Editing Genius The Transgression/Chapter Four:Special Rules and Systems (section)

=== The Temporal Tithe: ===

Maintaining the timeline costs money, and this comes in the form of the tithe for any change. This temporal tithe is distinct from the cost paid to make changes; the former arises naturally from the nature of time and time travel; the latter is a tax leveled by one's fellow beings. Geniuses who make changes will be visited by one or more Guardians shortly after their change, who expect payment in the form of Mania. This is usually ten times the amount the genius had to expend to make the actual change. The Guardians of Forever are in no rush to receive payment, but refusal to pay can result in the Guardians going back and changing things or just killing the offending genius. Picking a fight with a Guardian of Forever is usually a bad idea: they're frighteningly powerful, and if there's trouble, they travel in groups.

However, it's becoming increasingly clear that not all Guardians of Forever are honest, and not all who claim that title are who they say they are. Temporal protection rackets, con jobs, and shakedowns have been reported "recently" all over the timeline. The Guardians seem to be losing their grip on their owner members, as well as the timeline as a whole.