The Awakening of Worlds

In the beginning, if such a term can exist within the boundlessness of time, in the beginning there was The Absolute. This uniform world, flat to infinity, was bathed in eternal mists, vaporous, all in shades of gray. It was the union of all things and all knowledge. It was peace and harmony, and all was well. The entities that inhabited it were ethereal beings, souls that had evolved to reach Harmony.

In doing so, they had left behind their past, abandoning all memory of their long cycle of reincarnations, as well as their desires, basking in this peaceful world. They had no physical form; they simply inhabited the permanent banks of fog bathing this world. This dull space, devoid of any sensory stimulus, would have driven any physical being mad, but without form or body and communicating through telepathy, they formed a collective consciousness that acted in union and without secrets. They shared concepts of music, imagery, scent, and taste solely through thought and lived in fulfillment.

Nevertheless, the surroundings were not stable, an infinitesimal part of chaos being present in all things and altering the world at the whim of its caprices. This entropy was due neither to an external influence nor to anyone's malevolent desire, but to the very nature of souls unconsciously refusing the idleness inherent to a perfect and immutable world. All beings thus acted in concert to maintain equilibrium in The Absolute.

From this synergy and this share of chaos, The Gate was born at its heart. Crystallizing over the course of time, it gradually took form and eventually materialized, the sole solid element floating in the midst of The Absolute. At its birth, it showed only its vaporous surface, reflecting its surroundings.

Some drew closer, curious to know what this unknown thing could be in this world, a disturbing element for those who had knowledge of everything, yet paradoxically ignorant of its origin. Their senses made them perceive only mist, and so many turned away from The Gate to continue attending to their ethereal occupations, continuing to maintain The Absolute in equilibrium. But those who had returned to their work sensed infinitesimal fluctuations they could not understand, which they tried to contain with all the force of their consciousness.

Among those who had remained before The Gate, some channeled all their power, all their energy toward the misty passage. Deep within themselves and believing they were still capable of evolving further, they wanted to leave this frozen world to found others more to their liking. The cloudy foam solidified, giving way to a reflective substance that did not return their mirror image. They began to see on its surface images that the others could not perceive. Before their senses materialized forms and aspects that did not exist in this place, simple emanations of their repressed desires, and this kindled their longing to bring these things into being.

Five of them stretched their consciousness toward The Gate, and they were drawn through it. On the other side, they were still immaterial, but their power was such that they could materialize whatever they desired. They chose to take a name and materialized their desires:

• Faerie shaped bountiful realities where nearly all creatures are sentient, and where magic permeates all things.
• Synchron founded kingdoms where thought and logic reign supreme. A hierarchy was established based solely on the proof of intelligent creation, and gradually, the most creative races took precedence over the others.
• Mennon conceived worlds where technology is the most advanced. In some of his creations, a form of magic fluctuated across the ages.
• Autarcauste appeared to be the combination of the desires of Synchron and Mennon, and his worlds seemed to shine like fireworks.
• Of Okotade, all trace vanished...

Such was the fate of The Fallen Creators, for none found the way back to The Absolute.

Their disappearance did not go unnoticed. The collective consciousness was aware of the absence of those who had been absorbed by The Gate. Thus, a small group broke away from their usual activities to study this new thing, apparently dangerous since it had caused some of their own to vanish. They approached the monument and observed it carefully, but with no further aspiration to activate it, the passage showed only a vaporous surface.

After a span of time that cannot be measured, for time has no meaning in The Absolute, one of them felt the desire to see one of the vanished, and The Gate showed them. They could observe the vanished one, as well as all the things they had created. They communicated their discovery to the group of researchers, and they all focused on the same Fallen Creator, acting collectively. The perception grew in scope, and they perceived not only images but also sounds, muffled by the fog, as well as the thoughts of the observed world. The cacophony overwhelmed them. They broke contact, bewildered by this lack of harmony.

In the times that followed, the group observed the worlds of other Fallen Creators, scrutinizing the results of their former companions' desires. And what they saw became part of the collective consciousness, shared with all who inhabited The Absolute. But no one came as close to the passage as the vanished ones, fearing they would be propelled in turn into one of these disharmonic worlds.

As time went on, things changed ever more in the worlds beyond The Gate. The realms of Autarcauste fell into disarray, each struck by a catastrophe generally caused by the creatures of those worlds. Those of Mennon, so vast and populous, tore themselves apart in power struggles over the resources of planets, overexploited and vital for the continued advancement of technology. Those of Synchron, far less vast as they existed on the scale of a single planet, were no less terrible, confined in this restricted space that made any escape to other places impossible. Those of Faerie seemed the most protected, but wars of power and ambition took place nonetheless, less deadly than the others only because of a smaller population and weapons of war with more contained effects. When The Observers focused on Okotade, they perceived only demented laughter, screams of terror, and lamentations...

All this instability was not without effect on The Absolute. Emanations of negative energy passed through The Gate, extending their dark tentacles into the surroundings. At first few in number and without influence on this world of purity, they harmonized with the ethereal energy. Some Observers were seized by these shadowy tendrils and were dragged back through The Gate, vanishing forever from The Absolute. The remaining watchers, horrified, retreated, placing themselves out of reach of the dark emanations, but these, fed by growing desolations, strengthened and grew in size, whipping the banks of mist and striking the ground with violence, making all of The Absolute tremble. The terror of The Observers was transmitted to the other ethereal beings through the collective consciousness.

A new group of individuals was designated for their skill in preserving harmony. They were sent to assist The Observers of The Gate, in order to find a way to contain this new threat, while continuing to observe what was happening in the outer realms. The Absolute could not afford to lose more souls, for the balance was precarious, even more so since this influx of disharmonizing concepts. How could these negative effects be limited?

The collective consciousness found several answers to this vital question for the realm. First, the influx of sensations from these imperfect worlds to all the souls of this world had to be limited. The decision was made to isolate The Observers from the collective consciousness. To achieve this, their souls were sanctuarized, making them imperceptible to the other ethereal beings, and they were named The Gate Guardians. Their mission was to prevent the tentacular emanations from passing through The Gate. The watchers had to be able to monitor everything happening beyond it, without what happened beyond coming to disturb the equilibrium in The Absolute.

The Gate Guardians erected two barriers. One surrounded The Gate, preventing the tentacles of negative energy from penetrating. The other materialized in the form of a building, enclosing The Gate in a space that let no sensation escape. Immediately, the effects were felt. All negative sensations ceased to exist; the disharmony, now confined to the Guardians' Domain called The Antechamber, was diminished in the rest of the world as it had been before the birth of The Gate. The souls could resume their work in harmony and tranquility.

Among those who maintained The Absolute in equilibrium, far from all disturbance, some chose to join The Guardians. Three paths then opened to them:

• Join The Observers in order to perceive the reality of The Outer Worlds;
• Maintain The Antechamber's defenses by joining The Guardians;
• Sort and preserve information from the worlds beyond The Gate so that others might benefit... Thus were born The Akashic Masters, who stored all observations in The Akashic Library.

But the sensations continued to flow in, ever more negative, ever more disturbing even for these ethereal beings. A way had to be found to intervene in these worlds to restore equilibrium and thus reduce the negative sensations broadcast through The Gate.

And so The Gate Guardians decided to found a fourth order: The Artisans. They learned to manipulate the energy emanating from The Gate, the energy of The Outer Worlds, in order to purify it and assimilate it into that of their own world. Through great effort, they achieved several remarkable feats.

The first feat was the creation of The Multiversal Transmuter. An ethereal being of The Absolute could bind themselves through a ritual to the artifact, then pass through The Gate. The bond would then allow them to return. At least, that was the theory of The Artisans... It now had to be put to the test. It was then that the last order was founded: The World Travelers. Their objective was to act directly in The Outer Worlds, in order to reduce the harmful influences on The Absolute. The first ones acted meticulously to avoid any error: they began by observing, reading, and analyzing the surroundings of the place into which they would project themselves. Once done, they made only brief incursions, apprehensive about being unable to return. Upon passing through The Gate, they materialized in the outer world, taking on the appearance of a native creature, without adornments. Interaction was possible, and The Observers of The Gate knew hope amidst the torrents of negativity.

Strangely, the nomads could communicate with the population in their language. Moreover, they were capable of performing a number of things unknown and foreign to practices in The Absolute. The Akashic Masters quickly understood that the ritual, which had bound The Travelers to their world of origin, was also connected to The Gate Guardians. They were synchronized with them, and the knowledge of The Akashic Library was integrated into the nomads' knowledge according to their predispositions and the world being explored. After a return without difficulty, the conclusion was clear: the artifact had kept its promises, and far exceeded expectations.

A new phenomenon struck the worlds without The Observers of The Gate being alerted. On all worlds appeared magical portals, pale imitations of The Gate and passages between two realms that had been impossible until then. Another caprice of entropy, these passages were only temporary, persisting for mere moments, and vanishing immediately after the passage of matter as if all their energy had been absorbed by this transfer.

These unpredictable phenomena were not discovered immediately, but those who passed through these crossings appeared in a new world, sometimes very different from the one they came from, with no hope of return, the passage having vanished upon their arrival. Their only alternative was then to blend in with the local population and adopt their customs in order to survive this new situation.

Their integration was facilitated by an unhoped-for discovery. Where the portal had stood moments before, the environment had been altered by the powerful phenomenon, transforming stone into strange jewels, the air still vibrating with lingering magic. The dimensional expatriates gathered the most beautiful precious crystals and set out in search of a place to live. To find lodging and sustenance, they sold what might have value, and the glittering stones quickly found buyers.

Gradually, these stones found a predominant place in the economic system: jewelers set them in necklaces, rings, and other jewelry prized by nobles; magic practitioners found in them a source of power and used them in their incantations and ritual objects; the faithful offered them to their deities to win their favor, the jewels rivaling objects made of precious metals.

They eventually found their way into the hands of The Artisans, brought back to The Absolute — an exceptional feat — by Travelers who had returned in an extraordinary manner to their world of origin. They studied these most unusual crystals and observed a magical imprint without equal. The potential for use seemed significant. Given their role in the economy of all the Realms, they decided to influence the natives of all known worlds so that these precious stones would become the universal currency, and they named them Nexus Shards, or Nexies.

The Travelers were often defenseless against local wildlife and inhabitants, and their role was crucial in the return of harmony to the Realms. Therefore, The Artisans set to work providing equipment capable of traveling through The Gate. Elara, master Artisan, created the first Outfits, forged from the synchronized energy of The Artisans and The Akashic Masters.

She began by drawing energy radiated by The Gate, pure emanations of The Outer Worlds. This power drawn from the dimensional fabric was woven through her mastery of shaping, transforming it into shimmering fabrics, imbued with the possibilities and hopes of The Distant Realms. Once the technique was mastered, she entrusted the task to her peers. The fabric itself was merely a material that could pass through The Gate in both directions, but it offered nothing more to The Travelers.

Therefore, Elara gathered a few Akashic Masters. The Artisan's goal was to concentrate the knowledge of certain domains into Nexus Shards, those pure jewels of pure energy. Following her instructions, the Sages selected certain knowledge, which they condensed into complex mental schemas. They shared them with Elara, who transcoded them into the energy matrix of the Nexies. The stones began to pulse with a new energy; she named them Ability Crystals. Then, by probing them, Elara could discern within them all the specific knowledge drawn from The Library.

All that remained was to seal the jewels into the Outfits to make them into remarkable artifacts: The Travelers were no longer defenseless upon arrival. The second feat of The Artisans was achieved.

The Travelers grew bolder and became even more involved in The Outer Worlds. Their primary mission was the return of Harmony to all these places, steeped in misfortune and flaws. To better act upon these worlds, the written records of the Akashic alone were not enough. Upon their arrival in a Distant Realm, the nomads did not yet understand all the local traditions, laws, and customs, and the limited time of their passage did not give them the spark needed to survive or turn the tide in the most difficult moments.

Thus, The Travelers decided to follow the path of reincarnation, in order to be born and grow up like the locals. Their predispositions drew them to a vessel that would allow them to express their full potential, and the Outfit of their choice would follow them throughout their life. They had forgotten everything about their origins, but dreamlike reminiscences appeared to them during their childhood. Upon reaching maturity, they were deeply involved elements in the evolution of the Outer World. Many of these Travelers, through their experience, became aware of their connection to The Absolute. Their actions were then directed as much toward the good of the world as toward that of their Realm of origin. They were then said to be Awakened.

The first unwanted returns also occurred. Death, an element forgotten from their world of origin, was a common occurrence in The Distant Realms. The nomads did not know what this meant for the locals, but for them, the consequence was most unpleasant. They were torn from their physical envelopes only to be immediately brought back to The Antechamber. The return was so harsh and sudden that their nature was disturbed, desynchronized. Dazed, they remained before The Gate, watching their companions continue to exist in The Distant Realms.

The Travelers discovered that they had the ability to bring back one of their own who had been mortally wounded. The ritual, exhausting and requiring a long period of uninterrupted calm, consisted of gathering all members of the group, and, at the cost of some memories from one of them, the soul of the deceased would regain its body. An undesirable side effect of the operation: the miraculously revived one forgot everything that had enriched them over a variable period. However, if the ritual was not performed quickly, the soul of the dead had increasingly difficulty following the group's adventures, and it would slowly drift into the mists, eventually leaving The Antechamber. It would then lose all contact with The Gate Guardians, forgetting everything that had happened during its adventurous life, and would resume its task of preserving the harmony of The Absolute.

Time passed and The World Travelers left their subtle mark on the outer Realms. For their part, The Artisans gained ever greater mastery over their creations, fashioning accessories that enhanced the capabilities of the Outfits. These objects were normally reserved only for the most talented Travelers, and could only be acquired in The Absolute. But to reach the nomads residing for long periods in The Distant Realms, they founded an order of Incarnate Merchants, whose mission was to present the various creations of The Artisans or to provide new Outfits to the unfortunate ones who had seen theirs destroyed in one battle too many.

The Incarnate Merchants offered their services to locals and nomads alike, and it happened that The World Travelers would encounter a wealthy individual wearing an Outfit from The Absolute. But its wearing bore no comparison to that of an incarnated ethereal being. The hue of the Outfit then radiated, even if its possessor did not master all its mysteries. This gift of perceiving the auras of Outfits was the difference that distinguished ethereal beings from locals, which allowed Travelers and Artisans to recognize each other easily.

The Awakened Travelers, through their Outfit, had access to the knowledge of The Akashic Library. When the situation required it, some contributed to small scientific advances as long as they did not disturb the world's harmony. They drew their knowledge from The Absolute and disseminated it through a turn of phrase or an allusion in order to remain as discreet as possible. Giving too much could have upset the Realm's order or political balance. Sometimes, instead of drawing their knowledge from The Absolute, Travelers learned certain arts on their own alongside the natives. This practice allowed them to provide new information to The Akashic Library, but they also retained mastery of these skills even if their Outfit was destroyed.

The Initiation Campaign begins from this point.

It was in the course of their journeys that The Travelers encountered locals who had observed strange phenomena. Luminous and shimmering spaces showing a landscape from another world. Walking around them was easy, but crossing through meant a journey of no return, for the Portal vanished immediately, leaving behind numerous gems. The news spread, and the areas where gems appeared were analyzed and mined to recover all the wealth of those sites.

These entropic phenomena were studied by local scholars, and the cursed success was achieved in certain worlds that knew how to unite science with the magic of the Nexies. The alliance of these two empirical bodies of knowledge, so opposed — one logical and the other chaotic — allowed the scholars to discover how to make a portal appear connecting their world to another. The powerful immediately saw infinite possibilities: expansion, rapid acquisition of resources sometimes nonexistent in their world, exile to a new safe world. Thus, the rulers asked two things of the scholars: make the technique reliable, and be able to choose the destination world. And so The Observers watched the wars of power extend not only within worlds, but also between worlds.

Warning: Important plot elements intended solely for Game Masters are revealed here, and will be the subject of a future campaign.

Okotade had been busy ever since passing through The Gate. He had erased all trace of his presence so that no one could cast a prying eye upon him. The malevolence, which he had concealed for a long time while still residing in The Absolute, had allowed him to attract Entropy into this plane of harmony. They had then merged and created The Gate, the only way out of this place so painful, so far removed from their new essence.

After passing through The Gate, their union had shattered to give birth to two entities, each as malevolent as the other: Saoch and Rourehr. They had then begun to create worlds as dark as they were horrific, bathed in the shadows that shrouded their essence.

In the eternal night of certain Realms or in the reddened skies tinged with screams of others, the most powerful bellowed with Machiavellian laughter. The plots and machinations conceived in these accursed places had many times achieved their unspeakable goals, and others were still being devised. In these horrific worlds, the downfall of outer Realms was being plotted at every moment, driven by jealousy, perversity, or villainy.

These were the first Realms to have discovered the portals, and above all the first to have mastered them, perhaps due to their affinity with chaos and malevolence. And their desires were shared despite their differences and oppositions: to dominate the Realms or destroy them.

The result had been the entrenchment of conflicts with trivial origins, the overthrow of political systems believed to be just and stable, the annihilation of entire galaxies. The voices emanating from these ominous Realms whispered in the ears of the impressionable, the egocentric, the paranoid, of all those seeking power, guiding them with an invisible hand toward their demise. All these creatures were so easily manipulated...

But a thorn had materialized in their bellicose foot, piercing it with a permanent pain: The World Travelers. These creatures from The Absolute, that initial Realm so dull and monotonous, were being born everywhere and apparently had only one purpose: to stand in the way of the march of Chaos and Horror.