Breakout

Current Magic Level: 16

Lexicon

A term generally used to refer to magical events or effects that are witnessed by/happen to a greater number of the public than can be controlled, in spite of everything. A class of events that have been becoming more frequent for reasons we have recently discovered (see below).

History

26,000 years ago the Lake Taupo supervolcanic erupted in a massive, climate-changing event. A gate opened from Earth to Greyhawke. A large Number of Humans "fell through" this gate onto Grehyawke. This created a connection between Earth and Greyhawke that exists to this day.

Move to the present. We have discovered that this connection has never disappeared. It has been present but unknown. People have been exchanged in both directions. This strengthens the connection every time it happens.

In 1886 and 1887 two events widened that crack considerably. A nest of Goblins made a war zone out of a small town in Idaho before its removal. This is the first verifiable Greyhawke Dimensional inversion 1887: A night battle in the Superstition Mountains between US Calvary and Apache Indians is held beneath unnatural lights in the sky, the Aurora borealis. The battle is joined by strange misshapen men, and other men in medieval armor. Army survivors are sent to asylums Indian survivors leave the area never to return or speak of the matter. By the time Bureau 13 arrives it is over and nothing of interest is found.

These events together are the start of the Breakout clock. In time this breach might have healed, but a little over a century later events conspired to see it would never settle down.

In 1999 agents of Team Alpha turned a minor Dimensional inversion into a major event known as the Mana Storm. This has precipitated a rip in the fabric of our universe. The connection to Greyhawke is opening wider. Inversions are becoming more frequent. A permanent gate has been opened to ease the pressure to some extent.

Within 30 years, perhaps much sooner the magic level on Earth is going to jump to closely match that of Greyhawke. We cannot stop this now, the event is out of our, or anyone's control.

Things we can expect

• People will change -- The various forms and races we see on Greyhawke are latent in the people here. Some people are going to be suddenly different, or children will be born that are different, or both, or the change will be gradual. We cannot be sure. But it will happen.
• Magic will become easier to do -- The truly powerful magic will be more accessible.
• Mythological creatures will be less mythological -- Fauns And Elves have already been found living in what the experts call "The half world" A close by plane of existence that has a higher magic potential.
• The half world will merge with the "whole world" -- This has been mitigated. This event will not happen.

How it Will Happen

No one is exactly sure. However the leading theories are:

• Gradual Transition -- This theory states that there will be no dramatic sudden effect, but things will gradually change over time. The magic level will not jump, but slowly rise. There is evidence for this theory in that while historical evidence suggests that magic has fluctuated in the past there is no indication the fluctuations were quick.
• Punctuated Shift -- Magic will rise is several noticeable events such as the Healing Wave. This might be a hoped for theory but it has no historical backing. The Healing Wave was not a phenomena of the breakout. While an interesting idea that has no backing in history, neither can anyone say it won't happen this way.
• Cataclysmic Shift -- The whole thing is going to let go all at once. This is the most feared and disastrous Breakout. The dam burst theory. There will be no noticeable change until everything changes.

This is happening. The mission of the Agency like it or not has changed from containment to promoting acceptance. Colleagues from Greyhawke are working to put the brakes on the Breakout to give us time to deal with it. A chance to turn a civilization ending event into a major disruption.

From that has been observed we are getting a gradual transition with punctuated shifts. If we can keep the shifts to a minimum,

To this end we are

• Encouraging things like Astral Flame. They are primarily here to get people use to and even like the idea of different people.
• Expediting aliens that wish to live among us. The more people see the more they know that alien people are people, the more the Humanists will fade as the racists did.
• Deal with Dimensional inversions quickly and positively. It is going to get worse before it gets better. Keep on your toes.
• Stabilize the Whole world and Half world Since 2018 rituals have been underway to stabilize the world. We will see a jump in magic. But the result will be that nothing will get rearranged.

The mission of Bureau 13 is not over, it has substantially changed. We are, like it or not, the defense of Earth against madness, death,and destruction. We have the power to check the four horsemen. Civilization is in our hands.

Noted with the most recent events, the increase seems to be slowing down. The Haitian event did not increase magic as much as other similar events have. It is now known that the decrease in "pressure" the difference between Earth and Greyhawke is easing. It takes bigger events to move the magic level.

Events We don't like

• 2008 -- The Healing Wave. It was good, but that day kicked magic to level 13
• 2012 -- Pyongyang vanishes. a sizable hit on the Breakout calendar. We are informed that after this event Earth went from a category 13 magic level to a category 14 magic level. Higher level magic is notably easier to do. For reference Greyhawke is category 18. You ain't seen nothin' yet.
• 2014 -- Nicotine is no longer addictive. A wish by a low primal being. (Echo) Russel declared this Top Secret.
• 2014 -- An increase is problematic incorporate spirits. The practice of Spiritualism is becoming dangerous.
• 2016 -- An increase in the number and activity of undead. Ancient pagan gods are waking up. Activity among the Greeks and Aesir are noted.
• 2017 -- The Haiti Breakout. Something man was not meant to see comes unglued in Haiti. A supers all call and Anthony pulls out all the godly stops to save Port au Prince. It ended with an orbital bombardment of the thing. Two tenths on the meter.
• 2018 -- Camargo, Mexico vanishes into the half world. This was resolved with the result being easier access to the half world.
• 2019 -- World stabilization will keep the whole world and half world from merging, it costs us a tenth.
• 2020 -- Magic Level 16 and the laws of genetics break down. Anything can breed with anything. Creatures the Greyhawkens call Exotics are now possible, hybrids between Humans and animals.