DETAILED DETAILS SECTION OF THE ENCYCLOPEDIA INFINITA

  FREE SOCIETY IN THE FLOODED BASEMENTS OF THE PALACE

  Structure

  The independent-thinking nature of Free Folk tends to often separate them, keeping them from organizing into ever-larger units of cooperation, to their own great detriment.

  Some form of de facto government was at once present during the long history of Free Society, however, since the closing of the floors of the Palace and the loss at the last battle against the Old Order, it has receded into distant, separate, splintered units.

  Communities

  Very few worlds have a majority population that is made up of Free Folk, locals being the largest share of the population. Most of Free Society is made up of separate clusters of various sizes, ranging from nations, to cities, towns, bathhouses, and houses of Free Folk.

  Bathhouses

  Among the gatherings of Free People, none is more loved and sought-after than the bathhouse. These usually safe, clean and peaceful abodes provide shelter, food, and protection to travelers crossing worlds. They also create opportunities for trade, exchange of information and training of the auric arts. These bathhouses, however, as most other aspects of Free Society, are kept secret to avoid the prying eyes of the enemy.

  Jumpers

  Free Folk who have jumped through an Exit at least once are known as Jumpers. These people tend to also usually be able to wield their auras, manifesting Gifts with various degrees of skill and power. Free Folk tend to be very few when compared to locals who make up the absolute vast majority of the inhabitants of the Innerverse's many worlds. While Shadows tend to be an antagonistic group, considering their role in the Old Order and the resulting Great Death that comes from it, Jumpers tend to be a mixed lot. Some are righteous, some are not, and others simply just don't care.

  KAMI

  An Introduction

  Kami, both Lesser and Grand, are manifestations of Nature. Think of them as spirits of the natural world. They can be both friendly or deadly, depending on their character and situation. They represent the aura that fills the worlds, or as some may call them, natural spirits. Lesser Kami inhabit smaller things, such as a tree or a forest, a river, a storm, or a beach. Grand Kami are much more powerful divine beings, usually having only one per world, inhibiting some greater aspect of that reality, such as Music, or the Winds of Shy-Sky.

  MUSIC WORLD

  Symphony Sublime

  Symphony Sublime is a world of endless song, where the Grand Kami of Music, Harmoniah, lives. It is a small-sized world characterized by an overwhelming and unending rhythm that seeps through all things within it. The clouds, the water, the grass and everything else sways, dances and vibrates at the universal rhythm that emanates out of the Goddess of Music. It is an extremely dangerous world to travel through given that many Jumpers have not made it out alive; the music eventually takes over, killing them out of sheer exhaustion.

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  Harmoniah, Grand Kami of Music

  Personified as a very tall woman bopping her head, she is forever playing music for no audience, other than the occasional Jumpers who unfortunately finds themselves in the endless, deadly snare of her symphony. Not much is known about her as almost nothing will keep the Spirit of Music from stopping her song.

  The Magical Ocarina of Sublime

  Given to Roa by Harmoniah for having contributed a worthy note in tune with the Universal Rhythm, the instrument, strangely enough, does not play any music unless every single note possible is played first, each manifesting a different musical instrument instead. These disappear on their own after a day with a cloudy poof, in the same way they manifest temporarily into Existence.

  The ocarina is not unbreakable and its user must be careful not to crack it, for any change to its shape will render its magic inert, as the delicate harmonics that channel its mystical power depend entirely on its precise structure.

  THE PALACE

  Overview

  The Birthpalace, as it is known by Jumpers for its mysterious and legendary Birth Waters, is by far the largest world in all of the Innerverse. Known as World 1, perhaps having been the first one to ever manifest a Free Person in the Everago, it also happens to be the most important plane of Existence. Having more Exits than all of the other worlds combined, the Birthpalace is key to interdimensional travel. The labyrinth, as it is also known, shifts continuously as its many large and small mirrored mandala clocks tick forward, constantly releasing various primordial mechanisms within its walls, ceilings and walls. Travelers may often get lost as blueprints, directions and personal memory often fails when the way ahead looks nothing like it did the previous day.

  Rooms

  World 1 is characterized by an endless expanse of indoor rooms, some tiny and some so immense that one may erroneously think of themselves outdoors in another world. However, regardless of many attempts, no one has ever been able to see the outside of the Palace, most believing that there is no such thing as an outside, anyway. Some rooms and halls are so large that entire mountain chains, seas, cities, islands, and even small planets reside within them. The Palace tends to boast very little changes in natural laws, unless one travels great distances within it. Occasionally, however, it is possible for gravity, and other aspects of reality to shift drastically from room to room, along with the setting.

  Doors and Keys

  In the Everago, Jumpers recorded within the Histories of the Innerverse how the Palace's many chambers were mostly open. Given that none of the magical labyrinth's structure may be altered or destroyed by anyone, no matter how powerful, being able to move between rooms and floors was paramount for any traveler. However, during the First Age, when Default World and Free Society finally began their endless war, many of the doors began to be locked. It was only after centuries that Jumpers learned who the culprit was, firmly placing the responsibility upon the leaders of the Old Order.

  Chokepoints

  More important than the various doors of the endless rooms, chambers and halls of the Palace, are the Chokepoints of Existence, also known as the Throats of the Palace. These bottlenecks, unknown in number, divide various sections of the labyrinth, stopping anyone moving from floor to floor. It is said that in the current age, some powerful beings have been placed there to guard the way up.

  Floors

  How many floors does the Birthpalace truly have, nobody in the entirety of the Innerverse probably knows, other than perhaps the Dreamer, if legends are even true. Floors are immense, and often have very different aspects to them. Some are very green, filled with natural wonders, while others are bland, empty rooms. Floors are given names by Jumpers according to their defining aspects. For example, the Flooded Basements are a collection of floors believed to be at the very bottom of the labyrinth, and its waterfalls and its deluged chambers acting as one of its recognizable aspects.

  Transportation Options

  The Palace is immense and getting around it can be downright impossible at times without getting lost or killed. To shorten great distances between Exits, rooms and other places of interest, travelers look for various transportation options. These range from more normal ones such as giant stairs, elevators, escalators, and slides, to much more unusual ones, including floating whales, upside down trains, boats attached to giant fish, and more.

  X1.4.1 - Master Vesper