The Powers in the Modern Era

[Nachtswalbe]

The Powers upon whom magicians call seem to be 1) generally chaotic/alien or malign 2)uninterested in interfacing with anything beyond an individual level. As the modern era advances and technology does more things, not as much as the Powers of course, and the unpredictable master-pet relations of the Powers is well known, how do they cope? Frankly a Power that is interested in complex human society and religions, or at least becomes interested as technology advances (presuming they can sense such things) might want a literal magocracy or at least some contacts in the schools of Magic in places like Verduria or elsewhere.

I have a feeling any country unfortunate to ever be run by a Power would resemble occupied Xingzhou

It was by pure chance that they encountered Xingzhou on their travels. This was during the harsh years of the Yog-Sothothian Occupation. After the initial, indiscriminate massacres, the Great Old Ones had imposed a form of government upon the survivors, harvesting citizens at a steady, more sustainable pace. A semblance of the everyday had returned: schools and government offices had reopened, and markets once again sold unobtanium crystals and lottery tickets. However, all were haunted by a specter of fear. As proof of their loyalty, all were required to chant verses of the Necronomicon on command; all had to bow in obeisance in the direction of Azathoth, the Blind Idiot God, the Nuclear Chaos. Even the terrain itself had changed, for the pall of the Elder Gods had cast some obscene spell upon the clustered stars. No longer did they burn a merry yellow, but a sickly, noxious shade of celadon green.

Mages appear to slowly go mad or become more and more alien due to exposure to Powers so couldn't a Power create something like a radiation barrier or a Low Dose Rate waiting area of sorts to limit direct exposure? Also why can't Powers order mages to write down their commands if only for personal use?

[zompist]

This has been partially covered in Almea+400 (an in the new book). As this might be considered spoilers, I'll give a brief hint, and then a slightly less brief explanation you have to click to see.

"Aliens" is a pretty good guess. The Powers are not from Almea. By their nature they cannot really stay on Almea and retain their nature, so they are not tempted to take over. (Besides, ruling a human planet would be like you ruling an anthill. It's too far beneath their interests and offers no real rewards.)

More: show

More particularly, the Powers are from otherworlds, alternative universes with different laws of physics. A sorcerer is able, sometimes, to make a portal to their universe. (Powers are not all from the same otherworld.) Just as not all planets have life, not all otherworlds have Powers; in general it's enormously dangerous to make portals. (Imagine making a portal to the middle of the Big Bang.) Some otherworlds are much more ordinary... our universe is one.

The Powers have, er, powers, because of those different physical laws. A universe tries, so to speak, to maintain its own physical laws, so a Power that stays on Almea indefinitely would eventually match Almean physical laws and thus lose its own abilities. This is why Powers try to stay in their own world and, if they really take a liking to a magician, seek to take him with them to their world.

(There are an unimaginable number of otherworlds, but probably not infinite. Thus they are not Everettian many-worlds where there is an alternative world for every choice ever made. Universes with earthlike worlds are very hard to find.)

[Nachtswalbe]

That makes sense - to beings who are to humans as humans are to ants, indifference is the most common response.