Places

Getting lost is easy in the Wilds. The tricky landmarks and constant mist make navigation difficult. We could wander around in this twilit reflection for ages… assuming, of course, that something didn’t eat us first. Take a look around – we haven’t really moved at all, but how much of this landscape can you recognize? You could “follow your heart,” of course, but without signposts to guide you, how would you know where that might lead?

Thankfully, there are signposts if you know where and how to look for them. Unlike the High Umbra – which usually offers you a door or portal to step through – the Middle Umbra sends more subtle signals. Shamans, priests, and witches are trained to look for omens, and with good reason. Middle Umbral pathways, sometimes known as Airts, reveal themselves within such signs: a handful of broken twigs, a meaningful pattern in the dirt, the cry of a raven that perches where one hadn’t perched a moment ago. By following these signs, a mindful traveler can get where she needs to go.

More obvious than Airts, the luminous Moon Paths shine their way through the mist. Moonlight picks out a rough road through the Umbrascape, often heralded by shining entities called Lunes. Again, a traveler who knows how to follow such a road might reach her destination, assuming that she knows the proper rituals too. Lunes, as I mentioned earlier, are spirit

beings; they want to be recognized and honored as the powers that they are. Some are tricksters too, like the fabled will-o-wisps that lead a traveler into bogs or over cliffs. And then there are the werewolves who use Moon Paths as well… and who rarely appreciate mages on their sacred roads! A Moon Path marks a clearer journey, but it’s often a dangerous route.