Woldsblood

Woldsblood And the Realm of Shadows

Introduction

In the space between Life and Death, between the Wold and the Lands of Rest, lies the Realm of Shadows. This is a place of dim and gloaming, of silver and gray. In some places there are clouds and fog, but in other places there are stars without suns or moons, and the stars shine brighter and harder than they do in the Wold.

If there are outrageous plants or animals, foreign to those of the Wold, very few have spoken of them. It is a Place of Spirits, where the newly dead and the almost-born are wont to go.

However -- a sharp, potent, brilliant marvel shines in contrast to the gray, drab of this Land.

Streams, rivulets, brooks, and rivers, glowing brightly with a red pulsing liquid, lace and interlace the Lands of Shadow.

These liquid paths contain Woldsblood, and they flow from the many sources near the Wold proper, through the Realm of Shadows and eventually to the River of Blood that circles the Lands of Rest (Isle of the Dead).

There exists here another phenomenon.

As captured souls flow downstream toward the Lands of Rest -- above them and flying in the opposite direction, cutting through the fog and dreary cloud -- bright, twinkling sparks of life can see seen, hurtling toward the Wold. These are the beginnings of life -- there at the birth of every child, or at the granting of a resurrection.

Their passing dance momentarily highlights the depth and mystery of this land in between.

Woldsblood in the Realm of Shadow

When creatures die, their souls pass into the Realm of Shadow.

On arrival they are drawn quickly but gently into a glowing red stream of Woldsblood. The steady current -- a slow but inexorable flow, carries the soul out through the shadows. Trickles and streams meet up on their journey, becoming strong and powerful rivers, their grip on a dead soul more tenacious as they travel all the way to the River of Blood surrounding the Isle of the Dead.

As the souls pour into the mighty River of Blood, Gargul -- the God of Life and Death, lifts them from the river, gathers them in to himself -- good souls clustered in one hand and evil in the other, and sends each to its fate in the Afterlife.

Traveling Through the Realm

When a traveler passes into the Realm, the living Wold gradually fades until the traveler can see only shadows of living things left behind in the Wold, they and other echoes of power -- altars, potent magic items, places, that resonate with the life that Woldsblood has bestowed upon them.

At the same time, still without having taken a single step, the traveler now sees the streams, trickles, and rivulets of Woldsblood flowing by his feet. Since the traveler's own possessions fade to gray in the Realms of Shadow, the red Woldsblood often is the only splash of color to be seen.

The practiced observer will see the dim souls of the newly dead as they are washed away down rivulets of Woldsblood.

You cannot walk for far in the Shadow Lands without having to step across a stream of Woldsblood.

Here lies great danger -- for if a living creature steps into a stream, into the moving swirling rushing Blood of the Wold, its soul is swept out of its body and away, so that the body falls -- a soulless, empty husk.

Therefore, living travelers in the Realm of Shadows must avoid touching the streams of Woldsblood that flow throughout it, by stepping carefully over them, or going around.

In places where the Wold is close by, a traveler in the Realms of Shadows can look into the Wold as if through a smoky glass, and even step back and forth, if the traveler knows how.

In other places the Wold is far away indeed, and only the most skilled, or the very lucky can find the way back to the Wold if they become lost. Distances in the Realm of Shadows do not equate to those in the Wold -- a few steps in the Realm can carry you leagues from the place you left in the Wold.

Woldsblood in the Wold

Woldsblood is a sacred and dangerous substance, and those who handle it heedlessly risk death and worse. But it is also more valuable than gems or gold, and so fools, opportunists and reckless hooligans will still grasp for it.

Woldsblood is the essence of creation. It contains magic -- magic that is pure.

It has great power, which can be used by those skilled enough to handle it. As raw magic, it needs to be tempered and transformed -- and that involves rigorous training, deep research, and great danger.

Some say that magic-users somehow tap Woldsblood to power their spells. Some sages, steeped in arcane lore, say that the formulae and incantations of magic draw traces of refined Woldsblood into the Wold as magical energy. But few know the truth in this matter.

Unlike the cautious mages, some draw pure Woldsblood from the Shadows, using it in its potent and unrefined form. Of these, only the Fixers of Alemi have a holy mandate to use Woldsblood in repairing the damages inflicted on the Wold during the Year of Ascension. Blessed by Alemi, the Fixers draw Woldsblood, drop by drop, and are protected only by their rigorous holy training.

Others -- more unscrupulous, more foolhardy, hungry for power -- bring Woldsblood directly into the Wold and use it for magic spell components, for creating magic items, and even stranger uses. Some say is can drain life force, or add to it.

Maybe it can heal, restore youth; bestow longevity; offer vigor and potency. Some claim that Woldsblood can be used to lift one's soul temporarily out of one's body, so that one can prowl the Wold like a ghost. Others say the substance can let a person remember past lives. Some of this is truth, other is surely folklore and rumor, but which is which?

Some say that evil researchers misuse Woldsblood in vile experiments to enchant evil magic items.

One thing is sure. The only safe place for Woldsblood is in a temple. The same energy, some say, that clerics use to turn undead can be used to help hold Woldsblood. In any other location, in profane hands, it is unstable, and may produce unwanted consequences. At the worst, Woldsblood creates a shadow-rift, a breach of shadow allowing the Shadow Lands to suck in the surrounding area.

Most of this is rumor, because Woldsblood is exceedingly rare!

It is also exceptionally costly, if you can find it.

Sometimes investors will make Woldsblood containers at terrible expense and then hire groups with a cleric who can handle the stuff to actually go the Realm of Shadows and retrieve it.

Dangers of Woldsblood

In the Realm of Shadows, Woldsblood carries the souls of the newly dead deeper into the afterlife. When brought into the Wold, the substance remains a very dangerous thing, one that poses special dangers to the careless.

Any persons of the Noble or Ignoble Races who come within a few feet of Woldsblood will feel the pull of the substance on their souls. If they fail a Will save vs. DC 10, they are distracted by the pull, and are dazed for one round.

If exposed Woldsblood actually touches a person, who then fails a Will save vs. DC 15, the Woldsblood pulls the person's soul partly from their body. This dazes the person for 1d20 minutes (the duration of the partial out-of-body experience), inflicting 1d20 Wisdom ability damage. This damage heals naturally at a rate of one point per day. Creatures with a Wisdom of zero are unconscious.

Fixers are vulnerable to these dangers, but to a far lesser degree due to their rigorous training.

Containing Woldsblood

Free Woldsblood returns to the Realm of Shadow after just one minute of exposure, unless it is contained.

Making a Woldsblood container, a magic item, requires only the purest and most expensive materials, such as a pure gold box, a large gem carved as a vial, an adamantine flask, etc.

Such a container has a market price of 10,000 GP per drop of capacity and can be carried around by anyone.

Making one generally requires the Craft Wondrous Item feat and the Dimensional Anchor spell.

Experienced Fixers can make personal containers that cost much less.

Patrons of the Arts in various cities have been known to supply the funds for containers of this kind.

Drawing Woldsblood from the Realm of Shadow

When a Fixer cups his hand and makes a Concentration check, he can draw Woldsblood into the Wold and into his cupped hand.

The Concentration DC is 10 per drop of Woldsblood drawn -- DC 10 for one drop, DC 20 for two, etc. The fixer cannot take ten or twenty on the roll. This ability can be attempted once per day, and a failed attempt not only fails to draw Woldsblood, is also counted against the allowed number of tries per day.

Drawing Woldsblood is a full round action that provokes attacks of opportunity. Woldsblood quickly evaporates, and is gone within one minute of being drawn, so it must be used right away.

As a consequence of handling Woldsblood, a Fixer's hands turn the color of dark brown and glow for hours. If underground, they illuminate an area with a radius of five feet.

Abuse of Woldsblood

Woldsblood is at the center of the Fixer's art. They consider it to be a sacred substance, one not to be treated lightly or disrespectfully.

If a Fixer uses Woldsblood in a frivolous manner, she loses all Fixer special abilities until she has atoned. If she knowingly and voluntarily misuses or abuses Woldsblood, she loses all special abilities and extra spellcasting levels, usually forever.

The abuse of Woldsblood includes selling or trading it, wasting it, using it for evil purposes, or to break anything. It cannot be given away except to fellow Fixers or trustworthy followers of Alemi or Gargul -- and if given away, the Fixer is still responsible for its use.

The greatest abuse of Woldsblood is to intentionally use it to distract others, and even worse, to use it as a weapon to draw their souls from their bodies.