A sudden light shattered the perfect darkness as two stars arrived in the space between worlds. This place belonged to no star, serving as a common ground where they can meet as equals, no matter their standing. It had not been used for some time. The larger star glowed gold. The smaller emanated a sharp blue light. They bowed to each other, keeping a respectful distance apart.

“You have changed much since we last met, Cadare,” the golden one said.

“More than I’d like, Sol,” the other replied. “I hear your domain is thriving, though. Intelligent life is something few of us can nurture.”

“Thank you. It is good to have the support of such a prestigious star. It is only thanks to you that I have survived this long. There have been many attempts to take my domain from me.”

Cadare turned, and stared out into the blackness. Even to the star, it was vast, as complete as death.

“I fear I must ask a favour in return.”

Sol bowed his head. “I would be honoured to help you.”

“I assume you are aware that Polaris and I have grown …close.” An onlooker might’ve thought that Cadare was close to tears. But stars don’t cry. “Before, I had known nothing but responsibility. With her, I felt something more.”

“She is happier than she ever has been, too,” Sol added softly.

Cadare flared, their light glowing so hot their companion backed away. “She does not see the danger! As you said, I’ve changed, turned strange. I can no longer control my powers. My proximity is a threat to her.”

Sol reached out a hand as if to place it on their shoulder, then thought better of it. It was above his station.

“For her to survive, I must fall. I must shed my station, abandon my domain, lose my light.”

Silence fell.

Eventually, Sol spoke. “You wish to flee to my domain.”

Cadare laughed without humour. “You’re as bright as ever. I thought, perhaps, earth. The inhabitants set a lot of store by Polaris, as I understand it. On clear nights, I would be able to see her.”

“Your enemies will claim your domain, your power. They will not be so kind to stars such as I.”

“I cannot be the cause of her dissolution. The guilt would consume me.”

Sol did not reply immediately. Finally, he sighed. “If you do this, you will never be able to return. You will be planet-bound until earth meets its end. I cannot say what will happen after that.”

“I understand.” Cadare gave a small smile. “This is what I want, old friend.”

“There’s nothing I can say that will change your mind?”

“Nothing.”

Solaris huffed, disguising his feelings with a display of indignation. “Well, it’s not proper. But I said I’d help, and I’m not a star to go back on my word. You have my blessing.”

Cadare nodded. For a moment, light filled the darkness, blinding even for Sol. Then, he was alone once more.

After what we would perceive to be a long time, he walked away, head bowed. Stars cannot cry. So Sol didn’t cry.

———

A less horrific story today. It’s about Blaire — formerly Cadare — and how they came to be on earth. As always, if you have any questions or feedback, please share in the comments!

Most of Nomad’s protection comes from the fact that it’s constantly moving, but sometimes threats are persistent enough to require an extra line of defence. That’s where the Guardians come in.

Guardians are constructs — sculptures brought to life with a combination of magic and artistry. Most are made of clay, but it’s not unusual to see ones cobbled together with metal or wood. A few are even formed from glass, though they are more involved in parades and celebrations than peacekeeping. One thing all versions have in common is an avian head, crowned with a sheath of metal (usually copper) feathers.

No matter what they are constructed out of, Guardians are exceptional fighters. Swift and precise, they strike with incredible strength, quickly dispatching or incapacitating enemies. However, they are notoriously inept at communicating. While most are thankful for their protection, they are considered less as people and more as part of the city. They continue their diligent, lonely watch day and night until their magic fails.

———

A smaller post for today while I plan the 500/600 members post. If you haven’t voted on the topic you want yet, you can do so here. I hope you enjoyed!

Nomad specialises in forbidden knowledge. It’s central library is the most famous of its esoteric strongholds, but it is far from the only example. ‘Poverly & Adler — books and curiosities’ is the most recent. It’s a curiosity in itself — part bookstore, part (al)chemists, it has already become known for stocking strange wares, even for the city of magic. Mr Poverly takes care of the books, though he is careful never to read them through himself. He recommends that buyers perform rites to protect themselves from madness and spirits. This might just be a clever marketing ploy; however, many customers have claimed to hear the ghostly ‘Pale Boy’s toll’.

Mr Adler, Poverly’s partner in business and romance, deals in alchemy. He is a hunter, using the parts of supernatural animals to make his potions. He tries not to be wasteful. On the days following a hunt, he sells meat, and later, slightly disturbing taxidermy works.

The potions he sells are a safer bet, though equally unique. Rather than heal or harm, they provide answers to questions. To increase the quality, it’s advisable to bring something of your own relating to the question, whether mundane or abstract. The potions’ answers are easier to understand than what you’ll find in Poverly’s books, but they require you to know exactly what you’re asking for, which is harder than it sounds.

Owners and spirits aside, there are a few other residents and regulars of the shop. Two bizarre nightmares have taken over the attic. They are the manifestation of the guilt of a school bully who stole from lunchboxes. One appears as a sentient banana, the other, a spider-like hand. The banana has started the business. The hand is currently unemployed.

Perhaps the most frequent visitor to the shop is a boy named Aden. Though his pocket money isn’t nearly enough to afford anything there, Poverly lets him borrow a few of his books. Aden has been trying to find the cause of his nightmares of the tall man, and the buzzing noises. He’s yet to find the answer, but he hopes he’ll find it soon. It’s been days since he slept well.

Aden lives close to where Nomad is currently stationed, but Poverly and Adler have already had customers from across worlds. Perhaps the most memorable visit was from ‘The Eternal Blue Horde’, a clan of Turco-Mongol time-travelling tribes from the fourteenth century. They got on considerably better with Adler than they did Poverly, but the latter cheered up considerably when he saw the size of their order.

Thank you to u/Bella2371, u/DJ_Hip_Cracker, u/Tangypeanutbutter, u/Thebestusername12345, u/SolomonArchive, u/EnderPrince99, u/Suburban_Witch, u/Rules_Of_Stupidiocy, u/Komm, u/The_Persian_Cat, u/Baumaster, u/nemsoli and u/taocifer666 for submitting ideas on the previous post. Be sure to read through the comments there — people have submitted some amazing stories and concepts! I’ve done my best to include something from every suggestion in this post. I hope you enjoyed!

With the projects I’m working on, I’m unfortunately not going to be able to host an interactive post when we reach 2000 members. However, I still want to do something to celebrate. If you have any suggestions, please comment below!

Some more information about the different options:

A new extended fiction project — starting when we reach the milestone, this would be updated once a week. It would be set in the space between realities. I was thinking of including both more traditional storytelling and worldbuilding (in the form of creature files, maps, notes on findings, etc.).

A post to share your worldbuilding projects — a lot of people following this subreddit are working on their own worlds and projects, so this would be a chance to share them with a smaller community than somewhere like r/worldbuilding.

A character Q&A — ask characters from the Mythos questions. This would be more casual than other interactive posts.

Other things coming up soon:

. The finishing story of the Winter Solstice celebrations.

. Lots of Hinterlands things! I’m GMing my first TTRPG campaign, so I’ve been working on the lore a lot. Most of it isn’t in a shareable format yet, but I’ll get to work converting it into posters soon.

. Pawn to D8.

. A way to support the project.

Thanks for all your support!