NOVEL NEXT X1.4.lore - Encyclopedia Infinita
BIRTHPALACE BLUEPRINTS & DETAILED DETAILS SECTIONS OF THE ENCYCLOPEDIA INFINITA
ENCYCLOPEDIA INFINITA
This section appears at the end of each Act (For example at the end of X1.4 – The Gifts). It includes additional info and lore, enriching the story. Think of it as extra reading for those who want a deeper understanding of the world of the story. It also allows the author's writing schedule not to slip out of control with the publication schedule.
THE FLOODED BASEMENTS OF THE PALACE
The Palace is made up of countless floors, each with an untold amount of giant halls and rooms. The Basements are, obviously, within the lower part of the Palace, and feature gorgeous spaces with ornate designs and colorful local cultures. The Basements, for most of history, have been dry. It is only during the present age that water has flooded them. At first, the waters were ignored by the locals, as well as the Free Folk living in or near the Basements. Eventually, however, people in the lower rooms realized that the water levels' rise did not relent, increasing with each day. Many locals of the lower Basements fled their homes to avoid drowning, while some, more stubborn folk, decided that they would remain behind, no matter the consequences.
Some notable places, services, and experiences within the Palace Basements are:
Blueberry Hall West
The Mascarpone Masquerade Theatre
Cheesecake Village
Buttercrust Market
Port Brine
Greenback Turtle Transport (from Market Harbor to North Wipplebottoms, 22 stops)
Shadewater Marsh
Jellyfish Archipelago
Underwater Train Line Station (from Donut Valley, passing through Jellyfish Archipelago, Pumpernickel Town, to Sesame Glen)
Humpback Whale Transport (within Jellyfish Archipelago's 12 islands)
Pumpernickel Town
Theya's Bathhouse "Simmering Waters" (look for the back door to the Simmering Soups restaurant)
Ghost Forests 19-22
Master Vesper's home "Greenroot Oasis" (look for a giant tree surrounded by a high circular wall)
The Black Tentacle Rooms
Flooded Neruy
Drowned Town
Water West
Ergast Depths
Greenroot Oasis
Greenroot is a large walled compound in the middle of a dead forest within one of the Palace Basements. It features a large tree in the middle called 'Boon-Ah,' home to numerous smaller Kami and animals. Greenroot's bottom floor is subdivided into the food forest, where the old man cultivates his food, the kitchen and the long dining table. Climbing the tree, one can find the Shrine of Boon-Ah tucked inside a hollow portion of the giant trunk of the tree. Further up is Vesper's home, a simple, white mobile home perched atop a wide, wooden patio. His home features only a bed, a sink and stove, and a coffee table in the middle. Lastly, within its canopy is the training ring, where Vesper and his students fight, practicing their skills.
If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.
Master Vesper
Master Vesper is a martial artist, farmer, and lover of mushrooms with various special properties. He is a Free Man of around 75 years, short, skinny, yet with a big belly. His looks hide a skilled martial artist who is able to wield his aura to manifest several Gifts. These include: the Scutum, Haste, Whisper, the Gunhand, and Pan's Gift. Vesper, while a Jumper, has never been outside of the Palace, having only jumped through the Exit he has hidden within his secret study. Thanks to helping many travelers of worlds passing by, the old man has been able to collect and copy many pages of the Encyclopedia Infinita. His favorite dish is pickled snapping turtle, sauteed with Aurorea Mushrooms, and a decent helping of aromatic herbs from his large garden.
The Loot Gift of Auric Exchange
Brining money across planes of Existence can be tricky. Currencies are too many, hard to carry, and the exchange rates are often impossible to calculate. Jumpers of worlds have cleverly found a more expedient, and standardized way of transferring value amongst one another. They use aura as currency. To transfer one's 'money' one needs to learn the Loot Gift. By placing one's hand into a tight fist, focusing on the feeling of letting go, as if there is a hole in one's hand, one can release droplets of aura. Another person, the recipient of the transaction, can then absorb it simply by letting the droplets touch their skin. Amounts are hard to gauge in small doses, often causing Jumpers to get into fights over the costs of various things.
The Haste Gift of Speed
When one needs to go faster, simply manifest the Gift of Haste. By transferring aura to certain parts of the body, such as arms and legs, one can give a boost to one's movements. This allows for superhuman running, punching, kicking, and just about any other movement one can think of. Just focus on the parts you want to speed up, and send your aura there, to get that extra spring in your step.
The Scutum Gift of Auric Shield
The Scutum is the most used defensive Gift among auric wielders. It places one's aura on the outside of one's body, just a few centimeters from the skin, creating a shield made of energy. The shield is as strong as one's aura is deep. The more energy, the more of a beating the shield can take, meaning the harder the impact, and the more deadly the damage that it is able to protect the user from. Once one's aura is depleted, however, the Scutum breaks, usually shattering with a flash or a flicker, allowing any damage to pass through, damaging the person's body.
Pan's Gift of Flight
One of the most sought-after Gift, and perhaps one of the most fun, Pan's Gift is the ability to levitate, or fly. By moving the whole body up and about, the user can glide through the air freely, and as acrobatically as they can wish to. This Gift uses a lot of aura, and Jumpers who are rookies or resets tend to have a hard time satisfying this high energy input. The greatest users of Pan's Gift are the various sky peoples of Shy-Sky.