This is an extended remix of an entry that was sent into Infiniverse Newsletter for the pocket dimension competition run during 1994. The first 2,000 words are the original entry, the rest is bits and pieces to flesh it out a tad. It has been observed that it is so big (conceptually) that it would probabably serve comfortably as a cosm in its own right. Saxon Brenton October 1994 ---------- The surreal reality of F'tipapetang (pronounced: feh TIPPA peh TANG) is a fringe reality of Core Earth. It is a strange conglomeration of dissimilar worlds all nested within an abstract space known as The Void. Within F'tipapetang strange sights abound, the landscape is mutable, and to navigate about some of the more bizarre worlds the natives may learn the Direction Sense skill. The Void is a well-lit area of open space which is aquamarine in colour, giving it the appearance of being underwater. Gravity only applies when something is in direct contact with one of the small pieces of ground - mainly floating islands covered with jungle and forest, or floating pathways. It is the latter that are the most important for the inhabitants of the other parts of the reality, as they are the easiest way to travel between the interdimensional warps that connect the various nested worlds of the cosm. There are scores of known worlds, and it is rumoured that there are many more that are unknown - including some that are kept secret and others that have not been discovered yet. Almost all of the worlds have entrances into The Void, although some cannot be accessed directly from there. Many worlds also have direct connections to other pocket worlds. The less well known worlds may have only one entrance leading into them, or none. However, just because a pocket world does not have a natural access does not mean that it is forever beyond reach. Each world constitutes a separate dimension in its own right, and thus can be entered by the use of the Extradimensional Gate spell. Most worlds can be entered this way from any point in any other world, but there are some that can only be entered from certain areas, or perhaps only a particular spot. Each world has a unique nature, often with individual conditions of gravity, light, climate, number of physical dimensions, etc. Not all correspond to the surrealist art movement: worlds reminiscent of Hieronymus Bosch and Escher coexist with those of Dali, Miro, and Magritte, among many others. Nevertheless, despite their separate dimensional placements and superficial differences, all share an underlying reality due to the Law of Subjectivity. Cosm attribute limits are all 13. Magic 18. F'tipapetang resembles Aysle in that magic, rather than technology, is most commonly used in daily life. Almost everyone has at least Divination abilities, as these are taught as social skills. Social 28. The high level of social advancement reflects awareness of the effects of the Law of Subjectivity: everyone is aware of and respects the fact that more than one interpretation of reality can be literally true. People tend to be very broad-minded and respective of other people's points of view. Nevertheless, while they are inquisitive and take nothing for granted, they also tend towards being excessively calm and stoic (almost blase) about the out-of-the-ordinary. They have rich social lives, and community spirit extends not just to include the immediate town or village, but to other communities in other areas. Local governments function as consultative bodies - people discuss what they want, and their representatives enact what is decided upon. However, the way representatives are selected differs from area to area, depending on tradition, expediency, and anything else that takes their fancy. As a result, the forms of local government range from hereditary monarchies (with ceremonial powers) through democracies to total anarchies (where the work's done by whoever feels like doing it at the time). Inter-regional government concerns are handled by local representatives meeting and deciding upon mutually satisfactory solutions. There is a large communication network both because of trade and people keeping in touch by spells, written materials, and even miracles. Travelling bards and storytellers are popular. Also, because truth is subjective, they have a great amount of precision in their language to describe things and events - whether something happened to you personally, whether you saw something (and whether up close or at a distance), or whether you were told of something from someone else. Spiritual 21. These people are deeply spiritual, and have a Spirit axiom almost as high as is possible without one mythos becoming dominant over another. They are polythesic, have many dozens of gods, and do not proselytise. Technological 11. Technology is low level, with magic, and to a lesser extent miracles, often used instead of it. Law of Alienation This world law causes people from other realities to find F'tipapetang bizarre and unsettling, and natives of this world to be just as uncomfortable in other realities. Because of this effect, ords will transform to and from F'tipapetang's reality at a rate one point slower than normal. Note that the Core Earth Law of Hope is cumulative with the Law of Alienation, so that Core Earth ords will continue to transform even more slowly than other ords. This world law also causes people who are aliens to this reality, or aliens from this reality, to look subtly "wrong" - as if they were slightly, visually "out of synch" with the world around them. Basically, they look as though they're video images imperfectly dubbed onto a background. This in no way affects their physical presence and how they sense or interact with the world they are in; it's a visual effect only. However, even if they otherwise look perfectly human (which cannot always be guaranteed in F'tipapetang), most people will sense that there is something wrong with the way these out-of-place people look, and on a Perception roll against a difficulty of 8 will be able to identify what that wrongness is. Anyone who is familiar with the effects of this world law will easily be able to identify them as extradimensionals. Law of Wondrous Panoramas This world law is responsible for the strange appearance of many of the worlds; while it is the Law of Subjectivity that allows each world to be individual, it is the Law of Wondrous Panoramas that causes them to be so bizarre in their individuality. This law also causes distant objects and scenes to sometimes take on fantastic appearances, even though close up they may appear mundane, or may disappear altogether like a mirage. For example, if you were to stand in a field of orange flowering bushes, up close they will look just like that - bushes with orange flowers. However, in the middle distance those flowers might take on the shape of flames, while in the far distance they may actually BE flames. As you move through the field the bushes closest to you would stay normal, while bushes you passed and are now further away begin to change in appearance. The appearance of the landscape may therefore exist independently of the observer (and thus not vanish when viewed up close), be mirage- like (and so change at close quarters) or be the result of magical illusions (and thus have a subjective reality that depends on whether an observer disbelieves in it or not). The downside of this world law is that depth and perspective are undermined by these visual distortions. All activities that are carried out at a distance, such as range attacks, Perception rolls, etc., have the following additional penalties added: 0 to the difficulty at close range; 2 at medium range; and 4 at long range. The GM should take every opportunity to use the unique landscapes of this reality to play mindgames with PCs as they travel about. This law is the reason why people in F'tipapetang can develop the Direction Sense skill, which functions essentially identically to that of the Living Land. Law of Subjectivity This law is similar in many ways to the Ayslish Law of Observation: that which is observed is real, for the observer. Also like the Law of Observation, observations give rise to theories, rather than theories needing to be tested by observations. This law is also what allows the various worlds that make up F'tipapetang to have such apparent differences while still retaining the same overall reality set. Whereas the axioms and three world laws apply to the whole reality, all other local conditions are subject to "local laws", which can vary between each world. Local laws don't count towards differences between realities, contradictions, or transformation, and take effect immediately upon entering an area. Local laws typically govern the physical properties of a region rather than the actions and attitudes of people within it. These effects, when combined with the Law of Wondrous Panoramas, explain the broad-mindedness of F'tipapetang's inhabitants. They are aware that conditions vary between areas, that even within one area people may have different perceptions of reality, and moreover that more than one point of view can be literally true. People deal with these effects by consulting with others, either to get first hand accounts of what actually is there, or at least alternate perceptions of what other people have seen from a distance. They are therefore naturally gregarious and interested in what other people think and have experienced. By communicating their experiences with each other they set up multiple reference points that overcome the distortion in what they personally perceive. This creates a strong community spirit as they converse with each other to determine what is the best and most consistent version of events, which accounts for their high Social axiom. Another aspect of this world law is that of an individual's True Self. This is similar to the Orrorshan True Forms of the Corrupt, but whereas a person's True Form is hidden, a person's True Self is represented in their physical appearance for all to see. A person who chooses to take on the shape of his True Self rolls using his Spirit against a difficulty of 10. If successful, the person's body begins to slowly change to represent what he's "really like". The base time taken for the change is the value of the person's Spirit attribute in weeks. At the end of each week the roll is made again, and made easier with a +1 bonus for each week that the change has successfully taken place. If a roll is failed then the change is halted until another week passes, when the roll is made again. A character's True Self is based partly on self perception and partly on actual personality. Some true selves are obvious in what they represent - a person with a bad temper may gain an aura of fire about his head. Others are highly symbolic and obscure - what, for instance, would an apple for a face (ala Magritte's The Great War) represent? Consulting with players may help define a character's personality and self perception, but the final decisions on a character's True Self is left to the GM. The changes can be minor or profound. Such changes explain the presence of so many odd looking people, ranging from variations on the human form, through various races normally found in other realities, to abstract shapes like columns of fire or orbiting collections of spheres. There is no bias or intolerance against people because of different appearances. A person's True Self must keep the same number of attribute points as he started out with, but may be rearranged to taste as long as they abide by the cosm limits. Skills remain the same. Advantages gained by the True Self tend to be limited. Physical changes (claws, fangs, natural armour, etc.) give maximum bonuses of +2 to Strength or Toughness, and F'tipapetang's reality does not support enhancement packages. Pulp power-like abilities are either non-existent or highly limited, e.g., fire auras do no burning damage, and so cannot be used as a weapon. It is also because of the Law of Subjectivity that people of more or less identical races can mate and produce viable offspring. Humans can still breed with apple-faced humans but not with elves, while a human who takes up a True Self as an elf can procreate with other elves (whether born into, or changed to, that race) just fine. ---------- Selected Bibliography For How to Make Really Weird Dimensions: * "Book of the Vishanti: Legends and Lore of the Dark Dimension" Parts 1 and 2. Roy Thomas and R.J.M. Lofficier. Dr Strange, Sorcerer Supreme #21 and 22. New York, Marvel Comics, 1989. * Proto-Dimensions Sourcebook, Volume 1. Ted Kocot and Loren Wiseman. Bloomington, Il, GDW, 1993. [For Dark Conspiracy RPG] * Manual of the Planes. Jeff Grubb. Lake Geneva, Wi, TSR, 1987. [For AD&D RPG] * "Castrovalva", Parts 1 to 4. Dr Who. BBC, 1982. * Flatland, By A. Square. Edwin Abbott. ERRATA One important thing to remember is that Local Laws are supported by the World Law of Subjectivity. As a person enters a new pocket world, the Law of Subjectivity causes automatic physical adaptation to local conditions, but without transformation between realities, loss of possibilities, or the risks of double transformation. This allows for people to adapt as necessary to places like Alit, where it would be downright unhealthy to not become two dimensional, as well as other places like Biddledock or Pridolk where the appearance of the place poses no immediate physical danger. Reconnection Numbers Character from F'tipapetang Character in F'tipapetang is in reality of: is from reality of: Atlantis 19 Atlantis 9 Avalon 17 Avalon 6 Aysle 11 Aysle 6 Aztec Empire 11 Aztec Empire 7 Core Earth 14 Core Earth 12 Cyberpapacy 12 Cyberpapacy 15 Kantovia 24 Kantovia 3 Land Below * 22 Land Below * 3 Lereholm 24 Lereholm 3 Living Land 22 Living Land 5 Magna Verita 12 Magna Verita 6 Nile Empire 11 Nile Empire 11 Nippon Tech 17 Nippon Tech 13 Olympus 19 Olympus 3 Orrorsh 11 Orrorsh 9 Pulse's cosm 21 Pulse's cosm 20 Star Sphere 13 Star Sphere 18 Terra 14 Terra 11 Tharkold 11 Tharkold 15 Tz'Ravok 13 Tz'Ravok 3 * also Arachnidia and Gehenna Technical note: The Law of Alienation acts as one of the "intangible factors" that affects the calculation of F'tipapetang's reconnection numbers. All numbers are calculated as per the standard comparison of axiom levels, and then reduced by one (to a minimum of 3). Number of Dimensions The various pocket worlds of F'tipapetang have a varying number of spatial dimensions. While many have three, there are some with two, and one (Heewheet) that has one. There also a few with more than three. There are also a few with irregular numbers of physical dimensions, e.g., 3.296. When in these types of worlds the perception of humans (and most other races accustomed to realities with exactly three physical dimensions) are necessarily distorted and incomplete. Things may look slightly different from different angles, and depending on the GM's interpretation of the severity of the difference in the number of physical dimensions, an increase in the DN to visual Perception totals may be applied. Additional to the worlds with anomalous (to Earther sensibilities) arrangements of their physical dimensions, also to be taken into account are worlds with anomalous arrangements of temporal dimensions. The simplest to handle are those with the same direction of time but vastly increased or decreased rates of passage, or perhaps an erratic passage if the two are combined. But for GMs willing to run the gauntlet of temporal paradox, causality loops, doxie glitches, time squinks, chronal blips, the Blinovitch Limitation Effect, and bifurcating the space-time continuum into the wrong leg of the Trousers of Time, then more ambitious arrangements are possible. Worlds were time runs backwards relative to most others are an obvious choice. Also possible are worlds where movement in space is swapped with movement in time, so that movement in one spatial dimension direction takes one backwards or forwards in time, while staying in that world for any period will cause physical movement to another area. And that's just moving along one space-time axis; perhaps moving left-right causes people to age or youthen, while moving up- down shunts one across the sidereal string into a completely different comsverse. :-) Warp Portals The warp portals that lead between pocket worlds, and occasionally within pocket worlds, come in as many types as the dimensions they connect - if not more so. Some are permanent, while others have intermittent duration (set or random), or are even once-off occurrences. They may be tiny things, barely big enough for a grain of sand to pass through, while occasionally they may be huge, hundreds of thousands of kilometres across and literally big enough to drive planets through. They may be obvious, for instance free-standing holes hanging in mid-air outlined by a glow, or be unobtrusive, such as cave entrances. Warp portals may take virtually any form, from floating fanged mouths, to doorways, circular pads on the ground, mist obscured areas, pictures or mirrors hanging on walls, etc. Races The propensity of the Law of Subjectivity to allow for True Selves has resulted in a diversity of weird and wonderful races, many of which may be used as PCs. What race(s) once inhabited the surreal reality is now unknown, and probably moot anyway; there are now *lots*. In addition to the of sample races below (all tailored for exceptional weirdness value), any other Torg PC type could logically (if not necessarily rationally) originate in F'tipapetang, if in somewhat modified form; the most obvious change is that the lack of enhancement packages will require modifications to some races. All this also includes the option of using sapient races who haven't actually been officially presented as PCs, most notably benthe and half-folk. The following are typical members of their races, not PC templates: Arami Dexterity 11 Dodge 12, Flight 12, Stealth 12 Strength 7 Toughness 8 Perception 9 Alteration magic 10, Direction sense 10, Divination magic 11, Scholar (realm lore) 10 Mind 8 Apportation magic 9 Charm 9 Charm 11, Persuasion 11 Spirit 8 Faith [varies] 9 Possibility potential: some (35) Additional adds: 3 at +1 adds The arami are a race who look like disembodied, floating masks of humanoid faces. They range from highly detailed to almost abstract in form. They are all open at the back, from where their features can be plainly seen in reversed relief. As a race they tend towards inscrutability and mysteriousness, but this seems to be not just out of secretiveness, but also a perverse sense of melodrama. They possess the full range of human senses, despite the fact that their eyes, noses, mouths, and (for those that have them) ears, are empty orifices. They eat by absorbing sunlight, and reproduce by fission approximately every five years. They have a life span of approximately 50 years. They can float at a maximum movement rate of 11. It has been suggested that arami are at least partly extradimensional creatures, with only their mask-like features poking into the standard three dimensions. The reason being that an arami usually stays at a constant height above the ground (between 1 to 2 meters, depending on the individual) although they can go down to ground height or up to a quarter their usual altitude again. This is not the case, however; arami are not extradimensional beings, and their faces are all that they consist of. Bolang Dexterity 7 Flight 8 Strength 7 Toughness 10 Perception 10 Alteration magic 11, Direction sense 11, Divination magic 12, Evidence analysis 11, Find 11, Scholar (philosophy) 11, Scholar (realm lore) 11, Tracking 11 Mind 8 Apportation magic 9, Conjuration magic 9 Charisma 8 Charm 9 Spirit 10 Faith [varies] 12 Possibility potential: some (35) Additional adds: 3 at +1 adds Bolang are beings composed of a conglomeration of spheroids which orbit around one another in a area about two meters high and one meter across. Storm knights from Core Earth find them reminiscent of small versions of Yog-Sothoth. Bolang are an intensely inquisitive race, both in terms of physical actuality (or at least, as actual as anything can be in F'tipapetang), mysticism, and philosophy. They are open and friendly, if occasionally obscure when they become too obsessed in their current interests. Bolang live up to 120 years, and reproduce by two or more adults donating one or more of the globes from their bodies to make up the body of a child. New spheres form by slowly growing out of nothing within an individual. They feed on water, thermal energy (sunlight or fire), and free-floating dust particles. They have a movement rate of 11. Each bolang has its own colour scheme by which others recognise it. This is no problem for those used to this activity, but for others identifying the colour combinations of the constantly shifting globes requires a Perception total of 18. Imat Dexterity 10 Dodge 11, Flight 11 Strength 7 Toughness 8 Perception 10 Alteration magic 11, Direction sense 11, Divination magic 12, Direction sense 11, Evidence analysis 11, Trick 11 Mind 10 Apportation magic 11, Conjuration magic 11, Test of Wills 11 Charisma 7 Persuasion 8, Taunt 8 Spirit 8 Faith [varies] 9, Intimidate 9 Possibility potential: some (35) Additional skills: 3 at +1 adds The imat are one of the partially extradimensional races. They appear as a floating conglomeration of interlocking geometric solids and planes, roughly 30 cm across. They are brightly, even garishly, coloured; with each distinct shape being either white, red, yellow, or blue. The shapes and planes are almost constantly moving in relationship to each other, especially when the imat is moving, or another person is changing their point of view relative to the imat. Imat live up to 80 years, and are omnivorous. They have a movement rate of 11. Imat tend to be adventurous, quick-witted, mercurial, and brusque. It is not known how they reproduce; when asked they will sometimes begin to recite a long string of mathematical symbols, which no-one else understands. More frequently they simply decline to even try. The 2-D planes of the imat can be used as extremely effective cutting edges, doing damage equal to half the imat's Toughness attribute. It is strange that the imat, who are a truly partially extradimensional race, always appear as one continuous (albeit constantly changing) form, while the bolang (whose separate spheroids give the appearance of being extradimensionaly displaced) are not. Gret Dexterity 9 Beast riding 10, Manoeuvre 10, Missile weapons 10, Unarmed combat 10 Strength 8 Toughness 8 Perception 8 Alteration magic 9, Direction sense 9, Divination magic 9, Scholar (realm lore) 9 Mind 9 Apportation magic 10, Conjuration magic 10 Charisma 9 Charm 10, Persuasion 10 Spirit 9 Faith [varies] 11, Intimidation 10 Possibility potential: some (35) Additional adds: 3 at +1 adds Equipment: varies Grets are an egg-shaped, silicon based race that stand roughly 1.25 meters tall. They have one large compound eye, below which is a large mouth fringed with a moustache of manipulatory tentacles. On top of the body is a shock of fine feathers. They have three short legs, placed trilaterally below the body. The have yellow (sulphur-based) blood, which after about ten minutes outside the body tends to turn highly corrosive for a brief period (around five minutes) before evaporating. Gret are stoic, reliable, and tend to be loners. They live up to 90 years, and are omnivores. They have a movement rate of 10. Reproduction occurs when a male fertilises the 3-5 eggs of a female, which are then given to a parental to tend for roughly 6 months until hatching. Mric-ma-tu Dexterity 8 Melee weapons 9, Missile weapons 9 Strength 10 Lifting 11 Toughness 8 Perception 10 Alteration magic 11, Direction sense 11, Divination magic 12, Scholar (philosophy) 11, Scholar (realm lore) 11, Tracking 11 Mind 10 Artist 11, Conjuration magic 11, Willpower 11 Charisma 8 Charm 9, Persuasion 9 Spirit 7 Faith [varies] 9 Possibility potential: some (35) Additional adds: 3 at +1 adds Equipment: varies The mric-ma-tu are ambulatory, intelligent plants. They look like squat barrel cacti (about 1 meter tall, 3/4 meter wide) with 5 arms growing equidistantly around the tops of their bodies. These arms terminate in palm leaf-like hands with six digits (four fingers and two opposable thumbs, one thumb on each side of the hand) connected by webbing. They walk slowly (movement rate 6) on scores of short, stubby rootlets, which they can bury into the earth to absorb nutrients. They can also gain nutrients and water by eating fruits through their mouths on the top sides of their bodies. They do not like the taste of meat. They photosynthesise through their bodies and especially through their hands. Their hands also have many photosensitive dots that they use to see with that run along the struts of the hands. They are a philosophical race; physically slow and plodding, but mentally agile and quick-witted. They live up to 250 years. They reproduce every 5 years or so. A mric-ma-tu who goes into its male phase develops pollen which is carried in the air to someone who is currently female. The young which result initially form as nodules among the females rootlets, and are planted in a communal creche where they are looked after and taught by adults until about the age of 3, when the youngsters become mobile themselves. Setyrax (pronounced: seh-TEE-racks) Dexterity 11 Stealth 12 Strength 7 Toughness 8 Perception 9 Alteration magic 10, Direction sense 10, Divination magic 11, Scholar (realm lore) 10, Trick 10 Mind 8 Apportation magic 9, Conjuration magic 9, Willpower 9 Charisma 9 Persuasion 10, Taunt 10 Spirit 8 Faith [varies] 10, Intimidation 10 Possibility potential: some (35) Additional adds: 3 at +1 add These beings are thin 1.75 meter tall columns of flame. Each has an individual colour. They are near intangible, and people who pass through them only feel warmth, not burning heat. Setyrax do not burn things except through conscious effort, and only then because they want to eat it. They can burn anything a natural flame can. Setyrax can form up to three solid pseudopods at any time, which they use for manipulating solid objects. These pseudopods may be up to half a meter long, and form only from the mid-region of the body. They move at a rate of 10. They are effectively intangible because they are vaporous, and are most often harmed by atmospheric based attacks. They can pass through/ around non-airtight objects, but not through sealed barriers unless they can burn through. They asphyxiate if cut off from air. Setyrax are an analytical, rational, and cool-tempered race, which has surprised some who think in terms of cliches of flame-based beings being passionate and hot tempered. They live up to 40 years. New setyrax are formed when a swarm of anywhere between 10 to 50 setyrax combine into one huge bonfire, after which they separate with a 25% increase in their numbers. These breeding cycles occur every ten years or so. However, other bonfire mergings, of religious or social significance, may occur more often without resulting in procreation. Worlds Alit Alit is a two dimensional world vaguely reminiscent of Abbott's Flatland. The government is a bureaucracy directed by an annual consensus. The standing policies of the administration are publicly posted on the bulletin boards for public scrutiny and debate. Once a year (or possibly sooner for unforeseen issues) a miracle of the local deity of administration makes a detailed poll of public opinion, which is used for the next twelve months. Local Law of Recognition This local law confers automatic recognition of each person encountered. This effect is not dependent on physical characteristics, but on recognising personality and "inner self". This local law makes the likes of masks and the Disguise skill redundant. Briddledock The world of Briddledock is inside a huge torus (donut) shape 300 km across and 10,000 km long. However, only the curvature across the ring is apparent in three dimensional space; the curvature along the ring is in four dimensional space, making Briddledock seem to be inside a long, flat lying pipe that mysteriously circles back to its starting point. Briddledock's local law makes it look like a cartoon world, although mercifully the inhabitants don't act that way. The government structure is of scattered city states (with varying types of government). The two largest are Weln and Varatanataxial ('Xial for short), due to the close proximity of a large number of warp portals. Weln is run by a consortium of merchant families. 'Xial is a republic with an elected council. Local Law of Cartoon Appearances. This local law makes everything seem as though it has been drawn, but does not grant cartoon attributes, such as compulsive wackiness, the ability to do almost anything as long as its funny, immortality but not indestructibility, etc. The Confederacy of Yin Physically this world is a plain some 200 km across and 1,000 km long. It is actually near perfectly flat, but does not look like it because of the effect of one of its two local laws. This plain resembles a traditional Japanese print: perspective is tilted upwards with increasing distance, and a combination of broad areas of undifferentiated colours with a reduction in shadow gives this place a 2-dimensional appearance. The Confederacy is a grouping of many small nation-states. Each state has a government by hereditary aristocracy, each of which contributes a rotating membership to a central federal government. Three head-of- state positions are filled biannually from the membership of the central government. Administration is carried out by a bureaucracy of talent at both state and federal level. Local Law of Tilted Perspective. In contrast to perspective as Earth understands it - where objects appear smaller with distance as they recede towards a vanishing point - the perspective here operates in a manner reminiscent of a traditional Japanese print. Increasing distance from the observer is indicated by an increase in height at a 45 degree angle. Anyone in this world will always feel as if at the bottom of a valley, no matter were they go. Items appear to decrease in size at discrete intervals: they appear the same size from 0 to 10 meters, then have their size from 10-50 meters, one quarter size from 50-100 meters, one eighth from 100-500, one sixteenth from 500-1,000 meters, and so on. Local Law of Flat Surface Appearance The effects of light and shadow to highlight details of shape and form are severely curtailed. While light and shade still exist in the same amount as one Earth, their ability to indicate form and texture are virtually gone. Combining with this is an effect that causes areas of colour to become uniform and regular in appearance. Large areas of colour will be exactly the same tone and hue; no variation or mottling. Also, items with patterns on them will display that pattern as if the surface were perfectly flat; no matter how curved or creased the item is, the patter will appear uniform and regular. As a result of these effects, it is almost impossible to distinguish one item from a multitude of identical others except at extreme close range (0-1 meter). For instance, if one were to stand at the edge of a field of wheat, then only at close range could one distinguish individual stalks. Beyond that the filed would become a flat plain of perfectly uniform yellow, without any apparent variation in height, colour, or texture. The Hub The Hub is so called because it is the world that has the greatest number of warp portals, both into the Void and to other pocket worlds. As such this place is used as a market area. Physically The Hub consists of a huge area of space, roughly 10,000 km across. Space is curved into a sphere through the fourth dimension, so that it has no edge. Floating about The Hub, in random patterns that fortunately never bring them into collision, are platters of ground on which people may live. These land masses may be from 5 - 100 km across, but aren't usually that thick. Usually they are about 10 meters thick at the edge, thickening to approximately one tenth their diameter at their centre. The terrain of each platter varies through plain, mountains, glaciers, and lakes. Almost all platters have inhabitants, but the most densely inhabited are those with the most warp portals, and hence make the most accessible trade areas. The Hub, moreso than any other pocket world, has a wide variety of governments. Generally, the only constant between these governments is that (usually) they control at most one platter. Local Law of Gravitation 1 Each platter of matter generates its own gravity field, spherical in shape and equal in size to the diameter of the platter. Gravity is always one directional, so that people cannot walk on the barren undersides of the platters because they are pushed away. Beyond the gravity field of the platters there is no attraction or repulsion. People must have a means of flight to move about. Garshwynnde This world is a crowded, bustling, cacophonous place that resembles a Heironymous Bosch painting. It is hard to visually discern the exact nature of Garshwynnde, partly because of the Local Law of Distraction (below), and partly because Garshwynnde has an irregular number of physical dimensions (3.492 to be exact). Garshwynnde is an anarchy; there is no one in charge. What public services exist are maintained on a voluntary basis by what are, effectively, clubs and interest groups who advertise their services on the magical bulletin boards and information webs. Local Law of Distraction This law creates a jumbled visual impression; colours and shapes clash and conflict, as do smells, sounds, and tastes, etc., which makes it hard to identify a particular out of the multitude. In game terms add +2 to the DN of all PER attempts to sense something at close range, +4 to the DN at medium range, and +6 to the DN at long range, as applicable. Additionally, it is virtually impossible to get an overview of a scene or setting, as the parts distract attention away from the whole. Pridolk This world is a small sphere some 1,000 km in diameter, with a sky created by a solid emerald dome some 100 km above sea level that marks the limit of this particular world. The most noteworthy aspect of Pridolk is that it resembles one of the cubist painting, an effect directly attributable to its local law. Pridolk is run, more or less, by a multitude of baronies who form together into increasingly larger groupings, until at the apex is the Shinning Court. The Court, however, is basically a social club for arranging the sporting tournaments; it has no political power. As a general rule, administration is carried out by baronies, and the further up the hierarchy one goes, the less political authority one encounters. Local Law of Double-Sided Perspective All creatures and objects that can be seen within the horizon have both their front and back sides visible. Only large things that extend beyond the horizon (i.e., the world itself) are excepted. Naturally, very distant things will only appear as dots unless viewed with the magical or miraculous equivalent of telescopes, so this law is unlikely to make much difference at extreme range. Thftht (pronounced "this thit") This is another world with an irregular number of spatial dimensions (equal to pi, 3.14159 etc.). Moreover, the shape of Thftht's space is irregular and "crumpled", so that, for instance, travelling north ten paces then east 5 paces will not bring on to the same place as travelling east 5 paces and then north 10. Thfttht looks something like a Dali soft watch painting. Thfttht is a democracy where candidates are nominated for office (whether by themselves, friends and acquaintances, or total strangers) on the grounds on a person's merits. The candidates' activities, achievements, and merits are publicly debated and discussed on the information networks, and then voted on. Local Law of Malleability This local law causes everything to be soft and spongy. There is not such thing as a rigid or brittle object. Even freezing will at best only change liquids into bendy solids (spongy ice, anyone?). This effect does not change an items Toughness, just how that Toughness is applied; an object will be just as hard to damage, but will now be so because it is soft and difficult to damage rather than being hard and unyielding. Items that elsewhere would normally be rigid or hard will be malleable, but will soon return to their original shape. This allows for people to stand up despite their no longer firm bones, as long as they are prepared to wobble a bit as they move about. Trelgador This world is a maze of tree limb-like growths that divide and merge. The limbs can be anything from 10 to 100 meters in circumference, with all surfaces offering footing regardless of orientation due to the local law. Light in Trelgador comes from the omnipresent flowers of the tree limbs - on the many smaller limbs are ubiquitous flowers glowing with varying coloured light roughly equal to a 60 watt globe. These flowers mature into ovoid fruit called yargah, which are yellow in colour and taste something like a tangy pear. The smaller limbs have orangy-red leaves, which form thickets of growth that support a wide range of wildlife. The governments in Trelgador are small local villages, who appoint their representatives in a variety of ways. these villages have cordial relationships, but rarely co-ordinate their activities. Local Law of Gravitation 2 Trelgador's local law of gravitation causes standard gravity to apply to everything that is in direct contact with anything else. This allows for all surfaces of the Tree's limbs to support someone, no matter how spindly the branch. It also means that dropped objects do not fall, but either hang in space or fly off if they retain momentum.