Verges are places where the Supernal World manifests, barely diluted by the Lie. Mages compete for control of them, drawing on their power to enhance their spells. A Demesne is an artificial Verge.
Supernal phenomena manifest freely in a Verge. In a Stygian Verge Shades accost visitors, and people find ancient coins and fallen tombstones buried in the ashen earth. These phenomena manifest on the material plane in the heart of the Verge, but are usually disguised by Twilight along the periphery. Space might warp at the heart of a Verge, and in such cases objects and beings inside are invisible to anyone outside. Thus Cyclopean ruins, bizarre trees, and magical beasts conceal themselves inside some Verges.
Verges manifest spontaneously or in response to a supernatural event, and can be temporary or permanent in nature. Old, stable Verges tend to develop other supernatural traits. They collect Mana into Hallows, sprout ley lines, or erupt with Irises to Emanations connected to the Verge’s ruling Supernal Realm.
A mage with a sanctum may create a synthetic Verge known as a Demesne by extending the Supernal connection within a soul stone. This behaves much like a natural Verge, except that Supernal phenomena do not manifest on the material plane spontaneously. The mage doesn’t have to worry about strange intruders.
System
A Verge offers a +2 die Yantra bonus to spells that utilize its Ruling Arcana. Furthermore, as long as a spell that qualifies for the bonus doesn’t leave the Verge, it doesn’t risk Paradox unless a Sleeper is present at some point during the spell’s duration. Spells cast in natural Verges are not subject to Dissonance, but those cast in Demesnes are. Sleepers suffer Quiescence as usual.
A Demesne uses the same systems, but is confined to a mage’s sanctum.
In addition, a mage may travel to The Astral Realms from a Demesne (but not a natural Verge) powered by her own soul stone, a stone with a soul on the same Path, or through any Path’s stone (with the permission of the sorcerer whose soul resides within it). Once given, permission cannot be rescinded until the beneficiary returns.
A Verge or Demesne’s Yantra bonus is limited by its semiotic associations, as is usual for Yantras. A Stygian Verge that’s filled with metal but no aspects of Death won’t help a mage bind ghosts, but will help him create strange alloys. Mages typically equip Demesnes with equipment and symbols that support the spells they plan to cast.
Verges and Demesnes both provide a +2 die bonus to rolls to summon Supernal entities from the realms they’re connected to.