The Real World Connection

Nowhere Land is not separate from our world—it is woven through it. Portals have opened throughout human history, swallowing the curious and occasionally spitting back the changed. This chapter explores the connection between Earth and the domains, and those who guard (or exploit) the boundaries.

The Connection

Every culture has stories of people vanishing into thin air, of fairy rings and haunted crossroads, of mirrors that show other worlds. These are not myths—they are poorly understood accounts of portal activity.

The Veil

The barrier between Earth and Nowhere Land is called The Veil. It is not a wall but a membrane—thin in some places, thick in others.

Thin Points

Locations where the Veil is weakest: crossroads, ancient burial grounds, places of mass death, sites of extreme emotion. Portals form here spontaneously.

Thick Points

Locations where the Veil is reinforced: centers of rationality (universities, government buildings), places of organized religion, anywhere with strong "consensus reality."

Historical Entry Points

Throughout history, certain periods and locations have seen concentrated portal activity. These make excellent settings for campaigns.

Historical Eras

Ancient World (3000 BCE - 500 CE)

The Labyrinth of Crete: A portal nexus. The Minotaur was a Genii.
Egyptian Tombs: Pharaohs knew of Nowhere Land; pyramids are anchor points.
Roman Roads: Built to connect thin points and control access.
Germanic Forests: Sacred groves were natural portal sites.

Medieval Period (500 - 1500 CE)

Fairy Rings: European folklore correctly identifies portal markers.
Crusader Orders: The Templars sought portal knowledge in the Holy Land.
Witch Trials: Many "witches" were travelers who returned changed.
The Black Plague: Possibly a curse leaking from a collapsing domain.

Industrial Era (1750 - 1900)

Ghost Stories: Victorian spiritualism attracted portal-sensitive individuals.
Colonial Expeditions: Many "lost" explorers entered Nowhere Land.
Edison's Lab: Experiments in electricity accidentally opened portals.
Jack the Ripper: A traveler hunting for a way home?

20th Century (1900 - 1999)

Triangle Disappearances: Bermuda, Nevada, Bennington—portal hotspots.
Nazi Occultism: The Thule Society successfully opened portals.
Area 51: Not aliens—domain creatures captured and studied.
Cold War Experiments: MKUltra sought portal-sensitivity in humans.

Modern Era (2000 - Present)

Internet Age: Some websites are portals. The Count has a dark web presence.
Urban Exploration: Abandoned places are prime thin points.
Climate Change: Environmental stress is thinning the Veil globally.
Social Media: Collective belief can now create thin points overnight.

Authorities & Organizations

Earth is not defenseless against Nowhere Land. Various organizations monitor, study, and respond to portal activity—though their methods and motives vary.

Government Agencies

The Office of Threshold Affairs (OTA)

US agency under the Department of Energy. Studies portal physics, attempts to weaponize domain artifacts. Officially doesn't exist.

DGSE Section Occulte (France)

French intelligence's paranormal division. The most experienced; maintains a library of Count interactions dating to 1789.

FSB Directorate P (Russia)

Aggressive containment policy. Seals portals with concrete and claims "industrial accidents." Has lost entire towns.

Private Organizations

The Threshold Society

Academic consortium of universities worldwide. Studies portals through physics and anthropology. Publishes findings in encrypted journals.

Helios Foundation

Billionaire-funded "rescue" organization. Retrieves travelers from Nowhere Land—for a price. Rumors of human trafficking.

The Cartographers

Loose network of former travelers who map portal locations. No central authority; share information via dead drops.

Research Institutions

Several universities maintain secret programs studying portal phenomena:

Institution	Focus	Notable
MIT - Project LIMINAL	Portal physics, energy signatures	Built a portal detector in 1987
Oxford - Folklore Dept.	Historical portal accounts	Largest archive of traveler testimonies
Sorbonne - Chair of Occult Studies	Domain ecology	First to classify domain types (1923)
University of Tokyo	Blessing/Curse mechanics	Developed the "Aura Spectrometer"
CERN - Undisclosed Division	Particle portal interaction	Accidentally opened 3 portals during LHC tests

Conspiracy & Cover-Ups

The public doesn't know about Nowhere Land. Various forces work to keep it that way.

The Cover-Up Playbook

When portal incidents occur, authorities use standard protocols:

Gas Leak: Any unexplained event near buildings. Forces evacuation, explains memory gaps.
Industrial Accident: Rural areas. Justifies cordoning and "cleanup" operations.
Mental Health Crisis: For witnesses. Discredits their testimony; mandatory "treatment."
Terrorist Activity: Large-scale events. Brings military resources without questions.
Weather Phenomenon: "Ball lightning," "atmospheric disturbance," "rare aurora."

Conspiracy Theories

In the Nowhere Land setting, many real-world conspiracy theories have a kernel of truth—twisted through the lens of portal activity:

"The Government is Hiding Aliens"

Reality: Not aliens—domain creatures. Some are held in facilities. Some have escaped. Some work for the government now.

"The Illuminati Controls Everything"

Reality: There is a secret society, but they're trying to prevent portal catastrophes. They're losing.

"Missing 411 - Parks Disappearances"

Reality: National parks contain many thin points. Park rangers know. They have protocols. They can't save everyone.

"CERN is Opening Portals to Hell"

Reality: Not hell—but high-energy experiments do thin the Veil. Several domains have been accidentally accessed. Some scientists vanished.

Returning Home

Coming back from Nowhere Land is rarely simple. Time has passed differently, the world has moved on, and the traveler has changed.

Reintegration Challenges

Temporal Displacement

Time in Nowhere Land rarely matches Earth. Roll 1d6 for each month spent in the domains:

1: No time passed on Earth (return moments after leaving)
2-3: Equivalent time passed
4-5: 2× time passed (gone 6 months, Earth aged 1 year)
6: 10× time passed (gone 6 months, Earth aged 5 years)

Changed Appearance

Blessings and Curses may leave visible marks. Some travelers return with subtle changes (different eye color, faint scars) while others are clearly inhuman.

Legal Status

Missing persons declared dead cannot simply reappear. Forged documents, new identities, or cooperation with authorities may be required.

Psychological Adjustment

The mundane world feels wrong after experiencing domain realities. Fractures may manifest as PTSD-like symptoms. Mundane concerns feel irrelevant.

Real World Scenarios

Three scenario frameworks for campaigns set primarily on Earth.

Pre-Portal: The Investigation

Type: Modern Horror | Location: Any city

Players are ordinary people investigating strange occurrences: a friend who vanished from a locked room, a neighborhood where people speak of "the door that wasn't there before." The campaign builds to their first portal crossing.

Tone: Slow burn horror, investigation, growing dread.

Entry Scenario: The Accident

Type: Survival | Location: Transitional

A group of strangers (the players) enter a portal simultaneously during a disaster—a plane crash, building collapse, or traffic accident. They must survive The Passage and find their way to a stable domain, learning mechanics as characters would.

Tone: Confusion, terror, gradual understanding.

Return Journey: The Way Home

Type: Quest | Location: Multiple domains → Earth

Experienced travelers seek to return home. They must find a portal to Earth (rare and guarded), deal with the consequences of time displacement, and potentially confront authorities who've been tracking portal activity.

Tone: Bittersweet, fish-out-of-water, noir.