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A brief guide to spirits and the umbra on GarouMUSHA note on the umbra and this guideWhat is the umbra? Other spiritual realms and the deep umbra The Gauntlet Passing through the gauntlet Reaching and peeking requires a reflective surface Peeking into and out of the umbra Danger levels in the umbra Going into the near umbra during the day Garou and damage in the umbra The relationship between garou and spirits Spirit Speech A note on the umbra and this guideThe umbra is a strange, spiritual place that doesn't always conform to the rules of nature or physics like the physical world. Locations, paths, and space can fold, extend, disappear, or be created for no reason whatsoever. The umbral landscape is not always a direct spiritual mirror of the realm, and inexperienced umbral travellers can quickly and easily get lost. Getting lost in the umbra can quickly translated into death for the Garou when the sun comes up.Reality in the umbra is sometimes fluid, seemingly altering with no rhyme or reason. Thus, this guide presents only "normal" situations in the umbra. There are exceptions and there are unusual things that can and do happen--particularly near places with a strong spiritual presence--especially a Wyld presence. While these strange events can happen, it is best to run any truly abnormal events past one or more spirit wizards prior to running an one night stand (ONS) or introducing something new or unusual into the MUSH's worldview. What is the umbra?The umbra is a spiritual reflection of the physical world, but not an exact replica of the physical world. Things like direction, distance, and even the connection between the realm and umbra can vary widely.Things in the realm generally have no spiritual presence unless they have been around a very long time and have become a fixture in many people's lives (decades or half a century). A new home has no spiritual resonance in the umbra and would not exist at all. A home that has been lived in for 10+ years will have an umbral presence. Alternately, if an object/structure in the realm has a strong emotional/spiritual influence where there's a constant and/or regular spiritual or emotional investement of energy from a number of people (a prison, a church, a hospital, etc.), it might develop a spiritual reflection much quicker--months or years depending on the intensity/frequency/number of people. Truly horrific events--such as an apartment building collapse or fire that kills dozens and dozens of people, burns dozens and dozens more, and destroys the homes of hundreds and hundreds of people--could effect a direct umbral change within a few weeks or a month. It's difficult if not impossible to bring about an instant change in the realm or umbra from the opposite side of the guantlet. To affect both sides at once requires actions to be taken simultaneously in the realm and the umbra. This is the pivotal aspect of the relationship that the umbral spirits have with the Garou. Stepping sideways from the top story of a brand new skyscraper or the bathroom of a passenger jet in flight would be highly, highly inadvisable. Other spiritual realms and the deep umbraThere are junctures, wrinkles, and gates in the fabric of the umbra that allow access to the Deep Umbra and, through the deep umbra, other realms. Most cliath garou are not privy to such knowledge as the deep umbra connecting these realms is vast, confusing, dangerous, and easy to get lost permanently in. Such is the domain of more experienced, higher ranked garou. These other realms--be they tribal homelands or small pocket realms long since forgotten or recently created--often do not conform to anything resembling the realm or the near umbra.Before having your character or other characters venture off into the deep umbra, contact the wizards to determine if it is feasible to assume that the characters will ever return to the game. The GauntletThe thing that keeps ordinary people and cars and buildings from popping into the spirit world--and spirits from popping into the physical world--is called the gauntlet.The "thickness" of the gauntlet is generally directly related to how spiritually connected the physical section of the world is to the umbra. The more technology or technological influence, the harder it is to cross over to or from the umbra. The less technology or technological influence, the easier it is to cross over to or from the umbra. Normally this translates to "the more people, the thicker the gauntlet"--so that cities have higher guantlets than small towns, small towns higher than a suburb, suburbs higher than a park, parks higher than the woods. Passing through the gauntletIt takes time to pass through the gauntlet, and generally far too much time to consider using a "jump" to the realm or the umbra as a convenient means of escaping a threat. The table below gives a rough idea of how long it takes to cross the gauntlet:
Green indicates there's better than 75% chance of successfully passing through the gauntlet. Yellow indicates there's about a 50% chance of failing to pass through the gauntlet and a 5% chance of getting stuck. Red indicates that there's greater than a 75% chance of failing to pass through the gauntlet and about a 10% chance of getting stuck. If a garou expends a point of willpower while crossing the gauntlet, add 2 points to their gnosis rating used on this table and there is no chance of getting stuck. Remember that to get back out, that's another point of WP that will probably need to be expended. If a garou fails to cross over the gauntlet, they don't know they've failed until after the time has been spent trying to get across. Once the time has passed, the garou can make a second, third, fourth, or as many attempts that are needed until they succeed--or get stuck in the gauntlet. While attempting to reach through the gauntlet, a garou must be completely focused on the act of reaching. They cannot attack, dodge, or defend themselves from attacks and are likely not very aware of their surroundings, so are very easy to sneak up on. With a gnosis 3 and reaching from the city umbra, a garou can look forward to standing still in place for about 4 minutes while being attacked by nearby hostile spirits. Obviously, stepping sideways into the gauntlet in order to flee a threat is a Bad Idea(tm) that will likely result in the garou's death--with the obvious exception of garou with extraordinarily high gnosis in or around the caern. Furthermore, as a garou reaches, their being begins to co-locate--appearing in both the umbra and the realm at the same time. And the garou must remain motionless and concentrating, not attacking or defending, while this is happening. Reaching into hostile territory, be it in the realm or umbra, is a near-certain death sentence. A garou that is struck while reaching has a high probabily of getting trapped in the gauntlet if their concentration is broken or their attention diverted--the equivalence of botching a roll. When reaching into the realm from the umbra, if a garou is spotted while crossing over, that's a potential veil breach. A garou that is reaching from the realm to the umbra and gets attacked from the umbra side while reaching could become trapped between worlds--half in one and half in the other--if they lose concentration. Another possibility is that the reaching garou (from the realm), when hit by a spirit (in the umbra), gets knocked out of the umbra and pulled back into the realm. A garou that gets stuck in the gauntlet can only be pushed back to the side they were reaching from. They can't be pulled through to the other side. And a garou cannot "unstick" themselves. They're paralyzed and helpless, exposed in both the realm and umbra. Reaching and peeking requires a reflective surfaceIn order to reach, a Garou must have a smooth, reflective surface that is located on whatever side of the gauntlet that they happen to be currently on. The reflective surface must be large enough so that the garou can see their own face in it--roughly the size of a smallish side view mirror on a car.In order to reach, a Garou must be able to see their own face reflected in the reflective surface and be conscious enough to focus their concentration on reaching through the gauntlet. Unconscious (or dead) Garou cannot be carried across by packmates. Here's an example: Goes-Far is a newly rited Silent Strider who is carrying a decent-sized handmirror with her, but it's not Dedicated. While trekking across the desert wastelands at night, Goes-Far pulls the mirror out and uses it to go into the umbra. As she disappears into the umbra, the mirror drops to the ground--still in the realm and now inaccessible. Goes-Far then realizes that she is stuck in the desert umbra with no mirror, no visible reflective surface, and she's not likely to find any still pool of water in the desert umbra. She panicks and takes off in a direction, hoping to find an oasis or helpful spirit before the sub comes back up and the Weaver spirits eat her alive. She curses herself for not Dedicating the mirror. Peeking into and out of the umbraGarou that have a reflective surface handy can peek out of the umbra and into the realm, but not from the realm into the umbra. Being able to see from the realm into the umbra requires the use of a rank 3 gift, Umbral Sight.This is extremely useful in making sure that the garou doesn't reach through the gauntlet into a crowded public bathroom. However, peeking through from the umbra into the realm doesn't give a very clear view of things--as if something is distorting and blurring the garou's vision. (Something is: it's called the gauntlet!) So garou that are peeking from the umbra to the realm can't see more than about 20-30 or so feet away and couldn't read most text--unless it was a large sign or banner. They have to cross over into the realm to get a clear idea of what's actually there. Peeking from the umbra into the realm has the same difficulty and time involved as reaching through the gauntlet. Just consult the color-coded reaching table above. When a garou is peeking through the umbra, they are undetectable to people within the realm--unless they can somehow detect spiritual presences in the umbra, which is a very rare ability. Unfortunately, peeking only allows a garou to see what is happening in the realm. Smells, sounds, and other senses do not carry across the gauntlet--and it's too blurry to read lips or computer screens. Unlike Garou, spirits cannot peek through the umbra--thus rendering them largely ignorant of going-ons there and impotent in terms of affecting the ongoings within the realm. Spirits simply lack the Garou's connection to the realm. Danger levels in the umbraGarou rarely visit the umbra alone. Rather, they go with their pack or as a group. There are huge, horrible things in the umbra that can kill a lone garou almost instantly. Not to mention how simply getting stuck in the gauntlet while attempting to get in or out of the umbra can be a death sentence to a lone garou. With a pack, there's a greater chance for survival.As a general rule of thumb, the higher the gauntlet rating, the greater the potential danger that a garou in the umbra might encounter. A garou in the city umbra (high gauntlet rating) is far more likely to be attacked than a garou in the woods umbra (low gauntlet rating). But there's nothing stopping a random nexus crawler passing by from stopping for a second or two in the woods umbra to eat a garou that thought he'd be safe there. With a few extremely rare exceptions, if a location in the physical world that has a lot of technology, a lot of pollution, and a lot of people in it, it is going to have an umbral reflection that is far more dangerous than the umbral reflection of a rural area. Hence, the umbra in the city is a hostile place for Garou to venture into, and it's not advisable to do so alone. Furthermore, the darker the moon phase, the more dangerous the umbra. When the moon is full, a garou can actually see clear as day in the umbra. When the moon is hidden, a garou in the umbra can barely see their paw in front of their face--which can make reaching out of the umbra incredibly difficult with no visible reflective surface! The moon phase also influences the power levels of certain spirits. During the darker moon phases, Wyrm spirits are more powerful than usual. During the lighter moon phases, Wyld spirits are more powerful than usual. During the day, the Weaver rules the umbra. Here's the bottom line: There's ALWAYS the potential for danger in the umbra, regardless of where you're at, even if the moon is full. It's less likely to happen on a full moon in the middle of the caern, but it COULD. There are no guarantees in the umbra. Going into the near umbra during the dayTreat the gauntlet rating as being the same as a "banal city area" (Gauntlet rating of 10). If you actually succeed in reaching, you're dead. Refer to the application guide for tips on making your next character.Garou and damage in the umbraThe umbra is where spirits rule and are the primary muscle--not the garou. Wyrm spirits and Weaver spirits are almost always hostile to Garou, but that doesn't make the Garou safe from Wyld spirits, either. Wyld spirits--by their very nature--can be unpredictable and potentially dangerous.Garou can only soak with their gnosis rating in the umbra when a spirit attacks them--not their much larger Stamina soak pool that they'd use in the realm. This makes the umbra extraordinarily dangerous for garou that get into a fight--especially lone garou that get into a fight. Exception: Garou that are attacked by other garou or non-spirit entities (demons, mages, other shifters, vampires, or creatures from other realms or not native to the spirit world) while in the spirit realm can still use their stamina to soak damage from these non-spirit entities. In the umbra, Garou are essentially nothing more than very weak spirits that can be relatively easily dispatched by a moderate-sized spirit--provided the garou is taken down quickly as they can still do a good bit of damage in very short order because of their rage and most spirits' inability to soak any damage. However, a moderate-sized spirit typically has 3-5 times the "health levels" (power points) that a Garou has and can take a massive amount of damage. In a drawn out battle (where all a garou's rage has been expended and the fight still goes on)), Garou are essentially doomed. That's one reason why trips to the umbra tend to be brief and purpose-oriented, not extended and frivilous. With most garou, it's all about "Get in, accomplish the objective, and get out." The umbra is not a place to go loiter about casually or have a nap or picnic. Because of the danger--and potential danger in seemingly "safe" areas--in the umbra, garou very rarely go there alone if at all possible, with the general exception of a caern's umbra or possibly a secluded glade. Garou are supposed to be pack animals, and that is most definitely the rule rather than the exception when it comes to trips into the umbra. The relationship between garou and spiritsSpirits rule the umbra, not garou. Garou are Gaia's warriors--but mostly just in the realm. A moderately sized spirit can kick a garou's ass (or an entire garou pack's collective ass) in the umbra. But if that spirit manifests in the realm (assuming it had the capabilities to do so), the garou would eat it for breakfast in a fight.Spirits, on the other hand, often do not know what is going on in the realm. Unless they are moderately powerful, have ample power to spend, and have a specific ability, it is very difficult for them to manifest in the realm--and when they do manifest, they are much, much weaker than in the umbra. Therefore, spirits have a need for someone to tell them what is going on in the realm and to assist them in seeing that certain actions get taken in the realm that would otherwise be extremely costly and risky for the spirit to attempt to accomplish on its own. Likewise, Garou are relatively fragile creatures when in the umbra. When the garou wish to accomplish something in the umbra, it is best to enlist the aid of spirits to do the bulk of the "heavy lifting." Garou, unlike the overwhelming majority of spirits, are gifted with the ability to go to and from the umbra and realm with relative ease and no real expenditure of energy. And garou tend to be far more powerful in the realm than the vast majority of spirits. These traits make the garou excellent "realm emissaries" for spirits, as well as useful allies. And likewise, the potency of spirits in the umbra is a valuable asset to the garou. Thus we have the foundation of the garou-spirit relationship. There are four main classifications of spirits: gafflings, jagglings, incarna, and celestines. Gafflings are the weakest and most common of spirits. They are barely sentient--about on par with a housecat or domestic dog insofar as intellect generally goes. They are essentially slaves to a larger jaggling, almost mindlessly carrying out their instinct-driven tasks. Gafflings look up to Garou as potential protectors and occasional playmates. Gafflings are easily killed with but a swipe or two of a garou's claws. Particularly strong gafflings might be useful in making relatively weak talens. Gafflings have no free will and slavishly must promote the aspect of their spiritual selves. A water spirit must make things wet. A fire spirit must burn things. A forest spirit must encourage forest growth. A frost spirit must make things cold. Jagglings are "adult" spirits and are intelligent--sometimes even crafty and deceptive, unlike the gafflings that they oversee. It's not uncommon to see a jaggling in the umbra, though it's generally best to stay out of their way if they look busy (and they generally are). The weakest are typically an even match for a cliath or fostern garou in a fight, and the stronger ones could potentially lay waste to an entire pack (or four) of garou. The weaker jagglings might occasionally work with a pack of garou as a pack totem, though the stronger jagglings are likely far too busy to bother interacting with the garou on a regular basis--unless there's something they need done in the realm. Jagglings have only limited free will. They must almost always act to further the cause of their spiritual essence, but can occasionally make exceptions if there is a long-term payoff that is far greater than making a brief, small sacrifice. For instance, a jaggling fire elemental might agree to stop manifesting and setting fires to dumpsters in a park in exchange for being allowed to set fires in a much larger park or forest, where it could successfully spark off a significantly larger fire. Jagglings--generally the very weak ones--are used in talens that are moderately to very powerful. On rare occasions, one might even deign to be bound into a fetish--though the act essentially "retires" the spirit indefinitely from gaining power or influence in the spirit realm. (Just one of the many reasons why fetishes are so rare and valuable and difficult to make.) Incarna are essentially the "lesser gods" of the spirit world. They are vastly powerful, vastly intelligent, vastly experienced, and vastly not concerned with individual or even packs or septs of garou. They could "accidentally" wipe out a sept of garou that came into the umbra. Tribal totems are one subset of Incarna spirits. When you talk of THE Unicorn or THE Grandfather Thunder, you're talking about an incarna spirit. Few garou alive ever lay eyes on an incarna, much less the incarna of their tribal totem. If you're a rank 5 garou, known throughout the world by your tribe, and make a special quest to go visit your tribal incarna, it might actually talk with you for a couple minutes. Maybe. Celestines are essentially Helios, Luna, They Wyrm, The Wyld, and The Weaver. Collectively, they form Gaia. Spirits have a very alien mindset compared to most humans, garou, wolves, and other animals. Spirits in a given area are a lot like the Garou living in the same area--very diverse and each is an individual with a variety of goals and motivations. Think of spirits as being another foil-type character with their own little agendas. The smallest spirits, gafflings, are weak, barely sentient, and their motives are generally fairly obvious as they go about doing "worker bee" tasks for some Jaggling master. Jagglings are more powerful, intelligent, and potentially crafty. Their motives and motivations are not always obvious, but are always designed to further the interests of the Incarna that they serve. A Jaggling is quite capable of pulling a fast one on a garou--and the totems of Cunning are very, very, very good at such things. Some jagglings will work with the garou. Some see the garou as tools or pawns to be used and expended as needed. Some wouldn't give the garou the time of day. Almost all are busy tending to either minding gafflings, garnering power, or otherwise doing the day-to-day stuff that spirits need to be doing in order to serve their Incarna. Incarna are ultra-powerful, ultra-intelligent spirits with machinations that would give the oldest of scheming vampires a good run for their money. Fortunately, interacting with an Incarna is a virtually unheard of event. The odds of interacting with a Celestine within the scope of GarouMUSH are essentially zero. Spirits don't loiter about all day waiting for the garou to come and visit them. They have their own agendas to accomplish and are generally hard at work to that end, and these ends often do not make immediate sense to most garou--particularly the larger and more powerful and knowledgeable a spirit gets. A garou that believes everything any Wyld spirit says is a walking sucker waiting to be used and abused by the spirit world. And spirits may break deals too as many spirits, particularly Wyld spirits, are not always inclined to respect agreements or care about the Garou's conception of Honor. (Oddly enough--or obviously enough--Weaver spirits are probably the best oath-keepers.) Wyld spirits are not necessarily allies of the Garou, but, on average, they are certainly "less an enemy" than everything else out there. Usually. Provided whatever it is the garou are wanting to do isn't interfering with what the Wyld spirits want to do. Spirit SpeechThe Garou have their Mother Tongue that allows them all to communicate regardless of whether they were born wolf or human, raised as an American, Hispanic, French, or Russian. It is the common denominator of language for the garou.Spirits have Spirit Speech, allowing all the diverse kinds of spirits to communicate with one another in a common language. Some garou have the ability to speak the language of spirits through a gift: Spirit Speech. Generally it's only worthwhile to communicate with jagglings. Gafflings are barely sentient--about the equivalent intellectually as a domestic dog or house cat--and can generally only string together at best a 2-3 word simple sentence. Just as some Garou have Spirit Speech, some spirits can also speak with garou--but might not advertise that fact. Garou who speak Spirit Speech to spirits--even if the spirit can speak and understand the Mother Tongue--are generally seen as being more respectful/formal by the spirits being addressed. It's like trying to adapt oneself to the customs of a household where you're a guest. Spirit Speech is actually less of a language than it is an empathic means of communication. Spirits "speak" inside a garou's heads and do not need to employ any sounds--though a few do just to be polite in turn to the garou. However, a Garou that uses Spirit Speech to reply to a spirit must speak out loud and use a language of some kind (or the lupus equivalent of langauge). The Spirit Speech gift conveys the empathic meaning of what is being said to the spirit listener. For example, a spirit could silently communicate with a garou (like using Mind Speak). In responding, the Garou must speak out loud and use a language that they know--the Spirit Speech gift simply translates the spoken language into kind of a spiritual empathy that spirits can understand. The garou that is speaking using Spirit Speech can be heard and understood by the spirit--though garou without spirit speech may be privy to only one half of the conversation. Beast Speech, another garou gift, can not be used to communicate with animal spirits. |