TheNexusProject/InterwovenAvenue
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Interwoven Avenue
by Moxiane
- ”Yeah, you take a left just down onto Thornhill and then turn right as soon as you can, that gets you back onto Interwoven Avenue... that can’t be right...”
- - a confused resident giving directions
- ”You know, something about this place feels very strange...”
- - Casukon of the Tower, geomancer
A large-scale example of the sheer power of First Age geomancy and sorcery, Interwoven Avenue is all the more remarkable because, apart from momentary confusion as common sense tries to assert itself, so few people even realise that it exists in the manner that it does. The “path” that the avenue takes winds through the Bastion, Cinnabar, Firewander and Nexus districts in a manner that defies cartography, since with a little concentration it is possible to walk its length in under five minutes and to get from the Plaza of Rising Stars to The Avenue of Enigmatic Philosophy in less than 10.
The scant information that savants have been able to uncover suggests that in the city once known as Hollow the street now known as Interwoven Avenue was originally no less than five different streets. Through the precise application of sorcery, geomancy and occult architecture were bound together in a way that defies the normal laws of space but maintains an illusion of normalcy so perfect that few question it. The preponderance of First Age Manses along the avenue (there are no less than eight, including the (in)famous Bastiel’s Barrel) suggests that the focussing and redirecting of Essence was the reason for this great work.
Both residential and commercial in nature, the inhabitants of Interwoven Avenue are, if possible, even more cosmopolitan than the average Nexian, because there are so many ways on and off the street. People from all over the city can find themselves on it without warning and leave from a nearby exit only to find themselves several miles away from where they entered, simply because their attention wandered. The most remarkable thing about the avenue is that it disguises itself (any being with a permanent Essence less than •••• has a difficulty of 5 to even notice the effect beyond a momentary confusion) so thoroughly and is merely accepted as yet another example of Nexus’ strangeness.
Successful navigation of Interwoven Avenue simply requires a Willpower roll (long-term residents eventually adapt to this and can ignore the roll), with failure indicating that the character ends up somewhere he didn’t want to be. Botching on this roll can lead to all sorts of strange and inconvenient (although non-lethal) effects.
Rumours
- Sometimes people walk onto the Avenue speaking strange languages and wearing bizarre clothing. When confronted, they usually run off and disappear into the crowds that swarm over the indestructible stone day and night.
- Groups of people later determined to be members of the Celebrants’ Circle were seen on several occasions to walk up and down the street at a very deliberate pace, chanting or possibly counting as they went.
Secret
- The sorcery that keeps Interwoven Avenue whole has the unfortunate side-effect of “thinning” Creation around it. This effect is most noticeable during the Calibration when hungry ghosts, Wyld creatures and demons have been known to “leak” through the barriers and into the city. Unfortunately, the concealing magic threaded through the street is also responsible for no-one ever connecting the two.
Comments
ha! I made a bet with myself that this would be the first of my phantoms written. Thank you for proving me right. well, and also wrong. but hey.
~ Shataina
