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DispatchFactbookOverview

by The Interuniversal Civilization of Aivintis. . 298 reads.

The Watcher’s Library | Database of the Supernatural

The Watcher

The Watcher is a former mortal who has taken upon the power of Ezoterika, an old god of knowledge, wisdom, and magic. The Watcher draws his power from the Eternal Library, a realm of infinite rooms containing infinite volumes of infinite knowledge of what has been, what is, and what can be. His power is to know what is happening at any given moment in time, manifested in his far-seeing eyes which permeate reality. He can watch any event unfold, and keep tabs on whoever he so pleases. The Watcher is no eternal being himself but, since Ezoterika remains locked up in the Eternal Library, he is as good as King in that sense. The Watcher has immense disdain for supernatural life in the Directorate, and seeks to wipe it out.

UTSNOBI

It Lies and Hides. Utsnobi is the Coming of the Stranger, but also Madness. I Do Not Know You, but also You Are Not There. Utsnobi is deceit, the fear that the world is not quite right, or the knowledge that it is indeed very wrong. It is twisted and unknown, a spiral of doubt and fear, most of all. It is wrong, it is strange, it lies and it hides. Utsnobi is a minor faction, and it is unknown if it has even manifested an entity, but it is powerful among those it affects, and seemingly organized. The avatars and manifestations of Utsnobi, which are indistinguishable from one another, are strange, discrete, and motivated by unknown desires. Utsnobi is closely related with the concept of identity, and the lack thereof. Its manifestations are well documented in this regard, with accounts of faces that are smooth and blank, or ever-shifting, or familiar and strange at the same time. Utsnobi is strongly connected with the idea that you cannot trust anyone. They have no known allies or enemies.

The Stranger is a shadowy figure who represents Utsnobi to mortals, whose face can never truly be seen. He wears a fedora and old coat, is distinguished by the smoking of cigarettes. He appears in strange, seemingly random places, doing the bidding of his master. The Faceless are the most recognizable monsters of Utsnobi. These are the monsters whose faces can be nothing, everything, or else an uncanny something, and can sometimes shift between which faceless presentation they show. Some Faceless are said to steal the faces of their victims and wear them like a mask, although to what end is ultimately unknown.

Jeweled Liar is Greed itself, the desire for more and more and more. The Jeweled Liar is sometimes referred to as Gold and Silver, in which it takes on a heavier role as a hoarder and seeker of riches of all kinds, resembling some myths about trolls or dragons obsessed with treasure. Mostly, the Jeweled Liar is simply the appeal of dangerous, or else uncertain deals. It is bargaining and trickery, and it always appears offering something - riches, power, anything one could ask for. In return, it greedily takes more than it gives, your life, your mind, your belongings. Sometimes it takes everything. Sometimes, it waits until you think you have cheated it until it takes its due. Gold and Silver appears as a withered man barely alive, held together by molten gold that reflects light like a second sun. Its eyes and teeth are shifting, melting gold as well, and it cannot move. It grants unlimited favors, and is the most giving of the Jeweled Liar, and the most taking. An incident in the distant past has led to a long-standing rivalry with the Dievai and the Darkness.

Precipice is the smothering, vast infinity of an uncaring, possibly malicious universe that you cannot fight or even comprehend. It is far and large, making you feel infinitely small, a cosmic speck of a cosmic speck. Too small and weak, crushed by infinity, paralyzed by existential insignificance and chaos. It is the Great Beast, a towering monster that kills entire worlds like tiny ants. It is Nothing Out There, the fear that everything is pointless and too large for you. It is the Vast, a fear of heights and open spaces, and it is the feeling of being overwhelmed by and buried underneath the vast weight of the universe. Its followers are some of the most tame of the supernatural orders, likely due to an apathetic attitude, and most are concerned with deep ocean and space expeditions, likely to be closer to their god. Its antithesis is solid, dense ground, deep caves, and tight spaces, but is not itself a supernatural order, just a very strong weakness. Precipice itself is almost powerful enough to be considered a major order, but not quite there. Mostly, it is persecution by Ezoterika that has kept them from reaching this goal.

The March of Wit is Progress. Science, technology, development of all kind. The future of mankind and the promise of machines beyond comprehension. It is a Mechanical God, with gears whirring with power we cannot comprehend yet, but might some day. It is the vision just beyond the horizon, all the great things waiting to be revealed and invented. It is unattainable, however, just beyond reach, always past the horizon and never swift approaching. But it is also the Drive to Win, the need to progress and achieve even outside of scientific or technological context. Followers of The March of Wit are attempting to build their mechanical god. They have been trying forever, and will never finish. The Mechanical God is a towering construct, with scaffolding all around it. The project is hidden underground, pursued by the top engineers and scientists entrapped by the desire to build God. Automatons are created by other branches of March of Wit, built to protect the Mechanical God and see the will of the March done. They are all made of bronze, and consist of Giants are twice the size of men and act as guardians. Spiders are the size of house cats, and swarm their target, electrocuting them. They act as foot soldiers. There are more experimental classes as well.

Zzoric Vampires are undead supernatural creatures that subsist by feeding on the blood of the living. Zzor in particular originate from Sanguis Zzor whose own power came from an unknown source, making him an undying god and allowing him to create the Zzor. Zzor are monsters that appear as pale humans, usually with a worn, haggard expression and unnaturally long teeth. When exposed to candlelight, they appear much more feral and animalistic, to a horrifying extreme. These vampires have a well documented weakness to wooden stakes and sunlight, but at night are known to have heightened strength, speed, reflexes, senses, and regeneration. Unless killed by a wooden stake, sunlight, or a consecrated weapon, they are said to be immortal, unaging and highly resistant to conventional weaponry. In one tale, it is suggested that being starved of blood can also kill a vampire. Poison and disease cannot touch them, but they are repelled by wild garlic, and injured when trying to cross a salt line. They have the power to compel mortals to do as they say, and the more powerful among them have the ability to levitate and use telekinesis. Zzor are created through an unholy blood pact between a mortal and an existing Zzor, making use of rare ingredients and thirteen human sacrifices. Zzor that are created during a blood moon have the ability to practice blood magic, which converts the blood they consume into magical energy which they can use to cast spells and strengthen their existing powers. Rare, powerful blood magic can temporarily protect vampires from sunlight, but more common blood magic is used to cast spells such as one that can turn the vampire into a cloud of mist, or allow them to phase through matter. All Zzoric Vampires have claws sharp and strong enough to gouge steel and rip through flesh like paper. Zzoric Vampires are creatures of the night, but ultimately creatures of blood and power. Vampire politics are dangerous and complicated, and demonstrate immortal patience. One Vampire might weave a complicated web of deceit and struggle over a hundred years just to move one chess piece, because that Vampire may live for hundreds more.

Witches are practitioners of magic who have the ability to enchant any inanimate object with any power they see fit, limited only by the energy they must use to complete their enchantments. Their power is strong enough to move, completely transmogrify, imbue with power, and even animate these objects. If a witch uses too much power it is likely to kill her, but they can also capture the energy released by the death of living things to strengthen their enchantments. Witchcraft has limits, however, and cannot enchant living things or bring back the dead, for example. However, a rare few have the power to see the future. Some witches use their power to sell magical trinkets, to assist great kings, or to help the common people. Most, however, live in covens of thirteen witches, using their power to defend themselves and reach enlightenment. Witches can be trained to use their power, and start off rather weak, but must be part of a witch bloodline, and even then it is not guaranteed that bloodline members can be witches. Warlocks, or male witches, are far less common. For every two covens of witches, there is only one warlock, and their power is very different from that of witches, to a yet unknown degree.

Werebeasts are spirits of the hunt, the chase and sacrifice of mortals and monsters alike. Cursed or, from some perspectives, blessed with the power to transform into a monstrous synthesis of man and beast, they share no unified god or code, and it is not unheard of for some to work for various other orders or against their own kind. The most common Werebeasts are Werewolves, but other documented beast forms are bears, hawks, crocodiles, lions, sharks, boars, vultures, and elephants. All share a common weakness to silver, salt, and consecrated weaponry, but a common strength in enhanced speed, strength, reflexes, and senses, which they maintain in their human form and is doubled in power by their beast form. Any natural weapons and features of their beast shape are enhanced in their beast form. The process of transformation is very painful, but one can easily get used to it, and eventually control their transformations, even without a full moon. Werebeasts have the power to call animals to their aid, but the animals of their beast shape, such as wolves, for example, are bigger, faster, and stronger in their presence. There is an old legend that tells of a Weregod, who could transform into any half-beast form at will, but little is known about him, nor is there any proof he exists.

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