Musings on the Underground

[Michael D. Mearls 97]

--- James Palmer wrote:
The OU rarely affects normal events, either - too many sides afraid of the
claws of the tiger, too focused on itself.  Out of the whole history of
the world, the occult has probably impacted about five percent of events. 
There's a secret occult history, yes, but it very rarely interacts or
affects normal history. 

Thoughts?
--- end of quote ---

I agree with your thoughts on ascension to the clergy. It seems to me that,
once someone knowingly chooses an avatar and knowingly models their behavior
after it, their chance of ascension decreases. Think of it this way: there's a
world of difference between acting and actually being.

OTOH, while I think the occult has little effect on mainstream history, the
paranormal and the weird, while not common, are liable to turn up anywhere. One
of my favorite themes in UA is that the most mundane things are usually the
most likely to be magickal in nature. I've given some thought to running a
paranoid/solipistic UA game, where the players learn that more and more of
mundane reality (comapnies, the government, the faceless mobs on the subway) is
an illusion as the campaign goes on.


- Mearls