Voices in my Head

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.