The Nexus.
A vast city that sits on the shores of eternity, rising up out of the deep that surrounds it. An infinite ocean that connects to all oceans, all bodies of water, everywhere. The sky is a permanent orange-red and grey. Sometimes darkening, sometimes brightening, but there is no true sense of day or night here in this dismal realm. Far above, broad dark lines criss-cross the heavens, like the branches of some unfathomably large tree.
Or perhaps you found the city in the desert? The desert has no name, for it is all deserts. You wandered for what seemed like forever, bringing your mortal body close to the brink of death, but somehow never faltering. Dark lines began to form in the sky as evening came. That orange-red colour that never faded. The tall spires of the city rising up from the sands, as though grown there.
No, it must have been in the forest. Endless tall trees and a canopy punctuated by that sickly twilight glow. You emerged into a clearing to see structures emerging from the living wood of the trees. Structures that formed the edges of a vast city, filled with…
Of course, you were in the city all the time. The city you reside in. You had lived there all your life, but never explored the lost quarter before today. As evening drew in, you noticed a change in the architecture. Tall spires abound, strange twisted architectural forms in defiance of conventions you never experienced, except within your dreams. How could you have missed the rising swell of buildings, the dark branches across the sky, the awful sound ringing in your ears, threatening to tear your mind apart…
It does not matter where you are. You might be high in the Zuchiuchu Mountains, deep beneath the Nyella Ocean, lost in the subterranean Umbral Depths, or travelling through the barley fields of Adeluna. If you are meant to find the Nexus, you will. Or rather; it will find you.
The Nexus is a city like every other and yet unlike any other. None can say how far it extends, nor into how many other realms it spreads. It has many aspects and states, but some things remain constant.
The People.
The people of the Nexus are many and varied. Every species and ethnicity known to you can be found here, as well as a great many you have never before encountered. Most of the population are travellers, stopping off here before they go elsewhere. The true natives of the Nexus are rumoured to be the Nameless Things that stalk the streets like diaphanous ghosts, constantly shifting and changing, flickering in and out of existence, sometimes as solid as stone, more often as insubstantial as sunlight. To stare at one for too long is to invite its attention. Never underestimate them, for while they may even be helpful, there is always a price to be paid. Seasoned travellers usually pretend they cannot see the Nameless Things. It is usually better that way.
The City.
Nexus has no walls. In the centre, towers rise high into the air, like enormous flying buttresses on some gothic cathedral where the architect has gone mad and forgotten where to stop. A single black tower rises from the grey stone structures surrounding it. It is the only building without decoration, statues, windows, or balconies. A dark foreboding surrounds the Black Tower, for this is where the Lord of Chaos who Walks in Dreams, is said to hold court.
As one moves away from the centre, the buildings grow smaller, until the furthest outskirts of the Nexus consist of cottages, huts and makeshift structures, built from any material available. Occasionally a larger building stands out from the rest, but out here in the Fringe, the architecture is modest, even humble.
The Marketplace.
One of the strangest places in the nexus. You can find almost anything here, that you might expect to find in any marketplace. Street food, cloth, herbs and spices, livestock, craftsmen and women. But the connoisseur comes here for other fare. Rare dreamstuff, inspiration, ancient manuscripts, creatures from other planes, curses and enchantments, lost memories. For here is where the realm of dreams intersects with the mortal world. Items manufactured from onerium, the dream metal, can be purchased here. Things that could not exist in the mortal realm can easily be sourced in a place such as this. It is not unusual to find the Nameless Things working in stalls such as these. It is one of the rare times when they are safe to approach.
But beware. While some travelling merchants are happy to accept your coin, many here require different forms of payment. Body parts are common, as well as sacrifices and the very essences of what it means to be you. Some leave without beating hearts in their otherwise living bodies, others without any recollection of who they are. Some pay with everything that they were. It is remarkable what people are willing to sacrifice in order to gain the thing they think they truly desire.
Nothing is free in the Nexus. Everything comes at a price, whether you are aware of it, or not.
The Harbour.
It is a loose term to describe what the Nexus has as its main port of entry and exit as a harbour. Of course, there is access to the infinite ocean, but one may find airships, tethered wyrms, even floating castles docked at the Nexus. There is a quay of course. It stretches and curves out into the ocean, as far as one can see. Some say it is a bridge to other worlds, others say it simply fades into the distance. Others swear that the quay eventually curves back round to the other side of the Nexus, where lies a secret harbour district that is a distorted mirror of this one. Whatever the case, the quay always has many forms of vessel moored to it. There is always constant activity. After all, there is no true night or day here. Time too is a malleable thing. Ask anyone the time and they will look at you like you are mad.
Many pylons have been erected along the length of the quay. Most have platforms and ropes at the top and are serviced by great ladders. This is where aerial vessels (and beasts) may moor. A pale mist obscures the highest pylons and the most distance sections of the quay from view, but the mist has never served as a hazard. Remarkably, none have ever perished while docking.
The Black Tower.
At the heart of the Nexus stands a square tower (although sometimes it is round, depending on who is viewing it) carved of solid black basalt. It appears to absorb the light around it, making it difficult to look at. If you inspect the tower, you will see no windows or doors. In fact, to the casual observer, the tower appears to be an enormous tower of solid black rock.
But if you are permitted, or if the Lord of Chaos who Walks in Dreams favours you, an entrance may appear. What lies within is known only to a few. Some have reported immense empty spaces, while others declare it is a bustling hive where giant insects scurry back and forth, performing unknown tasks. Others swear they passed through immense galleries, linked by narrow staircases. All that is certain is that this is where the Lord of the Nexus holds court. What he does there, can only be guessed at.
