by Lee Sims | Feb 14, 2015 | Recursions
Formed by fictional leakage from the various accounts and legends of the life of Alexander the Great of Macedon, Alexandria is a mature Recursion locked in the late Iron Age time that inspired it. On our Earth, Alexander conquered the largest empire the world had yet seen over a span of 15 years, only to die young at the age of 33. During his life, he lost no battles and was worshiped as a god, and it was said of him that when his empire reached its full extent, he wept that there were no more worlds to conquer. On Alexandria, Alexander is a god, immortal and invincible, and his army has been on the march now for 300 years. Alexandria is unique in that it does not have a fixed geography; instead, it consists only of the 100 miles or so surrounding the Macedonian army. As the army conquers, it moves on and the conquered regions cease to exist, replaced by new foes for Alexander to subdue; truly, there are now infinite worlds for him to conquer. The peoples of Alexandria are thus divided into two categories: the Macedonian army and their unconquered foes. The Macedonian army is led by Alexander the God and a dozen subordinate leaders who are also immortal demigods. The junior officers, common soldiers, and camp followers are all normal mortal humans, comprising around 20% of Alexandria’s population at any time; around 25% of these people have the Spark. Soldiers who are too wounded or too old to continue on campaign are settled in new cities, which are almost invariably named “Alexandria.” ...
by walrusabove | Feb 2, 2015 | Recursions
Lascaux is an old recursion stretching tens of thousands of square kilometers wide, covered in gargantuan geographical features. Forests of redwood trees stretch up thousands of meters, with a canopy obstructing most of the sky above. Plains of tall grass meters tall stretch on for as far as the bright sun can see, all surrounded by colossal mountains that ring the edge of the recursion. Wide but shallow lakes number only on a single hand yet are wide enough to be on the horizon, taking up about 1/4 of the land of Lascaux. The mountains that ring Lascaux seem far in the distance, but it is possible to arrive at them. Small passages that were dug seemingly long ago vein through the mountains. Travelling through them will take you directly into the Strange. It’s dangerous to leave this way, since swarms of Kray and other Strangers swim about its nucleus, trying to find a way in. The sky is bright and blue, unfettered by the smog of air-pollution that even rural areas of modern Earth suffers from. Those who stay in Lascaux will notice that the sun is slightly smaller, and the climate is that of cool autumn or spring. The moon is much larger than that of Earth’s (but in reality it’s just closer in that context). The day/night cycle is shorter than normal, with 12 hours of night and only 10 hours of day. The people and fauna of Lascaux have adapted to this cycle quite easily. Night is much more active than the docile day, with shooting stars and the undulating mass of the Strange shining...
by walrusabove | Dec 27, 2014 | Recursions
Ptolmht (TOLL-HUM-MET) Akronwt (ACK-KRON-EW-T) Ptolmht is a temperate land full of saltwater archipelagos and stretches of dry desert hills. The majority of people with the Spark live in Akronwt (the capital city directly in the middle of the Alat peninsula) while the rest live in small coastal settlements. The tall nature of the islands means farmers use vertical techniques to grow their crops, from pomegranates, wheat, figs and olives. The people of Ptolmht are varied into different classes dependent on where they live. The poorer people live as farmers and fishermen on islands surrounded by ocean on the far reaches, while the higher aristocrats have an abundance of choice in how to live their lives. Philosophers, artisans and historians all live crowded together in the city of Akronwt, at the center of Ptolmht. The Theós are powerful magical beings that are revered as divine in nature. They work day and night to layer complex spells over the interface from Ptolmht into the Strange, to keep the Lost Gods at bay. Occasionally they will leave their shining marble palace to celebrate important holidays, and to help defend the city from wandering monstrosities. Sometimes they will have children with mortals, giving rise to powerful Demigods. What these demigods choose to do is their own, but they tend to follow in their divine parents path and interests. The Theós are named as follows: Anubis, Serqet, Hephaestus, Sobek, Athena and Hecate. To those who were born in Ptolmht these names have no significance other than those of the Theós. To those born on Earth, however, they strike a cord of curiosity. Why would fictional...
