The Veil
“A boundary both ancient and alive, dividing the physical world from the hidden forces that move beside it.” Quote scribbled in the margin of a manuscript by Ambrose Bierce
“A boundary both ancient and alive, dividing the physical world from the hidden forces that move beside it.” Quote scribbled in the margin of a manuscript by Ambrose Bierce
The Veil is the metaphysical barrier that separates the physical world, the one we exist in, from the realms that lie just beyond it: the domains of spirits, death, and older, more alien forces. It is not a wall, but a curtain, thin in places, thicker in others, filtering what can pass through and what must remain hidden.
Where the Veil is strong, the world feels stable, ordinary, and grounded in logic.
Where the Veil is thin, the supernatural bleeds into the mundane, whispers are heard in stillness, shadows move against the wind, and time can seem to twist sideways. These places might feel charged, dreamlike, or quietly wrong. (Notecards around the sim will inform you on how this affects each race)
In Savannah, the Veil is naturally thinner than in most places. The city’s history, layered trauma, and rich spiritual life have stretched and worn it. Magic flows more freely here, but so do things best left behind the curtain.
The Veil is different from the Shroud.
The Veil keeps each realm from collapsing into the others. They all exist alongside the physical world, not above or below it. The Veil ensures these realms remain separate, yet occasionally touch or leak through under the right (or wrong) conditions.
There are moments and places where the Veil thins, naturally or by force, and the boundary between worlds begins to blur.
This can happen through:
Blood rituals
Powerful emotion (grief, rage, love, fear)
Mass death or trauma
Sacred sites or ley lines being interfered
Astronomical events (eclipses, solstices)
Magical accidents or deliberate spellwork
The influence of Carcosa or cursed artifacts
The consequences could be:
Spirits can escape their bounds.
Hauntings grow stronger
Mortals may be possessed, cursed, or driven mad.
Magical corruption spreads or become unstable
The influence of Carcosa may surge, causing hallucinations, disappearances, or worse.
Reality may fail to “snap back”, places stay broken, twisted, or wrong.
Sealing the Veil often requires:
Ritual magic
Collective effort
Sacrifice of blood or magical power
Timing many breaches must be closed during certain phases of the moon or at specific sites
Characters should treat the Veil as half-understood, deeply personal, and potentially dangerous. Notecards around the sim will inform you on how to roleplay the effects of the thin Veil. If your character wants to do something to affect the Veil, as it will also affect the other player’s roleplay, this has to be approved by Story Tellers and informed to the players.
It’s up to each player how much their character understands or interacts with the Veil. It can be part of a deeply magical story arc, or a background feature that haunts their dreams or explains why Savannah never feels quite… normal.