Setting up

What is known about Unhola

Although it has been a while since the first doorways to Unhola began to open, information about it has remained scarce. By its nature – that those who enter are forgotten by all and will never return – opportunities for research have been few and far between, and finding willing volunteers has become increasingly challenging. Despite this, there are always those with their own personal reasons for becoming Forgotten, who are never accounted for and cannot be counted as lost.

deus ex machina, vae nobis!

When the first doorways opened, many suspected a new form of mass hysteria, a wide outbreak of false dementia. In certain unassuming towns far removed from the rest of society, people were reporting photos and writings of individuals in their homes, whom they had no recollection of. The photos and diary entries told of lifelong relationships, but nobody could remember these people ever existing in their lives. Initially, these reports seemed to be limited to a few isolated towns, but as the information spread along with similar cases afflicting more and more communities, the phenomenon could no longer be ignored even by the most hardened of skeptics.

Then the first doorway was identified. A historical bridge, one visited by hundreds each year, could no longer be passed through from below. Photos taken at the site revealed that several forgotten persons – individuals previously unknown to anyone, but whose existence was later confirmed – had been seen in the background of these photos, walking under the bridge.

From all this, one conclusion was clear: that one day, the nature of the bridge suddenly changed so that anyone who walked under it, vanished without a trace, even from the memories of others. The gossip around this bridge incident became near instantly frenzied, and the previously afflicted communities were quick to distrust any of their own bridgeways, blocking them off as a safety measure. Yet the number of people forgotten kept increasing.

the miserable failure of science

With the only known "gate" isolated, research could begin in earnest. Makeshift drones and rovers were sent in, but they each ceased to function immediately after their passing through a certain point. Past this invisible and unidentified border, no remote controls could function and not even the radars could identify anything that might lie beyond. Trained dogs were sent in next, but they could no longer discern where the entrance had once been, even though in their fear they were eager, desperate, to return.

Time passed, and the forgetting spread. It soon became evident that it was not just bridgeways, but any kind of gateway, door or arch one could pass through, that could suddenly lead to the place of becoming forgotten (fin. Unhola). And no two gateways ever led to the same place. Some appeared to be natural extensions of what one might expect on the other side, while others led to more unsettling locations — such as landscapes of raw, bloodied flesh, or places of total darkness, where monoliths of concrete would emerge from its depths. Despite the dramatic increase in entryways to study, research effectively halted, as none of the pre–existing technological methods could pierce the frontiers of Unhola.

But living things could. And at an extreme cost, people took the risk with their own lives to venture into the unknown.

choosing to become forgotten

The Forgotten, as they came to be called, began to spearhead the exploration of Unhola. They bid their final, heroic farewells to a captivated audience of their peers, and those with fame to thousands – all forgotten the instant they disappeared into Unhola, their scientific importance, and the value of their sacrifice, vanishing with them. Most were never heard of again, many an aspiring explorer lost before they could report back even the first thing. All a foolish errand.

But those who were heard of again were much better prepared, and a new hope was borne from the knowledge that while no living beings could return from Unhola, inanimate objects could travel freely back and forth. Equipped with this new information, dedicated groups of "Forgotten–to–be" learned how to operate mechanical cameras, to illustrate their surroundings and write about it descriptively, to collect and dry samples – and most importantly, to select their point of entry with care.

Finally, information about what lurked on the other side could be brought to the public – to a mixed reception. The conservative, cautious opinion became the mainstream one: this place was a death sentence. Photographs of innumerable mutilated bodies, of monsters beyond imagination, of diseases unlike anything seen before, all within the doorways considered safe... it was no exaggeration that to most, Unhola was hell come manifest.

These were the stories that had the furthest reach, but they were not all there was to the Forgottens' reports. In equal quantity, they brought back illustrations of wonderful sceneries, photographs of extinct animals, diary entries written as through they were in love with it all, encouraging others to leave their mundane lives behind, to join them in this utopia beyond the damaging reach of mankind.

Character creation

Now that you know what Unhola is about, it is time for you to create your character. Dedicate at least one page to this process in your journal and leave room for notes, for you will be referring back to your character's page frequently over the course of the game.

From this point on, you and your character are treated as one and the same, and will be referred to as "you". This is your journey, and yours alone.

name

Names in Unhola are descendant of Finnish naming conventions, and tend to follow specific combinations of consonants (C) and vowels (V). They may also include the letters ä (as in 'a' in 'hat') and ö (as in 'i' in 'girl').

For example, Kauto, Tuule and Hyytä share the structure of CVVCV. Alternative common structures are CVCV (Lume, Save, Kuto) and CVCCV (Rasse, Mertä, Penno).

Beyond these names, some choose to leave their old identity behind, forget it as others have, and create an all new identity for themselves.

personality

How did those around you describe you, before they forgot you? How do you handle disappointment, loneliness and despair? What makes you resilient?

And how far would you be willing to go to ensure your own survival?

past

We're all formed by our experiences, defined by them whether we want it or not. Likewise, we are formed in reflection to the people around us – who we wish to be like, and who we do not want to have anything in common with. If you wish, you may try and let go of your past, but know that your past may not be done with you.

motivation

What are you hoping to achieve? To enter Unhola is hardly any different from dying, what could lie on the other side to make this choice worth it for you? Your motivation should inform the nature of the notes you will be writing while venturing through Unhola.

attributes

Attributes represent your capabilities, both physical and mental, and you have 10 points to divide between them – 3 is the human average, you start at 0, and each attribute should have at least 1 point in them. There are ways to temporarily increase your attributes over the course of the game, but for the most part, you will be working with what you got here.

Your attributes determine what options and actions are available to you. For example, certain items may have a minimum Physique requirement to use them, or you may be able to gain additional information with a sufficiently high Knowledge – and conversely, you may lose your ability to use certain items if your Physique falls too low or you may never find out useful information if your Knowledge is too low to internalise it.

Physique

Determines your overall physical capability. This attribute represents your ability to perform tasks that require strength, athletics, or other forms of physical exertion. It also determines your physical well-being – a Physique of 0 means death.

Instinct

Determines the sharpness of your instincts. This attribute governs your awareness as dictated by your senses and animal instincts, as well as by the more esoteric “gut feeling”.

Knowledge

Determines how much you know and how much you can deduce. This attribute allows you to understand the familiar and come to at least somewhat sound conclusions about the unknown.

Insight

Determines your ability to grasp the world around you through moon logic, and to see and hear things which most cannot. This form of reasoning does not follow logic, but seems to align itself with the ebbs and flows of Unhola.

equipment

It would be foolish of you to enter Unhola entirely empty-handed. Take a look at the table of cards ➚ –page, and select one Item as your starting equipment.

Preparing the cards

Ensure that you have all the cards listed in the requirements ➚ –section, and shuffle them. Place them face-down in a single pile – this is your draw pile. Leave some room for a discard pile as well, onto which you should lay your cards face-up and sideways, to distinguish it from any other cards you may have laying around over the course of your game.

your hand

Draw 5 cards from the draw pile. This is your starting hand, and the maximum number of cards you may hold in your hand at a time, with some exceptions. Always keep your hand close to you, for these are the options you will be working with during your journey.

What next?

Go to the how to play ➚ –page, where you will be taught the rules of the game.