AC: GM Notes

The Shadowland

It's sociologically interesting, though scary, that you can be inside an evil system and be somehow unaware of it.
- Actor Anthony Sher on growing up in apartheid-South Africa, interviewed by John Walsh, The Independent, 1 May, 2000

For much of its history, this world functioned much like ours, with humans and Omegas existing, the latter often considered gods for much of that history, recorded or otherwise. Unlike Earth-PC, it had no Illuminati or alphas develop and many Omega regimes in areas destroyed others as they were born, whenever they could. (Greece, with the 'titans' replaced by the 'olympians', served as a warning about allowing other factions of Omegas into ones own area.) History blundered on, until the Romanov's of Russia.

Russia wasn't much in 1000 CE but the family made a name for themselves swiftly and may have been responsible for the empire before them (the Ruriks) about whom history records little. By 1600, the Romanov's had become a family of shadow people and shortly after claimed Russia as their own, the family expanding in both power and influence down the centuries, deftly avoiding the traps of the renaissance and enlightenment as tricks/memes by other Omegas. Thanks to their influence in trade and resources, the industrial revolution was not as forceful as it might have been, but to forestall the influence of other nations, the Romanov's did .... something.

A ritual or act of will, or science, or something else altogether than murdered the sun and put the world in perpetual twilight at the best of times. (This was about 1905.)  Freed from the sun harming them, they spread their borders and moved outward into the world, trigger world war one against them. Germany led the war, which lasted four years and crippled the economy of the world, leading to stalemate; Russia had Germany for a time as spoils, but lost it due to civil uprisings and the Great Depression that followed. An attempted coup of the Romanov's by a group known as Bolshevik's (aka Omegas) failed near the end of the war.

(Some say, in dark corners of the world, that the house of Rurik existed to ensure the sun did, and was a house of light, and that the Romanov's murdered the last of that line to achieve their effect on the sun but no one knows. It is also possible that the Einstein of this world helped them, given the time line but for the most part it doesn't matter that much.)

Russia's crippling sanctions on Europe paved the way for the rhetoric of Churchill and Hitler that led to world war two in the 1940s. The USA reluctantly joined late, against the Russian ally of Japan, but it did not matter, Despite the attempted magic of the German regime and the combined will of the Omegas on the side of the Allies, the Axis Mundi that was the house of Romanov won, shattering Europe and the world.

In the 60 years that have followed, the house of Romanov has grown from strength to strength, destroying pogroms (mobs of humans, aka cattle) and Bolshevik's (aka omegas), the end of war war two seeing the Great Cleanse that wiped most magicians from the world, and the few telepaths as well.

Where things are at: The world is largely under the rule of the Romanov's at present. Obey, and things are fine, you're kept in your communes and do world they need 'solids' for, which mostly involves gladiator sports and building palaces, because even shadow people like a good palace to live in. Disobey, and they destroy you utterly along with your family, friends and whatever town you come from.

The discovery of other worlds in the 1970s had led to an increase in Romanov population in preparation for conquering other worlds, though the influence of suns and such has limited their plans thus far. In the USA, a few enclaves of humans exist who believe themselves hidden, with 1950s era technology [minus computers and nukes] who allow the truly dissatisfied a place to hide and the Romanov's get to watch them curiously and see what happens in those zoos.  Travel is done via zeppelin through the shadow-cities of the ruling family and australia doesn’t exist in this world, having been destroyed to remove it’s Hurt and Hole analogues from existence.

The world can be considered an absolute monarchy at top, communism (we all live like shit) at the bottom with the various culls and slaughters of Omegas and the like echoes of nazi fascism. For all intents, they have destroyed the other Omegas of the world and the Romanov's rule supreme. Glory to  the Shadowland.


The Romanovs: As living shadows, they can hide in shadows, listen to thoughts/conversations and communicate with each other via shadow-speak. As well, some (or all) can make dimensional doorways while making their bodies solid, though it is very exhausting. Since they can attack via shadows, and free/kill with unearthly cold, they are rather hard to stop or defeat. Lastly, some can use the shadow dimension for magic of one kind or another.

All the shadow people are sexless at 'birth'. Each shadow person can make progeny when old/strong enough but it costs less energy if two make it together. So the royal line itself has actual heirs with a mother and father, as members of the House can choose a sex with age and service to the Crown, but most other members have just one parent and often never get to have a sex [which is really a self-chosen title], which is largely a status thing. In other words, reproduction via a pair costs each less energy and is important since if you are too weak, someone else might come for your position or status.

(They do reproduce often, for numbers are necessary for an invasion. After the age of 10, each produces 1 child every 1-2 years and it is not as if they die of old age...)  It has been noted that they have coquered at least six other worlds and consider the dimension Nattie used as a shadow-dimension and, therefore, theirs. The full extent of their power over it remains unknown, but they have managed to make the sun of their own world work via cold fusion and the like and can be considered very, very dangerous as a whole: centuries of breeding and being The Power of a world do that to do you.

Misha: A very young member of a cadet line of the family, Misha dragged its older sibling (Alexis) through the shadow dimension largely by accident. Alexis was lost on another world, Misha ended up here. Due to PC and NPC accidents, the Shadowland is now aware of this world but wasn't prepared to invade so deputized Misha to 'prepare the world for invasion' rather than lose face. And for amusement.
To Misha, anyone with telepathy is a potential shadow power and Misha can, in theory, be 'adopted' by them and thus gain parents, AND a sex, and status, but this is more a desire than current goal. Game-wise, Misha is an interesting example of a kid raised in a terrible and evil regime who is entirely oblivious to how bad it is.

FYI, the overall plan for the Shadowland involved Misha (Or Alexis) learning about alphas, and since the alphas are nature's response to the Illuminati, then hunmanity on their world would evolve humans imune to shadows and the cold. the logical plan is to murder the rest of humanity to prevent that problem from occuring :P

Note: Misha has revealed that shadow-people are taught to believe in reincarnation: everyone comes back, so life and death don’t truly matter. You lose this body, yes, but you get another. A Shadow-body is the best kind, because they’re so tough and good and can last a long time. (Which suggests that the shadow people have ways to retard or limit the aging process,) This is, thematically, hinduism (without the ‘human life = best’ bias) used as a justification for murder. Being a shadow-person is obviously best since solids die so very easily.

Flaws: The death of others of their kind doesn’t truly anger them (since a shadow-being is the best possibly incarnation, any shadow-being that died after finishing a Duty returns as one, or so they believe). Obviously, younger ones (esp. those who are kin) tend to be more inclined to friendship.