by Jennifer | Feb 21, 2015 | Recursions
Nexus is a flat plane, oval in shape, with two habitable sides, Overside and Underside. Surrounding the plane is a space of perpetual dawn and twilight, home to the recursion’s two constantly warring gods. The power struggle between them in the sky is reflected in the cycle of day and night on the plane below, and the Sun-Wreathed Lord has an advantage. Excessive sunlight is withering the crops on which the humans of Underside depend, and tensions are high between the Skycults and the Scorekeepers. Underside Today, most life on Nexus resides in Underside. There are a dozen small human settlements, with two more in ruins in the Rivenswood. Each settlement is home to two or three thousand inhabitants and a mayor; the two most powerful mayors are the Solarator and Siderator (Eliana and Hilian, both level 6), who lead the Skycults. The Skycults direct the worship of two gods, the Moon-Veiled Lady and the Sun-Wreathed Lord. Each god is strengthened by prayers and ritual devotions, and their power influences the length and intensity of night and day. Balance between them is essential to the agriculture that feeds Nexus, and in order to maintain it the Skycults demand obedience and a strict weekly routine from every adult—days cycle between field work, trade work, and worship. Children are raised by dedicated Skycult priests to insure the routine of their parents is not disrupted. Not everyone on Nexus believes that the Skycults are the most effective tool to balance the power between the gods, and the long days recently are swaying those who would be loyal to the Solarator and Siderator...
by James Stutz | Feb 1, 2015 | Recursions
Fictional leakage, drawing on the imaginations of thousands of residents of Earth Prime, has created some truly breathtaking recursions, places like Ardeyn and Old Mars, where beautiful vistas, noble adventurers, and derring-do for the good of all are the order of the day. It’s also drawn on some of Humanity’s darkest fears, and most sane recursors know to avoid places like Cataclyst and Treachery if they know what’s good for them. So far, not many recursors know about the Midnight Building, but the word is slowly spreading. And the word isn’t good. Getting Past the Doorman Still a relatively young recursion, the Midnight Building takes the form of a single, massive apartment complex, similar to Chungking Mansions in Hong Kong or the Centro Financiero Confinanzas in Venezuela. Like those buildings, the decor ranges from threadbare to derelict, with hallways lit by dim, flickering fluorescent lighting, walls sporting cracking paint or peeling wallpaper, puddles of water formed under dripping vents, and the overall pallor of neglect and decay. All windows to the outside have been boarded up or bricked over, and characters will find these barriers impossible to break through. Whether translating to the Midnight Building or coming by way of a gate, travelers always first appear in a random empty apartment. Some have radios or televisions that are tuned to static, others sport half-eaten meals or cigarettes still burning in ashtrays. All of them are abandoned; in fact, the recursion seems to sport no inhabitants other than those who come here from outside of it. This perception is not entirely accurate, however, as those who insist on exploring the...
