UNKNOWN REALMS APART
The Unknown Realms is a collective noun referring to all of those other dimensions, planes of existence, elemental universes, pocket dimensions, states of consciousness and phase inversed emboitments that are "unknown" to the general public of Earth and similar planets where materialism holds sway. Which is not to say all the Unknown Realms are mystical in nature, many are not. They are all however beyond the common horizon of the workaday world.
These Realms might be locations from which a character comes, or a location to which an earthly character journeyed to receive their training or Powers for example.
Most of the Realms detailed here are much too grand to be Refuges but some could function in that way at different times in their existence.
Below is a list of Unknown Realms and their basic explanation. Each of them has a summary of game effects that this Realm can cause or provide. Each of them also has a listed Wealth. This rates the apparent Wealth useable by a character from this Realm when they in it or when they still have full contact with it while on Earth or a similar planet. Finally each of these Realms also has a listed means of access which is the typical way the Realm is contacted or journeyed to.
Camelot
Camelot, at least THIS Camelot, is a castle on a small hill, surrounded by foggy or misty fields. The exact location of Camelot varies because the castle was placed under a powerful Teleportation / Phasing enchantment long ago - or is it in an age yet to come? - by Merlin the Magician.Camelot is a large Medieval style castle made of white stone with silver-covered tiles on its many turrets. The exact layout and appearance of the castle varies with the recollection of the character encountering it, however it "stabilizes" for the period of an adventure and "resets" once visiting heroes have left. Perhaps it is simply refurbished on a grand scale by Merlin?
Camelot is home to King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. However, King Arthur is away fighting his wars an many of his knights are either questions for The Grail or off fighting Dragons. If a hero or group of heroes finds Camelot it is because Camelot, or Merlin, has need of heroes bold like knights of old to go on a quest, as a replacement for the absent knights.
Game Effects:Camelot can appear within a mile of anyone who has even a drop of the blood of Old England (and Wales). The castle will materialize during the night as a huge wall of fog rolls in, then appear on its hill with peaceful green fields and copses of trees in an Astounding (half mile) radius around the castle. If Camelot appears near a huge city, it will either be on an island in any nearby bay or river, or beyond the suburbs where the urban sprawl subsides into the usual modern wasteland. It will seem picture perfect and shining compared to the drab world around it. Inviting...
Camelot itself is a Refuge of a kind although one that is often curiously empty. Not in any way a ruin, but somehow paused, or waiting, for the return of the King. Nevertheless, Merlin lives there, as do various ladies of court, armorers, pages, a handful of knights who are not on quests due to age, laziness, being villains up to no good or simply resting between adventures.
Game Effects: Visiting Camelot is a chance to adventure in the world of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table - a magical world of Dragons, Giants, Knights both good and evil, strange and eerie magical lands and odd quests and challenges. Merlin himself is one of the most cryptic and subtle wizards in the history of Creation and will never reveal his deeper purposes to anyone, but despite that will call upon heroes of the modern day to fill in for absent Knights when the need arises.
Once in Camelot the world beyond the castle is that OF Camelot, and not the familiar game world. Until whatever quest has brought the characters to Camelot is completed, there is no easy way to leave its dimension. A Gold result on a Psyche roll allows a character to temporarily fade out from Camelot and fade in to the present day as a sort of ghostly figure, but without the assistance of Merlin it will be a very hard task to leave Camelot prematurely.
The ultimate honors in Camelot are to be made a Knight of the Round Table or to receive a noble title from King Arthur himself or his wife, Guinevere. But visiting Camelot often enough will result in the character becoming a welcome guest (or irritating gadfly).
Each time after the first that a character visits Camelot, they will notice a feeling that they are becoming "local" in dress and thought, as though the world they have come from is the strange dream and Camelot is their true home.
It is also possible to play a heroic Knight from Camelot in the normal game world, a person out of their time (if their time ever truly existed) who has been sent by Merlin to the modern day on a quest and chosen to remain, or perhaps a Knight exiled for some shameful deed, or a Knight sent to be an exemplar of chivalry and righteousness in age that doth surely need such display!
Wealth: Astounding
Means of Access: Camelot appears where and when it chooses, but it has a habit of appearing to heroes more often than to others.
Central Casting
Central Casting is as close to a true lingering death as any super powered character can ever hope to experience.When a character is not simply killed but forgotten or expunged from reality, or when enough time has passed since they lived and died in the normal record of history, the character materializes in what was its Median Form (the most typical, frequent and best known physical form) in Central Casting. Central Casting consists of an Escheresque building that includes an insane asylum, a hospital, a psychiatric surgery unit and an enormous Waiting Area in the form of a padded lounge. The Waiting Area is filled with characters awaiting their chance to reappear in normal comic book continuity in the game world. To do so many of them are first sent to the psychiatric unit, better known as the Forgettery. In the Forgettery their past, their memories and even their very racial and sexual identity can be altered so that the new iteration of the character better fits the reality in which it will soon appear. In the area of Central Casting closer to the psychiatric unit there is the constant murmur of voices and the clatter of keyboard typing.
Game Effects: As a kind of Purgatory it is unlikely characters will ever visit Central Casting unless sent there on a quest or journeying there to try and rescue a forgotten character. It is just possible frustrated characters might also journey there to try and confront whoever is writing their life and try and beat some sense into them. Supervillains of course will want to get there for nefarious reasons.
Wealth: Infinite
Means of Access: Smashing against the strange white borders of reality (rolling "00" on Psyche)
Elemental Planes
The Elemental Planes are traditionally summarized in terms of four major fundamental Elements: Earth, Air, Fire and Water. Each Elemental Plane has a common native inhabitant. These inhabitants are inhuman creatures known as Elementals. The Elementals of Fire are Salamanders, reptilian creatures completely immune to heat and fire; those of Earth are the hideous and dwarfish humanoid Gnomes, invulnerable to physical damage; those of the Air are Sylphs, cloud-like beings who are immune to cold and poison; and those of water are the Undines, accompanied by their children the Mermaids and Mermen. Undines have the innate power of Astonishing Rank Invisibility as well as beautiful physical forms resembling human men and women.Game Effects: Any elemental type effect is by definition in some way linked to or in harmony with the appropriate Elemental Plane. There could also be eight, a dozen or even hundreds of other "Elemental" planes depending on what definition of "Element" is used. For examples of other Elements see the chart below:
| ELEMENT | OPPOSING ELEMENT |
|---|---|
| Earth | Air |
| Fire | Water |
| Autumn | Spring |
| Bamboo | Knives |
| Blue Meanness | Grooviness |
| Chaos | Law |
| Chimney Sweeps | Witches |
| Coffee and Donuts | Creamed Corn |
| Cold | Heat |
| Crystal | Seaweed |
| Cups | Swords |
| Darkness | Light |
| Death | Life |
| Discord | Harmony |
| Dryness | Moistness |
| East | West |
| Energy | The Void |
| Existential Dread | Faith |
| Famine | Feast |
| Freedom | Slavery |
| Golden Dawn | Purple Twilight |
| Ice | Lava |
| Lightning | Rubber |
| Medicine | Plague |
| Metal | Wood |
| Mountain | Lake |
| North | South |
| Ooze | Sand |
| Peace | War |
| Pentacles | Wands |
| Sea | Stone |
| Strength | Weakness |
| Summer | Winter |
| Thrift | Waste |
Means of Access: Inter-dimensional travel
Gaia
Gaia or Mother Nature is the ultimate elemental force of life, expressing itself through the Firstborn, plants.Game Effects: Any form of Power that is based on plant attributes, plant biology, vegetation or plant extracts is in some way connected to Gaia.
Wealth: World Class
Means of Access: Astral Projection (almost always based on Psyche)
Meat Dimension
The Meat Dimension is exactly what it sounds like, a universe composed entirely of solid living bloody meat. From this dimension of flesh emanations manifest themselves in the physical world.Game Effects: Any form of Power that is based on animal attributes, animal biology, blood or flesh is in some way connected to the Meat Dimension.
Wealth: World Class
Means of Access: Astral Projection (almost always based on Psyche)
Science City
Science City is a huge and beautiful apparently utopian city, perpetually 1,000 years into the future of the "present day", meaning that each visit the year is exactly 1,000 years later than the year travelled from. The same Cosmic Rank engines and machines which generate the Bender-Plastino Effect responsible for the perpetual futureness of Science City also provide it with Cosmic level force fields protecting it from large scale hostile events within its limits. However, there is still crime, and the rest of the futuristic planet Earth on which Science City is located, along with the rest of its science fictional universe, is filled with adventure. Within Science City itself the Brigade of Noted Heroic Adventurers form a chartered club of crimefighters, although a lot of the time there is nothing to do other than party and bicker with each other.Game Effects: Science City heroes (and villains) sometimes time travel back in time for some kind of intriguing but ultimately pointless history related adventure.
Wealth: In 21st Century terms, Cosmic; in their own terms Astonishing. There are any number of futuristic Devices each of which would count as a Power if permanently kept in the 21st Century.
Means of Access: Time Travel
Shadow World ("Anti-Matter Universe", "Mirror Realm")
The Shadow World is a reality adjacent to the mortal world of living people. A duplicate of each living intelligent being forms in the Shadow World at the moment the living character appears. This duplicate physically grows as the living character grows, but with only a vague idea of the life and experiences of the character on who it is modeled.The Shadow World is a world of mimicry, evil and oppression. It is an endless blasted wilderness of scrubland and shattered rock with cages, chains and scaffolds littering its surface. Shadow World duplicates endlessly scheme against each other, imprison each other or fight each other. No death exists directly in the Shadow World; only the death of the character on whom each duplicate is based ends the existence of the corresponding Shadow Worlder. This death without warning only adds to the misery of the Shadow World.
There are scattered destroyed machines and buildings of incredible age and unknown function on the Shadow World. Shadow Worlders use these to imitate what their living counterparts have as their key items or weapons.
Shadow Worlders dress in black and white checker patterned clothing of simple design. Their shoes are usually made from recycled plastic from the ruins or they go barefoot.
Game Effects:The Shadow World is entirely sealed off from the living world, except during violent thunderstorms. At those times, if the person who has been duplicated is close to a Cosmic Weak Point, and if their duplicate is smart enough and quick enough, a Psychic Battle begins. The Shadow World duplicate will initiate mind to mind combat and both the duplicate and their living original will fade from view, interphased into an ethereal state as they struggle. Each character makes a Psyche roll. Until one loses, the battle goes on. When one fails a Psyche roll, it has potentially crossed over into the other character's world.
If the Shadow Worlder prevails, he or she is now in the normal mortal world. They will quickly try and replace their black and white Shadow World clothes with ones that help them disguise their true nature. Shadow Worlders have lived hard lives however so there will be countless physical and behavioral clues to the true nature of the duplicate - bad temper, prison behavior, bad attitude, scars, different Weight and so on.
If the original living character prevails, they have the choice of remaining in the mortal world or crossing over into the Shadow World. If they do that, then they and their Shadow World duplicate are BOTH in the Shadow World for the duration. The Shadow Worlder could also do this if they prevail but no Shadow Worlder normally will. They want only to escape their universe forever.
Wealth: Average
Means of Access: Crossing over at a Cosmic Weak Point during a violent thunderstorm or Dimensional Travel. Cosmic Weak Points could exist anywhere but are quite rare.
Stuff Central
Stuff Central is an adjacent universe where all the summonable items, alter egos and knickknacks of every adventurer in every dimension float in neat rows, ready to be summoned back into physical reality.A large galactic cluster sized area of Stuff Central is in permanent Elemental Shadow with a myriad of tiny points of light. That region is known as The Inner Dark, and the lights are the magical access points opening and closing as adventurers in magical realms open and close their bags of holding, portable holes, packrat pockets, folding castles and other items and spells that violate three dimensionality to allow more volume or mass to be stored than would be physically possible. The Inner Dark is a patch of Shadow composed of all the overlapping cones, cubes, puddles, wells, bowls and other polygons of Shadow substance that allow interdimensional storage of items. There are also inhabited settlements in The Inner Dark zone, aeroliths (floating asteroid-like lumps of accreted matter) lit by pilfered lanterns, magic use or anything else that makes light. More disturbingly, gliding around in the darkness are Shadowsharks, Shadowsquid and Pirates of the Inner Dark crewing skyships.
The rest of Stuff Central is brightly lit nothingness with endless rows of super powered tchochkes as far as the eye can see.
Game Effects: Any form of Power that has an Alter Ego, summoned item, can randomize the exact Power being used or which has the ability to store more volume or mass than would be possible in three dimensional reality is related in some way to Stuff Central or its subset The Inner Dark.
Wealth: Infinite, but the trick is accessing it
Means of Access: Opening a portable hole, dimensional travel or by using a Device invented so as to be able to run through possible combinations of elemental ciphers quickly enough to attune to the frequency of a specific alter ego or item. For example a dial that lets the user Dial I for Item or an amulet with a set of flip levers able to be set to a variety of variables such as MALE/FEMALE WARRIOR/WIZARD GOOD/EVIL STRONG / FAST SMART / INSTINCTIVE ZAUBERZOIDAL / WAMBRUNGIAN etc. so as to exchange places with the exact Alter Ego the levers are set to.
Ta'Ut (hell)
Ta'Ut ("the Burning Place") is a deep subterranean realm that interphases, crosses dimensional thresholds, into a different universe, a universe of pain, torment, endless suffering and elemental Evil.The native inhabitants of Ta'Ut are Devils, as described on the Creatures pages of this website. Devils all serve The Evil One, the ruler of Ta'Ut. Ta'Ut's outer edge deep underground is a volcanic cavern system with unimaginable treasures littering the cavern floor - ancient weapons and armor, precious metals, jewels, lumps of mineral containing elements unobtainable anywhere else, jewellery and even rare books and scrolls, seemingly unaffected by the smoke and heat. Going further in takes a character directly into the outer circular moat of flame and lava, beyond which is Hell itself.
Characters wrongly in Ta'Ut, ie taken there as undeserving prisoners, visiting heroes, people who accidentally dimensionally teleported there and so on, can try and fight their way back out, or use Magic to escape. The only other way out is to get to one of the Elevator Structures, rearing hellish stone buildings, often in ruins, in the heart of which is an elevator foyer with one or more elevators that only go up. Going up in such an elevator races a character from Hell to the lowest basement of whatever office building in an Earthly city houses the unusual elevator system.
Occasionally monsters native to Ta'Ut such as Hellspawn, or a rightfully imprisoned character who is meant to serve and indefinite sentence of endless torture finds some way to escape Hell and make it to the realm of mortals. This will always trigger a retrieval team into action who will go to the mortal realm and drag the escapee back to Ta'ut.
Wealth: Infinite
Means of Access: Elevators in certain office buildings around the world; Escalators to Hell; being cast down from Heaven; Hellmouths, living beings or geographical locations that can yawn open wide to reveal the fiery pits of hell for one round, allowing characters to literally jump into Hell; dragged into Hell by Devils; Dimensional Travel; interacting with a Devilish magical item such as a puzzle box, mirror, coin operated advice dispensing toy, camera, top hat, magician's cloak, ring, amulet or mummified monkey's paw.
The Perfect Realm
The Perfect Realm exists in Irreality. The Perfect Realm is where the Perfect Forms Of All reside. The Perfect or Platonic Forms, according to the ancient philosopher Plato, are living ideas of things. They represent what each individual thing in the physical world is "supposed to" be like in order for it to be that specific thing. For example, the Form of Human shows all the qualities one must have in order to be human without blemish, defect or disharmony. It is a depiction of the idea of "humanness". But no actual human is the perfect representation of the Form human. They are similar, but every human is different, and none are perfectly human. And in fact a perfect form might contain something disruptive or harmful - for example the Perfect Form of a terrible parasite of some kind will be the epitome of a predatory bug. According to Plato, every object or quality that exists in reality has a Form: dogs, cats, humans, oceans, tables, colors, beauty, love, and courage. The Perfect Form resonates the answer to the question "What is that?"Plato went a step further in asking “what is Form itself?” Plato assumed that an object was essentially or "really" a manifestation of the Form and that the phenomena were mere shadows that mimicked the Form. This means that objects in reality are momentary portrayals of the Form under varying circumstances.
Game Effects: If a character has any access at all to The Perfect Realm then their Power is dealing with the absolute creation of matter ex nihilo (from nothing). It is not even apportation or the bringing of something to them without it first disappearing somewhere else, it is true extra-dimensional supply of matter and energy. Healing would be another common manifestation of The Perfect Realm because true healing is merely a return to the original Form. Regeneration Power might also be fueled by the character simply "Mainfesting" or returning to their perfect Form. The possibilities are endless.
Wealth: Infinite
Means of Access: Dreaming (Golden result rolling on Psyche and having the Speciality of Dreaming or the Talent "Dreamer"
Transcentral
Transcentral is the Final City on the oldest known parallel Earth, existing with complete protection from any largescale invasion or attack even by a god level threat. Its streets swarm with Transcentral's native citizens as well as countless visitors, ambassadors seeking commerce or traders bringing word from newly discovered realities. Transcentral's Imperial Colonial Army and Time Marines patrol all the conquered realities which keep Transcentral fed and prosperous. For now...Game Effects: Transcentral is a colonial power in the nineteenth century model. Whatever reality in which your game takes place, there is a risk that sooner or later explorers or missionaries from Transcentral will arrive, at first in secret operating covertly, but working towards subverting the existing power structures and disabling all threats - chief among them on FASERIP worlds, the superheroes!
Transcentral has subjugated worlds ruled by "gods" and can call on Cosmic level allies if need be. Fighting Transcentral is not a task for easybeats or lightweights. Having said that, clues to the existence of Transcentral will certainly appear right from the start if they anywhere close to finding the game world.
Wealth: Infinite
Means of Access: Transcentral Express - a bullet train that runs between dimensions and parallel worlds, stopping only at hidden stations and mail pickup points. These stops don't change the fact that it is an express since there is no way for people on the train to get on or off through normal means, although it would be possible to jump on board while the automated loading robots are doing their jobs or the refuelling is taking place. The trains run on radioactives so it is risky but easy to get on board via the train's "Coke Hold" where the fuel is stored.
A version of this information about Transcentral appears in trademarked rulebooks and adventures for a different game system owned and published by the author. The specific version of this information contained in this document is released under the OGL and is freely available for use by anyone who complies with the OGL.