… that tie all life psychically to the gods that hold dominion over it.

These “strings” act as conduits through which the patterns of existence are transmitted across the “abstract wall,” or the separating barrier between realms.

The conglomeration or hoarding of individual willpower is typically reverberated through these strings, and absorbed within the abstract wall. Individual power is in most cases restricted to the manifestation of some magic capabilities, uncanny talent or titanic physical manifestation of elemental strength.

Then storytellers learned to pluck and bow these strings to their will. They composed the language of the universe to build worlds of their own across the abstract wall. And with their mastery and completeness they were the first to pass through. But so affected by their manipulation were the worlds they traveled to, that these world walkers were merely stepping into tableaus of their own minds.

Their travel left holes for others to pass through, and to them – the audience – the place was sufficiently alien.

The strings and the abstract wall will invariably arise in some form within all worlds and the stories they tell. Few discuss the implications of those strings being cut.

* Excerpt from “The Practical Guide to the Impossible,” regarding string theory.

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Your actions moving forward will be governed by four Facets, for which you have varying capability, represented by a score as follows:

Cunning: +1

Charm: -1

Muscle: -2

Guts: +1

Your individual nature will be represented by a Pattern:

Elk of the Ashen Wake

Pattern: End Witness

With the following Pattern Forms:

Roam: 2d4, 2d10

Fixate: 4d4

Build: 3d8

Break: 2d12

When acting, you will commit to a Pattern Form and continue with it until the dice listed are exhausted.

The results of your actions will be determined by rolling a combination of a Facet (1d10 + modifying score) and dice from your current Pattern Form.

The resulting total will be weighed against a situational difficulty scale determined by the Game Master.

You will also be able to access various bonuses from the different assets both physical and conceptual that you possess.

You will have a number of options while rolling that will come at the cost of a currency called Focus, which can be earned both by you and the Game Master.

The landscape before you plays tricks with your sense of perspective.

There is such a variance in elevation and material in the swathes of plateaus that stack and decline in the deconstructed cityscape.

Tall towers of glass and steel, toppled on their sides and stacked like timber refracts and swallows light into abyssal depths.

Canyons with walls of asphalt, tunnel mouths and pub doorways. Rail tracks pummel diagonally through all of it, ready to pierce.

Redarn points out the bow of an enormous sailing ship that's balanced high on the far expanse of this place, looking down over all of it. There’s a torrent of frothing water gushing from the ship’s deck, creating a waterfall too substantial to give in to the chaotic arrangement of city pieces under it.

“That’s the Wharf,” He says.

“That’s where my complement and I are headed. And as far as I know it's the only place where crystallized lantern agate has been found.”

Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.

The other Woolings have descended the Silo and are removing packs, supplies and tools from its wings. They splay them out on rolled out canvas to take stock and build their packs.

“Chorded rustwood we can cut from Bridgevine along the way. Curb gypsum is crumbly, usually it collects deeper in the tower stacks. The closer we get to the Loom, the more potent this stuff gets. We were hoping to cut through broadway,”

He points at a flat, mostly connected road structure that has clearly been assembled by those recently traversing these Metropolis Bluffs to get around quicker.

“But it’s always worth dipping into the stacks.”

Boppen speaks up, hunched over an array of hammers and chisels.

“We’re trying to get some of the salt from the waters coming in from the wharf, you see. Why we want it is proprietary information.”

She looks down her glasses at Redarn.

“We like to keep a level of professional courtesy.”

I ask, “We’re leaving them?” Referring to the Silo and Accretio.

Baskins, the brawniest of these diminutive Woolings, says, “We must. There is no footing for such creatures in this place. We pack our things and travel on hoof.”

Assemble Supplies (Build Form):

I grab some of the oven soot I used to put my arm together. Put it in a little bottle or something.

Alchemy Paste:

Cunning (1d10 + 1) + Build 1 of 3 (1d8)

13

Tier 1 - Single Use (1d8)

4

You find an appropriate vial and now that you don’t have the panic of imminent death, you find it easy to locate some oven soot from Accretio. Do you want to try to increase its effect or increase the quantity you harvest?

Tier 2 - Better Effect (1d10)

1

You dig around a bit and find a spot where the grinding of the various moving portions of Accretio’s topshell creates a denser, more potent silted paste.

Tier 3 - Impossible Effect (2d12 keep highest)

11

The standard issue Guild explorer clothes you now wear have several pockets and straps for things like vials, little tools and weapon holsters.

I’ll just keep it in my pants pocket.

I guess I’d want to bring some food.

Travel Rations:

Muscle (1d10 - 2) + Build 2 of 3 (1d8)

8

Tier 1 - Essentials (1d8)

3

You get some hard packed travel rations that were included in the scaffold gear that you initially set out with that Redarn helped you salvage. It’s bland but effective.

Tier 2 - More Essentials (1d10)

8

You take the bag of the rations that was strapped to Accretio’s shell and strap it to your person. It’s awkward and a little cumbersome. You get the sense that with the tools or equipment you’ll be bringing, packing any more would start to get cumbersome.

You have the opportunity to spend a focus to roll your last Build die to replace the previous roll.

Can I bring my Baker’s Peel and Thremp’s old rapier with me?

Yeah, that’s owned equipment, there wouldn’t be any test there.

Then I want to try to pull out the Little City and take it with us, too.

Little City extraction:

Guts 1d10 + 3 (Accretio) + Highly complex (1d12)

14

Vs

Cunning (Accretio + Little City) (1d10 + 4) + Build 3 of 3 (1d8)

9

You try to tinker with the Little City, but the way it's incorporated into the topshell is pretty intricate, and the Woolings seem to be getting impatient. There’s no way to pull the City out without risking damaging it, or Accretio or both.

Spend a focus (current: 5) to reroll Build roll and take a consequence?

Do it.

Build: 10 + original cunning (6)

16

With the Woolings eager to depart and your tinkering not yielding results, what is it you do to quickly remove the little city before you begin your descent into the Metropolis Bluffs?

I pull my hooked arm across the under section of the little city, where the light spills form, to break any of the pieces still holding it affixed to Accretio. If that doesn’t work I leverage it out with the Baker’s Peel too.

It works. The rust toxin from your hook hand spills into the soft white light, turning it a muddy sepia tone. More pulverized rock powder spills across the section of shell that once housed the Little City. It collects and deepens, turning into a soft spinning whirlpool.

Sections have been cracked and lost, but the Little City affixes itself onto the flat of your baker’s feel and hovers softly there without much weight.

You can’t help but feel like it wasn’t the cleanest of processes, and there may be effects in function or integrity, but nothing happens immediately.

Then let’s go down there.