Session 105 - The Remade Stair

GM Observations
- Given that we’re currently having a time compress and both Grant and Ethan have now attained Mastery of the Stair, we spent an evening talking through what we knew of realms close to Realm 0 (Earth) and what the PCs would do to reorganise the area. We used a Google Docs document to structure the conversation and agree the points. Grant and Ethan didn’t make large changes, but they did remove the links to realms that were potentially hazardous and then used the Blank Doors to create links to other worlds that were important to them. However, given that ten years have passed, the PCs have explored further and found many more hidden corridors in this section of the Stair. It is almost as if the Stair wants some of these realms to be hidden or protected. David has hinted at this multiple times over the the last three years of gameplay. It has also been hypothesised (including by Lucien - Session 106) that this is why the Stair chose two Wardens from the same world for this section of Stair.

Proximate to Realm 0 (Immediate Cluster)

• Realm 0 (Earth) - Current year 2003. Ethan has control of contents and a lot of problems have been solved, many conflicts avoided and scientific advances are beginning to have an impact on the public’s quality of life. Powell-Kapoor fusion cores have made energy abundantly available but also created huge social problems as the fossil fuel industry is upset. The European Space Agency takes lead on space exploration, eclipsing NASA.
• Middle Earth - in the last years, the winters have been much colder. Ethan can sense something powerful far to the north.
• Tyndam - a vast graveyard of abandoned houses and towns. Whatever plague / calamity has occurred here, the survivors have all but died out. The manor house which is close to the Door lies empty.
• Blank Door - Used to be linked to the Middle Kingdom

Within 5 minutes walk (500 metres)

• Oasis Seven - Accessible via a trap door in the ceiling, Oasis Seven is a space station in a highly politically fragmented galaxy but outside the territory of an known government. This allows trade in items restricted by other worlds’ laws, religions or various corporate machinations. The station is ruled by a Commander who is strangely absent. It is said that the Commander has enough favours owed to him by many governments to prevent interference and he has access to sufficient military forces to prevent anyone from attempting to take direct control of the station. Whilst rare goods and artifacts are the most visible items for sale, rumour has it that information is the most lucrative trade on the station.

Within 10 minutes walk (1km)

On the main branch

• Midas - a paradise island resort which Grant and Ethan have returned to many times.
• Curiosity Shop (Albion) - a modern world where feudalism never died out.

Branch #1 (Cluster of 3 Doors)

• Red Rock City - a mid-western township connected to other cities via a steam powered railway. Dead men continue to walk here.
• Shifting Sands - a place where sands consumed much of civilisation.
• Metro City - a modern world where over-the-top superheroes and villains are commonplace. The premier hero is the aging ‘Commander’.

Branch #2 (Cluster of 4 Doors)

• Marindar - once a Door which led to The Vault, it has been repurposed to point to Marindar.
• Bounty - a world where vegetation grows abundantly. It rains frequently, and the ground is very muddy here.
• Barsaive - leads to the city of Throal in the kingdom of Barsaive. People have only in the last decade begun to return to the surface after a long time underground, waiting for the ‘Horrors’ to leave.
• Blank Door - Used to be Jodan’s Factory, now a Blank Door which has yet to be repurposed.

Branch #3 (Bust on Pedestal, big red button - fireman’s pole)

• Gloriana - A medieval/feudal world. Magic exists, and is powerful, but those capable of using it are not common. There is a guild for Adventurers, who mainly fall into one of three categories - Fighter, Magic User and Thief. There are two rarer types - Wizard (an advanced Magic User) and Paladin - a fighter with additional abilities fueled by good deeds. The door is in a remote town, where the adventurer’s guild has fallen into disrepair, tended by an elderly ex-thief well past his prime. There is need of heroes here. The misfortunes are preposterous but are nonetheless real in this place. The duke is bedridden, his son and daughter are missing. No one has come through any of the passes into the valley in years, and no one who has left to go out through any of them has returned. The river has almost dried up and strange creatures roam the wilds at night. Most recently, no one has seen the gravedigger since last Tuesday. All of this is blamed on a curse placed by a powerful sorceress several decades ago.

Branch #4 (Single Door)

• Legendary Realm - a realm of ‘high adventure’ in which Grant and Ethan are ‘lost princes’. The Legendary Realm appears to have Doors to dark places elsewhere on the Stair.

Branch #5 (Accessible via concealed door and dumbwaiter)

• Santa’s Workshop - where Nicholas lives with his wife.

Other Doors in hidden sections:

• Trollbardin - the Door opens into the kitchens under the great hall of Trollbardin, the seat of power for King Amantar, Lord of the Rock Trolls. This is a realm where ‘might makes right’ and most ‘little uns’ have been enslaved. However there is a prophecy of an uprising and the Trolls are ever watchful for signs of rebellion.
• Sauria - The Door opens into a technologically advanced city named Luska populated by reptilian humanoids. Here, the reptiles became highly intelligent and advanced - mammals never evolved past small, furry creatures. The society is very different - hierarchical and ordered - but they have pushed the limits of technology farther than anything which Ethan and Grant have seen to date and both feel that there is much to learn here.
• Clockwork Caves - a great labyrinth of corridors inside some sort of great machine. There are synergies here with Clockworld but Ethan senses a powerful mind slumbering somewhere within the world.
• Anra - the Door opens into the walled city of Anra, a dark-ages level city state surrounded by dangerous wilderness. Humanity is under siege here from many other human ‘breeds’ and the wild is filled with monsters.
• Innros - A land of enslaved steam elementals and mechanical power, Innros clanks and clatters under the eyes of Dwarven ancestor gods.
• Earth-3 - A jarring Earth variant where the Door opens into Orléans, the capital of the Kingdom of Louisaine. The Kingdom of Louisaine controls more than two thirds of what would otherwise be North America. Grant and Ethan have spent days in the libraries here, trying to understand how the history of this place differs from their own.
• Mirrorworld - a strange world which (at least for Grant/Ethan) seems to mimic Realm 0, although little things are different.
• Sundered Realm - a deathly cold and dark place which feels as though it was once the remnant of something great. The ground here is littered with relics and items from a previous age, but there are also unquiet spirits ready to consume the living.
• Serran - an alternate world where noble giants rule as wardens of the land and humans live among a variety of different races: diminutive fey, savage but honourable leonine warriors, vinaceous-skinned psionicists, once-human reptilians, and a now-intelligent race that once were only beasts.

• From the Hidden Landing section, one of the chimneys is climbable (though very sooty). It reaches up multiple levels and to a cluster of other Doors before changing again to a truly alien section with curves and no stairs (Alien section)
• From the Hidden Landing section, it also possible to reach a section of Stair which looks like the interior of a Guest House, where each Door might lead to a separate room.

Within 15 minutes walk (2km)

• Versais - an alternate 18th century France. Versais refers to a nearby township but there is also a traveller’s inn which Grant and Ethan quite enjoy.
• City Seven - a cyberpunk world in which Mordecai is known to have a presence.
• Treasure Cave - a short partly collapsed tunnel leads to a vast treasure hoard of gems and gold.
• Starfall - a crashed spaceship which is on a significant angle.
• Skandia - the Door used to lead to be Eldale (Jodan’s Homeworld) but has been repurposed. Skandia was once Dwimmerlaik controlled but it has become one of Ethan’s haunts and he has achieved Control of Contents over the realm.
• Dust - the trapdoor opens out onto a vast plane of dust. Other Doors are present but they are far away.
• Cepharus Seven - an industrial world which is part of an alternate ‘Star Wars’ universe.
• Eflan - a faerie world populated by elves, sprites, dryads and other fey creatures. The Court is divided along seasonal lines - Summer, Spring, Winter and Autumn. Enchantments are everywhere, and the fey are only too eager to help Grant and Ethan … for a small price.
• The Best Tea Shop - the Door opens into a strange arcade with a relatively low ceiling - but the smell of freshly brewed scented tea can be as soon as Grant and Ethan step through. There are many small stalls here that serve tea and ‘whisp’ (a sort of tea cake) - Grant and Ethan have sampled many of them to try to determine which is ‘the best’. The people here are short and squat - almost gnomish.
• Junction - by the time Grant and Ethan discovered this world, the Dwimmerlaik civil war had already destroyed the key installation. Once a Dwimmerlaik military outpost, the Lords of Gossamer found the installation destroyed and the post abandoned.
• Europa - the Door opens into what appears to be Lisbon, but in this place, Europe is the dominant superpower. Ruled by a number of noble families which have enhanced (metahuman) abilities passed down along genetic lines, the world is in a new era of colonisation as the Europans seek to expand their influence across the world. Ethan has had some dealings here as they have advanced technology in some areas including teleportation and mass-energy conversion.
• Gort - the Door opens out from a tomb on a hillside covered with tropical vegetation. It is very hot and humid here. The inhabitants are burly green-skinned orks who spend most of their time warring against their neighbouring tribes.
• Mountains of the Five Winds - From an open rip in the fabric of reality, a cloud of Umbral energy sweeps across the land, changing all it touches. Five peaks above the endless cloud cradle five cities—the Five Winds—and protect what remains of civilization on this world. From this last bastion, its people hold back the tide and seek to turn it toward Order. The Door opens into Redstone, the centre of commerce on this world. Grant was fascinated by the warping impacts of Umbral energy on the inhabitants of this world and has determined to return here to study further.
• Tannish - Strange green forests surround ancient volcanoes of acidic chemicals on this world, where humans, elves, and dwarves live in domed cities of crystal.
• Assikon - A high energy reality strong in Eidolon and inhabited by ravids and silver plants whose vines grow centimetres every minute. They are kept in check by large silvery insects that feed upon them even as they spew forth pure oxygen. Ethan has not spent much time here but he was interested in the rapid rate of growth in this place and the delicate balance between the lifeforms.
• Blank Door x 2

Realms accessible via the Great Hall (a major junction):

• Earth-2 - coined ‘Earth-2’ by Ethan, superficially the world appears to be identical to their homeworld, except that the Door opens into the London Underground and time flows normally in this realm (there is no Clockworld). Alternate versions of Grant and Ethan both exist here and Ethan has been using ‘Earth-2’ as a reference to measure the degree of divergence. Ethan keeps a low profile here - he occasionally rents accommodation and goes exploring.
• Four Kingdoms - the world of Thessia was once part of a galactic empire, but the empire is in decline and worlds on the periphery have broken away. As the periphery slides into a technological ‘dark age’, Thessia is blessed by having enough food to feed all of its people but the other Kingdoms do not. Ethan is intrigued by this place and has visited more than once - he foresees invasion on the horizon here.
• Juniper - an early mediaeval world of talking animals. The cats of Westgate have decided to set up a colony here for the time being.
• Garrison - a heavily militarised world which Grant has harnessed, figuring that he would need an army at some point.
• The Isle of Silrae - looking for a comfortable inn to have a good meal, rest and get away from it all, Ethan and Grant found a Door that leads to an isolated verdant island with high mountains. The Wayfarer’s Arms is a small inn which looks like it hasn’t changed much in over a thousand years, even though it has been modernised internally. In winter, the nearby mountains are covered in snow. In stormy weather, the windows shake as powerful storms lash the inn - but the occupants remain cozy inside.
• Iron Forge - the Door here opens into an underground labyrinth - the home of three dwarven smiths. Each is supremely confident of their own abilities.
• Djah - a tropical world gleaming under constant starlight. Its native inhabitants offer sacrifices to the evil gods under the sea who emerge when the moon is dark.
• The Iron Kingdoms - a steampunk and sorcery world where humanity (and other races) are spread out across a number of city states.
• Log Cabin - a trim cabin made of redwood logs which looks as though it has been abandoned for many years. However Ethan is able to tell that it once belonged to Lucien.
• Deluer - this stone Door opens into labyrinth of crystalline roads which stretch through a dark grey void connecting tiny, glittering jewel-worlds to solid spheres of iron, silver and gold. Xorns and other elemental creatures inhabit Deluer, but humanoids are forbidden to roam freely and mining is the greatest of all crimes.
• Empyrea - an enlightened Greco-Roman realm ruled by the God-Emperor Bellaphon. At first suspicious and skeptical of them, Grant and Ethan have developed a friendly rapport with the Allfather. The God-Emperor shows avid interest in the worlds beyond his own, and Grant and Ethan have seen no reason not to be open with him. Grant has discussed inviting the Allfather to Marindar and Lady Sophia has agreed to this - however the timing has never been quite right.
• The Tower - the Door opens onto a landing within a great tower made of white stone that appears to climb into the heavens. There are many chambers here, some of them large enough to hold townships and even small cities. As to what lives at the top of this tower, Ethan has been keen to find out - he can sense a powerful mind (and ‘light’) at the top.
• Crylitt - The Door here opens into a vast underground complex, one of the few shelters remaining. The people are poor, hungry and desperate as they are constant siege from the denizens from the deep reaches of this world.
  Sara - A fascist society loyal to the Masters (though their Dwimmerlaik Masters have been absent for some time). The people here are non-human, but humanoid with pale yellow skin and even paler yellow-white hair. They have received many benefits from being loyal to the Dwimmerlaik and await the time that their Masters will return.
• Dim Quamol - A world with no sun, but illuminated by surprisingly bright stars in a perpetual twilight. The humans living here have no concept of good or evil, and a godlike being called the Sentinel works to ensure that no one teaches them.
• Blank Door x 3

From the Great Hall, it is possible to climb to the Balconies (upper levels).

• From the Great Hall, it is possible to descend into the Basement Levels. Beyond the Basement Level is a section of Stair that looks almost identical to the Home Landing, and there is also a circular stone staircase which ascends and descends. A number of branches have not been explored.
• From the Great Hall, there is also a narrow chute (with a knotted rope ladder) to reach the Lower Basement. There are many junctions here with sections of the Grand Stair branching off in many directions.

Realms accessible via the upper balconies of the Great Hall (a major junction):

• Gemworld - a realm of high magic but mediaeval technology, almost everyone can use magic here even if it is just to help them fish. There are many faerie races here and twelve noble families based on the gemstones that give the families their powers. An odd property of this world is that it tends to de-age people back to an adult (peak) level.
• Earth-5 - Another alternate Earth, although in this world the Door opens in occupied Paris. The year here is 2012 (9 years in the future) but there has been a major divergence in that most of Europe and the Soviet states are controlled by Nazi Germany. Finding the idea distasteful, Grant and Ethan left quickly but it has come up in conversation more than once that there is a world that needs help.
• The Village - this strange place appears to be a normal English village, but there are some strange anomalies here. For starters, Wayfinding doesn’t work at all here and the major powers are exceptionally weak. Ethan is able to sense a strong mind here ‘in all directions’ and he feels that only subtle magics would be successful here. Deciding that this place could even be a manifestation of The Nightmare Realm, Grant and Ethan left quickly.
• Maze - The Door opens into a small township of only a few thousand people but the inhabitants seem to be convinced that ‘treasure’ exists in the labyrinth beyond. The sky above the ‘Maze’ is an endless black, unbroken by light of any kind. At the entrances to the labyrinth (at the outskirts of town), Ethan can tell that there are sorcerous portals in place which lead ‘elsewhere’, possibly to other realms. Ethan made a discreet exit from this place, and has decided to return to this place at some future date with at least one companion.
• Elfhome - a land of perpetual youth where little has changed in thousands of years. The people lead a simple life in tune with nature, and they have frequent interactions with the fey. Although the true fey are shy and reclusive, the humans themselves are curious and interested in newcomers. They have met both Jacob and Lucien before. The Door is part of a shrine which has been well maintained for years.
• Triala - A realm of elven kingdoms where the other races have been enslaved “for their own benefit,” and where a resistance to the elven boot is growing in the swamps.

Within 30 minutes walk (3km)

• Nexopolis - Multiple paths lead to Nexopolis, a major nexus with hundreds of Doors, but the fastest way is via Clockworld. There are multiple Lords of Gossamer inhabiting Nexopolis - it is too complex a place for a single Lord to hold complete control.
• Blank Door x 6
• Toyworld - a world filled with living toys.
• Frontier - opening out from a dilapidated shed which has been abandoned, Grant found that he had stepped into a place in which colonisation had been attempted but failed. The township is almost gone, and nature has taken over again. The people are gone - and there is unexplored wilderness in all directions. Grant and Ethan have been exploring the nearby area (for fun). Interestingly enough, low magic (like Sorcery) doesn’t work here and even high magic (like Umbra and Eidolon) are extremely difficult to use as the natural order of this place opposes it.
• Waterworld - the Door here opens onto a tiny island, and steps descend down into the sea. In this place, there are many atolls and islands but no continents. Instead, civilisation has developed beneath the sea. A dolphin-like race with an additional pair of flippers and a long serpent-like tail which can be used for fine motor control is the dominant race here. Grant shapeshifted into the same form as the natives in order to explore.
• ‘It’s Christmas’ - an odd world which Ethan and Abbie discovered where it’s always winter time, and there is always a winter festival on. Time isn’t stopped or looping (as far as Ethan can tell), but it seems to be a natural law here that it is always winter time and the season never changes.

Further Afield (beyond 30 minutes walk)

• Earth-4 - another Earth-like world with significant similarities to their home and Earth-2, the primary difference here appears to be psychic potential. Both Ethan and Grant are able to sense other powerful minds in London. The Door here opens into the London Underground in exactly the same place as Earth-2 (spooky!)
• Agora - the grand market which sprawls across many realms and sections of Stair. Many merchants have tokens which enable them to gain access to the nearby Doors.
• Goblin Market - another crossroads, where clever goblins sell their wares but the buyer must still beware.
• Hyboria - a world which sounds remarkably like the Hyboria of Conan and Red Sonja mythology. Magic works here but it is rare. With steel and cunning, a bold man or woman could carve out a kingdom.
• Mossbourne - a township which appears mediaeval but magic also works in this realm and there are orcs, giants and witchcraft. Elves, dwarves, gnomes and hobbits (halflings) also exist here, much to Ethan’s delight.
• Earth-E - a world much like Grant and Ethan’s homeworld, except for ‘The Exceptionals’ which have begun manifesting in the last two years. These gifted individuals only have minor powers but it is already starting to create divergence away from what Grant and Ethan think of as ‘normal’.
• ‘Fairytale’ - a realm where all of the traditional fairy tales are real and happening in contemporary time, almost as recurring themes. However, not all fairytales have happy endings.
• ‘Giant Furry Animal World’ - is a land where mice, rats and other creatures which are typically small, are actually huge - either that, or people entering from the Stair are small in comparison.
• Norwald - a savage northern kingdom which reminded Ethan of Skandia and Einland, however here Ethan is able to sense the ‘Gods’ via Wayfinding, suggesting that they really exist as physical beings.
• Dynia - the Door opens out to a vast wine growing region. Life is slow here, and the people are relatively dull and unimaginative, however they have amazing food.
• Metropolis One - the Door opens out into a vast robotic city. Here living robots go about their business - each is an individual, but they also share some common thinking as well.
• Eridani Prime - a feudal world with futuristic technology, this land is owned by House Eridani. Their armed forces are relatively small, but they also have bought mercenary support with land and titles.
• Destroyed World - Ethan has gone hunting for traces of the Rhan (who destroyed Abbie’s world of Meridian) and found another example of their handiwork, suggesting that they are still active in the multiverse. He has not yet told Abbie about this.
• ‘Mageworld’ - coined ‘Mageworld’ by Ethan, the land is actually called Salvador. In this place, the mages are firmly in control of the land and the population. There is a small resistance movement of ‘muggles’ (non-magical people) but it is only a matter of time before they are wiped out.
• Vesper - a world where Umbra is particularly strong, and the people are used to harnessing the eddies of chaos/change. There is no homogenous race here, because the people here are themselves shifters, changing as their environment does.
• City of the Drow - in searching for other places where Arana might find a home, Grant and Ethan have uncovered a city of Dark Elves living deep beneath the ground - an astonishing place but also a place of great cruelty.
• Ydyl - an utopian society with advanced technology. The people are beautiful and serene. They are empathic and telepathic, and it takes a great deal of effort not to connect to these people on a telepathic level.

Next session (Session 106), we have three smaller adventures. One with Ichabod and Isabelle, one where Ethan spends time talking with Lucien, and finally the first gathering of the Lords of Gossamer that Grant and Ethan have been invited to.

PS: Some of these realms are made up by David and I, but also some are drawn from official Rite Publishing supplements (e.g.: Empyrea), also a handful are drawn from Beyond Countless Doorways, and also from the GURPS Alternate Earths supplements....