Myriad Worlds: Grand Junction
For any traveler of the Myraid Worlds, the first consideration must always be transport.
This is not new. Since time immemorial, the folk of the Myriad Worlds have found ingenious and irregular means of traveling the Velvet between worlds. The Rim-runners are known for the practices of Skipper-riding, the Gilbrim for their Ripjins, and few are the folk who have not witnessed the eerie sight of a band of Yattrinti setting off in their pearlescent spheres. Even purchasing your own yacht from any number of reputable (or otherwise) merchants is a perfectly acceptable method of traveling through the Velvet.
When choosing your first vessel, there are a remarkable number of options to consider; the first and foremost for the inexperienced traveler should be Availability. While the Byways Guild is a powerful and productive institution, the Myraid Worlds are numerous and wide, with millions of towns and villages beyond their immediate grasp.
If you claim your home in one of these distant hamlets, your best option may be to speak with any other travelers available to you. Wizened old sojurners and adventurers will surely be able to point you towards the closest and most affordable means of transport. That said, few are those who live in more populated areas are not within a days travel of a sailbarge or Reigel Ferry dock.
For those who live relatively near the more populous cities and metropolises, your options become more numerous. The Byways Guild maintains a grand network of travel between the major population centers of most worlds, and you will likely be able to find a spot on any number of vessels.
Price then becomes the most important metric, as the Golden Howdahs and charter Chariots can run anywhere from 500 to 2000, depending on available accomidations. If you have the money, a suitable travel-tour can be hired for around 1500. Full-booking tours can run up to 5000, and are generally lavish affairs for those who have little need for thrift. It is advisable for single jaunters and sojourners to keep their travel costs below 750.
Inexperienced travelers may consider chartering a direct-flight from their homeland to their destination, but experienced travelers recognize this as an unnecessary and inefficient expenditure. The first destination of any new traveler must certainly be the Grand Junction.
Apart from being the central headquarters for the Byways Guild, the Grand Junction is a primary hub for travelers, tourists, and merchant-knights from across the Velvet. A place of indescribable complexity, diversity, beauty, and horror, the Grand Junction is the one place in the Velvet where one can be sure of finding almost anything.
It is rare indeed that any Golden Howdah or Bright Chariots does not spend at least a reasonable portion of its existence either docked at or traveling to or from the Grand Junction. While the binding and building of transports must usually be done under the domes of the Myriad Worlds, several maintenance services are available at the Grand Junction, where they provide docks for repairs, upgrades, and a modest mothballing service.
In brief, the Grand Junction is the ideal place for any who wish to see as much of the Myriad Worlds in one place as possible.
Geography
The Grand Junction is an ovular structure, constructed of multiple levels of civilization. By intent, each level is unique in its design and structure, though not so in its function. Most every level has places for travelers to rest in comfort and safety, as well as cafes and restaurants to fill empty bellies or wet dry throats.
The central floor of the Grand Junction is the main port, where innumerable docking ramps for Golden Howdahs, Chariots, yachts, barges, and similar transports are located. It is here that most travelers make their berth, and as such is the first impression any newcomers will have of the Grand Junction.
The ramps circumnavigate the middle of the station, and many exist on upper or lower levels, though these are usually reserved for chartered departures, maintainance, and cargo haulers. Individual ramps are marked with the Collective Alphanumeric system, such that there are twelve “letters,” each with no more than ten “numbers.” (Note, several sections have fewer than five ramps, so always double check any tickets or receipts you receive. Maps are available at most ramps and information stations.)
The center of the main port is where you will find the many lifts and stairs that take travelers to the distant floors of the station, either up or down. The closer levels are usually densely packed with travelers, while the further levels are usually reserved for the locals or regulars. It is not unlike any major hub of civilization; the well trodden paths are usually trod by foreigners.
There are several locations of significant note, many explained in great detail by local guidebooks and historical texts. I will provide a brief summary of the most famous locations here, suitable for those who wish a layperson’s awareness, rather than devote themselves to a scholarly understanding of available tourist attractions.
Places of Note
The Mural of History
Found three floors below the main port, the Mural of History is a gigantic frieze of incredible quality, dedicated to the historical record of Grand Junction’s construction.
The Mural of History is, in fact, two separate parts; the central slab is colloquially called the Fulcrum, though the official title is generally agreed to be Klatisva, or “First Stone.” The Fulcrum dates back to the earliest era, and the building of the Grand Junction itself. It depicts an abbreviated history of sorts, detailing the construction and completion of the Grand Junction.
The remaining portions of the Mural are much earlier in construction, at most seven centuries old. They expand and detail the construction in a far more intricate and detailed manner.
The Fulcrum, as old as it is, has become a historical artifact of great importance, as multiple histories from across the Myriad World have found parity in the Fulcrum’s story. Multiple historical records all coincide with the events depicted in the Fulcrum, allowing historians to accurately date a cohesive historical record across multiple cultures.
While the remaining portions of the Mural claim similar accuracy, there are multiple records that have caused political and scientific conflict that suggest however true the Fulcrum is, the remainder of the Mural is, at best, deserving of scrutiny.
While the majority of the Mural is devoted to the history of the Grand Junction itself — which I will detail in a later section — there are four sections which detail significant historical events not related to the Grand Junction: the Offering made by Zyth Uttgu to the High on High, the Night of Stars, the Great Sundering of Her Mighty Kingdom, and the Meeting of Dworg Natth and Aeolam Eeitti.
It is of no small scholarly interest that the historical record of these events is largely supported by the depictions of the Mural, with the one significant exception of Highgraf Reqquin’s presence at the Meeting of Dworg Natth and Aeolam Eeitti. While many Aeolam scholars claim this was poetic license, as they have never argued against the influence the Highgraf had on the meeting; other scholars suggest this brings the official narrative of the meeting into question.
However accurate the Mural is, it is unquestionably an artifact of great age and historical import. Signs to the Mural of History are posted all throughout the ten floors above and below the Main Port, so significant is its draw.
The Crystal Garden
Perhaps the most intriguing location in the Grand Junction is the Crystal Garden found on the seventh upper level. Surrounded by polished rock, the Crystal Garden is a place famed for its meditative properties. The pink and pale blue crystals are strong and nearly perfectly clear, alternately transparent and reflective, depending on the angle you look at them from.
It is customary to carry a small pinch of sand with you when you walk the garden. When you think you see someone out of the corner of your eye — which you will — you are supposed to toss the sand in the opposing direction. The meaning and significance behind this gesture is lost to time, though multiple theories have been offered.
The Garden itself has no recorded history, as the earliest records of its presence make note of its age. The only possible reference to its origin is an ancient Gilbrim tale: Wryn-Tax and the Quiet Monk.
As the story goes: Ages ago, Wryn-Tax sold a single crystal of no great value to a traveling monk of great virtue. While others mocked the purchase, the monk found great solace in its shine. Wryn-Tax walked away the wealthier for the deal, while the monk continued their journey, of which many stories are told (the original tale consists of seventy-eight significant events in the monk’s travels) until finally reaching a barran outrcropping, where the monk set the crystal down and shed a single tear upon it. From this single crystal, a thousand bloomed to create the great Crystal Forest, of which the Crystal Garden is but a portion, gifted by an ancient King who had no claim to it.
According to this folk-tale, every crystal of the forest had a portion of the monk and his journey within it. It is said, if you sit quietly and look and listen hard enough, you will see fragments of long forgotten travels, though perhaps they will not be your own.
The Face of Anticipation
Carved into the outer wall of the lower second level, the Face of Anticipation is a giant statue of a Dworg face, gender unknown. Carved by an ancient Dworg sculptor, the Face of Anticipation has achieved something of a status as a shrine for travelers. To gaze upon the Face, it is said, is to gaze upon your own face at the beginning of its journey.
Some say you must look on the face before your travels as a means of centering yourself, and contemplating what you hope to attain through your travels. Others believe the Face should only be seen at the end of your journey, as a means to reflect on how you have changed. A few faiths hold the Face of Anticipation as a power in its own right, a means by which your memories and ambitions can be saved, should the worst befall you during your traveling.
Surrounding the Face is a large collection of offerings made by travelers of all kinds. The proper offering is some kind of organic, whether flower, plant, food, or paper. Gemstone is taboo, and it is believed any who offer either a gem, carving, or similar hard material offering will be cursed to forever wander, never to have a home again, until they retrieve the offering and throw it into the Velvet.
Society
Being a center of cosmopolitan travel, there is no concrete “society” of the Grand Junction, as such. In fact, one may be certain to find a comfortable and familiar atmosphere somewhere in the Grand Junction, no matter from whence they hail.
Colloquially, however, there are a few local customs that should be noted by those who are not regular travelers.
First, the stairs are never to be used by merchants, Loquan Penitents, gatherers, or any other traveler who possesses a wheeled cart or pram. Using wheeled carriage on the stairs is a significant faux pah, and will cause discord among the regulars.
Second, the fifth floor — locally known as “Barger Bay” — is not a place for tourism. Any significant displays of wealth, audacity, or self-confidence may be seen as a challenge by the locals, and result in conflict. Travelers are urged to keep the privacy of Barger Bay and its inhabitants with great respect.
Third, it is commonly said that the quality of the local services decreases the further away you get from the main port. This is notably false, though it is common for folk to neglect the lower levels due to their greater distance from their transport. It is advised for visitors to find a guide or local to direct them towards suitable lodgings or refreshments.
Fourth, there is a ghost story told of ramp Je-Five. While I, as a scholar, cannot support the story and will therefore not reprint it here, it is important to recognize that many locals do believe, and place great stock in the tale. As such, never whistle or ring a bell while in hearing range of ramp Je-Five. (For safety, avoid making such noises when at any of the Je ramps)
Last, the custom of tipping is ubiquitous in the Grand Junction. You cannot ever go wrong with pressing even a small coin into the palm of a local.
Incidentally, this is where the term “pressing” originates. If anyone suggests, asks for, or mentions a “press,” give them a coin.
Governance/Politics
The Grand Junction is ruled over by a council of thirteen Tribons, an old Zyth word best translated as “Judges.” After their formation, the Tribution became a central locus of political and legal power on the Station. With the Compact being signed by seven community leaders and noterized by both the Emmissary of the Arcwhite Kingdoms and the Adjunct of the Netherthanes, legal matters and foreign affairs were given to the Tribution as their responsibilities.
A Tribon’s term of service is no more than two years, and no less than one. A second year is granted if there are no formal objections made against a Tribon, with suitable justifications including immoral or criminal behavior. Personal grievances are not acceptable justification for a formal objection.
New Tribons are selected by other members of the Tribution every half year. The Tribution accepts applicants of all creeds and cultures, though the oath of office makes mention to a suspention of any and all national, familial, or religious devotion for the term in question. In short, the new Tribon is forbidden from acting on any biases that may influence their decisions. This oath does forbid certain cultures and religions from participating, or at least not without special dispensation.
The Tribution meets in the Chamber Caughtran’yi, or the “Chamber of Small Mercies.” Here, any who wish may bring their pleas or petitions to the Tribution, and recieve their judgment. Laws are passed through a simple majority, though modifications to the Compact and the Tribution’s Methods of Practice require 2/3rds majority. Any laws that are not passed with 2/3rds are automatically re-voted on after two years.
Tributes are elected by the Tribution, though anyone can be nominated by a sizable enough backing from the citizenry. Votes are regularly instigated through public petition.
General law and order is largely kept, again, through communal effort; but on occation, the Station Guard are required. The Guard is an organization committed to preventing violence on the Station, with each individual given extensive training on multiple pacification and suppression techniques. Currently, there are five-hundred named Guardsmin on the Station, and they can usually be seen in groups of three patrolling the heavily trafficked tourist locations.
There is controversy surrounding the Tribution and its rule, as there always is in governance, but the authority of the Tribution has been maintained, mostly due to the influence — and pressure-valve qualities — of the Locals.
DRAFT The Locals
The Grand Junction is larger than most cities, and as such has its own sub-communities and cultures. Individual Guilds and gangs have their own methods of governance, and are given large amounts of freedom to handle their own issues as they see fit. The Tribution only gets involved when disputes spill over into public arenas, or the organization in question desires a non-partisan outside influence.
This loose conglomeration of respected and empowered civilians all create an administrative network of “minor councils.” In most cases, whenever conflict between two individuals or organizations arises, the minor councils are approched. In some cases, jurisdiction is geographic, meaning the difference between minor or capital punishment for a crime might be no more than a single street. At the same time, some organizations demand jurisdiction over individuals, rather than locations, meaning a guildmember or visitor from a specific region might be given a different trial than another folk who committed the same offense.
Naturally, this results in a complicated bureaucratic web that serves mostly to confuse visitors.
There are, in addition, twenty confirmed “political organizations” that reside in the Grand Junction, each with varying goals and interests. This is not counting the innumerable “petty parties” that are rarely comprised of more than ten folk. Interests include everything from personal grievances to maintainance and security.
For minor conflicts or debates, a cadre of “small councils” are held throughout the station, organized by various parties and community organizations. These Town-Hall-like meetings are a place to air greviances, make requests, and increase community connectivity and spirit.
DRAFT The Code of Visitation
With such political back-and-forth, it is easy to assume that the Grand Junction is a place of great upheval and disorder. Nothing could be further from the truth, thanks to the Code of Visitation.
At once a legal reality, a cultural cornerstone, and an unspoken code of conduct, the Code of Visitation is a difficult matter to research, as the Code existed long before it was written down in any formal texts. In short, the Code insures that any who visit Grand Junction, whether on personal business or simply stopping for a rest on a longer journey, the residents of Grand Junction know to never bring their own political or social conflicts into play around any visitors.
The Code does not prevent outsiders from being involved in local politics, however. It merely enforces a wall between what is local business, and what is non-local business. Tourists, travelers, and other outsiders are therefore off-limits to more Machiavellian machinations.
While not formally upheld by any officials, violations of the Code of Visitation are dealt with swiftly. It is, perhaps, the one thing that will cause all conflicting organizations to band together and work for a common cause.
Visitors can therefore travel comfortably, knowing that their safety in the Grand Junction is no more at risk than anywhere else in the civilized portion of the Myriad Worlds.
Demographics
The demographics of the Grand Junction are impossible to describe; they change almost daily as vessels ferry people to and fro. Generally, at any one time, a full third of all Station residents are “transients;” that is, plan to leave the Station in less than five months, and do not plan to return within four. A quarter of all residents at any given time are “travelers,” who arrived less than one week ago and plan to leave in less than one week.
The Residents and Permanent Residents who do not fall into either category, account for the remaining five-twelfths of Grand Junction’s population.
In terms of the various Folk, the Grand Junction has a remarkably representative ratio of people from different worlds. About the only folk not represented in any great numbers on the Grand Junction are the Kit and the Gilbrim, the former due to a cultural discomfort with the Station, the latter due to not needing a waystation like the Grand Junction to travel. Gilbrim merchants do, occationally, set up shop in the market areas of the Station, but they rarely stay longer than half a month.
Due to the diversity of folk on the Grand Junction, there is a comparable diversity of all cultural signifiers: Religions, languages, cuisines, arts, and architectures of all the Myriad Worlds can be found on Grand Junction.
Zythspeak
Due to its origins and the principal influence Zyth culture had on the station in its early eras, the Zyth language is a kind of “commoner” speak. While there is accessibility for speakers of almost any language, much of the local culture and colloquial terminology is based on Zythspeak. Loanwords abound from the Zyth, and many sociologists believe that this influence has influenced the behavior and growth of culture on the Grand Junction.
Apart from the Zyth Language, almost any language you care to name has at least some small presence on the Grand Junction, with obvious exceptions for languages spoken by Folk not accustomed to traveling the Velvet. A great number of dialects also lack representation, though the presence of the Torquate on the Station insures that there is someone who can translate even the most obscure of languages.