Phenomena Uncanny

[Anna]

On Godless, magic's purpose is to serve as both a symbol and an instrument for metamorphosis, uncertainty, and existentialism — the "dark" part of our dark fantasy. In this world, magic is both great and terrible, as likely to bless as to curse.

Origin & Nature

• Magic, in this world, is not called magic (but can be referred to as such out of character). Characters call it khaos.
• 

  An artistic rendition of the Labyrinth
  All khaos "magic" is thought to emerge from the The Labyrinth: realm of the divine, the world between worlds.
• Openings, known as rifts, doors, or windows, sometimes appear in this world. There is no known way to predict where or when opening to the Labyrinth will appear, but they always form on the surface of organic matter.
  • It is possible to enter openings to the Labyrinth and return. It is also possible to enter openings to the Labyrinth and never return, or find oneself in an entirely different time and place.
  • In other words, entering the Labyrinth causes intense hallucinations and can transport someone to a different place and time, with no reliable control over the outcome. That is not to say, however, that people aren't trying to control outcomes.
• Rays of khaos stream forth from these openings: a wavelength of light not visible to human eyes. Objects touched by khaos appear to scintillate with numerous and indescribable colors, spread out like broken glass.
  • Rays of khaos can transform anything they touch, in a process known as entropy exposure. Transformations are known as Phenomena Uncanny, or just Phenomena. Some believe these Phenomena are divine.
  • Phenomena are governed by probability. For example: sentient living things are most likely to be transformed in major ways, dead things are somewhat likely, and things that have never been alive are the least likely to be transformed, and change in more predictable ways.
  • Phenomena can be physical and immediately obvious or more subtle, like altering the genome. In living things, phenomena can be entirely psychological, altering the mind and causing hallucinations.
• Traces of khaos and rifts your character might encounter include things like:
  • A tree, growing in such a way that it seems to have once been a human, frozen in the act of fleeing something unseen
  • A beast of many parts roaming wild places, whose eyes seem to say I ought not be
  • An abandoned castle, strangely bigger on the inside, its hallways shifting through time and space
  • Spectres, spirits, fantastical animals, and intelligent plants
  • Places where time seems to slow, hasten, or loop
  • Visions of a new god, challenging your every worldview, or perhaps a familiar one who reaffirms all your beliefs – who can say what is real?
• Khaos rays and the Labyrinth are impossible to control and difficult to predict. Some researchers strive to uncover secrets that could enable humans to manipulate khaos at will.
• Sometimes, khaos alters things in useful ways. A plant touched by khaos might develop medicinal properties, and could pass down these properties to offspring. This is how magical species and resources are created.

Probability of Phenomena Occurring

Humans	Extremely high; unpredictable results
Living non-human animals; living things capable of thought	Very high
Living plants; living things that are incapable of thoughts	High
Dead humans	Said to be determined by "the flip of a coin"
Dead non-humans	Low
Nonliving things	Very low; results mostly predictable
Salt	Extremely low; never observed

Philosophy Uncanny

• 

  A scholar's notes on light and khaos
  Khaos and the Labyrinth have strong religious associations; most people believe they are divine.
• Most of the study surrounding khaos focuses on seeking, obtaining, studying, and documenting things that have been affected by khaos, with the ultimate goal of using magic in practical ways.
• Esotericism is the focus on magic as associated with a higher purpose – gods, the construction of reality, and other planes of existence. The idea of magic as something divine is as old as magic itself, but in recent years, the theories of Esotericism have more and more been put into practice.
  • The overarching theory: by willingly entering the Labyrinth and training oneself into incredible mental discipline with induced dream-states and near death experiences, humans can directly control khaos.
  • Extreme esotericists believe that perhaps humans could become like gods.
  • Public opinion is divided: some believe this is human destiny; others believe it is playing a dangerous game and that could invoke divine wrath and cause terrible destruction.
  • Application of esoterist training tends to be hit or miss. Some do obtain desirable results; most deteriorate mentally.

Vocations Uncanny

• Unnaturalism is the discipline of finding and studying things that have been affected by khaos, and documenting its effects. Unaturalists are often found traveling with reckoners and best known for discovering new magical entities and species.
• 

  Alchemist's equiment
  Alchemy is the discipline of extracting and combining ingredients from matter in order to create new substances. Many alchemists are also naturalists. Alchemists are best known for developing things like Lyriosi fire and everlasting candle wicks.
• Reckoning is the discipline of protecting humans by locating and closing Labyrinthine rifts where khaos is leaking out. In doing so, they must often outwit and overcome dangerous Phenomena. Reckoners often make a living by escorting travelers and protecting settlements. Accomplished reckoners are highly respected.
• Seering is the discipline of willingly entering the Labyrinth (physical or psychological) in the hopes of gaining divine understanding and becoming one with the fabric of reality. The average seer starts with mental exercises and induced dream states; those with great dedication for their craft may purposely give themselves near death experiences. Many seers seek to understand some kind of divine truth and unravel the mysteries of the universe. Seering has religious connotations, but in recent years its traditional meditative practices have begun to be seen as an avenue to greater khaosic understanding. It is the most dangerous of disciplines, rumored to lead to madness.

Resources

• The Library of Phenomena located within Lyre's Atheneum contains records and relics related to all known phenomena uncanny. It is maintained by the Magistracy of Phenomena, who is itself bound by law, but is not above collecting research from less reputable sources. Although many materials are available to the public for educational purposes, a select few are kept hidden away, and the Magistracy is known to guard their secrets fervently. Some things, they believe, are too dangerous for common knowledge.
• Obsidian needles and silver thread can be used to sew shut the edges of Labyrinth openings. A well-sewn opening will be difficult to detect and reopen, while amateur attempts can be more easily seen and torn apart.
• Gold, silver, and other minerals with high luster and conductivity grow warm in proximity to khaos and reflect it away from its surface. Used in jewelry, then, they can be used as an alarm system against magic, and can help to protect the wearer by redirecting rays.
• Salt has never been observed to be affected by rays of khaos. Although it has no known protective properties, its inert nature make some believe that it is lucky and wards off khaos. Jade, whose mineral composition is based in sodium, is the subject of similar superstitions.

Technology

• Lightcages are black stones that have absorbed rays of khaos. They can be crushed, cracked, shattered, or heated to release that khaos.
  • 

    Inside a lightcage
    The most effective and long-lasting pandoroi are made from fireglass (obsidian), which can be heated and kept over a small flame to gradually release the energy and power machines. Heated fireglass glows violet and can be contained by titanium. This has made obsidian and titanium two of the most valuable minerals in the Republic.
  • Pandoroi are very dangerous, particularly the more brittle varieties, due to their potential to release khaos if accidentally broken.

Notable Phenomena

• Labyrinth of the Peacock
• The Shining Tree: In the time of empire, this sapling with a Labyrinthine rift on its trunk was discovered, transported, and cultivated. Despite appearing to be made of many-colored glass and crystals, it grows just as a regular tree would. It is imprisoned in a courtyard of mirrors in Lyre, guarded, and considered a religious site. Most of the time, the rift is sewn shut with gleaming thread, but that thread is periodically loosened to allow rays of khaos to shine through. The Shining Tree is chiefly used to make pandoroi from the obsidian harvested in Lyre, but is also employed for research.

• Woden, the Huntsman: A terrifying, many-limbed creature
• Bai Xun
• The Time Well
• The Oasis of Eyes

a time loop where the same thing keeps happening over and over again
a bell jar with animal hatching, growing old, and dying
building bigger on the inside than the outside
cave or spring where you undergo a psychological journey
place where all people appear inside out
the unsea
bioluminescent
fell omen morgoth
winged horse - tulpar, turkish mythology
werehyena
wish granter, gaunter o'dimm devil type? or too op?
place where everything is upside down
place that instantly kills anyone who enters it