This page covers the enforcement of the Contract of Secrecy during the Age of Secrecy (1500–2016). 

Enforcement of the Contract of Secrecy operated through two largely separate structures with distinct jurisdictions, methods, and moral frameworks: the Orderly and affiliates, who handled cases involving those who had agreed to the Contract, and Umbris, who handled cases involving those who had not.

This division was not accidental. At the Convergence of Secrecy, Order tasked X, Edeia of Obfuscation, with ensuring Secrecy remained stable until Reunion "by any reasonable means that would not derail the overall goals of Reunion." X accepted, but on their own terms: they created Umbris, which would operate independently with authority and freedom to handle its purview as its members saw fit. Order, for their part, maintained a deliberate distance. The Orderly and Umbris collaborated toward a shared goal, but remained institutionally separate.

When a magical individual was discovered or came forward, they were generally presented with one of five options for how to exist within Secrecy. If an Edeia had their own means of isolation—such as the ability to create pocket dimensions—they could propose that instead, but in the general case the following options were offered:

Hiding in society. Some Edeia and magical individuals chose to continue living among mundane humans, provided they kept the risk of exposure sufficiently low. If they were judged too risky, they could be asked to take one of the separation options instead.

Sanctuary residence. Magical individuals could be brought to a Sanctuary, a metaphysically isolated space created by the Edeia Sanctuary. Sanctuaries provided safety, sustenance, and community. Their internal rule of no conflict or violence—enforced by the Sanctuary magic itself—made them stable, self-regulating spaces. For a fuller account of daily life and community in Sanctuaries, see the Sanctuaries page.

Abstraction residence. Some Edeia offered portions of their Abstractions as residence for non-Edeia. Food could be grown in Abstractions, though original stock had to be brought from the mundane plane. This option depended on finding a willing Edeia host.

Abstraction containment. Reserved for those who had clearly committed large-scale violations or repeated smaller offenses. Any Edeia who ascribed to Secrecy could call a judgment convergence to decide on this outcome. Containment typically ranged from one year to "until Secrecy ends," the latter reserved for especially severe or repeat cases. For details on mechanics, see the Edeiology page.

Prism isolation. A rarely used option, exclusively available through Order. For enforcement, this was very occasionally offered by Order for severe cases. For preservation and protection, this may be offered to larger communities that want to live in isolation without any disturbance whatsoever. When the Age of Reunion began, Order went through the process of reintroducing each one back into society, typically starting by "simulating" an avatar of themself that explained the situation. Order's Prisms also include simulated environments for numerous creatures thought to be extinct. Any use requires consultation with Auspice.

Magical Communities in Mundane Society

Not all magical individuals chose to hide alone. Some communities maintained a collective relationship with magic while remaining nominally part of mundane society—provided they never offered definitive proof to outsiders and kept any definitive knowledge of magic contained within the group. This was generally only permitted for communities whose magical elements were subtle or invisible to mundane eyes. 

These communities varied widely. Some were built around magical practice being kept carefully behind closed doors. Others were so thoroughly integrated with their local culture that the magic had effectively become indistinguishable from tradition—local superstitions, folklore, and ritual that outsiders dismissed as cultural quirk while the community quietly knew better. The line between "magical community under Secrecy" and "community with unusually persistent folk traditions" was, from the outside, often impossible to draw.

Small groups of mundane individuals who became aware of magic through proximity could also be brought into the fold: so long as the group was small, the individuals agreed to the Contract of Secrecy, and no wider exposure had occurred, the situation could be managed without displacement.

If a community's concealment was judged insufficient—too much leakage, too much outside attention—they could be asked to relocate to a Sanctuary, arrange Abstraction residence, or otherwise move to one of the more enclosed options. The threshold was not perfection but plausible deniability: outsiders could suspect, so long as they could not prove.

The Orderly's approach to enforcement was structured around deliberation and process—something closer to an institutional response than a punitive one. This framework applied primarily to those who had agreed to the Contract of Secrecy, who by doing so had accepted the rules and the consequences of violating them.

When a breach happened, Ignis—the role within Umbris responsible for covering up evidence—was typically the first to act, handling immediate damage control: memory alteration, destruction of evidence, media and narrative control, restoration of infrastructure. While the cover-up was underway, the Orderly and affiliates could turn their attention to how to handle the individual responsible.

Any single member or affiliate of the Orderly has the authority to impose enforcement on non-Edeia magicals according to the strict processes outlined in the Contract of Secrecy, though many might confer with others. Any Edeia who ascribes to Secrecy may call a judgement convergence to decide the fate of Edeia who have breached Secrecy. 

For Edeia who violated Secrecy, the process generally followed an escalating structure:

• First offense: A warning, typically delivered by another Edeia or affiliate. The individual would be informed of what was recorded against them and asked to correct their behavior or change their living arrangement.

• Second offense: A member of the Orderly or an affiliate may appear to assess the situation and issue one final warning.

• Third offense or severe first offense: The Orderly may call a convergence of Edeia to pass judgment. Outcomes ranged from Sanctuary house arrest to full Abstraction containment. Rarely, Prism isolation would be offered by Order. 

Memory alteration—the kind routinely used on mundane witnesses—was generally not applied to those who agreed to the Contract.

Sanctuary Arrest and Exile

For non-Edeia magical individuals, Sanctuary arrest, or Sanctuary "house arrest," was a common outcome for significant violations. The confined individual would be required to remain within one or more Sanctuaries for a period ranging from months to years, depending on severity. Repeat offenses could escalate to imprisonment within an Edeia's Abstraction.

Imposing this condition required metaphysical enforcement—Order's power was typically involved, though Ruler and other Edeia whose Ideas relate to rules, contracts, or enforcement could also impose or assist with the conditions. 

Enforcement for Edeia often required a convergence and collective effort. Outcomes may include Abstraction containment and Sanctuary exile, which restricted the offending individual to Sanctuary spaces, their own Abstraction, and other dimensions, preventing direct interaction with mundane society. Unlike standard Abstraction containment, this required the combined power of both Order and Sanctuary.

Abstraction Imprisonment and Containment

Abstraction imprisonment involves a non-Edeia being confined to the Abstraction of an Orderly-affiliated Edeia. They must follow guidelines for consciable treatment of prisoners, such as providing for physical and mental needs and making attempts for rehabilitation. 

Abstraction containment is the confinement of an Edeia to their Abstraction. For details on the potential conditions and mechanics, see the section on the Edeiology page. This is an option typically reserved for those who have clearly committed large-scale or multiple smaller offenses that require compensatory action (erasing memories, disappearing a group into a Sanctuary, media manipulation, etc.). Usually, Abstraction containment can range from one year all the way to "until Secrecy ends," though the latter case is generally only used if they have been contained multiple times with no improvement. 

If Abstraction containment is decided, then a group of Edeia will volunteer to go after the Edeia to apprehend them. Once the offending Edeia is immobilized or dissipated (if they exhaust themself by using too much power or being hit by too much magic; they will re-form in their Abstraction), the Edeia present use their powers of metaphysical manipulation to seal the Edeia in their Abstraction.

Unrelated to Secrecy, Edeia may call convergences for Abstraction containment if they have a problem with what some other Edeia does. Some may have differing feelings about how "bad" Abstraction containment is, and may be more or less willing to support the punishment. 

Prism Isolation

This is specifically an ability of Order that they use quite rarely; if you wish for this to be used for your character lore, you must ask Auspice and prepare an argument for why this would be resorted to. Order does not advertise this ability but may bring it up in a convergence if they feel it may be a suitable option. 

In Order's Abstraction, there are prisms made of the same black material as their "wings." Each of these can hold a simulation of a world or just an empty void. Order may use these to isolate those who need protection, or to contain those who would be a threat to their order. They also keep simulations of different environments and creatures. The plants and animals that exist in these prisms are not sentient; they are essentially magical "programs." Only Order can freely enter and exit these prisms, though they can build metaphysical entrances and exits as well.

Organic beings in these Prisms are physically in a form of stasis, but in the "simulation" they may experience a psychosomatic hunger/thirst and they are able to consume "simulated" sustenance. Some may not even be aware they are in a simulation, if they were put inside while unconscious or otherwise incapacitated.

In terms of enforcement, this is generally used as a last resort or if the individual is personally attacking Order. 

Umbris operated in the spaces the Orderly could not or would not reach—primarily those who had not agreed to the Contract of Secrecy and thus had no formal standing within its due process. Mundane humans who discovered magic, magical individuals who refused the Contract, external threats to Secrecy of all kinds: these fell under Umbris's jurisdiction.

X designed Umbris's structure deliberately, recruiting Edeia with abilities and dispositions of exceptional value to the maintenance of Secrecy—people who might be completely misaligned with the Orderly's values but whose skills were too useful to leave uncoordinated. Umbris's contract required only that interventions be commensurate with the risk to Secrecy and reasonable in relation to the severity of the breach. Beyond that, members were largely left to their own judgment.

Methods

Umbris's methods ranged considerably depending on the situation and the member involved:

• Cover-up and obfuscation. The primary work: memory alteration, destruction of evidence, narrative control. Many of these methods were applied without the involvement or consent of the subject.

• Social and preventative intervention. Monitoring, intelligence gathering, social engineering to prevent breaches before they occurred.

• Stripping magical individuals of power. Possible in some cases—most reliably through an Edeia with an oppositional Idea, though weaker or less developed magic might be suppressible through energy or soul manipulation alone. This was not universally available; whether it was an option depended on which Umbris members were involved in a given case and what kind of magic an individual had. 

• Aggressive containment. Forms of imprisonment less structured and less humane than Sanctuary house arrest, where the situation warranted swift or covert action.

• In the most extreme cases, lethal intervention. This has occurred. Umbris's recruitment and skill set made it straightforward to ensure no trace remained. The Umbris contract's "commensurate and reasonable" clause provided the operative justification: some members have taken the position that an individual with genuinely catastrophic intentions toward Secrecy or toward Reunion more broadly represents a sufficient threat to warrant it. The Orderly would not agree—but the Orderly, by design, did not always find out. X was aware when it happened, and weighed it against the alternative.

Relationship to the Orderly

Umbris operated independently from the Orderly—not as a subgroup of it, but as a parallel structure with a shared goal and a formal distance between them. This was by design. The arrangement allowed Umbris members whose values were completely misaligned with the Orderly's to cooperate toward the goal of Reunion without the Orderly being implicated in their methods.

If Umbris's actions became known to the Orderly and were judged egregious, the Orderly could intervene and attempt a more structured response. However, Umbris was built around preventing that knowledge from surfacing in the first place. This was, functionally, a plausible deniability arrangement—one Order accepted in exchange for stable Secrecy and one X shaped to preserve their operational freedom.

After the Age of Secrecy ended in 2016, Umbris was disbanded.