Antumbra

Once, the people of Kith Kanaan did not think much or often of the spirit world (the Antumbra). Those who did have knowledge of the region held only a limited understanding of what the realm truly was. The various magical traditions and religious orders of Kith Kanaan held vastly different views of what the realm was like, and how important it was to Creation. With the coming of the Awakening, there has been a significant shift in power within the spirit world, and the entities of the Antumbra have become stronger, influencing the physical world in a greater fashion. The dangers of the spirit world have grown, as have the benefits for those who risk interacting with the realm.

Environment

The Antumbra is an animistic realm, reflecting the physical world in an idealised state. While the Umbra could be thought of as a lower reflection, the Antumbra is more of a higher reflection of Creation. Here, the spirits act as mirrors and souls for every object and concept that exists in the physical world. Craft a chair from wood, and there is a wood spirit nestled into the chair (or, alternatively, a chair spirit). Build a house, and a hearth spirit is born. When a couple falls in love, a spirit of love is created.

The landscape of the Antumbra is difficult to navigate, as it represents a reflection of the physical world in an idealised form. It is both what the physical is, and what the physical was before. It is fuelled by the emotions of those who live there currently, and those who lived there before. An ancient manor that held celebrations and was a place of influence will exist in the spirit world long after the manor has been reduced to ruin and replaced with smaller hovels. The spirit of the manor does not die (though it may weaken), and the manor will exist in some form until the spirit has moved on, or faded away. If the manor is burned down, fire spirits may rise up to co-exist with the spirit of the manor, in a constant, quiet struggle for dominance. To truly destroy the manor spirit, the manor itself needs to be truly forgotten or the spirit itself must be killed or devoured.

At one point, quiescent spirits provided the landscape and structure of the Antumbra, creating an environment for visitors to interact with. The foundation of the land was built upon hundreds of thousands of sleeping spirits, layers of which laid out the very land that was once explored. With the Awakening, the landscape has been torn apart, the sleeping spirits awakened with an eruption which goes on to this day. Because of the Awakening, the spirit world is a shifting place, constantly moving between the past and present as the spirits themselves move and shift for dominance. This struggle is more muted in the present than it was only less then a decade ago, as the relative stability of Creation has helped establish some order in the spirit world, but the dynamicism of the spirit world has created great potential for change and growth in the physical world. As new quiescent spirits are created, the physical foundation of the spirit world is slowly re-established.

Quiescent spirits create the landscape of the Antumbra, providing the ground that can be walked upon, the trees and leaves, and any structures that are found. Esoteric spirits manifest as brief colours that drift in the air or rest underfoot, adding texture to the landscape. Many quiescent spirits are quick to awaken because of the Awakening, but as the ritual loses strength, more and more quiescent spirits grow, laying out the domain once more. The landscape is strongest where civilization lays, as it is the people who help to create the greatest amount of spirits through their actions. As one moves away from civilization, the spiritual landscape becomes a place of turmoil, as quiescent spirits are rarer there, with few things giving the opportunity to craft them. As such, the spirit world exists as pockets of semi-stability surrounded by a sea of chaos. Before the Awakening, the spirit world was mostly uniform, with only pockets of stability deeper in the Antumbra itself.

Spirits

A spirit acts as an animating force for the subject which it belongs to. Without the presence of a spirit, the subject feels lifeless and uninspiring. Emotions fade away and lose strength, while physical objects become uninspiring, fragile, and prone to breaking down. When a spirit is first created, it is quiescent, sleeping within the subject. The spirit remains as a source of energy, providing shape and purpose to the subject it represents. Thus, a tree's spirit helps the tree act and feel like a tree, while a spirit of love provides purpose and definition to the emotion felt.

A spirit can gain strength through the process of anamnesis. Even when sleeping, a spirit has influence on the physical world, providing a connection to the past and a link to the flow of energy that permeates the world. A person who passes a place of sorrow may feel an echo of that sorrow from the spirits of sadness which exist there. In return, the emotions and memories of Creation feeds the spirit, providing it with greater strength. Thus, if someone remembers the manor that once stood on a street, the spirit of that manor gains strength, even if the manor itself is no longer there. This process continues in a cycle, the spirit gaining sustenance from the emotions and memories of the world, while providing energy to the world through the emotions and memories of the population. In this way, essence constantly flows, drawn into the spirit world by the hunger of the spirits, then released into the physical world by the connection the spirits have with the physical world. As more spirits are born, more essence becomes available.

Hypnogogia

Some spirits, given a strong enough surge of essence, begin to awaken and enter a hypnogogic state. The spirit drifts between a state of sleep and wakefulness, and begins to pour essence into the physical world, triggering a stronger impression of itself and feeding on the essence produced in an attempt to gain strength. This is not usually a harmful condition, but in some cases the spirit's influence can alter the state of the world around it, leading to confusion. A manor spirit which has entered a hypnogogic state may cause those who pass near the former location of the manor may become disoriented, expecting a door where there is none, or to remember the manor even though they have never seen it. A spirit of sorrow within a house may cause the family to remember the death and extend the period of grieving, as the spirit prevents them from moving ahead with their lives.

An item with a hypnogogic spirit within it could be considered blessed or cursed. The spirit may be found in a "lucky" stone, or in a weapon with a long history. Such items may be thought to be of exceptional or poor quality, even though it is not the crafting which is at fault, but rather the spirit within it. A flute with an angry spirit within it may reduce the skill of one who is using it, while a spirit of cowardice may reside within a sword, causing the sword to miss and to instil fear in the person using it. A spirit of fatigue may cause armour to feel heavier than it truly is, while a spirit of courage in the same armour may cause someone to feel invincible and take greater risks. Most spirits on the edges of civilization are hypnogogic. Such spirits are not truly self-aware, and are more like animals, relying on their instincts for self-preservation. As such, those who approach the edge of civilization often find their emotions heightened, and the world beyond the borders of their towns and villages seem more primal and alive. This is the effect of the spirit world, creating powerful impressions upon the living.

Awakened Spirits

A spirit which has awakened is truly self-aware. These spirits know what they are, and are aware of the physical world. Awakened spirits can be of great help to those who know how to interact with them, but to the uninitiated, they are a dire threat. A spirit that has awakened will continue to exist in accordance to its nature. A spirit of love will travel through a city, nurturing the love found within the citizens of a city, while helping to spawn weaker love spirits in return. A house spirit may continue to shelter the family that lives within it, protecting them from harm and providing security to the family that keeps the home in good repair. These spirits are part of the natural cycle, and while some may be dangerous, most can be safely ignored.

In the present age, there are countless awakened spirits, where until recently there were perhaps a score in any given region. These awakened spirits have contested one another, helping to establish some degree of balance and harmony, and have now established their influence upon the world. Having drawn from the inspirations of the mortal population, the spirit world has shaped itself in the ideals of the nations they reside within, helping to enforce the identity of the people and landscape they inhabit. The nation of Drachen feels like 'Drachen', and one who visits the kingdom can not mistake it for anywhere else. From the landscape to the people, the nation itself embodies the very soul of 'Drachen', and the awakened spirits of the region ensure that the nation remains in accordance to its identity.

Outside the borders of civilization, the spirits drift between pockets of stability, causing the landscape to shift and change as the spirits test one another for dominance. The spirits remain in keeping with the landscape of Creation, but the influences of the various spirits in power can cause subtle shifts in the physical world. For those who travel, the wilderness can feel alien and chaotic, as a grove of trees may seem serene and silent one day, but primordial and wild the next.

With the coming of the Awakening, there has been a growth of those who take the effort to know and understand the spirits. The spirit wardens are those who have gone among the spirits, testing themselves and learning how to interact with the spirits safely. The shamans who follow the [[Path of Awakening] have always been in accord with the quiescent and hypnogogic spirits, and the sudden rise of awakened spirits have provided them with much work. The recently discovered Path of Atter has begun to spread, allowing ritualists to petition the awakened spirits for aid.

Chimera

A spirit can weaken when the source of the spirit is weakened or altered. If, for example, a river becomes poisoned or redirected, the spirit may suffer and weaken. Rather than allow itself to fade away, a spirit may alter itself to draw on new sources of essence, gaining strength by accepting a change in its essential nature. In most cases, a spirit can only do this when it is either awakened, or hypnogogic. The spirit may choose to draw upon another spirit, feeding on that spirit's essence to strength itself, adopting some of the properties of the spirit being fed from, or it can attune to a new source of essence, drawing upon that energy to gain strength. Such spirits are called chimera.

In the case of hypnogogic spirits, the spirit becomes more specific -- rather than being a river spirit, the spirit may become a spirit of tainted waters, gaining strength from any source of water that has become polluted, while attempting to create new sources to feed from. An awakened spirit will usually taken on a full identity and title, and may become "Fetid Water That Withers Life". A chimeric spirit can be a danger, showing signs of a region that is out of harmony, and most awakened spirits will regulate themselves, ensuring that harmful chimera do not last very long.

When a spirit feeds from another spirit, one of two things can happen. If the spirit being fed from is stronger, it can choose to allow the weaker spirit to share essence, or it can consume the weaker spirit to gain strength. Alternatively, if the spirits are roughly equal, the two spirits can meld, becoming a chimera. Stronger spirits with strong ties to their identity are less likely to become chimera -- their essential nature overwhelms the essence they consume, diminishing and absorbing it with very little impact. Thus, most awakened spirits rarely become chimera, though a hypnogogic chimera could in theory become an awakened chimera.

A river spirit may find the river becoming tainted. It can choose to draw upon a local spirit of lover, becoming a chimera. It then attempts to influence those nearby, creating feelings of love for the river, in the hopes that those who are influenced will attempt to purify it. Once the river has been purified, the spirit can 'shed' the essence of love, or it can choose to create stronger feelings, making the river a popular place for lovers.

Unbalanced Chimera

Some chimera become unbalanced, the nature of the spirit changed too much, and in an unstable way. These spirits lose sight of what they once were, becoming something new and often dangerous. The river spirit mentioned above may find that instead of romantic love, the spirit it devoured creates an obsession. Lovers come to the river and sometimes step in, drowning themselves. The emotional impact of these deaths alter the spirit, adding death to the spirit’s nature, thus creating a spirit which influences those with romantic problems to come to it for death.

An awakened spirit will often feel disturbed by this unbalanced nature. These spirits will enter the deeper Antumbra, attempting to purify themselves by stripping away the polluted essence, or will begin to feed on other local spirits in the hopes of finding a method to purge the tainted essence from it. This often creates more problems than it solves, and shamans or other awakened spirits must often take steps to remedy the situation. Imagine a tree which has devoured a murder spirit, and has taken it upon itself to animate the tree to devour any who come near it.

Nature of Spirits

Spirits are near-immortal. They are intangible, though awakened spirits can often learn to manifest in Creation. A spirit can not be harmed by physical objects, even if manifested, though enchanted or blessed items can create harm, as can miracles or sorcery. A spirit who is slain is usually only disrupted, slipping deeper into the Antumbra and resting until they have recovered, or dipping into hypnogogic state. A hypnogogic who has been disrupted becomes quiescent. Once a spirit has been healed, drawing upon essence through anamnesis, they recover and return to their normal state. It is very difficult to destroy a spirit, and requires powerful magic or miracle to truly, permanently destroy one. If a spirit is truly destroyed, the essence of the spirit spreads through the Antumbra, to feed nearby spirits, imbuing them with a portion of the slain spirit's essence and identity.

Wandering the Spirit World

Surviving in the Spirit World is difficult. Travellers need to eat and sleep, and while sleeping can be fairly safe (depending on where the characters choose to sleep), eating requires finding an appropriate spirit, and eating it. The spirit will, most likely, survive the process, but eating a spirit is often disconcerting. Quiescent animal spirits act like animals in all ways, but do not know they’re supposed to ‘die’ when killed, thus cooking and eating them can be a very horrendous experience for the unwary wanderer.

Rules

There are some rules about the Antumbra which emphasises the difference between the spirit world and the physical world.

• For the Path of Reflection, clairsentient and empathic effects are stronger, allowing the character a better sense and feel for the spirit world. Kinetic effects do not work at all, as there is no tangible 'presence' in the spirit world.

• Sorcery which draws upon essence and the spirit world is stronger. The Path of Veils works well here, as most illusions are raw creations of essence. The Path of Awakening and the Path of Atter are both directly tied to the Antumbra, and are especially potent within the spirit world. The Path of Ashes does not work at all. The Azure Path and the Path of Twilight both are a little more potent in the Antumbra. The Path of the Chorister and the Spiral Path are no stronger or weaker, but when used they cause a ripple to pass through the spirit world. Such magic will attract any divine and infernal agent that is within a few miles of the source of the spell, causing them to investigate why this magic was used. This often can prove dangerous to the sorcerer. Spells from the path of Twilight and from the path of Awakenings may cause local quiescent spirits to shift to a hypnogogic state, while powerful spells may cause a hypnogogic spirit to fully awaken as essence flows grow stronger within the region.

• Because of the alien landscape, even those who are accustomed to living in the wilds or in strange territories often find the spirit world to be disconcerting. As such, those trained in survival often have to work just a bit harder to protect themselves and find food or shelter in the shifting landscape.