The Shattered Lands

Q01

Distinctive physical fact

The largest city, Aurelia (which gives the world its name), sits inside the ribcage of something enormous. The bones — translucent, faintly luminous, the largest the size of city blocks — rise above the streets like cathedral arches. Nobody knows what the original creature was. The ribs predate all written history here.

Q02

Dominant want

Status. Aurelia is a hierarchical society obsessed with rank, certification, and visible achievement. Citizens spend their lives climbing tables of merit. Even peasants in the surrounding countryside hold ranks within their guilds. Knowing your place — and exactly where you sit relative to the people around you — is the foundation of polite society.

Q03

Relationship to the Paths

Aware and controlling. The five known Paths leading to and from Aurelia are regulated by the Pathmasters' Guild — a powerful chartered organization that taxes traversal, certifies qualified Path-walkers, and forbids unauthorized passage. Solace operates here under treaty, paying fees and following protocols. The Guild and Solace have a polite, mutually wary relationship.

▌ The Paths

3 documented

№01

The Cathedral Path

public · Guild-licensed

Form

The pulpit of the Cathedral of Saint Veris in central Aurelia. Step into the pulpit and recite the public prayer. The Path opens at the Amen.

Cost

Free, but the Guild collects a tax of one silver mark per traversal. Unauthorized use is illegal.

Personality

Proud, ceremonial. A Mystic Reading this Path senses being watched by an audience, the satisfaction of being seen performing well.

№02

The Riverside Path

public · Guild-licensed

Form

A specific stone bridge over the River Vell. Cross the bridge while the river beneath you is at high tide. Visible only at certain hours.

Cost

Conditional on tide. Free otherwise.

Personality

Rhythmic, patient. A Mystic Reading senses waiting for the right moment, the satisfaction of timing.

№03

The Sixth Path

disputed

Form

Located in the eastern quarter, in or near a specific bone of the great ribcage. Independent practitioners report finding it; Guild surveyors cannot. Some claim the Path manifests differently for different walkers — that what opens for one cannot be found by another.

Cost

Unknown. Possibly variable. The Guild is desperate to control it; the independents are desperate to free it.

Personality

A Mystic who has Read this Path describes the experience as being sized up by something with very particular standards. Whether the Path is conscious or merely fastidious is unclear.

▌ Filed Entry · Cartographic Survey Division

Aurelia — Pocket 7-Beta

Filed by Surveyor R. Pellam · Updated by Surveyor M. Halland

Settled Frontier world, late-medieval/early-industrial tech, single dominant culture (Aurelian) with strong guild and religious institutions. Population ~80 million.

Atmosphere: Breathable. Standard Earth-equivalent gravity. Climate temperate.

Distinctive feature: The capital city is built within the skeletal remains of an enormous creature. The bones are translucent and faintly luminous. Locals consider this normal. (M. Halland's note: They do not consider it normal. They simply consider speaking about it impolite. There is a difference.)

Useful contacts: The Pathmasters' Guild controls all licensed Path access — pay their fees and follow their protocols. The Cathedral of Saint Veris provides sanctuary. The Independents' Coalition exists; engaging with them officially is contraindicated.

Hazards: Political tension over Path licensing has been escalating. Avoid the eastern quarter. Do not, under any circumstances, photograph the bones.

Notes: The Aurelians' obsession with rank can be navigated by being polite, formal, and visibly uncertain about one's own status. They will fill in the gaps in their favour, which is what they want.