The Near Now...

Below you will find a description of the state of the world. The different cosms that make up the world as it is. The invasion took place in the summer of 1990, and that is the time frame we are playing in.

Atlantis:

Avalon:

Aysle: The cosm of powerful magic, and fantastic creatures, Aysle has invaded and altered Great Britain and much of Scandinavia. The level of general technology is equivalent to that of Earth's 14-15th centuries, wheel lock firearms are available, but are unreliable; most people still rely on armour and melee weapons.

Magic fills the gaps in which we would apply technology, it is a pervasive force throughout the cosm, and everyone can manipulate magical forces to a small extent. The entire economy of Aysle is currently based on the 'Conjuration' standard - defined by the power of the mages who can easily create and manipulate matter, although barter is the most common manner of trade. A wide pantheon of Hero-Gods is known, whose priests wield much power.

Aysle itself is a deep discworld, and its lands are split between a number of powerful factions; the humans make up several poweful Houses, between which political infighting is common, whilst the Elves remain aloof and secluded. Corsairs, freetraders, barbarians and viking raiders live upon the edges of human society. Dwarves are commonly used by both giants and humans for slave labour, although they do have their own homeland between the two faces of the disc. The Giants reside on the lower face of Aysle.

The leader of the great Houses, Lady Pella Ardinay was originally possessed by the spirit of the Ayslish High Lord, Uthorion, but threw off his domination during the invasion of Earth. Uthorion then disappeared, it is no longer certain that he is still the High Lord, or if his Darkness Device has chosen a successor.

Aztec:

Core Earth: The areas of Earth not conquered by the Possibility Raiders are collectively referred to as Core Earth. Much of Core Earth is in turmoil, as the political, military, and social upheveal caused by the invasion continues to grow. But resolve is growing, and possibility-rated Storm Knights are appearing faster than the High Lords can destroy them. Core Earth faces a grim situation. But Core Earth is not without hope.

Cyberpapacy: The Cyberpapcy is a mixed realm, formed from the joining of two distinct realities -- a futuristic cybertech world and a dark ages' theocracy of spiritual power. Here, believers and non-believers alike pay homage to the God-Net, a massive computer that provides the path to God. Pope Jean Malraux I is High Lord and leader of a false church that sprang from a cosm where the Great Schism was never reconciled and the anti-popes were never abolished, but instead took control of the church.

On Earth, the Cyberpapist realm covers all of France. Paris, however, remains a Core Earth hardpoint, and Avignon has become the new capital as it is the seat of power for the Cyberpapist Church and headquarters of the Cyberpope.

Kadandra:

Kantovia:

Land Below: Rumors abound that the six realms that invaded Earth caused more changes to the planet than have been immediately obvious. One story speaks of an underground world of hollow spaces and twisting tunnels. It is said that one such tunnel connects the Living Land realm to the Nile Empire realm. If this is true, speculation continues, then perhaps all the realms are connected in this way. But what else exists below the Earth? Which realities hold sway?

Living Land: The Living Land is a primitive realm. It is dinosaurs and lizard men, action and adventure, unusable technology, and high spiritual power. It is a "Lost World" superimposed over the world we know, thus adding to the mystery and horror of the place.

Baruk Kaah leads his slaves and followers in search of new experiences and greater power. He is a High Lord of strength and ambition who can be reckless in one instance, then overlu cautious the next.

On Earth, the Living Land realm extends across three portions of North America -- from New York to Wisconsin and James Bay to Kentucky on the East Coast, from Vancouver to Monterey on the West Coast, and around Canada's Great Slave Lake in the Far North. It is uncertain as to why Baruk Kaah decided to split up his invasion forces and take over multiple areas at once. It is also uncertain if this will prove to be tactically sound or a strategic weakness. Only time will tell.

Necromunda:

Nile Empire: The Nile Empire is under the rule of Pharoah Mobius, also known as Doctor Mobius; a reincarnated Pharoah, turned criminal genius.

Most of Africa is now under the influence of this strange mixture of 1930's pulp adventure and Egyptian mysticism. Life here is like a movie serial (or an Indiana Jones adventure), with the action non-stop and the characters melodramatically one-dimensional.

Here, the ancient gods of Egypt walk once more, giving many powers to their priests. Arcane rituals are commonly employed by engineers and mathematicians, bringing to life the magics of ancient Egypt.

Technologically, the realm is equivalent to the 1930's of Earth, however, Weird Science is practiced by many inventors, (including the insane High Lord) who create devices which operate outside the normal laws of science (such as flight packs, lightning guns, force field belts, etc). The pulp nature of this cosm allows some heroes and villains to possess one or more particular pulp power, and masked or costumed heroes appear fairly frequently, fighting back against government oppression, or the insidious crime lords who have taken over some of the cities.

Nippon Tech: The corporate aspect of the cyberpunk genre without the cyberware. This cosm is so much like Earth's Japan (which is where they have invaded) that most of the world isn't even aware of its presence. Intrigue, betrayal, and vengeance make up daily life in this polluted, corrupt world. Unsuspecting nations around the world are accepting financial and material assistance from Japan, unaware that they are helping one of the invaders by doing so.

The cosm of Marketplace is governed by a triad of corporations, each of whom will stop at nothing to gain a financial advantage, for profitability is the only law on this world. One of these corporations has invaded Earth, ostensibly in an attempt to increase the market for its goods. In Japan itself, the Yakuza have been taken over by the corporations, and are used to keep the dispossesed citizens who now live on the streets from becoming a 'financial liability'. Corporate interactions often involve teams of heavily armed and armoured Samurai, Ninja warriors, and backstabbing executives. On the streets live the new clans of the homeless, or burakumin . These people are made up of those who are unneeded by the corporations, along with those who failed to show a consistent profit. Amongst these are the militant shiki, gangs of wreckers who try to hit back at the corporations; and the growing priesthood of Palan - who forswear all material trappings, and dedicate themselves to helping the broken hearted people of the streets. Martial arts, espionage, strict honour codes and corporate business takeovers make Nippon Tech an interesting place to adventure in.

Orrorsh: The realm of Orrosh is a very unpleasant place. Monsters roam the Earth, killing thousands of innocent people. Sections of Indonesia have been transformed into someplace else, where Earth's laws don't work. The delicate infrastructure of this densely populated area begins to collapse.

The Victorians are marching across the countryside of Sumatra, fighting monsters, alerting the population to the menace. As they do so, they create more believers in Orrorsh, causing new areas to flip, chaning the areas axioms, causing more dmaage to the infrastructure and causing some of the natives to transform into monsters.

Seeing the new monsters, the Victorians are more than ever convinced of teh rightness of their mission. The monsters must be stopped now, before they gain too strong a foothold on this planet. They send more and more soldiers -- and, increasingly, colonists -- exacerbating the problem even further.

Centers of civilization such as Singapore are paralyzed. Monsters roam the streets. The military and civil authorities are helpless. As technological equipment breaks down, vital services are interrupted. People begin to starve. Chaos grows.

The Orrorsh realm covers roughly the same area as the countries of Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore, excepting the eastern portion of Indonesia (the island of New Guinea is for the moment still free). Orrorsh also encompasses several Phillipine and Australian islands, as well as sections of the South China, Celebes and Banda Seas.

Tharkhold: (Has not yet invaded!)A dark post-apocalyptical world dominated by the Tharkoldu - vicious cybernetically enhanced demons who feed upon the pain they inflict in their prey. Standing against them, and fighting for survival are the Race, the human survivors of the apocalypse.

Tharkold embodies a bizarre blend of magic and cyberpunk with a nasty edge to it. The Tharkoldu have invaded Earth twice, once abortively, and now seek revenge on the High Lord of Nippon for his part in foiling their first attempted invasion of Russia.

The Tharkoldu have established two beachheads on Earth: One in LA, and one in Berlin, which is a bizarre mix of Tharkold and Nile Axiom.

Tz'Ravok:

Star Sphere: