TLDunn213

Latralo (La Tra Lo) Latralo are an engineered race combining trates from both Thuliens and Tritons with a bit of Sliderbeast essence mixed in. These beings were created by the Aqualith probably with some help from the Morlocks It is unclear as to the reason for their creation. While Latralo are effective troops, able to operate in a range of environments, including both underwater and on land. There are several other races both engendered and natural that are at least as effective. Latralo are found in moderate numbers in most Aqualith controlled regions serving as security forces. They are also a fairly common sight in the newer Gith trading post. As to why the Gith have a preference for mercenaries from engendered races is not entirely clear. Although several such races were allies during the Gith Rebellion. Some even being created for that conflict. This does not seem to be the case with the Latralo who seem to have been created fairly recently. The reason for the shift in Gith attitude from isolationist xenophobic to willing to do business with almost anyone, even if it's on a limited basis, is not well known or fully understood. Economic and/or political reasons are generally assumed. There is also the matter of the simple passage of time. Those who lived through the Rebellion will have died off by now even those who were young at the time will be a fading remnant. The Latralo are also the main merchant type involved in trade between the Aqualith and the Thuliens. And seem to be well on their way to becoming the primary source of trade between the Aqualith and most other races. One reason for this far reaching ability with trade is their innate Psi Abilities most notably their telepathic communication skills which allow them to converse with just about any being with enough intelligence to have a language. They also do quite well in dealing with things that don't actually have a language as such. While Latralo appear female they are actually hermaphrodites capable of both sexual and asexual reproduction by way of egg laying. It is unclear if they can cross breed with other egg laying races or not. Latralo also have an innate levitation ability which allows them to swim through air as easily as water. Latralo also have the Sliderbeast bi-location ability and are quite skilled in using it both offensively and defensively.

"Did a job for Jonathan awhile back. Can't talk about it. Discretion was of the upmost importance." "Wait. You did a job for the Supreme Shadow?" Kain says "No. I did a job for Jonathan. It was a private matter between him and someone else with a Title and it was very important that it remained between the two of them and not their respective Realms. Which is way more than I should be saying about it." Hawk said. "Fine. Fine. Keep your secrets. I was just surprised. Not your usual crowd." Kain says "I think that was rather the point." Throkmorton observed dryly. "Anyway, they gave me this little trinket as part of my pay." Hawk says, pulling a couple of items from his backpack. "This is a shadow lantern; fairly common, and quiet useful in my line of work. But it's this little trinket that makes it extra special." He continues attaching a lens of smokey quartz to the front of the lantern. "Now it projects a Portal to the Demiplane of Shadows onto a wall, and boom; instant exit from awkward situations. Or a way to get to Grayhall Academy without having to take a long sea voyage. Bit of a hike through the Plane of Shadows but nothing's perfect." Hawk lights the Shadow Lantern and points it at a nearby wall. "And they gave me one of those magic compass that point to where you're wanting to go." "Anything for measuring the distance?" Yeriko asked. "No." Hawk admitted "But distance isn't exactly a fixed thing in the Shadow Realms anyway." "True." Yeriko admits before stepping through the Portal. The rest of the party follow her lead with Hawk coming last to close the Portal behind them. Off to the left in the distance they can see the glow of protective spells around the Thulien outpost. Thankfully the Compass shows their path is headed away from it. "It's unfortunate that you are the only one who's been there before." Throk says as they set off. "How so ?" Targon ask puzzled. "Distance isn't a fixed thing here." Kain says "The more of us focusing on where we're going the shorter the trip." "Even so, it should only take us a couple of days" Yeriko says calmly

The Dread Name is a Mindseed so anyone who knows the Name is drawn to anyone else who has it. And using the Name as a way to do magic causes the Mindseed to grow. It would be an enormous effort to get enough people to learn the Name and activity resist using it to achieve that level of dispersal and I'm not entirely sure what would happen if you did. When someone who knows the Name dies the Mindseed will try to move to a new host. If that isn't possible it will imprint itself onto their remains or a nearby object. If that vessel is destroyed the Mindseed will dissipate. The rate of dissipation will depend on environmental factors and can range from a few days to a few years. Assuming that the Mindseed can't find a new vessel.

I've mentioned the Gith in other writings. How they were a slave race that gained their freedom during the Gith Rebellion/SaurianThulien war. But I've noticed that you never seem to see any Gith after that. No shopkeepers, No adventurers, nothing. So, where did they go? First, let us consider their initial circumstances. Escaped slaves on the run needing to hide from powerful forces who aren't bothering with hunting them because of other problems. So with that as the main concern it isn't to surprising that their initial settlements were hidden outposts that were slowly expanded. Now an important thing to remember is that after their long enslavement to both the Thuliens and the Saurians the Gith had managed to develop some form of Magic/Psi Abilities of their own. With a strong focus on mobility and concealment. Which lead them to develop a process know as Shard Rafting. The concept is fairly simple. The actual implementation, somewhat more complex. An Area is selected and prepared by casting several spells on it. Generally Enchantments to protect the place during the Shift and/or from a hostile environment in the new location. The other big step is placing Runes typically carved into Obilisks around the perimeter and linked to a central control structure. It is quite probable that the Gith were aided in the development of this system by the Morlocks as their control centers closely resemble Morlock Temple Ships. In any event by use of Shard Rafting the Gith have built large cities out in the Void Between and quiet possibly their own Demi Plane. Although the later is at this point unconfirmed speculation. And likely to stay that way. While the few Gith that I have encountered are friendly enough to other races in general they are quite xenophobic when it comes to the idea of any non-Gith visiting or even knowing the location of their cities. And given that their former masters had strong psi abilities including mind reading, it is rather understandable why they don't linger in the cities of other races. Although there does seem to be a trend tword more open relations with other races in recent years. This seems to be linked to some breakthrough in mind shielding abilities and items. There may also be economic/political reasons for wishing to establish stronger connections with other peoples. And as mentioned in the Latralo post, the simple fact that those who lived through the Rebellion have mostly died off. With only a remnant of those who were quite young at the time remaining.

You could pick an existing story and do it as a companion/side story. Like the cabbage seller in Last Air Bender. Only maybe a bit more so. Just a thought.

That would be an accurate assumption. I haven't given it a lot of thought but assume that a group would need to total somewhere between 1000 to 10,000 hit dice/levels for the entity to manifest enough to open a Portal from this side and fully enter our reality. At which point the amount of Eldritch Magic pouring in would effectively turn our reality into an extension of The Far Realms.

While Shard Scape related this can be tweaked to fit into almost any word that has magic. Which is why it's over here in the Nursery. It's a problem for the heroes to solve or can be just a background type of thing. A Dark Wizard/Warlock Priest has made a Pact with an Unnameable Eldritch Horror from The Far Realms that allows for a very simple way to do magic. Well to make magic items with very little training needed. Now of course there are a few minor downsides to this. But if you don't mind working with Eldritch Magic and becoming the Thrall of an Unnameable Horror from The Far Realms... That's the whole bit with this If you know the Dread Name then you have a Mindseed of the Horror the Name belongs to and every time you use the Name it grows a bit stronger and has a bit more control over you. The system is really simple. First you are taught how to draw the Symbol which is the Name distilled down into a single shape. At the same time you're taught how to say the Name. Not the full Name all at once but one syllable at a time. Then two syllables together and so on. Then when you have mastered that you drawn the Symbol in your own blood carefully speaking the Name so that you finish both at the same time. Thus the Pact is made a bit of your Soul/Mind is drained away and replaced with a bit of the Essence of the thing you just made a Pact with. Now that a bit of its mind is available to you, you gain access to the knowledge of how to draw the Enchanting Circle and which Runes to use for which effect. It's this instant learning that makes the whole thing seem so appealing to those that want power without having to work for it. Now the Being you've made your Pact with isn't really all that Powerful compared to most of the big things out in The Far Realms which is why it want to come to our reality. It has two ways of achieving this. The first is to get someone Powerful enough to open a Portal/Gate and let it in. Most people Powerful enough to do that know enough to understand why doing so would be a very bad idea. Thus option two wherein the Being drips into our reality a bit at a time until it has enough Thralls to open a Portal/Gate as a Group Ritual or possibly to eventually just be here because enough of it is here and all it needs to do is pull itself together and manifest a form. Now if you just hear the Name you get a savings throw at advantage if you don't know it's a name or what it names. If you are being told that it is the Name of their master you still get a save assuming you didn't want to know the Name and/or you know that knowing the Name will bring you under it's sway. You obviously don't get any save if you are learning the Name on purpose. The Name can be used as an attack by Speaking the Name and putting Power behind it the Name will try to invade the minds of everyone who hears it. Now if you don't have enough Eldritch Power stored up for that The Name will drain your Lifeforce to power it's attempt to invade new minds.

An interesting idea about Gwixal is that due to the Alurins and their use of the Gwixal Grove spells on their homes and villages Gwixal might actually qualify as a Demi-god. And basically no one seems to have noticed. If you count a Gwixal Grove as a temple/place of worship and anyone using the place as a worshiper then he has a rather large congregation. He's already immortal, magically powerful, and knows vast amounts of information about a lot of things. And he seems to have a habit of showing up when and where he's needed providing the help that's needed at the moment. By setting up the Rune Crystals all over their towns the Alurins are both blessed and sanctifing them so that everyone in town is offering continuous worship just by going about their daily lives. Which means that there is a vast amount of magical energy available for use whenever it's needed. He's not the type to ask for worship but if it's there he's not going to let it go to waste, just gather it up and save it until it's needed. Do I need to explain what a Gwixal Grove is or is it rather obvious from context?

Alurins are basically human in both aperance and biology. With coloration being the most notable difference. The term bronzed actually sums things up quite well. Their natural skin tone looks like they used a spray tan product that took the term bronzed very literally. Hair color is also in the bronzed range being anywhere from a few shades lighter to a few shades darker than their skin tone. Eyes are also a golden bronzed color. They are also very in shape not bodybuilder level but more fitness nut level. The average Alurin could walk around on most beaches and not get more than a few double takes and advice on using a better spray tan brand. The only notable difference between Alurin and Human biology is that Alurins heal faster and are more resistant to disease. Which is a function of their Goldblood nature being active. A Human Goldblood would have the same fast healing and resistance. Active Goldbloods are fertile at will only conceiving if actively seeking to do so at which point in is guaranteed. Humans and Alurins are believed to be able to cross breed although there are no reports of such offspring. It is also possible that the Alurin coloring is dominant and any such children would be undetected except by knowing the parents.

After about twenty minutes of walking Throkmorton is far enough around the cavern to see Yeriko and the others. Namely Kain, Hawk, and Targon. "Woah." Hawk said, "Yeriko told us what happened. But, it's one thing to hear about it and something else to see it first hand." "I know." Throk said, "I haven't looked in a mirror yet. I can feel my face, so I know what I'll see. But I'm not exactly in a hurry to actually see myself looking like this." "At least you are still you in your mind." Yeriko says, "The rest can be dealt with one way or another." "Shopping trip ?" Kain ask indicating the basket. "Snacks for later." Throk said lifting the cover of the basket. Kain and Yeriko peer inside. "Snacks?... Oh; yeah. right." Kain says as realization of the realities of Throkmorton's condition click into place in his mind. The look of confusion then understanding travels quickly around the group. "How long?" Yeriko ask. "About a week each. Three weeks worth. But I'll probably need to find a place to start growing more after about eight." Throk says. Yeriko nods. "It will be time enough. One way or another." "You will want to wear this when we are in most towns." Kain says handing him a hooded cloak. "Shadow Shroud, Deeper Darkness spell woven into the fabric. Popular with vampires and such, but useful for anyone who doesn't want their face seen." He explains. Throkmorton puts the cloak on and pulls the hood up then lowers it again. "Nice. But it blocks out too much light for use down here. Should be fine aboveground during the day. Where's the rest of the group?" "Most of them are meeting up with Grendel in Aracniki to escort the Princess to her new hive." Targon says. "It's going to take some time for me to get used to you looking like that." He adds. "We might not have to." Hawk says thoughtfully. "Melkior might be busy hunting down Tomes with Victor and Seline. But I do have a way for us to go see Anne and Johnathan." "Who ?" Yeriko ask confused. "Appleblack ?!" Throk exclaims " How do you happen to know them?" Yeriko still looks confused. "Jonathan Appleblack and his wife Anne Grayhall, of Grayhall Academy and the Umbrial Archives." Throkmorton explains.

The important thing to remember when speculating on the tactical uses of Bio-Zombie troops is that they are part of a system involving the Mimic Moss from which they form. It is also important to remember that Mimic Moss is a type of Chaos Fungus. Specially it is the base from which all the other types arise. With these details in mind it becomes easier to understand that any and all possible Chaos Fungus abilities are potentially available to the Bio-Zombies being deployed. Which can lead to some rather frightening abilities and tactics. There is the mental impact of seeing something that looks like a fallen companion coming at you; not just once but in numbers. Because they are made of Spores any battlefield where fighting continues for more than a few days will become covered in Mimic Moss allowing the Bio-Zombies to use the fallen from both sides as either templates or raw materials for replacement/repair of their troops. Bio-Zombies that are fighting on a field of Mimic Moss gain a healing factor similar to that of Trolls. It is unclear as to how strong this could become if a Troll were used as the base creature. There are, thankfully, practical limitations on how fast something can regenerate. Another ability/tactic available to Bio-Zombies is the use of spore clouds. When seriously damaged a Bio-Zombie can dissolve into a cloud of Spores which can infect anyone nearby who happens to inhale them. This opens the way to several options. First the spores can remain basically dormant with just enough activity to establish a link to the Mimic Moss creating spies who are unaware of being spies. Once enough information has been gathered the Spores can be activated to a mind control level allowing sabotage and assassination activities to be employed. Or the Spores can grow rapidly killing the victim and forming a new patch of Mimic Moss in whatever graveyard is being used for the fallen. There are, of course, counter measures that can be used against these tactics. Healing Spells and Potions can destroy the Spores. And burning the dead prevents them from being used as resources by the enemy. And Fire of any type can destroy both the Bio-Zombies and the Mimic Moss they are spawned from.

Further exploration of the Catacomb levels of the Liminal have revealed that it is not only possible to gain access to the banks of the Styx from here, using the same spells as you would anywhere else. But using such spells here will connect with "abandoned ?" Yun-Xi outposts from the previous war. As to how abandoned these locations really are; we don't know, yet, as the teams making these discoveries were not equipped for operations along the banks of the Styx and chose to return and report. And gear up for further explorations later.

Specimens of the Liminal Lurker type: Gardner, have been obtained and analyzed. The results are disturbing. They seem to be a type of Bio-Zombie, and the early prototype of a new addition to the ranks of the Yun-Xi hordes. Quite probably the newest shock troops although other uses are possible. First let's cover how Bio-Zombies are made and how they function. Once we have this information it becomes easier to understand what they are likely to be used for. There are in fact a few different types of Bio-Zombies, and we will cover each in detail later. But the basic process is the same. A living or newly dead creature/person is placed on a bed of Mimic Moss with will then form a pod around the subject. It is here that the deviations begin. The Mimic Moss will form several additional pods near to the first. Then the transformation/creation process begins. Spores from the Mimic Moss will start replacing the cells of the original creature in the main pod while that same placement is being replicated in the other pods. When the process is finished the central pod will open releasing an F type Bio-Zombie while the other pods will release S type Bio-Zombies. The other type is M type. These are created by adding various Bio-Mantic compounds to the pod at various points in its development. The Gardners seem to be an M type that was then reused as a template for additional S types without need for further modifications. Interestingly the Gardner specimen I have seems to have started with a Gith as its initial template. I should do some more research into what happened to them after their initial rebellion. 🤔 The ZaRak have a process for creating custom mercenaries without fossilizing the template creature. More about that elsewhere and later as it doesn't really pertain to the topic at hand even though the process is quite similar. The Yun-Xi seem to be using the ZeRek method, or something close to it. With no interest in preserving the original subject. Not terribly surprising given that the Yun-Xi and the ZeRek both serve Yuuxath.

Basically yes. It is a collection of lost/abandoned/hidden Demi Planes and broken off bits of other Realities that have clumped together. It is quite likely that Yuuxath is responsible for these bits coming together. After all while Yuuxath is a mad god he is not a god of madness but of lost forgotten and hidden things. As well as a god of ambition, given that he is trying to displace both Cronous, the God of Time and Gaia, the Goddess of Nature. And given the methods he is using to accomplish that, the broken off bits that make up the Liminal are mostly due to his efforts. So it makes sense that he would sweep up these bits and use the result as a secret base of operations for his followers.

New features of the Liminal Or at least newly discovered, they might have been there for a long time and no one who happened to find them survived to tell others. Or they could be a relatively new addition, given what we know about Yun-Xi activities and the shapeable nature of the Liminal. In any event you want to avoid these areas in particular. Really, unless you are part of a large, well equipped team you should probably avoid the Liminal entirely if possible. Anyway. The first new feature our teams have discovered is referred to as a :Stair Tangle. And, yes it's basically what you would expect for the name. A large number of stairs (and sometimes Escalators and Elivators ) that don't always lead where they seem to be going. Vertical wrapping is the most common effect but hallways are also wrapping around and often to different floors and coming back in from random directions. It is yet to be determined if the wrapping effects are fixed, random, a shifting pattern, or subject to control of some sort. Of course these options are not all exclusive of each other, as a controller could set any of the other effects if they wanted to. The probability that Stair Tangles are something installed by the Yun-Xi seems quite likely given the other discoveries we've made. The Lower Levels aka The Catacombs: to be fair not all the Lower Level areas are Catacombs, some are more mundane stuff like parking garages, old wine cellars, and so on. But those areas are very likely to lead to Catacombs fairly easily. The outer sections just have the piles of bones and stuff, but as you venture deeper you will discovere patches of Mimic Moss, and increasing numbers of Lunesta Moths. As well as more frequent encounters with Windigos and other undead. We have also observed a new Lurker type that is being called a Gardener; as it's main function seems to be tending the Mimic Moss. So far teams have avoided interacting with the Gardeners. So it is unclear if they are hostile or dangerous. For now the assumption is territorial and at least moderately dangerous.

While I've mentioned the entraping and transforming effects of eating the food or just staying too long I haven't really gone into detail as to what you are transforming into. I'm not going to assume that the following list covers all the possible transformations. These are just the ones I happen to know about. Lurkers: this is the general term for those who are entraped and starting to change. Type 1: Skulk: eyes are large and sunken looking. Skin is corpse pale at rest but shifts color to match the color of whatever is behind them when light levels are high enough. Skulks have low light vision with the expected sensitivity to normal light levels. It is unclear if direct exposure to daylight does them any actual harm they do shun anything brighter than twilight. Type 2: Mongrel: Mongrels retain the color shifting ability and low-light vision but are better able to endure brighter light. They still avoid full daylight when possible but seem to be unhampered by it. Mongrels also have a limited amount of shapeshifting ability allowing them to have extra limbs and Monstrous appendages when needed. This shifting is somewhat unstable and sometimes requires effort to shift back while shifting to something Monstrous seems to happen spontaneously. They also have a fast healing factor. While not in the instant recovery range a Mongrel can regrow lost limbs in a matter of days or reattach them fully in a few hours. Type 3: Windego: Windegos seem to be a fast healing life draining undead type. Not much is known about them beyond the basic Fast. Tough. Dangerous. Due to the simple and inconvenient fact of the only people to survive encountering them so far are those that ran away quickly. Which doesn't exactly allow for gathering much in the way of useful information. On the other hand While staying and fighting offer more opportunities to gain information failure to survive the encounter does tend to limit ones ability to share that information afterwards. Especially given that Windegos either eat their kills or transform them into more Windegos. And neither of those options leaves any practical way of asking questions about what happened. There are other types of monsters including undead that have been reported in the Liminal. But these seem to be imports and not things that people are transforming into. So I will cover those in a later post.

Another detail about the Liminal that tends to get overlooked is the existence of outdoor spaces. Yes, there are parts of the Liminal that are outdoors. Abandoned schools often includ the playground, Abandoned parks, Homesteads, Ghosts towns. (As in abandoned not full of ghosts) As to ghosts and other undead, the ones you are most likely to encounter in the Liminal are Litches, Demi Litches, Vampires, ect. Mostly because they are the ones who are most likely to be in an inactive state for prolonged periods of time. Of course any Undead that is in a dormant state for long enough can potentially be drawn into the Liminal along with whatever abandoned place they are in. As to how far the sky goes in theses outdoor areas; no one seems to have bothered with exploring them. My expectation is that after a mile or less you cross into the Border Ethereal and then into the Deep Ethereal. Although crossing into any of the other Planes that the Liminal borders is equally likely, and it may well depend on where you are and/or what you expect/focus on. It is entirely possible that you can reach the Astral Plane by breaking through the sky with that intention. While I have no reports of anyone trying it, I believe that creating a castle out of clouds to use as a secret base is something that could be done fairly easily; assuming of course that you knew enough about how the Liminal works to come up with the idea in the first place. If the Yun-Xi wanted a secret base network; cloud castles in the skys of the Liminal,with linked mirrors as the way in and out, would be an excellent choice. After all, most travelers are exploring the indoor parts and aren't even aware that there are outdoor areas. Much less trying to explore them. And the same holds for the skys above those areas; almost no one is going to think that there is anything up there to explore.

It is worth noting that the transmutative properties of the Liminal probably originate in the Plane of Dreams. But by being combined with the other aspects that form the Liminal, we arive at a significantly different set of rules governing the types of transmutations that are possible here. By using Runes and infusing the transmuted object with magical energy it is possible to make permanent useful items that remain stable even if taken out of the Liminal. Something that is not possible in most of the other Planes where Transmutation is possible. While I was regarding this as just an unusual propertie of the Liminal, the question about the Yun-Xi and Yuuxath, leaves me wondering if they might have had a lot more to do with the creation of the Liminal than was previously believed. 🤔

It does have entraping and transforming properties. So it is entirely possible that one of the Hearts of the Liminal was an attempt by the Fae to expand or recreate their Realm. After all they came to what is now the Fae Realms from the Far Realms during the Great Migration. And it's not entirely clear what Realm or Realms were used in the creation of the Fae Realms. The main flaw in this idea is that the Liminal is mostly abandoned buildings and such while the Fae tend to favor more woodland/nature environments. Of course the woodlands could be there as a way to keep the Liminal at bay if they started with cities and then abandoned them to get further away from Yuuxath. The fact that Yuuxath and the Yun-Xi are not particularly present in the Liminal is actually a bit odd now that I think about it. I'll have to give that problem some more thought.

I do have a post about the Demosidhe. And if you still have questions, ask them there and I will try to explain.

Mirror Link: This spell (ritual?) Allows the caster to link Mirrors that would otherwise have no connection so that they can be used for communication and travel by way of the Demiplane of Mirrors. The improved version: Greater Mirror Link, works even if one of the Mirrors is on a lower level of one of the Outer Planes.

Some interesting features of the Liminal includ Optional Gravity. Due to some versions having been started in the Deep Ethereal; Gravity is Simi Optional. It does take a bit of concentration and some amount of resonance; and, of course, you have to know that it is possible in the first place. But if you meet these conditions it is possible to walk up walls, across ceilings and even float/hover/fly. The flying requires concentration and you only move at about half of your normal walking speed. Still useful for reaching places that you otherwise can't. The slow flight speed only applies to those using the optional gravity effect of the Liminal, if you are flying by other means then the rules for that method will apply normally. Weak Ethereal Border. People who are aware that they can are able to shift into and out of the Border Ethereal of the Liminal simply by willing it to happen. Takes concentration at first but with practice, the amount of concentration needed drops to the same level as walking.

The Liminal borders several different planes and has some unusual properties that likely come from the different places where the Ritual for its creation was preformed. Among these are: several different Prime Material Planes; The Plane of Shadows; The Astral Plane; The Ethereal Plane; The Plane of Mirrors(some notes to follow) The Plane of Dreams. There are rumors of connections with various other Demi Planes; including the Living Demi Plane Zool.(more about Zool later or elsewhere) Notes about the Plane of Mirrors. It is not entirely clear if the Plane of Mirrors is a single Plane or a loosely connected group of Demi Planes. After all most travelers to the Plane of Mirrors report only having access to a rather small group of related Mirrors. Now given that the thing that provides the relationship can vary it is possible that a hub point could be created. For example a castle with Mirrors by several different makers could serve as a hub by Relationship: same Castle allowing access to Relationship: same Maker. In any event all known reports related to the Mirror Plane as accessed from the Liminal agree that it seems to only connect to other Mirrors in the Liminal and that the Mirror version of the Liminal is directly connected to the Liminal to the point that they are effectively the same place. With Mirrors only serving as shortcuts. Making it very much an open question as to whether or not the Mirror Plane can serve as a way in and out of the Liminal. An odd detail about the Liminal being on both sides of the glass is that stepping through a Mirror doesn't require any spell, just an act of will. And probably a certain amount of magical energy for resonance. I should probably clarify here. No spell, beyond the initial enchantments that allow the Mirror to function as both a scrying tool and a means of travel.

The Liminal is my take on where the Backrooms came from, why they exist, and what sort of things you might find there. The Liminal was actually created several different times by different beings in slightly different places but all of these pocket dimensions and Demi-plains are similar enough that over time they have been drawn together and merged. Now it is not known for sure if the heart of each version has merged with the others; or if The Liminal has several Hearts, each with its own powerful artifact, all just rather close to each other. In any event some of the suspected creators included:The Arch Litch Vecna, presumably as a hiding place for his Phalactry. Varque, as a hiding place for a few copies of his Tome. The Litch King Angmar, for his Phalactry. You may be noticing a pattern here? Anyway, much as the Demiplane of Dread aka Ravenloft is composed of several different places where horrific things have happened The Liminal is composed of abandoned and forgotten places. It is unknown if The Liminal is alive and/or aware. The general consensus on that point is Simi-Alive and Aware, with the debate being mostly about to what degree. Most reports on The Liminal agree that it has Entraping and Transformative properties related to the food that can be found there and to just staying too long. These reports are at odds with other reports of people who seem to be using The Liminal as a base of operations while still being able to venture into neighboring realms without any apparent difficulties. One posable explanation for this is that if one embraces The Liminal it allows you to venture forth but with some time limit or other restrictions and the people who are doing so simply know the limits and stay well within them. Another possible explanation involves some form of shielding/purification arrangement that filters out the entrapping elements from the local environment. And of course it is entirely possible that both explanations are in play just for different groups.

Alurins are a group of Demosidhe (and eventually their descendants) who have been transformed from non-corporial beings into corporial ones. This was accomplished by the Gnomish Magus Gwixal with the help of some of his Goldblood students. For context, the Demosidhe in question were of the make alliances group. And were hidden away in Crystals to keep them safe. Which worked for them, but, not so well for those that did the hiding. While it is unknown who they were, or what exactly happened to them. The fact that the stasis spell on the Crystals was beginning the fail is a pretty strong indicator that it was not good. A researcher named Thomas who was working on power transmission technology stumbled onto the basic ideas needed for Gate technology. Which lead to his acquiring some of the Crystals housing the Demosidhe. Which lead to his being possessed by some of them. Don't judge them too hard they were in a rather desperate situation at the time. The presence of Demosidhe caused a pair of dormant Goldbloods to activate. Ok Quick side notes on Goldbloods They were created by "The Gods" (Which Gods exactly is up for debate as no one seems to want to take credit/blame for creating them) When danger is near Goldbloods appear. Or When Goldbloods appear Danger is near. How happy people are to learn that Goldbloods are around really does depend a lot on whether they are already dealing with a problem or not. For some reason people would rather be rescued from a disaster than be told to prepare for one. Go figure 🤔 Anyway the Golden blood has amazing healing properties and a Goldblood who has been properly trained can do amazingly powerful healing magic. They can do some pretty powerful magic just in general, but healing/restoring/creating ect is what the Goldblood Magic is intended for. The Alurins are active Goldbloods because they are living in a wasteland that needs restoring. Just noticed I haven't described what Alurins look like. Sorry about that. I'll get to it with my next edit of this.