Despayre

Date: Mon, 4 Mar 1996 18:14:19 -0600
From: jnugnug@nas.com (Johnny Nugnug)
To: Multiple recipients of list <torg@buddha.intecom.com>
Subject: [TORG:224] New Reality: DESPAYRE

This is a new reality, entitled DESPAYRE. I honestly cannot see a reason
for this cosm to exist- no SKs could ever come from there, and it would be
a horrible place to visit. Ah, well, I'll let you make your own decisions.

MAGIC: 0,  SOCIAL: 21, SPIRITUAL: 0, TECHNOLOGICAL: 23

	The peoples of Despayre match CE reality pretty closely with the
exception of magic and spirit. In fact, should a CE ord/SK find himself in
Despayre, he would find very little, at first, to let him know he "wasn't in
Kansas" anymore. 
	Except for those who wield magic or miracles, of course. There are
no gods to petition for energy. There are no "forces" that would provide
mana.
	The biggest differences would only come obvious as the cosms
WLs came into play. These WLs are:

	World Law Of Bitter Knowledge: Normally, a Spirit 0 cosm has no
concept of "higher beings" and "gods". The people of Despayre know
different, however. They >know< that there is no God. They >know< that
their cosm into into being through perfectly random, but explainable,
processes. They >know< that they are born from nothing; that their lives
are but guttering candles between twin walls of oblivion; that there is no
reason for their lives, and no reason for their deaths. They >know< that
everything is pointless.
	That's why you'll see scenes like this on the evening news:
	CATHY (1st ancherperson): And another fifteen car pileup has
claimed the lives of ten people on Highway Eighty One.
	CHAD (2nd ancher): That hurts. Look at them burn.
	CATHY: And terrorist activity in Ehsrehal has claimed another
thirty lives in this- <chokes and closes eyes>
	CHAD: <Helplessly> The bomb went off next to the schoolbus,
and you can see... <Tears start running from eyes>
	CATHY: <Crying hopelessly> Chad, I- it's just so- why?
	CHAD: There is no why. <Sobbing, he pulls a gun from his jacket
and shoots Cathy in the side of her head. Her corpse rolls off screen.>
There is no why! <Shoves gun in mouth, pulls trigger. Camera pans to the
side, and a TECHNICAL DIFFICULTY slide replaces the scene>

	World Law Of Barren Dessication: There are only ords in this
cosm. There is not enough possibility energy to transcend anyone. In the
entirety of this cosm, there is 1, and only 1, point of possibility energy. Any
P-rated character who enters this cosm begins losing 1 point of possibility
energy every half hour. This energy is sucked out and destroyed. There can
never be more than, or less than, 1 point of p-energy in this cosm. Which
ties in with the

	World Law Of Despair: All non-native creatures in this cosm begin
to be overcome by the hopelessness of this cosm. ANY time a 1 or 4 case
contradiction roll is blown, that character becomes so overwhelmed by
existential despair that, unless the character re-connects in a) the first re-
connection roll in a combat-like situation, or b) within 5 minutes in a
standard or dramactic scene, he will attempt suicide by any means possible.
	Early in his career, the Gaunt Man attempted an invasion of this
cosm. Within two days of crashing down his maelstrom bridge and
releasing a flood of Horrors, each Horror had committed True Death
suicide. The Gaunt Man barely destroyed his own bridge in time as this
cosm began draining him and Heketon.
                This cosm actually had had a DD come crashing through early 
in it's
beginning, before the WLs fully were in place. Before the first thousand
years had passed, this DD had imploded itself, ending it's existence.

	World Law Of Bitter Pleasure: A simple law, but one that keeps the
birth rate fairly steady. The only real pleasureable activity in this cosm is
sex, and that pleasure is bitter indeed. >All< sexual activity leads to
pregnancy. Pregnancy lasts a mere six months. Growth and maturity takes
half the time it would in our cosm. 9 years later, a fully mature man or
woman is ready to take his or her place in the world. And each parent is 
wracked with the guilt of having brought another life into existence in a 
pointless, useless world.

	As you can see, this is a horrible place indeed. But the Infiniverse is,
after all, the Infiniverse; it contains everything. Even places like this.

"Whenever I'm feeling down I try to think about individuals who are less 
fortunate than myself. If that doesn't work, I'll usually go and stalk 
someone... just to make the voices go away."-- Earl, REDMEAT
William C Roeben, jnugnug@nas.com