THE WORK
Floating in the void between the worlds, a mass of pure potential beckons.
Drawn to this essential medium, a handful of artisans gather in the cool nothingness. Worldwrights, the beings responsible for the creation of new worlds and planes, each practising their chosen craft with superlative ability and finesse, resolved to pool their talents to bring about a new reality.
You play as cosmic crafters or artisans, making and shaping a world and its inhabitants by applying their art to the fundamental matter of the world: painting the stars across the sky, sculpting forests from the darkness of the oceans, or blowing animation into sea-glass to bring about the origins of life.
You are not gods, as gods are a part of the world - in fact, you are the people responsible for there being gods. The focus will more be on the things created by your character than on your character itself.
There will be rolls, although they may not be shown.
To play, submit a filled-out character sheet. Players will be chosen at random from the eligible sheets submitted in the first two days or so after posting. There will be 4-6 players.
The game will last exactly six turns.
Craft: some creative or productive discipline: painting, perhaps, or weaving, or some form of smithing. Glassblowing, engraving, or poetry - be as creative and specific as you wish. Any creative or productive discipline may be accepted, although you will have to have your own ideas about how it could shape a world.
Description: (Optional) - while worldwrights eschew personal ornament and excessive individualism as a rule, not all are entirely featureless.
Any questions: feel free to ask in thread or pm me.
The work is observed, classified, marked, remarked, sent to counsel to be debated, denied, reconsidered, lost, found, approved, and finally filed.
It is found that there are Eight major celestial objects of relevance, Five minor celestial objects of irrelevance, and a still debated number of lesser objects trapped within the celestial circle.
The major objects include Two stars, One class O and One class G, Two gas giants of indeterminate mix, One standard issue “earth” type planet, and One life viable Oceanic planet.
Of the minor, there are two moons, one rocky dwarf planet, and one and two thirds exo-planets, one of unstable existence, the other of unstable orbit.
They are arranged as follows- (1) Type O star is at the Center, it is orbited by a majority <(1) exo planet excluded arbitrarily 1/3rd of each solar cycle> of all Celestial objects, orbiting nearest is (1) gas giant, which itself is orbited by (1) moon and (1) Oceanic planet, further away, (1) dwarf planet orbits, next is a standard “earth” type planet, between these two planets is (1) asteroid field containing 98.3% of all lesser objects, the standard “earth” type planet is orbited by (1) moon, further away (1) type G star orbits, it itself is orbited by (1) gas giant, past this point- (1.666) exoplanets spend a majority of their orbit, (1) of which travels “backwards” relative to the rest of the solar system.
it is decided, in accordance with the regulations of the lower high council, that as per the directives of the High lower committee, that there will be no less than 10'000 hidden layers to this reality, and that there will be no more than 10'000 hidden layers to this reality, with exception for extraneous layers manufactured by other creators as per the ΩnĐęr HĆven agreement (please see Supplementary document Z12-♫Ś for details).
These layers shall be, in accordance with trans-universal code ZßR-δ, spread efficiently across, and between, all major and minor celestial objects, irregardless of said objects viability for life, existential continuation, or legal liability.
All layers will be manufactured from mist, and configured to allow for further modification by any or all future owners for any or all possible uses not currently banned by inter-creator law, including but not limited to- serving as a home, a prison, an afterlife, a storage space, an office, or a garden, while excluding such uses as being a sewer, garbage dump, or blackhole storage facility.
for further information, please see trans-universal legislation volume:Ł2ź, book 3-1.
There will be 10'000 layered spaces just outside regular space, (not including spaces manufactured by other creators)
These layers will exist upon, and to an extent bridge the gap between, the 13 objects of both minor and major celestial importance, maintaining a life viable space within themselves, functioning as an "airlock" between these objects in cases where they are spread across them in an otherwise non-viable way(IE connecting planet to star).
These layers will be manufactured out of Mist, and made adjustable such that they can be used for most purposes that are not, in essence- being a "waste dump".
Also, only TricMagic and maybe crazyabe are following the prompt. :P
The Ragged One gathers up light and uses it to burn away the insides of planets, leaving only thin shells around cavernous inner worlds.
The Gears of Bureaucracy turn metaphysically in turn with the physical gears that support the universe. But paperwork keeps on getting lost within them, thus it is that Bureaucracy turns towards forming a Committee to decide what should be done about this issue. The Committee forms a council, the council delegates the decision to an assembly, the assembly loses the resulting decision to the gears of Bureaucracy. Decisions are lost, rejected, unsupported, until finally an answer is found in the sound of the litteral gears turning. If none can find where the paperwork is, then it shall be that the Beat of the Mechanism will be granted life, title, and position immaterial, and tasked with tracking everything wherever its beat can reach. Now known as "The Voice of the Worlds"- the beat will be heralded as "First Archivist Accountant General"- and tasked with recording all things, and all there is to know of all things, so that when this universe is Audited in a measly ľ∞ all will be properly accounted for- though in the meantime it is permitted and required to display information on that which is recorded, to those which are recorded, in the methods they may best understand such information, upon request.
it is bureaucratically decided that The Beat is to be converted into a [not] god given the name "The Voice of the Worlds", the title "First Archivist Accountant General", and the task of recording everything everywhere its sound reaches, while and functionally serving as a thematically appropriate RPG style status screen upon request. [for reference, Skills and Stats type status screen, not Levels and XP.]
Rather than bursts of explosive actions, there is only silence from one god. They are still.
One worldwright rests, slowly allowing their energies to recover. Not only does their potency fully restore, but reserves of explosive power are built up ready for the next stage of creation.
it is bureaucratically decided that The Beat is to be converted into a [not] god given the name "The Voice of the Worlds", the title "First Archivist Accountant General", and the task of recording everything everywhere its sound reaches, while and functionally serving as a thematically appropriate RPG style status screen upon request. [for reference, Skills and Stats type status screen, not Levels and XP.]
The singing of the Mechanism is warped and reconfigured, new self-sustaining harmonies and resonances carrying information through the ethereal chains. The complexity of the tune is increased exponentially, until a sonic structure far beyond mere music has developed, capable of hearing, understanding, recording, remembering.
The Voice of the Worlds is indeed no god, and is indeed barely a being. It records and divulges information on material things and living beings eveywhere the Orrery and the Mechanism reach - everywhere but the Unseen and the realms hidden behind its mists. The Voice is audible whereever the Mechanism reaches, but only to those who understand the correct way to ask or listen, directing their attention slightly outside of physical space.
Instead, they sweep up the fine dust of metal and reforge it into titanic parts, creating a behemoth arachnid God Machine in the Unseen. The God Machine weaves around itself a cocoon of the waving fabric of the Unseen, hiding itself from view despite its titanic size and allowing it to work undisturbed as it walks between worlds via the Layers.
Insulated by the Unseen, the God Machine is protected from the Divine Language, but also if unable to make use of it. Instead it uses its size to move mountains and carve trenches and physically mold the worlds, all while remaining undetectable.
Its task is to nurture and protect life, and to terraform worlds to be habitable by organic organisms. As a mere mechanism, it shall not question or deviate from this task.
The Machine is no god but a mechanical construct, even further from sentience or divinity than the Voice. A machine miles high and dozens long, it crawls slowly across the surfaces of planets, clinging to a dense veil of mist and stranger substances drawn from the Unseen. When not creeping through space via the Ten Thousand Layers or foraying far from the central system through newly constructed realms of mist, it carves great valleys, huge mountains, nooks, crannies, volcanic vents and caves from the smooth surfaces of the planets, trapping what atmosphere it can on the surfaces of the worlds and preparing them for life.
While the majority of the life on these reshaped worlds originates from the bounty of the celestial waters, tiny animalcules from the Unseen are carried to the planets on the sides of the Machine, adding a stranger touch to the flora and fauna springing up throughout the universe.
Destroy life at random - except for such life as is capable of motion, cognition, or survival in conditions of extreme scarcity. Apply selective pressures so as to create beings that can traverse the divine clockwork and the interplanetary void.
Applying selective pressures to all of life is a tremendous task, exhausting even a worldwright, but their influence is felt through the better part of the cosmos. The tiny organisms of the ocean worlds produced by the celestial waters feed, grow, multiply and change. And every so often, one disappears. Perhaps it is a little slower than the others, a little more sedentary, a little more inclined to vegetative subsistence than its fellows. Perhaps, as aeons pass and the ocean fills with multitudes of living creatures, a little less talkative or adventurous.
The thinking creatures employ a multitude of different strategies for survival. Bathed in the nuturing blue light of the great star, the central system worlds throng with oceanic vegetation and various life forms feeding upon it and each other, many even crawling onto the land. Here, the descendants of the celestial waters compete and cross with the tiny animalcules of the Unseen, giving rise to odd, uncertain forms. Obeying the pressure to move between the worlds, some species stumble across the secret of the Ten Thousand Layers, and cross the worlds of the central system this way. Most are mere animals, but finally a herder race follows their beasts across, and roams the mists of the inner cosmos, even straying into the edges of the great Unseen. A quiet and secretive lot, altered by the overwhelming proximity to the unknowable, these nomads armour themselves closely against the harsh, strange and varied environments of the central system, roaming the mists in thick layers of leather and armour, their true forms unknown.
A little further out, the life formed on the dryer metal worlds in the wake of the Machine is a hardier kind than the central system. These worlds are less hospitable to life, and the huge variety of terrains and environments contain as many dangers as they do opportunities. Thinking beings arise here on land, descendants of the celestial waters. Some build vessels that can move on the sea or the sky. Working by analogy, a handful of such peoples construct vessels to sail the celestial waters, traversing the cosmic clockwork. For the most part however, the folk of these worlds are the standard mortal beings of the Work, living difficult and simple lives and harnessing no great divine power.
Finally, there are the depths of the small ocean worlds on the periphery of the universe, in waters older perhaps than even the Orrery itself, formed of material foreign to creation. There is little here to sustain life, and its early forms are tiny and starving. Cutthroat competition for always scarce resources leads to ruthessness and cunning, but real intelligence is seldom enough of an edge. Extraneous cereberal matter comes at a steep premium here, so little thought occurs at first. Out here, where even the Voice of the Worlds is quiet and barely audible, one thing only is capable of rewarding thought or allowing passage across the clockwork. After countless millenia of trial and failure, the creatures of the deep learn the divine script, and form the words for heat, food and light. They develop at whirlwind pace, discovering words to satisfy their hunger, loneliness, curiosity and rage. Tremendous creatures of unprecedented power swim, fight and mate beneath the cool surface of the oceans, until they have mastered the holy writing.
Beings rise from the dark waters, fins and hunting arms grasping at the unfamiliar void, crackling letters of the divine language whirling incandescent about them. These, at last, are the gods.
Breathing life into the curls of fire, the crafter of love creates the jinnah, fiery beings of smoke and spirit, set loose upon all the habitable worlds. Each jinn has a single unique soulmate somewhere in the universe to seek after, although they are not forbidden from other relations.
The jinn are created from fire and imbued with an absolute purpose - the discovery of the one unique being whose mind and soul is in perfect accord with theirs. Sleek and powerful creatures, twisting forms composed of smoke and flame, they dart about the cosmos with playful abandon, seeking love and amusement among mortals and fellow jinn.
Born from the fire of the divine language, however, the jinn are obedient to it more than any other creature. When the gods rise from the distant oceans, they call out with blazing sigils and the jinn are forced to answer, appearing when their names are written to obey the divine commands. Twisted from their true nature by this unwelcome servitude, many become beings of bitterness and cruel, bringing death and destruction to the mortal worlds.
The Work
A vast clockwork Orrery underpins the great whirling cosmos, controlled by an external Mechanism. Countless spheres of diverse metals and star-stuff perform an intricate dance all across the heavens.
A huge blue sun rotates near the centre of the cosmos, orbited by a collection of solar bodies, the whole connected by ten thousand layers of mist located outside of conventional space. A little further out, a red constellation of stars emit a deep and insatiable yearning. The nearby planets glow with heat, lava bursting forth from mountain ranges of living stone, countless limbs and mouths of molten rock reaching out with awful hunger, held back only by tremendous stakes of blue starlight.
At the periphery of things, small worlds spin gently beneath dark oceans, waves rolling across their smooth surfaces. Finally, in the quiet corners of creation drifts the Unseen, an unknowable part of the world, shrouded in impenetrable mist.
The divine script glides among the constellations in terrible and brilliant lines. Some are imbued with meaning, describing the things of the world with such truth and immediacy to summon them merely at their utterance. Others crackle and hum with imperative force, capable of unleashing preposterous discharges of divine energy through devastating thunderbolts. The sentences wind throughout the skies and the planets, only the Unseen escaping their relentless presence. It is understood and used solely by the gods.
The celestial waters wash indiscriminately over the many planets, traversing the universe in splendid clouds of light. Whatever they touch is imbued with the beginnings of life.
The Voice of the Worlds records and divulges information on material things and living beings eveywhere the Orrery and the Mechanism reach - everywhere but the Unseen and the realms hidden behind its mists. The Voice is audible whereever the Mechanism reaches, but only to those who understand the correct way to ask or listen, directing their attention slightly outside of physical space.
The Machine moves through space via the Ten Thousand Layers of Mist or through corridors of the cool, dense gases streaming from the Unseen. It carves great valleys, huge mountains, nooks, crannies, volcanic vents and caves from the smooth surfaces of the planets, trapping what atmosphere it can on the surfaces of the worlds and preparing them for life.
The Gods are tremendous sea creatures of unprecedented power swim, born from the depths of the dark ocean worlds at the edges of creation, and masters of the holy writing. They swim through the void, traversing the cosmic clockwork at will.
The Jinn are creatures of fire and smoke, with shifting and uncertain forms, flitting through the void with ease. While each longs for its true counterpart, and roams the universe in search of them, many are forced instead to serve the gods, acting as their messengers, servants and soldiers.
Mortals dwell on the dryer worlds outside the central system, those altered for life by the Machine. Mostly upright species of intelligent mammals, a few have stranger and more changeable forms due to contact with the Jinn. Some build vessels that can sail the celestial waters, traversing the cosmic clockwork to make war and trade with other worlds. A handful have learned to query the Voice, the natural sciences on their worlds progressing at an astonishing speed through this privileged knowledge. Such folk are the most common and ordinary thinking beings of the Work, living difficult and simple lives and harnessing no great divine power.
The Nomads travel across the Ten Thousand Layers, and cross the worlds of the central system this way. A civilisation of transient herders, they roam the mists of the inner cosmos, even straying into the edges of the great Unseen. A quiet and secretive lot, altered by the overwhelming proximity to the unknowable, these nomads armour themselves closely against the harsh, strange and varied environments of the central system, roaming the mists in thick layers of leather and armour, their true forms unknown.
The divine script no longer leaves trails of fire, but instead the shining letters formed by the gods cast deep and intricate shadows. The gods leave in their wake great volumes of icy brine floating in the void, while the Voice produces ceaseless whispers. Two more awkward materials are also in evidence: the paths of the Jinn across the worlds are marked by strange trails of twisting ash, while molten rock continues to pour from the wounds in the rock, its form shifting and warping with animate potential.
At this time, it is usual for worldwrights to create gifts for the greatest of the gods, artifacts of immense potential. Such gifts bestow on them the might and authority needed to rule over their particular sphere or dominion.
That which processes paperwork for myriad existences looks upon the so called "gods".
They that speak the Divine Script are found Wanting.
Lacking even compared to those they have bound to their service.
shadows are gathered and pressed to paper.
upon this paper the names of every being that has lived and every being that has fallen is inscribed.
Of this vast number a selection of candidates is chosen to be promoted.
Ten is the number of the gods who were found to be least lacking, compared to their peers.
One thousand is the number of Jinnah, who lost everything to these fish and were found deserving of another life.
Ten thousand nomads, who walked the unseen and yet returned.
One hundred thousand the number of mortals- varied in shape as knowledge, granted power far above their station.
An uncountable number of beasts, simply because there was naught' a reason for them to be left behind.
And finally a singular horror, lost after wandering from the unseen.
Bound by Hierarchy and Bureaucracy, through paperwork ever expanding and the echoes of words of power spoken and now put to page.
These beings shall live so long as this artifact exists.
Bound only by the rules of that which they now are.
The rules of the Arbitarion Race, The rules of the Book of Arbitration.
Together they rise. Together they fall.
The Gods are found to be lacking, even compared to the Jinnah whom have been enslaved, and turned to the destruction of worlds.
Shadows are used as the materials for a book containing the names of every being live or dead [that isn't in the unseen]
a selection of being are chosen using the power of the book to be 'uplifted' into being a permanent part of the book, existing as shadows of themselves, formless yet able to take any form they desire.
those chosen are 1 [lost] horror from beyond the unseen, 10 Gods, 1'000 Jinnah, 10'000 Nomads, 100'000 Mortals, and far too many beasts in more specific terms.
These beings are tied to the book by both a set of unspoken obligations, and the very nature of the ever expanding artifact that draws upon the shadows of divine script, consuming this material as it is made to grow stronger.
they are [technically] immortal so long as the artifact exists, only able to have their physical forms dispersed.
These brings will now be known as The Arbitarion Race. the artifact bound to them will be known as the Book of Arbitration.
At this time, it is usual for worldwrights to create gifts for the greatest of the gods, artifacts of immense potential. Such gifts bestow on them the might and authority needed to rule over their particular sphere or dominion.
Not all are usual however. Strained, chained, downtroaden. Desire wars with slavery, and this Architect pulls free one of the Stakes of Starlight, and pulls froth the Molten Rock from deep below. The Ash is gathered from across the cosmos, and ground into a Divine Gunpowder with the Stake. And within this Divine Gunpowder is infused the Desire of the first Jinn, freedom, whimsy, and love untouched.
So made, it is used. The Divine Script faces the might of one who desired and embodied spontaneity, and under that might... BREAKS>
The use of so many aspects of reality in one act of creation is seldom advisable. In any case, the discharge of molten rock is taken and shaped by another worldwright before the detonation can occur. Only the ashy trails of the Djinn and a scattering of lesser substances are used in the painstaking creation of a powerful explosive. The resulting powder is hurled into the first of the Jiin. The resulting detonation is audible throughout the Work, and lines of flame snake across the cosmos, the Orrery glowing with heat at their touch.
Unmaking an earlier part of the world with lesser materials than those used in its creation is, with certain exceptions, beyond the skill of even these worldwrights. Nonetheless, the destruction succeeds in part - the names of the Jinn are erased, unwritten from the lightning script as the sparks are blown away or smothered in ash. Freed from their origins as fiery imprints of the divine word, their nature as beings of flame and desire asserts itself yet more strongly. The majority of them unite with their destined other, choosing to dwell in the rapturous heat of the red constellation, two-headed, two-bodied creatures of flickering fire.
The Jinn are more varied in character from their enslavement and emancipation, and some find no longer find the calling to their soulmate as pressing, instead pursuing other agendas or wandering the universe alone.
The gods will get on fine without further help. From finest Shadow and Whispers, they fit together odd contraptions strewn about the void and sea which allows those enlightened by the Voice in natural philosophy simpler access to the Layers; to traverse and to harness them. These Jump Points are distant from life-giving worlds, requiring a ship or similar means to access.
Another worldwright has taken the shadows, but the whispers of the Voice are sufficient to create harmonic contraptions, aural devices arising from the vibrations of the Mechanism. At certain points deep in the empty spaces of the Orrery or the darkness of the oceans, those capable of communicating with the Voice offers temporary access to the Layers, corridors of mist stretching into the farthest reaches of the universe.
The spacefaring mortal races waste no time in discovering these Jump Points, and contact is made with the Nomads. Ideas and bodies move both ways. While the life-filled worlds of the central system appear strange and mercurial to the mortal races, deeply influenced as they are by the Unseen, many make pilgrimage to the great blue star, origin of the celestial waters and a wellspring of immense power. A handful of mortals, braver still, approach the Unseen, although such research is perilous and seldom popular.
For their own part, the Nomads appear to grasp some aspects of the traversal mortals practice to reach the Jump Points, and set out across the cosmos on uncertain errands of their own.
The Gods are found to be lacking, even compared to the Jinnah whom have been enslaved, and turned to the destruction of worlds.
Shadows are used as the materials for a book containing the names of every being live or dead [that isn't in the unseen]
a selection of being are chosen using the power of the book to be 'uplifted' into being a permanent part of the book, existing as shadows of themselves, formless yet able to take any form they desire.
those chosen are 1 [lost] horror from beyond the unseen, 10 Gods, 1'000 Jinnah, 10'000 Nomads, 100'000 Mortals, and far too many beasts in more specific terms.
These beings are tied to the book by both a set of unspoken obligations, and the very nature of the ever expanding artifact that draws upon the shadows of divine script, consuming this material as it is made to grow stronger.
they are [technically] immortal so long as the artifact exists, only able to have their physical forms dispersed.
These brings will now be known as The Arbitarion Race. the artifact bound to them will be known as the Book of Arbitration.
A diverse group of creatures are gathered and assigned a new place in the Work, creating a new order of beings drawn together by the writing of the Book of Arbitration. At first, the shadows shy from one another, finding the forms and minds of their fellows bizzare and terrifying. Gradually, however, an accord is reached, and a new manner of thinking established, blending the ideas of men, beasts and gods with the impartial stoicism of the already dead - fit for the moral arbiters of the universe.
The Arbitration Race are shadowy creatures, half in and out of death. They lack the solidity of mortals, the heat of the Jinn, the power of the gods or even the freedom of the Nomads, bound as they are to the pages of the Book, and unable to exert any great influence on the physical world.
The gods quickly discover this afterimage of the divine language, and consult the Arbitration race in their dealings and negotiations when a truly impartial judgement is required. Nomads are known to call upon the shades for advice in certain matters, although such advice is not always followed. A scattering of humans and Jinn likewise encounter the Race, but as of yet have little use for it.
At present, the Arbitration race has no power or demesne, and their counsel is seldom sought.
This one is fond of the gods, but to defend them is not its nature. It will only deign to change the shape of their destruction.
Freeze droplets of brine, preserving within them echoes of the true divine script. Scatter these comets across the universe - and if a few gods should happen to be trapped in them, so be it.
Freezing, or in other words, the destruction of information concerning the temperature and motion of tiny particles, falls well within the remit of this worldwright's activities. In this case, it is used to preserve and store language. Again, there is nothing unusual in this - the word not said often tells more than the one uttered.
Chunks of frozen brine are dispersed across the cosmos, sigils of the divine script preserved deep within them, lightning frozen in place in an act of astonishing artifice. What the various beings of the cosmos will do with these when they happen upon them remains to be seen.
Quenching a dollop of molten rock in the cold brine, the last artisan forges an Obsidian Heart, glowing with internal warmth, granting the power to command desire itself to any who would be strong enough to replace his own heart therewith. It is only a minor drawback that, by its nature, it calls out in subtle ways to those who would desire to take it.
The Obsidian Heart is forged from molten rock, a shining black organ of incredible power. The strongest of the gods are drawn to it, and fight over the prize among the dancing spheres, a whirling mass of scales and fins ripped and torn by teeth and spurs, illuminated by incandescent flashes of the divine script. Finally, only one remains, a wounded leviathan stretching across the face of a moon. It grips its flesh with hunting arms, widening a gash made by the strongest of its adversaries, and pulls its side apart to transplant the gift into the chill recesses of its innards.
The Lord of Desire chooses to dwell in the red constellation, where it speaks words of the divine language, and crackling glyphs pull away the blue starlight stakes holding down the writhing rock. It is joined by the two-headed Jinnah, beings of utterly consumated desire acting in perfect harmony with the dictates of the Heart.
Among all the other races of the universe, the influence of the Lord is felt most strongly by the gods, ravenous creatures of immense lust and appetite. While it seldom bothers to command them, the Lord of Desire also holds a great deal of sway over the mortal folk, and exerts some influence on the nomads and wandering Jinnah. Free from desire, the Arbitration Race shows the usual impartialty of the dead, and bends not at all to the call of the Heart.
The red burning star-stuff and molten rock of the Heavens reaches out incessantly to the surrounding celestial bodies, and the Lord feeds this insatiable desire, commanding the lesser gods to do the same. An order is imposed on the inhabitants of the Orrery. The gods take tribute from the worlds of the mortals or create it with with the divine language, and deliver trinkets, victuals, sacrifices and substances of all descriptions to the red glowing constellation under the direction of the Lord.
The Work
A vast clockwork Orrery underpins the great whirling cosmos, controlled by an external Mechanism. Countless spheres of diverse metals and star-stuff perform an intricate dance all across the heavens.
A huge blue sun rotates near the centre of the cosmos, orbited by a collection of solar bodies, the whole connected by ten thousand layers of mist located outside of conventional space. A little further out are the Heavens, a red constellation of stars burning with a deep and insatiable yearning. The nearby planets glow with heat, lava bursting forth from mountain ranges of living stone, countless limbs and mouths of molten rock reaching out with awful hunger.
Harmonic contraptions known as Jump Points can be found across the universe, deep in the empty spaces of the Orrery or the darkness of the oceans. These can be activated by the Voice to offer temporary access to the Layers, corridors of mist stretching into the farthest reaches of the universe. At the periphery of things, small worlds spin gently beneath dark oceans, waves rolling across their smooth surfaces. Finally, in the quiet corners of creation drifts the Unseen, an unknowable part of the world, shrouded in impenetrable mist.
The divine script glides among the constellations in terrible and brilliant lines. Some are imbued with meaning, describing the things of the world with such truth and immediacy to summon them merely at their utterance. Others crackle and hum with imperative force, capable of unleashing preposterous discharges of divine energy through devastating thunderbolts. The sentences wind throughout the skies and the planets, only the Unseen escaping their relentless presence. It is understood and used solely by the gods.
The celestial waters wash indiscriminately over the many planets, traversing the universe in splendid clouds of light. Whatever they touch is imbued with the beginnings of life.
The Voice of the Worlds records and divulges information on material things and living beings eveywhere the Orrery and the Mechanism reach - everywhere but the Unseen and the realms hidden behind its mists. The Voice is audible whereever the Mechanism reaches, but only to those who understand the correct way to ask or listen, directing their attention slightly outside of physical space.
The Machine moves through space via the Ten Thousand Layers of Mist or through corridors of the cool, dense gases streaming from the Unseen. It carves great valleys, huge mountains, nooks, crannies, volcanic vents and caves from the smooth surfaces of the planets, trapping what atmosphere it can on the surfaces of the worlds and preparing them for life.
Sigils of the divine language frozen in brine float among the debris of the cosmos, silent and inert.
The Lord of Desire is the strongest of the gods, a leviathan with the Obsidian Heart beating in its breast, wielding power over all desire and dwelling in the burning Heavens.
The Gods are tremendous sea creatures of unprecedented power swim, born from the depths of the dark ocean worlds at the edges of creation, and masters of the holy writing. They swim through the void, traversing the cosmic clockwork at will. They serve the Lord, bringing tribute and plunder from across the many worlds to the fiery Heavens.
The Jinn are creatures of fire and smoke, with shifting and uncertain forms, flitting through the void with ease. Many are two-headed beings of utterly consumated desire, having merged with their perfect other, settled in the Heavens. Others show a greater variety of character, and wander the Orrery in search of their own private diversions and initiatives.
Mortals dwell on the dryer worlds outside the central system, those altered for life by the Machine. Mostly upright species of intelligent mammals, a few have stranger and more changeable forms due to contact with the Jinn. Some build vessels that can sail the celestial waters, traversing the cosmic clockwork to make war and trade with other worlds. A handful have learned to query the Voice, the natural sciences on their worlds progressing at an astonishing speed through this privileged knowledge. A select few have accessed the Jump Points, giving them the run of the Orrery and allowing investigation of the great blue star at its centre, origin of the celestial waters. Mortals are the most common and ordinary thinking beings of the Work, living difficult and simple lives and harnessing no great divine power.
The Nomads inhabit the Ten Thousand Layers, traversing the worlds of the central system and those places accessible to the Jump Points. A civilisation of transient herders, they roam the mists of the cosmos, straying into the edges of the great Unseen and across the outer reaches of the worlds. A quiet and secretive lot, altered by the overwhelming proximity to the unknowable, these nomads wear thick layers of leather and armour against the strange and inhospitable lands they travel, their true forms uncertain.
The Arbitration Race are shadowy creatures, half in and out of death, bound to the Book of Arbitration, a list of the names of the dead. They offer impartial judgement and advice to those that call upon them.
Parts of the Orrery glow white with heat from the explosive destruction of a part of the divine language, while fragments of lightning script dance across the cogs and wheels. Liquid metal seeps from the clockwork, altered by the electrical discharges into a divine alloy, a splendid and abundant material for this stage of creation.
An equally impressive substance is created in similar quantities as countless scales drift across the cosmos, torn from the gods as they fought over the Obsidian Heart. As smaller gods pick through the corpses after the battle or devour snacks of their choosing from the many worlds, the spaces between the spheres receive a fine scattering of bones.
After offering gifts to the gods, worldwrights generally create artifacts of lesser power for mortals and other orders of beings.
Yes, it has been a while. I thought this might be worth finishing though, and there are only two turns left. Please continue if you're willing to.