Otherworld

Biodata

Nature

Otherworlds are regions that deviate from order and defy common sense: “holes” in an apparently stable reality that lead to irrationality and disorder. Most people never perceive them, but accidental contact can occur through mundane mistakes such as taking a wrong stop, misstepping, misreading, or opening the wrong door. 9 13

• An Otherworld may resemble a nonexistent house, an extra bus stop, a forest, a kingdom entered through a wardrobe, a modern residential building, or an abstract concept. 10 88 129
• Their connection to reality is not necessarily permanent; a temporary passage can vanish quickly. 9
• Contact with an Otherworld can cause spiritual awakening, allowing a person to notice hidden symbols and entrances inaccessible to ordinary people. 21
• The connection is considered irreversible: survivors are more likely to perceive anomalies and fall into Otherworlds again. 269
• Prolonged exposure can alter the mind through power, illusion, false memories, or other influences, potentially driving victims mad or transforming them into something non-human. 100

Classification

Depth and Danger Level

Sudden depth changes are a major hazard during exploration. An Otherworld may be shallow overall while containing exceptionally dangerous areas or Entities. 92 268

Entities

Entities are native products of an Otherworld: anything generated within one that displays activity and reacts to outsiders. They can appear as humanoids, beasts, monsters, fire, wind, moving rocks, or other anomalous phenomena. 20

• Most Entities lack human-comprehensible reasoning, though a small number possess intelligence and can communicate. 20 62
• They possess anomalous traits that defy common sense and are frequently dangerous. 20
• Killing an Entity does not permanently eliminate it. As manifestations of an Otherworld’s operating rules, new copies can eventually be generated while that Otherworld persists. 20
• An Entity’s weakness may lie in itself, in the Otherworld’s rules, or in the environment; some can change their weaknesses. 20
• Some intelligent Entities can cooperate with humans when friendly or when they have requests of the real world. 62

Dark Angel Influence

A Dark Angel can parasitize an Otherworld, mutating its Entities and raising its Danger Level by at least one grade. Such influence may alter the realm’s rules and, in some cases, allow Entities to enter reality temporarily. 54 116

Entry and Exit

• Smaller Otherworlds often have fixed, obvious exits or rule-based methods of return. Larger ones are more difficult to leave. 10
• Fixed entrances can be used when their conditions are met; shifting entrances require tracking or specialized investigation methods. 263
• Specialized organizations can use controlled “descent” technology to send consciousness into many Otherworlds, though the process is dangerous and not universally reliable. 152
• Yu Sheng’s Great Door can open direct passages into certain Otherworlds, though its destination may be limited by an Otherworld’s structure or by whether the passage is maintained from within. 138 362
• Items may sometimes be brought out into reality, but the governing principle is not understood. 138

Known Otherworlds

Organizations and Investigation

• The Special Operations Bureau monitors Otherworld reactions, investigates entrances, deploys Deep Dive Units, and manages containment operations. 9 455
• Spirit Realm Detectives and other investigators explore Otherworlds, identify entry and exit conditions, and retrieve intelligence or supplies. 263 496
• Other organizations involved in Otherworld and Entity response include the Bahmosa Hermit Society, the Academy, the Archaeological Association, the Astrology Association, and Alice’s Cabin. 72
• Information about Otherworlds is generally withheld from ordinary people because some phenomena activate when known or approach those who fear them. 20

Trivia

• Eileen describes Boundary City as a place where Otherworlds appear unusually frequently, contributing to the region’s name, The Crossroads. 10
• Outside The Crossroads, the emergence of even an L-3 Otherworld is rare enough to concern major authorities. 343
• Although most conventional Otherworlds are built around a central Entity or rule system, Fairy Tale operates through a much broader network of story elements and characters. 143