Wonderland - Jags

Deeper Mysteries - Overview
50
up like some deep-sea prehistoric monster chasing its prey.
This is one reason why the Underground is very suspicious of those who
have “been deep.” Not because they understand or believe there are real
things that “follow them home” (they don’t even talk about that—but
because the more experienced members have an understanding that when
this has happened to someone they may be unsafe to be around even
when they seem normal).
Twisted
Exposure to Wonderland can change you. Remember that Abyss gazes
also into you thing? It’s like that. The changes are usually only evident
on the lower levels of reality. Sometimes, though, things happen that
make you seem crazy all of the time. The Underground doesn’t commonly
use Twisted as official terminology (they use the term “Damaged,”
usually). Some Twists are “good” (they make you more powerful when
they are evident). Some Twists are bad (they really are a kind of damage).
Bad Twists are more common in people who undergo deep descent
and don’t have Survival Traits.
Transmission
It’s not known how you “catch” CPD or how you “transmit it.” The
reality is that any time you are exposed to (and in your heart believe) an
Impossible Thing, you become Infected. Underground members know
that it’s possible to Infect someone just by being around them. They
don’t know how easy it is.
Actually, it’s really very hard to spread Wonderland Infection—and
that’s a good thing. Infection usually happens through “bleeds,” actual
physical rips in the fabric of reality. A place may have a low-intensity
bleed and, when it ‘surges,’ people there may be exposed and Infected.
Those are rare—but if you’re subject to one, Infection is usually a given.
Being with people who are Infected isn’t usually so dangerous (therapists
treat people who complain of hallucinations all the time and never
become Infected). Usually in order to be susceptible you have to be
curious and entertain the fact that something real might be going on.
There are also a very few cases where ‘Impossible Things’ happen around
Infected people. You might see one get sucked into a mirror or change
shape. When this happens, you do catch it.
Recovery
The Underground holds out hope for recovery—most of them have already
passed that point. By the time you are going to meetings it’s probably
too late. But there is some number of people in the world who have a
‘temporary Infection’ and either never associate the weirdness in their life
with mental illness or otherwise ‘shake it off.’ No one has statistics for
how often that happens.