Contents of Jan Mendyk’s travel bag, and items on his person:
4x Sets of Clothes (Long Sleeves, Long Pants sets, all in grey, black, or white. One set worn to Hostel)
1x Military Fatigues
1x Winter Jacket (Worn to Hostel)
1x Pair of Gloves (Worn to Hostel)
1x Survival Knife (Taken to Hostel)
4x Ration Bars (Taken to Hostel)
1x Book on Russian Language
1x Set of Discharge Paperwork
1x Set of Nondisclosure Paperwork
3x Unwritten Letters
1x Toiletries Bag
1x Division Operation Manual
1x Goblin Club (Obtained at Hostel, from assailants. Unknown properties)
1x Club of Discolored Man (Obtained at Hostel, from assailants. Unknown properties)
1x Knife of Discolored Man (Obtained at Hostel, from assailants. Used to kill Artem Lysenko. Unnatural sharpness, otherwise mundane)
1x Handgun (Obtained from Artem Lysenko. Freshly reloaded)
Contents of Angeline Lantier’s bag of wonders, and trinkets on her person:
1x Hand Crossbow (Obtained from man outside of hostel, empowered by rites and curses. Otherwise mundane.)
1x Sinew-Chain-Whip (Transfigured head via learned Anell magic, obtained from creature outside of hostel. Has unknown properties)
1x Telepathic Slab (Brought to Ostoja, obtained from Itahari, Nepal. When held, transforms spoken words to short range telepathy. Used to plan with Jan when fighting Tres.)
1x Ruby Gemstone (Brought to Ostoja. Obtained in Ontario, Canada. Can be used in various magical rites.)
1x Lace of Restraint (Brought to Ostoja, used on Tres. Obtained from Wuhan, China. When pressed to someone, restrains them in unbreakable rope, and prevents most magical methods of escape. Prevented Tres from escaping once bound.)
1x Karmic Orb (Brought to Ostoja, used on Tres. Obtained from Norfolk, UK. Causes a hyper realistic illusion of terrible and extremely unlikely misfortune, that feels real, but lasts for only a short time. Made Tres believe their weapons had exploded and struck them.)
1x Hew Wand (Brought to Ostoja. Created herself. Can be used as a focus for ‘traditional’ magic)
1x “Magic Marker” (Brought to Ostoja, used on Tres. Obtained from Salt Lake City, USA. Can ascribe certain properties to objects or people when used to draw on it or them. Used to make Tres know and speak Polish)
1x Warding Ink Tin (Brought to Ostoja, used on the hostel. Obtained from Mendan, Indonesia. Marks entrances or thresholds, and invokes an inconvenient consequence on those who pass. In theory also prevents magical traversal).
5x Doses of Ignorance (Brought to Ostoja, one given to Jan. Obtained from friends in the Amazon Rainforest. When ingested, makes someone’s wounds vanish for anywhere from one to five days. If the wound wound stabilize or heal within that time, it remains gone. If not, it returns in force.)
5x Sets of Clothes, all suitable for travel. Each comes from a different place Angeline has visited (In bag)
1x “Treatise on Faerie” (Brought to Ostoja, bought from a used book store in Madrid. The author’s name changes whenever you look at it)
1x “Curse Fundamentals” (Brought to Ostoja, gift from a friend in Cairo. The author is written as M. Merlin)
1x “Broken Circles” (Brought to Ostoja, taken from the cold dead hands of a Council Wizard in Lyon. The author is written as one Oliver Doyle)
1x Pillow of Long Nights (Brought to Ostoja, bought from an estate sale in Cape Town, South Africa. As long as it’s fed one lock of hair per month, it makes sure you can always fall asleep and wake up at exact intervals)
3x Paper Gods (Brought to Ostoja, inherited from a relative in Saint Marc, Haiti. Each of them can be unfolded to release a creature with immense power, emulating an ancient deity. However, they’re fragile, and will fold under almost any pressure, destroying them instantly)
“Pressed Flowers” (Brought to Ostoja, bartered for by a similar practitioner in Tokyo, Japan. When attempted to be moved by anyone other then Angeline, they feel as if they weight approximately 4.56 tons. This pressure cannot kill, but it is a clever anti theft measure)
Hole in the Wall (Brought to Ostoja, given by an entity from Prague, Czechoslovakia. When this strange tool is pressed against a wall, and drenched in about one quart of blood, it opens up a miniature gateway to a fold of chaos, where items can be stored and retrieved).
Items Stuffed in Tres’s Pockets, and the shit they’re wearing:
1x Silver Athletic Shorts (Obtained from a thrift store in New York, USA, worn)
1x Coca Cola(trademark) hoodie, with a Mexican sports mascot on the front (Stolen from a store in Mexico City, worn)
1x Old Beat Up Sneakers (Taken from on top of a Power Line in Detroit, USA, worn)
1x Pair of American Optical Sunglasses (Stolen from President John F Kennedy in Washington DC, USA. Worn)
1x Half Chewed Pack of Wigley(trademark) gum (Stolen after a stampede earlier this year, in Moscow)
1x Beat up copy of the information pamphlet “Basics on Transgressors” (Stolen from the last idiot that tried binding them in Paris, stuck in the waistband of their shorts)
1x Fancy Obtuse And Maybe Magic Butterfly Knife (A gift from an old friend in London, in their pocket)
1x Golden Compass (Gift from the Chimera Prince, in their pocket. Points towards the greatest threat to them at a given time. Constantly points at Angeline).
Marcel’s Many Gifts:
1x Set of Warm Cloths (From his home, worn)
1x Warded Jacket (From his home, practiced on by a faerie sorcerer. Perfectly shields him from the cold, worn)
1x Ritual Toolkit (Gift from the Chimera Prince, contains all of the basics needed for rituals. Partially expended to start the Rite of the Dreaming World)
1x Blood Bracelet (Gift from Elvina, contains a crystal filled with crimson blood. Marcel was told to break it if there was an emergency. Can be used as a focus for some magic, otherwise).
1x Riteknife (‘Gift’ from Dirk at Chimera Prince’s order. Silver knife with a leather handle. Self inflicted wounds made with it heal the next time you close your eyes.)
1x Copy of “Wyld Magic” written by one Dante Delemonte (At home, given by the Chimera Prince)
1x Electronic Watch (Gift from his father. Worn for sentimentality)
Exerts:
Division Operational Manual:
Note: This document’s distribution has been cancelled by order of unanimous United Nations Supernatural Security Council Verdict circa October 1975. It’s use is highly prohibited. That said, the following are two exerts. Read at your own risk.
“-When engaging with a transcendental life form (classified as any creature empowered by or created from Pandemonium), your greatest asset will be your training, that you’ve no doubt been given in spades by now. However, your second greatest asset will be your Control Class Weapon System. Developed as a countermeasure to transcendental life forms, who would otherwise ravage our way of life, these weapons utilize small trace amounts of Pandemonium, to effectively overdose these entities on their own drug. All reports of these weapon causing harm to their users are false, they are perfectly safe unless you yourself are infected with Pandemonium. Any entity shot with them can have all manner of things happen to them. If a being requires consistent supplies of Pandemonium to survive, such as the creations of the Dhampir, or beings made from pure Pandemonium, they will generally die in one to two shots from a Control weapon. Those who do not rely on it, such as arcanites (or sorcerers), will not die instantly, simply feeling the effects of a normal bullet. Naturally, this is not a foolproof system, but it’s a fairly reliable countermeasure to any being you may encounter. Control rifles pack a larger dose then pistols, as one might expect, but have a bit more kickback, and their actual physical projectile space is smaller, so it is a distinction to keep in mind.”
“-The Division was founded by the State Security Committee in response to the discovery of transcendental entities, and discovering them close to highly compromising positions that could harm us all. Thus, it is the priority of each member to ensure that as few of these entities exist within Soviet Union, and it’s allied states borders. Though many of them may seem harmless, or even innocent in the acts of paranormality they partake in, each entity leaks Pandemonium, an energy which is harmful on a base level to most forms of life. And, more pressingly, if an entity can think, and it can speak, it can most certainly lie, which is a good fact to remember for any Division field member. The primary entities to be cautious of, and the most common ones you may encounter, are the following:
Dhampir: These beings are almost ripped from the pages of children’s tales. They drink blood, subsist on it, do not die of natural causes, and walk by night only. While they do occasionally hold folkloric weaknesses, Control weapons are the best answer to Dhampir. Dhampir generally come in two types. Hounds, which act as a servile class, and tend to look monstrous or inhuman. These creatures are strong, fast, and are shockingly sneaky at times, among other abilities. Hounds will tend to be the first being encountered when invading into Dhampir spaces. The other type, proper Dhampir, look, talk, and act human. There can be some tells, but none are consistent enough to be relied upon. They wield powers too varied to count, limited only by happenstance and blood. If one is confirmed, you always have permission to fire at will.
Arcanites: These, while seeming human, are magical practitioners. Not all of them mean implicit harm, but their arts slowly corrupt them, and the areas and people around them, infecting and seeping with Pandemonium. Often power hungry, these individuals can have many, many tricks. However, most generally, they are still human, and thus, bullets are always a standard answer that can be relied upon. Giving them time to get wise to you is always a bad idea. Shoot on sight.
Spirits: Abstract creatures of pure Pandemonium, these entities come in all shapes and sizes, but are pure transcendent entities. The variants that the Division deals with are often physical, and can embody all sorts of objects, elements, and strange forms. The main thing to be cautious of, is that a spirit destroyed by mundane means can often find another host. The Control line of weaponry was primarily developed as a countermeasure to such entities.”
Treatise on Faerie:
This book, written by a shifting author, is a constantly expanding volume. Worry not about buying a new copy, we add the new pages for you, the moment you look away from it next! We hope you are satisfied with your purchase, and with this exert from the exotic tome:
“What are faerie? This is often the question asked most by beginners to the world beneath the ordinary. They may here the word tossed about, and have all sorts of preconceived notions of what that means. They think winged little tricksters, walking trees, or some nude woman laying capriciously in a wooded glade. All answers are correct, but the best way to surmise them is this: Faerie are stories made real. By definition, a faerie is the sum of a story, a being made manifest from the imagination of mankind. All faerie owe their lives to humans, a fact some begrudge are thrilled by. There is a faerie of almost every fairy tale you’ve heard. Every tall tale, every urban legend, all of them have a faerie, and sometimes, even variations on the story can spawn different faerie. Some stories necessitate many faerie being made, if the idea of the story is that there are more then one, and this is how faerie species come to be. If it sounds to you like you should be running into faerie on your way to the grocery store, or finding them under your bed, just by the sheer volume and options…firstly, you should check under your bed, always and forever, and secondly, there was a time you would have. However, many things have changed in the realm of faerie since the times of folkloric yore.
Firstly, the average person no longer believes in faerie. Thus, modern stories, your average novel off the printing press, won’t create a faerie unless people believe that story is real. For example, a conspiracy spread the right way could manifest a faerie, your average copy of To Kill a Mockingbird won’t spawn Atticus Finch. This has also weakened existing faerie. Faerie don’t need belief (you’re thinking of gods, an extinct species of entity sans few. See page 262 for more on them), but they do need humanity on some level. Global banality has inflicted blows onto faerie by and large, weakening their potential, and even killing some. Secondly, the Olympic Court happened.
Who are they, you may be asking? Well, you’re better off not knowing, but most would rather regardless, so here’s the story. A long time ago, gods, monsters, and faerie ran rampant. Humans had their sorcerers and such to protect them from incursion, but still. Such things were common. However, gods died all the time, as their followers died or changed. Faerie vanished, hunted down or otherwise destroyed. Monsters were slain. Godhood did not mean forever. Very few things do. Faerie are technically perpetual beings, if they play their cards right however…which made some people jealous.
Enter the Olympians. Gods, believed in by a Greek populace. Greece was pretty big, and that made for strong gods. Belief fuels these creatures, and they walked amongst men, alongside fellow entities of various stages of legend. Some entities even co opted these names, or became them. The Oracle of Delphi, for example, was a whole different caliber of entity, and divine Artemis was inspired by a different entity. But, by and large, they were a monolith. And then, along came Rome. Rome was bigger then Greece. Much bigger. And the Olympians, with agency to spare, took on new names, and co opted Rome with ease. But, even Rome was finite. At the apex of their power, these gods realized that eventually, they would fall. And unlike many gods, who accepted that fate, accepted the death that came with no belief, the inevitable that humans globally tended to slide towards, they simply refused. You see, most gods begin as faerie, then ascend later, with or without a choice in the matter. The Olympians decided they would simply reverse the project.
And just as Christianity began to sink it’s teeth into the Olympic God’s lifeboat, they did just that. The consequences were disastrous. The power unleashed supposedly left aftershocks that killed thousands of mortals connected to them, and acted like a faerie and magical sinkhole. Destroying and crushing several millions of entities into raw dreamstuff. The thousands and thousands of faerie realms, perhaps millions, that existed next to our own, were destroyed and merged into one in a grand convergence. Now, only one realm houses faerie. And the Olympian’s rule it absolutely, with few exceptions. And they’ve adapted with humanity. Olympic Archfae control CEO’s, world leaders, sorcerers, you name it…all while holding once great powers crushed at their feet.
So, do check under your bed. But don’t expect to find much there except the dark.”
Curse Fundamentals:
Written by an unknown individual under the pen name “M. Merlin” (or perhaps written by the funniest named magic user ever), this book details the basics of curses, a specific strand of magic. Thankfully, the book itself isn’t cursed. At least, not in any way that matters to it’s current holder.
“-Ultimately, curses are a gambling game. Remarkably low risk, as far as magic goes, but hard to pull off, and potentially catastrophic to the user if not done right. However, compared to throwing a fireball, or calling down lightning, they can both be subtle, and more importantly, not douse the entire nearby area in enough magical radiation to make Truman blush.
The basic principle is this: You’re assigning something or someone a trait or label. Objects will always be easier then people, because they can’t resist, passively or actively, except under special circumstances. Giving an object a curse of breaking is much simpler then making a person breakable. Generally, you’ll want to establish a condition for the curse-for a person, telegraph this, to make it more potent. A vague threat can also work. Then, invoke what you want the curse to be. Think of the person with an infestation of boils, or imagine the object being hot as magma. Or better yet, speak it aloud, repeat it, make it stick. More broadly, the more you know about the person or thing, the easier they are to curse. Names, facts, visual appearances, proximity all these things help, as does the person having a natural affinity to the label. A sickly person is easy to make sick, a professed bad gambler is easy to give a bad streak of luck. Otherwise, your goal is to hammer it in, pouring in magic, until it sticks. Just be careful, as certain entities can ignore or dismiss curses, and the more complex of a being you’re dealing with, the harder it is to make curses stick. You want to strike a nice balance, between power and effectiveness, for cursed targets. For mediums of cursing, see page 79, for types of curses, see page 126, and for examples, see appendix E.”
Broken Circles:
A well tended to tome from the halls of one of the Council of Eight’s many libraries, this tome was written by Oliver Doyle, a member in good standing until his death under classified circumstances. It discusses the various Circles of magic that have existed for centuries, and their relationships with the larger supernatural world. This copy belonged to a member of the Arcane Society (Or whatever they’re calling themselves now), killed by Angeline after a violent altercation.
“-Circles (Defined as a collection of magical practitioners bound together for longer then a decade) lend both a positive a negative to our collective art. On one hand, having smaller magical societies, who perfect certain crafts, can be a great boon towards the collective development of the art as a whole. Additionally, they serve as excellent collaborators in areas of their expertise, and can prove useful in that function, time and time again. However, they are also unaccounted for in almost all accounts, can be self destructive or even destructive in general, and rarely follow proper protocols outside of what are developed in house. In addition, since most circles are either built around a family structure or other common traits, they can often be xenophobic, and respond violently or worse to attempts at diplomacy. The larger circles can even prove rivals to the Council themselves, and can occasionally start very destructive wars amongst themselves over scraps of magical lore or power. However, as the 20th century progresses, the problem seems to be answering itself. Smaller circles die out, unless they open their doors, or accept deals from the Council of Eight. Larger ones are excellent targets for black suited government agents, or would be monster hunter societies. Those caught between meet a myriad of fates. Magic is a hard thing, in the 20th century. And though it may be sad to see arts cultivated so long or so well die out, it is for the best, given rising Chaos rates, and public scrutiny.”
Basics on Transgressors:
This informational pamphlet was distributed by a group simply known as the “Third Eye Newsletter” as apart of an effort to educate magical practitioners, independent monster hunters, and others versed in such things. The Newsletter was discontinued in 1970, after it’s main writer was killed by a member of the Wheel.
“How do you defeat an embodiment of Human Sin? This is a thought often thought up by those who realize the existence of Transgressors, beings which literally embody what humans think Transgressors are. You name it, from almost any point in time, there’s a Transgressor for it. And the worse we all think something is, the worse these things get! For example, Jaywalking is probably a pretty weak creature, if it’s even still alive. But you start talking about, say, Theft, and you’ve got something pretty big. This does mean that their power fluctuates, as time goes on and global norms change-and certain Transgressors are stronger in certain parts of the world. Their powers vary drastically, but generally correlate to their Transgression. Kidnapping could nab you without a second thought, and Heresy could probably call a demon or seven to mess up your day. Those are basic though…and these things get creative.
Transgressors have no standardized method of binding, to the point that doing so is considered fairly close to impossible. These things don’t work for us. Occasionally, one can end up on the side of humans, but generally to advance the aims of it’s Transgression. This also means that they can work against us to. Like, a lot against us. They don’t serve, but they don’t organize either. Generally, they’ll capitalize on what’s already there, and try and make it worse. They won’t make a conspiracy to commit murder, but they’ll tell a murderer to kill again.
It’s also worth noting, that the stronger they are, the less agency they seem to have. You could probably chat up Tax Evasion, but you’d be shit out of luck with Murder, who, if you want a nice and terrifying thought, isn’t accounted for like a lot of other big names.
There’s one other important quirk of Transgressors, however. Killing them has an interesting side effect: It weakens what they’re named after. For example, if you stabbed Indecency in a backalley, suddenly a lot fewer college kids are going to get the bright idea to go streaking. The effects are subtle, but confirmed, and, here’s the kicker: The stronger, and older the transgressor, the bigger this mass alleviation is going to be. Which means a lot of the big ones have been scooped up by big magical groups, and stuck in a pocket realm somewhere, to find the best time to pop them (Confirmed captured are Rape, Genocide, and Treason). Which is either incredibly messed up or heroic, it depends on who you ask.
One of the main theories for the Cuban incident, actually, is that some idiot thought killing Witchcraft or Conspiracy was a good idea. Which, if that’s true, I’d like a word with them-because you sure made our lives harder.“
Wyld Magic:
Written by the notable otherworldly explorer and sorcerer, the late Dante Delemonte (His death in 1963, in the wake of the Cuban incident, shook the community greatly), this book approaches non traditional magical casting, not often caught amongst the Council, Circles, or others. It’s considered a must read by some, and a book of nonsense by others. Marcel has read it cover to cover seven times, ever since the Chimera Prince gave it to him. It came with annotations written by the Prince himself, some corrections, some personal notes of encouragement, which Marcel treasures.
“-While many imagine magic to be done with special words and a wand, that’s just one way. That method has been popularized by the Council of Eight, a centralized magical authority that has members globally, and are primarily concerned with the safest ways of magical casting: Focus, and voicing. They tune themselves to a sixth sense, rigorously, and then harness magic methodically, to achieve their effects. They do this to mitigate what they call chaos-the energy of the world which manifests much of it, leaking into this world, which can have great consequences.
Most don’t care about that, however, and will hop, skip and jump their way into magic by any means necessary. Some skip steps, have natural talent, or are secretly supernatural by birth or circumstance. Ultimately, anyone who tells you they have all the answers to magic is a con artist, or so dangerous that you should run for the hills. Wyld mages, as they’re called, are the types who figure it out on their own. Wyld mages then teach other Wyld mages, or pass on their talents to those who induct more, and they wander the world spreading whatever trick or cheat they’ve found. They’ll do all sorts of things, from spilling their own blood and speaking commands to the earth they spill it on, to drawing on their shadow in small piecemeal chunks, to performing religious rites, to just thinking really hard until that match lights itself. I’ve done my best to compile information on each.
But it’s worth noting this. There’s a reason the Council and most Circles avoid things like this. It is dangerous. It can hurt you. It can hurt those around you. Be careful, be safe, and have fun”
A Chimera Prince annotation, in black ink: “You need not worry about such things within the town. I’ve made risks lower, and powers greater. And, Delemonte is by and large more afraid of magic then he lets on. Don’t be like him.”
A second exert:
“The shadow is a strange power source, at first glance. Blood, flesh, and bone are visceral things, and feel more weighty then something that’s just an effect of the light. But the shadow does have mystical power. And it can be made finite.
We know for a fact that some things about the world aren’t believed into existence. The sun shines because it is a source of heat in outer space (whether stars as physics and astronomy describes them are truly right, jury’s still out), and it’s light casts a shadow. This is true. But the shadow, being so close to you, at all the time, is just as much a part of you, intimate to you, like your hands, eyes and blood. It’s a bit more abstract, sure, but it is a power source to a talented Wyld mage.
There are catches. You can’t use it forever, for one. Unless you have exceptional talent, have reason to be more closely tied to your shadow, or are just plain lucky, your shadow can be burned through quickly. And I do mean literally, you’ll have holes in your shadow which you’ll have to explain. To the point that some unlucky users simply find themselves without one. And the power ratio here, again, lacking special circumstance, is weak. Your average fireball manifestation may burn up a tenth of a shadow or more…and good luck getting that back. Some parts, or small parts taken, can come back with time, but it’s a toss up, ultimately unreliable.
It may sound like I’m trying to dissuade you. I’m not. Losing your shadow is much better then carelessly smudging the floor with your blood after you hit an artery trying to do blood magic. But, without natural affinity, you’ll simply be better off with another method. And natural affinity like that is rare…and the type of person to have it likely has something off with them. See my other volume on “Beings of Shadow” or “Reflections in the Mind’s Eye” for examples of beings or people with such ties.”
A final annotation by the Chimera Prince, in that same ink: “Your talent is natural to you, Marcel. I haven’t seen anything like it in a long time, someone who can use their shadow like you while being still an ordinary human. Treasure your gift, use it well, and you’ll do truly great things.”
Kindling And Miscellany 