From: Jason Corley To: The New Zoo Revue -- Greg Kacwhatever , Kimberly Applegate , Ryan Franklin Subject: Wraithly stuff Part Numero Three-o The Shadowlands: Have you ever felt when you saw one of those grand old buildings torn down how sad it was...almost like a person was being torn down, and if you knew it well, and turned the corner, you would see it out of the corner of your eye instinctively before realizing it wasn't there? And when they put up a new building, you always referred to it as "the one they built over by where they used to have the Old Building X" and the new building wasn't as real as the old one? Well, that's because of the Shadowlands. Every building that has ever been torn down is there, every wrecked car, every little piece of everything that has ever died is there. This is where the Wraiths "live". The living world and the Shadowlands intersect, but do not interact...usually. Everything that is lost in the Skinlands (the living world) comes across the Shroud (it's a metaphor, go with me here for a minute) to the Shadowlands as a relic. Nobody knows exactly how relics "work", that is, how to make sure that when something is destroyed, it will become a relic. It doesn't seem to be _that_ much of a problem, but Wraiths destroying objects (or people) in order to use them presents somewhat of an ideological problem...it just doesn't feel right to most people. Very imbalancing, if you know what I mean. So relics come across the Shroud pretty much on their own. If someone dies holding something or wearing something, it might come across...malls are full of tattered clothes relics and the like. Now, some relics may actually sound useful. Like a car: hey, wouldn't that be neat to have...okay, so it may be a dead 1928 roadster with Mafia bullet holes all across it, but it beats walking. Weeelll...see, Relics that need "power" (gasoline, gunpowder, etc.) need Pathos to fuel them. So yeah, the car is nice, but unless you've planned ahead, you'll find it's a big Pathos suck. If you think _that's_ weird, there are also things called "Treasures", which are essentially self-powering Relics. They can do all sorts of strange things, and if Relics are a mystery, then "Treasures" leave everyone completely in the dark. You don't have to use Pathos to fuel them, but they are extreeeemely rare. We'll talk more about them tomorrow, I'm sure. So: relics are unstable at best and at worst, not around when you need them. So how do Wraiths get along? The unpleasant answer, friends, is smelting. Yes, this is the process by which unlucky Wraiths are overcome by slavers or thugs, clapped into chains, and hurled into the maw of the big machine, where they are melted down into pure "soul" and made into items that, generally speaking, are much more "solid" than Relics are. They are made into coins called "oboli" for monetary trading, and into swords of "Stygian steel" for fighting Spectres, and so on and so forth. As you might think, many people are a little upset about this. Let's talk about them, shall we? ----------------------------------------------------- DEAD FOLKS POLITICS: Okay, the important thing to realize here is that these are all (with the exception of the Hierarchy) just _classes_ of groups of Wraiths. I'll give you some examples when we get to them. First of all, there's the Hierarchy. This rather evil-sounding group is in fact fairly evil, but there are no easy choices in the Wraith world. The Hierarchy's goal is stability: in the Shadowlands, this is no easy task. It is the Hierarchy that created the Necropolises (i.e. fortified the cities against the encroachment of the Tempest and Oblivion) and it is Hierarchy troops that generally are at the front lines when the Spectres attack. They have organized a system by which to classify Wraiths (by the manner of their deaths) and extol the virtues of resisting the Shadow. They provide a society: something Wraiths dearly miss, and whose absence the Shadow takes advantage of. On the other hand, they have created centralized smelting operations, where the lowest slavers can bring chained Wraiths for a bounty. They have disbanded and outlawed the Guilds, which used to help Wraiths learn to use their Arcanos properly. They have strayed from their original purpose of helping Wraiths towards Transcendence to knee-jerk keeping Wraiths from interacting with the mortal world at all: exactly what Oblivion wants. However, they are the ruling power almost by default throughout Europe and America. (other Dark Kingdoms are rumored to exist elsewhere...the Jade Emperor rules over China...etc.) We can talk more about the Hierarchy in a bit. The Renegades are Wraiths opposed to Hierarchy rule for one reason or another. However, they are not a unified voice by any means. Some oppose the Hierarchy because of their smelting practices...some think the smelting practices are too limited. Some oppose them because they want to be in control and the Hierarchy won't let them. Some oppose them because they want more contact with the Skinlands. Some Renegades are "loyal opposition" types who think the Hierarchy could be great or was great at one time. Some are vicious terrorists who want to tear the whole thing down and start over. Hey, Bakunin is dead, you think he's going to knuckle under? ;-) The Heretics are Wraiths who have adopted a religious viewpoint regarding life in the Shadowlands. They may be anti-Hierarchy, pro-Hierarchy, or (most often) completely without politics outside the politics of proslytization. Some are do-gooders who believe that this is their last chance before being consigned to Heaven or Hell. Some are Bacchanalians who give themselves all the pleasures they denied in life. Some are real nasty evil sons of bitches who are sure that they are in hell and why shouldn't they be? Okay, so does your character have to choose up sides? No, absolutely not. In fact, most Wraiths just want to be left alone to pursue their Passions and hang around their Fetters, but there are equally many that still retain the ability to have convictions and act on them: it just takes a little to get them active in this realm. ====================================================================