The Continuum (version 2.5) by Constantine Thomas Anders Sandberg and DJ Babb i Table of Contents Book 0: Introduction to the Continuum 1 • Introduction to the Continuum and Nexus 1 • Theme 2 • An Alternative Chronicle: The Continuum vs. The Technocracy 2 • Virtuals 3 • Bibliography 4 • Acknowledgements 5 5 • Credits Book 1: The Continuum 6 The Continuum Tradition Page 7 • History and Overview 7 • Philosophy 9 • Organisation 9 • Meetings 10 • Initiation 10 • Other Information 11 • Stereotypes 13 The Continuum Paradigm Page 17 • The Paradigm 17 • Magick 17 • Spheres 17 • Arete 19 • Quintessence 19 • Paradox 19 19 • Awakening/Ascension 19 • Mage-Specific Backgrounds Continuum Policy 20 • Terminology 20 • Nephandi/The Darkness 20 • The Marauders 21 • The Technocracy 21 • The Traditions 21 • The Ascension War 21 • Virtuals 22 22 • The Umbra 23 • Wraiths 23 • Spirits 23 • Garou 23 • Vampires 24 • Changelings and Faeries 24 • Sleepers Continuum Rotes 25 • Rotes Index 25 • Cross-Time Co-ordination 25 • Detect Portal 25 • Detect Vortex 25 • Labyrinth Map 25 • Open Portal 26 27 • Reality Check 27 • Sense Timestone • 27 Temporal Containment 28 • Translator ii Book 2: The Labyrinth Of Time 29 The Labyrinth of Time 30 • The Nature of the Virtuals and the Metaverse 30 • On the Cosmology and Metaphysicks of Virtuals 32 • The Law of Continuity 33 • The Layers of Time 33 • Temporal Avatars 35 • Virtual Cosmology 36 37 • Dopplegangers, Indistinguishables, and Copies Indistinguishables and the Mirror Zone 38 Copies 39 39 Flows and Vortices 40 • Magick in the Virtuals • 41 Virtual Quintessence 42 • Burnout Accessing the Labyrinth 44 • Portals 44 • (Virtual) Shade Realms of Time 44 • Entering and leaving the Labyrinth 45 Travelling within the Labyrinth 45 • Main Corridor 46 • Special Notes: Indistinguishables, Restricted Virtuals, and Timestone 47 • Virtual Travel Bracelets 47 Nexus - The Shade Realm of Time 49 • An Introduction to Nexus 49 • Central Office 50 • Flora and Fauna 50 Creatures of Nexus 50 Lance Grass 51 Fungal Wind 51 Tran 51 Shimmer Waves 52 Keevar 52 • Ecosystem 53 Time Mosquitoes 53 Jumping Plants 53 Waiting Rabbits 53 Timespiders 53 Eating Balls 53 Snatchers 53 • Time and the Environment 54 The Passage of Time 54 Temporal Waves 54 Time Zones 54 Weather 55 Geology 55 Timestone 55 • Magick in Nexus 56 Sphere Ratings in Nexus 56 Paradox 57 58 • Nodes and Virtuals iii Book 3: Virtuals 60 Virtual Classification Scheme 61 • Introduction 61 • Coding Explanations 62 Common Name 62 Energy [Quintessence] Rating 62 The Human Factor 63 The Magick Factor 63 Technology Factor 64 Environmental Factor 64 Control Factor 64 Entity Factor 65 Danger Factor 65 Temporal Proximity 66 Unique Factor (ID Code) 66 • Known Virtual Codes 67 Virtuals: Southron Republic 68 • Prelude 68 • A Short and Secret History of the Southron Republic 68 ‘The Golden Twenties’ 72 The Post-War World... 74 Behind The Scenes 75 • Facts and Figures 76 • Notes on Race Relations and Population Demographics 77 • New Revenant Families 78 Manichaens 78 De Nants 79 Virtuals: Dominion 80 • Deseret 82 • The War of Secession 83 • Reorganisation and Downsizing 83 • The New Conventions 84 The Church Of Reason 84 The Electrodyne Engineers 84 The Star Force 84 InterConnTrol 85 Followers of the Physician 85 • Ousted: The Coming of the Syndicate 86 • Decline and Fall 86 87 • The Age of Reason 88 • The Power of the Seven • 89 Brittle Foundations 89 • Discovery 90 • The state of the World State 90 Mortal Status 90 Paradigm Effects 91 On True Faith 92 On Other Realms 92 On the Millennium Other Virtuals 93 • Darksphere 93 • Fungal Wind 95 • Lucifer 96 • Neverland 97 • Wotan 98 • Dyson 99 iv Book 4: The Darkness Manifest 102 Introduction 103 • Using this supplement in the WoD 103 Section 1: Metaphysicks 104 • Concepts 104 • The Deep Umbra and Outer Space 105 • Systems 105 • Subjective vs. Objective Reality 106 • Existence within Non-Existence 106 • Umbrood and Nephandi 107 107 • In the Beginning... 108 • The Darkness Section 2: Invasion 109 • Beach-heads 109 • Continuum Response 110 Section 3: The Darkness Manifest 111 • Accelerators 111 • The Broken 111 • Bubbles 112 • Dark Nomads 112 • The Empty Ones 113 • Fallers 113 • Labyrinth Worms 114 114 • Modi 115 Acropoli • 115 Null-Whales 115 • Pure Forms 116 • Shatters 116 • Temporal Locusts 116 • The Twisted Ones 117 • Zeitgeist (Time Ghosts) Section 4: Silhouette 118 • Silhouette 118 • Character Stats 121 • Storyteller Notes 122 General Background 122 Character 122 Character History 123 Avatar 123 Other Notes 123 Book 5: Appendices 124 Appendix A: Glossary of Terms 125 Appendix B: Nomads 131 • Introduction 132 • Background 134 • Character Creation 135 • The Ways 137 • Systems 143 • World Of Darkness 144 145 • Final Notes (146) • Nomads Character Sheet Appendix C: The Vanguard 147 • Vanguard Tradition Page 149 • Vanguard Paradigm Page 152 • Toybox 153 • Figures of Note 154 • Timeline 155 1 INTRODUCTION TO THE CONTINUUM Introduction to the Continuum and Nexus The Continuum and Nexus basically represent a change of direction for Mage. Originally, it started out as a little homage to a rather obscure (but very Magey) early 80’s British Sci-Fi series called Sapphire and Steel , starring Joanna Lumley and David MacCallum. The series itself is a bit heavy, but the stories are excellent and the ideas are quite unique. If you can get hold of some of the videos of these, then they are certainly worth watching! It revolves around two Agents who are dispatched by an unknown extra- dimensional organisation to deal with the invasion of very alien creatures who dwell ‘beyond the Corridor of Time’. Indeed, one of the creatures they face bears an uncanny resemblance to a Nephandi Pure Form (found in the back of First Edition Mage). This got me thinking as to how I could incorporate them into Mage, and the result was the Continuum. Originally, this was designed to replace the Cult of Ecstasy as the Tradition that specialised in Time (I felt that the CoX had very little connection with Time), but in the final draft I decided to keep the Cult as a Tradition and put the Continuum outside the Traditions and the Technocracy. Thus they are neither a Tradition nor a Convention - they’re just the Continuum. The role of the Continuum itself is to guard reality against invasion by the Darkness (i.e. the Nephandi). The full supplement is divided into 5 Books: Book 1 details the Continuum (i.e. its origins, history and methodology), its Paradigm, Policy towards other groups, and some Continuum Procedures (Rotes). Everything is described largely in terms of the Continuum’s Paradigm, which means that it is advisable to read through the Paradigm Page first so the rest can be understood fully. Book 2 details Nexus, the Shade Realm Of Time. Nexus is home to the Continuum, and is a very strange realm filled with all manner of strange creatures and Temporal anomalies. From there, Continuum Agents can access the Labyrinth of Time, an infinite tree of possibilities - almost every alternate reality can be found in the Labyrinth. However, the Labyrinth is under constant attack by the Nephandi (The Darkness), who seek to destroy it all. This book describes the metaphysicks and Alternate Realities within the Labyrinth of Time, and also the methods of accessing Virtuals. Book 3 covers the Virtuals themselves. Detailed descriptions of the individual Alternate Realities are included, with an ultimate view to providing self-contained alternate settings for Mage should the Storyteller so desire. Book 4 is the Darkness Manifest, describing the Deep Umbra in great detail and revealing some of the alien horrors that Continuum Agents must face in the field. This is essential for understanding the reasons behind the Perpetual War the Continuum wages on the Darkness. It can also stand alone as a treatise on the Outsider faction of the Nephandi. The short story ‘Silhouette’ introduces Melissa Stillbrook, a young Verbena employed by the Continuum who is the sole survivor of a realm destroyed by the Darkness. This is intended to give you an idea of what shapes Continuum characters, as well as describe an assault on a reality by the Darkness. Book 5 contains material not easily classified into the Four Books described above. A Glossary of Terms is provided as a reference to some of the new material introduced herein. Nomads details an enigmatic and powerful race of wandering beings that roam the Labyrinth of Time, that may help or hinder Continuum agents. A Nomad Character Sheet is also presented. The Vanguard presents the precursor organisation to the Continuum and fills in some gaps in the the history, for use with Mage: The Sorcerers Crusade . 2 Theme The ‘theme’ of the Continuum and Nexus is two-fold - the most obvious is Covert Investigation. All Branches of the Continuum are involved with intelligence gathering and target neutralisation on both Earth and the Virtuals. Adventures centred on such a theme should involve plenty of intrigue, suspense and (to a certain extent) paranoia as the characters should be kept on their toes in possibly hostile social environments on strange alternate worlds. The other main theme is harder to run, but provides plenty of opportunity to open Players’ minds to the more unusual aspects of the Tellurian and the Labyrinth - this is the exploration and interpretation of the Mysterious Unknown; the Strange, the Weird, and the Unusual. Enigmatic alien artefacts on empty worlds, disappearing cities, mind-blowing mystery, strange forces shaping realities, civilisations never encountered before, and so on. Bear these themes in mind when designing your own Virtuals and Continuum Chronicles. An Alternative Chronicle: The Continuum vs. the Technocracy The rules presented herein are designed to fit in with the normal Mage background, without changing the general slant of the game.