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Old 02-26-2021, 08:35 PM   #5411
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Default Re: New Reality Seeds

Try this one...

Most of the alternate Earth's Homeline can get to are geographically identical to Homeline and Centrum. But this Q6 low Mana parallel is different. It has an island the size of Iceland about three hundred miles west of the Strait of Gibralter. Because of the maritime environment, this island is wetter and more fertile than Spain.

The first people to find this island were the Phonecinans. The Greeks, who were colonizing the Western Mediterranian at the time and soon placed colonies on the island. Greek culture and language became dominant on the island. This is why the name Lipara (one of the Hesperides the nymphs of the sunset) became the common name of the island.

Rome, not a naval power, chose to ignore Lipara as long as they stayed out of Rome's way. The Liparans were glad to do this.

The Liparans were somewhat more likely to apply technology to practical problems than most Greeks. This is thought to be because they had fewer slaves than most classical societies. But why they had fewer slaves isn't understood. One of their inventions was a form of paper, which they independently invented more than a century and a half after the Chinese.

Because of both paper and the isolation of Lipara from the European continent, a far larger portion of Greek literature and knowledge survives on this parallel than most. Trade with the Arabs brought in a great number of Arab literary works (the Arabs tried three times to conquer Lipara, bad weather, and poor planning ruined all of these with high loss of life). Diplomatic links with Byzantium brought in large amounts of Byzantine literature. As the monasteries and

more later.
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Old 02-26-2021, 09:39 PM   #5412
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Atlantis-7

In Atlantis-7, the mythical island of Atlantis reappeared in 300 BC, causing massive geological disturbances that wrecked activated the volcanoes of Southern Europe and Northern Africa which, amomg other damage, caused the Alban Hills to erupt and consume Rome. Without Rome, Carthage recovered to become the dominant power in the Western Mediterranean while Egypt experienced a reawakening that made it the dominant power in the Eastern Mediterranean. The Celto-Iberians, fleeing the growing power of Carthage, discovered and colonized Atlantis, using its mineral wealth to their advantage in their conflicts with Carthage.
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Old 02-27-2021, 07:39 PM   #5413
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Default Re: New Reality Seeds

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Originally Posted by Astromancer View Post
Try this one...

Most of the alternate Earth's Homeline can get to are geographically identical to Homeline and Centrum. But this Q6 low Mana parallel is different. It has an island the size of Iceland about three hundred miles west of the Strait of Gibralter. Because of the maritime environment, this island is wetter and more fertile than Spain.

The first people to find this island were the Phonecinans. The Greeks, who were colonizing the Western Mediterranian at the time and soon placed colonies on the island. Greek culture and language became dominant on the island. This is why the name Lipara (one of the Hesperides the nymphs of the sunset) became the common name of the island.

Rome, not a naval power, chose to ignore Lipara as long as they stayed out of Rome's way. The Liparans were glad to do this.

The Liparans were somewhat more likely to apply technology to practical problems than most Greeks. This is thought to be because they had fewer slaves than most classical societies. But why they had fewer slaves isn't understood. One of their inventions was a form of paper, which they independently invented more than a century and a half after the Chinese.

Because of both paper and the isolation of Lipara from the European continent, a far larger portion of Greek literature and knowledge survives on this parallel than most. Trade with the Arabs brought in a great number of Arab literary works (the Arabs tried three times to conquer Lipara, bad weather, and poor planning ruined all of these with high loss of life). Diplomatic links with Byzantium brought in large amounts of Byzantine literature. As the monasteries and cathedral schools were built either well inland or on mountains, little art or literature was lost in Viking raids.
However, as Lipara was rich both agriculturally and in terms of mines, the Norse soon sought to trade with this wealthy island. The Irish and other Celts also came to trade. And the ever-curious Liparaians got their scholars to copy out their tales and lore.

Soon after Bologna and Paris became universities, the Liparans founded a university of their own at the cathedral school maintained at the seat of the local Archbishop. Even with the large number of books and scrolls on the island, the new University had a shortage of books.

But on an island rich in metal and metal workers and gifted with skilled papermakers as well, printing was already known. But mobile type printing was still a massive transformation.

As in Homeline history, every European King sought to establish a printing press in their kingdom. Venice, as in Homeline's history, had an explosion of printing. Unlike Homeline history, printing almost instantly made the jump into the Islamic world through the Taifa kingdoms. This was because they were in the same type of competition with each other as the Christian kingdoms were.

The local year on this parallel 1200, printers from Lipara to Bagdad are demanding ancient manuscripts to print. Adventuring scholars are scouring the whole area for ancient texts and long-lost lore.

Basically, the Renaissance is moved back to the High Medieval period. This is a different sort of swashers set up fewer rapiers more broadswords. The Arab lands are in the Classical period (the Arabian Nights is more Early Modern) so the feeling is less Sinbad more Crusades. Still, neither Bagdad nor Constantinople has been sacked yet, so the pickens should still be good.

Given that Lipara collected Norse, Celtic, and Anglo-Saxon lore, Homeline scholars are hoping for interesting data not collected or gathered elsewhere.
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Old 03-01-2021, 11:25 AM   #5414
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Try this one...

This is a myth parallel which the contact party soon recognized was based on a series of once-popular games now routinely referred to as NOUN:The Modifier!.

Large numbers of supernatural beings are constantly going around being desperately conspiratorial. The local humans seem to be thick as bricks since they never notice the swarms of supernatural conspirators that constantly swarm around them.

No one wants to bother with this world except for one reason, the Mages. The Vampires, Werecreatures, Ghosts, Mummies, Demons, Changelings, and Hunters are tied to this reality. The Mages aren't, and they are powerful and in no way bound to Mana or local magic conditions.

Basically, this Q6, Normal Mana, TL8 world is the target of massive recruiting drives by Homeline, Centrum, and the Cabal. The PCs are witch hunters, desperately hunting down mages to offer them...big fat paychecks and tons of Perks! Problems come in the shape of other supernaturals who either don't want to lose allies or don't want their foes escaping.
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Old 03-02-2021, 01:20 PM   #5415
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Try this one...

On this Q6 parallel, a supertechnology was invented in 1937. This supertech was an engine that ran on the static electricity in the air. This "Air Engine" as it was called, came to the attention of a schoolmate of Eleanor Roosevelt. As soon as Eleanor knew of it F.D.R. was told. The "Air Engines" were a major factor in WWII. If nothing else, the airplanes powered by "Air Engines" had effective ranges of 25,000 miles, with maintenance and pilot endurance as the main limits.

As the "Air Engine" soon after the war made fossil fuel obsolete, both the U.S.S.R. and Southwest Asia were of greatly reduced importance. Europe recovered far more quickly in this parallel.

Because of the massive importance of the "Air Engine" science education is both far more popular with young people and governments are far more willing to finance both education and scientific research. This doesn't please Centrum. They see this world as taking a turn toward exotic science and radical schemes. The very sort of world where the physics of reality jumping could and will be figured out. They've decided on a last war by any possible means.

This TL7^ world, (in some areas TL7+1^) is experiencing the year 1963, although the technology is more like 1973, the Mana level is Low. J.F.K. and Brezhnev who replaced Khrushchev four years early are leading the USA and the U.S.S.R. respectively.

Basically, this is a superspy and conspiracy world. Centrum plans to eliminate Oswald and kill Kennedy themselves framing Castro for the murder. If that doesn't work, they've got a dozen Blofeld wanna-be's in the wings waiting to create an incident.
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Old 03-02-2021, 05:10 PM   #5416
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Because of the massive importance of the "Air Engine" science education is both far more popular with young people and governments are far more willing to finance both education and scientific research. This doesn't please Centrum. They see this world as taking a turn toward exotic science and radical schemes. The very sort of world where the physics of reality jumping could and will be figured out. They've decided on a last war by any possible means.
"They've decided on a last war by any possible means."?

Is Centrum trying to cause one or stop one?
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Old 03-02-2021, 06:00 PM   #5417
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"They've decided on a last war by any possible means."?

Is Centrum trying to cause one or stop one?
Centrum is trying to start one. They think this world, if left to itself, will, inevitably, discover panchronomics (sic). Centrum fears this world is on the way to becoming another Homeline/Secundus.
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Old 03-02-2021, 09:56 PM   #5418
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Centrum is trying to start one. They think this world, if left to itself, will, inevitably, discover panchronomics (sic). Centrum fears this world is on the way to becoming another Homeline/Secundus.
I don't buy it. For two reasons really. The lesser on is that unlike Homeline, Centrum isn't actually obsessed with staying secret - it's all but stated that they've even explained who they are to other worldlines they're attempting to bring into their civilization.

But the main one is that avoiding the horror of anything like the Final War ever again is essentially the core of their national ideology - a group coming out and saying a Final War is *ever* a desirable thing is essentially spitting on their most sacred cow. Centrum is maybe pragmatic enough to stand aside and let a Final War happen - they lack the resources to save everybody much as they might wish to - though even then I'd expect at least some minimal effort. But causing one themselves? No. Not without splitting the Interworld Service in two.
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Old 03-03-2021, 07:41 AM   #5419
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This supertech was an engine that ran on the static electricity in the air.
That’s functionally a perpetual motion machine. Even if it somehow gets around questions of conservation laws and thermodynamics, perpetual motion technology has Consequences.
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Old 03-03-2021, 10:11 AM   #5420
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That’s functionally a perpetual motion machine. Even if it somehow gets around questions of conservation laws and thermodynamics, perpetual motion technology has Consequences.

For something that's not a perpetual motion machine, have them only work far away from each other. Then you get big power plants that soak up all the static on the ground, and planes and ships get free power as well.


Unless the point is a perpetual motion machine.
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