godswept

DOOR KNOCKERS

The doorways to the Penumbra are all over the world, but in Ishka, Michigan, there seem to be a surplus. The only thing is: they are nearly impossible to find, or they tend to be located in places that cannot be accessed by normal means (be that physically or legally). Enter: the Door Knockers. This group of Stretched and Touched humans have made it their life’s goal to locate and mark the doorways, using an array of what is normally considered ghost hunting equipment. As they search, interference by the Godheads Havoc and Mercy either aid or hinder them. What, dear Dreamers, do you plan to do once you walk through a doorway?

THE ODYSSEANS

How long has it been since you came here, Dreamer?

The Odysseans are Vanished Dreamers, for whom time has stopped since they ended up in the Penumbra. They may have been here for months, years, decades even, and all have the same thing in common: they cannot find their way back to the Waking World… and even if they could, would it be worth it? Would their loved ones even recognize them? Are they even still alive?

These wanderers, these permanent residents of the Penumbra now seek a different path: either to be granted freedom from this realm or a second chance at life entirely – but the road to the Demiurges is long and strange, and even then, how will you appeal to the Highest, once you are in their presence?

DREAM WEAVERS

Dream Weavers are creations of Mother Psyche, gifts to those minds she has taken such care in shaping. They are humanoid in form, with four arms instead of two for faster weaving of dreams. Each Weaver has their own set of Dreamers they weave for, sometimes families, groups of friends, entire towns or completely unrelated people scattered across the planet. Though their physical form remains at all times in the Penumbra, they are able to cast their Shade into the Waking World. 

DREAM STEALERS

Dream Stealers are designs of Father Ruin, who absorb dreams through their foreheads. They are summoned when a Dreamer obtains awareness within a dream, realizing that the world they are in is not the Waking World. Despite their names and their creator, they too are kindly beings, humanoid in form but ‘fuzzy’ around the edges when looked at directly, with ever-changing faces in their true form. They, unlike the Weavers, cannot cast a Shade into the Waking World, but they will assume a more humanlike appearance in the presence of a Dreamer.

NIGHTMARE SPINNERS

Nightmare Spinners were created by Father Havoc after an argument with Mother Psyche and Mother Mercy over ‘spoiling’ humankind. They, unlike the Weavers, look more akin to spiders, with the same four arms as the Weavers, but with large, black eyes set into their faces. They can assume any form they please when casting their Shade into the Waking World, and they are decidedly nefarious creatures, controlled only by Nightmare Eaters.

NIGHTMARE EATERS

In retaliation to Father Havoc’s Spinners, Mother Mercy created the Nightmare Eaters out of compassion for what was to befall the Dreamers. In their truest forms, Eaters are humanoid but have much larger mouths full of rows of sharp teeth. Despite their horrific appearance, they are gentle creatures, intensely misunderstood if ever seen in the Penumbra or within a dream. Like Dream Stealers, they cannot cast a Shade, but they can assume a more humanlike form in the presence of Dreamers.

STAR MAPPERS

The Star Mappers are creations of Father Cosmos, shimmers of starlight that are gathered into a vaguely person-like shape. They are vastly intelligent, and can see as far as the universe stretches. They know when every star was born, when they will die, and how long it will take to get from one point to another. They can travel fully to the Waking World using the same sort of Veil the Godheads do, making themselves appear as a regular human.

TIDE BRINGERS

The spawn of Mother Fate, Tide Bringers are humanlike figures made up of moonlight. While they do not control the oceans, they control the ebb and flow of things happening and things to come. While they, like Mother Fate, give Dreamers the gift of free will, they will sometimes pull strings upon request – when a Dreamer begs whatever deity they worship hard enough for a different outcome than what is planned. Like Star Mappers, they may also fully enter the Waking World using a Veil.

SHADOW WALKERS

Shadow Walkers were once fully human, but they have been in the Penumbra so long that Father Void took pity on them and gave them the ability to act as Shadow People in the Waking World, casting something akin to a Shade through an absence of light. Unfortunately, they cannot directly speak to those they left behind, and must get creative with their forms of contact.

LIGHT MASTERS

GODSWEPT 

Vanished  The Vanished are Dreamers who have fallen into the Penumbra, via any of the randomly placed entrances around the world (such as the Blue Hell). They are oftentimes hikers who have stumbled into these doorways in dense forests or perhaps even let their curiosity get the best of them when spotting the bewitching illusions cast by them. Some have purposefully located and gone through a doorway, seeking higher knowledge or a person they too have lost to this other realm. Vanished humans are entirely in the Penumbra, body and soul, and if they want to escape, they must travel through the Ghost Town to find a way out. 

Stretched Stretched Dreamers are those who have left a fragment of their soul in the Penumbra due to a near-death experience. They are there but not there, here but not here, tormented day in and out by the inability to separate themselves from the other realm. When they sleep, they are back in the bizarre realm of the Godbreathed, and like the Vanished, they must find their way out via one of the many hidden entrances is the vast Ghost Town. If they are lucky enough to locate Father Passage, however, they may appeal to him for full freedom from the Penumbra. 

GODFORSAKEN 

Touched Touched are Dreamers who remain firmly in the waking world, but have had an encounter with one of the beings of the Penumbra, be that they spotted one in a dream or saw past a Shade. Somehow, they have been made aware of the existence of something they cannot explain. Now they seek the gateways without success, obsess over those who claim to have had their own experiences, or beg on their knees for a sign from the divine. Learn to control your dreams, dear ones, and perhaps you will spot the Godbreathed again.