Wonderland - Jags

Deeper Mysteries - Chessboards
Running Shadows
How someone’s Shadow
is played can vary a lot. The
further down their Shadow is
encountered, usually the stranger
it’ll be.
Honest: Shadows are often very
“real” projections of the person
who seem to have no sense of
civility or propriety. This is not
to say they are violent but they
can be rude, abrupt, and let slip
truths most of us would rather
keep secret.
Incompetent: Shadows
are often disorganized and
distracted. They may appear to
be the person having a really bad
day or even totally broken down
and ineffective.
Disturbing: Shadows can be
malevolent and threatening (but
usually not violent). Disturbing
shadows may be understated,
cold, sadistic, or wildly perverse.
Shadows with overtly lustful
or sexual drives may also be
disturbing.
Lost: Shadows and may be
incoherent or wandering lost,
behaving as though they are
drunk or in a haze. They may
talk about things that are not
happening on their present level
of reality (for a Reflection on
Chessboard Zero this appears as
classic schizophrenia).
Self-destructive: Reflections
are not usually self-destructive
but Shadows may be. Shadow
suicide is not uncommon for the
depressed.
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Ecology
The non-Shadow denizens of Chessboard One tend to be interlopers
from the lower levels of reality. Many of these beings cast Reflections up
to Chessboard Zero and therefore seem to “come into focus” when they
are encountered ‘in the flesh’ on Chessboard One.
Most of these things are really quite rare (and the ones that are more
common exist on the outskirts of society where someone having an
Episode is unlikely to encounter them).
For the most part, anything found there will be either transient or (in rare
cases) very well integrated with human society. Most things that are not
Whirls will be found on the edges of society.
To determine what things are like on Chessboard one, you’ll want to
look at the following questions:
Construction
Doorways Down
One of the more important things to consider is whether or not the places
a character generally goes will have gateways down to the lower levels
of reality. Being able to just walk down to Chessboard Two or Three is
one of the more subtly dangerous (or important) aspects of Chessboard
One.
Maybe out behind the building where the characters go to smoke there’s
a new three-foot high door. Maybe it has a lock (and maybe there’s a
reason for that).
The Normal Shadows
1. What are the prevalent but unspoken thought-patterns that are going
on in the environment? For example, in an office building of a
company which has been having issues with shoddy production, the
Total Quality Initiative posters on the wall might become threatening
Quality … Or Else messages.
2. Be a caricature artist: characters will be presented in ways that expand
their basic traits. Their Shadows will also be honest in ways that
many people aren’t in polite society (just like the signs and text will
tend to tell uncomfortable truths).
Are There Whirls At Work?
A Wonderland game can go far simply interacting with the Whirls
that inhabit the chessboard just under reality. After all, Whirls tend
to be organized (at least somewhat) and frightening if not downright
dangerous.
If there areWhirls at work there will probably be some indications of
that on Chessboard Zero. There may even be Infecteds other than the
characters at work for them.