rest. When you reach 5th level, you
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can cast the Mirror Image spell once with this trait and
The touch of iron and related metals such a steel burns you.
regain the ability to do so when you finish a long rest.
If you touch any iron or steel with your bare skin, you take
Charisma is your spellcasting ability for these spells.
1d4 damage per turn in contact with the material. Your
starting metal weapons and armors are made of an
equivalent material, but weapons you find in dungeons and
other encounters count as steel unless otherwise stated.

Fey Ancestry
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You have advantage on saving throws against being
charmed, and magic can’t put you to sleep.

Summer Court
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Warmth. You gain resistance to fire damage.
Natural Spellcasting. You know the Firebolt cantrip. When
you reach 3rd level, you can cast the Bless spell as a 2nd-
level spell once with this trait and regain the ability to do so
when you finish a long rest. When you reach 5th level, you
can cast the Flaming Sphere spell once with this trait and
regain the ability to do so when you finish a long rest.
Charisma is your spellcasting ability for these spells.
 Creating A Mage
The Mage
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Want to use magic but don't have the patience?
The terrorists sit at ease, late at night. Suddenly, a figure Mages are spellcasters that often don't have the time or
appears behind one of the bandits and disintegrates him patience to prepare spells every day but lack the innate
before blinking out of existence. Now on alert, the terrorists abilities of a sorcerer. By creating a shortcut to actual
stand, but before they can make any further moves, the memorization, they store a limited number of spells in their
figure blinks back into sight in the center of the camp and mind as a sorcerer would, but also keep the spell effectively
unleashes a fireball, burning all of them in one single wrist "prepared" in a focus. This way they only need a small
flick. In moments, all enemies lie dead, the battle and not a gesture or word to finish the given spell and don't have to
soul moves within the camp. The figure that killed them keep track of as much knowledge at once, allowing for free
slumps in front of the campfire as blue EVE particles time like no wizard will ever know!
dissipate from the dead bodies.
An elderly man that lives on the edge of a farming town
performs daily rites at sunrise and sunset. Most in the town Class Features
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
believe him superstitious and a fool, but what they do not
As a Mage you gain the following class features:
know is that his offerings are all that keep the nearby Sidhe
gang from cursing the crop to wilt. A young woman living in
the same town invokes thaumaturgical hexes to lay a curse Hit Points
of retribution on the mayor of a nearby city for raising the Hit Dice: 1d6 per Mage level
people's taxes. Hit Points at 1st Level: 6 + Constitution modifier
Small and scared, a Sidhe child backs into a dead end, her Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d6 (or 4) + Constitution
back bumping against the cold concrete wall. Her entailing modifier per Mage level after 1st
captors approach, grinning maniacally. She furrows her
brow as she whispers in an occult language, and they freeze, Proficiencies
their eyes beginning to bleed. Suddenly, their skulls cave
Armor: Light Armor
inward as hands made out of blue EVE energy crush their
Weapons: Daggers, darts, slings, quarterstaffs, light
heads and they slump to the ground, their brains turned into
crossbows
mush. The girl wipes the trickle of blood from her lips, and
Tools: Choose one
teleports away.
Saving Throws: Spell Ability, Dexterity
Mages are often eager and impatient to become the powerful
Skills: Choose two
master of the arcane they believe themselves to be.
Beginning early, they pursue reckless powers with
occasionally devastating effect, often using what little actual Equipment
knowledge they have for flavor and utility. You start with the following equipment, in addition to the
equipment granted by your background:
Occult Knowledge a. a dagger or b. a quarterstaff
a. a dungeoneer's pack or b. an explorer's pack
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Due to the nature of the Veil, many magical practitioners are a. an arcane focus
often found in hidden enclaves that are dispersed throughout
the globe, free, mostly, of judgement and interference from
their peers and government authorities. As with many
mundane gatherings, however, curiosity will spur the
creation of research teams in order to understand more
about their powers.
The City of Three Portlands, for example, has three learning
institutes with high, mid, and low levels of occult training.
Your character could be a graduate from the local
International Center for Study of Unified Thaumatology
campus, a highly technical college funded by the Global
Occult Coalition, an anartist from the elusive Deer College,
or a mundane physicist who took Thaumatology 101 at the
more grounded Three Portlands Community College.
Spellcasting
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Arcane Bolt
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As a student of magic... you gave up using your spellbook Evocation cantrip
years ago. You can snap your fingers and do magic, what use Casting time: 1 action
is a dusty old tome? You can figure the rest out as you go. Range: 120 feet
Components: Somatic
Cantrips Duration: Instantaneous
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Your signature and masterpiece.
At 1st level, you know three cantrips which you may choose At 1st level, you gain Arcane Bolt as a bonus spell which you
from the bard, sorcerer, warlock, or wizard spell lists. You may cast without using a spell slot. For purposes of
learn additional cantrips of your choice at higher levels, as Counterspell & etc., this spell's level is equal to your
shown in the Cantrips Known column of the Mage table. proficiency bonus.
Make a spell attack against a creature you can see within
Casting Spells range. The target has to make a dexterity saving throw on a
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- hit, Arcane Bolt deals a number of damage dice to the target
The Mage table shows how many spell slots you cast your equal to your proficiency bonus. Each time you cast Arcane
spells of 1st level and higher. To cast one of these spells, you Bolt, choose a unique damage type among acid, cold, fire,
must expend a spell slot of the spell's level or higher. You force, lightning, necrotic, poison, psychic, radiant, and
regain all expended spell slots when you finish a long rest. thunder. You must complete a short or long rest before you
You prepare each spell only once, imbuing it into your focus. can cast arcane bolt with the same damage type again.
An effective shortcut around the age-old practice of Starting at 1st level, roll d6 for damage. Increase the damage
preparing spells each morning, you can cast each as many die size by one at 6th (d8), 11th (d10) , and 15th level (d12).
times as your spell slots will allow.

Learning Spells Imbuing & Casting Spells

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Each time you gain access to a new level of spell, you learn a The Mage table shows how many spell slots you have to cast
single spell chosen from the bard, sorcerer, warlock, or your spells of 1st level and higher. To cast one of these
wizard spell list of the appropriate level. spells, you must expend a spell slot of the spell's level or
Much like a wizard writing spells in their spell book, you may higher. You regain all expended spell slots when you finish a
use scrolls or other tomes you find along your way to change long rest. You prepare each spell only once, imbuing it into
the imbued spells in your focus, but your focus may only your focus. As an effective shortcut around the age-old
carry one spell of each level. practice of preparing spells each morning, you can cast each
as many times as your spell slots will allow.
When you find a spell of 1st level or higher of a spell list you
Spellcasting Ability can imbue, if it is of a level for which you have a spell already
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
You can choose between Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma imbued you can spare the time to decipher and prepare it in
as your spellcasting ability for your Mage spells, since the place of your current spell of the same level. This process
power of your spells relies on your knowledge of the occult. involves deciphering the written spell and the channeling of
You use your Spellcasting Ability whenever a spell calls for magic between your focus and the object in which the found
it. In addition, you use your Spellcasting Ability Modifier spell is inscribed. You perform the ritual over the course of 1
when setting the saving throw DC for a mage spell cast and hour, which can be done during a short rest. At the ritual's
for setting an attack roll for one. completion, you have imbued the found spell in your focus
and can cast it as such. The source of the inscribed spell
Spell save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Spell (scroll, spellbook, etc.) now contains the spell that you had
Casting Ability Modifier prepared previously, no longer imbued.
Spell attack modifier = your proficiency bonus + your
Spellcasting Ability Modifier

Spellcasting Focus
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
You have been figuring things out on your own ever since
you abandoned your spellbook, and you've got a good
method now.
At 2nd level, choose a skill or a tool. Your proficiency bonus
is doubled for any ability check you make that uses the
chosen proficiency.
At 6th level, you can choose another skill or a tool
proficiency to gain this benefit.
Practice Makes Perfect Efficient Spell
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
You have been figuring things out on your own ever since At 18th level, casting some spells has simply become second
you abandoned your spellbook, and you've got a good nature.
method now. When imbuing your focus, you may now have up to two
At 2nd level, choose a skill or a tool. Your proficiency bonus spells that are reduced by one spell level. Each of those
is doubled for any ability check you make that uses the spells counts as being one spell level lower for figuring
chosen proficiency. which spell slot to spend when casting it, but not for what
At 6th level, you can choose another skill or a tool spells you know.
proficiency to gain this benefit. If done on a 1st level spell, the spell becomes a cantrip that
takes no slot or material components unless the spell is cast
Tricks of The Trade at higher levels for increased effect. Reducing a 1st level
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- spell to a cantrip is permanent, as cantrips cannot be
Not being up to the usual study of schools and books, the unlearned.
Mage sets about a different means of getting by. Picking and
choosing to find the best path for themselves.
At 3rd, 7th, 10th, 14th, and 17th levels, a Mage may gain a
Permanency
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
feature of any other class as long as a character of that class You have been imbuing spells in your focus for so long that
could do so at that level or lower and can ignore any other you don't even have to think about it much to get the magic
prerequisites associated to attaining the feature. flowing.
A feature which grants access to a single spell automatically At 20th level, you may cast a spell which requires
grants it as a bonus spell. You must still have your focus in concentration and keep it permanent without concentrating.
order to cast such a spell. Alternatively, you can cast any spell which targets yourself
A feature which grants access to more than one spell and keep it permanent with the same conditions. Any
(Warlock patron spells, druid circle spells, etc) does not condition that would end the spell other than time or
grant bonus spells, but if you choose such a feature you may concentration will still end it. If the spell would be forcibly
choose from the spells it provides when learning spells of a dispelled or negated through means such as Counterspell or
new level. Dispel Magic, your opponent must roll for success no matter
Features which go off of levels in a class are substituted with what level of spell slot they used to counter or dispel, if the
levels in mage and progress as normal. spell slot your opponent used to counter or dispell your spell
Alternatively, you can take feats instead of taking features. is equal to or lower than the spell level, the roll is made with
You must still meet the prerequisites of these feats. disadvantage. The DC for your permanent spell equals 12 +
the spell’s level. If the spell would be suppressed, such as by
Ability Score Increase an Antimagic Field, you may roll vs. your spellsave DC using
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- your spellcasting modifier. On a success, the spell is not
When you reach 4th level, and again at 8th, 12th, 16th, and suppressed and cannot be suppressed for 1 minute.
19th level, you can increase one ability score of your choice You may only have one permanent spell active at a time.
by 2, or you can increase two ability scores of your choice by Casting a second permanent spell ends the first.
1. As normal, you can't increase an ability score above 20
using this feature.
Anartist
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Anartists are skillful thaumaturges and exploiters able to
bend reality to their ideology, vision, or message. While not
necessarily terrorists, their art is often harmful to the
mundane public, as these pieces are made without
consideration for the danger it causes when not in a
paranormally safe setting. As such, many normalcy
preservation organizations declare many anartists in the
mundane world as terrorists and seek their capture and
detainment.
When choosing this background for your character you must
ask yourself these questions: Is your character self-taught?
Are they a natural at what they do, or must they work as hard
as they can? Is your character struggling or successful? If
they are indeed good at what they do, are they well known or
new to the anartist scene? Do they have a high opinion of
themselves or are they humble? What has brought them into
the world of freelancing? Did they choose to join a
paranormal freelance operation for inspiration? Or are they
caught in the midst of a mess they can’t get out of?
Skill Proficiencies: Arcana and Performance
Tool Proficiencies: Artist’s Tools
Equipment: One burglar’s pack, a set of artist’s tools, a
backpack and some clothes, and a wallet containing $15

Feature: The People’s Voice

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You have made a name for yourself making works of anart
that point out the flaw in society, making fun of those in
charge, of religion, law enforcement. Though the suits,
skippers, and gawkers may not fancy your company, the
anomalous community love you for your satirical,
controversial, and potentially dangerous artwork.

Specialization
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Not every anartist is great at everything. Though you may
dabble with the different types of artistry, there will always
be one thing that places you above the rest. What is that
thing? And are you the best?
Paranormal Agent
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
You are an experienced operative under the payroll of one of
the several active Groups of Interest, due to your knowledge
of the paranormal, the occult, or the anomalous. It could also
be simply because your survivability percentage is higher
than the rest of your squad.
You may have been tasked to stake out a location, keep an
eye out for one of your fellow party members, or maintain an
agency influence within multi-agency operations. Your higher
ups are expectant, and they trust you to do your duty, shut
your mouth, and accomplish your mission. Failure to do so
will result in termination and investigation.
Skill Proficiencies: Investigation, then choose one from,
Athletics, Stealth, Arcana, Perception, Deception
Tool Proficiencies: Choose two
Equipment: A Swiss pocketknife, a secret identification
token, a backpack & clothes, and a wallet containing $15

Feature: Briefing
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Prior to commencing a mission (adventure), you request an
overview and analysis of the area of operations from your
superiors. You are briefed via letter on the current situation
in the region and some lore about the area (at the DM's
discretion). This lore tends to relate to military threats,
hazards and potential assets (including some side-quests).
Additional information in a briefing may be included at the
DM's discretion. Additional letters may be sent at later dates
containing additional information.
 The Veiled City
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The City of Three Portlands, commonly called Three

Portlands, Three Ports (3Ports), or simply Portlands, is an
independent city-state and paranormal enclave located
within a self-contained pocket universe, accessible via Ways
located in and around Portland, Maine; Portland, Oregon;
and the Isle of Portland in the United Kingdom. With an
estimated permanent population of approximately 80,000
persons, Three Portlands is the largest paranormal enclave
in North America and is one of the most populous locations
to be entirely concealed behind the Veil.
Three Portlands' sovereignty has historically been
challenged by the United States, arising from the need to
monitor and limit access to the city in order to maintain
consensus normalcy. Since 1940, Three Portlands has been
in free association with the United States, which recognizes
and guarantees the city's autonomy while reserving the right
to enforce laws and regulations necessary to protect
normalcy within the adjacent regions of America.

New History
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The origins of Three Portlands are unknown, and the subject
of much speculation, but it is generally assumed that the city
did not exist prior to the incorporation of Portland, Oregon in
1851. Parahistorian L. Rowe has theorized that Three
Portlands may have been formed by the global thaumic
backlash from the 6th Occult War, which would place the
city's origin in the 1880s. The earliest reliable record of
Three Portlands is an internal memorandum of the British
Occult Service dating from 1899, documenting the activities
of various minor occult cabals in the south of England and
the adjacent multiverse; this memo indicates that Three
Portlands had been lightly populated for at least a decade at
that point, which closely matches Rowe's timeline.
In 1905, following negotiations with the native genius loci,
the BOS began using Three Portlands to house Sidhe
refugees from the ongoing collapse of Avalon. Although
many of these would eventually be relocated to isolated
portions of the Hebrides, the influx of displaced Sidhe
greatly increased the city's population and left a lasting
influence on its culture and future development. However,
aside from the Sidhe relocation efforts, British authorities
remained largely disinterested in Three Portlands, preferring
to focus their attentions on occult activities on Earth.
With the start of the First World War, the BOS became
committed to preventing an outbreak of occult warfare; most
British operatives in the city were recalled, leaving Three
Portlands to manage its own affairs. In 1915, a city council
was elected and a municipal government organized,
although this went unrecognized by British officials, who
continued their policy of treating the city as the demesne of
the native genius loci; this lasted until 1922, when the city
charter was amended to include the genius loci in the unexpectedness of the attack, a combined force of UIU
government as the Mayor. agents and BOS operatives, alongside ICSUT faculty and
The near total absence of any paranormal authorities was students, municipal police golems, and local citizens,
quickly capitalized upon by various criminal organizations, succeeded in repelling the assault.
who used the city's extensive Way network to evade US The city grew rapidly in the post-war era, driven by a global
customs authorities and — following the passage of the tightening of the Veil, which led to the mass expulsion of
Volstead Act — Prohibition agents. Even after the end of the parahumans, occultists, and anartists from urban areas in
World War, the BOS did little to curb the growth of Europe and North America, many of whom sought refuge in
paracrime, despite the increasing British presence within the paranormal enclaves such as Three Portlands and Backdoor
city. However, recognizing the strategic importance of the Soho. The city's status as a major paranormal freeport was
city's Way network, British authorities began working to further cemented in 1956, when Prometheus Laboratories
actively conceal its existence from other normalcy chose to massively expand its operations in Three Portlands,
preservation agencies, including those of the United States motivated by its unique taxation laws and its exemption from
government. most Veil regulations. Over the next few decades, Three
Despite the efforts of their British counterparts, American Portlands evolved to become a hub of both anartistic
law enforcement discovered Three Portlands in 1929, after endeavors and parascientific research, reflecting many of the
Bureau of Prohibition agents managed to track the same cultural pressures that were shaping the adjacent
operations of the bootlegging group known as the Chicago Portland, Oregon.
Spirit to the city. In accordance with federal policy at the As part of the Howard-Grant Agreement, the UIU and the
time, the existence of the city was concealed, and all related BOS had both agreed to continue the policy of concealing
cases were transferred to the Bureau of Investigation. BOI Three Portlands from most other normalcy preservation
Director J. Edgar Hoover immediately began waging a agencies, with exceptions made during the 7th Occult War to
clandestine war against the Chicago Spirit within Three facilitate AOI operations. While these efforts were never
Portlands. While early raids and sting operations were highly totally effective, especially given widespread awareness of
successful, the BOI soon met opposition from the citizens the city among the paranormal communities in adjacent
and city government, who resented the unprecedented regions, they were deemed necessary to preserve the city's
intrusion upon their autonomy, ultimately culminating in a status as a paranormal freeport. Following the
firefight between BOI agents and members of the city reorganization of the AOI into the Global Occult Coalition,
council. the primary focus of these efforts then became concealing
In response, Director Hoover had all known entrances to the city from the Foundation, which was — and still is —
Three Portlands within the United States placed under viewed as the single largest threat to Three Portlands'
siege, imprisoning anyone who attempted to enter or exit the autonomy.
city. This standoff lasted for almost two months, only ending Although the Foundation's eventual discovery of the city was
with the intervention of President Herbert Hoover and the largely viewed as inevitable, UIU agents, relying heavily on
formulation of the Hoover Mandate. Under the Hoover memetic misinformation campaigns, succeeded in delaying
Mandate, the United States would guarantee the autonomy this event until 1970. This marked the start of a major shift
of Three Portlands; in return, federal agents would be in relations between the UIU and Three Portlands residents,
allowed to operate within the city to a limited degree. ushering in an improvement of public opinion that swelled
Fearing furthering escalation, the city council eventually even further following the death of Director Hoover in 1972.
accepted President Hoover's terms, despite protests from Local recruiting into the UIU increased dramatically, and by
many of the city's inhabitants. the end of the decade, almost a quarter of the Unit's irregular
The British response to the Hoover Mandate was extremely agents were from Three Portlands.
negative, as the United States' guarantee of autonomy was Starting in the late 1970s, Three Portlands emerged as a
perceived as a threat to their expanding operations in the center for the nascent Maxwellist movement; the city's
city, particularly their use of the Way network. Although thriving paratech industry and relaxed Veil made it a perfect
direct confrontations between British and American agents fit for the transhumanist religion, which was facing active
were rare, tensions remained high throughout the next suppression efforts by major normalcy organizations on
decade, as both sides made competing claims of jurisdiction Earth. As Maxwellism continued to spread throughout the
and sought to exercise exclusive authority within Three city and its paratech industry during the 1980s, the GOC
Portlands. The outbreak of the 7th Occult War in 1939 responded by orchestrating the creation of Eurtec, a
finally encouraged the British Occult Service to seek a paranormal freeport controlled by one of its member
rapprochement with the Unusual Incidents Unit, eventually organizations, with the intention of establishing a competing
leading to the Howard-Grant Agreement in 1940, under hub of parascientific research under its own oversight.
which the United Kingdom abandoned its claims on Three Under the GOC's sponsorship, Eurtec rapidly grew to rival
Portlands in exchange for a number of wartime concessions. Three Portlands, leading to a gradual erosion of the city's
During the 7th Occult War, Three Portlands played a paratech industry.
significant role as a clandestine supply route and shelter for The decline of the city's paratech industry was further
the Allied Occult Initiative4, with the AOI making extensive exacerbated by the economic shock from the end of the Cold
use of the city's Way network to move personnel and War and its accompanying anomalous arms race. While
materiel between Britain and North America. As a result, in Eurtec offered generous bailouts to local businesses, Three
1943, Three Portlands came under attack by a force of Portlands' paratech companies were left to weather the
Obskuracorps commandos and Thule battlemages, who downturn on their own, resulting in the near total collapse of
apportated onto the Isle of Portland and opened a Way into the city's paratech industry, culminating in the closure of the
the city, with the intention of seizing the ICSUT campus and Three Portlands offices of Prometheus Labs. At the same
looting the AOI storehouse there. Despite the
time, organized paracrime was beginning to return to the Portlands — this is particularly pronounced among local
city, this time in the form of the Lighthouse Mafia. Maxwellists, who are responsible for many charitable
The city finally began to recover with the start of the new ventures within the city.
millennium, due in large part to the efforts of Portland native Three Portlands has the largest Sidhe population outside of
Vincent Anderson and his paratech startup, Anderson New Avalon and is a major center of Sidhe culture. The
Robotics. Taking advantage of the void left by Prometheus distinctive architectural styles of the Sidhe can be found in
Labs, Anderson established his corporate headquarters in many buildings, including the exterior facade of City Hall.
Three Portlands and rapidly expanded, spurring a revival of The Sidhe language of Modern Celtic is common throughout
the city's local industry. This, along with his numerous the city, and shares status with English as one of Three
philanthropic contributions throughout the city, helped Portlands' two official languages, with nearly all signs and
endear Anderson to Portlands' population, particularly its notices made in both; while full fluency in Modern Celtic is
large Maxwellist contingent. rare outside of Sidhe communities, most native Portlandsers
This popular support made it politically unfeasible for the possess a limited degree of fluency, and Portlands English
UIU to take action against Anderson, a fact which he has assimilated many pieces of Sidhe vocabulary.
exploited to circumvent — and eventually ignore outright — While artists make up a much smaller proportion of the
federal and international restrictions on paratech population than they do in anartist enclaves like Backdoor
development. This flagrant disregard for normalcy eventually Soho, Three Portlands is widely renowned within the
drew the attention of the Foundation, which launched a paranormal community for its thriving art scene. Public
protracted campaign against Anderson and his operations, displays and performances are common, and the relaxed Veil
with limited success. Anderson further consolidated his within the city allows for anart to be displayed openly
company in Three Portlands, using the Hoover Mandate to alongside more mundane works. While Three Portlands is
shield himself from Foundation reprisals. best known for its visual arts, with numerous galleries
The stalemate between Anderson Robotics, the UIU, and the displaying works of painting and sculpture scattered across
Foundation lasted until 2018, when it was discovered that the city, it has a notable performance art community as well.
Anderson had used his Saker androids to infiltrate the Cambium Circle hosts local theater troupes on weekdays
United States Government. A warrant for his arrest was and public concerts on weekends, and the infamous All
issued and he vanished from public life — both the Orpheum Theatre is occasionally located in the city.
Foundation and the UIU believed he had been taken into Almost half of Three Portlands' residents identify as having
Foundation custody. However, Anderson Robotics continued no religious affiliation, although only a tenth of these
operating with Anderson secretly in control, until his final (representing approximately 5% of the total population)
capture in 2024 by a joint task force of the Foundation and describe themselves as atheists. Christianity and other
the UIU. The accompanying raid on Anderson Robotics' "conventional" religions are a minority within the city, with
Headquarters in downtown Three Portlands was the largest the largest faith being Sidhe ancestor veneration (12% of the
concerted UIU action in the city since Hoover's Siege, population, largely among the Sidhe minority). This is closely
leading to widespread protests and a decline in public followed by Maxwellism (11% of the population), which has
opinion of the Bureau to the lowest levels of the post-Hoover been steadily increasing in popularity since its emergence in
era. the 1970s. In contrast, non-Maxwellist Mekhanite faiths are
a considerable minority, with less than 1% of the population
identifying as Mekhanite but not Maxwellist.
Anomalous Urbanites
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Three Portlands is by far the largest paranormal enclave in Living Lands
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
North America, with an estimated 80,000 persons
The pocket universe containing Three Portlands is a finite 3-
permanently residing in the city. The current number of
space bounded by two elliptic paraboloids. Local gravity is
people at any given time is often greater than this, due to the
oriented downwards along the central axis, allowing for a
large transient population which passes through the city
distinction between the upper and lower paraboloids. The
each day; as many as 2000 persons with full-time jobs in
lower paraboloid is a solid surface which constitutes the
Three Portlands live in one of the adjacent Portlands on
ground; the constant gravitational vector and the curvature of
Earth, relying on Ways to commute to work; an even larger
the ground surface combine to produce a gentle but
number of occultists and anartists travel to the city
noticeable slope. Three Portlands occupies a roughly
sporadically to purchase supplies and procure services. As a
circular area upon this surface, centered around the lowest
result, it is difficult to produce a complete and accurate
point of the ground paraboloid. While the curvature of the
assessment of the city's demographics, a problem
ground is extremely shallow, it still makes it possible to see
compounded by the lack of any kind of comprehensive
any point of the city from any other point, resulting in an
census.
inverted horizon that can be extremely disorienting for
With its connections to two major American cities and the
newcomers.
United Kingdom, Three Portlands has developed a unique
Three Portlands has no natural astronomical or
multinational character. The dominant Anglo-American
meteorological events, although a day/night cycle and
culture has seen significant influence from the sizable Sidhe
weather are provided by the Mayor. The upper paraboloid
minority, and the city's status as a paranormal freeport has
which encloses the pocket universe is used as a skybox; a
attracted parahumans from many different nations and
point light is projected onto this surface to produce daylight,
cultures, all of whom have contributed to Three Portlands'
moving across the skybox in mimicry of the sun. Solar time
diversity. As a general rule, Portlandsers tend to be
as provided by this artificial sun approximates that of
distrustful of authority, especially external authority;
Portland, Maine, although sunrise and sunset times may
individual expression and liberty is highly valued, but there is
differ by as much as an hour. Weather, mostly in the form of
a strong undercurrent of mutualism throughout Three
rain, closely emulates the current weather of the adjacent representatives of the global paranormal community,
regions of Earth. including the Sidhe Consulate and the local Gormogon
The ground surface of Three Portlands is constantly Wedge.
expanding away from the city center. The rate of this In addition to anchor points, Shadows provide another type
expansion is normally imperceptible, but results in the of landmark in the city. Shadows are metaphysical
gradual outward migration of almost all permanent projections of locations and events in the adjacent Portlands.
structures. At a distance of approximately 3 miles from the While anchor points maintain a fixed location relative to the
city center, there is an impassable, invisible barrier imposed city center, Shadows maintain a fixed location relative to
by the Mayor, which delineates the outer edge of the city, each other and the city's Way network. Under normal
called the Periphery. The ground surface continues for an circumstances, Shadows are imperceptible and non-
unknown distance beyond the barrier, forming a region corporeal; however, various occult workings exist that can
known as the Outer Periphery; local reality in this region render a Shadow visible, and certain structures, such as
gradually degrades with increasing distance from the city lighthouses, have reality stabilizing properties that cause
center, producing a transition layer between the pocket their Shadows to manifest naturally. There are eight such
universe and Outside unspace. Old buildings are abandoned lighthouse Shadows in Three Portlands, which serve as
as the expansion of the city pushes them into the Outer valuable navigational aids for the Way network, due to their
Periphery, where they eventually pass into the Outside and strong manifestations and high visibility.
deconceptualize. Three Portlands' street plan is arranged along a polar grid,
While most buildings in Three Portlands inevitably move with straight "spoke" streets radiating from the city center,
towards the Periphery as a result of the city's expansion, connected by concentric rings at irregular intervals. There
there are a handful of structures that are anchored in place are numerous narrow alleyways between buildings, created
relative to the city center, providing a set of fixed landmarks. by the expansion of the ground beneath the city. As Three
These anchor points can disrupt the normal outwards flow of Portlands is primarily a pedestrian city, these roads are not
the ground, causing distortions in the polar street grid and designed for motor vehicles and are largely inaccessible to
potentially even creating tears in the underlying surface that them; moreover, the City Council maintains a city-wide ban
expose the Outside. As a result, the City Council has placed on personal automobiles and heavy motor vehicles, with only
tight restrictions on anchoring parts of the city; most existing a few limited exemptions. Instead, personal transportation is
anchor points were created by the Mayor, with only a small provided by several cab companies operating auto-
number of independent anchorings maintained by private rickshaws, which are able to navigate through Portlands'
thaumaturges. narrow streets.
The most prominent anchor point is the city center itself, In addition to these auto-rickshaws, Three Portlands has a
Three Portlands Plaza where City Hall and other municipal robust mass transit system based on street-level trolleys.
government buildings are located. The Plaza is surrounded These trolleys run along all major spoke and ring streets at
by Cambium Circle, where the city's outward growth regular intervals, with a special express line connecting
originates. The rapid pace of expansion in the Circle makes Prometheus Plaza and Three Portlands Plaza. Use of the
it unsuitable for development, and as a result it sees use as a trolley system is free to all, except for members of the FBI;
public park. At semi-regular intervals, once enough the city offers a monthly transit pass to members of the UIU
expansion has taken place, the outer edge of the Circle is for $20, with the Bureau providing compensation for this
sectioned off and zoned for new development, allowing for cost to agents who request it.
the replacement of buildings lost to the Outer Periphery. While electrical and hydraulic utilities are provided by the
The largest anchor point is Prometheus Plaza. Created in city through the Mayor, Three Portlands' communications
1956 as part of an urban planning experiment aimed at infrastructure is much more patchwork. City-wide intranet
establishing a downtown area, Prometheus Plaza hosted the access is provided via a combination of Maxwellist network
local headquarters of Prometheus Labs, after whom the hubs, cafe WiFi, and independently maintained point-to-point
Plaza was named. The Plaza developed into a mixed-use hardlines. This intranet is not connected to the global
industrial and commercial district occupied by a variety of internet, and as a result is not subject to the information
parabusinesses that desired permanent leaseholds in the sanitization that would normally be required by the Veil. The
city. However, the size of the Plaza caused a major Three Portlands intranet has its own forms of social media,
disruption to the city's surface expansion, which resulted in the most popular being Void, which is essentially a local
the Docks District. Situated on the leeward side of the Plaza, clone of Twitter.
this region of the city is marked by gaping chasms in the Connections to the global internet are provided via the
ground surface that expose the Outside. Reality near these Prometheus Labs Aethernet protocol and were formerly
chasms is extremely thin, giving rise to the densest cluster of handled by that company at the behest of the city. Following
Ways in the city, which have made the area a major transport the breakup of the Prometheus conglomerate, the city
hub. purchased a fifty percent stake in Prometheus' former
Other notable anchorings include Memorial Park and the Aethernet subsidiary and reconstituted it as Asterism
ICSUT campus, a pair of points located near the Periphery. Communications to serve as a municipal ISP. Asterism has
The ICSUT campus anchors itself using advanced partnered with local Maxwellists in an effort to expand and
architectural sorcery, and forms the largest anchor point not consolidate Portlands' patchwork intranet and internet
maintained by the Mayor. The adjacent Memorial Park was infrastructure, although progress in this venture is slow.
created by the City Council to preserve the site of the Battle Outgoing internet traffic is required to pass through UIU
of Portlands, and contains the 7th Occult War Memorial. filtering servers to ensure compliance with the Veil, which
Due to its proximity to a major GOC affiliate and the residual has hampered the addition of more Aethernet access points.
anchoring effects near the campus, the area around
Memorial Park hosts offices and embassies for many
Golemancy & Thaumaturgy Plaza resulting in the displacement of many low-income
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- residents.
Three Portlands lacks a local currency; as a result, most With most city services maintained by the Mayor or operated
business is conducted using the US dollar and the British by golems, city revenues are primarily spent on public works
pound sterling. In addition, there is a well-developed barter projects. The City Council provides endowment funds to
economy within the city; geas work contracts are often used various anartistic and parascientific endeavors throughout
to guarantee delivery of promised services, allowing for the the city and employs numerous artists to design public art
direct exchange of goods for labor. This sector of the installations. The daily public performances in Cambium
economy is largely unregulated and uncontrolled, despite the Circle are all paid for out of the city's art budget, with most
best efforts of the Unusual Incidents Unit and the Infernal scheduling slots reserved for unemployed performers.
Revenue Service. However, the efficacy of these programs is limited, due to the
The city's labor economy is almost entirely based upon golem monopoly on construction work, which is the normal
golem workers, and the local golem-makers union, cornerstone of jobs programs. The City Council is currently
Golemancy United, exercises significant political and evaluating hiring citizens to act as guides for visitors,
economic power within the city. Golems fill jobs in although there are concerns that this would undercut the
manufacturing and construction, supplement the ranks of local scam economy.
the local police force to perform crowd control and security
duties, and are involved in the operations of city services
such as sanitation and transit. While the replacement of
Education
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
human labor with golems has allowed many residents to Three Portlands notably lacks a public school system;
pursue creative and scientific endeavors, it has also resulted attempts by the City Council to establish a local school
in widespread unemployment. Attempts to relieve this district have been met with resistance by the city's citizens,
problem by limiting the use of golems has met stiff citing concerns that the federal or municipal governments
opposition from Golemancy United; at this time, there are no could use it for indoctrination. Instead, primary education is
city ordinances regulating the type or number of golems a done through home schooling and independent community
business can employ, and this is unlikely to change in the schools. These independent schools are run as charitable
near future. endeavors and are generally established and maintained by
Much of the city's overalll economy is based around the local the city's non-human inhabitants, as the human population
paratech industry, which contains a large amount of has the option of enrolling in one of the adjacent Portlands'
sensitive manufacturing that cannot be handled by golems. school systems (although this practice is discouraged by the
This industry is based out of Prometheus Plaza in the UIU due to the potential risks to normalcy it presents). While
downtown area, but many startups which lack capital for a rare, private for-profit schools also exist within the city,
lease in the Plaza rent space throughout the city. While the although these are generally considered inferior to the
industry is anchored by a number of relatively stable community schools they compete with.
companies, such as Anderson Robotics and Vanadox, the In terms of secondary education, Three Portlands hosts a
current economy is dominated by venture-capital-funded number of occult and non-occult colleges. Three Portlands
startups that often fail within the first few months of Community College is the largest of these, with enrollment
operation. Even when successful, these companies often open to all Portlands residents. TPCC offers two- and four-
suffer from high rates of employee turnover and chronic year degree programs in a variety of mundane fields and
stability problems, and their proliferation throughout the city paratech disciplines, as well as a small anart studies
has enabled gentrification and led to housing shortages. program. However, the college does not teach courses on
ICSUT and the GOC have remained relatively constant thaumatology beyond an introductory level and is generally
factors in the city's economy since the 1940s, with ICSUT not considered an occult college as a result.
Portlands receiving a large share of the GOC's research The city's occult colleges are dominated by ICSUT
contracts. In addition to student researchers, ICSUT Portlands, the Three Portlands campus and branch of the
employs a large number of the city's residents in auxiliary International Center for the Study of Unified Thaumatology.
roles, and often partners with local companies to work on Established in 1941 as one of the concessions of the
major research projects. Over a hundred mechanics and Howard-Grant Agreement, ICSUT Portlands initially housed
thaumic engineers are employed just in the maintenance of the administrative headquarters of ICSUT, which were
the university's massive Everhart Resonators, and the GOC relocated from London during the 7th Occult War. Since the
often outsources paratech production contracts to ICSUT's conclusion of the occult conflict, ICSUT Portlands has
local partners. grown to become a major technical and research university
The city government maintains title to all land in Three in its own right, with the highest levels of enrollment of any
Portlands, which is rented out through fixed-term leaseholds. ICSUT campus. Offering extended degree programs
The fixed-term nature of these leases allows the City Council focusing on advanced occult studies, ICSUT Portlands
to control zoning as buildings migrate towards the attracts students from across the globe.
Periphery, and the rents collected constitute the majority of The other major occult college in Three Portlands is the
city revenues. While sub-letting is relatively common, rent local Deer College. Founded in 1948 and anchored to the
control policies and aggressive adverse possession laws are Shadow of Reed College, Deer is often seen as the liberal
in place in an attempt to limit the ability of landlords to arts counterpart to ICSUT Portlands, and the two schools
engage in rent seeking. Additionally, the city maintains a have a well-developed rivalry. Deer's thaumatology
number of public housing projects, in order to cope with the curriculum is much less technically inclined, and instead
high levels of unemployment within Three Portlands. focuses on combining mundane and occult studies. The
Despite these measures, housing shortages are still college's anart program is generally well regarded and is
common, with gentrification of the areas around Prometheus considered one of the institution's cornerstones. While it
lacks the lucrative GOC research partnerships of its rival Three Portlands is also a major recruiting ground for the
ICSUT, Deer benefits from several generous endowments, UIU's irregular agents, as its diverse parahuman population
including one from Anderson Robotics, which it uses to fund offers many talented individuals willing to work for the
scholarships for non-human students. Bureau. This is especially true in the wake of Director
Hoover's death in 1972, as the UIU's popularity in the city
The Mayor has risen considerably — although recent events involving
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Anderson Robotics have done much to damage the Bureau's
The municipal government of Three Portlands is organized reputation. Joint operations with the Foundation through
under a Mayor-Council model, with the Three Portlands City Joint Task Force Delta-3 have provided supplementary
Council exercising combined legislative and executive manpower to deal with crisis operations, such as the raid on
functions under the nominal oversight of the Mayor. The City Anderson Robotics Headquarters, but over-reliance on
Council is a unicameral body, whose members are selected Foundation agents risks compromising the Hoover Mandate,
by city-wide election using a single transferable vote system and may further damage public opinion of the UIU. Due to
to achieve proportional representation. All permanent this, plans for further joint operations in Three Portlands are
residents of Three Portlands above the age of majority are currently on hold.
entitled to vote in these elections; notably, Three Portlands is
one of the few municipalities to allow ghosts to vote.
The City Council is responsible for drafting and passing
municipal ordinances and regulations, as well as carrying
out the day-to-day business of the city. The Mayor's role in
the city government is largely a formality, as it rarely
participates in the City Council's deliberations. Instead, as
the native genius loci of Three Portlands, the Mayor is
ultimately responsible for the overall health of the city — the
day/night cycle, weather, ground expansion, periphery
barriers, anchoring points, and electrical and hydraulic
utilities are all controlled directly by the Mayor, although it is
suspected that much of this control is exercised passively or
unconsciously. While the City Council is able to
communicate directly with the Mayor when needed, this is a
rare occurrence.
Local law enforcement in the city is provided by the Three
Portlands Police Department, which is comprised of a small
officer corps supplemented by volunteer auxiliaries and
special security golems. Due to the Unusual Incidents Unit
holding primary jurisdiction over most major investigations,
including investigations of all felonies, the focus of the Three
Portlands Police Department is largely on crime prevention
and community outreach. TPPD provides security to major
local events, runs regular patrols throughout the city to deter
vandalism and violence, and assists the UIU in its
investigations when necessary.
Three Portlands operates its own municipal courts, which
cover violations of city ordinances and handle most civil
cases arising in the city. Federal judicial functions are
performed by the United States Domestic Security Court for
Three Portlands, one of the seven Domestic Security courts
responsible for handling Veil-related cases. The USDS Court
for Three Portlands is responsible for authorizing local UIU
warrants, trying criminal cases brought by the Special US
Attorney, and hearing civil lawsuits outside the jurisdiction of
the municipal courts. All proceedings of the Domestic
Security Court are done under geas-seal, in order to preserve
the integrity of the Veil.
Federal authority in Three Portlands stems from the Hoover
Mandate, first issued in 1929, and upheld in the Compact of
Free Association signed between Three Portlands and the
United States in the wake of the Howard-Grant Agreement.
The terms of the Hoover Mandate grant the UIU primary
criminal jurisdiction within the city, and exclusive
jurisdiction over matters related to the maintenance of the
Veil. Due to the size of the city, the local UIU field office is
the largest of any paranormal enclave, and is second only to
the Miami field office in caseload.
Groups of Interest
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Department of Analytics — The Foundation's primary signals
intelligence apparatus, the Department of Analytics is tasked
with collecting and analyzing a wide variety of information
There are many organizations that operate behind the Veil, from nearly every imaginable source. They possess
either wholly concealed within or straddling the border significant operational and support capabilities of their own,
between the paranormal and the normal. Their purposes are and thus are able to function almost entirely independent of
many and range from upholding the Veil to tearing it down, the rest of the Foundation.
but their methods are often the same, relying on the Records and Information Security Administration — The
application of paratech to compensate for the deficiencies in archival and IT department of the Foundation, responsible
manpower and funding that are nearly omnipresent among for maintaining and securing Foundation records and
the paranormal community. To this end, almost every major communications. Almost every piece of information collected
organization that operates within the confines of the Veil is by the Foundation passes through RAISA multiple times,
involved in parascience research to some degree, as it is the although there are certain highly-secret projects which do
surest way to gain an edge against potential rivals. not generate RAISA records, instead reporting only to the
While no two organizations are exactly alike, most of the Overseer Council.
groups that operate behind the Veil can be placed into one of
four categories, based on their goals and structure. Global Occult Coalition
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Npo & Npa The Global Occult Coalition is an international normalcy

preservation agency backed by the United Nations, formed
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- from the Allied Occult Initiative after the end of the Seventh
By far the largest players in the paranormal community, Occult War. It is approximately equal to the Foundation in
normalcy preservation organizations and national power and reach, and shares a similar goal of protecting
paranormal agencies responsible for maintaining the Veil, a humanity and preserving normalcy. However, the GOC
task which they often refer to as protecting normalcy. differs in its methods, choosing to rely heavily on widespread
Comprising a mix of clandestine units of national agencies use of paratech in its operations, and prioritizing a policy of
and independent international conspiracies, these destruction of dangerous anomalous objects rather than
organizations are also the ones responsible for forming the containment.
consensus on what normalcy is. As the custodians of the The GOC is composed of over 100 individual organizations
Veil, these organizations are tasked with regulating the involved in the occult and paranormal, including a number of
paratech industry and policing the paranormal community — national paranormal agencies. Some of the more notable
and with backing and funding from national governments, ones are listed below:
they are among the few groups able to consistently project a. Ancient Noble Order of the Gormogons. Founded in the
force against other Veiled actors. 18th century to oppose the Freemasons, the Gormogons
However, this power is not absolute. The sheer size of the have evolved into a corps of demolition experts specializing
Veil often forces normalcy preservation organizations into in destroying anomalous structures and breaking defensive
compromises and half-measures, and the restrictions on the wards.
development and proliferation of paratech ironically make b. British Occult Service. The primary paranormal agency of
them dependent on the same organizations they are tasked the United Kingdom, the British Occult Service was formed
with regulating. These conflicts of interest often give in reaction to the Sixth Occult War, and has played a leading
paratech developers a great deal of leeway in following role in normalcy preservation efforts since that time.
regulations, so long as they make a token effort at c. International Center for the Study of Unified
compliance. Thaumatology. The largest occult college in the world, the
ICSUT is one of the GOC's biggest research partners.
The Foundation Founded in 1913, ICSUT specializes in the study and
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
teaching of thaumatology — the scientific investigation of the
The largest of the normalcy preservation organizations, the mystic and occult. ICSUT has campuses all around the
Foundation is a global conspiracy unaffiliated with any world, including locations in London, Zurich, and Three
national government, with numerous fronts, facilities, and Portlands.
personnel around the world. The entire organization is d. Holy Order of Knights Templar, Reformed. Officially
headed by an Overseer Council composed of 13 anomalous disbanded in 1312 by Pope Clement, the Templar Knights
(or otherwise) individuals whose true identities are known remained in hiding until 1939, when they reformed to
only to each other. The Foundation's stated mission is the oppose the Obskuracorps and found the Allied Occult
acquisition, containment, and study of anomalous objects for Initiative. They played a decisive role in the Seventh Occult
the safety and benefit of humanity, although its true motives War, providing the bulk of troops for AOI commando teams.
have been questioned by other normalcy preservation e. Servants of the Silicon Nornir. A transhumanist religion,
organizations. Despite an institutional and ideological the Servants believe that their purpose is to bring about the
opposition to the use of anomalous objects, it will resort to creation of the "True Silicon Goddess" — a benevolent
the use of paratechnology and other well-understood hyperintelligence that will shepherd humanity into the future
anomalies when circumstances require. — by hastening the onset of the technological singularity. To
The Foundation is bureaucratically divided into dozens of this end, they follow a trio of precognitive sentient
departments, divisions, directorates, and task forces, all supercomputers — named Urthor, Verthandi, and Skuldir
operating on strict compartmentalization of information. after the Norns of Norse mythology — which direct them in
Some of the more notable ones are listed below: their efforts.
f. Universalist Order of the Æsir. A cult of Scandinavian GRU Division “P”
neopaganists, highly regarded for their extensive knowledge ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
of runic thaumaturgy, particularly divination. The Order One of the Soviet Union's two major paranormal agencies,
believes that the GOC is the instrument through which GRU-P was created during the Second World War to protect
humanity will be unified to fight against Ragnarok. the Soviet Union from paranormal and occult threats, and to
g. World Parahealth Organization. The paranormal arm of utilize esoteric weaponry against the country's enemies.
the World Health Organization, tasked with combating With the onset of the Cold War and the paratech arms race,
memetic pathogens, infectious curses, psychic parasites, and the division's role was expanded to include recovery and
other paranormal diseases. reverse engineering of anomalous objects and paratech. In
this role, it performed corporate espionage and theft of
Unusual Incidents Unit intellectual property on a number of foreign companies and
agencies.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The FBI's Unusual Incidents Unit is the primary domestic With the end of the Cold War, GRU-P has found itself as the
paranormal agency of the United States, tasked with sole remaining paranormal agency of the Russian
enforcing paratech regulations and upholding the Veil. Due Federation. Its operations are now focused largely on
to a limit of means and jurisdiction, the UIU largely focuses dealing with the black market for anomalous objects and
on investigating paranormal crimes and covering-up paratech that has arisen in post-communist Russia.
anomalous incidents. One of their most important functions
is policing the numerous pocket universes within the US,
which act as enclaves for the paranormal community. To Joint Occult Venture of Europe
compensate for personnel and budgetary limits, the UIU ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
extensively employs parahumans and anomalous individuals The Joint Occult Venture of Europe is a multinational
as 'irregular agents', especially within paranormal enclaves paranormal organization composed of various European
where their presence is less noticeable. national paranormal agencies and loosely affiliated with the
European Union. Organized along similar lines to Frontex,
JOVE performs a role similar to that of the American UIU,
maintaining the Veil within Europe and policing paranormal
enclaves. Extremely limited in personnel and funding, JOVE
primarily acts as a facilitator and coordinator for the multiple
national and international organizations operating within
Europe.
The catalyst for JOVE's formation, and the primary focus of
its few field operations, are the expanding activities of the
paracrime syndicate Scarlet Hammer and the accompanying
influx of illegal Soviet paratech into Western Europe. In this
role, JOVE has been instrumental in coordinating the multi-
agency response to incidents of paraweapon trafficking
across national and international borders.
Paratech Industries
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
medicine but remains committed to the continued
development and support of ANAs.
ii. Archimedes. Formerly Archimedes Solar, a subsidiary of
Almost every Veiled group of significance operates their own Prometheus Energy, Archimedes rebranded itself and
parascience research effort, but there are numerous widened the scope of its operations following the collapse of
organizations dedicated solely or primarily to the study of Prometheus Labs. The core of Archimedes remains centered
parascience and the creation of paratechnologies. Many of on solar power generation, but the company has expanded
these groups date back to the Paranormal Renaissance, into related areas such as heating, electrical wiring,
where they played an instrumental role in the early desalination, and wireless power transmission.
development of modern parascience. iii. Argo Automotives. Known as Prometheus Automobile
Although some focus only on advancing the frontiers of Group prior to the collapse of the conglomerate, Argo
scientific knowledge, most researchers of parascience are Automotives operated from 1998 to 2009, when it was
also engaged in the supply of paratech products to the world forced into liquidation following the failure of the
behind the Veil. And while the constraints of the Veil make it paraeconomic investment strategy it had relied on for
impossible to openly market paratech, many companies have funding. During this time, it had a reputation for selling high-
found ways of circumventing these restrictions; the tech, high-performance vehicles.
dominance in paratech development by a handful of major iv. Iris Arts. Originally an offshoot of Prometheus Chemicals,
suppliers gives them a great deal of influence with normalcy Iris Arts was an early venture into mass commercialization
preservation organizations, allowing them to take advantage of paratech marketed at individual members of the
of regulatory loopholes with relative impunity. paranormal community. The company's core product line
consists of a variety of art supplies intended for use by
Prometheus Laboratories, Inc. anartists living in paranormal enclaves.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
v. Redzone Security. A software company specializing in
At one point the largest manufacturer of paratechnology in
creating programs for anomalous applications, formed by the
the world, Prometheus Labs was founded in 1892 as a
core development team of Prometheus Software Solutions
closely held corporation with the goal of researching
in 1998. It is also responsible for maintaining the servers
anomalous phenomena in order to develop new technologies
that made up the Prometheus Labs intranet, which has kept
for the benefit of humanity. The company played a pivotal
this network available, to a limited extent, to Prometheus'
role in the advancements of the Paranormal Renaissance,
successor companies.
emerging as a leader of parascientific research at the start of
vi. Silver Hand Cybernetics. Previously the Prosthetics
the 20th century. During the 7th Occult War, Prometheus
Division of Prometheus Medical, Silver Hand Cybernetics
Labs lent its significant technological expertise to the Allied
developed products almost exclusively for sale to the
coalition, resulting in major research and supply contracts
paranormal community. It operated from 1998 until 2004,
with the GOC and national paranormal agencies in the
when it was bought out by its primary competitor, Anderson
immediate post-war era — setting the stage for the
Robotics.
company's explosive growth in the Golden Age of Normalcy.
vii. Titan Consumer Appliances and Electronics. Formerly
Riding on the front of the post-war paratech bubble,
Prometheus Consumer Technologies, Titan Consumer
Prometheus Labs rapidly expanded, buying out competitors
Appliances and Electronics took on its current name and
and incorporating new subsidiaries to become a global
branding in 1999. Titan focuses on developing consumer
research conglomerate and the undisputed titan of paratech.
applications for paratech, a goal which often brings it into
At its peak, the conglomerate employed almost 300,000
conflict with normalcy preservation agencies.
people and had net revenues of approximately $75 billion,
with its numerous subsidiaries providing a vast array of
mundane and paranormal products, ranging from
dishwashers to cruise missiles.
The end of the Cold War brought an abrupt end to the
Golden Age paratech bubble, leaving Prometheus Labs in
dire financial straits — made even worse by the company's
heavy reliance on esoteric investment techniques. A series of
catastrophic research accidents in the late 90s managed to
finally push the company over the brink of insolvency in the
early months of 1998. Over the next few months, the
company was dismantled piecemeal — its many subsidiaries
either bought-out by competitors or spun-off as independent
ventures — and in September 1998, the primary holding
company was finally dissolved, irrevocably splintering the
once-massive conglomerate.
Of the many companies to emerge from the breakup of
Prometheus Labs, some of the more notable ones are listed
below:
i. Amrita Therapeutics. Formerly a subsidiary of Prometheus
Bioengineering, Amrita Therapeutics rebranded itself after
the collapse to continue manufacturing the highly profitable
All-Natural Automatons. In recent years, Amrita has begun
expanding into the development and commercialization of
stem-cell based technologies in the field of regenerative
Anderson Robotics Oneiroi Incorporated
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Once a rising force in the paratech trade, Anderson Robotics Originally conceived in the 1960s as an offshoot of
was a cybernetics and robotics startup founded in 1994 by Prometheus Labs' expeditions into metafictional space,
Vincent Anderson. Taking advantage of the disruption Oneiroi Inc provides a wide variety of esoteric services, from
caused by the end of the Golden Age of Normalcy, Anderson tailored dream vacations and subconscious behavioural
Robotics quickly came to dominate a large segment of the therapy to data storage and retrieval within metafictional
paratech market, combining sorcery and circuitry to create facilities. The technological foundation for these activities is
cutting-edge prosthetics, hyperrealistic androids, and poorly understood by anyone outside of Oneiroi Inc, and the
beyond-state-of-the-art combat drones. Led by its brilliant but company's reclusive and frequently anonymous leadership is
egotistical founder, Anderson Robotics openly flouted more than happy to keep it that way.
regulations on paratech, eventually drawing the ire of the Oneiroi's experiments with metafiction and dreamspace
Foundation, and later the UIU. have often aroused the suspicion of normalcy preservation
In 2024, following almost two decades of investigation and agencies, although the nature of said experiments makes it
unsuccessful sting operations, a joint Foundation-UIU task difficult to prove anything. Some of the company's clients
force performed a raid on the Anderson Robotics World claim to have experienced unusual and disturbing side-
Headquarters in Three Portlands, capturing most of the effects following treatments, including vivid but sporadic
company's upper management — including Vincent visions of another world and recurring meetings with an
Anderson — and putting an end to its global operations. In unidentifiable figure. The nature and similarity of these
the wake of Anderson's downfall, a number of ex-employees symptoms has led the World Parahealth Organization to
went on to form Phoenix Cybernetics, a new cybernetics label Oneiroi technologies as a potential vector for cognitive
startup built around the core of the former Anderson R&D pathogens, although Oneiroi Incorporated refutes these
team. This new company is committed to avoiding claims.
Anderson's mistakes, and is being closely monitored by the
UIU.

The Factory
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Despite being one of the largest suppliers of anomalous raw
materials, the entity known as the Factory has no known
investors, board of directors, executive officers, or even
manufacturing facilities. What is known is that they act as a
supplier of anomalous materials and components to other
paratechnology companies, although the quality of these
materials is often suspect. Despite its poor reputation, the
decline of the paratech industry since the end of the Cold
War has left many paratech companies with no other
suppliers, forcing them to turn to the Factory.

Marshall, Carter & Dark, Ltd.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Although primarily a "gentlemen's club" catering to the
super-rich, Marshall, Carter and Dark also engage in the
buying and reselling of paratechnology. They act as a sort of
middleman for the paratech industry, establishing links
between suppliers of raw materials, manufacturers of
finished goods, and consumers of paratech products. They
benefit greatly from their client base in this role, using their
connections among the global elite to orchestrate highly
profitable exchanges with relative immunity from normalcy
preservation organizations.
Religions & Initiatives
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
a. The Broken Church. The oldest neo-Mekhanite
denomination, and the closest thing to an orthodox church
among modern Mekhanites. The Broken Church first
While parascience is the result of applying the tools of the emerged in the 1920s, partially in reaction to the horrors of
scientific method to paranormal phenomena, it should come the First World War, basing their new theology on the then
as no surprise that there are those who instead turn to recent discoveries of ancient Mekhanite artifacts. Further
religion for answers when confronted with the inexplicable discoveries over the next few decades led to a refinement
and unknown. Emerging out of the discoveries of the and codification of religious dogma and institutional
Paranormal Renaissance, numerous anomalous religions structure, with Robert Bumaro emerging as the undisputed
flourish behind the Veil, despite frequently coming into leader of the sect by 1946. The Broken Church believes that
conflict with normalcy preservation agencies that seek to the fragments of Mekhane have a physical form and seek to
suppress the spread of information which serves as the basis literally reassemble their god from these pieces. They are
of their beliefs. dedicated to acquiring said pieces for this purpose, although
Although frequently non-religious or non-denominational in many supposed fragments of Mekhane happen to be
nature, the handful of humanitarian groups that operate dangerous anomalous objects in the custody of normalcy
behind the Veil share a similar status as the anomalous preservation organizations.
religions. Lacking the clout of major paratech suppliers, and b. Church of Maxwellism. Emerging in the 1960s and 70s as
often advocating policies in opposition to the Veil, such an offshoot of the Broken Church, Maxwellism takes a
humanitarian interests face intense scrutiny from normalcy syncretic approach to Mekhanite theology, combining
preservation organizations. modern (para)technology with ancient Mekhanite scriptures
to create a decentralized church with a flexible dogma.
Church of The Broken God Maxwellists believe that the fragments of the Broken God do
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
not have a physical form, and that they are instead spread
The Church of the Broken God is not a single monolithic
throughout the entire expanse of human consciousness and
religious institution; instead, the term refers to the diverse
culture. Maxwellists seek to create a single computational
collection of neo-Mekhanite cults and denominations which
network connecting every human mind and containing all
share a common origin and central dogma. Modern
human knowledge, which they believe will result in the
Mekhanism traces its origins to the archeological efforts of
reunification of their god and the apotheosis of humanity.
the Paranormal Renaissance, which were responsible for
recovering many artifacts and texts of the ancient and extinct
Mekhanite religion. Neo-Mekhanites base their beliefs on The Horizon Initiative
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
modern reconstructions of these ancient Mekhanite sources, A multi-denominational religious organization encompassing
although the fragmented nature of the recovered texts means the major Abrahamic faiths, the Horizon Initiative is a hybrid
that there is a great variety of competing interpretations. religious order and normalcy preservation agency, formed in
All Mekhanite sects can be described as deistic and gnostic the aftermath of the Seventh Occult War to counterbalance
— sharing a common belief in a deity which has been the perceived dominance of secular groups in determining
rendered inert and fragmented, trapping the divine spark consensus normalcy. Lacking the same level of funding and
within the physical world. Mekhanites believe that organic support from national governments that the more
life is a corruption of the material perfection of the universe, conventional normalcy preservation organizations receive,
and seek to reunify the disparate fragments of their god in the Horizon Initiative relies heavily on volunteers and
order to bring about a technological apotheosis. Many donations — and as a result, the Initiative is highly
Mekhanites engage in radical body modification, replacing decentralized, with the main corps of the organization
biological tissues and organs with mechanical — and often numbering less than a thousand people. Despite its best
anomalous — components to "purify" themselves, which they efforts to achieve self-sufficiency, the Horizon Initiative
believe will bring them closer to the divine perfection of their remains at least partially dependent on the support of
god. It is this process of mechanization that has brought orthodox religious institutions, particularly the Roman
Mekhanites into conflict with normalcy preservation Catholic Church, leading some to accuse it of being a Papist
organizations, forcing them to keep their evangelizing behind conspiracy.
the Veil. The Initiative works to incorporate independent Abrahamic
Of the many Mekhanite sects which can be considered part mystical orders wherever possible, relying on their existing
of the Church of the Broken God, there are several major infrastructure to conduct its field operations — primarily the
denominations which are particularly notable. acquisition of religious artifacts and the disruption of cult
activity. Due to its multi-denominational character and lack
of institutional cohesion, the Horizon Initiative has
occasionally been compared to the old Allied Occult Initiative
— a comparison furthered by the inclusion of several former
AOI members within the Initiative, and its focus on securing
religious artifacts.
Manna Charitable Foundation The Serpent's Hand
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Manna Charitable Foundation is a nonprofit Straddling the line between terrorism and activism, the
humanitarian relief organization founded in 1971. While Serpent's Hand is a loose collection of individuals aligned by
most of their operations are mundane in nature, they have on their opposition to what they consider the authoritarian
numerous occasions attempted to utilize paratechnology to nature of consensus normalcy. Members of the Hand have
provide humanitarian aid. Despite heavy opposition from consistently campaigned against the restrictions of the Veil,
normalcy preservation agencies, these efforts have been focusing especially on the perceived mistreatment of
largely successful, although a small number of highly parahumans and anomalous non-humans by normalcy
damaging failures resulting from faulty paratech have preservation organizations. Many of the Hand's members are
somewhat tarnished the organization's reputation. parahumans or non-humans themselves, although some of
its most vocal members are baseline humans. Due to the
Sarkic Cults nature of the Veil, which makes it difficult and dangerous to
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- publicly oppose normalcy, the Hand primarily operates in
Sarkicism is a religious/philosophical system that and from paranormal enclaves; the Wanderer's Library in
encompasses a variety of traditions, beliefs, and spiritual particular is often used as a base of operations, as the
practices largely based on teachings attributed to “Grand Library's strict neutrality and enforced ban on violence serve
Karcist Ion”1, its deified founder. Adherents practice ritual to shield the Hand from potential reprisals by normalcy
cannibalism, human sacrifice, corporeal augmentation, preservation organizations.
thaumaturgy, dimensional manipulation, and the formation Due to its decentralized nature and lack of consistent
of pacts with otherworldly entities. Organic manipulation has leadership, the Serpent's Hand has very little control over
allowed certain Sarkites to achieve anomalous states of the actions of its members — and the absence of a formal
being, transcending the physical limitations of baseline membership structure makes it nearly impossible for the
humans. movement to disavow any particular group or individual
Highly secretive, the general public appears to have little to acting in its name. As a result, the Serpent's Hand has been
no direct knowledge of their existence. Some organizations repeatedly linked to violent attacks against normalcy
are aware of them, such as the Global Occult Coalition and preservation organizations, leading many to view the entire
the Horizon Initiative, while the Church of the Broken God movement with suspicion.
views them in apocalyptic terms2. Though it hinders
investigation, their clandestine nature is ultimately beneficial
to the preservation of normalcy.
Disease is often viewed with reverence and Sarkic shrines
have been discovered with offerings of swollen lymph nodes
and tumorous growths. Certain Sarkic cults treat contagions
as consecration, a means to "cull the weak" and purify the
masses, and thus actively seek to ensure their spread. Most
but not all Sarkites display an inherent resistance to
pathogens, though it remains unknown if this is an
anomalous or naturally occurring attribute.
Sarkic anomalies are not without risk to their users. While
Sarkites are able to augment themselves into physically
superior forms, it has been shown that such alterations (or
perhaps, the secret truths they come to learn along their path
to apotheosis) have a degenerative influence on mental
stability. The exact cause of this remains unexplained but it
is most exemplified among known karcists, who frequently
display symptoms of psychosis.
Syndicates & Terrorists Obskura
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Obskuracorps was the paranormal arm of Nazi
Existing in direct opposition to the Veil and the organizations Germany's SS Ahnenerbe, responsible for all
that uphold it, these groups are considered terrorists and experimentation and research regarding the occult and
criminals. Some are driven by ideology, while others are anomalous; the ultimate goal of its research was to perform
simply seeking to make a quick buck. Often, the distinction the Rite of Solomon and use it to advance the racial agenda
between these groups and those tolerated by normalcy of the Nazi regime. They were aided in this effort by the
preservation organizations is a matter of political Thule Society, a group of German occultists with ties to the
convenience. Whatever the case, these are the outcasts of Nazi Party. With the outbreak of the Seventh Occult War —
the paranormal community, shunned by anyone who fears which occurred as a reaction to the increasingly aggressive
drawing the ire of those who maintain the Veil. actions taken by the Obskuracorps in their efforts to acquire
artifacts for the Rite — the Obskuracorps also became
Chaos Insurgency responsible for waging the occult conflict for Nazi Germany.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
At the end of the Seventh Occult War, the Obskuracorps and
The Chaos Insurgency is a loose coalition of several different their Thule Society allies were decisively routed; the
radical occult groups. Their goals and their methods are surviving members of these organizations soon became the
varied and various, to such an extent that it is not uncommon targets of an international manhunt by the Allied Occult
for different factions within the Insurgency to be working Initiative and its successor, the Global Occult Coalition.
against each other. What they all share, however, is a desire While many Nazi occultists would eventually be caught by
to overturn the existing status quo as enforced by normalcy the GOC, a number of them managed to evade capture and
preservation organizations. went into hiding, eventually going on to form the occult
Considered a terrorist group by most major powers, the terrorist organization known as OBSKURA. OBSKURA's
Insurgency operates through stealth and subterfuge. Their goals in the aftermath of the total destruction of the Nazi
activities include smuggling anomalous objects, weapons regime seem to be centered largely around revenge against
dealing (both mundane and paranormal), human and the GOC, focusing on dealing as much damage as possible
anahuman trafficking, espionage, blackmail, and sabotage. before OBSKURA is inevitably destroyed.

Chicago Spirit Scarlet Hammer

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
At one point the largest paracriminal organization in the The Division of Special Circumstances was the paranormal
Western Hemisphere, the Chicago Spirit originated in 1895 arm of the KGB, responsible for maintaining the Soviet
as a small-scale smuggling operation engaged in the Union's stockpile of paraweapons. When the USSR
trafficking of anomalous objects. Over the next three collapsed in 1991, the KGB, including the Division of Special
decades, the Spirit expanded rapidly, adding new kinds of Circumstances, was disbanded due to its role in the abortive
crime and paracrime to its activities and spreading its August Coup. In response, multiple officers within the DSC,
influence across North America. The organization reached led by the former Director, went rogue, disappearing with a
its peak during the Prohibition Era, using its knowledge of large number of Soviet paraweapons. These renegade DSC
the Way network to run highly profitable bootlegging elements would become the paranormal crime syndicate
operations. However, the Spirit was already in decline by the known as Scarlet Hammer.
1930s, largely as a result of an intense crackdown on its Scarlet Hammer are the largest dealer of paraweaponry and
activities by the Foundation and the UIU. When the illegal paratech within the former Soviet bloc, although their
Foundation captured the leader of the Chicago Spirit, operations have also extended into Western Europe and
Richard Chappell, in 1933, the remainder of the organization Southeast Asia. They are believed to be in competition with
quickly unraveled. By 1938, the Chicago Spirit was the Chaos Insurgency, another major seller of black market
effectively defunct, although many of its members continued paraweapons.
to engage in criminal activity at an individual level
throughout the following decades.
The end of the Golden Age of Normalcy created a massive The Black Queen
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
availability of black market paratech, bringing about a drastic The Black Queen is the moniker of a number of individuals
increase in street-level paracrime. Of the many criminal with the innate capability of traveling between multiverses.
organizations that emerged to capitalize on these illicit Due to their different origins, each Black Queen typically has
opportunities, at least one has laid claim to the mantle of the their own distinct goals and methods, though certain
long-disbanded Chicago Spirit. Although it has been common aspects exist, such as the disappearance of a father
implicated in several major paratech heists, the so-called figure and the discovery of their multiverse's version of the
Chicago Spectre is still an extremely small-scale operation, Wanderer's Library.
far removed from the power and reach once attained by the Several Black Queens are currently active within our
Chicago Spirit. multiverse, many of whom are engaged in cross-multiverse
paratech dealing. At least one Black Queen is involved in the
operations of the Chaos Insurgency, and others are known to
be loosely affiliated with the Serpent's Hand.
A Brave New World
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
house their anahuman prisoners within Paramax — the
alternative is turning them over to the Foundation or GOC
for detainment or constructing an equivalent facility.
The world is full of places that are, in some way, inherently
anomalous. Most of these are minor anomalies — haunted Three Portlands
houses, vanishing buildings, improbability zones, cornfields, ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
and most kinds of liminal spaces — and are thus not notable, Three Portlands is a city-state located within its own pocket
but there are some locations that are so anomalous that they universe, which can be accessed via Ways in Portland,
must be concealed behind the Veil. Many of these places end Oregon; Portland, Maine; and the Isle of Portland in the UK.
up as paranormal enclaves — sanctuary zones where the It is the largest paranormal enclave in or adjacent to North
paranormal community can live openly, segregated from the America. Although Three Portlands is an independent city,
mundane world. Others are prisons, jails constructed to with its own city council and mayor, the city government has
house vengeful gods, eldritch nightmares, and human (mostly) voluntarily surrendered some of its autonomy by
monsters. Often, the difference between the two is not granting the US Government jurisdiction within the city,
always clear. under the terms of the Hoover Mandate. Per this agreement,
the UIU is tasked with enforcing US federal law (both
Backdoor SoHo paranormal and mundane) in Three Portlands; the UIU's
Three Portlands field office is second only to the Miami field
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A pocket universe and anartist haven branching off from the office in size and caseload.
SoHo neighborhood of New York City. The city within is The population of the city is incredibly diverse, comprising
under the protection of a mysterious Doorman, named humans, parahumans, and sapient non-humans of all kinds.
Charlie, who controls entry and exit from the pocket There is a rich anart scene (although not as rich as Backdoor
universe; however, as with most paranormal enclaves within SoHo) and a strong paratech industry (although not as
the United States, law enforcement is performed by the UIU strong as Eurtec) within the city, both driven by the sheer
under the terms of the Hoover Mandate — and despite size of the paranormal community there. Three Portlands is
protests from the city's more anarchic anartists, Charlie one of only a few paranormal enclaves to host multiple occult
maintains the UIU's open invitation into the city. Aside from colleges, with both an ICSUT satellite campus and the local
the Doorman and the UIU field office, there is almost no Deer College located in the city.
other local government in Backdoor SoHo — something
which the city's small number of exceedingly eccentric The Wanderer's Library
citizens are perfectly fine with. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A massive multiversal nexus taking the form of a vast library,
Eurtec containing works of fiction and non-fiction collected from
across time and space throughout the multiverse. While it is
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A pocket universe and independent city-state accessible from the single largest repository of knowledge within the
almost every major city in Europe, built by the Servants of multiverse, the Wanderer's Library is far from
the Silicon Nornir at the behest of the GOC to facilitate the comprehensive, despite the ceaseless efforts of the
research, development, and consumption of paratechnology, mysterious and eldritch Librarians and the many freelance
all within a contained environment that can be closely archivists they employ.
monitored by normalcy preservation organizations. Its The Wanderer's Library is maintained as a neutral and
business-friendly legislature and laissez-faire approach to apolitical center of learning, with anyone free to come and go
paratech have attracted many organizations to the city, as they please so long as they abide by the Library's rules.
despite the constant presence of GOC surveillance. There is a strict prohibition on violence within the Library,
Representing itself as the quintessential megalopolis of the and any violation of this rule will result in swift punitive
future, Eurtec actively solicits paratech producers, action by the Librarians. While all are free to browse and
consumers, and entrepreneurs to take advantage of what is read through the Library's extensive collection, removing
essentially the largest celebration of paratech of Earth. books from the Library requires a Library Card, which can
be extremely difficult to acquire — usually requiring the
Paramax performance of a favor to the Librarians.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
United States Penitentiary, Paranormal ADX, colloquially
called Paramax, is a federal supermax prison designed for
containing anahuman felons and mundane paracriminals
who cannot be amnesticized. Built in 1947 with assistance
from the Foundation, Paramax is located in its own artificial
pocket universe. Originally created with a permanent Way
connecting it to Alcatraz Island, the Way was collapsed when
the federal prison there was closed in 1963, leaving the
pocket universe to float freely through the Outside alongside
the mainline universe.
Paramax is considered to be one of the most secure facilities
in the multiverse — no prisoner has ever escaped, nor has
anyone ever infiltrated the prison from the outside. As one of
the few facilities of its type, a number of nations have entered
into agreements with the US Government that allow them to
Supplemental Intelligence. But I hope that this short lecture will give you
some understanding of what it is that we Type Blues do, and
how we do it.
Readings "We begin with first principles. Thaumatology is the study of
magical principles as a practical science. In many ways, it is
similar to Physics, except that it is born from very different
Applied Thaumatology principles. For instance, modern physics may be said to
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- begin with the principles of Newton's three laws of motion.
"Good evening. Please have a seat. You will find wine, water, Thaumatology begins with a very different set of basic laws,
bread, and salt at the back of the room, if you require called the Law of Contagion and the Law of Similarity. They
refreshment. Also coffee and donuts and all the rest of that may be summed up thusly: 'The part affects the whole,' and
stuff. And go easy on the wine. I have rarely met a PHYSICS 'Like produces like.'
operative who could maintain decorum around free alcohol. "You can already see where this runs into a problem. Physics
"While you get your refreshments and get seated, let me talk already teaches us that these two principles are invalid: if I
a little bit about rituals. break a piece off of this loaf of bread and burn the piece, it
"Bread and salt is a traditional means of greeting doesn't cause the rest of the loaf to char. Neither does
distinguished guests in Eastern Europe. Unsurprising, after powdered rhinoceros horn cure male impotence, no matter
all: bread being considered the staff of life, salt being an how similar that appendage might look to a male penis.
expensive but necessary supplement in those days. It was Which leads us to the third basic principle of magic,
traditional for the guest to tear a piece of bread off the loaf, originally stated as: 'Magic requires a talented practitioner.'
dip it in the salt, and consume it. Does this ritual sound Only certain types of people can perform magic. How and
similar to anything else you may have encountered? Ah. I see why was never established. And this was the state of
that the Protestants in the room understand immediately. practical thaumatology for hundreds of years… up until the
Yes, it is similar to the communion method known as early 20th century.
intinction, where the bread is taken from a loaf, dipped in a "You see, up until that point, thaumatology… or magic, as it
common chalice, and the elements taken together. I see that was still known back then… was in a crisis. Advances in
some of the Catholics in the room are a bit confused. As are science and physics were beginning to crowd out the grey
those of you who grew up in an environment where Holy areas that they had relied on. Practitioners were beginning
Communion was taken in a different manner. In both cases, to lose effectiveness. Theories were brought up ranging from
the ritual is a symbol not only of welcoming, but of human expansion changing the flow of mana in the world, to
fellowship. It is for that reason that we consider it an act of the very progress of science changing reality into a more
fellowship to 'break bread' together; why so many dates stable state. Practitioners even went so far as to deliberately
begin with or include a meal. isolate themselves from modern society in order to avoid
"Also, water. When Saladin captured the Crusader leaders at having their minds contaminated by scientific discoveries…
Hattin, there was a man among them named Reynald de up until a man named Heisenberg proposed a stunning
Chatillon who he hated over all else. Chatillon, in Saladin's proposition in 1927.
opinion, was a cruel and untrustworthy man who broke his "Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle states that when dealing
vows and acted with great perfidy towards the faithful of with a particle, the more precisely its momentum is known,
Allah. When the nobles of the Crusaders were brought to his the less precisely its location is known, and vice-versa. It was
tent, Saladin provided water for the Crusader King: Guy de not this theory itself that galvanized the thaumatological
Lusignan. The King, of course, passed the water to his world, but its correlating principle: observation changes the
friend, Reynald de Chatillon… at which point, Saladin world. That is when the third principle of magic was revised
pointed out, very curtly, that it was Guy who had given water from 'Magic requires a talented practitioner,' to 'Observation
to his hated enemy without his permission. Providing water changes Reality.' Or, more simply put… certain minds can
to guests in such an arid region was considered a promise change the way the world works.
that no harm would come to them. Saladin, intending to kill "Incidentally, it is now believed that Type Green reality
Reynald, was very intent that his actions not be seen as benders may be persons with unusual talents in this area,
breaking a sacred vow. hence the alternate name 'Outside Observer' proposed by
"Nowadays, we provide donuts and coffee as a courtesy to some. There is, in fact, a movement to reclassify both Type
guests who may miss their breakfasts by coming to these Green reality benders and Type Blue thaumaturges within a
seminars, and as a means of making sure that you do not single category. I don't know what we'll call it: Type Teal?
need to leave to eat or drink, should you require refreshment. Type Aqua? We shall see.
But it is not difficult to see a common line between this "As time went on, and new theories about quantum
seemingly mundane courtesy and the sacred rituals of our mechanics arose, the magical community came to realize
past. All of which is a long and convoluted way for me to say, that their world had more grey areas than they had
as all of you get to your seats: welcome. anticipated. Nearly overnight, the magician changed from the
"Allow me to introduce myself. My name is [REDACTED]. reclusive hermit hiding from the world, into the young
You may call me Professor. I am a Professor Emeritus at the scientist, eagerly exploring it. Even the name of the field
Massachusetts campus of the International Center for the changed from the staid and superstitious 'magic' to the much
Study of Unified Thaumatology: ICSUT. My specialty is in more scientific 'thaumatology.'
Constructed Intelligence. The cat is my companion, "… then the Seventh Occult War broke out… and we faced
Midnight. This lecture is intended to give you new PHYSICS the consequences of this new science, just as the world faced
operatives a working understanding of the basic principles the sobering consequences of the nuclear age, leading to the
behind Unified Thaumatology. Don't think that after this, formation of the Global Occult Coalition. But that is a lecture
that you can perform a working or summon an Outside for a different time.
"So. What can an old wizard like me tell you about "EVE is the fundamental energy that powers thaumatology.
thaumatology? What EVE is, we are still trying to understand. It appears to
"First of all… remember those three basic principles: Like be somehow linked to the Observer Effect directly. It has
Produces Like. The Part Affects the Whole. Observation been described as 'life energy,' or 'magical particles,' but
Changes Reality. It is that third principle that is the main such terms are gross oversimplifications. If you are
focus of modern thaumatology: the isolation of the EVE interested in the more esoteric aspects of EVE theory, you
quantum, the fundamental unit of living energy, has taught will find some recommended reading in your seminar
us how observation changes reality. It is the guiding syllabus. But for now, I will simply discuss the aspects of
principle behind the COLLICULUS imaging system. And it EVE that are pertinent to a Coalition field agent.
has led to new technologies that would have been "EVE is emitted by living things. It is also often emitted by
unimaginable just one hundred years prior. paranormal objects. EVE emission is not a perfect indication
"For instance: all of you have had a colloidal silver pattern of whether or not a person or object has paranormal
tattooed somewhere discreet on your body. This is a vital properties, but often, that is the case. Higher and more
defense against thaumatological attack: All of us shed bits of intense levels of EVE are generated by beings with higher
ourselves wherever we go, ranging from skin cells to hair levels of sapience: their Observer Effect is stronger, thus
cells. Were you not protected, a single hair from your body their EVE levels are stronger as well. Humans over Animals,
could be used to do you great harm. The wards break the Animals over Plants.
quantum linkages between your living body and the unliving "Interestingly enough, the Goddesses that the Servants of
parts that it sheds, helping to protect you from your enemies the Silicon Nornir operate also generate EVE energy. Food
with voodoo dolls. On the other hand, we can use those same for thought.
principles to our advantage: getting a hair or DNA sample "Training you on recognizing and identifying EVE patterns is
from a target could allow a GOC thaumatologist to track the beyond the scope of this one-day seminar: you'll be provided
person where our technological means cannot. Something to a handbook with common patterns and schemes to
consider prioritizing when you're in the field. recognize and memorize. But for now, let's try it out.
"Let's go to something a bit more spectacular. This is an "On the table in front of you, you'll find a COLLICULUS
Apportation circle. It's basically one big magical quantum Aetheric Resonance Imager. I've already set up the imaging
teleporter: it basically convinces every particle in your body nodes, so all you'll need to do is put on the headset. But
that it should take the infintesimal chance that it's before you do that, let me give you a quick rundown on how
somewhere far away, rather than where it should be. It to use it.
requires incredible amounts of energy… and the process of "The system can be put on like any other personal image
forcing the universe to express such an improbable state enhancement headset. It can be worn using a headstrap or
causes many other improbable things to occur. We call it attached to your helmet. Other variations attach to your
backlash, and it's the reason why we don't use Apportation rifle's Picatinny rail. There are three components: power
as much as we could: every time we do, something weird supply, headset, and image processor. For now, the power
happens, and we're generally in the business of stopping supply will be the extension cords at your tables, and the
weird things from happening, not causing them. image processor should be left on the surface of the table.
"Yes, hands down, I know this sounds like a bad Douglas "When I tell you to do so, and not before, pick up the image
Adams story. Did you know he was inspired by quantum processor and turn this wheel here all the way to 0. That's
physics? Food for thought. the image brightness control. You also want all three of these
"Here's one more practical application to consider. Say hi to switches: "CAL," "VIS," and "ARI," set to the "ON" position.
Midnight. Midnight here is what we called a 'familiar,' now Only then will you flip the power switch and put the headset
better known as a Construct Intelligence. Think of her as a on. After that, you can adjust the image brightness until the
piece of pure intelligence given feline form. Where did that calibration bar at the bottom of the screen is properly
intelligence come from? Ah. These are the questions, aren't adjusted: you should see eight distinct squares, each one a
they? The ones we're trying to answer. different shade of grey, ranging from near-black to near-
"Because thaumatology is a new science. It's been studied white.
for years, but as mythology and superstition. It's only in the "Go ahead and put them on now. I'll be coming around to
past fifty years or so that a real study of it has been made. help anyone who's having problems.
And we've got a lot of things left to learn. "Everyone all set? Having fun? Interesting stuff, isn't it?
"In any case, I hope that I've helped to break some of the "What you're seeing in the COLLICULUS headset is the
misconceptions around thaumatology and illustrated a few EVE energy being given off by you and your classmates.
places in which laypersons like yourselves can utilize it for You'll see that different people have different color and
your benefit. I'll be taking questions now. shape patterns. Over time, you'll learn to read and recognize
these patterns. A skilled COLLICULUS operator can not
Aetheric Energy & Aspect Radiation only detect a person, they can also read their emotional state
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- and some paranormal properties.
"Good afternoon. I hope you had a pleasant lunch. Please be "They can also see through walls. In a moment, I am going to
seated, and we will resume with the second portion of this activate a secondary COLLICULUS array located in the
seminar. conference room next door. If you will please all direct your
"The first portion of my lecture covered the three attention to the front of the room…
fundamental laws upon which thaumatology is based, and "There we go. Location and position of every human being in
the ways in which they may have an effect upon a PHYSICS the room next door, through the walls. I am now going to ask
Division operative's choices in the field. At this point, I am you to set the VIS switch to "OFF," but keep your thumb on
going to proceed to a somewhat more esoteric field: Elan- the switch, please. It might be a bit difficult for you to find it
Vital Energy and Aspect Radiation. once you've turned off visible light processing.
"Interesting, isn't it? How you can see the entirety of the next radioactive material, while an Over-Ebony alteration changes
room? Aetheric Resonance. Older models of the ARI system the past fifty years of history to add an event back in the past
could only directly detect EVE emission patterns. The that didn't occur before. On the other hand, Pitch, Weave,
newest ones can also use EVE interaction with inert matter and Intensity also need to be considered… A Ruby level
to draw a map of the surrounding area. The resolution isn't alteration that causes a sub-critical mass of plutonium to
very good at the moment, but we're already working on the reach prompt criticality is a much more severe event than
next-generation technology. Mussolini having tea instead of coffee for breakfast one
"Ah. I can see that someone noticed that Midnight here morning.
comes off as a bit different. Midnight, if you'll recall, is a "Pitch is what mages used to call "White Line" versus "Black
Constructed Intelligence. That is, to say, she is a piece of raw Line" magic: how destructive a particular burst of Aspect
mind put into the form of a cat. You'll notice that there are Radiation is. It comes in five categories: Double-Flat, Flat,
some unusual spikes in her aura signature, as well as some Natural, Sharp, and Double-Sharp. Double-Flat is the most
dips that don't appear in human beings. Her color scheme destructive, the most disruptive to the operation of the
also tends towards blue significantly more than the rest of mundane universe. Double sharp is the most constructive:
the class. these changes tend to become integrated into the very fabric
"Aha! And now the gentleman in the front row has of reality itself. This is not to say that Double-Sharp is
recognized something else as well… my aura pattern also necessarily good… if you want an example of a hostile
tends blue. And now you're remembering that "Type Blue" is Double-Sharp working, consider the anomalous Daeva
the GOC designation for thaumaturges… Not a coincidence, I Civilization: an ancient civilization of bloodthirsty
assure you. The image processing software is designed to thaumaturges that, periodically, have their decline and fall a
process the EVE signature of a thaumaturge as blue. Same few years later than before. That's a Double-Sharp Over-
with Type Reds and Greens. Type Blacks… they're another Ebony scenario right there.
story. "Finally, Weave. Comes in four varieties: Sparse, Loose,
"In any case, take a few more moments to experiment with Tight, and Locked. Explaining it is… difficult… mostly
the COLLICULUS system. I'll be coming around to answer because it's the only characteristic of Aspect Radiation that
any questions you may have." we don't have a way to detect. The only way to assess Weave
"I'm going to end this segment of the seminar with a is by direct observation by a Type Blue like myself. But what
discussion of Aspect Radiation, or ARad. EVE, you see, isn't you need to know is: Sparse is vague and strange. Loose is a
just an indication of the Observer Effect. It's also a little more understandable. Tight is usually about where we
transformative power in its own right. When EVE intensity get to what most people think of as "magic" or "reality
gets to the point where it can alter or change reality, that is warping" - the purview of Type Blues and Greens. And if you
what we call Aspect Radiation. ever hear "Locked," turn and run like hell, because there's a
"So, to answer the first question: Aspect Radiation is simply Type Black in the area.
EVE in concentrations high enough to cause reality warping "All of this must sound complicated, because it is. I'd have to
effects. Think of it as gamma radiation: Gamma rays are give you an undergraduate level course in basic
simply the upper end of the electromagnetic spectrum, the thaumatological physics to explain further. But this all
same spectrum that contains X-Rays, visible light, heat, and relates to one of the big questions I keep getting asked:
radio waves. namely, why doesn't the Coalition use magical workings for
"We categorize Aspect Radiation along three axes: Hue, everything? Why do we need Strike Teams and Assessment
Pitch, and Weave. Plus Intensity, that's four characteristics Teams?
that should provide a solid description of the level of reality "The reason is backlash. Every time you utilize Aspect
alteration that we might be dealing with. Radiation to make a change in reality, it bounces off the
"Intensity is measured in Caspers, a term which has a very fundamental fabric of existence and causes a secondary
technical definition that I will not get into here. One hundred effect called Backlash. The formula for measuring Backlash
Caspers is considered normal "background" radiation levels. intensity is a bit complicated, but it can be summed up like
At one thousand, you may start seeing paranormal effects. At this: A percentage of the original spell's Intensity. Opposite
ten thousand plus, you are seeing severe and immediate Pitch. Opposite Hue. Same Weave.
reality alteration. Word of advice: unless you are specially "So let's say I perform a working to create a door in that
trained to deal with reality alteration scenarios, you should wall, where there wasn't one before. That might be… 3
avoid any ARAD field higher than one thousand. kilocaspers, Ebony, Sharp, Tight. I plug the numbers into my
"Hue. Originally, Hue used six of the seven colors of the formula here… and I can expect a backlash of 1.75
rainbow. That turned out to be a problem… people would call Kilocaspers, Ruby, Flat, Tight. Maybe I suddenly give off a
in "Type Blues" with ARad characteristics reading "3 burst of gamma radiation. Maybe the carpet in a five meter
thousand, Black, Flat, Tight," and people would get radius bursts into flame. Maybe there is a burst of light and a
confused. So we extended the scale a bit and changed the glowing pattern of runes. In fact, when I do my working, I'm
terms. The Hue scale is now: Ruby, Topaz, Lemon, going to be trying to redirect the backlash into as harmless a
Malachite, Sapphire, Ebony, and Over-Ebony. Or, you could pattern as possible. That's why thaumatologists use casting
just say Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Black, and Over- circles and geometric patterns: to redirect the backlash into
Black if those colors sound too frou-frou for big, manly predictable patterns.
soldiers like yourselves… but you might confuse people. "On the other hand, there are some workings that we still
"One common misconception is that Hue is a measure of the haven't figured out how to reabsorb all the backlash from.
danger level of Aspect Radiation. Not the case. Hue is The most notorious being apportation. Altering reality so
actually a measure of… I guess the best way to put it is how that quantum tunneling causes a large amount of mass to
"blatant" the change is. For instance, a Ruby change might instantly appear somewhere else… it's a really ugly
just be an acceleration in the decay rate of a small amount of alteration, and the ARad backlash is huge.
"Worst of all, backlash itself is a burst of Aspect Radiation opposite Hue: High Ebony, heavily creative and heavily
which can itself cause backlash… and so on and so forth. In blatant. The energy was then recaptured and worked into the
fact, one theory as to why paranormal objects exist is that the final spell. Thaumatologists call this a Speckmann Rebound.
Big Bang was the most powerful magical working in the "Allow me to show you an example from an actual PHYSICS
universe… and it's still backlashing upon itself, causing Division operation. A Strike Team, equipped with Current
reality to bend and alter at regular intervals. Gen technology is raiding the home of a rogue thaumaturge.
"I'm starting to see that I'm losing some of you. Let's take Teams Alpha through Delta provide perimeter security,
another break, and when we get back, we'll talk about killing while Echo Team acts as the assault element. Echo Team's
things and having sex." point man enters the working area and discovers the
following scene: Two persons engaged in sexual intercourse,
Thaumatic Workings one of them the Type Blue. Across the room from them, a
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Class 9 ectomorphic entity is taking shape. Meanwhile, the
"I see that my little statement last time got everyone's walls are starting to light on fire. You are Echo Team's point
attention. Let's get into it. man. What do you do?
"Every thaumatic working, whether it's carried out using eye "Terminate the Type Blue? That is one option… but the
of newt or a desktop computer, has four components: the working is already in progress. There is a lot of free Aspect
Source, the Shaper, the Target, and the Sink. You might Radiation being generated. If you terminate the controlling
think of them as the components of a firearm: the Source is agent… well, unless you're a Type Blue yourself, you're going
the propellant that drives the entire process. The Shaper is to end up on the wrong side of a high amount of wild EVE.
the barrel and firing chamber that directs the force of the Not a good place to be.
explosion. The Target is the bullet that is driven down the "Terminate the ectomorph? I did mention it was a Class 9,
barrel, the effect you're trying to perform. And finally, the wasn't it? And the team had Gen +0 Technology? Not a
Sink consists of the recoil compensation mechanisms. winning proposition there.
"There is, of course, a fifth component that isn't an actual "What the Echo Team agent did instead was terminate the
part of the working: the Practitioner. That would be you, the Type Blue's sexual partner. The agent recognized that the
finger that pulls the trigger. working's Source was the same Pitch as the Target…
"I see I'm starting to lose some of your attentions, so please namely, both Sharp, or creative. He then shifted the energy
direct your attention here. of the Source powerfully towards Flat… towards destruction.
"I knew that would get your attention. The end result disrupted the still-forming ectomorph and
"What you are looking at is not only an orgy, but the source caused the working to fail. It also had the side effect of
of a thaumatic worki— yes, she does have impressive creating a mist that quenched the flames caused by the
breasts, and—" backlash. On the other hand, it resulted in most of the team
<pause> having to be treated for steam burns.
"Do I have your attention again? Thank you. "Yes, sir, you had a question?
"As I was saying, what you are looking at is the source of a <pause. audience laughs.>
thaumaturgical working. Remember what I said before about "… I actually don't find that question particularly funny.
Pitch of aspect radiation: Sharp is creative, while Flat is Actually, the gentleman had a good point. If the source had
destructive. And there are few acts more creative than the been a human sacrifice instead, one method to disrupt the
act of reproduction… or more destructive than the act of working could have been to introduce a strongly Sharp
murder. pitched energy into the working: and yes, I suppose that
"… I'll give you another moment. making love inside the Source area would have worked. On
"All right, let's continue. the other hand, I doubt that any man… or woman, for that
"The examples I've just shown you are extreme, but they are matter… could be heroic enough to maintain arousal in the
also clear examples of two different very extreme kinds of presence of a rapidly forming hostile Class 9 ectomorph… or
thaumaturgical Sources. In each case, the practitioner was skilled enough to complete in time to disrupt the working. In
attempting to "pitch" their energy source hard towards that case, a better response would be to disrupt the initial
Sharp or Flat. What kind of working do you think they were working that is being used to shift the Pitch of the spell: the
trying to perform? Speckmann's Rebound. Destroy the heat sinks or light
"… actually, no. In both cases, the practitioner was sources that are being energized to create the backlash.
attempting to perform the same working: namely, the "Alternatively, you could push the original practitioner into
creation of a Constructed Intelligence… or the summoning of the target area and terminate him there, introducing a surge
a demon, as was said in the older days. In both cases, the of Flat Aspect Radiation into the circuit after the Rebound. I
end purpose of the ritual pitched strongly towards Sharp, or know at least one team that dealt with a nasty working in
creation. The difference came in just how patient the that manner. It has the disadvantage of leaving no one to
practitioner was in setting up their Source. question afterwards.
"Remember what I said about Backlash? When a working is "In practice, of course, most modern thaumaturges prefer to
performed, the excess energy bounces off the fabric of reality use less dramatic Sources for their workings, mostly
and rebounds… at an opposite Pitch and Hue. Hue is because the majority of the workings we perform don't
generally easy for the practitioner to shape right out of the require that dramatic of a Pitch, but also because we've
source… what is harder to shape is Pitch. The latter working learned techniques to alter the pitch of a working more
began with a Source that was Pitched strongly Flat: precisely: they're less efficient than Speckmann's Rebound,
destructive. The energy was then channeled into a simple but far more controllable. The most common Source
working at a low Hue: the circle of light that you see thaumaturges use these days, in fact, is a simple drop of
appearing around the practitioner's feet. The remaining blood: blood is fairly neutrally pitched, and can actually
energy Backlashed at an opposite Pitch: Strongly Sharp and provide quite a bit of EVE if properly Sourced. At higher
energy levels, there is the Everhart Resonator. The "If there is a point to this seminar, however, I hope it is this:
conversion rate from electricity to Aspect Radiation is that you came away from here with a basic understanding of
inefficient, and still requires a thaumaturge as catalyst, but what thaumatology is and what it is that thaumaturges do.
it's still the most convenient way to generate high levels of Part of the fear and power of magic was that it was so
EVE. mysterious. By peeling away some of that mystery, it is our
"As an example: a simple apportation working, like the one goal to arm you with the strongest weapon you will need if
that transported your squad here, would require thirty you ever come up against a thaumatological threat: the
human sacrifices… or an hour-long orgy with over one knowledge that you, as a non-thaumaturge, are not helpless.
hundred participants. I suppose that would be more A student of mine once gave me a novel with a line I enjoyed
entertaining to watch than an Everhart Resonator slowly greatly: 'No matter how subtle the wizard, a knife in the back
spinning up for a few minutes… but not exactly the thing one can seriously cramp their style.'
can order up at a moment's notice. "I will now be taking questions."
Can Sharp and Flat can be tied to sex with protection, or in
"We will take one final break for dinner, and when we return, vitro fertilization?
I'll wrap up my lecture, and answer any remaining questions Well, yes. But in practice, the procreative act is most
you may have." effective when done for the purposes of procreation between
two persons. I suppose if I had to list them on a sliding scale,
Conclusion and Q & A it would probably be in-vitro, masturbation, nonprocreative
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- sex, procreative sex, with childbirth somewhere near the top
"And we're back for the last session of this seminar. We're as well. Then again, there are also acts of sex that tend
almost done. I just have a few more things to say, and then strongly towards Flat. I won't go into details here. I'm sure
we'll be able to break for the night. you can think of them.
"I do want to address one thing that I was asked over Why use blood? Couldn't you just get some jugs of milk at a
dinner… namely, now that Unified Thaumatology exists, can supermarket if you need EVE?
it be considered a grand unifying theory for the paranormal? You could, but the longer that a bodily fluid is separate from
"We would like that to be the case… but sadly, the answer is the body, the less effective it becomes. Same with dead
'No.' Unified Thaumatology does provide a strong basis for bodies… at some point, a dead body or jug of milk ceases to
the study of magic: we believe that it may also have be a living thing and just becomes… a thing. Although I
implications into other fields. But there are places dealing suppose that breast milk for lactating persons could work in
with the paranormal where the theory starts to break down. a pinch… blood is simply more universal. And there's a bit
"Two very large examples are Type Green Reality Benders more dignity in cutting your thumb with a secespita than in
and Type Black or Ex Machina Divinities. Remember what I the alternatives.
said before, that every thaumatological working has a source Have there been any attempts to utilize type greens in the
and causes a backlash. Type Greens violate both of those same way that type blues are employed? Or has it always
rules: they are able to alter reality without a Source, and been recognized as too dangerous to consider?
their alterations do not cause backlash. There are a lot of I cannot speak for the Coalition on that, but yes, there have
theories as to why this may be: one theory is that the been attempts to utilize Type Greens. They have invariably
backlash is shunted into a parallel reality… perhaps as a failed, due to the tendency of Type Greens towards
paranormal phenomenon for them to deal with? Another megalomania, and the difficulty in taking them down if they
theory is that the backlash is absorbed into the Type Green's break control.. Although rumor has it that there have been
own consciousness. Perhaps that explains why so many go one or two successful cases. The two most common suspects
insane. Unfortunately, we don't have the answer to that. It's are D.C. al Fine and the Cornwall Hero.
one field that the Institute is devoting many resources to Is the Coalition squeamish about using anomalous means to
study. Progress is, by necessity slow, as is any study combat parathreats?
revolving around Type Greens. It's hard to collect useful data That depends on your definition of anomalous. The official
when that data could be manipulated by your test subject. position of the Global Occult Coalition is that Type Blue
"Type Blacks and Ex Machinas… they're even stranger. Their thaumatology falls under the realm of "tangential
effects are similar to thaumatology and reality bending, but technology," not anomalous parathreat. Those of us
they don't seem to obey any of the thaumatological laws employed by the Coaltion have sworn the same oaths as the
we've encountered. There are no bursts of Aspect Radiation rest of you. We are still human. We still want to protect
caused by their abilities. They can't even be detected through humanity. And we do so with all the talents at our disposal.
Aetheric Resonance Imaging. In fact, the code word The eventual goal of thaumatological research, after all, is to
designation for a demi-divinity, 'Type Black,' comes because incorporate magic theory into our modern understanding of
many of them simply don't have aetheric auras… sorry, EVE physics. Once that is done, won't the concept of "magic" have
patterns… at all. We have no idea what these things are… been finally destroyed?
except that they are very powerful, and in many cases, hostile There are ways to eliminate parathreats aside from a bullet.
to humanity. If the Coalition had to look at itself as a parathreat, what
"Then there are the many threats you might face that have threat level would it be at? What would it take for it to grow a
nothing to do with Aspect Radiation. Anomalies in space- threat level?
time. Cryptids. Mad cyborgs. Telepaths. The truth is, the If the member organizations of the Coalition were to turn
more we learn, the more we realize that the world is a against the best interests of humanity, it would result in an
stranger and more terrifying place than we did before we immediate failure of all missions, probably requiring a
began our study. For each answer we find, two more Pizzicato Level Response. The Coalition exists, however, to
questions are raised. prevent such events from occuring.
"But that's the nature of scientific inquiry, after all.
It is, however, interesting to contemplate what might happen For how long can Aspect Radiation related to a Blue event
to the Coalition if its major rivals were eliminated or remain in the environment?
incorporated into its ranks. Absolute Power corrupts Proportionate to the intensity, pitch, hue, and weave. In
absolutely, after all. general, these three factors tend to increase Aspect
Perhaps it is best that no one organization controls all the Radiation duration: greater intensity, lower hue (that is,
power in the paranormal world. tending more towards Ruby then Ebony), and tighter weave.
Where is the point at which thaumatology becomes Pitch tends to degrade, over time, towards the center: it will
inefficient and impractical when compared with technology, usually swing back and forth for a bit, before slowly settling
even 0+ technology? I mean… I'm thinking about the down, rather like a pendulum.
previous example involving a bus ride and/or a massive orgy, Of the three, however, weave is the single most important
it is clearly impractical. Does magic require more effort than aspect to determining ARAD longevity. There is a reason
what it's worth for important material changes? why the tightest level of Weave is called "Locked."
In many cases, yes. For instance, it's easier to build a rifle If one part affects the whole, couldn't you use any object to
using a factory than a working. It's also much more useful to change the nature of the entire universe?
take a cab downtown than it is to apport there. Yes. But it's a matter of inertia. Namely, that the universe
Where thaumaturgy excels is when you need to do the shows a resistance to change. And the more you try to
impossible. For instance: you need to get a Strike Team from change, the more energy it requires, and the more difficult it
Michigan to Siberia… in one hour. Thaumaturgy. You need to becomes. For instance, it could be possible to change the
get into a person's files and erase their identity? gravitational constant of the universe using a grain of sand.
Thaumaturgy. We would need to devour the entire energy output of around
Speaking of which, that does remind me of a case where one hundred thousand galaxies the size of the Milky Way to
thaumaturgy proved to be 100% more effective than anything do so.
that normal technology could do: I oversaw an identity What's the difference between a Type Black and a type Ex
reassignment to a young trans woman joining the Coalition. I Machina?
don't care how good of a surgeon you are, you'll never A Type Black is a human being that exhibits the
perform a sex reassignment good enough to result in a fertile characteristics of a Type Ex Machina. Ex Machinas tend to
adult human female. operate at a much higher level than Type Blacks. But
Is information gathering easier and cleaner than reality functionally, in thaumatological terms, they're pretty much
bending? I heard of a Type Blue agent using a subject's hair identical.
to determine their relative position within an unmapped Are there any types of thaumaturgical resources other than
forest area. Can that have a backlash, or does it have less vital energy?
negative consequences? There are, but EVE is the most efficient energy source we've
In many ways, every thaumatological spell is a form of found so far. And in many cases, what we thought were
scrying: remember that it all comes down to the observer alternative energy sources to EVE turns out to be EVE in a
effect, and how hard you observe. Locating individuals is a different form… Ley Lines, for instance, were once thought to
common spell, and in most cases, the backlash is easily be an alternative energy conduit to EVE, before we came to
manageable through shunts and sinks. It's a fairly low- realize that it was EVE pitched and hued in a combination
Intensity application, for one: remember that backlash we'd never seen before.
occurs proportionate to the original spell. If the original spell The current cutting edge in EVE research is consolidating
only used a small amount of energy, the backlash is usually Elan Vital theory with the Grand Unified Theory. Exciting
negligible. stuff.
That is, of course, assuming that we're doing looking cross- Has anyone ever tried to use thaumaturgy to deal with global
or upstream… sorry. Into the present or past. Downstream issues like war and hunger? And if so, how come they never
scrying… that is to say, predicting the future… is much worked?
harder, like riding a mountain bike uphill as opposed to They did. We called it the Cornwall Incident: a Type Black, in
laterally or downhill. In fact, the most effective downstream alliance with a large coven of Type Blue allies, attempted a
scrying working to date is the Silicon Nornir… and they massive magical working to end human pain and conflict.
require two entire supercomputers calculating and scrying The end result threatened the end of the human spirit.
upon the present and past in order to drive a third cluster You see, war and hunger all derive from dissatisfaction with
performing the future sight. your current status quo. When you are completely satisfied
Sorry, Sir, I just wanted to thank you for a wonderful with your status quo, you have no motivation or desire to
presentation and ask you… is there any chance whatsoever do… anything. Getting rid of war and hunger and pain
that religious groups built around certain miracles or required getting rid of jealousy… getting rid of identity. And
portents are actually the inheritors of Type Green or Type there were some who felt that sacrifice worth it.
Blue founders? Do we have evidence on the matter? If it weren't for the heroic actions of a few Global Occult
Yes, there is a chance. Yes, we do have evidence. No, I'm not Coalition, humanity as we know it would cease to exist. We
going to tell you who. still strive to end war and hunger… it is the goal of the United
I'm not sure I got that right a couple of hours back, sorry. Is a Nations, after all, to promote Peace on Earth. But we have to
Type Red able to bend reality in any way? do it the long hard way. The short path is paved with good
That depends on the type of Red we're talking about. Many intentions.
of them simply have accelerated healing systems. Many Whenever I imagine magic, I think of old guys in robes,
others, however, especially Expanding Regenerators, are the holding staves and wands and stuff like that. Did you guys
result of out of control thaumaturgical powers. Remember ever use any of that stuff?
that Type Red is an indication of effect, not source. I've got my ceremonial robes, hat, and staff in my office.
Interesting fact: the wizard's stave originates not only from
the very practical walking stick, but also from the staff used Not Sigma-3 Briefing
to mark time in ancient shamanic rituals. Early ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
thaumaturges also found them useful for inscribing circles: "Hello. Thank you all for coming. For those of you who don't
much easier to draw from a standing position than having to know me, my name is Dr. Tilda David Moose. I am the
drop down to your knees. The idea of the magic wand, I director of Site-19.
think, probably originates from the practice of using live "I'm here to — pardon my colloquial tone — I'm here to talk
cuttings from trees in ceremonial practices. to you about magic.
We use them about as often as modern scholars wear cap "I'm not a very good speaker. Just letting you know that up
and gown, or use quill pens and inkwells. Some older front. If it were up to me, someone else would be standing
institutes and GOC member organizations still require them: here. So let's start this with some questions. Just raise your
same with grimoires. On the other hand, I can get a much hands like you're back in school. Easiest way, don't you
more precise pattern using lasers and mirrors, or even a high think? I — Oh. That's… that's too many hands. Alright, you in
resolution LCD screen. The modern thaumatologist front, go ahead.
generally has less to do with old guys in robes carrying "No, this isn't an orientation for Mobile Task Force Sigma-3.
staves, and more to do with younger people in jeans, carrying Sigma-3 is a task force that doesn't exist. It doesn't hold
laptop computers. 'orientations.' I think they had one orientation, ever, and that
Of course, some claim that the ceremony and emotional was when they were created. If you're here from Sigma-3
state that comes from wearing a fancy robe and hat and and you think you need an orientation, your superiors
carrying a staff can help the thaumaturge perform their haven't been doing their jobs. Next question?
working. If it works for you, more power to you. Me "I thought I said don't ask me questions about — okay, fine.
personally, I think that robes are way too breezy and staffs She just asked why everyone here is from Sigma-3. First
are a pain in the ass to carry around. answer, it's not everyone. More… two-thirds of you. I see at
What is the process for becoming a Type Blue? least a dozen are high-ranking members of Tau-9, the
If you figure it out, publish your results. There's a ten million Bookworms. Some of you are clearance 4 researchers
dollar prize on the line for the first person who figures out who've just been read into this program, at least three of you
how that works. are new directors, and some of you are… 'spooks'. Not saying
Because really… no one knows. We just don't know why it is who, of course. Just have fun wondering about that. Anyway.
that some people gain the ability to manipulate magic and "Very, very few people in the Foundation are allowed to
others don't. It seems to be linked to genetics in some cases. know anything about magic. This is… by far the largest
In other cases, it seems to be linked to intelligence, or close number of people I've ever spoken to about this. I guess what
proximity to magical effects. But then there are 'wildcat' with everything that's been happening recently, the
mages that appear out of nowhere, defying all perceived Overseers want more people, ah… knowing what's going on.
factors. "Yes, okay, ask your question. — His question was — what
The best analogy I've seen is cancer. There are a lot of risk exactly is 'Sigma-3'?
factors involved in whether you will get cancer: age, genetics, "In that case, I have a question, too. How the hell does
environment, exposure to carcinogens, and so on and so anyone in here not know what Sigma-3 is? You should've
forth… but whether or not you're actually going to get cancer been sent material on… right, great, still in the process of
is mostly a matter of luck. declassification. I see. I take it back, I suppose.
"I guess that's everything then. I've got one more thing to "Okay. We'll start with what we call "the anomalous
say, then you're all dismissed. community." Give you the lay of the land. How the world
"The consumption of alcohol is a pretty-much universal works, out there in the shadows. I'll explain how our Groups
means of establishing brotherhood and friendship. You see of Interest fit into this. I'll tell you about the Wanderers'
examples all the way from Christ's Last Supper, to the cult of Library. And, yeah, I'll explain a little bit about Sigma-3. In
Dionysus, to frat and stag nights all around the world. I between, we'll have breaks, so you don't hate me too much.
personally am a fan of sessions: similar to the Chinese yum "I assume you all already know this, but… There may be
cha, where the drinking and eating is secondary to the about a hundred of you in here, tonight. Still, you are a
fellowship and conversation around the table. fraction of the Foundation's population. We're going to keep
"What I'm trying to say is: the seminar may be over, but it that way. Anything you hear from me, anything, is not to be
there's no reason why the conversation has to end. Feel free discussed with anyone who's not read into this program. On
to meet me at the enlisted club, and I'll buy the first round of pain of death. Probably.
drinks." <clears throat>
"Finally, I'm going talk to you about magic.
"Don't panic. No, you're not hallucinating. There has been no
containment breach, and, I promise, there are no drugs in
your coffee.
"I am quite simply talking to you in the color blue.
"This is because I am what they call a "mage". Or, if you like,
a "Type Blue"… or "a witch". This is stuff we can do. It's, well
— magic. Trivial magic, but magic nonetheless.
<clears throat>
"But I'm not going to talk about magic quite yet.
"I said I'd talk to you about Mobile Task Force Sigma-3,
"The Bibliographers". The boring name is on purpose.
"Let me preface this. I'm not in Sigma-3. I only consult. I did
induct a few of you myself a couple years ago, but I don't do
that anymore. Yes, I see you, Agent Navarro, stop waving. As locate SCP-003, the first SCP object I was assigned to,
I was saying, since I'm not in Sigma-3, this will be the short through a remote viewing operation coordinated with
version. outside sources of information from the Wanderers' Library.
"Sigma-3 is a Foundation task force which deals directly Sigma-3 also discovered and acquired SCP-472 through
with the anomalous community. On friendly terms, or at contacts in the anomalous community.
least as friendly as we can manage. If this sounds ridiculous "On a larger scale, Sigma-3 helped prevent a direct,
to you, good. Means we haven't had any leaks. coordinated assault against the Foundation about a decade
"Originally, Sigma-3 was one of the Task Forces that took ago, after Incident Zero — an assault that would've crushed
part in the failed invasion of the Wanderers' Library, three or us, and that's almost impossible given the Foundation's size
four decades back. It was the only one left mostly… intact. and defenses. I can't tell you the exact number of times that
Afterwards, it was reformed and repurposed by order of O5 Sigma-3 has literally saved the world, but I can tell you it's in
Command. the plural.
"They are not a paramilitary task force. Nor are they a "In exchange, Sigma-3 is set apart from other Foundation
containment team. They are the product of our superiors task forces. They do not aid in the containment of any
being very, very concerned about the idea that the anomalous entities, not even indirectly, unless it's done with
Foundation might miss out on some important things — the cooperation of members of the anomalous community.
world-ending things — simply because we are so isolated "This is where many people stop and raise hell. This is
from the anomalous world. worse, to them, than even task forces like Omega-7 or Alpha-
"Even with the invasion of the Library… if we had sources 9. Those task forces use or used anomalous entities — but
within the anomalous community, and if the task forces, or at this task force actively shields certain anomalous entities
least their leaders and the people doing the planning for from containment! Worse — sometimes Sigma-3 even makes
them, had been cleared to know what we did already know deals which allow anomalous entities to go free.
about the Library — then the operation could have gone "This goes against the fundamental ethos of the Foundation,
significantly differently. they say. And maybe they're not wrong. But as things stand
"As it was, the Library incursion involved no people who had now, the Foundation is not capable of simply containing
even heard of the Library before the op began. It was too every anomaly out there in the wild. Until that time, Sigma-3
highly classified, and we didn't have any direct sources, has proven its worth. What good is our ethos if we don't have
people who'd been in there long enough to seriously know a world to protect?
what it was like. "Let me get colloquial again. Sigma-3 are the people whose
"We still don't even know what happened when we went into job it is to know if some cultists are summoning Cthulhu.
the Library. The memories of everyone who went in were Generally, their friends and neighbors don't want the world
different. Even our existing recordings — actual audiovisual to end. But maybe they can't really do much to stop it. But we
footage — directly contradict each other. Some of the can. They have the knowledge. We have the resources.
survivors don't remember even going in at all. "They may not know we're Jailors… er, members of the
"What we know for certain is that even now there are still Foundation, but when Cthulhu's involved, they don't mind
Foundation members left behind in the Library, imprisoned telling someone who knows someone who knows someone
beyond our reach. Beyond any reach. And that this was else who can call in one of our bigger Mobile Task Forces
completely preventable. and bust some heads. And save the world.
"But I'll get back to the Library. "Not that I'm saying Cthulhu really exists… if It does, then
"We have always had some sources in the anomalous you're not cleared to know about it. Just an example.
community. We have a long history of cooperating with the "Alright. The 'anomalous community'. What's that mean?
Global Occult Coalition, which is far more part of the "The anomalous community makes up all the people in the
anomalous world than we are. We also created Mobile Task world whose lives involve the anomalous. People of all types
Force Tau-9 — the Bookworms — to deal with anomalies imaginable. A patchwork of individual communities, totalling
related to the Library, the Hand, and 'magic', in a more a few hundred thousand people worldwide.
traditional manner. "That's probably more than you'd guess, but so it goes — and
"But that could only take us so far. Command decided we another reason why Sigma-3 is necessary. These are all
needed ears on the ground. people who are aware of, and often are exposed to, the
"Originally, Sigma-3 did not make use of any direct anomalous world. For some of them, it's part of their daily
anomalous means. In recent years, this has… changed. There life.
are people who are actual, practicing magicians in this very "Many of them have access to the Wanderers' Library, and
room, members of Sigma-3. People who are anartists. most of them have heard of it. Many are involved in the so-
People who do double duty for organizations like Marshall, called anart community. Many are involved with the Global
Carter, and Dark, the Serpent's Hand, and other anomalous Occult Coalition and the Serpent's Hand.
organizations. "Even the Foundation itself has roots in the anomalous
"And they've had results. Sigma-3 has contained a high community, from a very long time ago, if you listen to some
number of actively dangerous anomalies that could not have of the stories — no, that's not an official statement, I'm only
been secured without cooperation with more benign repeating rumors. Take them as you will.
anomalous entities. There are at least three dozen SCP "How many actually have anomalous capability? Well, that's
objects which Sigma-3 contained directly that I'm aware of. an open question. A distinct minority are low-level Type
And more that Sigma-3 acquired at least some information Blues, who can do little tricks or learn a few spells out of
for. books. Mages, witches, magicians, soothsayers, etcetera.
"I'm not allowed to name most of them tonight, because not People like… well, me, before I defected to the Foundation.
all of you are on Sigma-3 and cleared to know that. But just
from SCPs I've worked on as project lead… Sigma-3 helped
"When we catch these people, we don't usually classify them as we do. But we aren't part of the anomalous community —
as SCPs. The ones we've kept are mostly classified as and they are. Generally, all the respectable members of the
anomalous items. Sigma-3 handles a good number of them. anomalous community, or those in high society, are on board
"In terms of GOIs in the anomalous community… well, with the Coalition.
technically, they all are part of the anomalous community, in "They're called 'Bookburners' because, after their formation
some way. But the bigger ones are… let me get this slide after the Seventh Occult War — around World War II — they
working. essentially enacted a hostile takeover of the anomalous
community. Either you signed on with the Coalition — with
Are We Cool Yet Big Brother — or you got crushed.
The Chaos Insurgency. "Some elements of the Coalition got on the wrong side of the
The Church of the Broken God Library… and they were mystically barred from it, ever after.
The Fifth Church Just like us. Ironically, even though they crossed the Library
The Global Occult Coalition first, they were acting on information they got from us… but
The Horizon Initiative that's a story for another time.
Manna Charitable Foundation "Suffice to say, many Coalition members are still spitting
Marshall, Carter, and Dark Ltd. mad about losing their Library access; I suspect it caused the
Office For The Reclamation of Islamic Artifacts Coalition to tamp down many of their activities. Them being
Oneiroi Collective barred made it a lot easier for people who hated the
Sarkic Cults Coalition to go underground. All they needed to do was get
The Serpent's Hand into the Library.
Unusual Incidents Unit (UIU) "The Serpent's Hand is sort of the yin to the Coalition's yang.
The Hand are a movement springing from opposition to the
"As you can see, that's… most of 'em. A-W-C-Y, the Coalition's whole… Big Brother thing. And to the idea of
Insurgency, the Fifthists, and the Sarkicists are more… containing or suppressing the anomalous community.
fringe. Technically, so is the Church of the Broken God, but "They're the radical activists of the anomalous community…
the so-called 'Devout' are far more accepted in the but also the ordinary people who don't take to their
anomalous community than you might think, except by equivalent of Big Government. The Hand takes all types,
Horizon allies. anyone who wants to join. So there's a lot of decent folk and
"Manna, Horizon, and ORIA are 'initiatives' within the a lot of death cultists, too. There's heavy overlap between the
anomalous community, I guess you'd call them. MC&D is Hand and the fringe communities, obviously, plus
just what you think it is — the rich people in the anomalous movements, like religious cults — or the occasional full-
community are mostly all part of it or associated with it. And blown religion, like the Church of the Broken God — and
Oneiroi… gods only know what the Oneiroi are, so… I won't anartist groups.
speculate. "Hand types tend to dislike us, too, but they like us better
"Then we have the two biggest ones — the Coalition and the than the Coalition, because we try not to kill people. This is
Hand. also why Sigma-3 can exist.
"We have a reputation, too. People who don't sign on with "Full disclosure: I used to be a member of the Serpent's
the GOC, and even some of those, call us Jailors. But the Hand. I got into it through a college organization. Spent a
Coalition gets called 'Bookburners'. So… it could be worse. few years in it before defecting to the Foundation. It's how I
"About the Insurgency — people outside the Foundation became a Type Blue — a magician.
don't view it the same as we do. We see them as… well, "What is the Wanderers' Library? Most of you have probably
insurgents, half-crazy defectors from the Foundation who heard of it, and know it's, um, a library, and that the
want to destroy everything for who knows what reason. Serpent's Hand uses it and we… don't.
"The anomalous community sees the Insurgency as a "…And that's about it.
movement, more akin to the Sarkic Cults than anything else. "The Wanderers' Library is a library containing almost every
A movement to remake the world, with strong religious book every written, and many that haven't been written yet,
overtones, despite the Insurgency's professed atheism. and many that will never be written.
People who want to become gods. Destructive beyond "We've got some footage for this. Give me a second to cue it
reason, and crazier even than the people who want to up.
summon dark gods. "Alright, more than a second. Gonna … keep talking.
"Actually, even the people who want to summon dark gods "We won't be showing you the outside of the Library because
tend to think of the Insurgency as going too far. They're as far as we know, no one has ever seen it. The Library is a
popularly referred to as "the Sowers of Discord" and "the place outside space. "Extradimensional" is the technical
Madmen". Keep in mind these are literal death cults calling term, though not very descriptive. The Library isn't on our
them that. The Insurgency won't be winning any popularity world, though it's connected to it.
contests anytime soon, which is probably why they haven't… "You reach it through Ways. Ways are a network of…
no, I digress. That's classified. basically magic portals that take you from one place to
"Let's talk the Hand and the Coalition. another. They're scattered around the world. The
"The Global Occult Coalition is the Big Brother of the Foundation contains a number of them, mostly classified as
anomalous community. They're the cops, and the anomalous items — a few networks are classified as SCPs.
executioners. They have 108 member organizations, all of "The Library is a nexus of Ways. The largest one on Earth. A
them anomalous in some way, all of them shielded from us Way that connects to the Library is called a Door, because
by the Coalition. they attach to doors within the Library. Pretty simple.
"The Coalition cares a lot about maintaining the so-called "Using the Ways isn't so simple. Okay, some of them are.
Masquerade — they wish to preserve normalcy just as much Each has a trick to it, to make it work. Some of them you just
need to be invited in. Others require some ritual — sneeze on least a few hundred people around at any given time. And it
a shadow, recite a code-word, befriend a fairy, follow your can hold thousands just as comfortably.
pet cat, kill a sheep, play the harmonica as you walk through "Spaces are deceiving, in the Library. For example, in the
a doorway. Sometimes these are called Knocks. main hall, it takes half a day to reach the back walls… yet the
"A Way can be anything you can picture as a door. Or space you've crossed is at least the size of a continent.
anything like a door. A cave, an archway, the back of a truck. "Oh, and that's just the main hall. The Library has many
Technically, every shadow or mirror could be a Way, just not wings. Some of them are small — only the size of a city. It
a useful Way. Some of them are just art pieces — I once used just goes up from there. Some of them are actually built into
a picture of a door to enter the Library, back when I still forests and some of them have their own skies…
could. Some of them are corridors between the stars. <As the footage continues, Agent Navarro appears to try to
"They're more common than you'd think, too. At least a few converse with a robed humanoid figure. The figure has no
in every major city. We know the locations of a few, but we mouth. Where its left hand should be, there's a chain
know that many more exist. connected to a glowing brass lantern.>
"If someone from the Foundation or the Global Occult "…Ah yes. That is a Librarian. Yeah, that one has no mouth.
Coalition tries to use Ways, they either don't work, or the "This is because being a Librarian is a punishment. Usually.
Library redirects them into … dangerous places. Other There are a few voluntary Librarians, and they look
planets. Barren, hostile lands. Outer space. Someone particularly strange. But we won't be seeing those on this
reported that one literally opened into Hell — you can take recording.
that for whatever you think it's worth. More commonly, "The ones with no mouths are Docents. They guide people
though, they just funnel us into the Library Archives and through the Library and… enforce the rules of the Library.
make us into Librarians. They are scary as hell — just one can take out one of our
"I'll explain that in a moment — we've got the footage paramilitary squads all on its own, with ease. When they've
working. been involved in containment breaches, which has been
<The footage shows two women and one man, walking incredibly, incredibly rare, the damage has been massive.
through a forest. One woman wears a skimpy Godzilla And they're not even the Library's biggest defenses.
costume. The other woman wears full plate armor. The man "The other two common Librarians are Archivists and
is dressed in a red costume covered with plastic flames.> Pages. You can see some of the Archivists in the background
"So this is a fairly typical — Question? — Why the costumes? of this shot here — they're at the large desks to the left. They
Oh — this particular Way requires you to dress up as are attached to their chairs — they have no legs. And you
something you're not. So… cosplaying. These are our agents, can't see it from this angle, but they have no eyes. Don't need
by the way. In plainclothes. Er… I guess not… plainclothes. them to read, apparently. And —
"Godzilla is Agent Jones. The knight is Agent Liu. The last <Something like a human spider scuttles across one of the
one's here today — Agent Navarro. The one in the, um, shelves above Agent Liu's head. She doesn't seem startled.>
flaming outfit. Say hi to everyone, Agent Navarro. You know "—that's a Page. They take care of the books directly. I've
you want to. never seen one touch the ground.
<The footage shows the three agents walking between two "All of these used to be people. Most of them were human.
trees which have grown closely together. As they pass Now, they're not.
between the trees, they vanish into thin air. The footage cuts "See, the Library has rules. Don't damage books, don't steal
out.> books, return books on time. Don't damage the Library. And
"Anyway. These are three of our members of Sigma-3 who don't harm those within the Library.
can access the Library. Out of the entire Foundation, "If you break rules too egregiously, you are forcibly made
generally only members of Sigma-3 can get into the Library into a Librarian. And… yes. A number of Foundation agents
— and only some of them can, at that. are trapped in the Library right now, serving out sentences
"We think the Library has some way of knowing who's going as Librarians. Given the nature of their offenses… if we're
to use the Library to target its patrons — and not just in the lucky, they'll get out in a few hundred years.
present, but in the future. Yeah, the Library seems to have "Question in the back. No. Unfortunately, there's nothing we
some limited ability to see the future. How? Your guess is as can do for them. We don't even know which Librarians they
good as mine. are. Ah — more questions — alright, let's pause the footage.
"This is, by the way, why Sigma-3 doesn't help the rest of the <The footage pauses, as Agent Jones appears to be flirting
Foundation contain people in the Library. If they did that, with a floating, regal-looking mermaid, surrounded by a
they'd simply be kicked out. And then we'd lose our 'in' to stack of green books floating in orbs of water.>
one of the most important anomalous locations in the world. "Alright. More questions. You in the, um, shirt, go ahead.
<The footage resumes. It shows Agents Jones, Liu, and "Can we use Sigma-3 to retrieve books from the Library?
Navarro, now in ordinary clothing, standing in a huge hall, Um, no, not as such. First, the Library already has its eye —
surrounded by massive shelves of books, going up, metaphorically, I assume — on us. If we start making plans
skyscraper-high, too high to see the top. In the hallway are like that, even seriously start entertaining them, we might
many tables, and many people — well over a hundred, at lose access to the Library. We have to rely on whatever
least. As the footage plays on, it becomes obvious that not all information can be filtered through our Sigma-3 agents.
of the people in the lobby are human. One person passes in Whatever they can film, copy down, etcetera. Believe me,
front of the camera — their face is blue and covered in that's better than nothing.
spikes. A thirty-foot-tall walking carpet sits down at a nearby "Second, I haven't yet talked about Library Cards.
table, with a book in each of its three tails.> "To check out books, to take them out of the Library, you
"This is the main hall of the Library. It's… even bigger than it need to have a Library Card. The Library gets a copy and you
looks. This is actually a pretty empty day — usually there's at get a copy. On that Card is a magical signature that counts as
your True Name.
"For the majority of you who don't get the significance of that Anyway, like I said, no one really knows what happened
— we don't have time to get into the True-Naming business, when the Foundation tried to take the Library.
but what that means is, anyone with that Card can cast spells "So. Magic.
on you as if you're willing. They can do nearly anything to "Anyone who can perform magic on a consistent, sustained
you if they're good enough, and the Library certainly is. basis is a Type Blue. Colloquially, a mage, a witch, a
"Library Cards also confer the protection of the Library, to a magician, whatever.
certain extent. Killing Card-holders is part of why the Global "The term, Type Blue, the Foundation lifted from the Global
Occult Coalition got kicked out of the Library — they were Occult Coalition. The Coalition classifies humanoids with
smart enough not to kill anyone in the Library directly, anomalous capability using colors. We at the Foundation
though they did end up killing — sorry, I digress. mostly use their terms for Green and Blue. Green is reality
"Point is, the Coalition used the Library to monitor bender. Blue is magician.
'dissidents' and execute them once they left. And you can't "Before coming here, some of you read transcripts of a
cheat the Library. lecture given to new Global Occult Coalition operatives
"I bring that up as another reminder: this is why Sigma-3 about 'applied thaumatology.' Magic, in other words. The
cannot, ever, help the rest of the Foundation contain rest of you will have access to some of those transcripts after
anomalies using the Library. We can get death cults and this session.
suchlike because they're also targeting other Library "Your higher-ups want you to read these because new GOC
members and because other Library members are helping us trainees still start off reading those, even though they're
do so, but even then, we have to be cautious. decades old and some of the information is… I would quibble
"Let's keep going. with its presentation. The important thing is that you know
<The footage resumes. Navarro, Jones, and Liu head past half the baseline our competition has started from.
more massive, endless shelves, and walk into an atrium. "I'm here to give you the viewpoint of the other half. You
There's a coffee-house set up incongruously on the edge of a already know that I used to be a member of the Serpent's
field of wildflowers. People perch laptops atop stacks of Hand.
books. Liu gestures animatedly at an empty blue "couch" "You in the back, who raised her hand when I mentioned the
that looks like it was designed for something much larger Coalition transcripts?
than a human, and probably with a different limb "For anyone who didn't catch that question, she just asked
arrangement.> about 'that Hogwarts shit.' She wasn't joking, no. 'Hogwarts'
"Another question — Does the Library have free Wifi? Okay, is the, ahem, International Center for the Study of Unified
I know you're joking, but the answer is actually yes. The Thaumatology.
Library has almost anything you can think of. People can live "It's not exactly Hogwarts, more a university focused
their entire lives in the Library — they typically don't, but it's exclusively on research, but… yes, it is on some level a school
possible. for wizards. Depending on your definition of 'wizard'.
<A massive, towering behemoth lumbers into view. Like a "Why haven't we contained and shut them down? Well,
cross between a sauropod dinosaur and a kraken. Its many remember what I told you about Sigma-3. But, sure, we don't
eyes fix on each small humanoid in turn as it passes, blotting need to use Sigma-3 for that. The real answer is that the
out whatever strange light source emanates from the top of Center is protected by the Global Occult Coalition, among
the Library atrium. Its eyes seem to fix for an especially long other things, and I'm not exaggerating when I say that
time on Jones, Navarro, and Liu, but then it passes onwards, attacking it could trigger World War Three.
vanishing through an archway that's much too small for it to "Something I need to keep reminding people. We're here to
fit under.> secure, contain, protect, not to blow everything into the
"…And that… is one of the Library's bigger defenses. This one daylight just to make sure we possess every paranatural
didn't appear when we invaded. Worse things did. It might artifact on Earth.
be some kind of Librarian, it might be something else. Who "Either way, it's not up to us; we're to leave the Center alone
knows? by order of the O5 Council. But yes, it exists, as part of the
"They call it the Elephant God, even though it's not much anomalous community. No, I don't think Foundation
like an elephant. The size, I guess. members can attend.
<The footage ends, as the three Foundation agents gawk at "The Hand and the GOC have a number of Type Blues in
the monster's disappearing tails.> their ranks. With the Foundation… officially, we have no
"And that's all we have for today. Keep in mind, all this is Type Blues. There are no Foundation magicians. Of course,
only a fraction of the Library. The parts that can easily be you know that's not true. Still, we have only a few, and
accessed from Earth. The Library has what they call almost every Type Blue Foundation member is associated
Archives, which include the inner workings of the Library, as with Sigma-3.
well as the wings of the Library where humanoids like us "But all that aside.
don't visit. <clears throat>
"None of the Sigma-3 agents who can get into the Library "You want to know how I could talk to you in blue.
have access to the Archives. Library doesn't like us enough. "Well, it's not especially easy. I did a few rituals before
But we have people working with us who can go there. A coming here so I could do this a few times on cue. All with
very few, mind you. The Archives are not entered lightly. the permission of our higher-ups in the Foundation — yes,
They have a manticore in there. there are people higher than me, of course there are. I'm
"And… the Archives are where things really went sideways only a Director.
when the Foundation forced their way into the Library. The "Point is, any and all magic that any of you will be
strange-ways, the Boiler Rooms, the guards on the Roots, performing will be done under strictest supervision, unless
the… I'm sorry. It's hard to talk about some… aspects of this you're out in the field and need to blend in. All of it will be
place without… sounding like you're speaking fairy-tale. done in the service of the Foundation.
"One of you asked me a question when you were supposed to "What do you mean, no one told you in advance you'd need
be having dinner. Ze wanted to know: why can we talk about to put on a show? I'm telling you now. You up for it, or not?
Type Greens — reality benders — when we can't talk about "I thought so. Alright, everyone who doesn't know, this is
Type Blues? Agent Daniel Navarro. Agent Navarro is a former anartist,
"Some of you have already guessed the answer. The truth — and like me, he is a Type Blue.
the truth that none of you are to repeat in mixed company, <Director Moose hands Agent Navarro a slip of paper, and a
certainly not to anyone else in the Foundation — is that knife.>
anyone can become a Type Blue. "Whenever you're ready, Agent Navarro.
"Anyone can become a magician. Anyone can learn to <Agent Navarro glares at Director Moose. After a moment,
perform magic. Many of you are going to at least attempt to Navarro picks up the knife, and, with a dramatic gesture,
learn. Most will not succeed, but it is possible for any of you slices across his left palm. A burst of iridescent fire blazes up
to succeed. from the wound. Navarro holds up the fire in his hand. It
<clears throat> whirls and twists in the dimmed room.>
"That gets a little wearing after a while. And a couple of you "Agent Navarro was born a Type Blue. He discovered his
look ill. Sorry about that. talent when he tried smoking as a child and got an… unusual
"Anyway. Anyone can become a Type Blue, but there are result. He discovered the blood magic aspect of his talent
some caveats. The first is sometimes called Potential. At through resources in the Wanderers' Library.
least, it was called that when I was a member of the Hand. <Navarro conjures more bubbling bursts of iridescent fire,
"A few people get Potential through their genetics, but 99.9% and begins juggling. A few people cheer in the audience.>
of the population is born with a Potential of nothing. After "Alright, that's enough, Navarro, you're getting blood
that, whether you get Potential is like whether you get everywhere. Sit back down. Someone get him a bandage.
cancer. There are about a million factors. Some of it's how "Go ahead, you in the back.
you think. Some of it's how you do or don't fit into society. "Ah yes. I mentioned magic traditions. I'm actually quoting a
Some of it's your kind of intelligence. And sometimes there Dr. Everett Mann, here, who's done some interesting
is no identifiable cause. thaumotology studies for us: Magic is magic. The Coalition
"Generally, if you want to become a magician — a Type Blue are generally taught the same basic framework for magic,
— you first figure out what your Potential is. What life's given stuff like hue and backlash and all that. The Hand tend to be
you. If you're lucky, you'll find an established magic tradition less consistent, go more into really esoteric stuff.
that suits you. If you're very lucky — by which I mostly mean, "There are many, many traditions, and almost no universals.
you're a Type Blue already and didn't know it — you can just Unless you're talking rituals and such which are made to
go ahead and start practicing. Otherwise, you have to take a work for anyone, Potential is different for different kinds of
good, long hard look at yourself. magic. One Old European pagan tradition may work for you,
"Because becoming a magician is hard. It takes a lot out of and another originating from less than fifty miles away may
you, something different from every person. It usually not. And people like Agent Navarro don't even have a
requires some kind of sacrifice. "tradition" in any real sense, just "some stuff that works".
"Question? Go ahead. "I mentioned Navarro was born a Type Blue. I was not born
"No, I don't mean a blood sacrifice, necessarily. Even in the a Type Blue. I became a magician another way.
anomalous community, that is very much not socially "I was talking about Potential, right? Well, to do anything
acceptable. When I say sacrifice, I mean… physically, serious, you can't get by on temporary Potential. It has to be
emotionally, spiritually. It's different for everyone. permanent. And that means you become a Type Blue.
"Why a sacrifice? Because it's about perspective. Not just "Let's be clear, here — that means you become an
your perspective. But the perspective of others, on you. The anomalous humanoid, even if it's in a way that's nearly
perspective of reality. It's about changing how the World invisible. Agent Navarro and I? Anomalous humanoids. You
sees you. How you see and interact with the universe. might say, well, if we never performed magic again, we'd be
"You're confused. That's understandable. Let me try to indistinguishable from normal, too, right? Well, no. Beyond
rephrase. Becoming a magician is all about discovering and our… anomalous capability, there's a type of anomalous
altering your metaphysical place in the world. radiation associated with being a mage. The GOC have
"This can be temporary, or permanent. Temporary is easiest. scanners that can visually read this — so do we, actually,
Most people can create a really minor Working, or a spell. though we don't usually use them in the field. The GOC
Serpent's Hand members often start with making blue lily color-code this type of radiation blue. Hence, Type Blue.
flower chains. "So how do you become a Type Blue?
"Then they follow a really complicated set of instructions "You have to shift your perspective on the world.
that, with the right materials and mindset, as well as "You know that Center we mentioned? The GOC-protected
membership of the Serpent's Hand, produce temporary magic school? They have a standing 50 million prize for
Potential inside them, which they then use to Work the anyone who can identify a reliable, universal, standardized
flower chains, to add magic to them. Anomalous effects. process for becoming a Type Blue. No one will ever win it
"Those effects are different for everyone. It's impossible to because you can't just make people reliably, universally shift
try to make every Type Blue make a luck charm, because their perspective on the world.
almost everyone who doesn't believe in luck will reliably fail "Almost everyone in the world is capable of doing it — but
it, except, oddly, actual statisticians, who know what it would almost everyone in the world is capable of cutting off their
take to create actual luck. Point is, it's not directly left hand. How many people are actually going to do that?
predictable what any one person can and can't do. Especially if it might not even do anything for you, because
"Let's have some more demonstrations. At this point, you've little did you know you needed to lose an eye?
all heard me talk in blue. Let's see what someone else can "Becoming a mage isn't always as awful as that… but for
do. Agent Navarro? some people, it's worse.
"There are three major avenues to becoming a mage. Some world than we do — they may want to eventually break the
of them are acceptable to members of Sigma-3. Most are not. Masquerade — and we don't want that, and we can't and
I hope that which is which will be obvious. won't help them with that, but they still want the world
"Let's start with the easy way. intact. Like we do.
"This is to just hang out around magic. Simple exposure. "There are a lot of dangerous things out there, some of them
People with high Potential, or outright Type Blues. Wearing people, some of them far beyond people, who have immense
magical jewelry. Creating minor Workings. Becoming a motivation to change our world for their own benefit.
member of a magically-inclined organization, or a cult of "They're the worst of the things out there who want to drag
some eldritch deity. us all back into the dark. In most cases they aren't even evil.
"A big thing is spending time in a magic-saturated They just want to rearrange the anthills to make themselves
environment, like the Wanderers' Library — or Sigma-3's the new queen.
training facilities, with Sigma-3 members who are Type "Hopefully now you understand why a little better — this is
Blues. This is one principle of magic, beyond the scope of the only thing we can understand about some of those…
what we have time for today: like affects like, and like things, because they're unknowable in every other way.
produces like, too. "There's another side to all of this. The ultimate reason why
"Do this long enough, and if you're lucky, you'll become a all this Type Blue stuff has to be kept secret, and why we in
Type Blue. Many people aren't lucky. the Foundation can't just become a cult of magicians.
"The second way, done alongside the first way, is to forcibly, "If the entire Foundation embraced magic — if every
drastically, change who you are as a person. Move countries. researcher or MTF agent took advantage of the power, the
Change religions. Re-address your sexuality, see if you can real, significant power that magic has to offer — if everyone
find some suppressed aspects. Alter your mind directly with outside of Sigma-3 all became Type Blues like me — then
anything from spells to amnestics. Scarification and tattoos our perspective on the world would change. And if that
are common. Give birth to a child, raise the child. Yes, even happened, we might not be able to hold back dangers to
becoming a parent changes your Potential and the nature of reality any longer.
who you are. "Everyone at the Foundation, at a sufficiently high level,
"Either way, the idea is to give something up. Sacrifice, as I spends their time around anomalies. We contain them, and
said. It's simplest to give up 'who you are'. Often this is the honestly very effectively even with the odds so strongly
most appealing option, more appealing than it might sound. against us, with science and concrete. The vast majority of
After all, you might end up a better person, when all is said our containment procedures — with exceptions made only
and done, and a better person who can perform magic. when strictly necessary — are non-anomalous in nature. You
"For the desperate, this method includes making a bargain could say that we believe in science and concrete.
with a powerful anomalous entity. However, even in the "Can you imagine what would happen if we stopped
anomalous community, this is rarer than you might think, believing? If we changed the way we saw the world? If
because most of these entities are predatory. Many will take everyone at the Foundation became mystics?
everything a person values and give little to nothing in return. "It could be the end of containment, forever. The end of the
"But there is no real limit to what you can give up. These are Foundation's preservation of normalcy. And then we'd all be
dangerous waters. One may sacrifice body parts, loved ones, at the mercy of all the horrible things out there, the old gods
pieces of their life, their future… and in some cases, that's and demons that would ensure humanity does nothing but
even worked out in the magician's favor. Well, not for huddle in caves around campfires and scratch on the walls,
sacrificing loved ones. I hope I don't need to tell you all that forever.
sacrificing loved ones for magical power is never worth it, "Your mileage may vary on whether this is true. But let me
not even in practical terms. be clear: your mileage is only allowed to vary within the
"The third and final way is to change the world, or wait for specific context of Sigma-3. I say Sigma-3 because everyone
the world to change. else here already knows this. No one else in the Foundation
"Of all of these avenues of gaining supernatural power, this is to be exposed to this perspective, or they might not be able
runs the most counter to the goals of the SCP Foundation. to contain threats to our reality.
Yes, even more so than sacrificing loved ones. We want to "This is also why most members of the Foundation don't
preserve normalcy. The world can certainly change on its even know magic is real. Sounds small. But it starts small.
own terms, but the Foundation doesn't want the world to be Say, a researcher fantasizes about casting Wingardium
forced to change by anomalous means. Leviosa, or an agent with an unfortunate romantic streak.
"The Serpent's Hand does want to change the world. And to And it ends with being unable to believe that Cthulhu can be
some extent, though you won't hear most of us in the contained behind sheets of steel and walls of stone.
Foundation admit this, they've succeeded. While we don't "But it's not my job or your job to keep Cthulhu's
have exact numbers, we know for a fact that there are more containment from failing. That's the job of the rest of the
Type Blues today than there were fifty years ago. More than Foundation. Your job is to do things the rest of the
there were ten years ago. At least some of this can be Foundation can't. Your job is to find out what everyone else
attributed to the recent swelling in the ranks of the Hand. knows about Cthulhu that we don't.
"The Chaos Insurgency also understands this. This is why "We share their perspective. Something no one else in the
they wish to change the world, to their liking — that's why Foundation can risk.
they're called the Chaos Insurgency. It's not just a cartoon "In this way, we preserve the world, and serve the primary
supervillain name. I mean, it is that, but it's also a statement mission of the SCP Foundation, in a way no one else can.
of purpose. "Any final questions? Okay. That's a lot of hands. I'll take just
"Sigma-3 only works with factions of the Hand who do not one for now.
want the world to change, at least not to the extent that the "Ah, yes. You're right. I didn't tell you how I became a Type
Insurgency does. They may want more Type Blues in the Blue.
"Well, I'm not going to go into detail. Let's just say, I took the <Director Moose leans against her lectern, looking strained.
second way. I made… sacrifices. Major sacrifices. Among The moose figurine is gone. After a moment, she smiles.>
other things, I deliberately did things to my own mind that I "Now you know how I became director of Site-19.
absolutely do not recommend. "…A joke. Just a little… joke.
"Many of my friends did similar things — some did worse — "Right.
and failed. Some did not survive the experience. And I… I will <clears throat>
never get back some of the things I gave up. "…That's enough for today. I'll take questions after an hour's
"Such is magic. Such is the anomalous world. break, from anyone who sticks around. Thank you all for
"But, even now, I can still do… something like… this… coming, and… see you on the other side."
<Director Moose takes out a small object and places it on her
lectern. A small, carved moose figurine. She leans over, and
whispers to it.>
<There is a gust of wind, coming from nowhere in the indoor
hall, and a massive black, cloudy figure towers over the
audience — the shape of a demonic moose, with antlers
stretching across the ceiling, and many eyes, shining like
coals from within the roiling mass. Someone screams.>
<The moose resolves into a cartoon of a frowning face with
antlers, ruining the intimidating effect, then shifts and
dissipates into smoke.>
Index of Terminology Automated Exorcism System. A machine for automatically
performing exorcisms and other similar occult workings,
although the presence of a thaumaturge is required for it to
# function. Sold by Prometheus Labs from 1985 to 1995,
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customers included the Horizon Initiative, the Global Occult
6th Occult War. Large-scale occult conflict lasting from 1875
Coalition, and the Foundation.
to 1882, culminating in the destruction of a major demiurge.
7th Occult War. Global occult conflict lasting from 1939 to
B
1945, centered around attempts by the Ahnenerbe ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Obskurakorps to complete the Rite of Solomon. Backlash. Randomized alterations to local reality, occurring
as a result of thaumaturgy and similar occult activity. With
A sufficient planning and preparation, backlash can be directed
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and partially controlled.
Aetheric Oscillation Detector. Also known as a Randall
Baseline. The mainstream or normal version of something,
Detector, after its inventor, Dr. John Carver Randall. A device
as in baseline human or baseline universe.
which can detect changes in background aspect radiation,
Basilisk. A hazardous meme which disrupts human
commonly used for locating unopened Ways.
cognition, either temporarily or permanently.
All-Natural Automatons. Organic robots created through
Branch Universe. A dependent pocket universe emerging
genetic engineering of cloned human zygotes, using
from a mainline universe or one of its branches.
technologies developed during Project Samsara. One of the
few Prometheus Labs products that were untouched by the
C
restructuring, production began in 1990 and continues to ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
this day. Cognitohazard. Anything which, when perceived, induces
Amnestic. Amnesia inducing drugs, widely utilized by anomalous or harmful effects in the observer.
normalcy preservation agencies to conceal the existence of Concept. A concept is the fundamental and ultimate
the anomalous. encapsulation of the qualitative properties of a thing and
Anahuman. Abbreviation of anomalous human. An individual represents the basic unit of metaphysics. Concepts exist
who possess anomalous abilities or attributes. Generally (metaphysically) independently of the things they describe,
does not include non-human humanoids. See also; allowing for arbitrary manipulation of reality by modifying a
Parahuman thing's concepts.
Anart. Short for anomalous art. Used to refer to artwork Conceptual Machinery. Machines that are composed of basic
which was created with or incorporates anomalies. concepts, commonly appearing as translucent structures that
Anomalous. A catch-all term to describe things which are quasi-physical, resembling physical objects while lacking
seemingly violate the known laws of nature and defy logical corporeality. These are commonly used in conceptual
explanation. When used alone as a mass noun, it can also modification. AKA conceptual structures, "conceptech."
encompass the occult and paranormal. Conceptually Null Clearsolid. Glass-like material that
Antimeme. An idea with self-censoring properties; a meme possess paradoxical concepts, such as the concept of having
which discourages dissemination or which is impossible to no concepts. Organic material that comes in contact with it
remember or transmit. experiences the rapid modification and loss of concepts.
Apportation. An occult method of instantaneous Conceptuvore. An entity that feeds on or consumes concepts.
teleportation. The extreme EVE requirements and the Counterconceptual. Something which is impossible to
magnitude of the resulting backlash make apportation perceive or conceptualize. A paradoxical or
impractical in most instances. incomprehensible concept.
Argo Marque Automobiles. The primary product line of Argo
Automotives, consisting of temporally displaced cars from a D
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year in the future. Sold from 1998 to 2008.
Deconceptualize. The process through which an object
Aspect Radiation. EVE emissions with an intensity great
reverts to its base concepts, usually occurring as a result of
enough to alter reality.
unshielded exposure to the Outside.
Aura. The natural, low-level EVE emissions given off by most
Deity. An anomalous non-human entity possessing extreme
living organisms and many paranormal entities. Auras
reality bending abilities, and largely outside the limits of
fluctuate relatively consistently in response to numerous
human comprehension. Deities often occupy higher
physiological and psychological factors, which makes it
dimensions of space or adjacent planes of reality, either in
possible to use aura patterns to determine an individual's
whole or in part.
emotional and physical state.
Demiurge. A deific entity possessing significant power and F
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responsibility over the nature of certain aspects of a
Familiar. A fragment of raw intellect given form and
universe. A reality bender capable of altering specific and
animated by thaumaturgy. Commonly bound by
limited parameters of reality on a universal scale.
thaumaturges to serve as aides and companions. The
Demon. A loosely defined term used to refer to a wide variety
preferred technical term is Constructed Intelligence.
of anomalous creatures originating from other regions of the
multiverse, most of which are hostile to human life.
Demonarcotics. The practice of using demons and similar
G
anomalous creatures, in whole or in part, as components in ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

performance enhancing drugs. Also refers to the drugs Gawker. Slang term for a member of the Global Occult
created through this practice. Coalition, derived from the initialism 'GOC'.
Demonics. Refers to the application of demons in integrated Geas. The use of memetic agents to force a person to obey a
circuits, through the use of solid-state demon summoning set of rules or guidelines. Widely employed in upholding the
devices. Veil.
Ghostlight™. A line of lightbulbs manufactured by Titan
E Consumer Appliances and Electronics, which utilize the
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ectoluminescent properties of ghosts to produce light.
Ectomorph. Paranormal entities composed of ectoplasm,
Recalled in 2006 due to quality problems in the supply of
sometimes created by the death of a living organism. Also
ectomorphs used. Manufacturing resumed at a later date
known as ghosts, spirits, specters, and shades.
under Foundation supervision.
Ectoplasm. A semi-corporeal fluid which is transparent
Golden Age of Normalcy. The period during the 20th century
under normal circumstances and evaporates at room
when the strength of the Veil reached its peak.
temperature. When subjected to an electric current it will
Golem. A physical construct animated by thaumaturgy,
emit visible-wavelength photons in a process known as
possessing basic sentience and a rudimentary intelligence.
ectoluminescence.
Essential instructions and complex behavioral parameters
Eigenweapon. A paraweapon capable of killing large
can be ascribed with an emet, a written inscription on or
numbers of people and/or dealing massive amounts of
within the golem. While technically only referring to
damage to terrain, infrastructure, or the environment. An
constructs animated via Kabbalistic thaumaturgy, the term is
anomalous weapon of mass destruction.
commonly and colloquially used to refer to any type of
Electroneural Cognitive Interface. An implanted neural
thaumic construct.
prosthetic, used for electronic telepathy. Based on the work
done by Conrad Trent and Myra Rider in 2015 on behalf of
H
the Maxwellist Church. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Esoteric. An alternative term for the occult and paranormal, Hoover Mandate. A longstanding policy of the US Federal
generally encompassing both. Government, enacted by President Herbert Hoover to
EVE. Elan-Vital Energy. The fundamental particle of aetheric address the handling of paranormal enclaves within the US
energy, which powers all thaumaturgy. following the disastrous mishandling of initial relations with
Everhart Resonator. A machine used to produce EVE from Three Portlands by BOI/FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover.
electricity, developed by John Everhart at ICSUT during the
Seventh Occult War. The conversion requires a thaumaturge I
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to start the process, and is extremely inefficient, but it is far Infohazard. A cognitohazard which can affect an individual if
more reliable than any other method for generating large they learn about it, even without directly perceiving it.
quantities of EVE. ISV Daedalus. A massive spaceship, intended for use as an
Evocation. A spontaneous act of thaumaturgy, done without interstellar research vessel. Construction was abandoned by
preparation or planning, and typically relying on the caster's Prometheus Labs in late 1997 before it could be completed.
own energy reserves as a source of EVE. Extremely difficult The unfinished hull is currently in a low-orbit around
to perform successfully, and highly susceptible to backlash. asteroid (532) Herculina.
Exorcism. An occult ritual intended to remove non-corporeal
entities from a person or object. If the exorcised entity or
entities originate in a different universe, they will be returned
to it if possible.
Exploit. A term for pattern-based reality bending accessible
by any sufficiently skilled persons. Usually limited in scope
and scale. Commonly associated with anartists.
 K N
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Köln Agreement. A bilateral treaty between the GOC and the Necromancy. The act of consulting the remnants of a
Foundation, signed in the immediate aftermath of the 7th deceased intelligence in order to gain information which may
Occult War, which establishes the terms for the joint be used in attempts to predict future events.
containment of the Rite of Solomon and its components, and Normalcy. That which is accepted and understood. The
provides a framework for future joint efforts between the two status quo.
organizations. Along with the GOC Charter, serves as one of NOTUS. A Prometheus Paraeconomics supercomputer built
the foundational documents of the post-war Veil and in 1968 to produce accurate stock market forecasts for
international consensus normalcy. selected stocks of interest to the company's economists.
Later acquired by the Foundation in 2005.
L
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O
Law of Contagion. The part affects the whole. One of the ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
basic tenets of unified thaumatology. Observer. An individual or entity capable of perceiving and
Law of Sympathy. Like produces like. One of the basic tenets manipulating EVE. See also; Thaumaturge
of unified thaumatology. Also called the Law of Similarity. Observer Effect. The term for the ability of thaumaturges and
many deities to use EVE to alter reality. The mechanism
behind this remains poorly understood.
M
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Occult. A term for things that violate the laws of physics, but
Mainline Universe. The central universe of a multiverse, which act in a manner consistent with the theory of unified
from which all of the branch universes ultimately derive their thaumatology. AKA "magic".
structure and existence. Also called a baseline universe.
Mekhane. The fragmented and dormant deity worshiped by Ontic Bleed. A term used to describe the aspect radiation
Mekhanite religions. Also called the Broken God. flux that commonly surrounds Ways, which arises as a result
Meme. An infectious idea which influences human actions, of branch universes drawing on the reality of the baseline
especially one which encourages further propagation of universe to support their existence.
itself. Memetics is the study and application of memes.
Memetic Bomb. A meme carrying a dormant cognitohazard, P
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activated by a predefined trigger (which may be a specific
Parahuman. An alternative term for humans with anomalous
date, a time delay, a perceptual pattern, or even simply
properties. Largely interchangeable with the term
random.) Effects are various, and can include death, insanity,
anahuman, although different organizations have different
and spontaneous localized reality alterations.
usage preferences.
Metafiction. The field of metaphysics dedicated to the
Paranormal. A term used for things which, while
application of paratech in order to manifest and manipulate
unexplainable under current laws of physics, act in a
self-contained, dependent realities based on fictional
consistent, logical manner.
narratives, most often with the goal of inserting or removing
Paranormal Renaissance. The era between the 6th and 7th
persons and objects from specific fictions.
Occult Wars, during which many important discoveries of
Metaphysics. The scientific study of concepts as independent
modern parascience were made.
and fundamental expressions of qualitative properties. Often
Parascience. An encompassing term for scientific fields and
considered a more rigorous and practical extension of the
endeavors which work behind the Veil to study paranormal
philosophical field of the same name, from which it derives
phenomena and principles, with the ultimate goal of
much of its terminology.
producing explanations compatible with standard physics.
Mnestic. A memory-enhancing drug used to counteract the
Paratechnology. A catch-all term for technology that is either
effects of antimemes.
non-anomalous but beyond the current state-of-the-art, or
Multiverse. The section of reality composed of a baseline
which is derived from or makes use of paranormal principles
universe and all of its associated branch universes. Many
which are understood well enough to reliably replicate. Often
multiverses are known to exist throughout reality, although
abbreviated to paratech.
the total number is impossible to know with certainty (and is
Paraweapon. A weapon which incorporates paratech as a
possibly infinite). Travel between multiverses is
critical part of its operation.
extraordinarily difficult and exceedingly rare.
Mundane. That which is normal. Lacking in any anomalous,
paranormal, or occult properties.
Plasma Projector. A type of directed energy paraweapon S
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developed during the Cold War and employed throughout
Seance Dust. A paradrug that enables post-mortem
the Soviet Bloc. Plasma projectors typically use a blackbox
communication, commonly used recreationally in Three
power source to generate a highly-charged, dense plasma,
Portlands.
which is then accelerated to hypersonic velocities and fired
Shadow (metaphysics). The conceptual projection of an
at a target. The resulting projectile inflicts extensive thermal
object or event into an adjacent universe. Normally invisible
and mechanical damage upon hitting a target, and produces
and incorporeal, Shadows can be stabilized into physical
a noise resembling a thundercrack.
artifacts through thaumaturgy or from innate reality
Pocket Universe. A smaller universe associated with a
anchoring properties in their source. Lighthouses are a
particular multiverse, which may or may not be dependent
common source of self-stabilizing Shadows.
on the reality of the relevant mainline universe. Most pocket
Sigil Machine. A machine that can generate various occult
universes are dependent branch universes, but independent
symbols and sigils to aid in thaumaturgical workings, with a
pocket universes may naturally arise when a branch universe
uniformity and precision greater than that normally attained
becomes separated from the mainline, or artificially through
by unaided thaumaturges. Derived from the technology used
the actions of a thaumaturge, deity, or reality bender.
in the Automated Exorcism System.
Powdered Unicorn Horn. A retrocausal contraceptive and
Skipper. Slang term for a member of the Foundation,
industrial pesticide sold by Marshall, Carter and Dark.
derived from its commonly used initialism 'SCP'.
Project Auto-Magus. A long-term research and development
Suit. Slang term for a member of a normalcy preservation
program at Prometheus Labs in the early 1970s, focused on
organization. The plural form is commonly used to refer to
creating a fully mechanical thaumaturge. Canceled in 1976,
all the organizations involved in maintaining the Veil, or to
the technologies developed were later used to create the
the general concept of normalcy preservation organizations.
Automated Exorcism System.
Project Bardeen. A project undertaken by a team of neural
T
network researchers at Prometheus Advanced Logic ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Devices, with the goal of developing an artificial intelligence. Thaumatology. The parascientific study of paranormal
Despite its success, the project was shut down after phenomena historically referred to as magic. Unified
Prometheus Computing was purchased by the Foundation. thaumatology is the most widely accepted theoretical
Project Samsara. Originally a program for developing framework within this field and provides the basis for nearly
regenerative stem cell treatments, it transitioned into all modern implementations of functional magic.
studying full-body regeneration and brain uploading in the Thaumaturge. An individual capable of harnessing EVE via
mid-1990s. Met with some early success prior to the breakup the Observer Effect to perform occult workings. Also called
of the Prometheus conglomerate, and was later revived by Type Blues, Sorcerers, Wizards, and Observers.
the Foundation. Thaumaturgy. The use of occult workings to alter reality, in
PSAT Setanta. A Prometheus Astrotechnologies Geas conformance with the theories of unified thaumatology.
Switchboard Communicator satellite launched in 1972, The Outside. The infinite void of conceptual unspace which
which served as a legal witness for the contracts involved in surrounds and encompasses the multiverses. It is a realm of
geas bindings until its decommissioning ten years unbounded concepts, devoid of mind or matter, which defies
afterwards. rational comprehension or explanation.
Psionics. A field of parascience dedicated to the study of The Veil. The name given to the ongoing policy of world
psychic and extrasensory abilities, and of individuals who governments and normalcy protection agencies of hiding or
possess these abilities. Psionics focuses on documenting disguising the existence of the anomalous, paranormal, and
various forms of psychic phenomena, analyzing their occult from the majority of humanity.
biological origins, and treating psionic diseases and
disorders. U
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Psychic. An individual possessing any number of psionic Universe. A single self-contained region of reality with its
abilities, including extrasensory perception, innate own physical laws and characteristics. Travel between
precognition, telekinetic manipulation, and multiple forms of universes is accomplished via Ways.
telepathy.
W
R ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Way. A portal between universes within the same multiverse,
Reality Bender. An individual with the innate ability to alter which can be opened with an incantation or ritual to allow
reality without employing thaumaturgy or exploits. Also passage. Ways can also be created artificially by
called Type Greens, Bixbies, and Shapers. thaumaturges and reality benders.
Rite of Solomon. A powerful occult working of extreme
magnitude, which can be used to indirectly alter the
underlying nature of thaumaturgy.