The first overview of The Silence. A setting in the works using the WaRP system.
The world we live in, the reality
around us, is but one of many. Other worlds, parallel dimensions,
other realities, whatever names they are given exist along side our
own. Just a hairs width away separated by a boundary to keep us
isolated from each other. But over time that wall has weakened and
slowly broken down. Allowing others to pass into that space in
between, a sinister place that mirrors the darkest aspects of the
realities around it, a place known as The Silence.
In this setting the players take on the
roles of people who are sensitive to areas of weakness in the
boundary between our reality and that of The Silence. They feel a
draw to these areas or may even cause the cracks that already exist
to open up even more. What they choose to do about the horrors that
they keep stumbling across is up to them. But one thing is for sure,
the things that reside on the other side want in our world for
various reasons. They may be the only ones who can stop them.
The Cracks in the Boundary.
The areas where the wall is the weakest
are called cracks, but they are not all the same. There are
different levels of breakage and how the other side is manifested can
be different from site to site. Also the areas along the Boundary
next to our world are mirror images, copies if you will, of each
other. Although those over there tend to be a much more broken, dark
and horrific version. Where everything is in a constant state of
decay and despair permeates the air.
Sound does not travel the same either.
In the open air most sounds are completely gone within a hundred
feet, so somebody could be screaming for help close by and nobody
could hear it. Hence the name that it is given, The Silence. Inside
structures such as buildings it is more chaotic, noises far away may
sound like they are right in the next room while your friend down the
hallway may be getting violently murdered and you hear nothing.
Now lets look at the various types of
cracks and how they are categorized. But do note that this isn't a
science and they may manifest in completely unforeseen ways as well.
Crosspoint. These are completely open
doorways that exist between the two worlds. You can't see them until
you've already walked through. Once several feet in the air will go
very cold and you won't hear any noises. Then you will see the
entire reality around you slowly peel over into the dark mirror
version of itself. Paint will peel away, glass grows cracks, blood
soaks up through the floors, barb wire creeps across open windows.
If the one has been paying attention they may be able to retrace
their path back through the Crosspoint into our reality and escape...
unless something blocks their way.
Snap. This is an almost violent cross
over to the other side. The person will feel a shock of cold that is
slightly painful and their muscles will tense up and cramp for a
moment usually bringing them to their knees. When they recover a
second later they find themselves on the other side in the mirror
version of where they were. But there is no path back to follow.
Bleed. Sometimes the crack only works
one way. With a bleed creatures and residents can be pulled over into
our reality. But it also starts to leak that negative energy that
permeates the Silence as well. Slowly buildings will start to take on
the appearance of their mirror counterparts and fall into disrepair
while feeling constantly drafty and cold. These spots can be very
dangerous as somethings like to take up their nests near a Bleed
while hunting out around it.
Ritual Breaks. These are deliberate
breaks in the Border to allow passage back and forth between the
realities. Usually achieved after the culmination of a long and
arduous magical ritual. Sometimes these are done by unwitting cultist
in search of power and knowledge, other times they are done in order
to rescue someone who is trapped. These passages only last a limited
amount of time dependent on the type of ritual used to open them.
Some of these rituals cause such a disturbance in the Silence that
they attract the attention of those that reside there. Something
very bad for those who aren't prepared for the horrors that lurk in
the cold. Most of the time these rituals open up in the mirror of
the spot where they are performed although there are some out there
that creak a passage to very specific locations.
Areas of The Silence
Broken City.
Most of the cracks that form are in
this area. A massive apparently unending city that goes on and on,
sometimes looping back in on itself even. Containing the mirrored
structures of the present and the past all crammed together. One will
also notice that all because two building are beside each other in
our reality doesn't mean they will be next to each other in the
mirror of the Silence. One could crossover and find a huge collapsing
cathedral between them or a canal on filthy water. There is no
apparent rhyme or reason to how they are placed.
Some areas appear to be completely
empty of life in any direction. But don't let that fool you, the
creatures here know that staying hidden can be a key element of
survival and will only show themselves when the odds are in their
favor. But the kind of life you stumble across may not be human at
all as there are things from realities yet unknown that have crossed
over into this place in between.
Wild Lands.
This is a much more rare section to
stumble into. A heavy dark jungle like forest that, like it's city
counterpart, goes on forever. While the noise silencing is still
there the cold is not, instead replace by a constant humid heat that
will not let up. But the mirrors here are also different, you could
stumble upon an area that clears up and a heavy fog rolls in only to
discover that you have wandered into the copy of a World War One
trench warfare site complete with zombified soldiers still fighting
each other for inches of dirt. Or the deep jungle warfare of the
Pacific rim during the Vietnam War era, massive stone temples piled
with bodies of human sacrifices and a tribe still living there
following their old ways hoping to be released into the world their
ancestors came from.
What you will find is another mix of
things from other realities that have made this area their home.
Things of nightmares that creep just behind the bushes no longer
afraid to step on a twig because you will not hear it.
