Voylf

"The seam is sealed so the gate to the Dimensional Station remains the only way in or out."

from The Tide of Shards, by Hjodrafy

The space is filled with solid rock. Life keeps to the hollows and tunnels in it. Time runs slow here. One day passes here for every three days at the Dimensional Station.

Extent

The world spans 535 km across. Solid rock fills the entire space.

Time

Time runs slow here.

"An old machine gives the rulings on disputes; people argue about what its answers mean."

from Annals of the Cold Merger, by Reifraefn

The economy runs on credits issued by kiosks. A shard carried on a person or aboard a hull is good for one trip back to Nexus, from anywhere.

Rulings

An old machine gives the rulings while people argue about its answers.

Currency

Credits are the common money of the D-Station. They are issued by the kiosks and minted by no one.

The gate sits on Dimensional Station sector 2. It measures as a cargo gate wide enough for small ships.

Access

Nobody may use the gate without their guide.

Penalty

A person may not use the gate without a guide; the penalty is exile to their own world.

The Gaustaen hold the land and the hollowed stone they craft from. A reform movement wants to open the world to outsiders. The old order will not have this change.

Guides

The closed caste of licensed guides controls the gate alone.

1. 
   01

   Gaustaen

   Towering, mottled grey and white skin

   Alignment

   They follow lawful machine rulings though answers seem strange.

   Economy

   Gaustaen craft tools from hollowed stone and sell them where steel and glass hold high worth.

   Governance

   An old machine rules while people argue its meaning.

   People

   Their habit of crafting deep into the rock separates them from those who only hide in the dark.

   Looks

   Mottled grey and white skin covers towering bodies marked by a single curled horn under patterned leather tunics, with a heavy stone chisel in hand.

2. 
   02

   Yiven

   Arachnid, harvestman-like

   Alignment

   They remain neutral, guarding tunnels while ignoring wandering strangers.

   Economy

   They harvest deep dark insects and sell protein to underground venturers.

   Governance

   The old machine gives rulings; people argue meanings in caves.

   People

   Their cluster of eyes watches every shadow, and eight legs move them through narrow cracks where others slip.

   Looks

   A painter sees a pale white arachnid body with eight slender legs and a cluster of eyes tracking light from above; they wear dark suits.

3. 
   03

   Fyhjilg

   Molluscan, slug-like

   Alignment

   Fyhjilg guard lawful truth inside archives.

   Economy

   They work in Vabrihjae where schools pay them to catalog scrolls that come from distant worlds.

   Governance

   The old machine rules as flesh fails.

   People

   Their spiral striped shell turns slowly as they walk, and a mantle folds over their back like a cloak of ink.

   Looks

   Spiral striped shells set them apart: molluscan and slug-like with a mantle and muscular foot, dressed in oil-stained tunics and carrying heavy brushes.

4. 
   04

   Vadraer

   Insectoid, cicada-like

   Alignment

   Chaotic folk steal warm cloaks from hiding spots.

   Economy

   They sell eggs to traders who value the strange dusk chirp echoing through hollows.

   Governance

   Machines rule not because swarms ignore their judgments.

   People

   Their banded yellow and black chitin stands out against the grey stone, and feathered antennae twitch at every sound.

   Looks

   They are insectoid, cicada-like with banded yellow and black chitin and feathered antennae; they wear tight shell suits and carry a single egg case.