The Multiverse: Difference between revisions

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== The Drift ==

The area between realities is occupied by the '''Drift''', which can be likened to the empty space of our own universe. To an observer the Drift appears as a multi-layered ‘ocean’ of flowing narrative potential, most often perceived as pinkish purple though its colour can vary based on localised phenomena - the Drift surrounding driftstations is often tinted by the local concentration of narrative consumption.

The area between realities is occupied by the '''Drift''', which can be likened to the empty space of our own universe. To an observer the Drift appears as a multi-layered ‘ocean’ of flowing narrative potential, most often perceived as pinkish purple though its colour can vary based on localised phenomena - the Drift surrounding driftstations is often tinted by the local concentration of narrative consumption. The primary means of travel through the Drift is by [[seamship]], though seam-walkers are also able to pass through the Drift unaided for short periods.

=== Driftstations ===

Driftstations are artificial structures suspended in the Drift which serve as extra-reality seamship docks, residences and trading hubs.

Driftstations are artificial structures suspended in the Drift which serve as extra-reality seamship docks, residences and trading hubs. A significant example of a driftstation is the [[Cloud Archipelago]].

~~=== Seamships ===~~

Seamships are vessels built to travel through the Drift, named for their ability to open and transit seams into and between realities. While seam-walkers are able to manipulate seams and move between realities on their own, the seamship is the primary means of ~~inter-reality travel for beings without the ability to seam-walk, as well as large cargo loads. The key technology behind these massive vehicles~~ is the Narrative Drive, a form of engine which converts the Drift’s narrative potential into a stable bubble, maintaining the physical and semantic integrity of the vessel and its contents against Drift pressure.

~~== Pre-War Politics of the Charted Drift ==~~

~~At the time of~~ the [[~~Stationary Traveller]]’s departure from [[Auremelion~~]]~~, the known Drift was a mostly lawless place not under meaningful control by any of the factions inhabiting it.~~

~~=== The Guild ===~~

The Most Venerable and Esteemed Guild of Seam-Walkers, usually known simply as the Guild, was an institution established and expanded by seam-walkers which controlled a network of trade routes in the known Drift and took upon itself the responsibility of maintaining stability in the multiverse. It was by this time arguably the most powerful faction in the Drift, possessing dozens of colonised realities administered from the Guild’s opulent driftstation headquarters, the Supreme Axis.

As an ancient and storied organisation possessing immense wealth and influence throughout the multiverse, the Guild was known for its imperious, highly conservative nature and complicated bureaucracy. The seam-walking laws it promulgated were enforced by a sizeable fleet of heavily armed seamships carrying the formidable ranks of the Guild Marines, highly trained and precisely drilled seam-walkers who specialised in tracking down those who violated the Guild’s dictates and administering severe punishment.

~~=== The Cloud Archipelago ===~~

~~A huge station built around a cluster of silicate rubble reclaimed from collapsing realities~~.