Underworld

From FFa2Wiki

There are two levels of the Underworld - The Shallows, and The Deep. The Underworld is the border between life and death, and is the realm of the Undead. Undead creatures with the Incorporeal Power touch both the Shallows and the Living World.

The Shallows

The Shallows is the border between the living world and the lands of the dead. The Shallows is a dark realm, where the sun shines black. The landscape mirrors the living world, but reveals things which have been lost over the ages, such as destroyed buildings, lost cities, and the ruins of civilizations which had vanished centuries ago. Two locations of significance exist in the Shallows and have been recorded - the Fingers of the Gods, which is an actual god which had died in the ancient past, and the Well of Lost Souls, which holds a spiritual duplicate in the Shallows, the spiritual heart of the Shallows, and the gate to The Deep.

Rules

• Health and Essence does not replenish naturally within the Shallows. Pain is not felt however, so a wounded character will not notice Health loss.
• Death Saves are not made in the Shallows. A character reduced to 0 Health immediately dies, but continues on, unaware of the fact until they return to the living world or pass to the Deep.
• Fatigue Checks are never made. Characters do not need to eat or sleep, but will suffer damage from starvation - not that they'll notice it.
• Fugue Tide - There is a consistent tug against the souls passing through the Shallows, trying to draw them towards the Deep. This tide has a Potency up to 10, and is rolled against the target's Resolve. Each success removes a point of Essence from the target, and if the tide gains more successes than the target's Resolve, they become fearful and paranoid, suffering a -1 die penalty on all actions for every success beyond their Resolve. If the character attempts an action whose die pool is 0 or worse, they simply panic helplessly for the Round.
• Clairvoyant Psionics and Empathic Psionics gain two automatic successes when used, while Kinetic Psionics and Augmentative Psionics do not work.
• Necromancy gains two automatic successes when used. A character using Necromancy must get more successes than their Spiritual Attribute when using Necromantic magic, or they draw the attention of any Undead within a number of miles equal to the Mastery of the Spell.
• Shadow magic gains two additional successes when used. Glamour magic and Shamanism do not work.
• Aria and Infernalism both work, but if the character does not gain more successes than their Spiritual Attribute, they draw the attention of any passing Divine or Infernal Power within a number of miles equal to the Mastery of the Spell. This is, invariably, bad.

The Deep

The Deep is the true land of the Dead. The Deep, when visited by the living, seems to be an impenetrable darkness filled with mist. Within the Deep, people can be visited by the deceased that they remember from life, including lost loved ones, bitter enemies, and innocents that they have seen pass on. The Deep is a personal experience for each individual, who can not see other members of the living when they pass into the Deep.

It is speculated that the Deep tests those who visits, baring their hearts and revealing the balance of the individual's soul as it stands. Someone who has many dark deeds weighing their souls will see the costs, facing those they have wronged, and the innocents who have suffered for their actions. An innocent soul will meet those that they cared for, who will have words of wisdom and who will attempt to comfort the visitor. Those who carry guilt for an accidental death, may have to face the angry soul of the wronged party, in an attempt to placate the soul, and cleanse themselves of their own guilt, or may be forgiven, and released from it.

If the visitor has not died while passing through the Shallows, they will find themselves eventually returned to the Shallows to make the journey home. Some people have said this 'return journey' is accompanied by the wings of an angel, shielding them as they are carried, while others say a withered old crone guides them back, smacking their rump with her cane of they dither.

Rules

• Sorcery does not work here.
• Psionics do not work here.
• A character does not regain, nor lose, Essence or Health here.
• A character does not age, nor needs to sleep or eat here.
• A character can not be harmed, nor can inflict harm in the Deep.

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