The Breach

The Breach refers to the weakening of the The Veil between our world and the Outside.

Most historians and storytellers agree The Breach occurred during the Battle of Richmond. The two events are almost certainly related, though exactly how remains a mystery.

Before the Breach, there is only one other verified opening of the Veil: Edison's Gate, opened hundreds of miles to the north some months prior to the Battle of Richmond. There are some who would list other events - the birth of Christ and other miraculous events recorded in the Bible, the Lost Colony of Roanoke - but this nothing more than speculation.

The exact nature of The Breach is widely disputed. The only facts are those derived from observable events. It is clear that creatures not natural to our world are able to make their way through the Veil from their world to ours (a process known as a crossover). It is also clear that this happened in some places more frequently than others.

During Hell on Earth, the Breach allowed crossovers to occur freely. Surviving records from eyewitnesses of the Battle of Richmond and New York City during The Breach use words like "hordes", "pouring", and "armies" to describe the number of Outsiders entering our world. This type of language is consistent until Edison's Sacrifice, at which point all references to crossovers either refer to Outsiders leaving our world, or simply remark that they are no longer occuring.

The Breach seems to have been at least partially reversed, starting from a point coinciding with Edison's Sacrifice. It is not known for certain if the effects of the Breach have been completely healed (though evidence would suggest this is not the case), or what the future may hold.