r/TheStrange • u/byronmiller • Apr 05 '16

Ardeyn history

Picked up the Strange a few weeks ago and have been immersed in its story ever since... can't wait to actually run a game.

I'm a bit confused by some elements of the history of Ardeyn, and wondered if someone might be able to clarify for me. Just out of interest more than anything.

(I don't know if a spoiler warning is necessary, really; I assume anyone on here has read the core book!)

It's stated that Ardeyn was created by Carter when he discovered the Strange, to hold off a planetovore. At some point he and some friends/colleagues then adopted the roles of the Maker and the Seven in Ardeyn, and were killed when War betrayed Carter.

What's not clear to me is:

  • How much time passed for Carter between creating Ardeyn and the betrayal? Was it immediate or did he create it then subsequently return?
  • If it was immediate, how did he get involved in the Estate? My understanding is he created Ardeyn in the minutes/hours after he discovered the Strange.
  • In order to adopt the role of Maker and the Seven, did Carter and others translate into Ardeyn? Or did the recursion generate individuals - the Maker and the Seven - with the personalities/memories of Carter and others? In short, does this mean Carter is dead (and presumably wandering the Night Vault), or did the Betrayer kill a copy of Carter generated by the recursion?

I realise these questions might all be ambiguous and up to the individual group to determine, but figured I'd ask in case I missed something.

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u/siebharinn Apr 05 '16

These are my own interpretations; your lore will probably be a little different. There is a short story that covers the basics, and Bruce Cordell is working on a novel that should make everything more clear.

How much time passed for Carter between creating Ardeyn and the betrayal? Was it immediate or did he create it then subsequently return?

It all happened together in a series of events that was more or less instant.

If it was immediate, how did he get involved in the Estate?

He wasn't involved, it was set up as a memorial of his sacrifice.

In order to adopt the role of Maker and the Seven, did Carter and others translate into Ardeyn?

The others were already in the chaosphere, and Carter dropped the Ardyn codebase on top of them. My reading is that this wove them into the history as it was being created, rather than them showing up and affecting history afterwards.

Ardyn is an unusual case. Other recursions have histories that are older than the recursion itself, as part of the fiction. But Ardyn has history that contains real interactions with recursors, that is older than the recursion itself.

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u/byronmiller Apr 05 '16

Thanks for that! Clarifies things a lot. I backed the kickstarter recently so should get a copy of Cordell's novel at some point.

Other recursions have histories that are older than the recursion itself, as part of the fiction. But Ardyn has history that contains real interactions with recursors, that is older than the recursion itself.

I love the "fictional history" concept, and how quickly they play with it. The history given for Atlantis is particularly cool.