This book is the culmination of all my years, study and travels. It is one part memoir, one part encyclopedia, and one part game manual. Perhaps it will galvanize you to begin your own adventure, discover your own secret worlds, and write your very own grimoire. I have hoped that whosoever finds this work, will come away with a new understanding of their own universe, and can rely on it when they need assistance in navigating the dark, hidden parts of our reality. One must be brave when attempting a journey of the soul, for there are parts of our self and parts of this world which many would not seek ordinarily. These parts are kept hidden from us, a knowledge with the price being our prior existence. For when someone learns something new, they must depart from their old ways to obtain anything of merit from this teaching.
I am the Wizard of Odds, Odysseus Flourdust. I have gone by other names, and across the Ulyverse, there are others like me, who by some chance or circumstance, have developed in sometimes frighteningly different ways. I have observed all these beings and many more who have lived their entire lives in the Ulyverse, and on occasion I myself have been drawn into their worlds, at times against my will. Many of them have attempted to hide from the Source, and have succeeded in building entire shadow realms and dark fortresses to take refuge in, but if you’re persistent, you can uncover these dungeons and obtain the valuable relics within. But beware, those who inhabit these subterranean dwellings will not part with them without a fight. You must decide if it’s really worth it to learn of these hidden parts of the world.
This world is old, incredibly old. There is time nestled inside time, secret wars occurring in the air around us, and a cosmos filled with alien observers watching our every moment. You have not been allowed to know the truth of this world, the powers that be seek to prevent you from ever knowing that you are the powerful ones. Those rulers, from the beginning of time, have sought to make themselves into Gods, and have denied the Source of their power to deceive you. Even as I write this, there is a vast machine being constructed in the cosmos, which when completed will make a forgery of this world, enslaving all life before destroying the fabric of reality. Who would seek such a deplorable end? Would you believe me if I told you his true name? Would you dismiss it as a fairy tale or myth? Do you believe Satan when he tells you, “I don’t exist,” ?
He does exist, but understanding his nature is just the beginning of what I will teach you. Gather with your friends to study this text, and when you’re ready, join with them on a trek across space and time. This isn’t a role playing game as you have no doubt played before, but a game of role reinvention. Who are you? What do you believe? Are you willing to challenge these assumptions about your life and reconstruct yourself in a new image? That is what is required of you now, as I must warn you, there are only 862 years left to avert complete disaster at the time I’m writing this, maybe even less time when you have obtained this book. The role you make will determine the fate of your universe, the fate of the Ulyverse, the fate of all those who have lived and died.
– Odysseus Flourdust
Ulises Farinas 