Around 1701 AD the D'arqueness ingrained itself into the Voodun or Voodoo religion. Vodounists believe that the universe was created, and ruled by, a single god; the D'arqueness. In the vodounist's view, this deity is very distant and totally removed from human affairs. Directing prayers to this deity is pointless, in the vodounist's view, since He is too concerned with weightier, more cosmic matters to respond. This is where the Loa come in. They are described as spirits, or sometimes as manifestations of the D'arqueness, and dwell in the "middle ground" between humanity and the deity. They are divine, or supernatural, but they are close enough philosophically speaking to be concerned about day-to-day activities. Vodoun tradition holds that there are more than 200 Loa. The pantheon is large, and always expanding. There are ways for outstanding mortals such as powerful Houngan or D'arquemancers to become Loa. Not all Loa are revered in every hounfour (or temple), however. Within the body of vodoun, there are many different "sub-traditions" which vary slightly in philosophy and in the content of their ritual ceremonies.

These Loa share the earth with humankind. They can and often do intervene in human affairs, at the behest of the few people who know how to petition them. Wishes can and often do come true — although often in ways not foreseen by the wishers. Curses and desires have unexpected consequences, and irrational faith can produce miracles — if one is prepared to pay the price. Hauntings, “demonic possession” and poltergeist activity are in fact the result of these entities’ actions. Over the centuries, many people have learned to contact and deal with the D'arqueness. These people have allowed the physical sciences unfettered development, but have purposely obscured the realms of religious thought and metaphysics, which are now largely the province of so called primitive cultures. The secret magicians of the Western world use their powers to neutralize and discredit the shamans of other cultures. But the old ways are not abandoned everywhere. The American continents, both North and South, became a place where different cultures and mystical heritages met and combined. In the Caribbean and parts of South America, this fusion combined powerful African traditions, European Christianity and occultism, and Native American animism. This potent blend, popularly known as Voodoo, has spawned one of the most dynamic mystical amalgams this planet has seen. Now, the heirs of the Voodoo tradition must join forces with their former enemies and members of other traditions to confront supernatural predators. Voudounists have been dragged into a secret war as old as humankind. Most of them only wish to practice their magical religion in peace, but the darker forces that manipulate the world have other plans.

Some metahumans can tap into this d'arqueness naturally, while normal humans may learn to call it up magically or even technologically. D'arque energy is easy to learn but hard to control. It can have a bewildering variety of effects, and its users can control differing aspects of it, so some time passed before it became apparent that all these phenomena had a single source. A weak field of D'arqueness looks like a dark mist or shadow and can become camouflage, intimidation, or a smokescreen. A medium field behaves like a thick liquid and can impede or encase an opponent. A strong field, for most purposes, acts like a solid that can form shapes or carry things.

For unknown reasons D'arque energy can also be cleansing, capable of purging toxins, drugs, and other malignant substances, as well as curing diseases, mental instability, and criminal inhibitions.

The spirit world can be reached by those with the will and the desire to do so. Sometimes the spirit world reaches out to unwilling or unknowing subjects, giving rise to legends of poltergeists, “demonic possessions” and hauntings. In the old times, people dealt with such intrusions by calling those with the knowledge to deal with them: priests, shamans and sorcerers. Today’s world, largely bereft of such protectors, suffers more than before. There are many entities in the spirit world. The spirits of the dead are among their ranks, as are angels, demons and gods. The Voodoo tradition refers to all spiritual beings as loas. Most of these spirits can interact with the physical world only in limited and indirect ways. Many are not overly interested in our affairs, and must be coaxed or bribed to perform any deed. A number of those invisible sentient forces, however, have learned to gain power by absorbing the psychic resonances of human pain, fear and despair. These malevolent creatures are instinctively attracted to places where atrocities are committed. The smaller and less intelligent sort simply flock around serial killers, concentration camps, battle sites and other sources of suffering. The more powerful ones make contact with humans and actively work to cause misery and destruction. These entities are intent on enslavement and torture. Many of the “random” crimes of the modem age have been committed by humans worshipping the dark spirits that thrive on misery.

Some humans have developed a connection with the supernatural which allows them to perform incredible feats. These are the Houngan and D'arquemancers of myth and legend. They have become Initiates in the mysteries of the spirit world. Initiation is a process that re-creates the person; in which the old self effectively “dies” and is reborn as a different, evolved person. The Initiation process can be induced through a number of orchestrated ordeals and rituals, or can happen spontaneously. The consciousness of any human being who is exposed to a severe trauma is altered to such a degree that he may accidentally see a world that remains invisible to most of us. Therefore, one can find Initiates in the membership of secret societies or Voodoo temples — and also in insane asylums, concentration camps and other hellholes. Initiates have varying degrees of power over the spirit world. With the proper training, they can see the future, heal the sick, control spirits and make their own luck. Houngan are pillars of their communities, acting as advisors, arbiters and leaders. Theirs is a relatively mundane world, concerned mostly with everyday matters, occasionally manipulated in small ways through magic. Their traditional rivals are the organized magicians of the Western world which wield enormous political power in addition to their occult knowledge. The war has brought about disastrous alliances. Some Initiates deal with the Mayombe in an attempt to crush their enemies. While their fellow magicians bask in adulation and small comforts, these Defilers try to gain absolute power, no matter what the cost.

Several different types of Voodoo cults have developed during the centuries. In some areas of the Caribbean, the traditions of one African tribe or people tended to become dominant. Also, the culture of each colonial country (England, France, Portugal and Spain) influenced the slaves, often in unexpected ways. Although the rituals and ceremonies of all the different traditions work in the same manner, there are cultural differences between them, from which gods or saints they worship to the language they speak. Besides Haiti, centres of Voudoun worship include the other French islands in the Caribbean (Guadalupe, St. Martin and Martinique, among others), and French Guyana in South America. In the United States, Louisiana is also an important Voudoun centre, as well as New York and Florida. It is also is common throughout Latin America, especially in Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, Colombia and Brazil. Their loas are very active, participating in ceremonies and holidays with amazing frequency. The followers of Voudoun experience the presence of their gods constantly, almost routinely. Most Voudoun believers consider themselves to be Catholics; the two religions are worshipped side by side in ways that confuse and frustrate Christian priests and preachers trying to eradicate heathen practices. In general, Voudoun Initiates are widely held to be the most knowledgeable and powerful sorcerer-priests, because their beliefs are less diluted by Western influences and religions.

There are two levels of organization in most Voodoo societies: local and global. Most have a number of local chapters. This is the outermost layer of the Voodoo societies: groups that operate within one community, seemingly isolated from the rest of the world. These local groups in turn owe allegiance to a larger society that spans local and even national boundaries. There are many layers of organization, and the lower echelons may not have any idea of the scope of the organization. As a society member rises in rank, he learns more about the ties between local and global groups, and is expected to fulfil the commands of both. The links between local and global societies are maintained through periodic meetings, which the leaders of the local group must attend. The system is more informal and less strictly enforced than it sounds, however, and many local societies do little more than pay lip service to their allegiance to the larger whole. Sometimes, this informality ends when the global organization cracks down on unruly locals, killing or exiling their leaders.

Voodoo societies have periodic and special meetings. Regular meetings are held locally, and are only attended by the local members and the occasional guest. The heads of all local societies gather together at least once every two or three years. Failure to send at least a representative or substitute for the leader is considered to be a grave insult and punished accordingly. These conclaves consist of a number of ritual activities in which the leaders contact their spiritual guides, as well as more informal meetings to exchange information and set policies. The more powerful Voodoo societies do not meet physically; instead, at an appointed time, they all go into a trance and perform a ritual to send their consciousness to the dream world, where they conduct their business unfettered by distance. Emergency conclaves occur when a situation that threatens the whole society or a large sector thereof has arisen. A major natural disaster, a war, the discovery of a dangerous Infernal, or a large-scale Lodge attack all qualify as reasons to call an emergency conclave.

The actual by-laws of the Voodoo societies vary from one to the next, but some core rules are always followed. Mutual assistance and loyalty are the most important elements. Betrayal is severely punished, either with suspension, outright expulsion, or death for the most severe cases. Most societies hold that the contracts and agreements between the group and its members supersede all other obligations. First and foremost is the oath of secrecy, which is often enforced by spirit guardians. Members cannot divulge any specific or important information of the Society to strangers, from the secret passwords and handshakes to the society’s doings and goals. Nonmembers may be allowed to participate in some ceremonies, or given a few secret passwords or passports, but only when the whole society or its leaders allow it. Members are expected to lie and even perjure themselves in court in order to protect the society. Mutual assistance is the second element. A member cannot refuse to help another — unless such assistance would be contrary to the interests of the society. This is ambiguous at best, and members often have to make judgment calls. Members help each other with money problems, major undertakings and direct threats. In particular, an injury to a group member is treated as an injury to the whole group, and dealt with accordingly.

The greatest of these are known as Soul Eaters, whose power and malevolence have Lovecraftian proportions. Evil or ambitious Initiates often make pacts with Infernals. This invariably results in the human sorcerer becoming a pawn of these beings, and a threat to the rest of humanity. The Mayombe were involved in slavery in many ways. Evil secret societies that worshipped Mayombe spirits often were in charge of capturing and selling slaves. Greed was the motivating factor: Portuguese and Dutch slavers wanted labour to sell to Spanish, British and French colonies, and Dahomey and Yoruba kings wanted the gold, iron and gunpowder offered in return. The horrors of slavery attracted the Mayombe spirits. The European slave ships were floating charnel houses in which tens of thousands died horribly — perfect feeding grounds for the Mayombe. Many spontaneous Initiates, their powers awakened by their terrible suffering, turned to these dark spirits to gain power. Sometimes, human servants of the Mayombe were also sold into slavery. That often happened when such sorcerers fell out of grace with a king or ruler, or when their crimes went beyond what the authorities could stomach. Afraid of killing these evil Initiates, the authorities sold them as slaves.

The colonial system of the Caribbean was inherently unstable, based on the enslavement and subservience of the majority of the population for the enrichment of a small minority. It is not surprising that for five centuries wars, insurrections and massacres have plagued Caribbean history. Governments institutionalized murder as a weapon of terror, and petty dictators used whatever means they had to crush their opponents. The Infernals have also thrived on the political chaos in Latin America and the Caribbean. More than one political leader has been rumoured to enjoy the protection of supernatural entities. In a way, drugs have been a big business in the  Caribbean for centuries. Addictive luxuries like tobacco, coffee, white sugar and alcohol have been among the main staples of Caribbean agriculture. Some occultists believe the Mayombe enjoyed the bitter irony of this — using slave labour to produce substances that would in turn enslave those who used them. The 20th century, which saw the rise of democracy, independence and enlightenment, also saw the proliferation of recreational drugs — marijuana, cocaine and heroin, among others. The United States market for illegal drugs grew, and Latin American and Caribbean crime lords were all too ready to supply it. In U.S. inner cities, the poor, many of them descendants of the slaves forcibly brought to America, suffered most from the drug trade. On one hand, drugs became a source of quick money, a powerful lure to unemployed and unemployable people. On the other hand, the violence that surrounds any sort of illegal trade, and the devastating effects of drug addiction, contributed to the urban decay that racism and greed had already started. The cities of America became violent, brutal battlegrounds, as deadly as the jungles where the drug lords raised their wares — and the Mayombe flocked to both places, feeding, corrupting and spreading death.

The situation has steadily worsened. Despite the progress of the last four centuries, the world is steadily plunging toward chaos. Murders, sex crimes and other acts of senseless violence are escalating. The Infernals’ hunger grows with each passing year. Some occultists fear that Mayombe influence will plunge the world into total chaos and anarchy. Already large areas of the U.S. are no longer subject to law and order; they are war zones where might makes right and ruthlessness is the way to power. The situation is much worse in other nations, where the criminals are in control of the courts and the government, and kill those who refuse to be bought. The greatest danger is that the Mayombe always want more. Perhaps, if enough horror and suffering are inflicted on the world, these entities will be able to manifest physically, becoming more powerful than the oldest Soul Eaters, and able to devour humankind body and soul.

The Mayomberos are the magical equivalent of hired assassins or thugs. They use their power to murder people at the behest of their clients. They are tempters and corrupters; their clients often suffer as much as their intended victims. Their spiritual allies are demonic spirits that enjoy inflicting pain on helpless humans. Some mayomberos are even in league with the horrible abominations of flesh, the Soul Eaters — or they become Soul Eaters as result of their monstrous rituals. They usually work on their own, leading a small group of minions and apprentices. They are a common fixture in South America and the Caribbean, and are becoming more common in the inner cities of the United States.

The illegal drug trade produces billions of dollars in revenue every year, more than the total budget of many a small country. Most of that money ends up at the top of the criminal food chain, in the hands of the drug lords. The heads of Colombian drug cartels, the crime bosses in the U.S. and the Caribbean, and the smugglers from Jamaica, Haiti and Panama are millionaires or billionaires with enormous influence. Unknown to the press and the authorities, however, a force behind these drug lords subtly pulls their strings. Almost every crime boss is under the indirect influence of an Infernal servant, or even a Soul Eater. Most drug lords are not Initiates, or even fully aware of the existence of supernatural forces (although many are superstitious enough to believe in them). Instead, the Infernals usually control a trusted advisor or lieutenant. These men and women rise through the ranks of the drug trade and eventually become the power behind the scenes, with their “suggestions” becoming orders. Alternatively, some drug lords end up hiring a magician or sorcerer to hedge their bets. To the surprise of these criminal leaders, the advice and predictions of these magic users are uncannily accurate and effective; eventually, these crime lords rely solely on the word of their “pet witches,” effectively making them the true leaders of the organization. Time and time again, the drug lords are arrested or killed — and the drug trade goes on, because the true leadership of the cartels and crime gangs is always in the shadows, manipulating and controlling events from behind the scenes, finding new puppets to replace lost or unreliable ones. Sometimes, the actual leaders of the criminal organizations are supernatural beings — either Soul Eaters, humans possessed by a Infernal spirit, or even a monstrous spirit. Of late, some drug organizations have becoming increasingly occult-oriented. They have used human sacrifices to gain the favor of their spiritual guides, and have sold drugs with supernatural as well as physical properties. Some of these drugs have allowed evil Mayombe spirits to possess unsuspecting users and reshape their minds and souls with visions of murder and violence. Fighting the drug trade is very dangerous, even for Initiates. The crime rings have connections with the Mob, street gangs and even guerrilla armies in the Third World. They can afford the best in weapons and high-tech equipment, and their enforcers are brutal and merciless. Worst of all, they count several Soul Eaters and evil Initiates among their ranks.

Slavery is illegal in most parts of the world — but it has not ceased to exist. Before, the ostensible purpose of slavery was labor, but there was always an underlying sense of power and grandeur that came from owning another human being, of having the power of life and death over him… a power as sickening as it was tempting. Slavers provide women and children for those who use them to satisfy their cravings. Pleasure has replaced labor as the excuse for slavery. Living playthings can be purchased for money. With the help of the Infernals, whole networks of white slavers and child molesters have been established across the world. Tens of thousands of children and adolescents disappear every year… and a sizable percentage end up in the hands of the latest generation of flesh peddlers. At its lowest levels, prostitution has become another form of slavery. Human predators lure and seduce young people and then terrify them into submission, using drugs and violence to break their wills. This slavery goes on in our cities and towns. The laws that make prostitution illegal have achieved little more than preventing its regulation and control, leaving it in the hands of criminals.

The Infernals prefer politicians whose words and actions will inspire chaos and violence. Their camp includes ultra-conservatives and revolutionaries, racists (and reverse racists), misogynists and radical feminists, fundamentalists railing about “Satan-spawned” ideas and secular humanists undermining spiritual concepts. Some of the most influential puppets are among the most vociferous supporters of the war on drugs, and sponsors of the most repressive laws against “criminals,” laws often used to violate the rights of innocent people. This spreads even more despair, distrust and hatred. Through the actions of those politicians, the poor and the social outcasts learn to fear the authorities as much as they hate criminals. Many of these politicians are active servants of the Mayombe. Their rivals suffer mysterious accidents, or are brought down by scandals. They, on the other hand, are unimpeachable — those who try to dig dirt about them find nothing, or unpleasant events make them decide to stop looking.

The Shadowscape's most obvious (and perhaps only) characteristic is D'arqueness: not simply an empty place that has no light but a medium that absorbs light. This "dark matter" may only be what humans can perceive of an alien universe. Normal light sources are practically useless, and magical sources have limited range and power. Those who enter the Shadowscape dimension without special sight are unable to see. Prolonged exposure has a soothing and healing effect. Others use the Shadowscape indirectly to teleport. They open a portal around themselves into the dimension, move through it, and open another portal out that appears in a different location.

D'arque Justice

House of D'arqueness

D'arque Communication

D'arque Punch

D'arque Vision

D'arqueness Weapon Melee

D'arqueportation

D'arqueportation II

Emission Shadow

Field D'arqueness

Field Shadow

Infuse Weapon Shadow

Manipulate Shadows

Metamorph Shadow