Rules of the World

• Candela Obscura takes place in a world that resembles your own. The average citizen neither knows about, nor would believe in, magick or its effects.
• There is a barrier, known as the Flare, between this realm and the beyond.
• There are places where the Flare is weakened—referred to as thinnings. These thinnings allow metaphysical energy, known as magick, to seep through the Flare.
• The myths, legends, and folktales of The Fairelands are stories created to explain real magickal phenomena.

Rules of Magick

• Magick can become infused in mundane objects, places, or beings, permanently altering them. If a thinning is opened wide enough, creatures from the beyond may also come through. Anything affected by magick or from another realm is known as a phenomenon.
• Bleed is the corruptive force left behind by powerful magick. This bleed also radiates from the phenomena that have made incursions into the world.
• When a person has “too much bleed,” they may be taken over by these supernatural forces, become corrupted, or die. The manifestation of bleed varies based on the phenomenon.
• People with inherent magick are rare in the mundane world. Many Candela Obscura members interact with magick by wielding powerful artifacts. These items may also reduce, contain, or eliminate bleed.

Rules of Candela Obscura

• Members of Candela Obscura are investigators of supernatural phenomena attempting to protect the world from these dangers by securing and studying them.
• The organization has a hierarchy that includes a council of Lightkeepers who direct the resources of Candela Obscura. A small party sent out by a Lightkeeper to investigate a phenomenon is known as a circle. This mission is known as an assignment.
• There are Candela Obscura chapters, local enclaves of many members, throughout the world. Each has access, via a thinning, to the organization’s transdimensional vault, known as the Fourth Pharos.
• The Fourth Pharos is the fourth iteration of a lighthouse stronghold that sits within the Flare. Inside, there are vaults where the most powerful books, artifacts, and phenomena are kept for safety. The security of these vaults is maintained by centuries-old, constantly turning magickal astrolabes.

The remainder of this document is designed for you to use as a source of inspiration to build your own adventures, with more guidance and tools to come in the Candela Obscura Core Rulebook. The Quickstart Guide includes a first look at the world, the secret society itself, Additional Organizations for Candela Obscura to encounter, and a full Example Assignment you can run (or customize for your own investigation). This guide is a tool for you to utilize, rather than a set of edicts that must be followed.