Muladhara
From Summoner
Contents |
The Bones and Roots
Mulahdara is the most likely location a Mirror traveller will find themselves, and in terms of sheer variety, the most vast. It is the foundation of the Mirror, and the threads of the Network flow throw it like rivers, separating vast territories of hard, simple concept. It is a place of simple and straightforward things, but that makes it by no means safe or easy to understand.
Quite simply, Muladhara is not a place one explores. It is a place where strong ideas survive, or are devoured. Predator. Blood. Food. Stone. Steel. These are the foundation stones of what it means to be 'alive' or 'solid', and if you are not as hardy as its denizens, Mulahdara will take your strength and add it to its own.
Landscape
The Earth Kingdom is the one least likely to alter or shift very much based on the whims of its observes. The ideas that form it are ideas that are felt and experienced beneath the realms of the mind, and have little respect for you think they really are. A traveller will simply find themselves in the part of Mulahdara most appropriate to their means of entry. If they were fleeing from hungry monsters, they may find themselves in a forest of bones, the laughter of jackal-like demons just out of sight. Whether those sounds and predatory scents are part of the scene or truly hungry presences...that really depends on if a traveller is foolish enough to be caught.
The realm itself is vast and distinct within its regions. In a place of steel, there will be girders, frameworks of buildings, rusted weapons from forgotten battlefield, but one is not likely to find anything organic - even the plants will be bronzed or sculpted. Likewise, demons rarely venture out of their comfort zones, and most are bitterly territorial. The Network forms the borders between places, turning the occasional bridges into battlefields. The ceiling of Muladhara is a vast, formless gray, covered in mist. Some towers rise up to meet the firmament, but few reach the boundary. Occasionally there are rains from the 'higher' Kingdom of Swadhistana. These are usually heralds of rare change within the Kingdom. These changes are almost always violent and highly dangerous to any who wish to journey safely.
Hazards
Aside from its denizens, Muladhara is relatively benign. As creatures with solid shape and base needs, the bounties of the Kingdom still work fairly well for a Summoner. Demons are generally edible for their meat (though this meat can be an experiment in itself, though even metal or stone offer nutrition). A lack of water can be a concern for long journeys, but the occasional rains from Swadhistana create watering holes of emotionally-resonant water. All in all, if one finds oneself in Muladhara, finding one's goal or exit is the only need that demands immediate attention.
One thing that could qualify as a hazard, however, is the rigid nature of Muladhara's geography. While still too chaotic to be 'mapped', it retains its own distinct regions and landmarks. This becomes a problem if multiple travellers enter Muladhara with a significantly different state of mind. The hunter will find himself in a different location than the prey. Someone aroused may find themselves separated from a group that is mostly just exhausted. People with mutual interests are usually not more than one or two 'regions' apart, but reuniting can be a complication.
Thrones
Optional Rule: Muladhara and the Forsaken
The echoes of Muladhara resound within the spirit of nature, both flesh and spirit. Muladhara lives above all else, and something in that vibrant energy can resound within the souls of those who are unique attuned to what is means to be both alive and part of the fabric of life itself. Werewolves who find themselves within Muladhara will find their time both harder and easier. Treat ALL Forsaken, even the Pure, as if they were under their Auspice moon: their shapeshifting becomes reflexive and the duration of their changes to Gauru are extended by a number of turns equal to their affinity Renown.
On the downside, Muladhara is a place of raw survival, and the baser instincts of the People are driven to the forefront. Treat the Uratha as if their Harmony was 1 or the purposes of determining potential triggers for Kuruth, the Death Rage. The slightest provocation can bring about the destructive Rage beyond the control of the higher mind. Reason has no place here, after all.
A werewolf who braves Muladhara intact may earn a dot of Harmony if sufficient struggles have been overcome. Consider the circumstances the same as you would for a mortal's likelihood of gaining free dots of Morality under distressing circumstances - it is a possibility, but only if the character has struggled and suffered to behave in a manner above their current rating.
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