Bestiary

The boundaries between matter and spirit mean little when a Wyrmhole is present. These rare Banes are an acute danger, for they can birth Banes into the material world by the dozen, releasing the newly physical spirits of pure malice onto whatever — or whomever — is handy.

Rage

0, Gnosis 10, Willpower 0, Essence 50-200 Charms: Gateway*, Possession, Reform *Gateway: Gateway allows a Wyrmhole to use the Materialize Charm on other Banes, spending the necessary Essence itself to bring the creatures through. The cost of Materializing any Bane is the same as it would be for that particular Bane to Materialize itself; if the Bane cannot ordinarily Materialize, the Wyrmhole may choose the physical form’s parameters itself. When in a mortal host, the Wyrmhole must still keep track of its Essence; it regains Essence at a rate of one per day when embodied in a host.

Image: When met in the spirit world, Wyrmholes appear as swirling waterspouts made of thin, oily spirit “fluid.” As Banes pass through the funnels, the sides of the Wyrmhole swell like a snake swallowing an egg. When these power­ ful Banes possess mortal hosts, any changes are relatively subtle; the main differences are usually that the new fomor’s surroundings are always rich with static electricity, and the fomor’s eyes become swirling pools of dark indigo.

Background

There was a time when the Gaian Realm was one with the Umbra, before the Weaver spun its mad­ dening webs across the universe and divided the physical from the spiritual. In response, the Wyld created spirit doorways to the Wyrm’s myriad lairs in the Umbra — all the better to let the creatures of Balance walk between the worlds as needed. Unfortunately, the Wyrm was no longer a force for Balance. Now the Wyrmholes are nothing more than powerful assets at the Corrupter’s fingertips.

In some cases, Wyrmholes form in the air, or in the water, leaving a portal for the Wyrm’s minions — a one-way door back to the Gaian Realm and the places tainted

by humans. More often, they find a host, a person or animal that welcomes the power they bring and gains a certain amount of control over whatever spills forth from them. In times long past, there were few of these walking disasters, but they‘re growing more common all the time.

Storytelling Notes: Wyrmholes are extremely dan­ gerous. Wherever they form, these rifts in the Gauntlet are open invitations for the Wyrm’s minions. When they possess a mortal, that human gains phenomenal power over the creatures drawn through its Gateway. The Banes summoned in this way are often inclined to obey the amalgam of Bane and flesh, because as long as the Wyrmhole is available, they can reenter the Ga­ ian Realm without expending any of their own Essence. Those possessed by Wyrmholes are always willing victims, and sometimes develop further fomori powers as a result of the merger.

The following elementals are the Gafflings of the Elemen­ tal Wyrms — Wyrm counterparts of each of the elements that are said to be made of the excretions of the Primal Wyrm. Like the Elemental Wyrms that spawned them, they have no mind; they are but physical substances. As such, they are used by other servitors and minions of the Wyrms for their own uses. The Black Spiral Dancers have named them, but they do not heed these names when called. They simply exist.

Wyrm elementals are found throughout the Umbra, although they tend to seek safety in numbers around Blights, Hellholes and other “safe zones.” As with most other elemen­ tals, particularly Gafflings, these Banes have little individual personality, and are downright dangerous in droves.