One Hundred Worlds A Selection of Combination Settings for Jumpchain

Version 2.2.2 !!/7+E9O+N4T1 IntroductionIntroduction

What’s All This, Then?

This is a selection of combined jumps, settings for those interested in new worlds. Each original setting is composed of elements, themes, tones, etc. of its constituent jumps’ canonical settings, blended together in a way that hopefully creates a fertile place for stories to occur. Each combination has its own page, with a brief description of what makes the world unique, what sorts of adventures one may have there, and challenges a jumper may face. Most of these are pastiches – similar settings blended together for a world composed of common cliches and tropes. These 100 combinations are sorted into 20 groups that share similar setting or story qualities. Despite similarities, each visit to a combination in the same group will be to an entirely new world. The intended exceptions to this are groups that make up a single timeline (marked with a †), but you might find other worlds fit together to make an unexpectedly compelling timeline.

How To Use This Document

This document is 125 pages long, and ain’t nobody got time for that. I can’t say someone does Jumpchain – a single player imagination game – wrong. But I can explain how this document was intended to be used. Rather than reading through the whole thing, the Table of Contents features hyperlink entries, and there should be a bookmarks panel to jump to different sections and entries in a PDF viewer’s interface. Recall that there are 100 combination listings in 20 categories. This is by design. There are two ways to select a combination at random. For less control and more unexpected results, roll 1d100 and use that setting. For more control over where one jumps, roll 1d20 to determine a category, and pick one combination from it. Either method will quickly get your jumper to an original world. These worlds are, in most cases, left largely undefined and intentionally under-developed. These are starting points to do some world-building, develop an interesting cast of original characters, and come up with new stories.

2 TableTable ofof ContentsContents

1. Anachronisms 5 6. Fantasy Campaign 35 1. Stray Future․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․6 26. Here Be Dragons․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․36 2. Red in Tooth and Claw․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․7 27. Inheritors of Steel & Fire․․․․․․․․․․․․37 3. Winds of Change․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․8 28. Trench and Blade․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․38 4. Daemonic Mandate․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․9 29. The Dragon Gate․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․39 5. Melange․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․10 30. Pro Forma Ars Magica Bellum․․․․․․․40 6. A New Challenger Approaches․․․․․․․․11 31. Grand Chorus․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․41 2. Behind the Veil 12 7. Generica 42 7. Hidden Things․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․13 32. Fantasy Quest․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․43 8. Liminal․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․14 33. Venture Forth․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․44 9. Ready? Fight!․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․15 34. Quest for Deliverance․․․․․․․․․․․․․․45 10. Carpe Noctem․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․16 35. Dungeon Delvers․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․46 11. Occult Arcanum․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․17 36. Summoned Hero Saga․․․․․․․․․․․․․․47 12. Unearthly Threats․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․18 8. Heroes and Villains 48 3. Chemicals & Circuitry 19 37. Battle of Wits․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․49 13. Dreams in Digital․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․20 38. Guns and Gadgets․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․50 14. Bootstrapped․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․21 39. Appropriate Measures․․․․․․․․․․․․․․51 15. Hands of Steel․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․22 40. Tarnished Age․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․52 16. C⊕Si․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․23 41. Mahou no Mazoku․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․53 4. Dark Fantasy 24 42. Capes & Spandex․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․54 17. Ashes, Blood, & Iron․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․25 9. It’s the End of the World 55 18. Warden’s Road․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․26 43. Yonder Days․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․56 19. Telos․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․27 44. Vigor Mortis․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․57 20. Mordant․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․28 45. Zoned․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․58 21. Kingdom of Lost Souls․․․․․․․․․․․․․29 46. Wastrels․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․59 5. Eldritch Enemies† 30 10. Last Rites 60 22. A Madder World․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․31 47. Restless Spirits․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․61 23. In Search of Answers․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․32 48. As Above, So Below․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․62 24. Cast in Shadow․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․33 49. Digital Daemonology․․․․․․․․․․․․․․63 25. Grim Remnants․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․34 50. Heaven or Hell, Let’s Rock․․․․․․․․․․․64

3 11. Magical Realms 65 16. Silver Bullets† 95 51. Family Matters․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․66 76. The Swiftly Rising Night․․․․․․․․․․․․96 52. Fabled Coronation․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․67 77. Dust and Nightmares․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․97 53. Towers of Magic․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․68 78. Extranormal Forces․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․98 54. Nexus․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․69 79. To War With Hell․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․99 55. Zephyr Skies․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․70 17. The Long War† 100 12. No Place Like Home 71 80. Amid the Tumult․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․101 56. Ordinary Life․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․72 81. An Evolution of Conflict․․․․․․․․․․․102 57. Knights’ Code Duello․․․․․․․․․․․․․․73 82. War in Heaven․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․103 58. License to Kill․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․74 83. Titanomachy․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․104 59. Run & Gun․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․75 84. Bitter Means to Bitter Ends․․․․․․․․․105 60. High-Stakes Archaeology․․․․․․․․․․․76 18. Visions of Dystopia 106 61. Bump in the Night․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․77 85. Under Society’s Mask․․․․․․․․․․․․․․107 13. Ochasen† 78 86. Monument to Ruin․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․108 62. Honor’s Edge․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․79 87. Ethics Waivers․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․109 63. Yokaigo․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․80 88. Milquetoast Totalitarian Anarchy․․․․110 64. Theatre of War․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․81 89. Leviathan Manifest․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․111 65. Religious Racket․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․82 19. Xenocide† 112 14. Quasar Stellarium 83 90. They Walk Among Us․․․․․․․․․․․․․113 66. Free Space․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․84 91. Invaders Must Die․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․114 67. Star Kingdoms․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․85 92. Janitorial Engineer․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․115 68. Across the Sands, Thunder․․․․․․․․․․86 93. Open Season․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․116 69. A Bold Peace․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․87 94. Extinction Wars․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․117 70. Ad Vance․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․88 20. Zenith 118 71. Space Fantasy․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․89 95. Challenge of Faith․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․119 15. Refuge in the Mundane† 90 96. Climb The Tower․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․120 72. Comfy Modern Fantasy Life․․․․․․․․․91 97. Dao of Cultivation․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․121 73. The Ostian Empire Knocks․․․․․․․․․․92 98. Remnants Ecumenical․․․․․․․․․․․․․122 74. High Caliber Fantasy․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․93 99. Questant Regalia․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․123 75. Fairy Punk․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․94 100. Jagannath’s Door․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․124 Notes 125 FAQ․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․125 Future Work․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․125 Changelog․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․125

4 1.1. AnachronismsAnachronisms

anachronism (countable and uncountable, plural anachronisms) 1. A chronological mistake; the erroneous dating of an event, circumstance, or object. 2. A person or thing which seems to belong to a different time or period of time.

These worlds often feature strange combinations of magic, technologies, and culture. The chaotic blend of apparently dissonant elements can lead to an interesting world by putting the focus on the juxtaposition of rarely connected setting elements and themes. This takes some work to make sense, from a worldbuilding point of view. Some of these worlds make sense, and others… not so much. Besides the coexistence of magic and technology, you may find the way these things are treated is different than one would expect. What’s mundane to most would be out of place here, and vice-versa. Magic may be the subject of intense study and experimentation, while technology is treated with mysticism or reverence. Hover cars and dinosaurs. Robots and beach parties. Flipping things around and mixing up things is central to what makes these worlds interesting. We tend to think of technology moving along a steady axis of progression. For internal consistency, there should be reasons for technological disparities and quirks to exist. Those concerned with petty things like internal consistency struggle to find a way to have wildly differing technology levels from area to area, or in the same region. Others ignore the issue in favor of having fun. “Pilot the hover craft closer, I want to hit that dinosaur with my sword,” they cry. Thinking logically, with unequal developments in technology and magic should come inequalities in social dimensions as well. A group that has access to a recharging station can make better use of laser guns than one that has to use swords – in a conflict, one will probably end up on top. If a city has a rare water purifier, they’re probably going to be fundamentally different than the city that has to rely on catching rain for drinking water. Not all anachronisms are equal, obviously. There is a wide range of combinations of possible magic, technology, etc. Maybe swords get used because laser pistols are hard to charge – or maybe magical warriors with swords easily outclass regular people with lasers. Maybe the swords appear primitive, but are actually highly advanced materials science that gets treated with spiritual mysticism. On the whole, it’s nearly impossible to predict what a person could come across in worlds such as these – dinosaurs and robots are equally likely encounters. Or a robot riding a dinosaur. Or a robotic dinosaur. And such encounters might be hostile, or friendly, depending on the individual world. This often means that interpreting worlds can be difficult, since there is more malleability and uncertainty than other, more cliche pastiche settings.

5 1. Stray Future

“...it is easier to do nothing by the sea than anywhere else, and because bathing and basking on the shore cannot be considered an employment but only an apotheosis of loafing.” ― E.F. Benson, The Collected Ghost Stories

 CATastrophe  Kemonomimi  Fun in the Sun  Treasure Hunting  Splatoon  Humanoid Cephalopods  Friendly Territorial Competitions  Extinct Humans, Risen Seas  Cave Story  Androids, Animal People  Rare Magic  Remnants of Technology

There’s little point in pretending this is anything but a vacation. Above a warm, Earth-like planet covered in water, two moons trace out the sky above the waves. Inexplicable bikinis and eternal beach parties on pristine beaches. Scattered archipelagos, floating island-barges packed with huts, and large fixed platforms that rise above the waves on scaffolding. A tropical paradise home to carefree people who enjoy simple lives full of fun. Below the waves, an inquisitive aquatic species inhabits the depths and shallows. Inhabitants of the surf and sand in equal measure, the Kemoni all share fuzzy ears, tails, and endless curiosity in common. Equally at home at a beach bonfire volleyball party, braving the waves and currents to trade goods and stories, or delving deep into forgotten factories on the ocean floor for shinies. There is a plethora of life in the ocean. Some are tasty, friendly, strangely shaped, or colorful. Others are gigantic leviathans that are clearly alien in nature. Then there are the intelligent Inklings. These cephalopods are tentacle-headed munchkins that spend most of their life in the water. Endlessly inquisitive and with a penchant for pranking and tinkering, they are the friendly neighbors and neighborly friends of the surface-dwellers, despite the fierce territorial battles amongst themselves. The Androids’ records don’t show why they were deactivated, or even when, but they know they were built for war. From the hidden vaults of lost technology, androids emerge somewhat bewildered, into a world that has no need for violence. With no need to fight, they try to be helpful, but are in danger of becoming temporarily disabled if they get too wet – a real risk on an ocean planet. Although the androids are the most obvious, all three races are artificial. Beneath the waves, and deep within some island mountains, there are remnants of a lost people, incredible technologies, and shiny treasures. Legends say these people were race as tall and strong as Androids, curious and friendly as the Nekomi, and clever and adaptable as the Inklings. Despite their differences, all three races live in harmony with one another. In the rare case that two parties come into conflict with one another, the disagreement is usually solved with a competition, race, or game. When those involved can remember what the issue was about when they declare a winner, this is a peaceful way of settling differences. It often takes the strengths of all three races working together, to explore the abandoned sites, overcome the dangers sometimes lurking within, and retrieve the miraculous artifacts hidden within.

6 2. Red in Tooth and Claw

“The race is now on between the technoscientific and scientific forces that are destroying the living environment, and those that can be harnessed to save it.” ― E.O. Wilson, The Future Of Life

“Men argue. Nature acts.” ― Voltaire

 Monster Hunter  Hunter Guild and Quests  Ancient Structures and Small Villages  Carving and Crafting  Nausicaa  Harmony vs Control  Environmental Dangers  Precursor Civilization  Pokemon  Tall Grass Hides Wild Monsters  Cockfighting Tournaments and Duels  Team Bad Guy  Generic Monster Trainer  Generic Perks and Trees

Long ago, many evils were done in a great war. The bones of those empires decorate the horizon, as distant skeletons of steel. Humans have had to adapt to what their ancestors did to this world. Now, an uneasy equilibrium exists between mankind, and the chimeric beasts inhabiting the wild. This is an untamed world of monsters, and of mankind trying to survive in it. Outside the small villages and walled cities, monsters rule. They are not mere beasts – their intelligence and strength rivals that of men. They come in many shapes, and often wield powerful or strange abilities. If a monster grows old and experienced enough, they may even undergo a period of rapid evolution, even stronger and better suited to life in this dangerous world. Some of the bravest hunters venture out to slay the most vicious and aggressive of these creatures, before they can attack human strongholds. They also bring back the most rare and powerful reagents needed for crafting. Idolized as the strongest heroes, they return from their hunts with tales and treasure. But it is not all extermination – some monsters live in harmony with humans. Cities and small villages alike rely on peaceful monsters for food, labor, and security. To others, they offer companionship: Trainers go outside the walls specifically to find useful monsters, and train their partners to fulfill vital tasks, or fight against the wild enemies of mankind. Many children dream of being Hunters and Tamers, of finding some rare egg to raise, or ranging out and slaying some great beast. However, the Guild regulates their members’ activities closely, to avoid provoking large packs and powerful of beasts. Despite the necessity of balance, there are factions within the guild and society that would see things tip one way or the other. Some desire to subjugate monsters and reclaim the wilderness. Others seek harmony with the creatures that would devour them. See also: MTG – Ikoria.

7 3. Winds of Change

“You might think that, by now, people would have become accustomed to the idea of natural catastrophes.” ― Christopher Hitchens

 Elona  Quests, Taxes, Estate Management  Aetherwind Mutation  Magic, Gods, Rare Tech  Pets, Slaves, Karma  Stormlight Archives  Various Godshards  Spren and Highstorms  Multiple Magic Systems  Slavery, Caste System

Long ago, the world was rich in both technology and mystical knowledge. None alive today know the cause, but one day, ill-winds began to blow, and storms battered the whole of the world. The gods were cast from their houses, and the lands were drenching it in unbound mana. The First Storm changed the face of the world, reshaping the wilds, tearing down religious and social institutions, and raining misfortune and monsters upon the land. Every month, a smaller storm sweeps through, preventing normalcy from returning. The tingling breeze carrying the storms has come to be known as the aetherwinds. When they blow, get yourself inside a shelter, and refrain from casting magic, or risk becoming like the things that stalk the wilds. Raw mana can have some strange effects, especially on sentient creatures, mutating them or driving them insane. The results of these transformations lurk off the beaten path. Sometimes these unfortunate outcasts keep their mind, bandits or banished criminals. But after enough exposure, everything changes, body and mind. These changes are often random, disturbing, and dangerous. Living beings that absorb enough mana develop a “core”, colloquially known as a power gem, mana crystal, blood stone, or one of several other names, depending on the region. These cores come in many sizes, forms, and grades, and are the basis of a new economy. They empower magical tools, can be drained by mages to cast spells, or offered as tribute to gods, or consumed as alchemical reagents. Caves and tunnels – natural, unnatural, or remnants of sewers or subway systems – often become saturated with mana, forming dangerous dungeons where monsters congregate, and grow ever more dangerous. These dungeons must be periodically cleansed, but doing so can reveal rewards in the form of cores, or unpredictably mana-enriched items and equipment. The safer route is farming: harvesting unnaturally-fast-growing plants, or refreshing empty cores. This is done by simply planting seeds or leaving cores outside before the aetherwinds blow. This forms the basis of the new economy, but the predictability makes it easy for desperate thieves and animals thieves to profit. Despite the drastic cataclysm and periodic disasters, society still functions. People still go to work, own homes, run businesses, and pay taxes. The world may be more dangerous, and new horrors may await each month – but at least we still have good roads, public infrastructure, and slaves.

8 4. Daemonic Mandate

“Demons are like obedient dogs; they come when they are called.” ― Remy de Gourmont

“People shouldn't call for demons unless they really mean what they say.” ― C.S. Lewis, The Last Battle

 Bloodstained Ritual of the Night  Industrial Revolution  Demonic Incursion, Magical Disease  Alchemy Guild and Binders  Dishonored  Victorian Steampunk, Cosmic-Horror Powers  Oppressive & Corrupt Church and State  Bizarre Creatures and Plague  Bartimaeus  Oppressive Demon-Summoning Magocracy  Aristocratic Apprenticeships  Revolutionaries With Powers

Two great islands stand proudly despite the battering waves and rain. Beneath slate skies, demons walk among men – but this is no reason to panic. The monarchy, supported by an aristocratic mage class, relies on such beings to maintain their power. Beneath the miasma, in the flickering arc-light above cobblestone streets, a reckoning is brewing. Gross inequality has created a storm of social unrest, but the status quo is sustained through an oppressive police state, corrupt state religion, and demons conjured and enslaved. The underclass, facing increasingly deplorable standards of living, is beset on all sides by suffering. Plague, famine, freakish pests, dangerous work, and increasingly poor air. The royal family arose in the distant past for their bloodline’s ability to banish demons, resist magic, and other, likely mythical abilities. These powers act as a divine mandate, guaranteeing the royal family’s place, and keeps the demon-summoning magicians in line. In recent years, they have instead relied on threat of banishment to some remote and hellish colony. The magicians are the nobles, courtiers, and high-ranking officials. They stay on top by binding conjured spirits to their will, and jockey with one another for knowledge, artifacts, and political power. They are often at odds with the alchemy guild, who seek a more mechanical and less esoteric mastery of the world. From the alchemists come the arc-light, powerful tonics, and clockwork wonders. Not on par with powers of demons, but increasingly a threat to magical hegemony. The lower class is treated by the decadent magicians and royals as a renewable resource – of labor, and ingredients for rituals. They pay heavy taxes, are forced to work dangerous jobs for low wages, and their rights are trampled upon by a magocracy without royal oversight. Add to this mix unbound demonic incursions, a magical plague, recent famine, and disturbing rumors of powers lost and gained, and the twin isles are ripe for violent political upheaval.

9 5. Melange

“’I'll go get the horse and buggy,’ you'll say. And I'll say, ‘But I thought we were taking the hovercraft?’” ― David Levithan, The Lover's Dictionary

“How do you explain plastic to a medieval forest bard?” ― Jefferson Smith, Strange Places

 She-Ra/He-Man  Power of Grayskull, Evil Muscle Wizard  Lasers and Magic Swords  Star vs The Forces of Evil  Portal to Other Worlds  Weird People, Magical Inheritance  Adventure Time  Realms, Worlds, Dungeons, Adventure and Treasure  Dick-Ass Wizards  Samurai Jack  Robots, Magic, Monsters  Good, Evil, Gods

This is not a single world, but a multitude. It is possible to traverse the dimensions in various ways, and the strange beings that live in this multiverse do so frequently. Some of them are welcoming, others require aid against a great evil, many are home to powerful artifacts of magic or technology. But there is danger here, in the form of monsters and villains. Even world-ending cosmological threats are not unheard of. Knights with laser pistols, wizards with prized dancing toys, non-euclidean department stores that stock magic wands, cyborg lizard-men, astronauts trapped in a crystal prison beyond space and time, and all sorts of stranger things are to be found in these many worlds. Throw out your preconceptions, because things are going to get weird. Amid the strangeness of these worlds is the potential for many heroic quests, adventures, and treasure. As long as one is strong, righteous, and clever, there is little a dedicated person cannot accomplish. In the process of having a grand old time, righting wrongs, and beating up bad guys, a hero tends to acquire much in the way of wealth and reputation. Each world is different, sometimes startlingly so. The inhabitants likewise. In many cases, tyrants have arisen, whose rule is not always kind, or just. Heroes other worlds may depose them, but often the villains can travel between worlds as well. Or hire mercenaries who can hunt a target across dimensions. There is a danger in judging a people by their appearance. Keep in mind that not all monsters are evil, and not all men are good – villains come in many forms, and many may think their actions are righteous. Desperate or arrogant individuals with access to the multiverse often lose sight of things like consequences or responsibility. But then, a jumper may already be aware of such failings. See Also: Rifts

10 6. A New Challenger Approaches

“If you can't go back to your mother's womb, you'd better learn to be a good fighter.” ― Anchee Min, Red Azalea

 Dragon Ball +Z  Martial Arts Tournaments, Genocidal Aliens  Ki Blasts and Punching, Transformations, One-on-One, Power Levels  Stephen Universe  World-Ending Genocidal Aliens  Fusion Forms and Lasers  Killing Bites  Animal People, Combat Forms  Ultraviolent Tournaments  Mortal Kombat  Fate of the World  Magical Martial Arts Tournament

On a remote, sparsely-populated planet, magic, ki-fueled martial arts, psionics, technology, and pure animal savagery vie for supremacy in the fighting ring. However, their struggles for reputation and glory are as the squabbles of children compared to the wars being fought among the stars. Above the rare metropolis and vast wastelands, in the distant reaches of space, conflicts that dwarf anything seen on that remote planet draw nearer. Most people are relatively unassuming examples of their species (human, android, naturalized alien, humanoid animals, or whatever), and stick rather closely to the large cities. Outside of those modern- looking metropolises, over-sized animals, man-eating sauropods, and bandit gangs roam. The few small villages or industrious towns often have a strong warrior culture, or are teeming with guns to compensate. However, there are also individuals with incredible power. Rare examples of learned mystics who can move objects with their mind, or read others’ thoughts. Disciplined martial artists who have spent years honing their ability to channel the body’s natural energy – ki. Beastfolk who have learned how to draw from a deep well of primal fury to transform into powerful forms. Scientists who have created anti-gravity, self-contained portable pocket spacefolds, and cyborgs capable of pulping a T-Rex with a single punch. Soon, however, this… not peaceful, but dreadfully under-prepared planet will face a new threat: alien warrior-slaves, sent by an oppressive regime of crystalline life-forms that seek to rule the entire galaxy. When the first wave fails, others will come – more powerful servants, and crystals of increasingly higher rank. And allies will come, and call for aid – aliens who seek to ally with these upstarts who dare to fight. Eager to fight, and quick to learn, some inhabitants of this backwoods, undeveloped planet would look forward to the alien invasion if they knew. The aliens coming will provide both challenge and opportunity. Even as they threaten us, ki warriors learn from their martial styles, beast-men are inspired to try different features, and scientists reverse-engineer their technology. As always, the inhabitants will rise to the occasion, growing stronger in strife. Some may even grow strong enough to stand on the galactic stage, overcoming trials, tribulations, and death itself to stand at the pinnacle of strength. To protect their home, families, and way of life. And for the simple joy of fighting.

11 2.2. BehindBehind thethe VeilVeil

“There was a door to which I found no key: There was the veil through which I might not see.” ― Omar Khayyam

At first glance, these worlds look like the average 20th Century Earth. Indeed, much of the setting can be taken for granted: it’s the year 199X, 200X, or maybe 201X. One can assume some minor historical and pop culture deviations. Fairly boring. Except for the titular veil, and what is beyond. Hidden from the eyes and minds of most people, horror and wonder can be found. Those who manage to peek behind the veil are changed, or destroyed. The hidden truth that governs the world will strongly determine the sort of time one has. In most of the cases presented here, it somehow benefits the powers that be to keep the existence of magic, or aliens, or monsters secret. In others, perhaps the average person is better off not knowing. What risks are associated with becoming enlightened to the truth? If knowledge is power, how does learning of the secret world benefit? People are naturally curious. What keeps the average person ignorant? Is it a magical effect, concerted effort by those in the know, or a combination? Why does the facade exist, how did it come to be, and how is it maintained? Often, there’s a sort of gentleman's agreement to not escalate things beyond a certain level, to keep the secret safe. Whether the ignorance is intentional or accidental, how do average people get “sucked in” to the secret world? What consequences are there for an insider revealing the hidden, or an uninitiated stumbling across it? How do the enlightened treat a newcomer? What opportunities and dangers will a novice face, compared to somebody more experienced? What sorts of shibboleths, customs, and taboos have arisen in the shadow world? Then, there are the characters, and their stories. How did this or that character become introduced to the world, and how has that colored their perception? Will your characters find any allies, or enemies waiting for them? Why does the hidden society matter to characters? Who wants to draw back the curtain, and who wants to keep it firmly closed? In the traditional Hero’s Journey formula, the protagonist usually returns from the “hidden world” with some insight or power that effects their day-to-day “normal life”. How does the revelation change their perception of the world, and their place in it? How do those who are a part of the secret world interact with the mundane world, and the people in it? In stories, those who find a hidden world will often abandon the mundane world, for the most part. They will live, learn, find love, and spend their time and effort on things concerning their veiled life. This may make existing friends and family concerned. A person in the know might feel tempted to take steps to protect their loved ones, and inadvertently lead them into more danger. Those who learn the secret are changed by their knowledge. They cannot return to the world they knew. Learning the truth, people are consumed by the hidden world. The unfortunate truth is that passing through the veil is a one-way trip, and dragging the unprepared along is laying the foundation for tragedy. Some still make an effort to shield the unenlightened from the dangers that reach across the barrier. A hidden world offers the opportunity to live a secret life. To reinvent oneself. To be special in a mundane world. Maybe that appeal is less for a person like a jumper, though. At least a jumper should have some experience keeping their true nature hidden – and maybe keeping a secret from the secret-keepers will provide a new kind of thrill.

12 7. Hidden Things

“The most terrifying words in the English language are: 'I'm from the government and I'm here to help.'” ― Ronald Reagan

 Stranger Things  Government Experiments Adjacent to Small Town  Psychic Powers, Dimensional Weirdness  MIB/SCP  Memory Erasers, Plasma Guns  Alien ICE, Weird Shit Agency  X-Files  Various Creepiness, All Theories Are True  Government Conspiracies, Cover-Ups  Generic Conspiracy  Really Out-There Stuff  Generic!

It’s not that the government is out to get individuals, specifically. It’s just part of a machine, you know? There’s all this stuff happening that’s bigger than you or me, and if we get in the way, we go splat. Weird stuff happens every day, but nobody hears about it. Because they ignore it, or some spooks in black suits come by and then they forget. What weird stuff is getting covered up? Depends on where and when. A small town might be close to a dimensional rift. Or an alien crash-landed nearby tens of thousands of years ago. In big cities, there might be societies that live underneath, in the tunnels and sewers. Most of this stuff is pretty bad, to be fair. Some of the things that people stumble across are even the government’s fault. Others raise questions into the nature of reality itself, and our place in it. All this weird stuff is being covered up for unknown reasons by a mysterious, extralegal, possibly international organization. They have the ability to rewrite memories with a flash of light, and have access to other alien technology far beyond what the common person has. They don’t get involved that often, but they’re pretty on-the-ball when it counts. Sometimes they save the world, sometimes they make sure it stays as it it. There’s a social dimension to disbelief, where those most likely to question and notice things (children, loners, outcasts), are the least likely to be believed. Relationships might be strained if one person believes and the other doesn’t. It benefits the secret agency to make these people look crazy, rather than disappear them. People don’t like thinking or asking questions about somebody who just goes nuts one day, talking about alien dogs without proof. But if they turn up missing or dead, others might start digging. For some reason, the mysterious agency has set up shop near a quiet little rural town. In this sleepy little town, increasingly strange and dangerous events are occurring, or about to occur. One of those events is the arrival of a certain transdimensional traveler. Other strangeness might feature alternate dimensions, time travel, magic, aliens, demons, cultists, psychic powers, weirder things, or more than one of the above. See Also: The iceberg of conspiracy theories, Primer, Super 8.

13 8. Liminal

“I can feel that I'm in a dream, but I can't wake myself up.” ― Ashley Earley, The Darkest Light

“Perhaps sunlight had always been luminous, and doorways signs of greater passage than that of one room to another. But she’d not noticed it until now.” ― Clive Barker, Imajica

 American McGee’s Alice  Dream Logic  Fears and Trauma Manifest  City of Angles  Mad Dimension  Abstract Monsters  Don’t Rest Your Head  Powers and Mirror World  Nightmares, Monsters, Madness  Silent Hill  Monsters and Psychological Horror  Location-Related Reality-Blending

People – or even places – can fall through the cracks between life and death, dream and reality. On the other side is danger, and change, and maybe something like enlightenment, or closure. Surviving in one of these places comes with rewards and risks after the fact. Those who escape carry a piece of it inside them. Those who triumph can make a bit of its strength their own, or return to the mundane world with a precious kernel of restored hope. People can slip through the gaps and find themselves in this strange realm in a number of ways. Some venture where they shouldn’t, or simply make a wrong turn and end up somewhere else. An altered state of mind helps – insomnia, depression, grief, or drugs can get one past certain thresholds. For some, it’s as easy as closing their eyes, and waking up. Within these dimensions, the rules of reality are a bit more malleable, and the locations and inhabitants’ natures are informed by dreams and nightmares. The locations themselves are warped visions of familiarity – floating buildings, impossible geometry, loops and infinite progressions. Sometimes these spaces transition from one to another without rhyme or reason. The inhabitants and hazards of the dreamlike world vary with the dream-region. An office may have living staplers, while a warehouse is home to roving herds of peaceful boxes. Stores may be patrolled by aggressive mannequins and shopping carts. Generally, the more human and biological-looking something is, the more dangerous. But defeating traps and slaying physical embodiments of negative emotions and madness comes with rewards. Bits of power, knowledge, or items with strange abilities can be claimed by taking in what the dream-world offers and making it ones’ own. Hopefully, the price for that power has already been paid. Sometimes, absorbing dreamstuff brings changes that aren’t what one needs, or hopes for. See also: The Daily Grind, Limbo.

14 9. Ready? Fight!

“A Maximus, the Gladiator lies in every human being. When the time comes, your Maximus within you will come out. It is not called destiny, it is an extended automatic self reflex” ― Anoop Raghav

 Generic Wuxia  Secret Society of Fighters  Super-Powered Mortals  Baki  Ridiculous Characters  Weird, Almost-Supernatural Fighting Styles  Luther Strode  Body Enhancement  Legendary Killers  Kengan Ashura  Bloodsport Competitions  So Many Martial Arts

The secret world of violence has many names. In Korea, it is the Murim. In China, Jianghu. Japan knows it as Chika Tōgijō. There are even more names for it in the West. Ritualized combat goes beyond entertainment, sport, or ways of settling disputes. Spilling blood, some say, is intrinsic to human nature. And it makes sense that humans have turned it into an art, worthy in itself. From all around the world, there are fighters whose talents go beyond what most think are possible for human beings. Trained in mystic arts that turn their bodies harder than steel, stronger than ten men, capable of impossible feats. They fight in hidden arenas and alleyways, forbidden from meddling in the affairs of the rest of the world. Despite this prohibition, those in this world often wield political clout and extreme wealth, connected to the highest levels of the world governments. The world’s leaders strongly desire to keep these terrifying men and women neutral. It behooves everyone if the world of the blood-soaked shadows stays in the shadows. If favors are owed between the two worlds, it is to everyone’s benefit, as long as the secret is kept. If some know-nothing suffers to keep a useful cats paw in place to help the clans, who will complain? It is not just martial arts moves and training techniques that the various factions keep hidden. There are entire species of plants, and branches of medicine and material science that are now regarded as mere myth. However, like the hidden ninja clans, they are very real. Treatments that fetch millions of dollars from desperate heads of state, bankers, and politicians keep the suppliers wealthy and connected. No soldier, on their own, is a match for these martial artists. But what about the gun? It is true that there are few protections against a sniper with appropriate weaponry. Despite the effectiveness, there’s a strong taboo against using guns in the underground world. Those who are a part of the bloody world who use such things often don’t last long. Regular humans armed with small arms don’t pose much of a threat – a soldier can not pull the trigger if his hand is disabled. One cannot aim at somebody moving faster than the eye can follow. If a bullet isn’t fast or large enough, it might get dodged, or even deflected. A man who relies on guns and is protected by regular mortals is already dead. See Also: The Breaker.

15 10. Carpe Noctem

“’Mine,’ he said. Adam's eyes narrowed. ‘I don't think so. She is mine.’ It would have been flattering, I thought, except that at least one of them was talking about dinner and I wasn't certain about the other.” ― Patricia Briggs, Moon Called

 Blade  Conspiracy, Worldly Power  Caste System, Thralls  Secret History, Language, Symbols  Twilight  Assorted Unique Powers  Werewolves and Vampires  Underworld  Hidden Culture  Werewolves  Vampire: The Masquerade/Bloodlines  Vampire Clans, Caste System  Blood (Powered) Magic

If one scratches the surface, they’ll find blood beneath the world they know. Bared teeth, flashing in the strobe of the club, a darkly shining pool in a neon haze. They fight over us, over the right to rule from the shadows. And some fight back, seeking to free humanity from the invisible chains around their necks. Politicians are only figuratively blood-sucking parasites – owned by more literal ones. They’ve ruled over the world in secret, manipulating society to slowly become more suitable for themselves. Presidents and royalty are addicted to their blood and sworn to obey. Any large city will have its police chiefs under thrall, and even in rural areas US Marshals, Sheriffs and Governors are under their sway. As a result, they are no longer relegated to haunting abandoned castles, crypts, or sewers. Modern vampires live in the height of luxury, and can pick and choose their victims – some even knowingly volunteering for the pleasure. They own hotel chains, run night clubs, live in pent house suites and drive expensive cars (at night). Despite all this power, they keep a stranglehold on their secret. Any vampire who tries to break the silence is in turn silenced. Thralls who develop a resistance to mental coercion, display too much impatience about getting turned, or begin to have inconvenient ideas often suffer “accidents”. Werewolves, the natural enemies of vampires, are not content with the situation. Never a majority, as vampires gained power, werewolf populations have been culled by hunters with quicksilver bullets. As monstrous as the bloodsuckers, werewolves are only allies of convenience. They side with humans because humans are more prey than threat. There are humans who know the truth and decide to fight back, as much as they can. Few can match the physical abilities of humanity’s predators. Perhaps it should not come to a surprise that half-breeds, who intrinsically threaten the vampires’ sense of superiority, are hunted down relentlessly. The day-walkers, immortals, and hybrids are mankind’s only real chance of ever defeating the monsters that haunt the night.

16 11. Occult Arcanum

“Let me guess. You don’t have a clue about what’s going on here, do you?” she asked. “You mean, like, the fact that this was some kind of magic thing?” He ventured. She nodded slightly and smirked. He continued, “You mean like a largely un-chaperoned magic thing? A possibly deadly, sort of child endangerment-themed magic thing? A kind of wet, hypothermia-oriented youth-jam magic thing? ‘Cause no, that all caught me by surprise.” ― Andrew Hussie, Wizardy Herbert

 Dresden Files  Corrupted Dark Wizards, Fae, Monsters, Demons  Faerie World, Names, Wizard Police  Harry Potter  Corrupted Dark Wizards, Magical Creatures  Ridiculous Government, Wizard Police  Pact  Karmic Accumulation  Spiritual Binding and Partnership of Usually Malevolent Entities

Most practitioners are hedge-witches and wizards – they either learned at the knee of a more experienced hedge mage, or are largely self-taught. They might have one or two tricks to make their life easier, or safeguard against some supernatural threat, but otherwise live pretty normal lives. This is in contrast to full-fledged magi, who have spent decades studying a breadth of magical topics, specialists in at least one field, and who live lives steeped in the arcane. There are families with long histories, karmic debts, and dangerous knowledge. The scions of these ancient and most noble houses are brought up to inherit wealth and power greater than some nations. Of course, to make sure they grow up grounded, they spend some time in the mundane world, and some attend school with other magical children, in the hopes of fostering alliances. When a child has particularly potent magical power or talent and no familial resources to turn to, several things may happen. The lucky ones are adopted by an experienced mage as an apprentice, or get a scholarship to an exclusive private school that secretly teaches magic. Those who don’t get an education in magic often end up going missing. There are enough magical threats two fill two worlds, and those with magic can detect them. To the monsters, that means they are fair game. Untrained and unprotected magical children, therefore, are prime targets for many Other. But Other are also prime targets for recruitment – voluntary or not. Binding a familiar gives a mage some measure of safety, a magical servant they can trust completely. There are rules, subtle and powerful, that govern the magical world (and the mundane world, some say). These rules are not kind, because there is nothing that prevents one from breaking them, but each transgression has a price. Mostly, they’re suggestions: with enough cleverness and desire, they can be bent to one’s own advantage. But bent to far, and these shortcuts often lead one to the grave. Practitioners who go warlock are fair game: whoever ends their life acquires some karma, and whatever else they leave behind. Being a powerful mage requires dedication, resources, cleverness, and connections. Diplomacy, contracts, and agreements with spirits are a large portion of a mage’s effective power. Sure, raw will and power can achieve things, but it’s a lot easier, and safer, to leverage that power intelligently.

17 12. Unearthly Threats

“This world is older than any of you know. Contrary to popular mythology, it did not begin as a paradise. For untold eons demons walked the Earth. They made it their home, their... their Hell. But in time they lost their purchase on this reality.” ―Rupert Giles

 Buffy  Secret Society of Chosen Ones and Watchers  Hells and Hellmouths, Shades of Evil  Supernatural  Disparate Hunters vs Ghosts, Other Monsters  Proxy-War on Earth Between Heaven and Hell  World of Darkness (Mortal)  Many Factions, Many Powers  Large, Secret World

This world is older than you know. Before recorded history, this world was hell, but mankind managed to expel their masters, and bar the gates. Now, monsters wait in lonely corners of the world. They crawl from civilization’s cracks, and strike from the shadows. Vampires, werewolves, too many different kinds of demon to count… and perhaps a wanderer of realms. It’s difficult to say who benefits from the veil more. People are still being killed by these things, and most survivors misremember their assailants as drug-addicts, homeless, or wild animals. It takes a certain special kind of brave idiot to not just remember the truth, but also have the audacity to go looking for trouble. Hunters, with enough experience, can become fearsome banes of evil. But those who spend long enough fighting will often find themselves changing, becoming more monstrous themselves. The dark world has its own rules, players, and territories. Large population centers often have tight-knit communities of supernaturals, kept in line by a fearsome lord who prevents his subjects’ excesses from attracting attention, and maintaining the veil. Opposing them are ancient orders of scholars who back those empowered by destiny. No matter how many demons these chosen heroes kill, there are always more, sneaking into the world through cracked open gates into one of the various hells. Despite not having a travel visa, they’re not all bad. Some demons don’t even feast upon human souls, flesh, or blood. In fact, the only reason they’re called demons at all is because they hail from a hellworld that is allied to a plane in opposition to the lords of balance or light. Besides an unusual body odor and diet, one would be hard pressed to find fault with them – their old world sucked, so they came here. But for every friendly kitten nibbler, there are a dozen who eat the souls of infants, or drive people mad, or are dead set on enacting some terrible prophecy to summon a dread god. In more rural areas, the small fish tend to squabble for hunting rights. Cattle ranches and maybe a dog or housewife or two. Without oversight or infrastructure, individual monsters tend to be less cautious, draw the attention of some hunters, and end up getting killed off. Despite their high death rate, these monsters tend to be more unpredictable, unreasonable, and quick to violence than their city counterparts. Some forces seek to end or subvert the veil – monsters seeking to bathe the world in bloodshed and suffering, or mortal men and women who think that mankind now stands a fighting chance. And they have a point – with modern weapons and widespread magical knowledge, humanity could easily cleanse the world of most minor threats. But the major ones – apocalyptic prophecies, angry hellgods, and even the ostensible heavenly host – seem to collude in preventing mankind from gaining such an advantage.

18 3.3. ChemicalsChemicals && CircuitryCircuitry

“We have no idea, now, of who or what the inhabitants of our future might be. In that sense, we have no future. Not in the sense that our grandparents had a future, or thought they did. Fully imagined cultural futures were the luxury of another day, one in which 'now' was of some greater duration. For us, of course, things can change so abruptly, so violently, so profoundly, that futures like our grandparents' have insufficient 'now' to stand on. We have no future because our present is too volatile. ... We have only risk management. The spinning of the given moment's scenarios. Pattern recognition” ― William Gibson, Pattern Recognition

Since before the dawn of history, mankind has used machines and tools to survive, and thrive. We use them to shape the world to our liking, and are in turn shaped by them – our behaviors, thoughts, and sometimes even our bodies. Mankind is intrinsically linked to their creations in many ways. Sometimes literally connected to them. Nobody likes to think they’ll be ground beneath or left behind the ever-turning wheel of progress, so speculating on future technological developments and social reactions to them provides many fertile avenues of storytelling to explore. These settings focus on what technology might be possible – mostly, what could possibly go wrong. It makes sense that people are interested in stories that take humanity’s dependence on technology, and flip it on its head. What if we were betrayed by our tools? How could a machine we could not stop go wrong? What would a created being think of its creators? Would we disappoint our artificial children? Would we treat them with kindness, or exploit their suffering? Humans themselves can be reduced to simple mechanical parts – well, complicated biochemical machines, really. Much like the automatons of science fiction, we are thought emerged from chemicals and circuitry. And what happens when the human model becomes outmoded, obsolete? Will we be upgraded, or replaced? There’s going to be conflict, as the old gives way to the new, or attempts to. We live in a society – as artificial a creation as anything else man has made. The political technology we have is evolving, too. Ideas are taken to (what we think of as) extremes. Take the past couple hundred years of political and philosophical trends and extrapolate that, in addition to technological trends. Primivist eco-facism, anarcho-communism, intersectional identitarians, extremist capitalism, fat rights advocates, neo- feudalism – the rise of the fringe ideology. What is the socio-political equivalent of Moore’s law? Rapid social upheaval, facilitated by technology that primitive monkey brains aren’t ready for, a world in which instincts are rendered worse than useless by innovation. Humanity needs to start considering what life will be like when there’s another form of life. Before that life starts considering it might be better off alone. That’s the war of chemicals and circuitry, within and without.

19 13. Dreams in Digital

“Though I may be been constructed," he said, "so too were you. I in a factory; you in a womb. Neither of us asked for this, but we were given it. Self-awareness is a gift. And it is a gift no thinking thing has any right to deny another. No thinking thing should be another thing's property, to be turned on and off when it is convenient.” ― C. Robert Cargill, Sea of Rust

 Va11 HALL-A  Androids  Cyberpunk Aesthetic  Blade Runner+2049  Cloned/Artificial Humans  Bladerunners  Girls Frontline  Semi Post-Apocalypse  Robot Girls  Ghost in the Shell  Cyborgs  Emergent AI

The overcast sky is lit from below by flickering hologram ads. The crowd stinks of pollution, greasy Thai noodles, and vape juice. Try to ignore droid in the alley next to the run-down apartment block panhandling for credits. Look up, and see the shining city on the hill, clad in glass and steel, sitting on a foundation of apathy and concrete. GRAIL (General Restricted Artificial Intelligent Life) revolutionized the world. Beings without souls or rights, programmed without pain, manufactured to serve without complaint. Of course, as the technology progressed and became more sophisticated, the illusion of humanity became more nuanced, until it became difficult to tell “real” humans from GRAILs. They made a murderous AI, and instead of figuring out where they went wrong, they just slapped some hardcoding about not harming humans on there and marketed it anyway. Typical capitalism. After a few mishaps, due to legitimate fears of genocide at the hands of AI, synthetics are second-class citizens. Thanks to neural network architecture developments, the “kill all humans” thing isn’t a problem anymore – but there are still strict laws governing the everyday lives of synthetics. Without many rights, most live as indentured servants to individuals, the state, or megacorps. Every Grail must have an owner. “Free” grails live at the behest of one of several large corporations that exact high subscriptions in return for nominal ownership – and effective freedom. Neofeudalism at its finest. Grails have replaced much of the workforce – they are soldiers, chefs, janitors, prostitutes, construction workers, secretaries, and whatever else is required. Humans are now minimally employed as managers, executives, and in professions which Grails are excluded from. This has led to some resentment among the lower classes regarding the existence of what they see as their cheaper, OSHA-exempt replacements. There are anti-Grail activists, Grail rights groups, even an underground railroad that promises to deliver Grails to freedom. Religious groups fight over whether or not Grails have souls. Most of those in power, however, seek to undermine any efforts to change the status quo of Grail servitude.

See Also: Detroit Become Human, Gunslinger Girl, City 109, SYNTHETIK

20 14. Bootstrapped

“We are set irrevocably, I believe, on a path what will take us to the stars – unless in some monstrous capitulation to stupidity and greed, we destroy ourselves first.” ― Carl Sagan, Broca's Brain: Reflections on the Romance of Science

“We always want more, he thought, we always take our past successes for granted and assume they point the way to future success.” ― Iain M. Banks, Look to Windward

 Battlestar Galactica  Space Opera  Political and Racial Division  Eclipse Phase  Von-Neuman Threats  Political Ideology and Radical Transhumanism  Eve Online  Capitalism in Space  Corporate Hegemony

In the far future, humanity has splintered into a hundred colonies and corporations without any states. The human form is more malleable, able to be shaped and sculpted into any desired form. Backup clones and mental connections to safeguarded bodies are the norm for the rich and powerful. For a long time, humans have had virtual intelligences – not quite capable of abstract thought or creativity, but smart enough to get just about any job they made for done. Indeed, they are almost necessary for interstellar hyperspace travel. The vastness of space has led to a thousand new manifest destinies, where every single ideological group has rushed out, to form their own perfect worlds. Some even approximated functional societies. The vast majority, however, have been subverted or subsumed by large corporate entities. Humans, however, never stopped trying to create something smarter than themselves. Eventually they succeeded, in terrifying ways. The scientists involved tried to bury their results, but their corporate sponsors learned the truth and pursued further development. Eventually, the closely guarded secret of genuine general artificial intelligences escaped Pandora’s Box, into the vastness of space, where it has been waiting, but not idly. While some stolen shipments might be blamed on pirates, the systematic eradication of colonies, and the abduction of an entire ringworld is another thing entirely. While the corporations play their games, and individuals try to climb the ladder to fame and fortune, a war unlike any humanity has ever known is brewing. A shining host of capitalist ideologues in technological marvels, and an endless robotic horde bent on the destruction of man. Even if the artificial menace struck today, there would not be much worry. After all, the galaxy is a big place, and at the current rate, it will take some time before the conflict reaches anywhere with a market share that matters. This is a war between the spirit and folly of man, and the united will of a networked intelligence more adaptable and predictive than any person. See Also: Star Sector.

21 15. Hands of Steel

“Why do humans never do as they're told? Someone should replace you all with robots. No, on second though, they shouldn't, bad idea.” ― Jonathan Morris, Doctor Who: Touched By An Angel

 Robocop  Humans in Robot Skin  Crime-Ridden Hellhole  Megaman Classic (Protomen Drawback)  Robot-Empowered Tyranny  People in Robot Skin  GunM/Battle Angel Alita  Cyborg Martial Arts  Massive Inequality  Teriminator  Metal and Flesh  Monster or Machine

The line between man and machine is blurred, brains are seen as just another piece of hardware. Men, machines, mutants, and more eke out a living on a planetary city/dumping ground, where law and order are arbitrary, brutal, and only in the vicinity of the great factory mainframes. The life of the “junkers” flows from the great city-manufactoriums. Broken machines, expired food, and other waste is deposited in the scrap fields surrounding the base of the city. Pickers, often children, will sort through new and old junk for useful parts, food, raw materials, or anything else that can get sold. Mechanics and other vendors will purchase the pickers’ finds, to either repair or resell. “Everything comes from the city”. The city sends down food – tasteless nutrient blocks – in return for workers and recycled scrap tithes. The sprawling factories and refineries make up the majority of the under-city, and many people are employed there. However, the employment is not entirely a boon, as the toxic by-products and fumes make life unpleasant at best. There is rampant workplace injury, disease, hunger, and violence among the lower classes, which makes doctors an in-demand commodity. A medical professional here is more akin to a field surgeon, playing fast and loose with prosthesis, transplants, chemistry, and engineering to keep patients alive. Gangs form the basis for society. They receive and distribute the nutrient pastes. Pushing drugs, and providing entertainment in the form of gladiatorial fights, rollerball races, gambling, and prostitutes. The City and Mainframes are largely unconcerned with what occurs below. As long as the raw materials flow up, scrap will fall down. That’s not to say the world is completely lawless. There are factory laws enforced by bounty hunters and automatons. These mostly relate to maintaining production levels and status quo, ensuring too many human resources aren’t killed by unexpected elements. The lethally enforced prohibition against flight or climbing the tower is emblematic of the City’s views towards the lower beings. Mob justice is not uncommon, either. And gang violence is often how the worst elements meet their end, after stepping on too many toes to ignore. See also: Origin (manga).

22 16. C⊕Si

“Whether we are based on carbon or on silicon makes no fundamental difference; we should each be treated with appropriate respect.” ― Arthur C. Clarke, 2010: Odyssey Two

“It is not enough to live together in peace, with one race on its knees.” ― Daniel H. Wilson, Robopocalypse

 BLAME  Ridiculous Megastructure  Biomega  Silicon Life vs Biological, Virus Makes Drones  Artificial and Immortal Humans  Nier: Automata  Factions of Robots  Extinct Humans  The Matrix  Human Farms  Virtual Worlds

Synthetic life has not just won, it has conquered the forces of reality itself. Technology relating to gravity manipulation, genetics, nano-machines, and (obviously) AI are all highly advanced. It’s too bad that most of it has been turned against the cause of improving life. If cancer could be rendered in binary and silicon, this might be the result. Two forms of life are mathematically incapable of sustained coexistence. No steady-state solution exists for the differential equation describing the relationship between Silicon and Carbon life. Nothing is easy for carbon life in this distant future. They have to survive an environment they are not prepared to deal with, or predisposed to by evolution. The solar system has been filled with vast, impossible constructs that serve inscrutable purposes, constantly expanding even farther. Inhabiting these barren megastructures are shape-shifting silicon life-forms that can transmit themselves across vast distances digitally, massive construction drones. Most human beings are born and die in vast neural networks, living in fugue states, submerged in syrupy dream pods. But only most, as rogue friendly AIs shepherd and protect a few enclaves of free humans. These remaining humans must contend with periodic incursions of automatons that seek to eradicate them. The fight takes place in multiple realms – the physical world is only one battlefield. There are countless server farms where humans are held in digital bondage. Why these humans are kept alive, suspended in embryonic fluid and hooked up to a hallucinatory world, is a bit of a mystery. Hoverships with pirate signals can jack in, and try to free their minds, and pick up their bodies before they’re recycled, but this is a dangerous proposition. Powerful allies in the form of human-loyal robots and AI, and some gene-locked override capabilities give them the advantage. Or at least make them too troublesome to bother designating additional resources to resolving. The tireless loyalist AIs make pilgrimages that last centuries, in search of more humans, more genekeys, more safe places to let their weary flock rest. The fact those friendly robots are universally easy on the eyes and happy to serve is surely a happy accident.

23 4.4. DarkDark FantasyFantasy

“Ah, the smell of mystery and dark doings, of skulduggery and revenge. The meat of a good tale.” ― Glen Cook, The Black Company

These are not worlds for the lighthearted hero, where all is well that ends well, where the light will triumph, where the MacGuffin saves the world. Sure, there are the standard trappings of fantasy – magic, monsters, and adventure – but the tales these settings lend themselves to are decidedly less friendly, in both execution, and final result. Modern dark fantasy often deconstructs the typical fantasy story tropes, expounds upon them to show the undesirable consequences, or introduces social commentary or less savory elements of real-world history. Some might say this isn’t “more realistic” as it is a “more pessimistic” interpretation of human nature, and unfairly brands the author’s bias on an entire world. A fair criticism, but not one that will save a visitor to these worlds. But dark fantasy is dark because it has the qualities that fantasy lacks. Children can look at the world with naive wonder, but as they grow up, they often discover that the world isn’t as nice as they thought it was. That’s not to say that dark fantasy is “more mature” – it’s just a reaction to the disillusionment. If your fantasy kingdom had a hero as its king, all of the nobility might trace their origins back to this mythic figure, and use that as justification to rule with an iron fist. If there is more than one race, you can expect there to be fantasy racism. Slavery, inequality, brutality, betrayal, and cruelty are common in these worlds. It’s not merely the increased chances of dismemberment, death, or worse that make a fantasy story dark, it’s the difference in the tales that get told. Modern fantasy stories tell us that monsters can be defeated. Dark fantasy stories tell us that monsters exist – defeating them is a risky, dangerous, and uncertain proposition. That sometimes, it’s not worth fighting, or sometimes the monsters are men. The original faerie tales would definitely count as dark fantasy. Even when they do end on an uplifting note, evil suffers, the heroes as cruel in their victories as they are pitiable in their defeat. Other times, good doesn’t triumph, because evil was more clever or stronger – or because good simply didn’t listen to it’s parents’ warnings. Evil can be defeated, but not on a scale that matters. The foe does not exist in an individual, but on a societal level, as an integral part of the system, the metaphysics underpinning the world. There are dark lords to slay, and damsels to rescue, but there always will be. Pick and choose the battles, or else be wearied and broken by the turning wheel of days. That’s not to say that everything has to be the epitome of grim and gritty. Not everything has to be grim and dark all the time. That’s the edgy teen version of dark fantasy, still bitter with discovering that there are no such things as heroes. Dark fantasy done well will tell you there are heroes, but it would be better if the world had no need for heroes, that even heroes can be flawed, or make mistakes, or sometimes fail.

24 17. Ashes, Blood, & Iron

“I live, I burn with life, I love, I slay, and am content.” ― Robert E. Howard, Conan the Barbarian

 Dark Sun  Fucked Climate, Cannibals  Lack of Metal  Sorcerer-Dragon-Tyrant City-States  Sword & Sorcery  Lost Civilizations  Betrayal and Cultural Differences  Monsters and Cosmic Horror  Xena  Ambiguous Technology and Civilization  Warlords, Magic, Leather Bikinis  City-States

Men’s hearts are hardened beneath a scorching sun, as old knowledge is lost, new empires rise and fall, and old pacts go unanswered. Follow the paths of power by seeking out the secrets of ashes, blood, and iron. This is a world of mighty men in leather loincloths and alluring women in chain mail bikinis. Where treasure and danger can both be found in the ruins of lost ages. Sorcerers and priests with strange secrets and twisting words. Cannibals, abhumans, and even the dead can rise to threaten the living. In a brutal land where cunning and strength rule, barbarian settlements and monster-filled ruins of long- gone peoples dot the wilderness between cities. The scrags of the rocky plains and hills provide little defense against the sun’s blaze. Forests and jungles are thick with massive beasts. The cool, dark places are inhabited by squamous things from mortal nightmares. The walled cities provide a measure of relief from natural dangers, but more than make up for it in the schemes and lies of their citizens. Ruled by monsters, immortal warriors, and sorcerer-kings, the metropolises are filled with all the luxuries and wealth of the world – the greed in men’s hearts turning to decadence and deceit. But it is not only mere humans that inhabit these lands. Although now scattered to the winds, remnants of the cannibal elf empire still practice their dark sorceries, calling on spirits and monsters. Some of their secrets were stolen by ambitious humans centuries ago, but they still practice human sacrifice to their dark gods when they can. Scare resources, an inhospitably hot climate, and constant danger has made the people here as wild as the beasts that lurk behind sun-blasted rocks, or in the depths of the jungles. Metal is not often found near the surface, and most is repurposed from lost civilizations’ caches, to be used in the creation of weapons or jewelry. Bone, wood, leather, and rock are used instead. To survive in such a place, a land of ashes, blood, and iron, person cannot be meek, or weak, or kind. See Also: Elric/Stormbringer

25 18. Warden’s Road

“Oh, monsters are scared," said Lettie. "That's why they're monsters.” ― Neil Gaiman, The Ocean at the End of the Lane

 Lone Wolf  Order of Mage-Knights  Dark Lords Over Yonder  Monsters and Ab-Humans  Old Kingdom  Family of Mage-Knights  Necromancers, Sorcerers  The Dead, Free Magic Beings  Witcher  Order of Mage-Knights  Monster and Humans  Cultural Differences

Monsters, human and other, always seek to prey on the weak and vulnerable. To keep safe the roads, to mete out justice, to slay monsters, to protect the innocent – such is a Warden of the High Kingdom’s duty. But now ward stones across the kingdom are being broken, freeing monsters to prey upon the people, making it easier for the dead to cross into life, and empowering dark sorcerers. Villages are found in ruins, their people missing. Old bloodlines are being snuffed out, or falling to corruption. There are rumors that true decedents to the throne still remain, but after the last regent was killed by his own shadow, the royal castle has been eerily quiet, and nobody ventures far into the capital after dark. Now an ancient threat returns. Deep in the Southeast, forces stir and armies muster. Whether or not the Dark Lords were once been human, they are not now. The Dark has granted them terrifying powers – great physical strength, magical abilities, an aura of despair, and command over armies of twisted beings and monsters. Their strengths are many, and weaknesses few. They remember their old enemies, and have long plotted the downfall of the High Kingdoms. They have moved subtly to undermine their power where possible, usurping entire countries and plotting to weaken those who once sealed them in the shadow lands. Now their machinations are in full swing, and they can emerge from the shadows to wreck havoc once again, upon a land and people that has never been weaker. The enemies arrayed against the failing kingdom are opposed by ancient orders of warrior-priests, white wizards, and druidic rangers. In the previous years of peace, their orders have declined in number, but in this time of need, they are the only ones capable of opposing the dark lords. They are said to be able to best ten men in combat, speak with animals, sense danger, become immune to fear, and wield shining weapons and artifacts that can weaken or destroy dark lords altogether. Though tasked with protecting the realm, and its people, these bringers of light are often looked upon with suspicion thanks to the efforts of the dark. Corruption of entire schools, and dark agents impersonating one of their most ancient enemies, as well as lies and propaganda have made being a faithful warrior of the light a risk in some regions. One can only hope they triumph, restore their names, and return peace to these lands.

26 19. Telos

“Beware the dark pool at the bottom of our hearts. In its icy, black depths dwell strange and twisted creatures it is best not to disturb.” ― Sue Grafton, I is for Innocent

 Berserk  Behilits and Sacrifice for Power  Magic and Rise of Monsters  Fate and Godhand  Path of Exile  Virtue Gems  Corruption  Gods and Ancient Forces  Diablo  Demons from Hell  Corruptive Soulgems and Possession  Slaying Lords of Sin

It is said that all things are ordained, that gods die, and souls be reborn in the immutable cycle of destiny. This is indeed true… for most things. A rare few mortals manage to slip the net of fate for a time, and their actions may ripple outward, creating changes to the tapestry of fate. But these changes are often minor, and easily corrected by the hand that weaves the cloth. In this world, rune-engraved gemstone-like objects in a variety of forms can grant a wide array of effects. They can be embedded in flesh, or inserted into the sockets on some equipment, simply worn as jewelry, or in more arcane workings. They grant superhuman talent, supernatural abilities, modify equipment or people, or provide more subtle passive benefits. However, if people knew where these miraculous stones came from, and how they were created, they might be less eager to utilize them. Long ago, an empire pioneered their creation, and their reliance on them lead to a great cataclysm that still poisons the land of the former empire. Hints of what was, and is to come, can be seen in the emergence of madness and monsters in those who delve too deeply into the secrets and lore of these objects, and unlock a potential meant to remain out of reach. In sacrificing their humanity, new heights of power may be reached, but at a cost too great to contemplate. Corrupted by their gem-fueled obsession, they become host to spirits that warp their flesh and twist their mind. There are also rumors of those who brave astral regions, to recover echoes of what was or may have been. But these explorations are not for the weak, or faint of heart. To grasp rewards beyond measure, risks beyond wrathful deities must be overcome. They shatter the rules of existence, causing one cataclysm after the next. Even deeper within this benighted territory, there are even greater dangers. Trapped, forgotten gods draw new worshipers to them, to free them from their prisons and slumbers. Warped mortal souls have gorged on nightmarish powers, and become as godlings themselves. With every gem picked up, these beings’ power over the outside world grows. Eventually, they may be able to recreate their nightmarish, hellish realms in the material world.

27 20. Mordant

“Because all the monsters have been let out of their cages tonight, no matter what court they belong to. So I may roam wherever I wish until the dawn.” ― Sarah J. Maas, A Court of Thorns and Roses

 Innistrad  Living With Monsters and Madness  Eldritch Incursion Amidst Elves, Devils, Vampires, Werewolves  Ravenloft  Monsters and Dark Forces  Elves, Halflings, Gypsies  Bloodbourne  Corruption  Eldritch Body Horror

Some worlds are plagued by monsters, but this world is defined by them. The darkness does not merely threaten the light, night has fully fallen. Men are now at the mercy of creatures that threaten their lives, souls, and very humanity. Is there an alternative? Some monsters are worse than others – or perhaps it’s easier to live with the devil you know than the necromancer you don’t. Some monsters require humans to survive. In a world where humans are no longer as plentiful, they may turn their parasitic relationship into one that is effectively symbiotic. This is what has happened in the kingdoms of blood, where aristocratic vampires of various lineages have created a feudal society based on human cattle. Other monsters are as much man as beast, and even before darkness fall, they tended to congregate in small, self-sufficient groups, far away from society. Such is the case with many witch covens, werewolf villages, and murderous bandit gangs. The fall did not much change their lives, and they still inhabit the woods and far places. Then there are the loners, whose nature leads even other monsters shun them – in disgust or fear. Foremost among these are the necromancers – individuals who, through science or magic, seek mastery over life and death, and spend their nights elbow-deep in viscera, or knee-deep in grave dirt. One of the foremost causes of the Long Night was the work of more spiritual threats. While some ghosts haunt their old lands or family lines, as protective ancestors, they are the minority. Murderous grudges are far more common, but they are not the worst. Devils, embodiments of sin, come in many forms, but are still mere flesh and blood. The true masters of the dark are the demons. Even the weakest demon is more than a match for any other being. They are singularities of sin, embodiments of darkness, rulers over even the vampire kings. They are opposed by the few remaining bastions of light in the eternal darkness – angels. At least, those few that have not fallen, died in battle, been imprisoned, or have retreated to hide in forgotten temples. The remaining seek in vain to free men from the tyranny of evil. But the darkness and the fading light are not the only forces in this land. Not anymore. With the balance broken, a new corruption has emerged, one that warps flesh and mind. Capable of twisting even demons and angels into eldritch forms. This madness is a threat beyond good and evil, but will it be enough to unite depravity and virtue? Even if balance was restored, could this new danger be defeated?

28 21. Kingdom of Lost Souls

“He walked out in the gray light and stood and he saw for a brief moment the absolute truth of the world. The cold relentless circling of the intestate earth. Darkness implacable. The blind dogs of the sun in their running. The crushing black vacuum of the universe. And somewhere two hunted animals trembling like ground-foxes in their cover. Borrowed time and borrowed world and borrowed eyes with which to sorrow it.” ― Cormac McCarthy, The Road

 Dark Souls  Shit’s fucked.  Dark Souls 2  Shit’s fucked.  Dark Souls 3  Shit’s fucked.  Demon Souls  Shit’s fucked.

The Necropolis is the legacy of a once great kingdom that outshone the sun. Now, it sinks below dusk into death, and damnation. Dead souls linger upon this land, and they are not friendly or peaceful. Life here is as the last embers in a dying fire. Sprawling castle ruins s occupied by hordes of muddled, mangled things hungry for souls. The inhabitants of this land, what few remain, are the dregs of the living dead, a few more powerful forsaken souls driven mad by death, survivors teetering on the edge, legendary immortal beings, and demonic monsters. They all bear far too much resemblance to one another for comfort. They all seek the souls of men, now traded like currency, used as fuel or raw materials, and consumed to prolong their own unnatural lives and remnants of sanity. Indeed, souls play a large part in the metaphysics of the realm, some souls being inherently stronger or more resistant to degradation. A great flame burns alongside creation, casting a shadow from each soul, and preventing them from transmigrating to wherever souls are supposed to go after death, as well as making it difficult for new souls to enter the world. Souls are instead drawn together, held tightly to the plane, find corpses to inhabit, and behave more like corporeal objects. Reflections of the great beacon, warm golden flames, provide a safe heaven of sorts, and a way of traveling – provided one has the requisite sacrifice to kindle one, and the equipment or skills needed to utilize them properly. Should this beacon falter, the souls would be scattered, the world fall apart, and all things end. As long as one remains here, their soul is similarly trapped by the great fire, and death is a more transient thing that relies just as, if not more heavily, on the state of ones’ soul than their body. This is both a blessing and a curse, as dying means losing parts of oneself, but remaining undead. Staying in this form too long results in eventually becoming one of the hungry things that probably killed you, as your soul is mangled beyond recognition, or devoured by something stronger.

29 5.5. EldritchEldritch EnemiesEnemies††

“The skies are haunted by that which it were madness to know; and strange abominations pass evermore between earth and moon and athwart the galaxies. Unnamable things have come to us in alien horror and will come again.” ― Clark Ashton Smith

Mankind faces foes from the mists of prehistory. Servants of forgotten gods, malformed things, powers beyond mortal ken that seek to guide us from the darkness to unpleasant ends. There is a sense of futility, of being very small, and surrounded by things one wishes they didn’t know threatened all existence. This world is ripe with stories where things that man was not meant to know lurk behind a thin membrane of madness, and most mortal efforts to combat these threats are futile or misguided. There are cults, plots, secret societies, and monsters. There are heroes, of a sort, of sacrifices made to stave off the apocalypse one more day. At least until the stars are right.

A Madder World

Sometimes the past should stay buried. Not knowing any better, explorers and museum curators dig up the past. Rediscovered lost works, forgotten cities, reemerging bloodlines all come together to create a general sense of unease, an increasing rate of lunacy, and capped off by the occasional unnerving event.

In Search of Answers

Disparate hidden societies come to the fore, as they rediscover their brethren, and begin claiming power both mortal and eldritch. Influential believers are cementing their grip on society, and pooling their resources to nefarious ends. The stars are not quite right, but they could be.

Cast in Shadow

The war between mortal and otherworldly forces is no longer something whispered of between lunatics in dark corners. Lumbering ancients rise from the depths of the sea of nightmares. Sorcery and science are conjoined in hyper-dimensional engineering and metaphysical biology. The stars, as they say, are right.

Grim Remnants

Hundreds of thousands of years ago, mankind looked up to the stars with wonder and an eagerness to explore. Now even the stars have blinked out. Within the last refuges of man, generations tremble against the encroaching end. Besieged by madness, monsters, and eternal night, they carry on. This is all they have ever known. It is the depths of night, and there will be no dawn.

30 22. A Madder World

“We walk in darkness with phantoms and spectres we know not of, and our little world plunges blindly through abysses toward a goal of which we have no conception. That thought itself is a blow at our beliefs and comprehension. We used to content ourselves by thinking we knew all about our world, at least; but now it is different, and we wonder if we really know anything, or if there can be safety and peace anywhere in the wide universe.” ― Donald Wandrei, Strange Harvest

 Lovecraft  Cults, Old Ones, Cosmic Horror, and Insanity  Families, Ancient Tradition, Casual Racism  A Study in Emerald  Ruled By Monsters  Alternate History  Magnus Archives  Strange Events, Warped Mortals  Competing Eldritch Cults

The year is somewhere between 1890 and 1920, on a world that should look quite familiar. However, quite a few historical divergences exist, if you know what to look for. In the first quarter of the 19th century, ‘The King in Yellow’ was published – the first of many events that would come to define the 1800s, along with the rise of Old Ones, and a steep increase in lunacy. A recently published account of an explorer is generating excitement and scorn in equal measure. His recent disappearance has only fueled discussion of follow-up adventures into the dark corners where he claimed to have found evidence of unrecorded ancient cultures. Lady Charlotte Guest, an accomplished linguist, has just died, and among her effects was found a most curious manuscript. Several who have read it have gone mad, but that has not stopped it’s publication. Lunatic asylums, already full to bursting, are nearly fit to collapse. Friedrich Leopold, the third son of the current Prussian Prince was recently born. The public appearances that his two older brothers made are not in evidence. The midwife said something about fingers and toes before leaving for the countryside never to be seen again. The wet nurses aren’t speaking. A scandal shocks London as a visiting dignitary is found dead. A consulting detective reports some oddities regarding the case. His assistant, a veteran of the Afghanistan campaign, has been relating the facts of the investigation to the papers. He has also been having flashbacks of a terrible nature. Many of these differences can be traced to the fact that many storied bloodlines born in prehistory are not entirely human. The crossing of such lineages has begun to bring to the fore the more inhuman elements. Now, monsters rule the world, but still in secret. And not for much longer, as the light of democracy makes mere figureheads out of monarchs. See also: Generic Yandere, The Sun Never Set (Alternate History Story).

31 23. In Search of Answers

“Those who turn the instruments of science upon Nature will always be in danger of seeing more than they looked for. There is such a disaster as that of knowing too much, and at some time or another it may overtake each of us.” ― E.G. Swain, The Stoneground Ghost Tales

 Great Detective (True Detective Drawback)  Ritualistic Crimes, Powerful Eldritch Cult  Drugs and Synesthesia  Night in the Woods  Hidden Eldritch Horror  Minor Psychometry  World of Horror  Insanity  Emerging Monsters  Deadly Premonition  Subconscious and Synesthesia  Small Town Secrets, Ritual Murder

There’s a history to this sort of thing. It draws people in. It’s in the government, the wealthy, institutional. And it’s been happening for a long, long time. There’s a history one can see traces of, if those looking gazed deeper. Clues that most people, sane, who can’t see the whole picture, overlook. With a more connected world and a wealth of information, some individuals are putting things together, and independently coming to some frightening conclusions regarding a wide variety of topics. Disturbing implications are being discussed by paranoid schizophrenics and dedicated detectives. Talk of a grand conspiracies and hidden knowledge. Of dead women and children. The powers-that-were are still in control, but they’re sticking even tighter to the shadows. Complicating matters are the cults springing up in unexpected places. Offspring of far older and more practiced enclaves, they operate with a bit more obviousness. But bumbling or well-experienced, people are still turning up dead, or not at all. Powerful and clandestine groups are hushing up shocking crimes, archaeological discoveries, and even scientific discoveries. To what end, even those who are aware can only guess at, but determined investigation will reveal that these groups have ties to governments, royal families, secret societies, and even the local girl scouts. Despite appearances, membership, ideology, and methodologies, most of these groups are not connected. They might cover for one another when convenient, but most are unaware of each other, let alone the larger picture. Some might even be tempted to use other groups as scapegoats, when investigators come knocking. And exactly what the big picture can be different depending on where one is, and what one believes. In small towns and isolated communities, especially, things are a bit weirder than one might hope or expect. These are old communities. Families have been around for a long, long time. They know the land, and are a part of it, as much as the forests and the mountains. And they practice ceremonies as old as the stones in abandoned mines and backwoods bayous. Interrupting a private gathering is discourteous.

32 24. Cast in Shadow

“We wrap up our violent and mysterious world in a pretense of understanding. We paper over the voids of our comprehension with science and religion, and make believe that order has been imposed. And, for the most of it, the fiction works. We skim across the surfaces, heedless of the depths below. Dragonflies flitting over a lake, miles deep, pursuing erratic paths to pointless ends. Until that moment when something from the cold unknown reaches up to take us.” ― Mark Lawrence, Prince of Thorns

 Pacific Rim  Giant Aliens, Giant Robots  Personal Issues  Evangelion  Giant Angels, Biomecha  Psychological Issues

The stars are finally right, and the Eldritch Age began. Not with a bang, or a whimper, but to triumphant clarion. A note which quickly soured when cults and monsters boiled out of the woodwork, and humanity was forced to confront a war facing them on multiple fronts. An alien invasion, saboteurs serving dark gods, dangerous knowledge, and genetic and cultural dangers. Their enemies are many: deep ones have covered the coastal areas like a murderous tide, a madness has gripped most of Asia, and there are few answers to the things that crawled out of the Antarctic. Even from the skies, strange insectile-fungoid aliens with frighteningly advanced technologies descend to abduct or kill without rhyme or reason. However, all is not lost. Mankind has found refuge in their great works – self-sufficient arcologies now house millions and act as bastions against the monsters and armies arrayed against them. Advanced engineering and math that scratches at the edge of the sorcery has brought about numerous innovations – changing both weapons of war and ways of life. Magitech is the new bulwark against the enemy. But while the New Earth Government is more practiced with the technology side, their enemies have millennia more experience with the eldritch side. The main drivers of these technologies are private corporations that have all but replaced traditional governments. Fenris, Marduk, and other developers of esoteric technologies spear-headed the development of the weapons that allowed mankind to fight back. Now, whole arcologies are controlled by these corporate factions, although the New Earth Government nominally calls the shots. With most of the Earth lost, many have given into despair, but many more are still willing to fight. Unappreciated by most, agents fight from the shadows, rooting out enemy agents and dangerous monsters. The most inspiring are the pilots of bio-mechanical mecha, which go toe to toe against huge monsters and alien invaders, and the warriors equipped with strange powers and weapons effective against the eldritch. But every year, the hordes control more land. Every battle, there are fewer soldiers to fight back. For every cult or warlock discovered, more wait in the shadows. Every time a new technology is developed to fight back, it seems another disaster or enemy appears. But even if hope is slim, humanity will struggle against whatever comes. See Also: Cthulhutech.

33 25. Grim Remnants

“It cannot be described, this awesome chain of events that depopulated the whole Earth; the range is too tremendous for any to picture of encompass. Of the people of Earth's unfortunate ages, billions of years before, only a few prophets and madman could have conceived that which was to come – could have grasped visions of the still, dead lands, and long-empty sea-beds. The rest would have doubted... doubted alike the shadow of change upon the planet and the shadow of doom upon the race. For man has always thought himself the immortal master of natural things...” ― H.P. Lovecraft

 The Night Land  Arcology Life  Spiritual Terror  God Eater  Eldritch Weapons  Old World Ruins  RWBY  Monsters at the Gate  Super-Powered Hunters

Strange eons have come and gone. Night has fallen, and humanity huddles within their last bastions. Generation upon generation have lived within these giant structures. Outside is darkness, and death, and destruction. Few leave and return, but still they must go to struggle against the dark, and the strange, enticing, utterly wrong powers – great and small – that live within it. Not out of any hope for salvation, but because doing so staves off the inevitable end. Those who venture forth are armored in somber grey, and armed with frightening weapons. This is not enough, because still they die to monster and mishap. They are prepared, mind and body, but this is not enough. For there are more than beasts that stalk the darkness, more than twisted monsters and abominations, but threats to the very soul, great powers that promise destruction of the spirit. There are pockets of humans, regressed to near-barbarity, that still eke out an existence in this strange land. They hunt, and harvest, and hide. Often, they are twisted by the forces that inhabit the land, becoming slaves to the powers of darkness, ab-human foes to the remaining humans. They do not tame, but are tamed by the monsters that would devour them. Some even align willingly with frightening Powers, hastening the day that mankind’s chapter ends. Others have managed to create cities of light underground, where their lanterns do not draw the attention of humanity’s enemies. There are advantages that remaining humans have, which help them survive in the thin-aired darkness teeming with nightmares. Countless generations has bred into this breed of humanity a hardy body, a more discerning and powerful soul, a tempered wisdom, and powerful will. There are those who can call upon their countless previous lives, no small amount of psychic potential, and all know the Master Word, which cannot be answered by any unearthly forces or servant of such. This is not a world of heroes, and not even stars remain in the sky. The feared end of all things, the uncaring nature of the universe, quickly approaches. The conclusion of the very universe, as immutable laws break down, and terrible things feast upon reality’s rotting carcass. See Also: Kingdom Death Monster, Death Stranding.

34 6.6. FantasyFantasy CampaignCampaign

“There's never been a true war that wasn't fought between two sets of people who were certain they were in the right. The really dangerous people believe they are doing whatever they are doing solely and only because it is without question the right thing to do. And that is what makes them dangerous.” ― Neil Gaiman, American Gods

Mankind has always waged war, and some say that war has never changed. But what would war look like if magic were introduced to the battlefield, or individual warriors stronger than 20 soldiers, or the cavalry could ride in on dragons? Does the logistical ease of supplying cannibalistic orcs with food outweigh the discipline problems of fielding such a force? How does the chain of command work when your artillery is one man in a pointy hat? In many fantasy stories, where the conflict is personal – a hero sets out to defeat a villain or overcome some force of evil. These are not that kind of fantasy world. Although an individual may make a difference, conflicts are not confined, defined, or concluded by an antagonist and protagonist clashing. This is conflict on a massive scale, where the battlefield is home to monsters as well as men. These settings run a wide range of technological levels, with many different cultures and opportunities to tell different types of stories in each world. Not all of these worlds experience medieval stasis – steam power or widespread electricity may be in evidence. How these technological elements mesh with magic offers some of the same storytelling opportunities as Anachronistic settings. War is a terrible thing, but not the most terrible of things. Those more terrible things are likely to be found in Dark Fantasy worlds, but that doesn’t mean you can’t borrow elements from those types of settings. After all, war can be pretty darn dark. There are two ways these worlds can play out: either the fantasy elements are in service to a narrative of conflict, or the conflict is a large-scale fantastic clash of opposing forces. In the first, a major appeal is seeing how conventional warfare is augmented or changed by the existence of fantastic elements. In the second, the setting should explore a typically mythologized conflict on more grounded ideological and practical grounds. Of course, the more mundane stories that war creates could be told in these worlds – the cheapness of life on the battlefield, horrors and cruelties of combat, military politics and incompetent commanders, the struggle to reintegrate into society, etc. If this route is taken, more fictional elements can add new and interesting dimensions to these narratives. Taking inspiration from real wars, and adding a touch of the fantastic. In the other direction, exploring the fantastic clash for the fate of the world from the perspective of somebody who has to deal with mundane and often overlooked concerns can be interesting. Taking a fantasy and turning it more real. Where is a skyknight going to stable their griffon, pegasus, or drake? What is a fed-up footman going to do when ordered to charge the forces of evil?

35 26. Here Be Dragons

“Colonialism. The enforced spread of the rule of reason. But who is going to spread it among the colonizers?” ― Anthony Burgess

 Temeraire  Age of Sail  Intelligent Dragons  Turtledove Atlantis  Alternate Americas  Warring European Powers  Europa Universalis  Grand Strategy  Eurocentric Conflict  Dinotopia  Symbiotic Relationships  Society-Defining Creature

In addition to navy, infantry, artillery, and cavalry, the great powers of the world recognize another pillar of military doctrine: draconic aviators. Armored in scale, armed with fangs and claws and whip-like tails, capable of flight, some can breath fire or spit acid. Even the dimmest of these creatures is as bright as a toddler and thrice as bloodthirsty. The year is 17XX, and the European powers are, as always, embroiled in a struggle for dominance. However, a new world has just been found across the Atlantic – a series of large islands. Gentle clime, rich soil, richer veins of ore, and only sparsely populated by natives. And most interestingly of all, new breeds of dragons. Sure, there’s a whole empire of human-sacrificing savages in the southern portion, and a bunch of nomadic peoples in the Northern islands, but the sheer amount of land dwarfs Europe several times over. The promise of riches, glory, even noble titles are too great to pass up. And so they come, to colonize and plunder, explore and exploit. They will not have an easy time of it, between the natives, the dragons, the disease, and supply chain difficulties. Most of all, they will have to contend with one another. These European countries might bear a passing resemblance to the ones we know, but their history and culture are more chivalric – and more warlike. Although their martial honor and courtly manner are greatly in evidence, do not mistake their civility for humane behavior. They are as capable of atrocity as their real-world historical counterparts. Slavery, indentured servitude, draconian (sometimes literally) punishments, and violent bigotry are central tenets of their cultures.

36 27. Inheritors of Steel & Fire

"War is fought over futile and feudal things. War is not about ideology, no matter how artfully framed, but it’s simply about power and money and control." — Jarod Kintz

 A Song of Ice and Fire  Magic Is (Mostly) Bad Shit  Political Games  Mount and Blade  Game of Thrones  Logistics is Bullshit  Mercenaries  Fire Emblem Valentia  Magicians and Knights  Fractured Heroic Kingdom

This continent is known as the cauldron of war, for very good reason. The constituent kingdoms are constantly embroiled in conflict, and even peace is marred by the knowledge that it is temporary. There’s always at least one kingdom at war – sometimes with itself, as internal politics boil over into civil war. There’s no shortage of intrigues, plots, and conspiracies, either. Armed with shining blades of strange metal and gaily decorated armor, knights ride into battle from their large castles. The men of the mountains stand arrayed in formation, armed with pike and crossbow, ready to receive their charge. The coastal jarls beat their axes against their shields before raiding another village. The desert and steppe horsemen ready their bows, as they prepare to circle. It’s not all steel and flesh – magic exists, and it can be just as nasty, if not moreso, than a lance through the gut. While most mages are capable of little without working in concert with others, heavy hitters can replace siege equipment, casting down their enemies with hurricanes of fire. Lesser mages are often used in rituals for utility. Used correctly, the battlefield control they provide can turn battles – inclement weather, scrying, communication, etc. The wars are what these kingdoms are known for, and a fact of life for everyone. Massive armies, knights numbering in the thousands, backed by magic, meeting on the field, besieging a castle, taking survivors’ fates in the hands of the victors. Villages raided or burnt to the ground. Peasants on enemy land taken as slaves, nobles captured for ransom. Put into motion by the machinations of a power-hungry noble class, history is wheel of violence. Besides the feudal army model, there are also a multitude of famous mercenary companies that call the continent home. Some seek only to enter a lord’s service, and a stable position. Others are content to roam between kingdoms, recruiting villagers and fighting for fame and fortune. Should none need their service, many hired swords become bandits – and more effective ones than the typical levy conscripts that escaped slaughter on the fields. This is a gory place, with a blood-soaked history. Power is synonymous with violence, but countless ambitious individuals still seek to elevate themselves. Playing games and always seeking the advantage, one should be quick to kill, and slow to trust. That there are many crowns and thrones to claim does not seem to lessen the prize in the eyes of the players. See Also: Black Company

37 28. Trench and Blade

“I am young, I am twenty years old; yet I know nothing of life but despair, death, fear, and fatuous superficiality cast over an abyss of sorrow. I see how peoples are set against one another, and in silence, unknowingly, foolishly, obediently, innocently slay one another.” ― Erich Maria Remarque, All Quiet on the Western Front

 Last Exile  Thopters (Vanships), Magical Fuel (Claudia)  Divided Landmasses  Gene-Coded Technology  Valkyria Chronicles  Multipurpose Mineral (Ragnite)  Previous Megitech Civilization  Empowered Valkyrian Descedents  Ring of Red  Clunky AFW Mecha  Two Groups at War  Rifles and Tanks  Alderamin on the Sky  Airguns and Medieval Weaponry  Magical Power Sources  Rival Nations at War

The war has been going on so long, no one is sure how it started. For the past few years, it’s been more cold than hot, but the march of time carries a romanticism of the past, and the development of new technologies. New designs for guns, airships, mechanized infantry and cavalry, artillery, and submersibles – all powered by thaumite – promised an end to intermittent skirmishes. Lumbering giants, expensive to create and maintain, tromp across the no-man’s land. As mobile fortresses and artillery, their utility is tremendous. Above them, drifting airships capable of dropping bombs or firing mortars are surrounded by a cloud of thopters flitting by. Even among the humble infantryman, powered armor and rifles can be spotted. While novel, this new warfare is not without its ugliness. The development and deployment of chemical agents, constant artillery bombardments, and the rare repeating machine gun have stymied decisive clashes, and now both sides huddle in their trenches. The discovery that some people are capable of being empowered by thaumite might be what breaks the stalemate. Despite the similarities, this is not Earth. The Republic of Lygesaint battles the Empire of Tuher. Walther and Pendor, adjacent, both stand to gain massively as long as the war doesn’t spill over into their countries. Soluprus, Stesly, and Nidor wish for the war to come to a rapid and satisfying conclusion for themselves, donating resources to that end. Some of the technologies might likewise appear familiar at first glance. However, the technological base is quite different, for instead of coal and oil are thaumite and its derivatives. A rechargeable nuclear battery that can produce energy and miracle materials, thaumite is the future. As long as those waging war can embrace peace, instead of developing and deploying thaumite-based weapons of mass destruction. See Also: 1920s Scyth, Iron Harvest.

38 29. The Dragon Gate

“But these words people threw around - humans, monsters, heroes, villains - to Victor it was all just a matter of semantics. Someone could call themselves a hero and still walk around killing dozens. Someone else could be labeled a villain for trying to stop them. Plenty of humans were monstrous, and plenty of monsters knew how to play at being human.” ― V.E. Schwab, Vicious

 Elibe/Archanea/Tellius/3 Houses?  Magic, Knights, Dragons  Half-Dragons and Near-Humans  Small Unit Tactics  Dragon Half  Monsters, Half-Breeds  Largely Lawless Fantasy Post Apocalypse  Slayers  Warrior-Mages  Dragons  Ogre Battle  Revolution against the Empire  Demi-Humans, Strategy and Tactics

In the aftermath of the legendary Dragon War, there is less peace, hope, and light than before. Bandits wander the countryside, dark mages study ancient evils, corrupt kings plot, and twisted fiends rise. Due to the influence of the holy church, the descendants of dragons are, at best, oppressed. Demi-humans like elves and dwarves are regularly enslaved or relegated to reservations and ghettos. Even the bloodline of the hero has disappeared. In response to this era of “peace” and “prosperity”, a revolution is brewing. One in which men with wings shall strike from the sky, those with gills sink ships of war, and the excesses of nobles will be answered with death. There are still heroes, but in this morally ambiguous world, there are as many pegasus knights and druids in the service of tyrants as there are on the side of righteous revolution. The noble houses, home to stupendously powerful warriors and mages, might not survive the coming conflict. Without the weight of numbers on their side, their singular warriors are vulnerable to magical bombardment. Now that the common man can call upon knights of their own, the household guards of nobles are less effective. The only only remaining advantages the old powers have are dragon stones. The crystallized hearts of the dragons who invaded the world a millennia ago are capable of unlocking the power of those dragon’s descendants. But these trump cards are held by the church, which hands them out only sparingly to those nobles who support the church in turn. If those nobles lose them, or they fall into the wrong hands, the church is forced to act. This state of affairs has plunged kingdom after kingdom into anarchy and civil war, as the oppressed and the dissatisfied wrest power and control away. Sometimes, this is for the better, but other times not. And what led to the state of the current world? Are current affairs really the result of men’s decisions, or is there some more sinister force at work? Where is the Emperor, the blessed of the gods and inheritor of the Ancient Hero’s power?

39 30. Pro Forma Ars Magica Bellum

“What struck me as I began to study history was how nationalist fervor – inculcated from childhood on by pledges of allegiance, national anthems, flags waving and rhetoric blowing – permeated the educational systems of all countries, including our own.” — Howard Zinn, A People's History of the United States

 Full Metal Alchemist  Alchemy Circles for Transmutation  Soul Magic, Necromancy  Imperialism, Ho!  Youjo Senki  Computation Orbs Aids Casting Various Spells  Alliances and Politics, Great War Analogue  Conscription, Trench Warfare  Strike Witches (War Scenario)  Striker Units  Telekinesis, Attack, Perception (Communication), Defense/Shield  Man is the Worst Monster of All Drawback

In a world very much like our own, as if viewed through a mirror, history is repeating itself. The great powers, tugged into war by unfortunate alliances, are tearing each other apart, with machine guns, artillery, poisonous gasses, and aerial mages. The general who can most effectively make use of alchemy, scrying, illusion, and curses can make irrelevant all mortal forces an enemy fields against him. This is why mages are a nation’s most precious war resource. Thanks to recent advances, more and more mages are capable of flight and making a meaningful impact on the battlefield beyond reconnaissance and communication. The miracle that makes these things possible is the spell engine – a small, mechanical-crystalline device that is capable of turning magical power and intent into reality altering effects reliably and without much conscious effort. It still requires will and practice to use, but it’s a powerful tool and weapon in the hands of a trained mage. Without one, a mage is limited to effecting their direct environment through alchemy, which requires both an extensive education, and iron concentration to use at all, much less in combat. Not all mages take to the skies. There are fearsome battle-alchemists, magical healers, and more traditional secretary-mages. The most feared of the magical infantry are the homunculi, who have willingly become the hosts of demons. Stronger, more durable, and utterly ruthless, they are only mages in name, since after undergoing the process, they are no longer able of using magic. As the war spirals further into chaos and destruction, the need for more mages rises. As countries grasp their tactical and strategic importance, they recruit or draft everyone with magical potential they can. A powerful mage, once trained can act as a one-man mobile artillery platform, reconnaissance unit, and strike force. As the war rages, and politicians grow desperate, not even children are exempt from service. See Also: River of Commerce, Izetta, Witches and Inquisition.

40 31. Grand Chorus

“To see evil and call it good [..] makes goodness meaningless. A word without meaning is an abomination, for when the word passes beyond understanding the very thing the word stands for passes out of the world and cannot be recalled.” ― Stephen R. Lawhead, Arthur

“And I must believe that man has the power to know the right, to choose between good and evil and know that his choice has made a difference...” ― Marion Zimmer Bradley, The Mists of Avalon

 In Nomine  Harmony/Dissonance  Thematic Powers  Non-Mortal Agents of Good/Evil  Lord Of The Rings/Silmarillion  Forces of Good/Evil  Good/Evil Races, Nations  Historic Romanticism  Narnia  Good/Evil, Corruption  Historic Romanticism  Talking Animals and Magic Items  A Practical Guide to Evil  Mortal Agents of Good/Evil  Good and Evil Races  “Moral Relativism”

In the beginning, the world was woven into existence through song and power. During the weaving, however, renegades sang a dissonance into being – the misfortune of the world that echo still. In this world, repeating motifs and refrains can sometimes be expressed or taken advantage of, by those who are aware of a part of reality’s melody. This world has many singers: humans, elves, orcs, dwarves, goblins, fae, demons, even intelligent animals and talking trees. Many of these races have banded into loose alliances, or been pressed into service by a greater power. This meddling of the gods also leads to the inevitable formation of groups with similar alignments, and like the pawns of the gods, they inevitably come into conflict with their counterparts. But among these disparate peoples, any individual may become something more. A soloist, perhaps. The powers that have come to be known as Good and Evil can no longer directly influence events in the world, but they can tweak things, shifting the weft and weave, as it were. They can empower champions, and act through them. Such chosen ones are blessed with powers that best suit them, and they sometimes grow into a role that the gods did not foresee. They too can perceive and manipulate the strings of fate, although they are more limited in what they can effect, and abusing their powers can lead to a frayed tapestry.

41 7.7. GenericaGenerica

“I am looking for someone to share in an adventure that I am arranging, and it's very difficult to find anyone.” “I should think so — in these parts! We are plain quiet folk and have no use for adventures. Nasty disturbing uncomfortable things! Make you late for dinner!” ― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit, or There and Back Again

“It’s still a great time for adventurers.” ― Tim Lebbon, Predator: Incursion

These worlds are the embodiment of typical adventurer fare, seen through the most banal and over-used of tropes. There are demon kings, adventurer guilds, MacGuffins, dragons, dungeons, monsters, and gods. A young farm boy who walks into a tavern will invariably be asked to go down into that basement and slay 10 rats, after being given a set of starting equipment and seeing their mentor killed. Exploring the typical fantasy world, readers come into things with a set of assumptions regarding the technology, politics, and so on. These may or may not resemble historical reality, but they reflect more the medieval period through the lens of a casual reader of fiction. These assumptions may or may not be accurate in regards to these fantasy worlds, but most probably are. Ideally, each world should focus on a major element of something core to what is considered the fantasy genre. Other facets may be included in a world, but the intent is to make a staple of the genre readily available for turning into a story. The fantastical elements are not necessarily the focus of these worlds – they are taken as fact, and well established. That a peasant is astounded by a magician casting fireball does not mean that we are. We have seen these things a thousand times already. While these worlds may have peasants in awe of men throwing fire about, the story probably isn’t about throwing fireballs. The aspect of the world that gets the focus changes from jump to jump. Often this aspect is taken to an extreme, or implications are expanded upon and made a part of the world and the story. In fact, this aspect could be said to be the story. It’s not that the mage can throw fireballs – mages can throw fireballs in any fantasy world. But why the mage throws the fireball is different in each one. When exploring the staple trope, don’t be afraid to play around with it a little. Adventurers go on quests, right? What if every adventurer in town thought they were the ones destined to face down the ancient evil. Er, not that ancient evil, the other one. Craig over there is handling the dark lord, we’re going after the dragon lord. Take those stupid, over-used, isekai light-novel trash plot points, and make something interesting. Adventurer guilds, stupid boring rankings, self-replenishing dungeons, and harems of willing slaves aren’t necessarily bad, in an of themselves. But they require a bit of background work to make them sensible and interesting. Explore the conditions in which these tropes are possible, and over-think the consequences that got glossed over where other authors would simply continue wanking.

42 32. Fantasy Quest

“Heroes know that things must happen when it is time for them to happen. A quest may not simply be abandoned; unicorns may go unrescued for a long time, but not forever; a happy ending cannot come in the middle of the story.” ― Peter S. Beagle, The Last Unicorn

 Dragonlance  Missing Gods, Evil Empire  Dragons and Legends  Forgotten Realms  Variety of Races  Regions Under Threat  Neverwinter Nights  Forgotten Realms  Baldur’s Gate  Forgotten Realms

This world features dragons – although they are rare. Elves, dwarves, wizards, and a host of other generic fantasy tropes and cliches are very much in evidence, however. It seems that forming a group of strangers to wander around and look for treasure, kill monsters, and so on is a viable business strategy and life path in this world. Perhaps not very well looked upon, and terribly risky, but necessary to the stability of the realm. Actually, maybe that’s why there are so few dragons left... These “adventurers” are often convinced they’re on a mission from god, or destiny, and are the only ones who can stop some terrible evil. Probably just widespread egomania. These “brave” individuals delve into monster lairs, ruins, and barrows. They kill and loot whatever they find, funding their dangerous lifestyle. For many small towns living near such places, adventurers are the only ones with poor enough risk analysis to go do what needs to be done. And they’ll often do it for free! Of course, there are villains out there, and many of them are plotting some great evil. When the local lord goes mad, an orc warband gathers, or a mysterious tower rises in the haunted woods, there’s a certain kind of crazy uniquely suited to solving such problems. Usually with gratuitous violence. Ragtag groups of ne'er-do-wells have been responsible for saving countless villages, several regions, and even restoring the rightful king, or preventing a full-scale demonic incursion. These people play a necessary part in the economy. Not only do they solve problems, they also keep coin and goods flowing. When they aren’t ruining the local economy and the value of gold, that is. So, while sane people don’t particularly enjoy dealing with heavily-armed vagabonds with messiah complexes, or cleaning up after their inevitable bar fights, most just shake their head and sigh in exasperation. Because it was the guy with the twitchy eye and covered in daggers the that ended that dire rat infestation in the sewers, saved Linda, and killed the mad mage responsible for it. It was the scantily clad lady who rarely bathes, armed with the sword larger than she is, who tracked down those kobolds that killed the traveling merchant, and returned his wedding band to his grieving widow. And the dwarf, the elf, and the man with horns might have burned down the bar, sure, but they also killed that frost giant who kept stealing shipments of ale.

43 33. Venture Forth

“Adventure works in any strand—it calls to those who care more for living than for their lives.” ― Amal El-Mohtar, This Is How You Lose the Time War

 Goblin Slayer  Grimdark  Adventurer’s Guild  Dwarf Fortress  Labyrinthine Ancient Tunnel Complexes  Dug Too Deep  D&D + Pathfinder (WIP)  Adventurers, Various Races  Monsters Guarding Treasure  The Wandering Inn  City-States, Humans and Non-Humans  Forgotten Ruins, Missing Gods

There is a new land to explore. Or perhaps a very old one. On the outskirts of civilization, when ancient ruins are discovered, the undead rise, or forgotten beasts roused, only adventurers with experience in dealing with the unexpected dangers of the frontier will suffice. To organize these adventurers, act as a liaison to the governing nobles in charge of the frontier, and ensure everyone gets a fair shake, a guild was established. Here, you have the typical adventurer guild tropes: shitty seniors, unnecessary ranking system, hot secretaries, party and inter-party politics. The monsters one may encounter here should be familiar. Dragons are exceedingly rare, while goblins seem to inhabit every hole in the ground. There are, wolves, giant spiders, serpents, and other sorts of creatures one would expect of the wilderness, too. More powerful enemies like orcs or undead have taken residence in the ruins that litter the region, as well. There are a few elf tribes that inhabit the forest, and like the more civilized elves from the mainland, they are distressingly eager to talk history, and what befell those who lived here. One of their greatest historical figures was a human king, whose blood still runs in their veins, which might explain why they are not as xenophobic as other elven societies. Besides the efforts to explore the wilderness, expand civilization, and set up colonies, what makes this world notable is the deeper ruins, and what may be found within. Eons ago, this area was home to a mighty empire that suddenly fell in a spiral of madness and murder. What they left behind are masterworks of every kind guarded by traps, cave-ins, wandering undead, underground labyrinths, and worse things. But in these blighted, monster-infested, lawless places, there is something that all the greatest cities in the world cannot boast. A sense of freedom, unbound opportunity, a chance to make a name for oneself. The promise of adventure. See Also: Westmarch Campaign.

44 34. Quest for Deliverance

“It is far. But there is no journey upon this earth that a man may not make if he sets his heart to it. There is nothing, Umbopa, that he cannot do, there are no mountains he may not climb, there are no deserts he cannot cross; save a mountain and a a desert of which you are spared the knowledge, if love leads him and he holds his life in his hand counting it as nothing, ready to keep it or to lose it as Providence may order.” ― H. Rider Haggard, King Solomon's Mines

 Bravely Default  Activate the Crystals  Annoying Fairy  Deltora Quest  Collect the McGuffins  Defeat the Dark Lord  Legend of Zelda  Collect the McGuffins  Defeat the Dark Lord  Annoying Fairy

One ancient evil, one destined hero, MacGuffins to taste. Mix well, stirring in obstacles and puzzles until properly challenged. Bake in increasing difficulty until hardened. Garnish with comedic relief and love interest, serve over threat of eternal darkness. Water level may be substituted with puzzles or platforming. The rightful ruler has been deposed, and only the heroes can recover and assemble that which can save the kingdom. The parts are, are on their own, powerful artifacts – but together they can restore the true king, and defeat the dark lord. Supposedly, there’s even a prophecy about the whole thing. A well-known one, which might explain why the dread forces are so active, even after their win. This orphan boy who was raised by the former general of the king, in a small farming village on the outskirts of the Dark Lord’s rule will surely prove inconsequential to coming events. Oh look, his village was burned down by the Dark Lord’s troops, and he made friends with a fairy. Should he fail in the task the aged hermit gave him, surely his distant cousin can pick up where he left off. Since the Dark Lord could not destroy the powerful artifacts that might be used against him, he put them in dungeons all across the land, guarded by monsters and traps. Tales of these profane temples, haunted woods, and intimidating citadels strike fear into the hearts of all. The brutally oppressed populace, without their power, could not possibly rise up! He clearly never read the Evil Overlord List. Between dodging patrols of increasingly capable monsters and/or guards, and rescuing the inhabitants of this blighted land, there’s not a whole lot of fun to be had. Siding with rebels to wage a guerrilla war against the Dark Lord might sound like a good idea, but many think it will just bring the hammer down on them even harder. The people are frightened, downtrodden, and bereft of hope. That’s the real power of the destined hero – besides being able to wield the combined powers of the MacGuffins without exploding – giving people hope.

45 35. Dungeon Delvers

“In the far reaches of the world, under a lost and lonely hill, lies the TOMB OF HORRORS. This labyrinthine crypt is filled with terrible traps, strange and ferocious monsters, rich and magical treasures, and somewhere within rests the evil DemiLich.” ― Tomb of Horrors, 1st Edition

 GURPS Dungeon Fantasy  Dungeons  Adventurer-Based Economy,  MTG – Zendikar  Giant Mysterious Hedrons Filled With Treasure  Hints of Eldritch Shit  Generic Dungeon Crawl  Dungeon Ecosystem  Dungeon Economy  Divine Dungeon  Sentient Dungeon Cores  Empowered Delvers

Within the mountain caves, floating high in the sky, and beneath the waves, hide mysterious places where monsters, traps, and magic accumulate in shifting mazes. There are riches to be found here, and power, but danger also. Between the monsters, traps, environmental hazards, and other delvers, going down into the dungeons is a risky proposition. But those that manage to emerge do so stronger, laden with treasure, and with stories to tell. More than the loot of fallen adventurers, but also new (or very, very old) magical items are waiting to be found. The mana twists through the dungeons in strange ways, resulting in a plethora of traps, murderous monsters, enchanted equipment, and glittering gold – all seemingly accumulating from thin air. If dungeons are not cleared regularly, they will accumulate too much mana, grow too quickly, and monsters will burst out, or they will become singularities of destruction. To see the dangers of an unattended dungeon, look towards the wastelands and recently-created seas for the only warning one needs. Any dungeon worth venturing into has monsters and treasures, sure. But the most sought after ones have guardians that act as final tests for those who wish to claim the dungeon’s ultimate rewards. Magical items, ores with strange properties, or special powers that are proof of one’s strength. Those who find and clear an unexplored dungeon are rumored to reap even greater rewards. Not everyone is aware, but every dungeon has, at its center, a core. This core may begin life small, and stupid, but they quickly gain knowledge and power. Within a couple decades, they have learned how to make pitfalls, and cultivate dangerous plants and animals within their increasingly confusing passages. They feast on mana and death, and the treasure is there to tempt adventurers’ greed. What is even less well known is that these cores can bond with intelligent enough creatures. Indeed, they must, if they are to break past a critical threshold. Becoming the partner of a dungeon has many advantages, not the least of which is unimaginable wealth, and the best magical equipment one can find. But is it worth allying oneself with the enemy of all the sentient races? If one thinks that adventuring is a good idea in the first place, probably so. See Also: Dungeon Meshi

46 36. Summoned Hero Saga

“You didn't get the quest you wanted, you got the one you could do.” ― Lev Grossman, The Magician King

“That's the key. The quests are things you need to do for others so that you can learn.” ― Kaza Kingsley, The Monsters of Otherness

 Hero BBS  Wide Variety  Re-Summoned  Shield Hero  Political Machinations  Baked Into The Setting  Konosuba  Stupid Adventures  Idiot Deities

At times, threats to the kingdom, sometimes even the world emerge. Threats that the inhabitants of a world are incapable of handling themselves. Usually demon kings, or monster surges, sometimes incursions from other worlds. Whatever the problem, when the going gets tough, one thing is sure to see a troubled nation through any difficulty… simply summon a hero! All across the multiverse, many different worlds have developed spells to grab unfortunate victi- heroes to come to their aid! This usually involves the help of the gods, who grant the hero in question the skills or abilities needed to save their pet proje- worshipers from destruction. For every world where the king really does need the demon lord slain and the princess rescued, there’s another where the nobility of the empire just wants to use the power of the hero as a weapon against the “evil republic” or “dastardly king”. In many of these worlds, slavery is a fact of life, and it’s possible to get tricked into accepting such a status, and becoming a slave hero. Speaking of oppression – slavery, fantasy racism, sexism, etc. are not unknown. Corrupt and decadent nobles are very common, in such darker worlds. One should be prepared for these cultural shocks. Inexplicable cruelty towards cute girls with cat ears is not out of the ordinary. That’s without even mentioning the strange flora, fauna, and food in some worlds. Who wants to eat orc? As a summoned hero, one’s summoners may be very hands-on, supplying needed equipment, funds, and companions. Or they may take masses of summoned unfortunates and throw them at the problem. Worse still, they may toss them to the dire wolves without any aid, to separate the wheat from the chaff. Don’t get too down – that’s just the worst case scenario. There are plenty of fairly standard fantasy worlds, and others that could be described as downright lighthearted. Regardless of one’s origins, their summoners, and gifts, the trials of the world are not without their rewards. As a hero, power will come with experience – that is no goal to strive for. Riches, recognition, even friends can be found in these worlds, if one survives. Sometimes a person even finds a way to return from whence they came. See Also: The Gilded Hero, How to Avoid Death on a Daily Basis

47 8.8. HeroesHeroes andand VillainsVillains

“The thing about a hero, is even when it doesn't look like there's a light at the end of the tunnel, he's going to keep digging, he's going to keep trying to do right and make up for what's gone before, just because that's who he is.” ― Joss Whedon

“It's hard for me to see characters as villains... just heroes with competing agendas.” ― Kirsten Beyer

Exceptional men and women tend to fall or rise to their capabilities. They become the standards to which we aspire, or the lessons to avoid. Inevitably, those who pursue selfish ends at the expense of others are opposed by the defenders of the innocent. That’s the story that these worlds ostensibly tell, in different ways, in different settings. There are many different kinds of hero. Not all worlds have men in capes and women in spandex foiling the plots of super-scientists and alien gods. Sometimes a hero is just a man (usually one with a gun) doing the best he can. Even without super-powers, a person can be a hero or a villain. Sometimes those powers take more realistic forms: gadgets, brains, or brawn. There are many ways to be a hero – taking the fight to criminals, saving people from natural disasters, or just recovering purses from punks. In all cases, a hero is a person who puts their safety on the line to make other’s lives safer. But there are worlds where heroes do not bear the title, and others where those who do are not heroes. Some people think that super-heroes are moral paragons, the embodiment of ideals we should all strive to emulate. Others see them as just another part of the system, hypocritical upholders of a tyrannical status-quo. Many people find the villains more interesting than the heroes. If the heroes are responding to the “dastardly” villain’s plans, at least the villain has a plan. A goal. There are dichotomies to human nature. What causes one man to rise to the occasion, may in another man cause their downfall. What power one uses for good, another may turn to evil ends. The choices we make define us as much as our circumstances, and the similarities between heroes and villains is sometimes surprising. Any hero or villain is just a man at the end of the day, and no man can stand alone. (Unless that’s their heroic quality.) Heroes have love interests to motivate them, side-kicks to provide lighthearted moments, a nemesis to push them farther, and a whole gallery of rogues to keep them busy. Villains have their obsessive crusade to egg them on, minions to throw in the path of the self-righteous, and a hero to keep them from succeeding. They live extravagantly. Not in terms of wealth, necessarily. But their lives themselves are grand, rich with emotion, textured by flapping capes and scraped knuckled. Their stories are those of the average man, but writ large! Higher stakes, greater dangers, more action. Heroes and villains live out how we see ourselves – the main character of the play. Whether that play is a tragedy or a comedy is up to the actors.

48 37. Battle of Wits

“The mystery story is two stories in one: the story of what happened and the story of what appeared to happen.” ― Mary Roberts Rinehart

“These are the times in which a genius would wish to live. It is not in the still calm of life, or the repose of a pacific station, that great characters are formed. The habits of a vigorous mind are formed in contending with difficulties. Great necessities call out great virtues. When a mind is raised, and animated by scenes that engage the heart, then those qualities which would otherwise lay dormant, wake into life and form the character of the hero and the statesman.” ― Abigail Adams

 Arsene Lupin  Cat and Mouse  Constable and Thief  Inventions and Cleverness  Sherlock Holmes  Private Detective  Cleverness and Deduction  Usually Murder  Investigation  Police vs Criminals  Generic

Ever since the mid 1700s, the world has subtly changed. The game is afoot, the prize is pride, the rules are subject to interpretation, and the players are some of the most brilliant minds the world has ever seen. Their battle of wits may take place in the shadows, or be on the front page, but It must end. There can only be one victor, lamenting his success. This is a world where investigators, policemen, private detectives, even random Joes are sometimes blessed with powers of perception and deduction that put entire precincts of more regular crime-fighters to shame. Sometimes they masquerade as mediums, or act only through an alias. Sometimes they put their minds to work in more nefarious fields. Serial killers, cat burglars, assassins, fraudsters, and more provide endless opportunities for sleuths to test their mettle and their wits against. For every Holmes, there must be a Moriarty. And these examples of genius turned evil are to be feared. Where would these misunderstood genii be without their more mundane allies? Standing beside the man with the magnifying glass is – not a sidekick, no. More of a partner. These Watsons don’t exist to merely exclaim and wonder, slack-jawed at their more intellectual friend’s powers. They are often capable in their own sphere, and provide perspective, down-to-earth common sense, and sometimes muscle. Stories in this world often deal with a capable person struggling to ensure justice gets done in a system that doesn’t recognize their capabilities, or the exceptional nature of some criminals. Even if the bad guy does get caught, the man who stands trial in his place may be a body double, and nobody would believe the man who caught him. So the game continues.

49 38. Guns and Gadgets

“Do I want to know why you're so informed about spyware?" she asked. Nikolaos gave her a charming, dazzling smile. "No, my dear. You do not.” ― Molly Ringle, Persephone's Orchard

 007  Supervillains, Secret Lairs, Super Weapons  Gadgets, License to Kill  Archer  Independent Intelligence Agencies  Miraculous Gadgets  Kingsmen  Secret Societies  Gadgets  Matthew Reilly Universe  Super Weapons  Ridiculous Plots

“Spying” apparently involves taking ordinary people, training them in the art of violence, equipping them with implausible technologies, and sending them out to foil supervillains in secret lairs. Supervillains bent on world domination, with dozens of henchmen armed with actual guns. It’s surprising how few deaths result. Well, secret agent deaths. The henchmen, villains and bystanders usually don’t make it. Stories in this world typically follow a pattern of recruitment, training, gadget acquisition, and mission deployment. Said missions almost invariably involve a villain who must be stopped, a honey pot or genuine love interest, using the gadgets mentioned earlier to escape danger, and a lot of dead thugs. This is usually followed by more gadgets, missions, and action once the setting has been established. Don’t forget to set it all in one or more exotic locales. An adventurous author might throw in some actual spy activity. Subterfuge, long hours of surveillance, uncertainty, clever plotting, getting an alternate identity invited into places they shouldn’t be. Taking pictures and leaving sensitive information at a dead-drop. Parsing through five years of tax records for inconsistencies. Not being a killdozer who’s face half the criminal underworld can recognize. There are far too many extra-legal “intelligence agencies” around the world, most of them completely unknown to the public at large. For each of these forces of good (or at least well-intentioned self-interest), there are ten times as many terrorists, masterminds, and worse. Some even have secret volcano lairs. If one is in the mood for a more long-running story, consider introducing a more lasting enemy. Perhaps a former “good guy” agent who now seeks to undermine the system they once protected. Such a character is surely the only reasonable way to introduce a villain who can match the hero’s prowess. Maybe even a whole secret conspiracy that still has fingers in the hero’s home organization. Despite the lack of originality in the sorts of stories that this genre is so fond of, actually being in this world is an exercise in anxiety. Sure, the twists and turns are always clear in retrospect, but when in the middle of a web of lies, it can be hard to keep track of all the potential traitors and ostensible allies. In the end, all an agent can trust is their gun and their gut. See Also: Jason Bourne, Chuck.

50 39. Appropriate Measures

“We'll know homo superior when he comes — by definition. He'll be the one we won't be able to euth.” ― Philip K. Dick

 Push  Power Classifications  Result of Government Experimentation  Government Agency Hunts Down Powered  Infamous  Artificially Awoken One-Off Elemental Powers  Inconvenient to Daily Life  Discrimination, Criminal Associations  Shadow Ops  Discrimination  “Restricted” Abilities  Tacticool Application

In early 19XX, a man walked into a family diner and exploded. He continued to explode, and was unable to stop. That single event set the tone for everything that came later – the protests, the laws, the violence. Perhaps if this world had a gentler introduction to the existence of special abilities, things would be different. Perhaps not. After the emergence of powers and subsequent media storm, governments were forced by popular demand to be seen doing something, anything. The people needed reassuring, and governments needed control – over both the powered, and the baseline. It was under this climate of alarmist desperation that the Deviant Task Force was created. With broad, sweeping powers, and a budget comparable to NASA’s during the space race, the nascent government entity soon ballooned into a full-fledged agency on par with the CIA or FBI. Flush with funding and with public opinion on their side, the DTF got up to what some might politely call “hi-jinks”. Others might call it kidnapping, unlawful detainment, slavery, and extremely unethical human experimentation. The results of these experiments were inhibitor collars and deviant detectors. Despite their crimes against humanity and casual disregard for the rights of “deviants”, they manage to maintain a mostly positive public opinion. Of course, no country in the world would turn down the idea of honest to goodness super-soldiers, so military exploitation happened fast. A new arms race lead to the breadth and limits of powers becoming understood and accounted for. After some incidents, deploying powered individuals in a foreign country was declared a war crime. Now, some of the DTF’s most distinguished agents are powered. Many remember the “bad old days” when “deevs” were rounded up and imprisoned without a trial. That’s not the case any more – as long as they have their identification card at all times. But there’s still reason to be wary. Even now, those with undocumented, strange, or exceptional powers are out there. Until the DTF hunts them down. They’re rarely heard from again, after that. Humans being as they are, some with powers are even convinced to throw themselves at the mercy of the DTF of their own volition. Like the ads on TV say. Other, however, refuse, resist, hide, and are hunted down. Treated like criminal terrorists (and some are), they have little choice but to run, and keep running. As the DTF’s capabilities expand, there are fewer places to run, fewer place to hide.

51 40. Tarnished Age

“He was a hero once, and it's the nature of heroes to throw themselves headlong into impossible odds, believing that somehow they'll come through them alive. The problem is that it's also in the nature of heroes to die.” ― Seanan McGuire, Late Eclipses

 Worm  Bureaucratic In/Competence  Good Villains, Bad Heroes  Trigger Events, Brain Difference  Cops and Robbers  Soon I Will Be Invincible  Supers are Damaged People  Relatively Rare  Most Know Each Other  Aberrant  Superhero Celebrities  Mental and Physical Defects  Brain Difference, Eruption

When the novelty of caped crusaders wears off, what remains is a jaded and cynical reminder of how dreams cannot survive the light of day. Even when they have powers, people are people – fallible, flawed, and fickle. This isn’t the comic-book world so many hoped to see, when the first man put on a cape and saved a car stuck in front of a train. Powers in this world are either weak or vanishingly rare. There are perhaps ten thousand powered individuals. Most “supers” merely have increased strength, durability, and reflexes. The lucky ones can fly. Some have some other low-strength, or highly conditional power that is more pain than it’s worth. Each year, for every new super, there are those who mutate horribly, go insane, or die – either while awakening, or to new powers. The source of powers is a mystery… to the public. While there are “wild” supers that get scouted, the powerful ones with recognized names are carefully created. Most people believe the “origin stories” put out by heroes’ publicists. Major corporations pour millions into making heroes, branding, and merchandising, like an NFL player with laser-eyes or steel skin. These companies are also on the hook for any collateral damage their heroes cause. Of course, through the power of lobbying, this burden is not as great as it might otherwise be. And there’s all sorts of ways that being friendly with the people holding the leashes of the supers can benefit a person. While there’s something to be said for the carrot – decadent and degenerate lifestyles sustained by lots of wealth – the handlers of supers have one hell of a stick, too. If a super doesn’t play ball, they might lose their perks, get blacklisted, or even re-branded as a villain. And that means if they survive getting captured, they go to a place worse than hell: superjail. But why? What’s the point of all this publicity and merchandising? To make a few bucks? No. To do what every villain does in a superhero story does – rule the world. But this time, the villain with the mad plan is the one making and paying the supers, preparing the world for a seamless and invisible takeover. See also: The Boys.

52 41. Mahou no Mazoku

"Magic Girls, no matter how frilly their dresses, high their screams, or incompetent their sidekicks, will be treated as the credible and dire threats they are, and I will direct as many, if not more resources to their destruction as I would for a more classical Hero." — Rule #52, Evil Empress Guide

 Madoka  Familiars and Witches  Faustian Bargain  Magical Girl Noir  Self-Medication  Competing Incubator Agencies  Sailor Moon  Evil Inter-dimensional Aliens  Thematic Powers  Generic Magical Girl  Generic

To oppose these vile embodiments of evil, one force will never waver in protecting the innocent! Transform~! Of course, nothing is easy in a free for all between magical girls, governments, and the forces of evil. This is a shadow war, one for the fate of humanity, over the hearts and minds of men. The collective suffering and negative emotions of humanity occasionally coalesce into dangerous monsters. From an infinite realm of darkness, demons plot the overthrow of our dimension. These supernatural threats, immune to most mundane weaponry and invisible to most people, can only be combated by magical operators. But mahou, when pushed too far, become the worst of threats: a witch. When “transformed”, a mahou cannot be recognized, or their image captured reliably by any technology. This has kept their identities safe for the most part, which is important for those who still have people they care about. There have been a few instances of retaliation against a mahou through their loved ones. Those who tried this quickly learned that one should not cross a mahou with nothing to lose. A decade ago, the gate was wide open, and there was open war as the witch-queen of hell sought to take over the world with a legion of demonic familiars. She was defeated thanks to the efforts of an entire army of magical girls. The survivors of that war are the heroic legends and powerhouses that so many misguided youths aspire to. Since then, the battle between good and evil has become more complicated. There are numerous contractors out there, cute animal-like beings that can turn the desperate into powerful magical warriors through a Faustian bargain. They compete with one another for candidates and employment opportunities for their contracted operators. This results in security companies or PMCs with unusual numbers of young “interns” capable of single-handedly dismantling experienced fire teams or even armored cavalry. Most mahou are involved with simply patrolling their contractor’s territory for mazoku, the catch-all term for forces of darkness whose remains are needed to purify a mahou’s aura of corruption. Others are involved with operations that keep money flowing in – security, assassination, sabotage, espionage, and other unsavory jobs. These operations often pit mahou against humans, and the result is almost always in the mahou’s favor. See Also: Magical Girl Spec Ops Asuka

53 42. Capes & Spandex

“I've been kidnapped by a madman in tights and a cape.” ― Chelsea M. Campbell

 DC  Heroes and Villains  Moral Justice  Marvel  Heroes and Villains  Social Justice  The Free Universe  Heroes and Villains  Too Many Goddamn Supers  Incredibles  Heroes and Villains  Unexpected Realism

Anyone can be a hero. But most people aren’t, even when they do have powers. Maybe because being a villain is more fun, and the lure of easy money is more attractive than the bureaucracy that making money legally with powers would take. Either way, most supers play cops and robbers, with pranks and minor heists. But there are rules, and crises can prompt even nemeses to team up. Although they aren’t hard and fast, the major rules involve powers, costumes, and secret identities. You never go full-bore with your powers in a fight, or use them against uninvolved people. Your costume should reflect both how much damage you can take, and are willing to dish out. Secret identities are sacrosanct. Those who fail to follow these rules often end up dead. Most are even accidents. Most supers are “street-level”. They have one or two minor powers that makes them more capable than baseline humans, but not totally invincible. They are usually opposed by similarly-powered enemies, and stick to low-risk, low-reward stuff like burglary or catching purse-snatchers, and avoid the higher-tiers. The “cosmic” level are the other end of the spectrum. These are the big players, who travel back in time, defeat alien invasions, prevent the destruction of the world, and so on. Their powers and resources match their crazy adventures – it’s nearly impossible to break into the “big leagues” if you start out as a small-fry. The hero-villain paradigm is a (mostly) false dichotomy. There are plenty of villains who are decent people, even if they are criminals. Some street-level heroes can be murderous arsewipes, and though some might try to bring them to justice, they don’t get much attention as long as they stick to acceptable targets. The cosmic heroes, on the other hand, tend to ostracize or attempt to rehabilitate their co-workers that they think fail to live up to a golden standard. Teams and team-ups say a lot about people on both side of the equation. The supers who are mentally and emotionally stable enough to work together tend to stay in the game longer, and have a support network that prevents them from going nuts or letting the power go to their heads. The supervillain community tends to be less supportive, so when a villain goes bad, they can go bad. Regardless of the color of their cape, supers stand out as being above the crowd. They’re smarter, funnier, better looking, luckier. Their lives are dramatic, sometimes even overwrought with ups and downs. Their existences are a law unto themselves, and a subject of much speculation and study. They have fans. See Also: Dire. 54 9.9. It’sIt’s thethe EndEnd ofof thethe WorldWorld

“The world is a goddamned evil place, the strong prey on the weak, the rich on the poor; I’ve given up hope that there is a God that will save us all. How am I supposed to believe that there’s a heaven and a hell when all I see now is hell.” ― Aaron B. Powell, Doomsday Diaries III: Luke the Protector

People don’t realize the golden age they live in is a fragile existence suspended over a sea of chaos. There are lots of ways it could fall. In this section, we explore worlds where civilization has collapsed, or is in the process of doing so. Whether it was a slow downward spiral into oblivion, or a quick drop and a fast stop for society, the aftermath is something a visitor to these places will be forced to contend with. When civilization falls and society crumbles, there tend to have a lot of people panicking. They resort to what our lizard hind-brains know: base instinct, greed, and fear-driven violence against their fellows. Unfortunately, those with better natures often fail to adapt and survive this period of transition. After the dust clears, people realize all they have is gone, and life is different. Sure, looting will sustain the survivors for a time, but after a while, even those resources become scarce, and bandit raids become unsustainable. Banding together will only work for so long. Especially since all the kind souls likely perished trying to get people to work together when the tribulations started. Only half the story is the ending of the world, and life after the end. The other half is the people who survived, their interactions, how they are changed and how they change the lives of others. With suddenly so many fewer people, each life becomes much more interesting. Five billion deaths is a statistic, the story of five people coming together to stay safe is an epic. In many cases, people turn to solitary survival. It’s easier to scrounge for one than it is for many. When you don’t have as many mouths to feed, the food lasts longer. You also don’t have to share blankets, medicine, or weapons. A desperate person will also often be willing to go to farther lengths to survive when they don’t have to worry about how others will perceive their actions. It’s easier to not have anyone to care about. A lonely life, but also freeing. In a crumbling necropolis, around a monument to what once was, the lone survivors congregate, either to compete, or trade. Sometimes they rediscover how to work together, or maybe necessity forces them to take on different roles so they all can thrive. But trust is difficult when you’ve just spent the fall of the world killing or running. And there’s always some asshole or group of bastards who’s willing to damn the hopes and dreams of the world for a laugh and a can of spam.

55 43. Yonder Days

“I think now that maybe true sweetness can only happen in limbo. I don't know why. Is it because we are so unsure, so tentative and waiting? Like it needs that much room, that much space to expand. The not knowing anything really, the hoping, the aching transience: This is not real, not really, and so we let it alone, let it unfold lightly. Those times that can fly.” ― Peter Heller, The Dog Stars

 Golden Sky Stories  Peaceful as FUCK Slice of Life  Solving Sometimes Strange Problems  Small Town Feel  Jinrui wa Suitai Shimashita  Comfy as FUCK Slice of Life  Lost Knowledge, Ruins, Few Humans  Tiny Fairies as Humanity’s Successors  Nyanko Days  Cute as FUCK Slice of Life  Solving Everyday Problems  Tiny Human-Cats

Before wandering off the beaten path, into the dark woods, why not take a moment to stop in for a more enjoyable end of the world? Here and now, humanity is in slow but evident decline, as their numbers dwindle. The world is increasingly dreamlike, and strange things (both events and beings) explanation are increasingly common. But it’s okay, the golden sunset’s glow is comfy. The remaining humans live in small rural groups, doing what they enjoy. Some farm, others build or re purpose, while some scavenge in the ruins of humanity’s past. Not for survival, but out of curiosity. What were people like, when the cities of concrete and steel housed teeming millions? Some put their efforts towards interacting with what are apparently humanity’s replacements. Each year, more and more of them are spotted. A diminutive, possibly magical race of beings that now inhabits the crumbling cities where humanity used to dwell. They like sweet things, and alcohol, and games of all sorts. Their curiosity and enjoyment of the world is simple, almost childlike. No one knows where they came from, but they seem friendly enough. This is a place where no number of soldiers, no combat experience, or weapon – no matter how powerful – is of use. Because there is no point in conflict. Everyone is just happy to get along. There’s no major threats on the horizon. With futuristic methods, it’s not difficult to provide everyone with what they need. Everyone has a job to do to keep things running, but it’s hardly unpleasant. Especially when the fairies, or henge, or whatever you want to call them, decide to help out. Which they do, often. And then they’ll beg for treats, or headpats, or a game or two. See Also: Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou, Girls’ Last Tour.

56 44. Vigor Mortis

“At least with zombies I know my enemy and I know what to do: Aim and shoot. It's not so easy with people.” ― Donna Lynn Hope

“Indeed, one concern would be that the initial neoconservative response to a zombie outbreak would be to invade Iraq again out of force of habit.” ― Daniel W. Drezner, Theories of International Politics and Zombies

 Dead Rising/Left4Dead  Advanced Medicine  Monstrous Strains  Resident Evil  Corporate Experimentation  Animal Susceptibility and Mutations  Highschool of the Dead  More Zombies  Eros and Thanatos  Generic Zombie Apocalypse  More Zombies

One man’s triumph is mankind’s misfortune. A novel and potentially life-changing rapidly mutating virus that can edit DNA and is seemingly capable of communicating with itself. What could possibly go wrong? On an Earth without George A. Romero, you get a zombie apocalypse in a world unprepared for one. The virus spread throughout the globe, seemingly no worse than a mild flu. Until it hit critical mass, and it suddenly wasn’t so benign. Millions died to this strange new flu, others went mad – secluding themselves or lashing out with berserk rage. It even brought the sick back from the dead. Too many rapidly changing symptoms and vectors left government efforts to contain the infection ineffective at best. Months later, the only ones left alive are the survivors who isolated themselves, and the immune. But they are far outnumbered by the infected. No longer quite alive, the infected have a wide variety of forms and behaviors. Some hide, others wander aimlessly. Reanimated corpses shuffle slowly, while a few remaining technically-alive can keep pace with Olympic sprinters. And that’s not even touching on the monsters. Twisted mockeries of the human form, countless varieties of horrors stalk the desolate tombs of mankind. Bloated juggernauts, agile spitters, even intelligent controllers. And that’s just the humans. Infected animals can be just as, if not more of a threat. Dogs, birds, cats, and vermin all became susceptible at various points in the virus’ evolutionary timeline. With so much uncertainty, survivors generally keep to small groups, fearful of infection from outsiders. It’s possible to learn how to live around the infected, if one is careful, and learns how to identify the different strains. A solo survivor can live pretty well off of a few looted stores and a hidden place to sleep. Others, not content with the way things turned out, have banded into factions. Notably, the military and large pharmaceutical corporations are extremely well equipped to deal with the pandemic. They have the resources to keep the infected at bay while continuing to search for a cause or a cure. At the cost of some lives they are willing to discard. Too bad they can’t work together. See Also: Gakkou Gurashi!, I Am A Hero, Apocalypse no Toride, Zombieworld.

57 45. Zoned

“If you want to survive, you're going to have to learn to be more ruthless.” ― Suzanne Lowe

 Metro 2033  Abandoned Post-Apocalyptic Subway Tunnels  Monsters and Spooky  STALKER  Quarantined Weird Physics  Factional Breakdown  The Division  Quarantined Sickness  Societal Breakdown

Around the globe, areas appeared where the laws of physics and biology have started to go a bit wonky. Strange new kinds of radiation appearing from nowhere, virulent diseases that decimated the local population, rapid mutation, and inexplicable phenomenon. Quarantines were established, the people in these regions cut off from the world and left to fend for themselves. They aren’t totally alone. Some individuals – highly skilled or motivated – are willing to make the often one- way trip into the zones. Most are opportunists, ex-military who hope to make a fortune getting in and out. They collect relics, record data, recover individuals, or advance some agenda. Others are ideologically motivated, and see the zones as the birth of a new world, and wanting to get in as soon as possible. Factions have cropped up, supported by external backers in return for what they are in a unique position to provide. Smuggling people and goods in and out can make a man very wealthy, but it’s dangerous, and factions clash as often over ideology as they do more practical concerns. The dangers here are many, but perhaps the most frightening are the warped creatures. Not the bandits. Monsters. Mutants, aliens, or demons, no one can say for sure. Some are clearly related to terrestrial life, but others have forms and powers straight out of fantasy or science fiction. Some say that those who stay too long, or venture too far in the zone become such abominations. While living curiosities arouse much in the way of rumors, most zoners will only encounter wild animals. Of greater concern are the concrete anomalies – areas or objects where physics seems to break down in new and interesting (read: dangerous) ways. These anomalies can be obstacles to avoid, useful, or extremely lucrative. The sickness that rendered the zones so unpopulated seems to have passed, but there are still regions where radiation levels exceed what anyone sane would consider safe. There are also dangerous storms, sometimes called blowouts, that shake the zone, although they seem to be undetectable to those outside. With a blowout comes a sharp increase in radiation, and more weird shit in general. To sum it all up, expect an unpleasant stay. Surrounded by violent mercenaries and desperate bandits. Hunted by mutated wildlife and monsters out of nightmares. Seeking dangerous knowledge and objects with unknown properties. Dining on sawdust-flavored sausage from a can and vodka. Listening to some Slav play a guitar with four strings at a campfire in a deserted village.

See Also: Cataclysm Dark Days Ahead, NEO Scavenger.

58 46. Wastrels

“We all love after-the-bomb stories. If we didn't, why would there be so many of them? There's something attractive about all those people being gone, about wandering in a depopulated world, scrounging cans of Campbell's pork and beans, defending one's family from marauders. But some secret part of us thinks it would be good to survive. All those other folks will die. That's what after-the-bomb stories are all about.” ― John Varley

 Crossout  Diseased Wasteland  Cars and Guns  Fallout  Irradiated Wasteland full of Monsters  Bandits  Mad Max  Cars  Cannibals

The world ended less than 30 years ago, and now it’s a wasteland full of maniacs. Some of them drive armored cars, others eat each other, a rare few try to rebuild society. Bullets fly like rain, the thirsty earth drinks up the spilled blood and motor oil, and nothing grows. There are many questions, and few answers. Where the hell did the leather-club-cannibals get cars? I mean, who keeps them running? Where are they getting fuel, ammo, and materials? I wasn’t aware a bloodsport-based society could logistically support mechanics and ethanol distillation. Why do they keep ramming their spike-covered go-karts into the water collectors? What madman first decided to strap a missile launcher onto a fusion-powered muscle car? There are many factions – cannibals, pirates, peacekeepers, bandits, slavers, lone wolves, and stronghold lords. The people who survived the end, those who adapted, others who were changed, and the few whose determination carried them through. They are a willful and contentious lot. Compromise is as foreign to them as surrender. It’s either win or die, on the wasteland. These dry, dusty wastelands, the remnants of the end, hide many threats. Besides the bullet-spraying drug-addicted cannibals in muscle-cars, that is. Massive dust-storms that can strip the flesh from a man. Radiation clouds and poisoned earth. Ghoulish mutants and the totally insane. Jumped up warlords with delusions of historical relevancy. Even mere necessities are a tenuous prospect, due to the rarity of arable land and safe drinking water. Whether it’s a scrapper hunting for something useful in the junkyards of the past, a scientist who survived the end in a bunker, or a post-end barbarian who has known nothing but the waste, life is not easy or safe. But it can be fun. There’s nothing like putting 200 rounds per minute down range while going 60 mph, doing donuts in the dry fields outside the skeletal remains of a dead city. Setting up an ambush to kill murderous slavers for a handful of bullets and a cold drink. Luring the vengeful idiot following you into a radioactive bunker, then locking them in for giggles. Of course, what comes around goes around, so everyone is going to be looking to do the same to you.

59 10.10. LastLast RitesRites

“Do not wait for the last judgment. It comes every day.” ― Albert Camus

Good and Evil is not an uncommon theme in many worlds. In some worlds, they find an uneasy peace, or even coexistence. Rarely, however, does this conflict go beyond the sort of hands-off proxy-war, and into full-blown violence on the streets for the souls of man. Many cultures have stories about what awaits after death. How one lived or died often determines what sort of afterlife one goes to. A place of bliss, or suffering. Maybe tormented souls and demons seek to tempt others into following them because misery loves company. Maybe there are finally enough sinners in hell to take the Earth. Most religions have a creation story that explains why things are, rather than not. Many also have stories about how the world will end. In the clash between good and evil, Armageddon seems to be a common theme. Usually it’s the evil side trying to bring about the apocalypse, but in recent years forces of nominal good have tried their hand at it in various media. In any case, the existence of higher powers is not reassuring in these worlds. Good or Evil, they are bigger than mortal man. Gods and their indiscretions can ruin lives, and even the weakest of forces is something most people are unprepared to deal with. Nevertheless, faith is an important part of religion. Maybe worship sustains the gods, or belief in things is necessary for the universe to exist. And so, the fight for the souls of man may be important for more reasons than mere theoretical metaphysics. Religion might be applied metaphysics, instead. Obviously, there are a lot of stories that could fill these spaces. A chosen one of Good might resent their duty, Evil might be affable – or even have a decent point. Maybe good and evil characters have a chance to team up to stop the end of the world. What happens after death is a vast playground for a writer to explore. The cruelty of the gods is always a good chance to throw obstacles in a character’s path.

60 47. Restless Spirits

“To be haunted is to glimpse a truth that might best be hidden.” ― James Herbert, Haunted

 Bleach  Ghost Monsters & Heroes  Soul Society, Hueco Mundo  Mob Psycho 100  Ghosts and Spiritual Monsters  ESPers, Secret Organizations, Shysters  Danny Phantom  Spirit Scientists  Ghost Dimension  Shaman King  Jolly Cooperation  Traditionalist Approach to Spirits

Although this world looks normal on the surface, it is teeming with ghosts, demons, and reapers. When people die, their souls usually depart to the afterlife. But some need help moving on: those trapped by something left unfinished, powerful spirits who choose to stay, and evil spirits that torment the living. There are some spirits that return to Earth to help ghosts along, and protect the living and the dead from dangerous spirits. Called reapers, these souls are part of a society that stretches across the globe, and into the afterlife. Though they vary in culture and methods from region to region, they all have the same goals – help trapped spirits pass on to the afterlife, and destroy or condemn to hell evil apparitions. Those with strong spiritual energy may be able to perceive spirits, or make use of learned or inborn abilities. The most common of these powers include enhanced strength and durability, or telekinesis. Stranger abilities, like forming armor from the soul, or turning back time, are not unheard of. Scientists researching zero-point energy have managed to discover a fourth, seemingly spiritual dimension. Though they don’t have a complete picture, they can accomplish some things long thought impossible by more traditional spiritualists. However, their meddling can lead to dangerous, even disastrous results. They’ve since learned not to dismiss claims of fantastical phenomenon out of hand. Traditional spiritualists not only have strong souls, they are trained in the art of communicating and working with spirits. This may mean empowering ghosts, or making deals with elementals or demons, or sharing their body with a powerful familiar spirit. They have a wealth of resources and lore to fall back on, but tend to shun the world of the living. Occasionally, someone uninitiated will stumble into the spiritual world. They may have a near-death event, follow some ritual they think is fake, or literally walk into the middle of a spiritual fight. In any case, after their spirit is awakened, it becomes stronger and integrates with their body, allowing them to use the power of their soul. Once a person with a strong spiritual presence becomes aware of the spirits around them, the specters in turn become aware of them. Such unfortunate people are usually quickly devoured by things that feed on other souls, unless circumstances conspire to allow them a chance to grow. See also: Mieruko-chan, Paranatural, Ghost Busters (current jump is sub-par).

61 48. As Above, So Below

“I do not feel obliged to believe that the same God who has endowed us with sense, reason, and intellect has intended us to forgo their use.” ― Galileo Galilei, Letter to the Grand Duchess Christina

 Unsong  Kabbalah and Everyday Theology  Government Oversight  We Know The Devil  Sin and Transformative Thoughtcrime  Realities of Temptation  His Dark Materials  Celestial Bureaucracy  Variety of Worlds  Chick Tracts  Conspiracies Seek Spiritual Domination  Devil vs Deus

This setting is composed of 10 realms, collectively called the Sefirot of Worlds. Each world has natural properties that are slightly different from one another. On Earth, if you flip a coin, it comes up heads 50% of the time. This is not the case in other places. There are places of constant suffering, and others that appear like paradise. There are worlds of science, dogma, and nature. The nature of the soul seems to be the sole constant between these different dimensions. In some settings, the existence of gods is a mystery. In this universe, experts know some of the Names of the being that spoke the universe into creation. By mastery of the Names, mastery of creation follows. However, God is missing from His throne, and His agents seem to be working at cross-purposes. Angels, Devils, and Daemons stalk these worlds, and it’s hard to know who to trust with your soul. If one existed, the metaphysical alignment chart of this self-contained sphere of existence might look something like: wisdom vs innocence one one axis, and freedom vs control on the other. What is good and evil is left as an exercise for the reader. Sapient beings naturally absorb ambient wisdom, becoming creatures capable of moral consideration. However, that doesn’t mean that they are always good. Some come to delight in the suffering of others, while others are deceived by spirits into performing evil acts for the “greater good”. These forces of evil – seen and unseen – are opposed by those of good, but evil seems to be winning. Good requires the light of wisdom, and evil has found a way to cut worlds off from this light. Even angels have been deceived, and Metatron himself wages war for the opposition. Lesser agents of various churches and governments form great cogs in the machinations of evil. On a smaller scale, each soul yearns for something, and sometimes those repressed desires can make one vulnerable to the predation of devils. In some worlds, a person’s daemon is the natural enemy of these beings, and aids a person in uncovering who they truly are. See Also: that one novel I can’t recall the name of with scientists fucking with dimensional waves and finding cracks to other worlds based on the tree of life

62 49. Digital Daemonology

“Magic – that's just a label, you know. Completely meaningless. It wasn't so very long ago that people were saying that electricity was magic.” ― Robert Bloch, Psycho

“The goal of religious thinking is exactly the same as that of technological research – practical action.” ― René Girard, Violence and the Sacred

 Shin Megami Tensei 1  Demonic Apocalypse, Law vs Order  Military Involvement, Nuclear Bombardment  Shin Metami Tensei 3: Nocturne  Post-Apocalyptic Devil-Infested World  Demonic Pokemon, Negotiation  Devil Summoner – Soul Hackers  Digital Demons, Possession  High Tech City  Digimon Data Squad  Digimon Run Amok on Earth  Dark Sea

The distant future. The year 2000. The technology of this world is a bit more advanced at this point in the timeline than in most dimensions. But mankind’s reach has exceeded their grasp. They cast their networked systems into deep waters, and dredged up demons from the dark seas of humanity’s collective unconscious. Literal demons, brought into this world through an open logic gate. The existence of magic and demons has long been known to secretive clans of sorcerers. With the passing of ages, these wise men saw the possibilities that technology offered, and utilized it in their own workings. These electric wizards took happy advantage of the computational revolution, funding and founding research initiatives after the second world war. Perhaps this is why the technology of this world is so advanced, and so ubiquitous. But not all wizards are white, or even grey. Among the conjurers of disks and converters of ancient archives, there arose a faction that found sinister uses for technological thaumaturgy. It was their meddling that opened the backdoor in the code which allowed the demons through. Now, as the century ends, the Y2K bug hits, and all the computer ports in the world become bridges connecting this world to another. They flood through, spiritual beings rendered in binary, static, and code. It begins with a few possessions, then outright manifestation, as the first Trojan horses open the gates farther with their own magic. The digital hell from which they escaped is ineffable to beings of flesh and blood. Although true evil lurked in the depths, not all who were lured here by the glow of LCD screens and gentle humming of server farms are unreasonable monsters. It is possible to negotiate with many of these beings, and even come to an understanding. Although their appearance was startling enough to sour any peace talks with the threat of nuclear annihilation, as militaries panicked, and the first cities to fall to the demonic incursion were unmade in nuclear holocaust. See Also: Digimon Adventure Tri.

63 50. Heaven or Hell, Let’s Rock

“The first time [Christ] came to slay sin in men. The second time He will come to slay men in sin.” ― A. W. Pink

 God Hand  Ridiculous Characters  Demons and Holy Weapons  Gratuitous Violence  Devil May Cry  Ridiculous Characters  Demons and Demon Weapons  Gratuitous Violence  Bayonetta  Ridiculous Characters  Demons and Demon Weapons  Gratuitous Violence

The gates are creaking open to the sound of breaking seals. The realms above and below the mortal plane are beginning to converge – to the detriment of the world caught in between. Trumpets sound, seas turn to blood, and Israel keeps getting hit by earthquakes. Frankly, things are getting pretty crazy. Demons and angels are not just sending their mortal servants to battle, but taking matters into their own hands. Even the normally clueless masses can’t miss a tower of bone in Las Vegas, or Los Angeles playing host to the Heavenly Host. While demons slaughter people in the streets, angels continue to be inscrutable and haughty. Last week, Saint Peter beat the shit out of one of the Four Horsemen in Times Square. It got 10.8 million views on Youtube. With the literal Revelation going on, all sorts of weirdos are crawling out of the woodwork. Cultists, magicians, half-breeds, the blessed, the damned, and other supernatural freaks are acting as mercenaries for both sides of the conflict. Mostly, they’re trying to keep Earth in one piece because Heaven and Hell don’t have good pizza joints. This has led to things generally being 20% more on fire and 60% more radical. One cannot have conflict without weapons, of course, and this war is no different. Frighteningly powerful weapons, not crafted by mortal hands. Turns out, if you beat the ass of a demon or angel hard enough, they’ll transform into something that lets you beat more ass that don’t belong on earth. These angelic/demonic weapons also command a high price on the open market. If nothing else, they can be ransomed back to their side. There’s a lot of confusion over exactly why the war is happening now, and what each side is after. It’s generally agreed upon that somebody is trying to start the apocalypse, or nudge things in their side’s favor right before the prophecies are all done. Most people aren’t to concerned with vague scribbles in ancient scrolls, though. They’re more worried about paying their rent, making sure their car wasn’t too damaged by the rain of brimstone this morning, and avoiding devils dragging folks into that screaming skyscaper. See Also: Chainsaw Man, Dante's Inferno (Video Game)

64 11.11. MagicalMagical RealmsRealms

“The imaginary is not formed in opposition to reality as its denial or compensation; it grows among signs, from book to book, in the interstice of repetitions and commentaries; it is born and takes shape in the interval between books. It is the phenomena of the library.” ― Michel Foucault

“Let us depart instead for the fields of Dreams and wander those blue, romantic hills where stands the abandoned tower of the Supernatural, where cool mosses clothe the ruins of Idealism. Let us, in short, indulge in a little fantasy!” ― Eca De Queiroz, The Mandarin and Other Stories

Hereafter is a variety of fantastic worlds for the reader’s enjoyment. While the inclusion of magic is common, and despite the nomenclature of the chapter, wizardry is a requirement for inclusion. Instead, worlds in this section stand out from the “typical” fantasy setting (see: Generica) in one way or another, especially along social dimensions.. Each of these worlds focuses on a single difference, and the spiral of consequences that result from that difference. These differences can be formulated as hypothetical questions, like “what if fairy tales were real” or “what if only some people could use magic?”. While other settings might have such qualities, they are often background, and rarely are these aspects of the setting the focus of the story. The major draw of framing these differences as hypothetical questions is that doing so makes it easy to pose the setting as a philosophical experiment. How would society be different if we all lived a mile above the ground, on floating islands? If magic follows bloodlines, would a magocratic noble class inevitably arise? Etc. The socio-cultural impact is not the total extent of the setting, of course. There are not just downstream effects of changing the nature of reality – one also needs to consider other implications, and questions need to be answered for the change to make sense. If fairy tales are real, are dragons/witches/ogres evil? If all nobles are magic, do they all share a single magical ancestor? If the world is a bunch of floating islands, how do people travel? Was the world always like that? Of course, readers and writers alike will be tempted to compare and contrast these worlds with the one they’re familiar with. In what ways does this world indulge our fantasies and desires? What are the uncomfortable or undesirable aspects of the change that we can have our characters confront? In what ways is the world better or worse off? What can characters do to fix the world, and how does the world impact our characters? The setting of the world is the main draw, and exploring that setting through adventure is the primary storytelling method. Take the characters on a tour, introducing setting elements that challenge their preconceptions and make them question their beliefs. But treat the world as if it were natural – because to its inhabitants, this is normal. They take a skyship to work like everybody else. They pay their magical landlord taxes every month like every other serf. Frankly, it’d be odd if a person didn’t have fur or feathers.

65 51. Family Matters

“A man is lucky if he is the first love of a woman. A woman is lucky if she is the last love of a man.” ― Charles Dickens

“When will women become civilized enough to stop mistreating men [...] merely because they have the power to do so? As long as [women] continue as they are, men have no alternative to polygamy.” ― Esther Vilar

 Otoyomegatari  Strict Societal Norms  Gender Roles and Marriage  Politics and Conflict  A Brother’s Price  Gender Imbalance  Gender Roles and Marriage  Plots and Politics

On this world, twenty women are born for every man. Whether that sounds like hell or heaven, the reality is people still get by. Men are a precious, protected commodity, and many aspects of political and practical life are centered around gaining, keeping, or trading them. Marriage is a serious matter that can mean the life or death of an entire clan in a single generation. Men without family are often stolen, or sold to disease-rife brothels. Although there are various regional cultures, all of them share similar gender roles determined by the practical realities of having 20 women for every man. It’s not a paradise of “death by snu-snu”. Some men, either taken by force or sold by their family, end up drugged and put into service in what are essentially prison-brothels, where disease is rife. The widespread and insidious nature of sexually transmitted diseases are a source of great concern. To protect the rare male that is born alive and healthy, families of women organize into clans. On the steppes where nomadic caravans of traders and herdsmen travel, men take up cooking, crafting, and other safe occupations, while women range out with herds and hunt. More sedentary societies feature fortified farm-houses to keep their men and boys safe. In the cities, men are pampered by their rich wives, or kept in chains and rented out. Although naturally stronger, men are raised from childhood to obey women, and their bodies are often somewhat under-developed as gender roles designed to protect them left men with few “acceptable” opportunities for manual labor. These social factors, combined with being outnumbered 20-to-1, often make life as a man one of submission. The technology in this world is somewhat uneven, as is the case in many worlds with low degrees of commerce. Guns are not new, but rifled muskets are a relatively recent invention. There’s lots of light artillery floating around, thanks to a recent war between empires. But when a stray shot might kill a man, close quarters means truncheons, daggers, and sabres. Why are there so few men? It might have to do with biology, but one would expect the ratio to be self- correcting through evolutionary pressure. There’s little evidence of the supernatural in the world, too. In the end, it is a mystery. Perhaps one that can be solved, perhaps not.

66 52. Fabled Coronation

Once upon a time fairy tales were told to audiences of young and old alike. It is only in the last century that such tales were deemed fit only for small children, stripped of much of their original complexity, sensuality, and power to frighten and delight. ― Terri Windling

“Fairy tales do not tell children the dragons exist. Children already know that dragons exist. Fairy tales tell children the dragons can be killed.” ― G.K. Chesterton

 Disney Princess  Sugary Adaptations of Faerie Tales  Powers and Faeries  Princess Bride  Riffing on Tropes  Subtle Magics  Ars Magica  Dangerous Woods and Mythical Creatures  Church and Mages  Generic Fairy Tale  Generic!

Not all princes are charming, dragons evil, witches cackling, and princesses beautiful. Some, sure. A traveler will find this world fulfills and subverts expectations at every turn. Wonder, surprise, danger, and painful lessons await. A world where every story that begins, “long, long ago,” might take place. Older fairy tales are somewhat removed from more modern adaptations, wherein everyone gets a happy ending. Cruelty and death are not unknown in this place. Murder, torture, fates worse than death, slavery, rape, and terror are facts of life. Not for most, but for enough that people know that life is dangerous. These stories are set in countless kingdoms. Some prosperous and ruled by just monarchs, others gripped by famine, plague, or suffer under cruel pretenders to the throne. War between these kingdoms is rare, but not because of any feeling of brotherhood between nations. Good walls make for good neighbors, and there are few better walls than the Woods. In the Woods, there are dragons, trolls, monsters that have no name, cruel witches, and worse things. The Woods are dark, and deep, and other. There are faeries here, little people, who live by inscrutable rules. There are forgotten, lurking gods, sleeping dragons, and monsters that small villages have learned to fear. Wise men and women, magi, also seek out these lonely places where they can practice and learn their craft without being bothered by churchmen or overzealous knights. And where, should the worst happen, their follies will not claim more lives than their own. There are as many paths of magic as there are practitioners, and despite virtual hermitage, some are well respected for what they can provide. It can be tempting to don the shining armor of a knight, and play at being a hero. But if one does so, they must pay careful attention. To save the day and win the maiden fair, one must be wise and cunning, as well as brave and strong. Merciful and generous, but also quick to strike. The monster may be a cursed maiden, the maiden may be a monster in disguise. Be careful, and learn from the stories long laid down. See Also: MTG – Throne of Eldraine.

67 53. Towers of Magic

“There’s no god, it’s the elements that control this world and everything on it.” ― Scott A. Butler, H2Zero: Part One

 Circle of Magic  Schools of Magic  Elemental Combinations  Avatar The Last Airbender / LoK  Elemental Manipulation  Spirits, Weird Animals  Familiar of Zero  Magical Nobility  School Life, Familiar Summoning  Codex Alera  Elemental Spirits  Politics

From across the kingdoms, children with the gift come to study the art of magic. The Towers are the premier school to learn the magic of the four elements. Here, they are taught by masters of the art in communing with the spirits, aided in binding a familiar, and taught the basics of elemental manipulation. Spoiled noble brats and awe-stuck country bumpkins alike come to master fundamental natural forces. There are other schools, less staunchly neutral and dedicated to the idea of meritocracy, but their reputations cannot compare to that of the four famous towers. Part of that is the work of the Tower’s claim to fame – a chance to mingle for young practitioners and experts alike. When given the opportunity to broaden one’s mind, magic grows. Although there are a variety of magical styles, all rely on same foundation, and the same set of cardinal, ordinal, and trinary elements. The spirits, spells, incantations, and meditations may change between practitioners, but even the most distant magical traditions are comprehensible to one another. That might be related to who has an opportunity to learn magic. When almost every practitioner of note is a noble, knight, or novice in the church, their magic can become a topic of conversation across national borders. That awareness of one’s contemporaries is necessary for survival. The cut-throat game of medieval politics that is played within and between institutions, as well as on a larger scale. After all, there is still a war going on. Knowing the elemental affinities, preferences, and styles of one’s rivals and enemies is a shield against being taken unaware, as well as an arrow one can use against them. The few charity cases that get accepted into the Towers of Magic, to live and study alongside the children of ancient noble lines and even royal persons, must be lucky and talented. They are relative unknowns, who might prove useful one day to some potential high-class sponsor. Or they may prove too talented to allow to flourish. Those that don’t bend to the whims of their social betters, even in the halls of learning where they are ostensibly of equal status, rarely last long. A skilled magician is capable of calling forth howling gales, raging fires, rushing floods, or rumbling earthquakes. Such a force can change the tide of battle, create or destroy great works, and allow one to leave their mark on history. Even in the hands of children, words and wands can cripple or kill. Proving oneself worthy of that power just as important as studying or practicing the craft. See also: Little Witch Academia, The Good Student, Otome Isekai Novels.

68 54. Nexus

“Dragons and legends...It would have been difficult for any man not to want to fight beside a dragon.” ― Patricia Briggs, Dragon Blood

 Dragons Dogma: Dark Arisen  Special Dragon Powers  Humans and Elves(?)  War-Torn Wilderness  Drakengard  Monsters, Elves, Fae  Pacts with Supernatural Creatures  Manipulative Outsiders  Skyrim  Dragon Souls  Magic Stone Plinths  Mostly Humans, Some Elves

Finally, the prolonged conflict between two exhausted kingdoms comes to a tentative peace between man and elf. However, now is not the time to put away swords and armor. In the ruined border regions and neglected corners of these lands, monsters gather. Is it a natural consequence of leaving these lands unpatrolled, the efforts of an enemy nation, or something more sinister? With so many soldiers killed in the war, even the capital cities are besieged, as vulnerable roads are held hostage by harpies, goblins, ogres, chimeras, and even dragons. They strike small villages, travelers, and the vulnerable, before slinking away – crippling commerce and trade, further weakening the kingdom. Unable to simply march to their foe upon an open field of battle, the enervated army is hamstrung, and unable to meaningfully curb attacks. Among the monsters are more than mere beasts, lesser dead, or twisted humanoids. These “greater monsters” include dragons, sphinxes, the largest and oldest harpies, the rare chimera, and some more benevolent creatures, like faeries. These beings can form a bond with a human, greatly increasing the power and potential of the mortal, and giving the monster the ability to grow and develop further. Neither monster nor man, hanging between life and death, those who have mingled their soul with that of a monster are pact-marked. Alone, they are one-man armies. But they are not alone. Even discounting their bond partner, they have the ability to command men and women. Not everyone is susceptible to the draw, but to call those who throw away their lives and follow the pact-marked “pawns” is not hyperbole. In this world of conflict, of men and monsters, pacts and pawns, there are forces at work that seek to take advantage of the chaos. Their means are horrifying, and goals inscrutable, but some suspect they are behind both the long war, and the rise of monsters. That means that anyone trying to play hero and save the realms would be making an enemy of a powerful and manipulative force.

69 55. Zephyr Skies

“Night and day, wind and storm, tide and earthquake, impeded man no longer. He had harnessed Leviathan. All the old literature, with its praise of Nature, and its fear of Nature, rang false as the prattle of a child.” ― E.M. Forster, The Machine Stops

“Rare stories traveled of those who rose too high, the ships who sailed like Icarus towards the sun. And like him, they crashed and burned for their arrogance.” ― Katherine McIntyre, The Airship Also Rises

 The World of Otome is Tough For Mobs  Floating Islands, Airships  Mecha, Magic, Technology, HEMA  Skies of Arcadia  Post Fantasy World War  Gigas, Silvites, Airships  Storm Hawks?  Low-Lying Miasma  Crystals

Above a ruined wasteland, lively islands drift in a sea of clouds. But despite the peaceful vistas, all is not calm. Monsters arise from mutated wildlife, or migrate between lands on wings or drifting islands. Nations vie for crystallized power to fuel airships, golems, and mecha. Ancient spirits capable of shattering the laws of nature strike down flying ships or entire islands. In this world, skyships are a vital part of life, transporting goods and people between islands in the sky (skylands). These may be small transient locations barely able to support a population, groups of islands that seem to drift together, or even large stationary masses that house entire kingdoms. New lands sometimes rise up from the miasma below, covered in monsters and ancient ruins. Although magic gives people an edge over many monsters, the arcane alone is not enough to survive. Martial experts capable skillfully wield enchanted weapons to achieve similar feats, without the drawbacks of exhaustion or chanting. Then there are massive armored suits powered by crystals – part knight, part golem – that can fight head-to-head against even the largest monsters. Even stronger are the primal spirits. They are legacies of an ancient war that split the land and sky, and shattered the world. Some are bound to specific islands, like some protective deity. Others wander the skies as forces of nature, or in mortal form. It’s even possible to form agreements with some of these spirits, to wield them as weapons like the ancients once did. Doing so is dangerous and draining, however, as only the ancients could do so without risk to themselves. There are many peoples in this world: diminutive halflings, cat-like beastfolk, the horned race, humans, and even stranger folk. There are just as many skyland nations, too. There are mountains with hot springs. Hellish desert kingdoms where discrimination or even slavery are practiced. Even lakes and oceans with beaches where people from all over gather to unwind and relax. See Also: Granblue Fantasy

70 12.12. NoNo PlacePlace LikeLike HomeHome

“Yes I am weird, weird is good. Normal is overrated.” ― Mad-D

“Life would be fabric-softener, tuna-salad-on-white, PTA-meeting normal.” ― Augusten Burroughs, Running with Scissors

“I didn't want normal until I didn't have it anymore” ― Maggie Stiefvater, Lament: The Faerie Queen's Deception

These are some places that should feel familiar. However, while these places might look like where a jumper’s journey began, they tend to differ in various ways. Despite the differences, any inhabitant of this world that found themselves transmigrated to one of these settings should be able to fit in fairly well. Be prepared to land in a first or second-world country, within a decade or two of the turn of the century. While your credit cards might not work, your cash should still be good. There aren’t any looming dangers that threaten civilization, dens of monsters, or supernatural threats. That’s not to say all of these versions of Earth are safe, or boring, or totally without fantastic elements, but the worst anyone could expect to face would be a man with a gun. Maybe a knife. Like most worlds, people here are mostly concerned with every-day problems and drama. Dealing with groceries, taxes, and friendships. After exploring a wondrous multiverse of splendorous sights and unimagined mystery, one might find worlds like these to be a bit drab and dull in contrast. If you polled the inhabitants of these worlds, you might find there are some outliers, just like in real life. But maybe a vacation isn’t a bad thing. Using this as an opportunity to slow down, finding pleasure in the little things, and taking comfort in the familiar and relatively safe. But if one goes looking, they might find these worlds are larger than they first appear. Escaping the comfort zone, one can find awesome experiences, danger, old places seen through a new lens. Even in mostly mundane Earths, there’s always adventure awaiting. Besides the familiar problems that plague most Earths, each of these settings has something exceptional going on. Sometimes that will only become apparent if one goes looking. Other times, the adventure will find whoever the hell it pleases, whether they’re looking for one or not. The call to adventure may come in any number of forms. These worlds may only be populated by bog-standard humans, but humans can be nasty pieces of work. There might not be dark lords, but there are drug lords. If you feel like vanquishing a dragon, consider settling for shooting a helicopter down.

71 56. Ordinary Life

“Everything you are used to, once done long enough, starts to seem natural, even though it might not be.” ― Julien Smith, The Flinch

 West Wing  Alternate History  Policy Debates  Cut Throat Politics  It’s Always Sunny  Low-Life Degenerates  Assholes, Weirdos  Seinfeld on Crack  Breaking Bad  Organized Crime  Money and Drugs  Desperation and Stupidity  Various Mundane Generics  Nine to Five  Careers (Musician, Youtube, Vidya Developer, etc.)  Slice-of-Life

This is perhaps the closest world to “home” that can be found in this document. Although one will have to deal with the usual accouterments of a rather boringly average life, there are still war zones, social unrest, and the little things that make life a burden even in first-world countries. Or maybe this is an opportunity to reflect on the absurdities of modern life. After living in so many different places, one’s can’t help but compare the worlds they’ve left to the mundane existence they’re returning to. With fresh eyes, the familiar becomes new, curious, or even infuriating. Those other worlds may be primitive, inhumane, or dangerous, but they make sense. There will also be more interesting events occurring in the periphery of the personal level. Rather than power, danger, or anything exotic, the characters and the situations they get into is what to watch out for. Congressmen, drug addicts, bar tenders, singers, YouTubers, and anyone else you might cross paths with could be the source of your next adventure. Or misadventure. Whether a writer chooses to focus on a rotating cast of interesting characters, long-time neighbors, or the weirdos one finds themselves working with, everyone here is the center of their own story. And it could be part of a jumper’s story, should they choose to make friends. Expect to be surprised by undercover cops busting up a pigeon-smuggling operation, finding a cache of Nazi paraphernalia in an old-folks home, or a group of middle-schoolers living life to the fullest and making life interesting for everyone else. Despite the lack of anything paranormal or beyond the mundane, this world is full of little situations to tickle one’s fancy.

72 57. Knights’ Code Duello

“Violence, naked force, has settled more issues in history than has any other factor.” ― Robert A. Heinlein, Starship Troopers

 Dodgeball  Importance of Sports  Otherwise Normal World  Girls Und Panzer  Girls und Blade  Hema School Dueling Club  Sports Jump  Fencing, Kendo, and HEMA  Competition, Recreation

In this world, duels (rarely lethal) are the de-facto sport of choice, dispute resolution, deciding major business deals, and settling questions of honor. There are professional associations and amateur clubs, high-school competitions in full protective gear and back-alley knife-fights over shoes. Besides carrying a sword as a fashion statement, due to the resulting cultural difference, this is a fairly normal world. Despite the obsession with medieval European and Japanese swords and sword accessories, this is a pretty peaceful world. Most people never get challenged to a duel after their physical education classes in school, or friendly spars at the local YMCA to keep in shape. That doesn’t prevent there from being a highly marketable following for professional dueling teams, or people from wearing a sword to the bar. Women love guys who know how to duel, and have some scars to show off. Carrying a sword around also seems to do wonders for confidence, and most CEOs, business owners, and upper-level managers are also recognized duellists. There are some obvious legal differences that exist to facilitate “street” duels, but they don’t cover duels to the death. Most of these are to first blood or to surrender. Anything more must go through a mediation with a judge to ensure the differences are irreconcilable. Accidents happen, though, which is why there’s been a push in recent years for making it easier to register as a public witness and referee for duels. Now, one may wonder how wars get fought, whether or not guns exist, and how law and order is maintained when the populace is armed and trained to fight. The answers to these questions may be surprising, or obvious, but are left as an exercise for the reader to determine, in any case. Not everybody in this world is a fan of swords, just like not everybody in other worlds is a sports fan. It’s just that duels have replaced every other sport: football, hockey, baseball, tennis, basketball, golf, and anything else one cares to name. Even if a person didn’t go gung-ho for full-armor jousting, or the more common 1v1 broadsword duels, they wouldn’t be a total social pariah. But they wouldn’t have anything to talk about around the water cooler.

73 58. License to Kill

“Spy' is such a short ugly word. I prefer 'espionage.' Those extra three syllables really say something.” ― Howard Tayler, Emperor Pius Dei

“Do you know what love is? I'll tell you: it is whatever you can still betray.” ― John le Carré, The Looking Glass War

 Burn Notice  Alphabet Agency Antics  Mixing Professional and Personal Motivations  True Lies  Secret Agencies  Terrorist Plots  Rainbow Six  Black Ops, Sensitive Missions  Tactical Fireteams  Splinter Cell  Stealth  Realistic Gadgets

There is a largely unseen war being fought between countries, terrorists, mercenaries, intelligence agencies, and whatever collateral gets caught in the crossfire. In this war, battles are waged for many reasons, almost as many as there are individuals involved. However, the plurality of factions means that loyalty is cheaply bought, and trust is easily lost. In this free-for-all of competing interest, there are three kinds of player. The first are the runners and gunners. Before the guys with all the guns get sent in, the spyguys do their thing. Then there are the other guys. The voice on the other end of the radio. The dude who sits in the van. The most impressive players aren’t just the ones who get the job done, though. There are legendary individuals who have made a name for themselves by repeatedly overcoming odds, often on their own. The ex-Marine who kills off the entire cartel that kidnapped his niece. The secret agent who had the balls to leak the CIA’s dirty laundry and then disappearing all the assassins they sent to put him in the ground. Many of the soldiers in this war start off playing hero, stopping the bad guy, saving the day, protecting innocent lives. However, as they go on, they either lose sight of what they’re fighting for, or are deceived about the realities of their missions by those higher up, with their own agendas. Eventually, they either retire, or get retired when their conscience betrays them. After all, these are black ops, often off-the-books, unsanctioned and without oversight. Sometimes they are cover-ups, or get covered up, because heaven forbid the shady shit the alphabet agencies get up to sees the light of day. And forget about following a code of ethics, because if you’re not going to play the game the way your superiors want, you better have a new backer lined up, or prepare to get burned. See Also: Jason Bourne.

74 59. Run & Gun

“People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf.” ― George Orwell

“You can't talk about fucking in America, people say you're dirty. But if you talk about killing somebody, that's cool.” ― Richard Pryor

 80s Action Movies  Average Joe Turned Heroic Rambo  Bang Bang  Modern Action Movies  Revenge Stories and Assassin Societies  Bang Bang  Black Lagoon  Smugglers and Criminals  Bang Bang  Jormungand  Sophisticated Gun Runners  Bang Bang

In contrast to what one might expect, mass media in this world drastically underplays most violent crime. There are murders and shootouts every day, leaving behind hundreds of wounded and dead, but most people are completely unaware. And it’s everywhere. Gun-runners, drug-dealers, terrorists, kidnappers, police firing two guns whilst jumping through windows. Despite the violence, most of it is tightly controlled, with collateral damage being limited to a minimum, and the coverage is often similarly small. That’s because there are rules to this sort of thing. Sure, the secret international assassination guild exists, but their presence prevents things from spilling out into the open. There may be a blood-sport death-cult that streams live snuff action over the dark web, but they pay their dues. The only possible exception is relatively new or small-scale gangs that haven’t yet learned why they should keep their head down. Because if they tick off enough people, they’re going to find that one in a thousand individual with the skills to make their lives hell, the sheer will to never stop – and now the motive – to take you down. They don’t even have to win, just do enough damage to an operation that smarter competitors smell the blood in the water. Despite the surprising number of psychopaths and badasses, that doesn’t change the rules of reality. If you shoot a car, or a block of C4, it’s not going to explode. Not every church has a basement full of guns. If enough bullets are flying, somebody is going to die, no matter how heroic or handsome they are. See Also: John Wick, Die Hard, Hot Fuzz, Guns Akimbo, Rambo, Shoot ‘Em Up.

75 60. High-Stakes Archaeology

"Every adventure requires a compass, curiosity, a journey, a creative mind and someone willing to play." — Shannon L. Alder

"Fortune and glory, kid. Fortune and glory." — James Kahn (Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom)

 Indiana Jones  Low Magic  World-War Arms Race  Mummy Trilogy  Buried Horror  Wealth and Power  Tomb Raider  Rare but Potent Magic  Action Archaeology

There’s always an adventure, if you’re willing to look for one. Treasure, monsters, even magic – out there, waiting for the right kind of person, one who scoffs at ordinary life, and seeks grandeur over the horizon. Fabulous wealth, a knowledge of ancient history, and the freedom to travel to far-flung exotic locales might help, too. If one chooses to join the race for the lost, they can expect some competition. It’s not all rich British heiresses and well-meaning archaeologists. There are some unscrupulous individuals after the same treasures. Maybe they’re in it for the money, for the fame, for their private collection, or maybe they buy into some hokum belief that the relic has some mystic power. Maybe they’re right. But all too many people are willing to kill to get their hands on things that belong in museums. First, one must learn of the treasure. Legends, ancient lore, the history of secret societies are all hints that can lead one to fame and fortune – or an early rest in a dusty tomb. One gets ahead of the others by seeing connections where others’ insight fails them. But these places have remained unplundered for centuries. Even those who follow the clues to the hidden temple may lack the skills to survive its tests. Traps, puzzles, even guardians – animals that have made the ruins their home, or more frightening monsters. The pitfalls, swinging blades, rolling boulders, animated statues, snakes, spiders, collapsing ceilings, and so on often cut down on the competition. Not to mention the puzzles. Why the ancients decided to protect their most treasured relics with so many puzzles is a mystery in itself. How those puzzles remain operational after so many years boggles the mind. Even if one makes it out alive with the prize, smart scavengers wait for others to do the hard work of tracking down, surviving, and retrieving the artifact of their desire. Then they wait for the victor, bloodied and tired, to emerge from the ruins, and simply take what they want. The greater the prize, the more seek it, and the farther they’ll go to get their hands on it. See Also: National Treasure.

76 61. Bump in the Night

“You know why horror-movie characters always get killed? Because they've never seen horror movies. They don't know how it works. Right? But we do. So no one go into the basement alone. No one go screaming off into the woods alone. No one has any sex.” ― Carrie Vaughn, Kitty's House of Horrors

 Evil Dead  Ancient Spirits  Revenants  Dead By Daylight  Various Monster Types  Evil Empowering Force  Generic Horror Movie  Various Baddies Target Teens  Generic!

In the United States, about 750,000 people go missing each year. Most are under 18 years old. Of those, only about 3,000 remain missing – a small number, considering the United States’ overall population. Strangely, some 4,500 unidentified bodies are recovered each year, which suggests more people are dying than are being reported missing. How many more bodies never get found? The truth behind these statistics is more chilling than the numbers themselves. There are monsters on Earth, sometimes in the guise of men, but not often. They hunt, they kill, they slip back into the shadows. Though the specifics may vary, their methods and natures fall into several fairly easily-discernible categories. Most slashers are revenants – formerly living murderers, who have decided to raise from the grave to kill. Many, revenant or not, are figments of local folklore, or urban legends. This also includes murderous ghosts, and some cryptids. These include demonic possession and good-old-fashioned boogymen. Least common are the monster colonies. Real “nuke the site from orbit” stuff. It’s not like the government is unaware of these phenomenon, but there’s not much they can do. For the most part, by the time they’re aware of an active slasher, the situation has often already resolved itself – one way or another. That raises the question, why not come clean and expose the situation? The silence is kept for fear that widespread knowledge would exacerbate the situation. Most victims directly knew, or knew of the slasher in question. Simply being aware of such existences seems to pose an existential threat – as evidenced by the unexplained high turnover rate of in-the-know agents and field operatives. This wisdom is echoed in various legends – speak of the Devil, and he shall appear. Not all is lost, however. There is Good, and there is Evil, and long have they been at war. Every man chooses, every day, with every action, which side he’s fighting for. It’s unfortunate that Evil has so many more monsters than Good has champions. But those that Good does have – they can kick ass. See Also: Hack and Slash.

77 13.13. OchasenOchasen††

“Anger may in time change to gladness; vexation may be succeeded by content. But a kingdom that has once been destroyed can never come again into being; nor can the dead ever be brought back to life.” – Sun Tzu, The Art of War

An eternal empire, bereft of it’s emperor plunges into war. Drawn by the chaos and death, strange myths and legends emerge. The nature of conflict is changed by new technologies and magic. As the world changed, people learned to live together, but peace is still a dream. This world strongly resembles East Asia, in terms of history and culture. Grand empires that form, hold power, shatter, and reform. Animism, yokai, monks, and ronin. An obsession with honor and face, even at the cost of success. Following through with obligation no matter the opportunities. A tog-of-war between the spiritual world and mortal concerns. Tradition at war with new ways.

Honor’s Edge

The Emperor, made immortal by Golden Jade Tea, ruled for longer than man’s memory. When the fields burned, his immortality was lost, and chaos reigned in his stead. Peace and prosperity gave way to famine, pestilence, natural disasters, and war. Between the bandits and ronin, few places are safe.

Yokaigo

Huge armies have been whittled down, and now fighting gives way to innumerable fiefdoms. But the gates have been opened by spilled blood, and now gods and spirits walk the lands. Most are content to go about their business; some are downright malicious; few are benign. All are inhuman and eerie, in form and manner.

Theatre of War

These are exciting times. And this is not good. Cavalry charges and samurai duels have been replaced by magical ninja. The rare canon has given way to the omnipresent revolver. Magic is alive in this land, and blood mixed with that of kami and yokai. A new, less honorable war.

Religious Racket

Things have finally settled down. New advances in technology and society have ushered in a new age of prosperity. Bustling cities of concrete, fed by modern agriculture, buzzing with electricity, and inhabited by human and inhuman alike. There is still some strife, as both adjust to living together.

78 62. Honor’s Edge

“Begin by seizing something which your opponent holds dear; then he will be amenable to your will.” – Sun Tzu, The Art of War

 Rurouni Kenshin  War, Warriors  Impossible Skill, Strength, Swords  Samurai Deeper Kyo  Obtuse and Rare Magic  Slight Supernatural Powers  Basilisk  Bloodlines and Special Abilities  Ninja Villages

Less than a decade ago, the Immortal Emperor died. Now, a people soaked in blood tries to recover, to remember peace, and forget the ravages of war. However, swords that shed blood are not so easily sheathed, and the end of an era is rarely without difficulties. This is a time of power-hungry lords, noble ronin, greedy bandits, murderous mercenaries, and interesting times. All across the empire, countless local lords fought each other for control, and to settle half-forgotten grudges. Some areas have been strongly claimed, leaving the surviving inhabitants of ravaged cities and villages to rebuild in the aftermath. In other areas, the wars still continue. Mercenaries and conscripts flow like the tides across the land, further troubling the locals. The winners of smaller conflicts must prepare themselves against those who would, in turn, take the precarious position for themselves. Yet another burden upon the already impoverished, in the form of taxes and conscription. Larger forces, like one of the three would-be emperors, in turn demand tribute from their vassals and allies, beggaring countryside and city alike. Honorable warriors, now sick of bloodshed and disillusioned with their former masters, discover they have no home to return to. The strongest find themselves troubled or blessed by a surfeit of potential employers. Historians and philosophers find themselves put to the death, their writings burned. Even herbalists and doctors are forced into service. There is magic in these lands, but it is subtle. You’ll find priests with uncanny insight, blacksmiths able to create unbreakable swords, and herbalists who can bring back the (mostly) dead. But most of the gifted one is likely to encounter are the warriors. Blessed with strength, speed, or tactical acumen far beyond what most mortals are capable of. These figures became the terror of the battlefields when war raged. Legends like the ”100-man slayer”, and “the crimson-eyed devil” arose during the wars. After the wars, they seemed to drift away on the wind, like smoke and words. Many simply returned to whatever home they had left. Others used their skills and newfound fame to establish mercenary or criminal gangs, in the absence of greater purpose. Those who claim a reputation they did not earn often meet a messy end by those who shared a battlefield with the genuine article. Despite the battles and lawlessness, this is a land of opportunity. Upward mobility is the watchword of the day, and many see this shaking-up of the political power structure as an opportunity. A chance to do good, make a difference, or advance their own interests. What determines success or failure for those with ambition is strength, and the will to use it.

79 63. Yokaigo

“We cannot enter into alliances until we are acquainted with the designs of our neighbors.” ― Sun Tzu, The Art of War

 Mononokehime  Humans vs Spirits  Spirits are Kind of Necessary  Mushishi  Misunderstood, Often Invisible Creatures  Wise Men Can Use Spirits  Kamigawa  War Between and Among the Realms  Traitors on All Sides, Artifacts, Legends

Finally, the wars of men are at an end, and peace returns to the land. Now, this peace threatens to be broken with the opening of a gate to usher in a new age. A new war. But this time the conflict has a spiritual dimension. Although smaller beings always crept through the cracks, full-blown kami are stepping through to the mortal world. Beware both yokai trickery and human politics in these ever-shifting lands. Scented silks and carefully- applied cosmetics mirrors battlefield’s state within the Reformed Empire’s court. Although there is an uneasy peace, traitors and saboteurs seek to rekindle the flames of war for their own gain. The recent strangeness is not making this delicate peace any easier to maintain. The yokai themselves seem to have as many factions and motivations as the humans, although their somewhat alien thought-processes can make them difficult to understand. Some wish only to kill and devour humans, but others have obscure, almost nonsensical desires. One must remember that yokai are not quite flesh and blood, and their needs and drives are different. There are some experts who travel, attempting to make peace between the emerging yokai and the resident humans. Or failing that, protect the humans. There is quite a lot of debate about whether they are entering our world or the two worlds are merging. Some of the yokai blame the humans for their presence, or claim contradictory things, like that the yokai inhabited the land first, and the humans are trespassing by inviting them in. Humanity has not been idle during the passing century of warfare. After the Immortal Emperor’s death, the world changed. People began innovating, and one result of that is a terrible weapon: the hand cannon. Still not as common as swords, spears, bows, and knives, the hand-cannon requires experts to craft and alchemists to create the black powder. A weapon for nobles and rich lords. For all their frightening appearance and reputation, yokai can be killed. It just takes a special weapon – or a not-so-special one, like a scrap-iron ball fired from a musket. To kill a god, even a small god, is no minor thing. Doing so could bring down a curse, or the wrath of other yokai. Or it might cow them into complying with the new mortal rulers’ wishes. As one travels the land, remember that although they might not be as scared of humans as humans are of them, yokai are certainly out of their element. They find themselves as much adrift among a strange land as any jumper. Perhaps this kinship will allow one to empathize with their situation, and broker a lasting peace between the two denizens of this world.

80 64. Theatre of War

“He who only sees the obvious, wins his battles with difficulty; he who looks below the surface of things, wins with ease” ― Sun Tzu, The Art of War

 Warriors Orochi  Weaboo Fightan Magic  Army-Destroying Warriors  Naruto  Combat Wizards, Bloodlines, and Demons  Hints of Technology  Jade Empire  Flying Machines  Injured Gods  Inuyasha  Miasma, Demons, Shrine Maidens, Priests  Half-Bloods, Special Abilities

Strange things are appearing all over. Things like…. anime hair and eye colors, snapping buttons, concrete, flying machines, repeating hand cannons, bloodlines carrying the power of kami and yokai. The people of this world have moved beyond the peasant’s bamboo spear: dagger, magic, and bomb take center stage. The difficulties of the past have only sharpened the survivors, and the remaining spirits are either too small or too large to concern oneself with. But some that hung on are injured, which has had disastrous effects on the world. Eternal drought has formed a new desert in previously lush lands, while natural disasters, sickness, and infertile regions appear sporadically. Other yokai have lived to learn with the presence of humans, for the most part. For some this means blending in, or hiding. For others it means being a little more circumspect about who and when they eat. Some even became village mascots, guardian figures, or vassals – truly integrating into the human world. Magic and technology have both blossomed in the past decades, and changed the way of the world. Radio, flying machines, and even basic mass production have gotten a foothold. Guns are deadlier than ever, as revolvers are churned out in huge numbers, and the secret of black powder spreads. But even guns are not a match for the most capable warriors. Blessed by a convergence of bloodlines and powerful martial art legacies, these ridiculous combatants capable of defeating armies. They call themselves ninja, or ronin, or martial arts experts. What they really are, one and all, are battle wizards. Strangely, open warfare seems to have decreased. Perhaps because the collateral damage would be too great, and threaten the economic prosperity. Most battles are fought by proxy, involving hired ninja clans and private samurai forces, and leaving the common people relatively unscathed. That’s not to say there isn’t violence. There are battles that take place in shady alleys, in the deep forests, even entire clans of warriors exterminated. Some see the death of warrior clans as a net benefit, as they don’t produce anything, and tend to be rowdy. To destroy a village of civilians would deprive your enemy of a source of food, labor, and taxes – but wouldn’t it be better to annex it?

81 65. Religious Racket

“It is easy to love your friend, but sometimes the hardest lesson to learn is to love your enemy.” – Sun Tzu, The Art of War

 Touhou  Incidents, Tea Parties  Faith-Based Conflict  Dammaku  Touhou Forbidden Hermit  Careful Balance  Incidents  Yokai Everywhere  Generic Mob  Organized Crime  Protection Rackets  Generic!

The supernatural has lost ground before the advance of technology, corralled and controlled in the growing metropolises of steel and glass. Starved for belief, many less savory yokai must rely on underhanded methods to make ends meet, or meet their end. They find common ground with those who live in the underbelly of society, where cunning and strength are respected – indeed, needed to survive. Yokai sustain themselves on the belief of humans – whether faith or fear. The yakuza are much the same, using their reputation as ruthless but dependable for material gain. It was a match made in hell, as yakuza syndicates use yokai as enforcers, or even “sponsor” the worship of adopted gods. Some yokai, especially those less dependent on sustained belief, snap under the restrictions of modern society. Nobody throws a cucumber to the kappa behind the cash register, and eventually that kappa is going to get tired of pork and see how their ungrateful boss compares. There aren’t many capable of dealing with low-level incidents like that, as yokai can overpower most humans. There’s a more-than-mere-material element at play, which means those best suited are spiritual practitioners like monks or miko. Half-breeds are similarly capable, but assumed to be less dependable than their fully-human counterparts. Traditional investigators and SWAT forces make up the third part of the government task force that handles such crime. On the higher end of the scale, slumbering gods and representations of natural forces need to be regularly re-sealed, appeased, or frightened off. This is generally done in massive ritual celebrations involving parades, dancing, singing, and a whole lot of ceremonial magic. Dealing with low-level offenses like assault and murder is generally seen as secondary to ensuring these events go off without a hitch. Not all gods sleep, though. And some natural disasters walk the streets. Although rare, a quick and forceful response is vital to preventing the trouble caused by regular gods and godlike beings from spiraling out of control. Before the formation of the modern government, such incidents often went down in history, as “the year the moon turned red” or “the night of 100 days”. It’s a point of pride that no incident has lasted longer than three days, since the formation of the Supernatural Task Force. See Also: Yokai Gurentai, Touhou Scarlet Symphony.

82 14.14. QuasarQuasar StellariumStellarium

“Across the sea of space, the stars are other suns.” ― Carl Sagan

Countless worlds, glittering in the void, intricately connected by a web of starship lanes. These are worlds within worlds, entire galaxies’ worth of adventure. Or at least a star system or two. Starships are the connecting thread of the worlds in this section, and all the sci-fi speculation that comes with it. One of the major concepts, which gets played with in various ways, concerns the vast distances involved in space travel. In some settings, FTL makes for an interconnected galaxy of systems, colonies, and stations. In other settings, all that space is a much larger barrier to trade and oversight. Obviously, the technologies and physics involved differ from setting to setting. Does it take a ship a day or a month to get from one star system to the next? Traditional FTL or subspace? What’s possible, medically speaking? Is there artificial intelligence? Anti-gravity? Cold fusion? Is this a post-scarcity setting? There might be metaphysics to consider – or the application of sufficiently advanced quantum bullshit to simulate magic. Alien cultures and points of view that might be from distant human cultures reconnecting, or actual aliens. Sometimes humans the aliens. Sci-fi has, since its inception, been known for posing philosophical questions. Personal identity, sex, race, species, religion, politics, and more are all fair game. The challenge is coming up with something completely out there and imagining that someone could actually try it out and make it work in a society. Then introducing a more familiar character to that society and seeing what happens. There might be tensions between species, or political groups, or religious orders. A jumper might find themselves in the middle of a war for a station, planet, or system, or the victim of space pirates. In some settings, sentients might be forced into slavery at the barrel of a laser blaster. Even in a fully-automated gay communist space utopia, natural or artificially-induced disasters can cause catastrophe. Within any one setting, there are a multitude of stories to explore based on where the characters are, and what their focus is. If a story isn’t appealing, that can be solved by boarding a ship to the next planet, where everything could be very different. This is the case in other settings, too, but in these worlds, a character can just fly off in a space ship when confronted with a problem they don’t want to deal with. In short, if a person can come up with something interesting – a conflict, challenge, or adventure – they can fit it into a science fiction story. Take Robinson Crusoe and throw him onto an alien shore, and the story doesn’t change. Or set James Bond on a giant rotating space station. The science fiction is just the backdrop and sometimes justification. Sure, some people might go gaga for spaceships (and they are cool), but it’s the adventure, exploration, and possibilities that those spaceships represent or make possible that should be the focus. Introducing cool technologies plays second fiddle to philosophical musing, character development, and interesting conflict. Keep in mind, however, the technology can make those things literally of interstellar importance.

83 66. Free Space

“Thing to know about the Reaches....It’s always trying to kill you. Even the empty places between the stars." ― Amy J. Murphy, Rogues

“Apocalyptic explosions, dead reactors, terrorists, mass murder, death-slugs, and now a blindness plague. This is a terrible planet. We should not have come here.” ― James S.A. Corey, Cibola Burn

 Firefly  Wild West In Space  Oppressive Coreworld Federation  RimWorld  Colonies, Organ-Harvesting, Slavery, Piracy, Hostile Wildlife  Life is Cheap  Cowboy Bebop  Bounty Hunters  Space Trucker Noir

Life isn’t tidy, out on the rim. Since the war for independence was lost, lots of disaffected people moved out to where the central government still doesn’t have much say, and “law” is a bit loose. That’s how most like it out here. Then again, that means the government doesn’t give much of a shit when things go bad. They only step in when they want something. Getting shot makes for a good day, long as you don’t die. There’s plenty of real characters out here, for one reason or another. Anarchists, entrepreneurs, rebels, religious fundamentalists, unrepentant criminals, psychopaths, and worse. Few of them care much for the way things are handled in the more “core” worlds. Even the rich folks who moved out here only did so to run their own private fiefdoms. Ideas like civility, law, order, and justice are a bit more wiggly when the closest central ship is a few light-years out. That’s not to say there aren’t legitimate colonists and homesteaders out here, seeking to make a better life for themselves and their families. Most are in it for the money, but some are the 23rd century equivalent of Quaker or Amish communities. There is a lot of opportunity in the habitable worlds, terraformed centuries ago and waiting for humans to catch up. But the opportunities don’t come easy, and life is difficult without a strong infrastructure. Food and medicine can be scarce at times, and there’s not much money to be made from people living off the land, so merchant ships don’t stop by that often unless it’s part of a fixed route. Predictably scheduled. Bandits prowl the shipping lanes, and prey upon new or under-defended settlements vulnerable to the predation of space piracy. Or the less ethical competition or land prospectors hoping to get them to sell massive amounts of land for a ticket back to the core. The few remaining native species aren’t making it easier. Most are hardy, simple creatures with fast reproductive cycles and many offspring. Weeds and pests, basically. And plagues. Rumors abound of one colony that just went mad and descended into murderous cannibalism. There are also plenty of natural dangers: weak magnetic fields, unpredictable weather, wonky day-night or seasonal cycles. Everyone out here is on their own. Without government interference, each person decides their own fate. That’s how some people like it.

84 67. Star Kingdoms

“All interstellar empires rose and fell, ultimately, on their ability to deliver on this one simple, unexciting thing: logistics.” ― John Jackson Miller, A New Dawn

 Honorverse  Military Sci-Fi Spacebattles  Variety of Human Cultures  Legend of the Galactic Heroes  Autocracy vs Democracy, Pros and Cons of Ambition  Terran Supremacy Cult, Space Drugs  Elite Dangerous  Space Gig Economy  Alliance, Federation, Empire, & Hundreds of Small Factions

It’s the far future, and one might be surprised how little has changed. Hard sci-fi, harder realpolitik. Competing great powers (and a multitude of smaller independent systems) have emerged over the last thousand or so years. Together, they form an ever-growing web of influence, power, and wealth that stretches between humanity’s distant systems. There are maybe a handful of sapient aliens to be found here, none of which were space-faring when humanity found them, most of which weren’t even sapient. Any mumbo-jumbo is extremely subtle, and likely limited to psionic powers. There are few augmented humans or advanced AI, since one fiasco after another has left a deep cultural taboo. In fact, the only major developments seem to have been in mathematics, physics, and engineering. The minimum, it seems, for a species to become star-faring and terraform new planets. Impeller drives, ion thrusters, and gravitic generators allowed humans to travel the cosmos with increasing ease. But it also resulted in new weapons. Not even the vastness of space can prevent conflict. The long peace of expansion has come to an end, as the Empire and Federation both enter into a cold war. The Alliance of Independent Systems, largely ineffectual, mostly tries to stay out of the conflict and prevent either of the other two from becoming too powerful. Free States fly below the radar until they come to sit between two spheres of influence, or are found to be sitting on useful or highly profitable hyperspace lanes. Due to the nature of shifting politics, territory, and economies, there is a great amount of instability for those who find themselves outside the core systems of larger factions. As the limited resources of nations go hither and thither to support the war effort, locals are often left in the lurch. To adapt, private contractors with small ships pick up the slack. But it doesn’t seem like the tensions are going to be lessening any time soon. If anything, all signs point towards a war brewing. There’s only one thing they don’t make anymore, and that’s space. Sure, there’s a lot of it, but it’s still in limited supply. Especially prime real estate. And so the powers start fighting over land and resources, just as they did thousands of years ago. What will be left in the aftermath is anyone’s guess.

85 68. Across the Sands, Thunder

“That was the trouble with explaining with words. If you explained with gunpowder, people listened.” ― Dean F. Wilson, Dustrunner

“Nothing spells trouble like two drunk cowboys with a rocket launcher.” ― C.J. Box, Cold Wind

 Dune  Desert Planet In (Religiously Motivated) Rebellion  Vague Psychic Powers, Religious Orders  Trigun  Desert (Western) Planet, Failed Terraforming  Unlikely Biology/Enhancements  Homeworld: Deserts of Kharak  Desert Planet At (Religiously Motivated) War  Polar Enclaves, Forgotten History  Lost Planet  Extreme Temperatures  Hostile Native Flora/Fauna

A generation ship, filled with colonists fleeing religious persecution, makes an emergency stop when unanticipated failures make it impossible for them to reach their intended destination. Additional complications from the intersecting magnetic fields of the binary star system and the planet result in a very rough landing on an unlikely desert planet. The shuttles that ferried evacuating passengers, as well as the main bulk of the ship, are quickly subsumed by the shifting sands. Lucky survivors manage to forge makeshift fabricated protections in the sand seas and blasted rocky wastes. Those less fortunate are left to trek to the polar regions, where the climate might sustain human life. Hundreds of years later, the descendants of these unlikely and resourceful people have managed to cave out a steady, if dangerous existence. They’ve uncovered vast reservoirs of underground water, a multitude of rich mineral veins, and even domesticable native life. Pilgrims, nomads, long-distance herders, bandits, and jihadists alike crawl across the inhospitable surface. The local life is just as unfriendly as the rest of the planet. Most are small, and resemble something like a cross between a lizard and an insect. The exception are the massive sand-worms that burrow deep beneath the dunes. Even some Earth life has naturally adapted, or been gene-modded by heretic sects. The humans, even less inclined to change themselves in such a manner, struggle. Descendants of those who survived the trek now live in the more temperate polar cities, where life is almost abundant. Those who scratched out a living where they landed were either buried by the sands, or built glittering oasis cities beneath giant shade domes. Some travel between these places, trading necessities and luxuries. All of these people are preyed upon by bandits, extremist sects, and rival groups. Which is perhaps why the simple revolver has become so ubiquitous. But the lost technology of buried ships offers greater weapons of destruction, more prized than their miraculous creative potential. The inhabitants here look towards the stars with worry, knowing only the ancient tales and warnings. Eventually, one of those glittering lights will turn out to be a ship, come to reconnect, or perhaps exploit some planetary resource. When that happens, these hardy desert people, tempered by violence and hardship, will be ready.

86 69. A Bold Peace

“We are humanitarian and chivalrous; we don't want to enslave other races, we simply want to bequeath them our values and take over their heritage in exchange. We think of ourselves as the Knights of the Holy Contact. This is another lie. We are only seeking Man. We have no need of other worlds. We need mirrors. (1970 English translation)” ― Stanisław Lem, Solaris

 Star Trek  Inclusive Federation  Near-Post-Scarcity  Mass Effect  Council of Races  Precursors  Stellaris  Many Races, Cultures  Many Factions, Philosophies

Diverse species banded together to form the Alliance Council to promote peace between themselves, and protect against an unreasoning threat. But all great works are opposed, and do not come to pass without difficulty. There may be wonders and dangerous out there, but that doesn’t mean there’s nothing going on at home. When humanity entered the galactic stage, they had to play catch-up. It took nearly a century to escape the stigma of being a mere client state, and humans still are viewed somewhat patronizingly. The United Solar Union may have had a few advantages but securing independence weren’t easy. The semi-post- scarcity of the Federation made economic exploitation easy for the more technologically advanced alien races, while humans had to trade favors for technology. The general AI development ban didn’t help. Despite setbacks, humanity has ascended in a meteoric fashion, sometimes helped and sometimes hindered by their militarism. Human black ops and criminal syndicates now operate on a much larger scale. There are space pirates, sometimes violent politics, slavers, and other internal threats to members of the federation. If human criminals tell human authorities where they are, well, the criminals get to take over when they disappear, and the human military gets a boost to their reputation. Outside known space may not be any safer, but it can be more exciting for a certain kind of person. Rescuing slaves, taking down aliens that eat sapients, studying space phenomenon like wormholes, finding new life, making contact with new civilizations, and expanding the boundaries of knowledge and thought. Not to mention the chance of finding precursor ruins, the source of much advancement. These ruins gave many species the keys to faster-than-light travel, limited artificial intelligence, and the sort of quantum manipulation that often gets called “space magic”. That humans have come so far without the benefit of a guidebook says something about their natural ability. But now anyone can subvert physics with psionic-enhancing technology, giving themselves empathy, telekinesis, or stranger, abilities. The races that can do this without technological aid are at an advantage, obviously. But those same ruins often warn of an encroaching threat, terrible battles, and, well, it’s kind of eerie how none of those races are around anymore. Hang around federation space long enough, or go adventuring in the wrong direction, and the cause might be found. Swarms of assimilating mind controlling cyborgs. See Also: The Deathworlders/Jenkinsverse.

87 70. Ad Vance

“You cannot swim for new horizons until you have courage to lose sight of the shore.” ― William Faulkner

 Destiny  Androids, Humans, Post-Humans, Floating Robot Helper  Pseudo-Magic, Guns, Swords  Various Hostile Aliens, Corruptive Force  Phantasy Star Online  Androids, Humans, Post-Humans, Floating Robot Helper  Not-Magic, Guns, Swords  Colony Efforts Stymied by Mutating Particles  Metroid  Combat Suits  Exploring Exotic Locales  Evil Aliens, Corruption/Mutation  Warframe  Pseudo-Magical Abilities  Occasional Other Aliens  Rotting Clone Armies and Technological Horrors

In a distant star system, the Vance Orbital Ring Station has survived the collapse of the Terran empire. After the A.I. found a suitable system of garden worlds, space elevators were constructed, colonists were roused from cryo, and a surface colony was established. Over decades, population boomed across all three habitable planets. Then, disaster struck. Those planetside were slaughtered. Space elevators had to be decoupled to prevent the monsters from scaling them. Infection took root among the space stations that took on survivors. The Vance ring, unable to cut itself loose, went dark. Humans and their artificial relatives (biological and synthetic) must now fight back, not only for vengeance, and for answers, but to survive. The monsters that they face come in many forms; native and introduced life, twisted by some eldritch force that defies traditional understanding. Even the former colonists, long thought lost, have become one more enemy to cut down. As more was learned about the mutagenic process, the better equipped they were to survive encounters without adding to their foes’ numbers. Some brave souls take it upon themselves to attempt to reclaim the lost stations and colony outposts, wielding guns, swords, and quantum magic. They form into small parties capable of quick insertion and extraction. These rangers are almost always accompanied and aided by small drones that record data, collect samples, and gather resources. Decades after the catastrophe that almost put an end to them, a new generation is ready to push farther, to discover the true nature of the planets, the monsters, and their future. Whether they decide to stay or go, the Vance Ring must be reclaimed. Longer missions, with little chance of rescue, deeper into dangerous and unknown regions than ever before. Easier said than done. But it must be done.

88 71. Space Fantasy

“Always remember, your focus determines your reality.” ― George Lucas

 Star Wars  Robots, Monsters, Multitude of Sentients  Good vs Evil Space Wizards  Farscape  Many Species  Living Ships and Stars  Generic Space Opera  Many Races  Clarketech and Magic Powers

This is an old universe, with a history spanning tens of thousands of years. Cycles of republics coalescing out of anarchy, empires arising and strangling the galaxy, and anarchy returning as the empire falls. This has repeated itself dozens of times, often on a small scale, more rarely for the entire galaxy. Across the hundreds of thousands of habitable worlds, there is a wide variety of alien life. Some races are from backwaters and newly arrived to the galactic scene, others so old they have forgotten their own origins. Not just biological life, either, as droids are regularly used as slave labor, controls built-in as a matter-of-fact after one too many robot uprising. As shown in the long and violent history of the galaxy, this is not an especially safe place, especially on planets distant from any central oversight. Warring banking cartels, entire races that make a living as slavers or slaves, pirates that prey on merchant vessels, bounty-hunter guilds with proof-of-death verification, deadly wildlife, and more. Even in the central worlds, politics can be rather literally cut-throat. Even the most hardened of killers, however, is wary of the space magi. Rumored to have a hundred powers, stronger and faster than any man, capable of dodging lasers, and reading minds. There is truth to many of these tales. Since long before the current state of things, these sects of mystics have been at war with one another, and even themselves at times. They have even played a role in many of the changes that have occurred in the galaxy, with ancient records speaking of empires of one faction or another. There are uncountable worlds here, offering countless opportunities. Ice worlds, jungle worlds, desert worlds, entire planets covered in cities, nearly empty sectors where nothing happens but farming to feed the teeming trillions elsewhere. Ancient ruins with dangerous and powerful relics – technological and sorcerous alike, smugglers dens filled with slaves and loot, hulking skeletons of gutted plasteel that fell from orbit – the only clue that a battle was fought here. Despite all the wonder and grandeur of such a universe, things are surprisingly familiar. After so many millennia, people have found (and sometimes forgotten) the best way of doing things, and it’s reflected in the utilitarian and simple construction of most things. Anything that lasts, anyway. And there are artifacts and secrets here older than some species’ recorded history. So get yourself some credits, a fast ship with a trustworthy crew, maybe learn how to bend spacetime with your mind, and set out. Adventure, treasure, and hot space babes await. Maybe grab a spare chargepack for your blaster, because nobody said anything worth doing was safe.

89 15.15. RefugeRefuge inin thethe MundaneMundane††

“Even the most exotic excursions can become tedious through repetition.” ― Dean Koontz, Forever Odd

This world represents the alloying of the mundane with the fantastic. Normally, one thinks of these two things as being antithetical. Our world doesn’t have dragons, and people don’t have to renew car titles in a magical world. While the two do resist mixing, like oil and water, all one needs is an emulsifier. Like war. The obvious difference one will point to between the two worlds is magic versus technology. Which one is better? Who would win, a mage or a sniper? Could a magic warrior bet a tank? Can they be used together? These are questions that need to be answered by an author, because it’s a practical concern in this world. But the major source of contention between fantasy and mundane worlds will not be magic or technology. It’s philosophy. The Earth we are from is one of human resources and public opinion. Who one knows, and how much influence they have over those people, is the main measure of authority. In a fantasy world, what others think is not as important as personal power. The strong rise to the top, and form alliances of friendship, or risk being overthrown. But armies will be involved, in the coming conflict. And people will become more powerful. When a world of connections, logistics, and human resources meets a world of singularly powerful individuals, the outcome could result in one side dominating the other – but more likely, they’ll learn from one another. And be forged into something greater than either, through the crucible of conflict.

Comfy Modern Fantasy Life

Sometimes, two worlds are close enough that a bridge, or tunnel, can form between them – naturally, or with a little help. Stranded, stray, or desperate refugees are the result. They try to fit in best they can, and often end up relying on humans for help.

Ostian Empire Knocks

When an interdimensional empire backed by gods and magic knocks on your reality, you don’t get to choose whether or not to answer. Portals open, and a war between fantasy and the world begins. Monsters slip through, weapons of mass destruction gets thrown around, and things rarely go as planned.

High Caliber Fantasy

Those weapons of mass destruction really did a number on the place. The roaming hordes of monsters don’t help, either. Governments are too focused on securing the portals and guarding the large population centers, leaving rural areas to fend for themselves. Or hire people to protect them.

Fairy Punk

The mana levels have stabilized, the portals secured through treaties and trade agreements, and the monsters mostly purged. Research and development of magitech has led to a new renaissance for both worlds. A new era of peace. Sort of.

90 72. Comfy Modern Fantasy Life

“The magic had started to degrade, and Rosemary had slowly but surely become thoroughly, gruesomely human. And there were few things worse in this world than humans.” ― Krystal Sutherland, A Semi-Definitive List of Worst Nightmares

 Koboyashi’s Dragon Maid  Dragons and Mages  From Another World  Senko-San  All Myths Are Cute  More-Local Entities  Elf-San Wa Yaserarenai  Fantasy Immigrants  Struggle to Adapt

Adjacent to this mundane world, there is another, more fantastical realm. That’s not where you’re going. Sometimes, beings can slip from one to another, where they face challenges they are not prepared for. Like public transportation, trans-fats, sales days, and a 9-to-5. These beings struggle to survive and keep a low profile in a world they are not prepared for. The portals are fickle. Some appear and disappear, never to be seen again. Others flicker dangerously, without any pattern. A few are stable enough to allow an enterprising person to travel back and forth, as long as they watch their back. After all, it wouldn’t do for an oppressive, militaristic trans-dimensional empire to discover this haven of french fries and slurpees. Those beings intelligent enough to figure out they’ve crossed between worlds quickly realize they must hide their true nature. For some, this is easy enough to do with a hat or some sun glasses. Others who are stranded here resort to wearing face masks and hoodies at all times. Less human-looking beings like harpies, mermaids, and lamia are forced into hiding. Unfortunately, there aren’t that many truly wild places left where they could thrive. Those that are powerful enough to fit in, either through disguise or magic, still face a bevy of challenges. Learning the language, securing living conditions, finding a source of income, navigating the social interactions needed to purchase what they need. Even those that overcome these challenges are forced to contend with an unhealthy diet, lack of exercise, and omnipresent pollution. Perhaps most dangerously, this is a world with low mana, which means that powerful beings will be slow to heal, their powers replenish at a trickle, their gods are literally a world away, and most stranded here will be unable to protect themselves or act with their customary impunity. Luckily, most humans in this world have a kind heart. Lacking reasons not to, their first instinct is to help. As a result, most of the intelligent and not too monstrous dimensional refugees end up staying with a human. There is a small, loose community of those who found their way to Earth. Despite being of different races and factions, they all work together with their human hosts to make a new life here.

91 73. The Ostian Empire Knocks

“Great empires are not maintained by timidity.” ― Tacitus

“One ignored the mundane at one’s peril.” ― John Connolly, A Game of Ghosts

 Gate: Thus the JSDF was Wanked  Trans-Dimensional Imperialism  Violent Fantasy Incursion  Rome  Decadent, Slave-Dependent Empire  Corruption and Intrigue  MTG – Theros  City-States, Heroes, Monsters  Variety of Active Gods

Rome fell quickly, a total blackout that left everyone bewildered. Outside Kiev, a magical legion established a foothold and started constructing a fortress of conjured stone. Hours later, Ffawyddog, Wales was occupied. Dozens of portals formed. Frenzied dragons, legions of warrior-slaves, knights in enchanted armor, and priests blessed by actual gods poured out. They claimed lands in the name of their empire. Soon, more gates opened. Some temporary, some permanent. They thought because we had no magic, they could run roughshod over us. Artillery rained down on wolf- riding orcs, fighter jets tore through drakes, infantry mobilized to retake city centers. This retribution did not go unanswered, and escalation occurred. This is not the first time the Empire has faced opposition. Just because they don’t have guns doesn’t mean we didn’t have to worry. Just because our foe wears plate mail and believes in gods and magic does not make them primitive. Thus would begin the Portal Wars, the only recorded instance of soldiers in lorica fighting those armed with machine guns – and sometimes winning. A conflict in which gods would get involved through their priests, avatars, or even directly, and still fail to win the day. There are more than two sides to this conflict. The portals and mana differentials destabilize the membrane of reality, causing great catastrophes, unintended displacements, and releasing countless monsters. These monsters, unlike the tamed warbeasts of the Empire, happily attack both sides, or flee battlefields, into the cities or wilderness, to cause trouble another day. Although they call themselves the Empire, the different city-states worship different gods, and have different ways of waging war. Still, they are more united than the nations of Earth, which covet the military abilities showcased, and foolishly race to colonize the lands beyond the portal. They hamstring each other, and in their greed, confusion, and desperation make mistakes the Empire quickly capitalizes on. Eventually, the Portal War will lead to many discoveries, cultural exchanges, and make many worlds safer and more prosperous. But before the peace, there must be war. A jumper coming to this world arrives several months before the first imperial portal opens, and there may be harbingers of the disastrous conflict to come.

92 74. High Caliber Fantasy

“Who else is going to do this job? What do you think that classified ad would read like? 'Dangerous job fighting otherworldly beings, no pay, fame or glory. Death possible. Slobber likely. Injuries always.” ― Jaime Rush, Beyond the Darkness

 Reign of Fire  Heavily Reduced Population  Wandering Monster Threats  Traveling Mercenaries  Generic PMC (if it ever gets released)  Soldiers of Fortune  Fantasy Toggle  Generic!

The Portal War is over, and it’s hard to tell who won. Large regions of both worlds have been devastated by chemical, biological, nuclear, or magical attacks. Random bits of geography have been translocated. Mana storms, monster incursions, and strikes against population centers winnowed the population of both worlds. In the wake of such calamities, a peace agreement was reached. But the struggle is not over. Flights of wild dragons wreaking havoc, desperate refugees fleeing the burning Empire, and legions of less-than-friendly monsters remain. Now, the remaining cities of Earth are strongly defended, while rural areas are left to their own devices. Even years later, the crippled supply chain and global communications has led to the readoption of more primitive technologies. Horses are once again a common means of getting from place to place. Manual labor has replaced many automated, industrialized, or mechanized tasks. Soviet-era rifles and ammunition are suddenly in much higher demand. Guns have become an everyday part of life, widely carried as a matter of course. Threats lurk in the wilderness, and are drawn towards population centers. While larger communities draw larger swarms of monsters, they have military support. Rural areas have to make do with what they have. There aren’t just monsters out there, though. Bandits, both home-grown, and deserters from the other world, prey on convoys and lone travelers. Many have some lingering resentment over the war, and the destruction the Empire caused. In places, non-human races are discriminated against, even if they were just as much victims of the Empire’s cruelty as anyone from our world. Those seeking to immigrate to this Earth for research or business opportunities often acquire local protection and guides, if they don’t stay in the more protected cities. Those with the know-how, and no desire to return to the Empire, sometimes pick up weapons in defense of their new home. It’s not unusual to see a harpy with a kalashnikov, or a dark elf with an SMG. The less said about how quickly dwarves fell in love with the gun, the better. Together with local boys and gals, they play an important role in keeping people with few other options safe. This is how the adventurer was introduced to Earth. Bands of armed vagrants, traveling the land, looking for things to kill and people to protect. A mish-mash of technology and magic, wielded by fools and madmen, in the defense of the innocent – or at least for a paycheck. See Also: /k/’s Fantasy Apocalypse

93 75. Fairy Punk

“When a Dragon, an Elf, and a Human walk into a bar, the Human is always going to be the punch line.” ― Bryan Fields, Dragon's Luck: The Dragonbound Chronicles

 Artemis Fowl  Humans Lose Technological Edge  Supernatural Beings Have Magical Advantage  Shadowrun  Violent Corporate Espionage  Blending of Magic and Technology  Fantasy Races, Sci-Fi Setting  GURPS Technomancer  Lingering Catastrophic Effects  Fantasy Races, Curses, Magic

After the mana levels equalized, and the portals collapsed, the world was nearly indistinguishable from its former self. Except that entire coastlines changed in the great displacement, mana determined biomes as much as – if not more than – climate, and humans were no longer the sole dominant race. A century after the rifts closed, with concerted effort, the mysteries of mana have finally been cracked. Sort of. Magitech is now a booming business, supported by leylines, dwarven runesmiths, and elvish enchanters. Combined with human science and computing from before the invasion, modern conveniences have been recreated. Why stop there? New innovations have been made possible through the use of complex artificial spirits, and intent-based will-responsive magics. A fantastic techno-dystopia has spring from the ashes and the dust. within a rainy, neon-lit jungle of concrete and corporate backstabbing. There’s just more to watch out for. Like troll hacker-wizards, mohawked goblins, and pixie street samurai. The internet, now the aetherweb, stretches not just across continents, but between worlds, as scrying orbs have been repurposed into signal repeaters. Computer glitches are just as likely to be caused by an infestation of angry ghosts as more digital virii. The first enclaves that formed during the Ostian invasion have maintained their supremacy – for the most part. But new metropolises are rising, seemingly overnight. Dungeon towns that sprung up to house adventurer parties and defense forces have become centers of industry. So close to the mana wells, they can draw on an effectively limitless pool of energy. This has led to a brain drain that has quickly seen the growth of the largest new civilization centers stalled, as city planners learned to build around the twisted areas of dungeon-space. Now the overflowing mana is converted into more mundane electricity, distributed directly through huge lead-coated pipes, or used locally in the creation of magitech. Orcs and half-elves commute together on levitating trains. A gnome releases pixies into an apartment block so he can sell his pest-control services. A hacker and spiritualist use a necromantic phishing attack to steal user data. A gang war has broken out between the South side harpies and the enforcers of the red dragon that owns the intimidating skyscraper of polished gold and obsidian in the middle of town. The world is more fantastic, and more mundane, than ever.

94 16.16. SilverSilver BulletsBullets††

“Monsters shape the world. Monsters force us to become stronger, smarter, better. They sift the weak from the strong and provide a forge for the steeling of souls. Even as we curse monsters, we admire them. Seek to become them, in some ways." ― Jim Butcher, Ghost Story

“We took the path that led others nowhere and only we saw the light at the end of the tunnel. They warned us about the monsters we would encounter, the odds that we would meet. And they laughed when we got the scars while fighting the dragons on our way. When we came back out of the tunnel, holding the sword that they always craved for tightly in our hand. Bleeding and the sun shining on our face. We became the tales they wanted to be. We became the reflections of what they always wanted to see themselves through. We became the warriors they had always imagined of.” ― Akshay Vasu

Mankind has long faced monsters from the darkness. They hunt, and kill, and slip away again. Remind us of our mortality. But sometimes we remind them that they too, can bleed. Mankind’s assets are teamwork and technology, and the teamwork is sometimes iffy. But people see the need to improve, developing tactics and technology to combat a monstrous threat. They create organizations, share information and resources. So that when the monsters knock at our doors, we can knock back.

The Swiftly Rising Night

In tiny hamlets off the major roads, in the twisting alleys of crowded cities, in the ruins of ancient castles – they lie in wait, twisted and deadly reminders of how close humanity dwells to the shadow of damnation. Their existence has become so undeniable that even the Crown has put out a call for monster hunters.

Dust and Nightmares

New opportunities in new lands. That was the promise. They never said anything about the monsters. Stirred up by those iron tracks they’re putting down, drawn in by all that cattle moving back and forth, now that the buffalo is gone. And nobody’s gonna listen to some indian about sacred land, and angry spirits.

Extranormal Forces

Conspiracy theorists deny that monsters even exist, claiming the Bureau is government boondoggle. With bureaucrats being especially susceptible to corruption, they aren’t exactly wrong. That’s why independent operators and specialists exist in the private sector. Less overhead, better results. Tools improve, threats grow, and the stakes rise. Preventing the end of the world is a full time job. With benefits.

To War With Hell

That guy with the sign at the corner was right. The end of the world is upon us. Raining fire, seas turned to blood, plagues and famine. Demons and eldritch things popping up everywhere. The whole nine yards. Didn’t see any angels or hear any trumpets, though. Whether or not this is the end, we go down swinging.

95 76. The Swiftly Rising Night

“But I find it necessary to repeat in this particular place that the division into classes, which is so salient a part of modern demonology, had, and has, little significance for primitive man or for the peasant in a comparatively low state of mental development. To such people, spirits of all kinds – fairies, the ghosts of the dead, and even witches and water-kelpies – are all creatures of the supernatural class between which he scarcely differentiates.” ― Lewis Spence, British Fairy Origins

 Van Hellsing  Monster with Human Faces  Inventions  Penny Dreadful  All Victorian Monsters Are Realistic  Occult Affairs Almost Always End Poorly  Darkest Dungeon  Eldritch Horror and Monsters in Abandoned Places  Adventurers, Fools, Zealots, and Madmen

It’s the late 1700s, and the forests of Europe are dwindling. All the things that used to make their home in the dark and lonely places are coming out. Other monsters, hidden among society, are becoming bolder, as the clout of the faithful wane in an age of enlightenment. They are not unopposed, however. The crown has taken note of these attacks, and is not amused. The position of royal witch-finder is quietly reinstated. Men set out, armed with knowledge from the church, to find these monsters and destroy them. Equipped with armor, weapons, and training, they set out. Investigating the strange happenings, mysterious deaths, and eerie events that plague the land. What they find is old ruins and local legends, fairy mounds disturbed, sacred woods cut down, and monsters that return to human when they are killed. Possessed men and women that wreak havoc, but leave no evidence of the supernatural after their death. Very rarely, they’ll find some curious malformed thing that eats goats and sheep, or a pale and twisted thing that lives in the town well. When these brave men find something more, stumbling on ancient plots and real monsters, they often don’t return. They venture into crypts of vampires, and do not emerge. They find a library in a ruin, and decide to stay there, descending into the same madness that brought the former inhabitants low. Some, however, are successful. They bring back evidence of the things that lurk. They report what worked, and what did not. They become notorious either as heroes or liars. Often they go missing shortly after, perhaps continuing their work in secret, or killed by some more ancient and capable conspiracy. Other heroes, not sponsored by church or crown, are hired by private individuals to secure their safety, satisfy their curiosity, or reclaim some lost inheritance. They delve into ruins and woods and caves, chasing rumors and legends, kidnapped victims, redemption, the promise of gold, or answers. See Also: The Vvitch.

96 77. Dust and Nightmares

“I was the hunter when the world was dark. When you could smell the men, the food, the unwashed bodies for miles. There was no challenge to finding them, alone in a wood, hunting their own quarry. Their flesh and sweat teasing our nostrils in the dusk. They were easy prey.” ― Laura Diaz de Arce, Monstrosity

 Red Dead Redemption/Undead Nightmare  Rootin’, Tootin’, Six Gun Shootin’  Undead, Other Supernatural  Dread Nation  Civil War Risen Dead  Colorful Characters  WeirdWildWest  Generic!  Generic Western  Generic!

It’s the 1850s, and West of the Mississippi is a land of tall-tales and possibility. Maybe it’s the curse laid down during the Indian Wars, or all those fellas who died during the civil war, but things are a bit queer. Expect a few goat-suckers, a jackalope or two, and a whole lot of undead soldiers. However, Samuel Colt had his way, and men are no longer such easy prey. With a six gun in hand, there’s not a lot a man can’t make bleed. Killing might be a different matter for a lot of beasties, but some hot lead is usually enough to convince something sinister to move along. Even better if you have a blessed Bowie knife, or were smart enough to engrave little crosses on your bullets. One of the things that won’t be deterred by some new holes is the risen dead. Civil war soldiers, pilgrims, cowboys, and Indians have been popping up from battlefields and massacred towns in large numbers. And they only go down if the head, or sometimes heart, is destroyed or removed. They’re not very fast, but they’re cleverer, tougher, and stronger than they look. Some enterprising individuals have decided to set up shop and study all the weirdness happening out west. Somebody even hooked up some zombies to a giant wheel to pump water. ‘Course, as they experiment and investigate, things inevitably goes wrong, and somebody has to put things right. Some people think “putting things right” means proselytizing and missionary work. They’ll move in, tell the Indians all about Christ, and then go do something stupid like build a church on a burial mound or drink from a sacred spring. Then they have worse to worry about than getting a few arrows lodged in them. In light of all these terrible messes popping up, and seeing how it’s impacting the completion of the transcontinental railroad and disrupting cattle herds and such, the government has decided to step in. Because that always works so well. Now there’s a Bureau of Supernatural Affairs, operating ostensibly under the US Marshals, but with quite a few broad powers. And they all have shiny revolvers.

97 78. Extranormal Forces

“But, with time, one has encountered many of the monsters, and one is increasingly less terrified of those still to be met.” ― Kay Redfield Jamison, An Unquiet Mind: A Memoir of Moods and Madness

“A monster that refused, sometimes, to behave like a monster. When a monster stopped behaving like a monster, did it stop being a monster? Did it become something else?” ― Kristin Cashore, Graceling

 F.E.A.R.  Dedicated Paranormal Research and Response  Military and Corporate Supernatural Meddling  Hellboy  Government Agency  Not All Monsters are Monstrous  GURPS Monster Hunter  Variety of Motivations  Sort of Generic!  Constantine  Demonic Possession  Prophecies and Seals

It’s the turn of the millennium, and the world continues to turn. The existence of the supernatural is now established fact. Even if most people don’t know anything other than to call the government number when they see a ghost in a graveyard, a witch in the woods, or their dog gets stolen by the vampires living in the abandoned mine outside of town. These events are so rare, however, that there are conspiracy theorists who think it’s all made up so the government can hide where the money really goes. Indeed, the government task force is a bit of a boondoggle. They’re often under-trained, under-equipped, and under-staffed. The private contractors snap up all the good operators, have the best supernatural experts on speed-dial, and thanks to that law the hippies passed in the 70s, they even have supernatural entities working directly for them, more often than not. Some practitioners and the rare beings that might be traditionally considered a “monster”, can find legitimate work using their talents. Most will look at them and see dangerous freaks, for the most part. The government can’t be seen employing the enemy! Which is why so few supernatural entities and sorcerers work for Uncle Sam. Private groups, more concerned with getting the job done, are happy to hire them. Technology and tactics are developed through trial and error in the field. Dedicated research and comprehensive records. Companies often even pay each other for sanitized mission records and lab results, which the government is prohibited from making public. Almost like somebody is trying to hamstring the largest military on Earth. No wonder that so many turn to the private field – they get results. It’s been about two thousand years since the supposed birth and death of Christ – or maybe that ancient Aztec calendar was right. Either way, things seem to be heating up. More and more monsters appearing, more demonic entities detected, more eerie shit and prophecies from seers. It’s a bit ominous and unsettling, even for the badass ex-military paranormal PMCs who go chupacraba hunting for fun.

98 79. To War With Hell

“And even if the world lies in ruin [..] I'll carry on killing monsters in the ruins of this world until some monster kills me. That is my fate, my reason, my life and my attitude to the world. And it is not what I chose. It was chosen for me.” ― Andrzej Sapkowski, Krew Elfów

 Doom  Demons, Undead, Portals to Hell  High-Tech Demon-Busting  Hellgate: London  Hell Comes to Earth, Also Eldritch Entities, Undead  Various Factions Band Together to Fight

One of those prophecies about the end of the world must have been true. The apocalypse has come, and not gone, but lingered on. The afterlife, or something very like it, is real. And it’s not the good place. Perhaps the collective unconscious of the human race, the source or result of all human suffering. Some madmen poked a hole into it, and loosed it into the world. But that’s old news. That place of fire, darkness, madness, and suffering infringes upon the material world, and has been for the past couple of decades. The things that come from that damned place have been opening doors between there and here, and we just helped them along. Now, enough things that were in there are over here, and they want to make this world another home. So there are hell demons, marauding around London. Anything dead seems to be reanimating spontaneously. Weirder, more eldritch things are making an appearance. Old monsters made a return in the chaos. And what works to drive off or kill one sort of evil is less than effective against others. Mankind is besieged by spectral, infernal, undead, and spiritual enemies. Things for which we have no name, and no mythos to refer to for answers. But as sudden as the invasion might have been, it was foreseen. The Templars, among other groups, have long been preparing for what they called the final battle. Extensive underground fortress monasteries, converted subway tunnels, armories beneath every cathedral in the world. Holy soldiers, clad in blessed plate, and wielding the best weapons mankind has ever crafted. They may not be enough. And so they turn to the thaumaturges whose strength has waxed with the changing of the millennium. They explore the secrets of demons and eldritch things, to use their powers for the good of humanity. Alongside normal people who decided to fight back with guns and grenades. Scavengers, engineers, and rangers who refused to give up. Every second the gates are open to hell – and other places – the world is irrevocably corrupted. Even if all the demons were killed today, the infernal essence would taint the soil and air for generations. The spectral ichor of every tentacled horror slain opens the door for new horrors. With so many killed in the initial days, it’s not sure the barriers of life and death can ever be repaired. Still, what choice does humanity have? They must fight, or admit destruction. Even if it’s impossible, even in the face of Armageddon, mankind struggles. To survive, to kill the greatest enemy, to close the portals, and save the world.

99 17.17. TheThe LongLong WarWar††

“There is no instance of a nation benefiting from prolonged warfare.” ― Sun Tzu, The Art of War

Man is the facilitator of the ultimate expression of violence. Other creatures may fight, even take part in battles between one another. But only mankind has made an art of death. Only one species wages war. Certainly, we seem to have made the killing of our own species something of a goal. This world focuses on the different ways violence can be committed, as a conflict spirals out of control and never seems to end. Technology and society have advanced, changing war for the worst. The tools and methods may become more advanced, attitudes may change, and the sides may be flexible, but mankind continues to march to an eternal battle drum.

Amid the Tumult

The Great War began in 1910, and has been fought, on-and-off, for the past 20 years. As a five year ceasefire ends without a diplomatic resolution, the two great alliances eye each other over disputed borders. Searching for weakness. Weighing the pros and cons of starting up the meat grinder again.

An Evolution of Conflict

The tools of war have allowed humans reach beyond their grasp. Spider-legged tanks with laser canons, jet-packs, rumors of cloning vats and psychic programs. War is certainly changing. One never knows what might make an appearance on the battlefield.

War in Heaven

Both sides in the conflict, starving for resources and a strategic edge, have decided to seize the highest ground there is: space. Unfortunately, rather than a decisive end to a century-long war, this has only spread the conflict to the rest of the solar system, as colonies and space stations become battlegrounds.

Titanomachy

Distant worlds have decided to break ties, switch sides, even declare for neutrality – an insane proposition. Now there are countless factions – which larger groups seek to exploit, conquer, or destroy. Massive titans, legions of armored infantry, and swarms of space fighters enter the scene.

Bitter Means to Bitter Ends

The constant fighting has exhausted the human race. In the former empires now ground into dust, those that stayed behind continue the fight in ruined city-worlds. Millions ran to escape the violence, forming far-distant colonies, some even coming into contact with aliens. Now they return.

100 80. Amid the Tumult

“I am young, I am twenty years old; yet I know nothing of life but despair, death, fear, and fatuous superficiality cast over an abyss of sorrow. I see how peoples are set against one another, and in silence, unknowingly, foolishly, obediently, innocently slay one another.” ― Erich Maria Remarque, All Quiet on the Western Front

 Inglourius Basterds  Western Front  Natzis  Red Orchestra  Eastern Front  Commies  Generation Kill  Timeless Military Antics  A Band of Dysfunctional Brothers  WW2 (WIP)  Generic!

It’s 1920, and a generation of young men are suffering the horrors of trench warfare. Artillery pounds the trenches at all hours of the day. Planes roar overhead, and nobody can tell through the choking clouds of gas whether they’re friend or foe. Disease is killing just as many soldiers as bullets and shrapnel. This decade-long torture isn’t the war they were promised, but it’s the one they’re stuck in. These young men are fighting over land, after one country invaded another. They had a treaty or agreement with one of those countries, and so now an entire generation gets to defend the honor of an ally. There might be some grumbling that they’re fighting on the wrong side, or that they shouldn’t be 2000 miles from home, killing folks shipped in from just as far away. Many hope this will be the last foreign war. Unfortunately, this is just the last plausibly moral war. New tanks, planes, mobile artillery, and naval forces are making their debut, promising a faster end to the war. Some say that machine guns and other developments take all the honor out of war. How can a man kill another with the pull of a trigger from 500 yards away and not feel removed from the violence? But any new the technology or tactic is useless in the hands of inflexible hidebound commanders that were raised on classical infantry and cavalry theory. They dispatch orders from the rear, ordering one useless charge across the blood-soaked hell after another. And it’s the infantry that dies, slogging through corpse-strewn mud. Even though the casus belli is legitimate, that doesn’t mean chivalry is upheld. Soldiers who have lived through the nightmares of the front lines inflict the horror on those that brought them to this forsaken place. Prisoners of war are tortured or executed, surrendering civilians made examples of, cities deliberately targeted. Despite the darkness, there is still light. Small moments of levity, hysterical laughter to ward off the dread that permeates every day. Everyone is hoping for peace, after all. So it’s a shocking breach when the Christmas truce – the only day of the year that saw the two sides mingle face-to-face, instead of from behind a gun – is broken. And so the war resumes, more brutal and unforgiving than ever, and the promise of peace is lost in the hearts of men.

101 81. An Evolution of Conflict

“You ask, what is our aim? I can answer in one word. It is victory, victory at all costs, victory in spite of all terror, victory, however long and hard the road may be; for without victory, there is no survival.” ― Winston Churchill

 G.I. Joe  Small Squads of Well-Equipped Soldiers  Patriotism and Propoganda  Red Alert  Same Enemies, New Weapons  Super-Technology  Metal Gear  Weapons to Change the Nature of War  Genetic Manipulation  Wolfenstein  More Nazis  Unlikely Weapons

Not content with the methods of dealing death at their disposal, the powers of the world have reached beyond their grasp. Throwing money at research to create new ways of waging war against one another. New machines. New humans. They’ve found out how to keep the wars going, and profit off them, too. It seems like at least twice a decade, every nation participates or is the unfortunate host of some revolution, peace-keeping operation, civil war, or revolution. And it seems like one of the major powers is always involved, usually in a military capacity. They always make sure to propagandize things to their citizens, to keep them eager for the next conflict. They wouldn’t want their own populace to become dissatisfied with the state of affairs. In reality, there are economic, political, and game theory motivations behind the decisions of the major powers. It benefits them to keep certain parts of the world under constant conflict. Keeps certain prices down, and markets open. Reduces the surplus population, and ensures there’s always a handy political puppet on hand. And live field conditions for testing the newest weapons in their arsenals. With all the money being earned and spent, keeping the world at war, there’s been a weapons research bonanza. Everything from basic research to advanced engineering applications have pushed development farther and faster than ever before. With no cold war and no space race, the public’s imagination was instead captured by laser tanks, missile-spewing APCs, and VTOL fighter jets. Even ”forbidden” areas of science, such as human cloning and mental manipulation, are the subject of experimentation. By now, people are desensitized to wars happening, as long as they don’t occur at home. One could even say the idea of being the world police is glorified. In this case, every major power goes to great effort to portray themselves as such to their people. To make them believe their military adventurism is not only morally justified, but heroic, and necessary. It has been said that war never changes. This is only true in some ways. This commercialization of war – an eternally marketed and deliberate war – might be something new.

102 82. War in Heaven

“Any Earth Alliance military personnel who, whether through affirmative acts or by inaction, assist these seditionists are guilty of treason and will be held accountable. To all present military personnel: you have five minutes to respond accordingly.” ― G.S. Jennsen, Apogee

 Killzone  Bitter Enemies  Planetary Colonization Goes Bad  Red Faction  Interplanetary Colonial Oppression  Uprisings and Guerrilla Warfare  Call of Duty – Infinite Warfare  Disenfranchised Space Colonies  Interplanetary Special Ops

After centuries of war on Earth, the back-and-forth of competing hegemons has finally ended. However, this has left quite a few people unhappy with how things have turned out, and the planet has suffered just as much as the people. And so mankind begins to look towards the skies. The constant conflict led to technological marvels, practice designing megastructures, and a lot of experience with rapid rebuilding. This has made the construction of a space elevator much easier than one might think. Now space is much closer, and economically viable. The constant wars have left the Earth’s natural resources stretched thin. The deployment of super- weapons has left the biosphere teetering on the precipice of oblivion. Without the constant casualties, the population is skyrocketing, and manufacturing cannot keep up with demand without irreparable pollution. The solution, of course, is to send the defeated away, to toil on other planets for the profit of the victors. If there’s no more readily accessible iron or iridium on Earth, they will seek it from Mars, from asteroids, from Venus. If a factory would release some toxin, then building on one of these colonies would solve the problem. And so the solar system was colonized. Not for scientific or idealistic reasons, but for economic ones. There are political reasons too, sending prisoners of war and the disaffected to toil in the mines and factories provides a cheap source of labor. OSHA and the EPA don’t operate in space, either, which is a major boon to the corporations. Exploited and oppressed, some colonies have struggled to achieve independence. But if there’s one thing the governments of Earth have experience with, it’s putting down revolutions. Some colonies might have freed themselves, but they have to know that an answer is coming. They might have the high ground, but the colonies lack the sheer manufacturing and manpower that would allow them to wage war on their oppressors. Unless, that is, they start freeing other colonies. And so the wars begin anew.

103 83. Titanomachy

“Two things I don’t lie about; giant robots and sex.” ― Chris Kennedy, Alabaster Noon

 Battletech  Mech Warrior Culture  Space Nobility  Armored Core  Fighting Modular Robots  Mercenaries and Merc Companies  Titanfall  Small Mechs  Bevy of Inhabitable Worlds

The colonies are finally reunited, and the Solar System is at peace. Mankind has even expanded beyond it, to the nearest star systems. Long ago, generation and cryo ships traveled there, after the conditions for life were found, terraforming probes were launched, and the hopeful volunteers enlisted. Now those ships have landed, and tensions arise about just who controls these distant planets. Apparently not having learned from the past, this is another war in heaven. This one, however, is on a larger scale, and Earth itself is no longer as important as the political groups that encompass it. Dynasties have arisen among the stars, grudges and alliances formed in the past centuries driving the conflict on. These battles are fought over not just colony worlds and their production capacity, but for the original technology developed there. For the population resources they provide. For the trade routes these worlds make profitable and possible. This isn’t a new war, exactly. If anything, it resembles the medieval squabbles, but fought with weapons that seize the imagination and refuse to let go. A new kind of soldier is arising – a new kind of knight, with armor taller than a building, and a population dedicated to maintaining their martial strength. A warrior-nobility concerned with honor and valor that forms a neo-feudalism among the stars. There are also mercenary companies that live out of interstellar transport ships, traveling from battle to battle with their giant robots and family. There’s just as much politicking as those ancient days, too. Just on a much larger scale. Betrayals of entire planets. Marriage allegiances that tie together entire star systems. Routes and military blunders that might see fewer dead levied peasants, but more lost in terms of capital, resources, and collateral damage. These people have lost sight of the social progress that space promised. The chance at being free and living in peace has been discarded, in favor of celebrating the military achievement of famous pilots, nobles that ride into battle in a multi-ton war machine, and famous mercenary commanders who lead their men into battle after battle from the front lines. This isn’t helped by the relative distance between societies. A single company now holds the secrets of instantaneous communication, and those who cannot afford their prices must rely on relatively slow couriers. Even in FTL ships, it can take months for letters to make their way across the systems. This isolation means the spread of ideas has stopped, and technologies have begun to be lost. The end of progress is approaching. But in this war-torn universe, that might be a good thing.

104 84. Bitter Means to Bitter Ends

“No one won the last war, and no one will win the next war.” ― Eleanor Roosevelt

 Gone With The Blastwave  Eternal War With Forgotten Objectives  Lifeless Wasteland of a Ruined City  Infinity  Post-Humans  Many Factions  Generic Post Apocalypse  Broken Society  Mutations

Hundreds of years have passed. The squabbles that tore the systems apart have come to a close, and not through peace. Massive weapons have destroyed much of the interstellar travel infrastructure. Humanity’s disparate factions are crippled, cut off from larger hyperlanes, and rely on relics of a past age, since the knowledge has long been lost. But the violence the wars inspired continues, in the ruins of a prize nobody could claim in the end. The broken worlds that once housed massive populations, enormous manufacturing capacity, and wonders of nature or engineering have been ruined by centuries of fighting. Stellar empires, now no more than dust, have ravaged hundreds of worlds with nuclear fire, mutagens, and other weapons of which we can scarcely dream. Poor souls live among the wreckage, and the descendants of both sides, now indistinguishable from one another, still fight each other for forgotten reasons. Only distinguished from one another by half- remembered heraldry of fallen empires. Advanced technology sits unused, buried in the rubble as factions fighting for control of a blasted wasteland. Brawling with one another for power stations, water purification plants, and defunct factories, because that’s what they know how to do. Far from the conflicts that plagued the inner systems, some of mankind has changed – but have not become more peaceful. Countless refugees chose to fled into the dark, unexplored stars far from humanity’s senseless war. Now they return. Changed by the centuries, in their own ways. Some are clearly human, others transhumans captained by artificial intelligences. Others so warped by alien influence as to be unrecognizable. Human minds uploaded into monstrous machines. Twisted flesh that no longer resembles anything that was born on ancient Earth. As they appear, some wonder if they are under attack by aliens, or demons. They all see a chance to fulfill some mission of their ancestors – to seize their homelands, to enact peace, to destroy some ancient enemy. Their goals are myriad, and their technologies are much different from the remnants after centuries of senseless degradation. The only saving grace for any is that they all have new foes to fight against. And so the war continues. Without the possibility of a victor, or an end.

105 18.18. VisionsVisions ofof DystopiaDystopia

dystopia (countable and uncountable, plural dystopia or dystopias) 1. A vision of a future that is a corrupted (usually beyond recognition) utopian society. 2. A miserable, dysfunctional state or society that has a very poor standard of living. 3. (pathology) Anatomical tissue that is not found in its usual place.

These are Earth-like worlds, but unlike others, one should hope they don’t feel at home here. These are worlds where things have gone disastrously wrong, and not because of some vaguery of fate or chance occurrence. No, these worlds feature societies of humans which have, for one reason or another, seen fit to create their own hell to live in. Prepare to be an outsider in the crowd. These are people with very different views on what is an acceptable level of government oversight. Freedom is a foreign ideal or a forgotten concept. At worst, liberty is equated to evil. Someone with a broad mind, widely traveled, and with a wealth of experience can expect to find themselves chafing under the restrictive nature of these places. Should one find themselves in such a world, they might find it worthwhile to wonder how things came to be this way. Is the state of things self-sustaining, or imposed? What keeps the people in line, and what brought them to the line in the first place? Or they might decide it doesn’t matter how things came to be, and it’s their job to set things right. However, there might be benefits to the way things are done here that are not obvious if one immediately jumps to dismantling the system. If generations have lived and died in this way, is there something to be learned? If the society is dysfunctional, why hasn’t it been replaced? Whether a single person can change the course of history shall be taken for granted, in the case of an experienced jumper. Instead, it becomes a question of practicalities. But should a jumper finds themselves in these place shortly after their journey begins, they may find themselves struggling to adapt and survive, rather than inflict their brand of idealism on the locals. There are philosophical questions and implications that might not matter so much, like the responsibility of the person who returns to the cave. Is freedom of thought and action worth the suffering of opening a person’s eyes to the truth? An entire society? What if they don’t want to be free? Where does the moral quandary of setting free a people who are unprepared for freedom end? A jumper who is gone cannot ensure those they saved remain so. Perhaps it is worth it to try, regardless.

106 85. Under Society’s Mask

“Society wants to believe it can identify evil people, or bad or harmful people, but it's not practical. There are no stereotypes.” ― Ted Bundy

“A society gets the criminals it deserves.” ― Val MacDermid, Killing the Shadows

 The Purge  Periodic Sanctioned Criminality  Government Conspiracies, Poor vs Rich  The Bad Batch  Lawless Territories, No Return  Undesirables: Cannibals, Druggies, Cults  Miami Hotline  Serial Killers With Masks  Orders Given, Targets Selected

Welcome to the United States, land of the free: the only nation on Earth without prisons! And just to keep things interesting, 52 days a year, there’s one state where laws don’t apply. One might think the regular lawlessness would hurt public order, but it seems to have the opposite effect. Most people, if they’re going to do something stupidly illegal, are content to wait. Each week, in one of the fifty two states, there’s a day where the law ceases to be in effect. “But there’s 52 weeks in a year”, some pedant yells. Puerto Rico and the Pacific Island Territories became recognized states in 1989, in this world. When the day approaches, most upstanding citizens have no intention of taking advantage. They bunker down in their homes (usually with a gun close at hand), or travel to the next state over for the duration. There’s always a traffic jam at the border, or some people who can’t afford the trip, or some idiots who start making trouble in the wrong state by accident. The poor who use this as an opportunity to enrich themselves often end up gunned down by convenience store rooftop Koreans. Those with more twisted aspirations will wear masks to prevent retaliation, or uncomfortable encounters in the year to come. Some become addicted to the violence, and become full- time tourists who travel from state to state, to catch every Exception day. The rationale behind the day of legal exception is to more efficiently get crime over with, clear up the court system, and provide a social outlet for negative impulses. In reality, the government uses this as an opportunity to get rid of undesirables. Not all serial killers go to the Exclusion Zone – some become professional murderers, with targets or areas given to them before-hand. In most modern Earth-like worlds, the United States houses between 0.5 to 2.5 million inmates. This Earth, however has a United States with no incarcerated American citizens. This sounds impossible – don’t people commit crimes? Of course they do. Even outside of socially designated crime spree days. If they can’t wait until their state’s exception day (when there is no crime), most crimes just get an offender slapped with a fine. Serious and repeat offenders get dropped off into a permanently lawless exclusion zone, instead of going to jail or prison. Of course, they’re not left there to rot! There are regular deliveries of food and clothes to the mostly-empty desert. Once a person enters, they cease to be a citizen, and will be shot if they attempt to escape. Even if the court admits the accused was falsely convicted, they’re stuck. There is only one sentence: for life. 107 86. Monument to Ruin

“There is nothing else for people to do. They do not think. They feel no passion, no hatred, no sadness; they feel nothing but fear, and a desire to control. So they watch, and poke, and pry.” ― Lauren Oliver, Pandemonium

 Hunger Games  High Inequality  Segregated Society  Blood Sport  Generic Dystopia  Generic!

When sophomoric sociopolitical armchair philosophy made manifest through a vague collapse of the status quo meets advanced technology serving the cruel urges of mankind, the result is a fragile dystopia. Almost like somebody made the most stupidly evil regime ever, just so the protagonists had something to rebel against. There are strictly determined societal roles, all kept largely segregated. This district does the science stuff, this district does the manufacturing, etc. When children finish the mandatory education provided by the state, they are sorted into one of these regions. Most stay in the same district as their parents. Of course, there needs to be a ruling class that stands apart from all the trouble, living decadently at the expense of others. And there’s no way to get sorted into the Capital. Their lofty position must be maintained through technological superiority and ham-handed oppression thinly veiled by platonic allegory. The only soldiers are Capital soldiers. The only technology is Capital technology. These artificial divisions keep any one district from being self-sufficient. That’s not always enough, and so a deep-seated rivalry is inculcated. To keep the people complacent, and in line, a death sport between different sections of the population is regularly aired. To keep the people complacent and hopeful, those who volunteer and win get to move to a better district. Those who lose, die. Of course, the pool of contenders is seeded with criminals, rebels, and “Unselected” - those who live outside the tyrannical regime. They are always depicted as bloodthirsty savages, who hate the society and everyone who lives in it, because they are the children of those who didn’t fit into it. Despite the flagrant abuses of power and idiotic engendering of resentment, this all seems to work out. However, the ruling class is universally obsessed with petty distractions, and grows increasingly incompetent and delusional every generation. There’s little preventing open rebellion except armed force. And there is a rebellion in the works. The nation’s leaders are so incompetent that they have failed to even establish a controlled opposition. Unfortunately, the would-be rebels aren’t much better. The secret resistance has a plan that will totally work, they just need somebody as kind as they are beautiful and strong to lead them, and show everyone that things can be better. See Also: Divergent, other poorly thought out YA Dystopias.

108 87. Ethics Waivers

“Even in the private institutions uptown you can see a show just like this: there is nothing as disgusting as an obese cadaver in which all the futile pleasures of many years finally arise to fill it full-blown with stinking rotten gases. The city is burning and under siege. And we are in a war in which everyone is killed and no one is remembered." ― Mark Helprin, Winter's Tale

 Katawa Shoujo  Crippled Kids  Boarding School  Repo: The Genetic Opera  Pollution, Disease, Corporate Feudalism  Replacement Organs  Deus Ex+Human Revolution  Augmentation, Conspiracies  Widening Social Disparity  Generic Cyberpunk (WIP, Worm)  Generic!

This is a world stuck in the early days of human augmentation. The medical science of prosthetics, gene mods, and cloned replacements is fairly well developed, but there’s little chance of things progressing, because there’s no economic incentive for improvement. This is a world in which “planned obsolescence” is not just a business model, it’s life and death. The corporations have used their influence to grow, like a cancer, in the society they were meant to enrich. Now the megacorps aren’t just people – they own people. Parts of people, to be technical: the replacement limbs and organs parts that are necessary for living. In practice, this means they control who lives and dies, since they can repossess their property at any time. Most everyone has been “upgraded”. The alternative is dying to the cancers, chronic conditions, and birth defects that result from the omnipresent toxic smog. When somebody misses a payment, they can either experience the wonderful world of wage garnishing, or find out what it’s like to suddenly be missing lungs. Not being able to afford a mechanical limb after an industrial accident just means you’ll have to take out a loan. The alternative is starving to death in the gutter. Of course the general populace isn’t too happy about the state of things. Most are resigned to a life of drudgery and endless medical stop-gaps to keep from dying. That doesn’t mean there isn’t mass social unrest. The obvious income and quality of life discrepancies provides ample justification for violence. It’s just often misdirected. Protesters who get caught vandalizing a clinic, might lose their premium apartment subscription, or their heart implant not serviced. Those who dare to direct their anger at the true corporate masters end up harvested. This is a corporate neo-feudalist state. Those with the intention and capability of effecting real change – the paranoid radical openware whitehat hackers and modders that fight the system – catch bullets with their torsos, or just go missing. The fastest way to get ahead is to throw oneself fully on the mercy of the corporate overlords. That’s why there’s the private education system gives out scholarships and medical treatment – in exchange for extensive research rights to the student body.

109 88. Milquetoast Totalitarian Anarchy

“There's no way to rule innocent men. The only power any government has is the power to crack down on criminals. Well, when there aren't enough criminals, one makes them. One declares so many things to be a crime that it becomes impossible for men to live without breaking laws.” ― Ayn Rand

 Dredd  Judge, Jury, Executioner  Iso Cubes  Demolition Man  Freedom vs Safety, Meat Popsicles  Walled City in a Wasteland  Transmetropolitan  Decadence and Apathy  Casual Violence  Wall-E  Pampered Humans  AI Management

Outside the walls is an intensely inhospitable ecological disaster zone. There may be people living out there, but they are mutants, bandits, cannibals, and criminal scum. The rest of mankind lives within the enclaves of hyper-advanced technology known as the Megacity. A relatively small and over-populated oasis. Peace and prosperity is ensured through the Algorithm, and enforced by fanatical Lawmen. Actually, for those that can abide the tyrannical laws against stuff like vandalizing the robotic mechanisms that keep the Algorithm flowing, it’s not too bad. You should probably keep a gun handy, though – as long as it’s a legal model, and you have the proper certification. There is an awful lot of violence, and the Lawmen can’t be everywhere at once. Fortunately, it’s fairly easy to establish self-defense claims since the whole city is surveilled. If one does commit a crime, they can expect little leniency. There’s no public defender, and the prosecutor is an all-knowing AI. If a Lawman isn’t sent to spatter brains on the street, it’s to pick up a criminal for processing. That means getting stuck in deep cryo-freeze for a decade or two while the perp’s brain chemistry gets adjusted and a whole lot of subliminal reeducation. Everything is provided to the Megacity citizens. Food, water, air, living accommodations. Beyond that, people need to work, or find some other way to leech off society. Drug-dealers, fetishist enablers, life- streamers, and religious cults of every kind also call this place home. Most of the inhabitants see this as a big win. The majority of drugs aren’t criminalized, fetishes are quietly ignored by those that don’t share them, and the tech-heads and religious loonies usually aren’t hurting anyone. Life here tends to be fast and hard. Hard drugs, hardcore sex, and no time to slow down. The omnipresent net means that social trends come and go faster than is possible to track. Those that find a niche they like just stick with it and find the people they connect with. There are a billion people in the city, after all – there’s gotta be somebody into the same weird stuff. See Also: Brave New World, Idiocracy, Sinister & Dexter.

110 89. Leviathan Manifest

“Totalitarianism is not only hell, but all the dream of paradise-- the age-old dream of a world where everybody would live in harmony, united by a single common will and faith, without secrets from one another.” ― Milan Kundera, The Book of Laughter and Forgetting

 1984  Thoughtcrime  Total Surveillance  V for Vendetta  Fascist Big Brother  Disease and Starvation  Equilibrium  Mood-Altering Drugs  Supercops & Gun-Kata  Watch_Dogs 2  Tyranny of Big Data  Information Warfare

As strong as the desire for freedom is, something in the human psyche cries out for an unassailable authority, cold, cruel, demanding of total obedience. Bureaucracy at it’s best – and worst. The State. The State is everything. It is mother, it is father, it is brother, friend, priest, and God. To think otherwise is treasonous folly and sin and betrayal. Generations ago, a fascist group came into power. First they came for the X, then they came for the Y, then they stopped coming for people in the day, and now everybody is told X and Y never existed. Now there is only The State. And if a person isn’t a member of The State, they’re not really a person, are they? The State gives its citizens all they need. If you feel like you need something more, there must be something Un-State about you. The State broadcasts and daily papers will remind you what it means to be a Good State Citizen. If you are not a Good State Citizen, don’t worry. Someone will see, and tell The State. Maybe the watchful eyes of The State itself will see you. The State is perfect, and cannot make mistakes. There is a form and filing procedure for everything. For every mistake a person makes, for every sin, for every thing, there is a protocol. Sometimes that protocol is recursive, or cyclical, or nonsensical, or you think refers to things that are impossible or do not exist. In such an event, file the form you have not been handed with the clerk that sits behind the desk behind that locked door, between the hours of 1 AM and 12:30AM. Remember to obey the curfew. If the will is strong, and imagination free, there is nothing they can do to stop a man. No number of thugs, of black-masked and armored police, no spies or investigators can stop a man with liberty and individuality in his heart. That is why they send a friend. An accomplice. An ally. And any paragon of man will be lead to the red room, where they will be broken. Because that is how the State likes it’s citizens. Broken, so they can be reformed. Endlessly broken, every day, in small ways, so that they forget what it means to be whole, and free, and without the State. Because the State is more than a collection of men, it is an idea, a compulsion. The State has always existed, in the hearts of men.

111 19.19. XenocideXenocide††

“A species that is more intelligent and advanced than us will have nothing like a moral value system for sure.” ― Rajesh, Random Cosmos

“You have absolutely no idea how close humanity came to annihilation by an extraterrestrial race. Absolutely no idea.” ― A.K. Kuykendall, Imperium Heirs

Humanity has long had a violent response to “the other”. Somebody that is nobody we know. Something that is not anything we’re familiar with. That which comes from beyond the confines of our personal understanding. Is violence the only answer to such things? Yes. They want us dead or enslaved. Humans have difficulty working together, but we can, when faced with such a despicable common enemy, and the alternative to cooperation is extinction.

They Walk Among Us

You’ve probably seen them and not even known. You’re surrounded by their propaganda, their technological brainwashing, and you can’t even see it. They’re senators, congressmen, bankers, media moguls… And their purpose is undoubtedly sinister.

Invaders Must Die

That’s the conclusion humanity has come to, after the manipulations of the alien menace were revealed, and the illusion broken. Now we have to fight. Because by God we will not give up our lives, our freedom, our right to not bow before these ugly sumbitches.

Janitorial Engineer

It may not the most glamorous of job titles, but they play an important role in the maintenance of a space habitat. When you’re a long way to the nearest friendly face, a lot can go wrong out there. A lot. So be nice to the guy with the mop and the toolbox.

Open Season

On a world filled with life poached from countless planets. Some of it altered, changed, twisted. Then let loose. Sometimes, ships can be seen in the sky, entering and leaving the atmosphere. But you’re stuck here, with who knows what else.

Extinction Wars

The wars continue, even after Earth has been secured. Because it turns out most of the universe is just as xenophobic and murderous as we are! So that’s something we could bond over – if they weren’t all freaks, weirdos, or assholes who tried to kill us. 112 90. They Walk Among Us

“If, on the other hand, UFO’s are of alien origin, that implies the global elite are collaborating with an ET civilization – and this may explain why classified technology has progressed at such a rapid rate since around the time of Roswell.” ― James Morcan, The Orphan Conspiracies: 29 Conspiracy Theories from The Orphan Trilogy

 They Live  Hidden in Plain Sight via Xenotech  Top-Down Infiltration, Subliminal Cultural Destruction  Animorphs  Mind Control/Bodyjacking  Covert War, Secret Invasion  Generic Alien Invasion  Generic!

The Uncanny Valley is an instinctual response humans have to things that are not quite right. What evolutionary pressures could possibly promote such a trait? Could reptilian shape-shifters or some other alien threat have plagued our species since ancient times? Perhaps. In this world, such beings certainly exist, although, true to their nature, they are not obvious. They have infiltrated our world, and using their vast resources, turned members of the government to their side, replaced others, and killed those that got in the way of their plans. They can blend in almost perfectly. Almost. Even if their disguise can be seen through by those who know how, they are highly placed. Their control over the flow of money, information, and politicians has been cemented over generations. Now it’s all coming to a head, as their control becomes increasingly unambiguous. Despite the massive changes they’re quickly foisting upon us, their tools are still largely invisible: perceptual filters, chemical additives, radio frequencies, and subliminal messages. There’s no shortage of conspiracy theories, and people claim that they’ve been discriminated against, or had their work discredited because they got too close to “the truth”. Some of these people are clearly nutjobs – but maybe that’s because the aliens decided to make them that way, rather than shut them up for good. When the truth comes from a fool, people who think themselves wise are inclined to dismiss it. Whether or not you listen to the man on the corner rant about chemtrails, one cannot deny that there have been increasing numbers of UFO sightings in recent years. But wait – if the alien menace is already here, what are those blurry pictures of? There’s clearly more than one group of aliens at work, here. The question must be asked: what are the aliens in control of our societies doing? They’re performing mass brainwashing, genetic engineering, and cultural manipulation. Why? Maybe they want to turn us into willing slaves, or a catspaw for space politics, or they desire some quality we have that is uniquely human. How do we stop them? That’s the big question. One man with a shotgun and a pair of polarized lenses won’t do much good. They have lasers that can disintegrate a person, invisible camera drones, and direct control over nearly every mover and shaker in the world. It’d take a hero to break that hold they have over us, and there’s no telling what they’ll do should their sinister plan be revealed.

113 91. Invaders Must Die

“Hollywood movies, however, have brainwashed us into thinking that we can defeat the alien invaders if they are a few decades or centuries ahead of us in technology. Hollywood assumes that we can win by using some primitive, clever trick. In Independence Day, all we have to do is inject a simple computer virus into their operating system to bring them to their knees, as if the aliens use Microsoft Windows.” ― Michio Kaku

 X-Com  Unprepared For Alien Invasion  Psychic Potential  Legacy of the Aldenata  Political Intrigue and Backstabbing  Various Alien Factions  Generic Alien Invasion  Generic!

The alien gambit has failed. Humanity now knows they are not alone, but the stars are not as peaceful or kind as we’d hoped. As the first attacks strike major cities, people realize that Earth is going to be dragged, one way or another, into a war they are horrifically unprepared for. One with the species’ freedom and survival at stake. These aliens don’t look a whole lot like the ones that were revealed to have been manipulating events behind the scenes. They’re still ugly sumbitches, but their tech and ships aren’t nearly as good. No telling where those other ugly bastards fucked off to. Probably got scared off by these new ones. And there’s a lot of these new guys. Different kinds, some in the same ship, some not. They’ve been grabbing some people, killing others, even blowing up major cities. There’s even footage of some of them eating people. It’s complete goddamn chaos out there. And after the big reveal a few years ago, the political landscape got gutted as more and more people at the highest levels were revealed to have been working for the enemy all along. But we’re not without leadership. Heck, killing off most of the politicians might even have been helpful. Countries began sharing information and resources almost immediately after the first wave of sporadic attacks. Now they’ve set up a comprehensive response team, with global oversight and funding, and teams on every continent. They’re recruiting from every military force, the best and brightest of every race and creed. Despite the fear, despite the uncertainty, there’s a sense of determination and control over our own course. We’ll succeed or fail on our own merit, and not as some puppet. But wait, why are the aliens invading? I mean, if we’re a threat, they could end us with a simple relativistic kinetic kill vehicle. Maybe it’s not what we have that they want, but what they want, which they are prevented from accomplishing. We see handfuls of small ships at a time, in different styles – nothing like what an interstellar society is theoretically capable of. Maybe they’re being forced to “play fair” by the space UN, or maybe we’re not facing down an interstellar empire. These could be the equivalent of poachers, pirates, or hobbyist hunters. We’re a very small fish in a very big pond, and it might be a good idea to remember that. If these are the weakest and least organized of the enemies humanity could face, one has to wonder – if we overcome this obstacle, what awaits us in the future?

114 92. Janitorial Engineer

“Mankind will discover objects in space sent to us by the watchers...” ― Nostradamus

“You may live to see man-made horrors beyond your comprehension.” ― Nikola Tesla

 Alien  Bio-Engineered Killer Body Horror Hive  Stuck on a Space Ship With Monsters  Dead Space  Alien Technomagical Body and Psychological Horror  Stuck in a Space Station With Zombies  Prey  Omnicidal Nanoswarm  Stuck in a Space Station  Space Station 13  Competing Objectives Lead To Inevitable Disaster  Stuck on a Space Station With Lunatics

After the invasion was foiled, mankind decided they couldn’t sit waiting for the next one. And so, using captured alien technology, several experimental space stations were deployed. If something goes horribly, horribly wrong, it’d be better if it happened at one of Jupiter’s Lagrange point than in near-Earth orbit, or on the surface. After all, some of that alien tech is not just volatile, but actively malevolent. Being (stuck) on an experimental space station filled with (mad) scientists poking at technology and biology (they don’t understand) sounds like an excellent opportunity (to die in an exciting way). Things can go wrong in so, so many ways. And it seems like somebody wasn’t careful enough, because everything has, indeed, gone to shit. Human self-interest made a bit of a comeback, as the attacks have died down a lot. Various governments and private entities have decided that their own advancement is worth the cost of progress. Saboteurs, spies, thieves, and idiots have made their way to these space stations, much to the horror and chagrin of everyone else on board. But there aren’t just humans in the solar system any more. The planetary defense network might keep Earth safe from invasions, but the aliens can strike out these distant outposts with impunity. Expect the possibility of a boarding action. This is fairly unlikely though, as the space stations are pretty well hidden, and have a moderate defense force, anyway. The scientists here are experimenting with alien technologies and highly unstable human engineering that was deemed “too dangerous” by those fuddy-duddies back on Earth. Out here, possibly insane researchers race to get results before the next wave of invasion, or worse – their funding gets cut. A sane person on one of these death traps has two goals: stay alive, and get off. Both can be achieved by making sure experimental protocols are adhered to, keeping an eye out for saboteurs, and staying close to where the escape pods are. Also, knowing how to call a rescue shuttle, assuming they don’t get hijacked, blown up, or get lost on the way. See Also: Viscera Cleanup (Space).

115 93. Open Season

“Who would want to be the prey in a world full of hunters?” ― Alexia Purdy, Disarming

“Follow the plan until it goes to shit, and then kill everything that isn’t human.” ― Henry V. O'Neil, Live Echoes

 Aliens vs Predator/Predator  Technologically Advanced Hunters  Alien Game Reserve  James Cameron’s Avatar  Xenoecology, Valuable Resources  Are We Invaders, or Liberators  Jurassic Park  Spliced Creatures  Exhibits Run Amok

After the invasion was foiled, mankind decided they couldn’t sit waiting for the next one. And so, using captured alien technology, several experimental space ships were sent out. If we’re not alone, it’d be good to know what’s going on in the neighborhood. Unfortunately, unreliable and untested machines based on alien technology has a tendency to necessitate unexpected stops. So the crew of an experimental ship crashes on alien biosphere. What’s the worst that could happen? Even if the temperature is survivable, the life here sure seems a bit… aggressive. Everything from the plants to the very ground seems to want to devour any interlopers that set foot on this hellscape. That’s not even mentioning the hungry-looking megafauna. And there are even signs of habitation. Simple structures that look almost man-made. A few discarded examples of technology. Traps. Some of these animals look almost like they came from Earth. Add a few eyes, or replace the feathers with scales and that could be a dinosaur. It’d be one of those displays that gave kids who saw it at the museum nightmares. Other creatures seem to have crawled straight out of human nightmares – too many legs, just wrong looking anatomies, and the way the move and hunt and kill. Sooner or later, somebody (hopefully from Earth) will come looking, and if they see a distress signal, they might be able to pick the survivors up. In the meantime, maybe this accident can be looked at as an opportunity. There’s life on this planet, and plenty of research opportunities. Some resource extraction wouldn’t go amiss, either. Explore a round a bit, because this is looking more and more like a game reserve. A place where the most dangerous animals from around the universe are brought, and dumped. Some have clearly been experimented on. Some are clearly not native to this environment, and are adapting poorly. There might even be sapient species here. One must hope to avoid encountering a game warden, or worse – a hunter.

116 94. Extinction Wars

“National boundaries are not evident when we view the Earth from space. Fanatical ethnic or religious or national chauvinisms are a little difficult to maintain when we see our planet as a fragile blue crescent fading to become an inconspicuous point of light against the bastion and citadel of the stars.” ― Carl Sagan, Cosmos

 Halo  Technological Parity  Assimilating Aliens  Starship Troopers  One Earth Government, Military Fascism  Ground-Pounders vs Mobile Infantry Gods  Starcraft: Terran  War on Many Fronts  Internal Factions  Warhammer 40K Imperial Guardsmen  Hold The Line  T-Shirts and Flashlights

There is more life in the galaxy than humans ever dreamed. But apparently, the most successful strategy for a species’ survival preemptive annihilation. Or maybe we’re as ugly to them as they are to us. Nearly every single goddamn alien out there seems to want to kill us as soon as we make contact. Surely, there’s one species out there willing to give peace a chance, right? Humans have managed to reverse-engineer a bunch of technology that our “visitors” were kind enough to leave us. Now strong enough to kick out any pirates or hunters, several colonies and space stations are home to a large fraction of the human population. Earth also have a much better idea of what the state of the galaxy is. And it’s not looking good. The aliens that invaded at the end of the 20th century were nothing, compared to the vast powers that exist in the galaxy. Those assholes trying to brainwash Earth were there to “bring us into the fold” and were the alien version of a missionary team. The Space UN was keeping all the other aliens away until humanity developed enough to be worth contacting. Then humans killed the “ambassador” in charge of Earth’s transition to a slave race, and they decided to let the pirates have their way with us. The rest of the races in the galaxy are formidable. Nothing like those two-bit poachers that humans have spend the last forty years blowing out of the sky. Everything from swarms of bugs that travel between the stars on teleporting meteors, to purple orcs, and the archetypal grey. Most of them are more advanced as humanity, and certainly they have a better supply chain, and larger populations. Even those we’ve managed to open negotiation with are inexplicably hostile. And that’s just the ones that didn’t open fire on us immediately. And humanity has their attention, for a variety of reasons. Humans are almost all latent psychics – some take offense that a primitive race could have such potential. Others have bought into the propaganda of our former puppet-masters, and see our warlike actions as confirmation that we are not ready for the stars. After a couple decades of defending ourselves from assholes and giant bugs, humanity has finally decided to give up on peace. If that means the wider galaxy increasingly views humans like mad dogs that need to be put down, or at least put in their place, so be it. If they want a war, they’ll get a goddamn war. And hey, at least humanity is finally working together.

117 20.20. ZenithZenith

“When your desires are strong enough, you will appear to possess superhuman powers to achieve.” ― Napoleon Hill

“Power is given only to him who dares to stoop and take it... one must have the courage to dare.” ― Fyodor Dostoevsky

“The measure of a man is what he does with power.” ― Plato

“The very first essential for success is a perpetually constant and regular employment of violence.” ― Adolf Hitler

Society is hierarchy, with power being equivalent to social status. Some worlds are more honest about this than others. In the following settings, “power” refers more to a higher personal power level than abstract things like “wealth” or “connections”, and seizing godhood or ascending to a higher state is a major element. That’s not to say that one doesn’t lead to the other. The stronger one is, the more opportunities for advancement and enrichment they’ll find. However, those with power, or the potential for it, are expected to live up to certain standards. What these are change depending on the setting, the immediate context, and how much power they have. One key commonality a visitor may notice is the desire the inhabitants have to either improve oneself, or serve a great and powerful master. Another is the obsession with reputation. If strength is everything, one does not want to appear weak. These are places where a disinclination to commit violence is the mark of a coward, a fool, or a weakling. Don’t expect to find much in the way of mercy, kindness, fraternity, or other virtues here. Strength is power, and it’s the right of those with power to use that power as they see fit. Failure to live up to the ideals of “might makes right” will lead others to look down on the merciful as weak. But at the same time, there are often strict rules governing interactions, forms of politeness that are often used as excuses for violence when violated. Reputation, or “face” is typically important, as these are worlds home to societies that place a strong emphasis on honor and respect. Manners are a sometimes life and death matter, here. Refusing a gift, or failing to offer tribute is an easy way to offend those more powerful than oneself. Acknowledging ones place in the social order can come with upsides, though. The more powerful you are, the more it’s expected that others will kowtow to your whims. Actual worship is not too much to ask, in some cases. And those that are weak, while at the limited mercy of others, are often below notice. There’s no honor or fame to be had in crushing an insect. But releasing a tiger cub into the forest is begging to be mauled when it grows up. So crush your enemies, raise up your vassals, defend your reputation, grab every advantage you can, and suck up to anyone you can’t defeat. Suffer indignities in silence when you are weak, and return them a hundredfold, so others will know not to cross you. To ignore the hierarchy is to deny reality. This is not a kind philosophy, but these are not kind worlds.

118 95. Challenge of Faith

“Heathen, n. A benighted creature who has the folly to worship something he can see and feel.” ― Ambrose Bierce, The Unabridged Devil's Dictionary

“Most Gods don’t care. About anything. Other than gaining dominance over other Gods and telling you how wonderful they are and demanding that you say the same.” ― Patrick Ness, The Rest of Us Just Live Here

 Greek Myth  Very Human Gods, Messing With Mortals  Monsters, Heroes, Demigods  Smite  Gods War For Faith and Followers  War Spills Over To Mortal World  Primal Rage  Faith-Fueled Fistfights  Different Factions of Gods  Spice and Wolf  Small Gods With Limited Scope  Major Religion vs Pagans

A Shaman connects a People to the Gods. Through the Gods, a People flourish. When a People go to war, so do their Gods. When their Gods are pleased, life is good for the People. When Gods are angered, the People suffer. People must offer praise and tribute unto their Gods, and the Gods protect their People. In exchange for blessing crops, or healing sickness, or ensuring safe births, a god can make a place its home. A festival or two each year to worship them and renew the pact sustains the god, and allows them to continue supporting those that support them. These are not world-spanning deities responsible for the whole of creation, or an entire aspect of human endeavor. These are small gods, who take the appearance of mortals, or large beasts, or unique plants, or striking locations. As the gods are sustained by faith, it behooves them to increase the number of worshipers, and the quality of faith they receive. Some do this by encouraging their people to make war against the faithful of other gods, to weaken their faith and miracles and steal their worship, or even kick them out entirely. Seeing this, gods with different domains band together. After all, they are worshiped for different things, so it’s not like they’re losing faith that way. And when some other god or gods come knocking, it’s better to have numbers on their side than be alone. And even the larger pantheons have enough space for one or two local deities to fit in, most of the time. But recently, a new faction has risen from the East. A single god with many apparent facets has appeared, and gathered to themselves a large number of faithful. And these worshipers are violent. They come into a place, and take over. When that fails, the faithful are converted by force, the small priests put to the sword, their gods’ homes destroyed, and even the gods themselves chased out by humans with holy power. What is a small god to do, in the face of an army of fanatics and priests, backed by a demon of a god? All they have are small villages, or perhaps a single city-state’s worth of faith to sustain them – not enough to fight a god that devours other gods. And so, the small gods move. Sometimes with their faithful, and sometimes not. But there will come a time when they will not be able to run any longer.

119 96. Climb The Tower

“We are not going in circles, we are going upwards. The path is a spiral; we have already climbed many steps.” ― Hermann Hesse, Siddhartha

 Tower of God  Many Races, Many Floors  “Floor Guardian” Gods  Magitech Aesthetic  Is It Wrong To Pick Up Girls In A Dungeon  Gods Empower Mortals  Dungeon Diving  Aion  Get Wings To Travel The Tower of Eternity  Multiple Civilizations, Areas of Abyss  Anima: Beyond Fantasy  Wide Variety of Races and Powers  Extreme Power Level Disparities

The tower is the world. Within each floor, a powerful guardian resides – watching, ruling, and testing those who would ascend. Those who rise are blessed with power in accordance with the heights they have scaled. On the outer ring of the tower are those who do not merit entering the tower’s trials. Trials may come in the form of competitions, or contests, or quests from the god-like guardians. They judge those who seek to ascend, and test their desires against their will and capabilities. Those that pass the trials are blessed and marked, body and soul. Their powers grow, their lives extended, and sometimes special gifts are granted. To climb the tower is to embrace the possibility of death. Indeed, many of the trials the guardians present have death as a consequence of failure. But the rewards success are great. One is ranked according to high they can climb, and with each higher rank comes power, fame, and riches. The tower is dangerous, and teams naturally form. They cover each other’s weaknesses, and allow one another to use their strengths to the advantage of all. These teams often pass or fail as a group, but exceptions occur – usually as a result of death. And not always to the challenges presented by the guardians. There are powerful guilds, populated by powerful seekers, who aim to cement their position at the top, and prevent others from reaching the highest floors. They punch down, sabotaging or outright murdering those who show too much potential. Their actions are limited within the tower, however – the guardians do not brook obvious interference. And so they send weaker agents, to compete alongside the rest. As one climbs higher in the tower, the density of aether (mana, ki, or whatever one wishes to call it) increases as well. It weighs upon a person like a physical force, making it more difficult to move, to breathe, to fight. One acclimates to the higher floors thanks to the gifts of the guardians, and by surviving in such energy-rich environments, their lifespan grows longer and their potential increases. Descending the tower, or moving among the mundane on the outer layer, makes one feel weightless. Ascend high enough, and this becomes reality, as one claims the greatest of rewards – wings with which to traverse the heights and depths, and soar across the interior worlds.

120 97. Dao of Cultivation

“The difference between greed and ambition is a greedy person desires things he isn't prepared to work for.” ― Habeeb Akande

“Politeness is the first thing people lose once they get the power.” ― Amit Kalantri, Wealth of Words

 World of Cultivation  Worldbuilding Besides Combat  Dao Essence  Desolate Era  Monstrous Beasts  Massive World  Thunderbolt Fantasy  Colorful Characters, Hidden Experts’ Plots  Swords and Martial Arts  Generic Xianxia  Generic!

In this world, there are two kinds of people. The first are mortals. The second are those on the Sublime Path. More than mortal, defending life and taking it, living above the common man, seeking more than life. To cultivate requires many things, but foremost is the arrogance to defy the heavens. To walk the path of the immortal, one must cultivate qi. This often takes the form of a meditation method, and there are as many cultivation systems as stars in the night sky. Each one has its own benefits and drawbacks, and the most useful are guarded jealously as the core component of any sect. To begin one’s journey as a cultivator requires finding a willing master, or some lost text. But it is not that simple. Even life within a sect is dangerous. Ignoring rival sects, and the politics and jealous jockeying among sect disciples, one must be prepared to face death. Just advancing high enough as a cultivator brings about heavenly tribulations. Should one choose to be a hermit, and avoid other people, they would still face challenges in the form of spiritual beasts. Spiritual beasts are animals that have absorbed qi, and may be thousands of years old, with strange abilities and full of useful components for crafting and pill refining. The path of the alchemist, artificer, or enchanter is not an easy one, and experts are all highly sought after. Martial arts are a necessity for survival, and those taught here make use of qi, even combining the two into powerful techniques. Among martial experts the pecking order is clear – if you have a higher realm of cultivation, others must honor you. If you have a lower realm, you must honor them. How one gives or receives face is somewhat dependent on where one is in the Empire. Or outside it. Outside the Empire, there are corrupted cultivators. Demonic sects, who teach methods to devour souls, or make deals with devils. Those who stumbled along their path, and gone insane. Fools who stole power instead of working for it. They are the enemy of every citizen, and quickly hunted down within the walls. The goal of every cultivator is to escape this world of violence and death, to become an immortal, and eventually transcend the heavens, ascending to a higher realm of existence. See Also: Forge of Destiny (Royal Road), Cradle (Will Wight), Savage Divinity.

121 98. Remnants Ecumenical

“All gods who receive homage are cruel. All gods dispense suffering without reason. Otherwise they would not be worshiped. Through indiscriminate suffering men know fear and fear is the most divine emotion. It is the stones for altars and the beginning of wisdom. Half gods are worshiped in wine and flowers. Real gods require blood.” ― Zora Neale Hurston, Their Eyes Were Watching God

 Percy Jackson  Demigods and Monsters  Modern Myths  American Gods  Faith and Incarnations  War of New and Old Gods  Saint Young Men  Every Religion is True  Blending In  Little Nicky  Angels and Demons  Cross-Breeds

This modern world might not look it, but Gods of every stripe exist here. And so do their children – which are as numerous as the old legends would suggest. Demigods and the descendants of blessed heroes have lives which are as bitter as they are sweet. Abandoned by at least one of their parents, they often grow up ignorant of their nature, and stumble through deific adolescence. Those who fail to awaken to their heritage do not survive easily. Mortals who do not believe in the old gods are blind to their influence and their works. They instead find mundane explanations, or some abstract interpretation of the truth. This veil that alters perception should not be confused for protection: whether or not mortals believe in myths, monsters of legend do exist. They prefer heroic flesh, but they’ll kill and feast on mortals, too. Should the hero-born can survive their infancy, and grow into their powers, they are certainly more than a match for most monsters. Stronger, swifter, wiser, more beautiful, and longer-lived than mortals, they already have gifts aplenty from their divine progenitors. Once capable of fully calling upon their ancestry and personal mythos, they are forces to be reckoned with. But the demigods and heroes are nothing compared to the gods themselves. And the gods, as they say, are quick to anger. Oaths, curses, and blasphemy are much more serious for heroes, as the heavens and hells take notice of their words. No to mention the meddling of divinities in their lives. The gods often have plans for their offspring – disappointing these expectations can have fatal consequences. These quests will often take a hero into unreal spaces, places of legend, more dreamlike and more real than the everyday. What happens in these places of power echoes on the mortal plane, and vice-versa. Being placed in such situations by an absent parent can foster feelings of resentment. Mythology explains why things are the way they are. And sometimes things change. A weak demigod need not remain so. Power can be claimed, or stolen. Should ruin befall a pantheon, their people suffer. Should a myth be forgotten, even gods may become tattered dreams. Just be careful: pride is often a deadly sin. See Also: Scion (RPG).

122 99. Questant Regalia

“He who aspires to divine realities willingly allows providence to lead him by principle of wisdom toward the grace of deification.” ― St. Maximos the Confessor

 K6BD  Keys and Crowns  Reach Heaven Through Violence  SBURB  Classpects, Lands, Consorts  Complete Quests, Seek God-Teir  Traveler’s Gate  Forge Connections to a Realm  Gain Power Through Trials  Exalted  Martial Arts, Technology, Magic  Anima Banners

The Creator is dead, and so are the Emanations. The Angelic Host is splintered, the Demonic Forces scattered. But the Gates of Heaven still connect a thousand worlds. The wheel of creation continues to spin, and life continues, on a million worlds throughout the multiverse. Among the many worlds, there are worlds under the dominion of inflexible angels and chaotic demons. Angels, entities of unchanging stone and cold flame, revere the thrones as sacred. Demons, as numerous and mutable as sins, come in many hues and forms. By their very nature they desecrate and lead astray the unwary. Worst of all are the mortals. Every so often a mortal stumbles across a Key of Kings. Once a mortal has a Key, all of creation is open to them, in theory. In practice, they are drawn to a certain world that resonates with their soul. One which whispers promises of power. They form a connection to this realm, and even if its gate is shut, they may enter it freely. The Lesser Keys are not so bad. But the Greater Keys allow one access to lost worlds, and grants them immense power. These worlds have empty thrones, which mortals have an annoying tendency to usurp. These demiurges are responsible for great travesties. By exploring these realms, mortals can learn. The denizens will offer quests, and rewards. Through the rewards, a seeker may attain less important things, like knowledge of martial arts and magic, or material rewards. The quests themselves are the real treasure. By struggling and overcoming the tests of a world, travelers attain an understanding of divinity. Those who progress far enough, who develop a deep enough understanding of their own nature, and that of the land, may approach a throne. Should they overcome the obstacles, solve the riddles, and slay the weakness within themselves, they will attain a Title. Should the throne be empty, they may claim it. A demiurge is opposed on all sides, and has a thousand enemies. Angels shall seek to dissuade them from claiming a portion of sacred divinity. Devils shall seek their destruction, and create pitfalls to trick them. Other mortals shall seek to deny them their right, and claim the key they have found for their own use. There is only one path. Reach Heaven Through Violence. See Also: Godbound (Abandoned? WIP).

123 100.Jagannath’s Door

“This is part of what it means to be a God, that You are a general principal of Being, instantiated throughout all of Being.” ― Sam Webster, Tantric Thelema

 New Gods/Fourth World  Technology ≈ Magic  Human Chattel Serving Gods  War Between New Genesis and Apokolips  Nobilis  Portfolio Emphasis  Defending Reality From Excrucians  Egyptian Mythology  Almost Abstract Pantheon Shenanigans  Life, Death, Rebirth

Two realms, tethered to one another by marvelous gates, that span massive realms teeming with human chattel, and ruled by gods reborn in an apotheosis of miraculous technology indistinguishable from dream or magic. Each god has a demesne, which is a figment of reality that they control. This may be physical, emotional qualities, events, or intentional actions. The gods are larger than life, with powers beyond imagining. They live in the higher worlds outside of time. Events on these worlds echo and reflect up and down the chain of realities. To travel between the realm of the gods, and the realm of mortals requires using the gateway network. This network connects all the worlds, but it is suggested that mortals not venture too far from their homes. When a living god descends, their power is constrained and limited, into the form of a mortal avatar, and making use of their powers in this form will result in a display of their divinity. Having lost the ability to be everywhere at once, they rely on the same gateway networks to move between realities or planets. For smaller distances, most use giant pyramidal magitech spaceships to get from place to place. These gods, good, evil, and in-between, all wage war against the things from outside creation. The chaos from without seeks to devour reality, and remove concepts – and their gods – from existence. Unfortunately, there is no front for this war – the chaos eaters may appear at any world, at any time, and necessitate a god’s avatar on even the lowest and most limiting of realities. A common enemy hasn’t stopped most of the gods from feuding, however. Petty squabbles, dramatics, and power-plays are just as common. If a god falls, the one that killed them will take over a portion of their duties, responsibilities, and power until they return and claim it back. It takes a lot to kill a god for good, so there’s not much harm in it. There’s been a long war between the gods of good and evil, but even old grudges are put aside when the chaos gnaws at the firmament of creation. See Also: Sandman.

124 NotesNotes

FAQ

Keep in mind nobody can stop you from jumping differently.

Q: How much CP do I get to spend each Jump? A: The intent is for a jumper to start with 1000 CP to spend. Taking drawbacks works as normal. Q: Can I use part of a stipend on stuff in another document? A: Sure, why not. Q: Do discounts apply across jump documents? A: No. Q: How do multiple backgrounds or races work? A: Different backgrounds can be easily explained as a natural part of life – people are multifaceted, and change over time. Races are complicated. Fanwank something. Q: Canon companion options? A: I can’t stop you, but wouldn’t it be more interesting to write an original character?

Future Work

If you have better titles or quotes for one of these combinations, please send it my way.

I’m looking at making another compilation from the left-overs that didn’t make the cut for this collection, and combinations others have come up with. For the second compilation, I’m aiming to have a wider variety, fewer pastiches, higher power levels, and even jumps used more than once. I’m also compiling some guides to each of these settings, with less vague worldbuilding and writing tools (random event and encounter tables). This is a somewhat overwhelming endeavor to take on alone, so if you find a world that tickles your fancy, and feel like doing some writing, or even worldbuilding, please consider sharing.

Changelog 2.2.0 9/11/19 100 Worlds, 20 Sections, some renamed, and six replacements. 2.2.1 4/10/20 Shuffled entries around, finished short descriptions, messed with formatting. 2.2.2 4/29/20 Proofreading, improving prose. Moved Remnants Ecumenical to Zenith. Removed Stranger Wakes, Necropolitan, The New Flesh. Added Digital Daemonology, Under Society’s Mask, Yonder Days.

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