A Travelogue of Thoss.

The World of Thoss

If you want to lose yourself, in a world of magic, Dragons, and fantastic creatures, then Thoss is the Place to visit.  From the ancient ruins of the Great Library, on the Western Coast of ‘Oldhome’, to the Great Mountains, which encircle the planet, and on to Newhome, where the entire civilization is like a giant Renaissance faire,  There is much to be seen. To the far South of Oldhome, are the ‘Lands of the Khan’, which are unlike any place you have seen, or read about. There you will find culture that slightly mirrors the historical Orient, but not really.  There is magic there, but not the overt use which is seen in Newhome. The people in the lands of the Khan try to live much as did their ancestors on Earth.

  Yes, the population of Thoss is from Earth.  The tale is odd, but easily explained. There was a wormhole, into which, in the near future, a shipload of colonists journeyed.  They were seeking a place to live out their fantasies, as medieval players in a story of Dwarves, Elves and fantastic creatures. They took oversized Horses, equipment for creating GMOs, and even some flying lizards, which had been mixed, genetically, with bats, to create small winged “dragons”.  The Wormhole took them back, over 5000 years, in time. The emerged near a Planet which was not ‘normal’. This world, whose name was lost in antiquity, was designed and ‘built’ by a race of creatures seeking ‘transmogrification’ through meditation. It was designed to provide necessities, and allow the inhabitants to seek a ‘higher existence’, over time.  It seems to have worked, since the original inhabitants were gone, and the world was left, self-repairing and inhabitable, instead of being ‘turned off’.

 After some time passed, how much is uncertain, a device from another species, possibly more ancient than the builders, came to rest on the planet.  This was the result of another lengthy tale, not included here. The ‘new’ device was designed to allow sentient beings to interface with what was called, “the quantum absolute” and was related to the ‘zero point energy’ of vacuum state.  It projected a field of 3.2 light years diameter, and it took some tens of thousands of years for the planet and the device to function together, without significant problems. Into this environment the colony ship traveled, completely unaware.

  After the massive problems, with keeping the ship from exploding, and dealing with the varying degrees of insanity which occurred, the colony ship, Ethos, came to rest on the planet.  At first the planet was named after the ship, since Ethos seemed a good choice. After a few hundred years, it came to be called simply ‘thos’ or Thoss, because of linguistic variation.  As this happened, the persons in positions of power decided that a group of people should be tasked with preserving the language, since it seemed to be degrading. Other changes were happening too, but resistance was futile.

  The interaction of the Planet and the Device, bizarre as it was, began to change the colonists.

They became the creatures they had sought to find, with Dwarves, Elves and Gnomes being the major components.  There was also a core of ‘human’ stock retained, but everyone was altered slightly, to allow the use of the quantum matrix.  The ability to alter the nature of reality, by affecting the probabilities involved, quickly became “magic” and those with above average talent in the skill became Magicians.  The ones who could enhance healing and growth, including plant and animal growth, became ‘Boons’ to the society, while those who were more easily able to start fires, break things and create lightning became the “Banes” of existence.

  Now you can see that you’ve come to a magical place, but you’ll have to be trained in control and interaction, before you can travel this world.  This interaction, which the locals call magic, can be dangerous, not only to you, and your mental state, but to any device or situation, with which you interact.  You will learn how to control your interaction with this field, and in a very short time, you’ll be certified as ‘safe’ to explore the world you’ve found. There are only a few other things of which to be cautious.

  About 4500 years ago, or slightly less than a thousand years after the arrival of the Ethos, there was almost an extinction event, on this world.  A very large spacecraft crashed into the planet, and almost split it in half. The systems for maintenance could not have dealt with this event, alone, but in concert with the device, the planet was saved.  The huge range of mountains which divide the planet into two equal hemispheres, was the result. The vast desert, called Char, for obvious reasons, is another feature which has yet to be repaired. The danger of this event, apart from the changes in climate and services, lay in the contents of the spacecraft.

There was an entity, born in space, which survived the crash.  He was seeking the quantum device, but had no idea of its function.  The crash of his ship was a result of his ignorance, and the slowness of his intelligence.  This creature, who was eventually given the name Fifnir, was ancient and had much knowledge, but was not quick to think.  He finally, after almost a century, figured out that he needed to use the local population to search for the item of his desire, but they were not disposed to be his obedient servants.  He began to attempt the selective alteration of creatures, none of which were important to him, in order to procure servants.

 His clumsy efforts, in spite of his knowledge, led to a plethora of what could only be described as ‘monsters’.  They acquired names, as time passed, but were unique, being only vaguely similar to their namesakes. When, in a few thousand years, he was defeated, and driven into the ‘absolute elsewhere’, the creatures he had created should have perished.  Not all of them did. Some hundreds of them were self-sustaining, not through any effort of Fifnir, but because they had enough rudimentary intelligence to continue. Some were even close enough to existing species to reproduce and grow into a serious problem.  That problem continues to be present.

  Now, as to places to see, and things to do:

1. In terms of places, where people live, the top two locations would have to be the City of Chevalier, and the Isle of Magic.  
1. Chevalier is a city, original to the planet, with a huge number of additions.  The sewer system, below this city, would inspire envy in the citizens of Paris, on Earth, except that it is probably three times the size, and twice the depth.  It extends into the “underworld”, an area still under repair. The architecture of Chevalier, a mixture of Earth, alien and what developed on Thoss, is enough to astound you for days, not to mention the range of nightspots, restaurants and concert halls.  It is said that a party begins every moment, in Chevalier, but seldom does one end.
2. The Isle of Magic, on the other hand, is a collection of every exceptional Magician on Thoss.  It is there, in a town named Scarborough, where ordinary people become magicians, if they can pass the exams.  The weather on the Island, while strictly controlled, is not subject to variation. Everybody talks about the weather there, but it’s illegal for anyone to actually ‘do’ anything about it.  The whole area is climate controlled, by the high council of Magicians. If you have the funds, you can purchase items of ‘magic’ on the Island, some of which are self-powered, and will work anywhere.  The procedures for taking such a thing home are outlined in the pamphlet you were given, entitled “Regulations concerning dangerous or novel contrivances from Planet Thoss, if to be exported to Earth.” This 274 page booklet is quite thorough in its discussion of the appropriate regulations and fees.
   
2. Where land features are concerned, the great plateau, the Barrier Mountains, and the River in Newhome are primary.
1. The Great Plateau is an escarpment, some 1500 feet high, at its lowest point, Which runs from the eastern sea to the Barrier Peaks.  Above it are lands which, for most of the year, are snowbound, and below it are the more ‘civilized’ regions of Newhome. The region named Torvaald, filled with the descendants of those colonist who were enamored of the Viking, and Norse, lifestyle, is located on the Eastern edge, next to the fjords and cliffs.  There are also numerous ‘tribal’ groups, who have lost most of civilization, and call themselves ‘barbarians’ in spite of not having any historical links.
2. The Barrier Mountains, which run North to South or South to North, continuously around the planet, Are almost twice the height of any range on Earth, with some of the peaks high enough to have no breathable atmosphere.  In this region, the creatures of Fifnir have hidden themselves away, so that travel here requires an armed escort. Such expeditions are regularly outfitted, and sometimes a band of non-military warriors, calling themselves “adventurers” will assemble to make a foray into the area.  
3. The River in Newhome, which has more names than are easily counted, is one that begins on the Great Plateau, and flows Southward, all the way to the Gulf of Samovar.  This distance is almost a quarter of the planetary circumference, and has never been accurately measured. Without satellites, and with severely limited technology, the mapping is, at best, approximate.  A passage, either upriver, or downriver, on one of the large excursion vessels, is not to be missed. Attacks, by river creatures, on these large vessels are extremely rare, and the last victims of any such, are decades in the past.

3. There are also the Dwarven settlements, which include vast underground dwelling places. These halls are lighted, heated, and filled with life.  Dwarves enjoy eating and drinking, sometimes to excess, and almost everything made from stone, metal, gems,or any combination of the above, will be found for sale.
4. The Elven settlements, which can easily be mistaken for forests, are numerous, including Byredale, Brightwood, Goldenwood, and other, lesser plantings.
1. Byredale is the legendary home of the mother of that Hero called “The slayer of the God of Evil”. This place is younger than most of the Elven enclaves, being probably less than a thousand years old.  It is filled with “Elven architecture', and the paths and arched bridges which are common, among the forest people.
2. Brightwood is the settlement farthest to the West, in Newhome.  It is home to the greatest number of Western Elf Warriors. Because of its proximity to the Barrier Mountains, this settlement of Elves has borne the brunt of the defense of Newhome, along with Barony Samovar and the Duchy of Wayne.
3. Goldenwood, with its location next to Magic Isle, is the nexus of Elfin Magic.  Everything from foodstuffs, to ornate and powerful weapons for melee, as well as the extraordinary bows and arrows, of that race.  The delicate objets d’art, for which the Elves are so famous, and the musical instruments, can also be found here. The college of Bards is also found nearby.
4. The smaller elven enclaves, located in almost every large wooded area in Newhome, are each home to some specific facet of Elven life.  All of them are worth a visit, if you have weeks in which to do so.

At this point, a discussion of modes of travel, on Thoss, is in order.  You can travel by Caravan, with guards and wagons and beasts of burden, if you fancy, or you can travel by air, if you have no fear of small contrivances, pulled by flying creatures.  There are also luxury cruises, both on land and in the air, which have their own attractions. If you are among the inordinately wealthy, you may even want to try travel by ‘flying carpet’ which is unique, as you may imagine.  The ships of the air are not inexpensive, costing more than ocean travel, but neither is even close to the expense of ‘carpet travel’. If you travel by Caravan, you’ll want to make sure your journey includes at least one stop at a ‘travelers way-station’.  These locations pre-exist human occupancy of Thoss, and must be experienced, to be believed.

  Each segment of Thoss, especially the “Lands Samovar” contain their own list(s) of places to go and things to see, but this overview should let you pick from among those places which most interest you.  A final note should include the Castles, from the structure at Lackland, larger than is believable, to any not schooled in magic, to Castle Samovar, which is the product of some of the finest artisans in stone and landscaping, on the Planet.  You’ll never run out of Castles and Manors to see, no matter how long you look, but it’s worth the try, if you like that sort of thing.

 I should also mention the ‘floating cities’, found on the opposite side of the planet from Newhome and Oldhome, but they can only be visited by airship, and as such are a bit ‘pricey’.

Now that you know the basic outline of Thoss, the only thing left is say what the dark elves of Port Narl are fond of saying. “passer un agréable séjour”, or have a pleasant stay.

V-ray Rutledge.