[lokii]

The mana level shouldn't be a problem as it shouldn't be high enough for a thousand years. Manaspikes created by the Great Ghost Dance and similar rituals turned out to be a problem. These manaspikes are supposedly taken care of. Unless metahumanity drastically increased the rate of spike production a bridge should not be possible.

Again, the question is does the bridge go to the horror's plane of existence? But I guess another question could be is this a solid early-scourge-invasion-type bridge or a rickety rope bridge that a single adventurous horror could use to wriggle in. Because as a said before some horrors did come to earth before the Scourge in Earthdawn that wouldn't necessarily be an indication of a larger problem. (Though of course even a single horror could cause a lot of damage.)

[Dwagonzhan]

The mana level shouldn't be a problem as it shouldn't be high enough for a thousand years.

It's already been established that the Invae (Insect Spirits) are already here, and way, WAY ahead of schedule (several centuries, at least).
That wasn't even 50 years into the Sixth Age, and we know the Invae weren't just hopping the spike points created by the Ghost Dance.

Logically, I assume the Scourge Armageddon Clock has moved up and accelerated considerably. The Sixth World is already a miserable, unstable place, and likely doesn't even have 1000 years before the Scourge begins. SRR suggests this is due to the sheer volume of people propping up the manasphere vs back in the Fourth World.

Given how the Immortal Elite Squad is treating the bridge (read: scared shitless), it's almost certainly the main point of entry for the Horrors to cross into regular metaplanar space, and from there, into the prime material plane. We also can deduce that the size of the "gap" as a whole is tied to mana levels on the prime material plane, and mana levels are only rising.

So, knowing all this, I suspect the Fovae are just "probes" of Horror design, to get some sucker metahumans Marked to help accelerate the main bridging process.
As Elijah demonstrated, simply making contact with them is enough to have a nasty effect, and they're quick to offer all sorts of things in exchange for helping them.

[Wakshaani]

And then there's Crater Lake...

[RowanTheFox]

And then there's Crater Lake...

Yea, Aina kinda walked right into that trap, didn't she? Yrsgrathe is good at making people do that.

[lokii]

It's already been established that the Invae (Insect Spirits) are already here, and way, WAY ahead of schedule (several centuries, at least).
That wasn't even 50 years into the Sixth Age, and we know the Invae weren't just hopping the spike points created by the Ghost Dance.

Harlequin's Back p.23:

Some of the Enemy have already entered the world, through smaller, temporary spikes in the magic level. Some have been called across through summoning rituals performed by ignorant fools. [..] For now, only a few, perhaps a score, of the Enemy exist in the World of 2055. Note that the insect spirits, the invae, are not the enemy, though these creatures come into our world in a similar manner.

Logically, I assume the Scourge Armageddon Clock has moved up and accelerated considerably. The Sixth World is already a miserable, unstable place, and likely doesn't even have 1000 years before the Scourge begins. SRR suggests this is due to the sheer volume of people propping up the manasphere vs back in the Fourth World.

I mean it's possible but the little that has been said in and after the Dragon Heart trilogy points to a normal mana cycle. By the way life attracts mana. So while there are more people around has the biomass on Earth really drastically increased compared to the pre-Earthdawn era? I wouldn't actually expect the world mana level to differ just because the human population has grown. But more people means a higher number of magically active, means more magicking around, which is why there will be more local reconfiguration of the manasphere hence dangers like unnatural mana spikes.

We also can deduce that the size of the "gap" as a whole is tied to mana levels on the prime material plane, and mana levels are only rising.

Sure. The "gap" is some kind of metaphysical distance between the physical plane and the horror's metaplane. The mana level following its cycle means this distance will decrease, so a connection is inevitable. But that has always been portrayed as a natural law. If there is no bridge or beacon or Therans messing with the natural order, the world mana level itself should not allow easy passage for the horrors until year 4000+. I'm at least not aware, that this general calculation has changed.

And then there's Crater Lake...

That's a growing ebb since the comet though isn't it? Shouldn't that help?

[Wakshaani]

And then there's Crater Lake...

That's a growing ebb since the comet though isn't it? Shouldn't that help?

You'll find a mention of it in Forbidden Arcana.

Here's a question ... where does that mana go?

[RowanTheFox]

And then there's Crater Lake...

That's a growing ebb since the comet though isn't it? Shouldn't that help?

You'll find a mention of it in Forbidden Arcana.

Here's a question ... where does that mana go?

Right onto the Enemy's dinner plate?

[Dwagonzhan]

I mean it's possible but the little that has been said in and after the Dragon Heart trilogy points to a normal mana cycle.

The discussion near the end of Shadowrun Returns suggests the opposite; that it's an INCREDIBLY accelerated mana cycle.
I know the Invae are not Horrors or allied with them (quite the opposite, the Invae fear the Horrors at least as much as anyone), however, it's also stated the Invae's arrival means the Horrors aren't terribly far behind (chronologicaly).

[Marzhin]

The discussion near the end of Shadowrun Returns suggests the opposite; that it's an INCREDIBLY accelerated mana cycle.

SR Returns is not exactly canon, though (cf. the various issues with the Telestrian family tree). Everything found in the video games should probably be taken with a pinch of salt.

[lokii]

The discussion near the end of Shadowrun Returns suggests the opposite; that it's an INCREDIBLY accelerated mana cycle.

As Marzhin says. For example Marie-Louise is head of Telestrian Biotechnology at the time of the game.

Anyway, I see your point:

When the membrane between planes thins, the insect spirits reach into the mind of a shaman and begin their manipulation, playing on weaknesses and offering unlimited power if the rituals needed to bring the spirits here are performed.

As the level of magic in the Sixth World grows the - for lack of a better word - the *distance* between the various planes of reality decreases. When the membrane between the planes is thin enough, ritual magic may be used to draw beings from one to another.

Based upon the previous cycles of magic, the first insects are not due to appear for another 700 years. My lord Lofwyr believed he was well ahead of schedule. Something is different this time. It iss... concerning.

Though I would argue that does not actually mean a baseline acceleration of the mana cycle. Look at the speculation about the reasons behind the early appearance of the insect spirits. I think it underlines what I said before:

Perhaps it is due to the population of humans and meta-humans on Earth being so much higher than in previous ages. As a result, the volume of magic created by sentient beings is correspondingly higher. Or perhaps it is the density of the population coupled with the advances of society and technology that has altered things.

Magic has never returned to a world like this one before. The density of sentient creatures, coupled with the density of information, coupled with the a new concept - the technological persistence of memory - heightens a society’s existential angst. Thus, more people realize how truly horrible existence is - simultaneously.

That in itself may be a form of magic. Lofwyr is studying the question now.

Not a faster cycle rather the sentient population is radiating a "juicier signal" out to the metaplanes. Might be their numbers, might be what they do or even think. (Also at this point the relevance of mana spikes created by ghost dance-level ritual blood magic seemingly wasn't yet recognized.)

I know the Invae are not Horrors or allied with them (quite the opposite, the Invae fear the Horrors at least as much as anyone), however, it's also stated the Invae's arrival means the Horrors aren't terribly far behind (chronologicaly).

It's true in one sense, since in Earthdawn's history the Invae seem to show up at the same time as the first Horrors. On the other hand, that's almost a thousand years before the Scourge. By the way working with the 700 years number they would have been around much longer before "The Burning", roughly 600 years longer ((5200 - 600)/2 - 1000 - 700). So  actually much earlier than the first recorded signs of horror activity.

Here's a question ... where does that mana go?

Fingers crossed for Therans messing with the natural order.

[Opti]

Something to think about... while we have made considerable leaps in our technology and practice in the time since the 4th world ended... who is to say the Enemy hasn't also waited, watched, learned, grown, multiplied, and made far reaching plans? The cycles of mana MAY be natural, but sentient life has a way of subverting the natural... on both sides...

[Crimsondude]

No one wants to know what I think.

[The Wyrm Ouroboros]

No one wants to know Everyone is afraid of what I think.

Got that corrected for you. 

[lokii]

Something to think about... while we have made considerable leaps in our technology and practice in the time since the 4th world ended... who is to say the Enemy hasn't also waited, watched, learned, grown, multiplied, and made far reaching plans? The cycles of mana MAY be natural, but sentient life has a way of subverting the natural... on both sides...

Evidently. We wouldn't have needed the Dragon Heart if it didn't. And in the Sixth World so far there was just local manipulation of the manasphere by my understanding, but in the Fourth World the world mana level itself was manipulated. (Though if it was just "battery-powered" it might not be applicable to the current situation.)

No one wants to know what I think.

*pssst* Are you thinking the Enemy found a way to reach across the metaverse into the minds of your fellow freelancers and uses them to write itself back into the setting?

[Crimsondude]

No one wants to know Everyone is afraid of what I think.

Got that corrected for you. 

You know me too well, Wyrm. Let me just say that my last SR-related email used "bloody" literally.