Dark Territory

Dark territory is what we call a Location (Real Estate or Province) that holds Twists.
Dark Territory is useful for creating dangerous undead haunted swamps or dæmon plains. The largest Dark Territories are dungeon dimensions and hells (which are single universe and have a size of Boon 244) or Shades the home of the Increated which is the equivalent of an entire Multiverse (Size Boon 259).

Storing Twists in Locations

A Location may store Twists based solely on its Size Annex. The Location may store Twists equal to the Value of the Size Boon. The stored Twists create Dark Territory Powers that behave as though the Dark Territory were spending Twists at a Double Reduced rate. So the Dark Territory powers spend Twists as the Size Boon Reduced. Unlike Dark Matter Dark Territory can be drained of Twists by spending them all.

For example, Room 13 (Boon 5) of a hotel has seen more than its share of dark deeds, and becomes Dark Territory. It can store 16 Twists and creates powers as though it were spending 2 Twists. Floor 13 of a building (Boon 8) could store 32 Twists and spends 3. Constituency 13 (Boon 83) can store 1707 Twists spending 15 Twists. Planet 13 (Boon 142) could store 5282 Twists spending 21 Twists when it’s powers activate. Shades can store 21486 Twists and has a Spending Limit of 30 Twists.

Easier Summoning

Summoning Increated (and Dæmonic Characters) is easier in Dark Territory as they already have a connection to the Increated. All summonings take place as though the summoning Target was one step more common than normal. So an Uncommon Summoning (Base Cost x2) becomes a Common Summoning (Base Cost). Additionally the Dark Territory adds the Spending Limit as a Score bonus to any rolls to Summon.

Expanding Dark Territory

When you store Twists in a Location you may end up storing more Twists than the Locations Size. When this happens the Dark Territory expands. It takes time for the Dark Territory to grow, normally equal to the Extend Duration of its current Size. While a Dark Territory is expanding if it spends the additional Twists it will stop expanding.

So if Room 13 has 16 Twists and is given another, the Dark Territory will expand to fill the floor taking minutes or a Short Scene. The Expanded Dark Territory gains an increase in Size then (becoming the Floor with Room 13), and can now Store up to 32 Twists. When it reaches 33 Twists it will expand once again, taking less than 8 hours (a long Scene) to claim the building.

Planet 13 could expand to encompass its moons by storing 5283 Twists, but it would take a million years, spending that Twist again during that million years would return it to being just a Planet.

Dark Territory (not even Shades the largest example) cannot expand to encompass the whole Omniverse, as there simply isn’t enough time available for it to manage.

Dark Territory Powers.

Similar to the powers of Dark Matter, the Twists in the Location are spent on the Powers. A Location may have one power plus one per Handicap.

• Ignore Facet

  The Dark Territory can ignore all aspects of a Facet for a cost of 1 Twist. This ignoring of the Facet has a Duration equal to the Spending Limit of the Dark Territory. This means Room 13 can ignore a Facet for a few minutes, but Planet 13 could ignore a Facet for an Age (~500,000 years). The Dark Territory can extend this power to any targets within the Dark Territory for an additional cost of 1 Twist per target.

• Animated/Possesed

  A twisted power that creates possession pacts with plant life, corpses, rocks and props — even people — within the Location. The Possession Pact is limited by the Spending Limit, so that Room 13 (limited to 2) could only Tremble/Shake a Skill Descendant or Nuisance (Extra). Planet 13 is limited to 21 Twists, it could Supernatural Possess (9) a Daemonlord, Greater Fae or Labyrinthine Bulmäs (7) with 5 Twists left over for additional Targets (<500 in this case).

  Activating the Possession power costs the Dark Territory the smaller of the two costs. So Room 13 would pay 1 Twist and Planet 13 would pay 7 Twists (the additional Targets are not one of the two costs).

• Soul Stealing

  Soul Stealing is a gradual process for a Dark Territory. The Targets are limited based on the spending Limit. Spending Limit also governs how long the Target must be in the Dark Territory before the Soul Stealing may affect them (As a Limit Duration). Activating Soul Stealing costs 1 Twist per Target, however it does not pay maintenance costs unless the Target leaves the Dark Territory.

  So Room 13 (Spending Limit 2 Twists) would be capable of Stealing a Skill (1) or Proficiency(1/2) from a Nuisance (Extra) (1), but would take a year to do it. Planet 13 (Spending limit 21) could steal an Active Personality (7) from most Characters regardless of type or Scale (14) , after only 30 seconds.

• Sway Vampirism

  Sway is drained by the Dark Territory at a steady pace. For a Dark Territory the Vampirism cost is calculated in two parts the first is how large the dice used to calculate the drained Sway, the second part is how often it can do that (as a Limit Duration).

  So Room 13 can drain 1d2 Yarn(1) over a year(1). Planet 13 can drain 4d6 Yarn (14) every 5 days (7).

•  Summoning Characters and Descendants

  Dark Territories can create or summon Characters or Descendants into themselves. This is essentially an expression of the Dark territory become more closely aligned with Shades (or one of the Hell/Dungeon Dimensions). Large Dark Territories often have Portals within them to one of these larger Dark Territories through which the summoning takes place (more than Size Boon 45).

  Dark Territories don’t usually make Summoning Rolls (although, if they do, the Easier Summoning rules apply), instead they Summon based on the type Twist cost with an Extend Duration.

  Room 13 can summon Nuisance (Extras) or Skill Descendants (1) for a Stage of an Ordeal (1). Planet 13 could Summon any sort of Character regardless of Type or Scale (14) for up to 28 days (7).

• Twisted Assault

  Works exactly like the normal ability except that the Stored Twists are the Spending Limit of the Dark territory not the full Twists stored. The Dark Territory spends Twists to improve attacks upon a single Target. The Dark Territory does not pay Range costs if the Target is within them.

• Twisted Regeneration

  The Dark Territory can regenerate damage caused to it exactly like the normal Twisted Regeneration rules (except the Spending Limit Reduced is used to determine the number of cards drawn). Paying 1 Twist will remove all Wounds and increase the Handicap by 1 Boon.

Dark Territory and Nightmare Fuel

Dark Territory is just like any Dæmonic entity, only the Twists gained from Nightmare Fuel can only be stored in the Location to expand its size or powers. The Locals fear the swamp and will not enter, so when you drag a local in with you to hunt the ancient temple at the centre, the swamp immediately taps that Fear Handicap and spends some Twists on animating some nastiness or throwing some random Wounds at the party (perhaps as bad dreams).