Embedded Files
Two men, on a dory, paddling in the middle of a vast ocean beneath a hot son. The man at the paddles appears to be of middle eastern descent. He is older, weathered and muscular. Greying hair and a mustache. Tattoos on bulging arms suggest he was once a sailor. He appears troubled and world-weary. The other is gaunt and thin and dressed in a motley cloak and floppy hat. His almost comical dress belies the fact that he is a most terrifying and amoral individual. This is the "Thin Man." He sits in the prow of the boat, and looks upon the Sailor with undisguised contempt. The sea is growing choppy, and in the distance storm clouds are gathering. The style is realistic painting, like the cover of a pulp novel. The Thin Man is leaning back in the prow, almost lackadaisical, with his arms resting on the gunwales and one foot up against a thwart.
ECOLOGY
ECOLOGY
Glitches are unintended consequences of Architect technology. They are parthenogenetic life forms, emergent from the Base Code that governs the functioning of the Spheres. Like Sentar itself, they are not a part of the Architects' original intention or design. Some Architect factions unfriendly towards Glitches dismissively liken them to "power surges" in the Spheres. Self-Aware Glitches realize this; Unaware Glitches do not (see below).
Little is known about Glitches. Few have been studied and virtually no scholarship exists. They manifest where creatures are "bio-printed".
Their magic-use appears affiliated with the Spheres' Divinity Engines. That is, they draw from divine pools of energy, though they need not worship a deity to do so, and they are not themselves gods. However, their ability to instinctively manipulate Base Code makes them more like Chronomancers or Istorimancers. They are sometimes mistaken for Gardeners. Their power levels vary wildly.
The Psulron are gathering Glitches. Hunting them. In the relatively well-documented instance of the Inordinate Privateers, the Psulron were using Simulation Nodes, apparently to "draw them out" into bio-printed form, implying that they existed in a previous state inside Base Code or some other part of the Spheres' meta-mechanics.
Self-Aware Glitches
Self-Aware Glitches
Glitches either emerge self-aware about who they are and what that means, or they become that way.
Epiphanic Aware: "Becoming" aware, or "decoupling from a narrative" is a very dangerous process for an Unaware Glitch. Undertaking it safely requires the presence of another Self-Aware Glitch with the moral propensity to undertake the process. The vast majority of Self-Aware Glitches became.
Emergent Aware: Emergent Aware Glitches are extremely rare, virtually immortal beings. Given their unbroken relationship to Base Code, those that emerged Self-Aware tend to be beings of enormous power and extra-moral standing. Their inherent knowledge about the nature of "reality" in he Spheres and, in some cases, their ability to manipulate it, sets them apart from other beings, and in many ways, puts them on par with Architects.
Unaware Glitches
Unaware Glitches
The vast majority of Glitches emerge and die unaware. They may cut a swath through the places they manifest or they may live and die without ever drawing attention.
Wherever they manifest, they are more bound to the Narrative than they are to their Origin. Decoupling from the Narrative - learning the metacognitive element of what they are can cause an epistemic breakdown: cause them to go insane.
An Unaware Glitch has a much more tenuous link to Base Code that may never actually be activated, et alone wielded. It may manifest in a fight or flight situation, where they are reacting on instinct, an Unaware Glitch can be incredibly dangerous. Being unaware of their true nature, they have no restraint when confronted with less powerful beings. IN such situations, they can appear confused when faced with full scope of their powers. After committing an atrocity, they are highly likely to revert to a narrative delusion or an almost childlike state.
MECHANICS
MECHANICS
Because you guys are approaching Mythic level yourselves, I'm introducing the elements of the Spheres that are next level. The Glitches are an element of that. - DM to the Players, UDS46
In D&D Terms: they are "mythic" level creatures, beyond 20th level. Different rules apply to their life and death.
- "He steps out of the narrative. And because the story's not done, he shouldn't be allowed to do that." - D
- "Right. And that others me." - Fortuna, UDS46
Glitches run on Narrative. They draw from the same source of magic as Istorimancers, like Jennifer of the Unspoken, tapping into it directly and consciously, rather than through a narrative filter (such as a deity, magical language, bloodline or some other "agent").
GLITCHES ENCOUNTERED
GLITCHES ENCOUNTERED
The Thin Man
The Thin Man
"I can smell Ishmael on you. Smells like seafood. So tiresome." - To Shroktath, UDS46
First Encounter: UDS46
Description: The Thin Man is an Emergent Self-Aware Glitch. He is very old and very powerful.
Appearance: He generally appears as a gaunt, slight humanoid. He almost always dresses in a motley cloak and cap, whose patchwork always appears to be changing and shifting. When encountered, he is always wearing some motley element. When the Inordinate Privateers encountered him, he wore a tuxedo with a motley pocket square.
He is at times charismatic and terrifying.
Motivations: He hunts and devours Glitches, and sees all other life forms as tools too this end.
He refuses to "take a name"
Associations:
He and Ishmael have apparently known one another for a long time.
He's working with the Psulron to help them track and capture other Glitches.
The Sailor (Ishmael)
The Sailor (Ishmael)
First Encounter: UDS45
Description: The Sailor is an Emergent Self-Aware Glitch. He is very old, and presumably very powerful. However, when encountered by the Inordinate Privateers, he had been trapped and cut off from his powers, through the apparent machinations of the Thin Man and the Psulron using a Simulation Node.
Injuries: He looks as though he's on death's door. No amount of healing inside this narrative seems to help him. He thinks the Psulron are messing with the Simulation Engines here to disallow it. The damage done to him inside the Node Simulation was done to him outside of it as well. To his "Glitch" self. He thinks the Psulron are trying to capture him outside this Node Simulation narrative. The somewhat self-aware NPCs torturing him were a delivery method fort he necessary physical changes into him. He looks at Hazel's incredulous expression - "That's how they cursed me," he tries to explain in terms the Cleric can understand. Ismael cannot risk losing his life inside the simulation, or he will be captured by the Psulron. That is something he's avoided for centuries.
Appearance: He generally appears as an aged and weathered, though muscular, human of middle eastern descent. He has greying hair and a mustache.
He appears patient and long-suffering.
Motivations: He searches for Unaware Glitches, to help them Become Aware. There are few left in his Order.
Associations:
He and the Thin Man have apparently known one another for a long time.
He is part of an unknown Order that he implies is near extinction
The Diva
The Diva
First Encounter: UDS46
Description: The Diva is an Unaware Glitch.
State of Becoming:
Appearance: She appears as an Ylfen woman of unsurpassed beauty and sensuality.
Motivations: In-Narrative: to make enough money to help her family
Associations:
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