Astral Projection & Soul Sailing

Astral Projection is the only supernatural ability mortals can perform without direct divine intervention. It is a learned skill, though some lineages (particularly Eclipsed) have natural aptitude.

Discovery: Dionysus accidentally created a hallucinogenic fungus bar (from Venus's fungi) that induced astral projection in mortals. This was over a millennium ago and, since then, mortals have learned to project without the drug, though some still use it as a shortcut.

When you astrally project, you enter a strange version of reality:

Perception:

• Rushing sounds, strange noises
• Objects appear as abstract splashes of watercolor rather than concrete physical shapes
• Colors exist but are distorted and dreamlike
• You can sense the world around you but it's filtered and alien

Inhabitants: Countless shades (spirits of the dead) roam the cosmos. Essentially every human that has died since humanity began. Most remain peaceful and helpful, some become corrupted and dangerous.

Divine Communication: The astral plane is the gods' primary communication and meeting space. Gods can commune physically, but in the astral plane they can communicate instantly over vast distances rather than needing to be in the same place. This is why gods are sensitive about mortals "eavesdropping" because the astral plane is where divine politics and private conversations occur.

Dangers: The astral plane presents multiple threats to mortals who project:

1. Reavers (Skiaophages): Maddened, violent spirits that attack and consume other shades and can threaten astral projection users
2. Behemoths (Kosmoterata): Enormous dual-plane entities whose astral presence can kill shades and projection users, potentially dragging them into the physical plane
3. Gods: Not necessarily dangerous unless they think you're eavesdropping on divine conversations. They can't kill you outright but can curse you in myriad ways

Gaia's Special Danger: Soul sailing around Gaia is particularly hazardous because it has the highest population of reavers (skiaophages) from the world-ending event and the massive backlog of unprocessed shades.

The Basic Concept: Shades in the astral plane push attuned objects, which are secured to the ship, creating thrust.

Attuned Objects: A pilot attunes to several physical objects through profound personal connection. These are objects they've carried through pivotal moments, held during loss or triumph, or touched so frequently they've become extensions of their own awareness. The pilot must know every scratch, every weight shift, every texture as intimately as they know the peculiarities of their face or body. This attuning is partly spiritual, sometimes emotional. Examples include:

• An arrowhead from a memorable hunt
• A coin from a significant moment
• A piece of jewelry with deep meaning
• Any object with strong personal resonance

Why Attuning Matters: When you astrally project, attuned objects appear in the astral plane as concrete, solid items (rather than ephemeral representations). This means shades can actually touch and interact with them.

Skalmoi (Oarlocks/Tholepins): Metal containers welded into the ship's hull, usually reinforced. These go by different names depending on cultural background:

• Skalmoi (scalpmos): Formal Greek term used by central planet cultures (Europa, Luna, Mars, Calliope, Olympus Nesos). Marks the speaker as traditionalist or from the cosmopolitan core.
• Oarlocks: Universal common term used in everyday conversation across most of the Kosmos. Functional and unpretentious.
• Tholepins: Regional variant unique to Oortlings and Astral Sea frontier cultures. Immediately identifies the speaker as from the outer edge.

All three terms refer to the same device—the naming choice reveals cultural background and planetary origin.

Function:

• Pilots place their attuned objects inside skalmoi
• Different ships have different configurations (front/back, top, multiple for maneuverability)
• When shades push attuned objects in the astral plane, the objects press against the skalmos walls
• Because skalmoi are secured to the hull, this force transfers to the ship, creating thrust

The Metaphor: The name "skalmos" comes from ancient Greek ships, where it meant the oarlock or thole pin that held oars in place for rowing. Just as oarlocks provided the socket for oars to push against, skalmoi provide the socket for attuned objects to push against when moved by shades.

The Cost of Use: Attuned objects function as a fuel source with inherent entropy. Each time shades interact with an attuned object in the astral plane, the object manifests more fully in that realm—crossing over piece by piece with every push, every touch. This gradual transfer has profound consequences for the pilot:

• Diminishing Thrust: The more an object manifests in the astral plane, the less effectively shades can push it. Objects that once generated powerful thrust become sluggish, requiring more shades or longer journeys to achieve the same result.
• Fading Connection: As the object increasingly belongs to the astral realm, it becomes foreign to the pilot. The weight feels wrong. The texture seems unfamiliar. Details the pilot once knew instinctively blur and slip away.
• Memory Erosion: Most devastating, the memories that made the object important begin to fade. The hunt that produced the arrowhead loses its emotional weight. The moment that made the coin significant becomes hazy, then indistinct, then gone. The object remains physically present, but its meaning dissolves.

This creates a cruel bargain: pilots must choose deeply meaningful objects to enable soul sailing, knowing that the act of sailing will strip away both the objects' effectiveness and the memories that gave them power. Experienced pilots rotate their attuned objects to preserve cherished memories, but this means constantly developing new connections and a never-ending cycle of attachment and loss.

Working with Shades: Pilots develop relationships with specific shades over time. Some shades even bond with vessels, remaining nearby consistently. The reason is unclear, but theories include:

• Shades are fascinated by attuned objects (rare concrete items in the astral plane)
• Shades are drawn to objects resembling things significant to their past lives
• Shades enjoy interacting with objects when pilots project

Pilots often vary their attuned objects to attract different shades, and it's common for pilots to swap trinkets if they're having trouble finding shade assistance.

If your body dies while projected: Your spirit becomes a shade, trapped in the astral plane.

If your spirit dies while projected: Your body dies. Whether you become a shade depends on how you died:

• Obliterated by a god or consumed by a monstrosity: Total death...no shade, no afterlife, complete cessation
• Other deaths: Your body dies but you might exist as a shade in the astral plane
• The exact mechanics remain mysterious