About Worlds' Crossing
From Echo: As I was the first to come to Worlds' Crossing, I have a proprietary interest in it. Here, for those who wonder about this odd little world, is a guide to my world.
Introduction
Worlds' Crossing is a land in a dimensional pocket, not a planet. Largely unexplored, it is, if anything, more purely magical than Hellifyno was before the Slayers came. Portals exist between Worlds' Crossing and many other worlds. Most portals between there and Hellifyno have been destroyed, however, to prevent Slayers from getting through.
Spaceships may orbit Hellifyno; they may dock at Starport; but they cannot find the skies of Worlds' Crossing. It is inaccessible from normal space save by the occasional accident. Spacecraft that do find their way into Worlds' Crossings' skies generally have no way to leave again. Common access is only through portals.
History
When I first came to Worlds' Crossing, I found deserted villages and homes - no people at all. I moved into a cottage, scavenged other empty cottages to find useful items, set up housekeeping, and planted my gardens.
Shortly thereafter, when the young French girl Marieke came to this world, desperate and starving, she found the Inn of Worlds had arisen not too far from my home. The Innkeeper, a strange, shambling creature, fed her and gave her a room and a job. She is now the hostess of the famous dining room, and patrons come from far and near to partake of the excellent food.
Soon the nearby villages were populated, and I found myself able to make a living as a Healer with items made from my herbs with the help of Aelu, the snake who is my Healing partner. Indeed, now I have been asked to be on the Council that is being formed among village leaders.
Culture and Landscape
As mentioned, the people native to Worlds' Crossing have a medieval culture. While farmers are predominant, there are also blacksmiths, artisans, craftsmen, teachers, and other more specialized professions. Trade is by mainly by barter.
Travel is done on foot, by cart and by carriage, as well as by sleigh or sledge when the snow is deep.
At this time the dimensional pocket is not large, and thus all of Worlds' Crossing, with one known exception mentioned below, experiences the seasons at the same time. It is a pastoral world with forests, meadows, farmland; hills, valleys, lakes, streams, creeks and ponds. Fishing is good at all times of year, and there is game and other wildlife in abundance.
However, at the time of this writing, the landscape around the tavern is in a sorry state. The grand forest to the north extends two mile west and at least 20 miles east and 10 miles north of the tavern. This forest, and the one south of the tavern as well, has been decimated for a radius of four miles, with lesser damage beyond, by a hellish explosion.
Within the four-mile radius, more than 70% of the trees have fallen, and every one of those left is damaged. Wildlife is sparse. Without magical intervention, it will be at least a hundred years before this part of forest recovers from the disaster that ruined it. The damage lessens the farther one gets from the tavern, until finally, about 12 miles away, there are no traces of the explosion.
Geography
Since it was my appearance on Worlds' Crossing that seems to have brought it to life, I'll begin with my own home. My cottage is down a lane that winds north through the (now decimated) forest. At the south end of the lane is the main road in the area, and on the far side of this T intersection stands the Inn of Worlds. West of the Inn there are now populated medieval villages for a several miles. Elexin's mansion stands 9 miles west from the Inn, up a road that crosses into hilly country for another mile.
Interestingly, the villagers do not patronize the Inn of Worlds and, in fact, do not seem to recognize its existence, perhaps since it is a place not consistent with their medieval society. Even when they come to my cottage, they do not notice that I have modern plumbing.
Farther along the main road, about 20 miles from the tavern, is the main base of the Resistance with offices, mess hall, housing for support personnel, and the mission staging area. As one might expect, this area, being the one point of considerable technology on Worlds' Crossing, is avoided by the medieval villagers. I asked a party going to market one day why they went so far around that particular area, and they told me it was accursed ground, filled with pestilence.
We now know there are farms, towns and villages as far as 150 miles east of the tavern, and that there are mountains some distance to our north.
What lies in the unexplored areas? I believe they are as yet empty - waiting for someone who needs to find something. I came here needing a home, and found it. Marieke came needing food, shelter and security, and she found it. When Devek needed to find a summer beach in the dead of winter, he explored to the southwest and found a magical area where the seasons are reversed, including a small lake with fine beaches. When Aiden needed to find new portals in his desperate search for Raelin, he found them - but should he need one of them again, it may not be in the same place as before.
If you do not truly need it, you may well not find it. And if what you need is not consistent with the medieval and pastoral setting of Worlds' Crossing, it surely will not be found.
On the other hand, future exploration without expectation may locate almost anything that is consistent with the land and culture of this surprising little world, as well as other magical areas.
You need to be a member of Worlds' Crossing to add comments!