therookery | (no subject)

FORM: Sending Crystal
SENDER: Klaus Von Reinherz
RECIPIENT: Everyone
WHAT: An unusual introduction
WHEN: 20th of Firstfall
WHERE: Coming at you live from the Road to Nevarra
NOTES: Will tag warnings as they arise

Greetings, Inquisition. After having the situation explained to me, I feel it best to observe the formalities.

I am Klaus Von Reinherz, the executive director of Libra from the city of Jerusalem's Lot - formerly New York City - from Earth. I am happy to meet all of you, and look forward to working together on future endeavors.

[It's hard to imagine that there is someone who can sound so formal and official and yet so sincere.]

The pleasantries aside, I will be straightforward. Of what I've been told, there are an abundance of similarities between these rifts into the Fade and an incident in my own world known as the Great Collapse which made the city of Jerusalem's Lot what it is today.

To simplify, this event was caused by somehow breaking down the barrier between my world and a world known as the Beyond. Fortunately, this cataclysmic event's spread was halted and contained largely to the radius of Manhattan Island - however, within this barrier, natural laws break down, and things one might think impossible are a matter of every-day life. As one approaches the massive sinkhole, the origin of the Great Collapse, these oddities are amplified.

If our timelines align, then this incident would have occurred only two years prior to the Rifts in your world beginning to open. I do not know if the incidents are related, nor do I even know how time moves relatively between worlds. However, I would be remiss to utterly ignore the possibility.

For those native to this world well-versed in these matters - I have a number of questions. What are some of the side effects of being within proximity to the rifts and how do they compare to the large one before it was closed? I have also been told that only recently have demons and spirits been able to physically manifest without a host. Is there any record of similar occurrences? Are the effects of this break-down of the... I believe it's called the Veil? Forgive me, there's been a lot to take in the past few days - In any case, are the effects of this breakdown between planes only one-sided? Are there effects to the Fade, adverse or otherwise?

[There's a sound of him exhaling through his nose. He seems satisfied with that as a place to start digging into the meat of the issue/]

I would also posit a question to fellow Rifters -

[He clears his throat.] Yes. Have any of your worlds experienced strange dimensional fluctuations before coming here? Parallel or alternate realities seeping through? Or even outright merging with another dimension? And if so, would you be willing to elaborate on whatever you may know about the matter?

In turn, if anyone has questions for me, I am happy to answer to the best of my ability.

I would thank you for your time, and bid you a good evening.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[There's a soft chuckle on her end.]

Forgive me for not answering your questions right away, but I must say you sound exactly like the sort of person who would find a place in the Rifts and the Veil project. I am Warden Serra, the project leader.

Proximity side-effects are as you have likely witnessed; the anchor in your hand flares up, alerting you of the need to seal the rift. Those without anchors of course become aware of the nearby demons in short order. The Breach was sealed before we acquired any anchor-bearers or rifters, so that comparison has not been tested. Demons and spirits have achieved corporeal form before, through the summoning and binding of mages. However, until the Breach, their only real means to cross over on their own was through possession. I have been told that the effects are not entirely one-sided; items from the physical side of a rift have been found in the Fade, though it's fair to say that our side deals with the more...active effects. As in, hostile demons.

By no means should you apologize, I understand it's quite a lot of questions.

[There is the soft scratching noise - a pen to paper perhaps. Someone's taking notes.]

That was quite a helpful summary. Are there any demons that have obtained corporeal form and have proven non-hostile? Or even sentient? I felt more like we were dealing with rabid beasts than anything.

It would be wise not to underestimate them. Yes, they were unrelentingly hostile as you found them, but you should understand: some were once spirits. When the Breach struck and created the rifts, they were pulled into this world from the Fade. The experience warped them, drove them mad, and they became what they are.

That aside, their names should give you an indication of their natures. Rage, Despair, Fear, Envy, Desire, Pride...demons embody such traits, to their core. It's their purpose, as well as provoking such traits in us. Rage is...not subtle, but I can speak from experience when I say that Pride is very, very skilled at what it does. So yes, sentience is a factor but it is always tainted with their overpowering desire to dominate. To demons, mortals are the Maker's lesser children and that colors every experience we have with them.

Interesting what's happened to the earth that you're from.

As another earth Rifter, I can't recall anything involving alternate realities having occurred. Just an isolated incident with someone getting desynchronized from the timeline, but I don't think that's quite the same thing.

The Earth I'm from...?

[There's a thoughtful pause as Klaus considers this wording along with the other man's statement that such a cataclysmic event never happened.]

...Well, I suppose there's some confirmation for multiverse theory.

[Silver lining]

Whether or not it's the same, I'd like to hear about it nonetheless.

[Better to have and not need the information than to need and not have and all that.]

It might be. I'm working off the assumption our worlds are different since I know New York is still around, and if the Rifts are yanking people from all sorts of worlds. [Considering pause.] Could be pulling from different times as well.

As for the incident, it was a prototype aircraft fitted with teleportation tech that ended up malfunctioning and disappearing with the pilot. The pilot ended up reappearing later, but desynchronized from the time stream. They couldn't interact with anything, and would disappear at random. Eventually someone was able to make a device to anchor them back in the present.

Edited (dammit html) 2017-11-29 06:20 (UTC)