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concept:glyphic_teleportation [2021/05/07 10:55] – ↷ Links adapted because of a move operation shyriathconcept:glyphic_teleportation [2024/01/25 09:43] (current) – ↷ Links adapted because of a move operation shyriath
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-**Glyphic teleportation** is the general term for the use of [[concept:enchantment|enchanted objects]] to instantaneously travel from one location to another, most commonly in the form of [[#linking_books|linking books]]. While the production of such objects, centered mostly in the [[avishraa:place:brightness|Brightness]], is relatively limited due to the need for particular skill sets, individual examples have made their way across [[avishraa:place:sekhaa|Sekhaa]] and can be found in use in unanticipated places.+====== Glyphic teleportation ====== 
 +**Glyphic teleportation** is the general term for the use of [[concept:enchantment|enchanted objects]] to instantaneously travel from one location to another, most commonly in the form of [[#linking_books|linking books]]. While the production of such objects, centered mostly in the [[geography:sekhaa:region:brightness]], is relatively limited due to the need for particular skill sets, individual examples have made their way across [[geography:sekhaa:start]] and can be found in use in unanticipated places.
  
 ===== Mechanism ===== ===== Mechanism =====
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 It was not until relatively recent times that it was determined how to alter an enchantment such that the referent inscribed in the enchantment could be in the form of text - a description in words of the intended destination. In rather sharp contrast to enchantments relying on symbolic referents, which have an fairly exactly defined form, an enchantment based around textual referents will direct one to any one (but only one) of the entire set of locations which fits the description provided, with no way of knowing in advance which one one will get. It was not until relatively recent times that it was determined how to alter an enchantment such that the referent inscribed in the enchantment could be in the form of text - a description in words of the intended destination. In rather sharp contrast to enchantments relying on symbolic referents, which have an fairly exactly defined form, an enchantment based around textual referents will direct one to any one (but only one) of the entire set of locations which fits the description provided, with no way of knowing in advance which one one will get.
  
-The very nature of this technique circumvents two of the restrictions on symbolic referents. Firstly, the text does not need to be unique; unless a given textual description is so extremely specific that it can refer to only one location, two enchantments with identical texts will point to two different locations. Secondly, as the referent is essentially tied to the nature of the destination itself, rather than a symbol placed there, there is no need to be able to travel to the destination by conventional means beforehand. While it is almost useless for traveling to a predetermined location, a textual referent is therefore nonetheless ideal for those who wish to travel to a particular //kind// of place without caring much about where it is in relation to other locations. Because the entire set of destinations matching the description may be huge, and does not appear to be limited by distance, the destination eventually reached may be a continent away - or on another world entirely - or, for all anyone knows, in an entirely different universe.+The very nature of this technique circumvents two of the restrictions on symbolic referents. Firstly, the text does not need to be unique; unless a given textual description is so extremely and infeasibly specific that it can refer to only one possible location, two enchantments with identical texts will point to two different locations. Secondly, as the referent is essentially tied to the nature of the destination itself, rather than a symbol placed there, there is no need to be able to travel to the destination by conventional means beforehand. While it is almost useless for traveling to a predetermined location, a textual referent is therefore nonetheless ideal for those who wish to travel to a particular //kind// of place without caring much about where it is in relation to other locations. Because the entire set of destinations matching the description may be huge, and does not appear to be limited by distance, the destination eventually reached may be a continent away - or on another world entirely - or, for all anyone knows, in an entirely different universe.
  
 ===== Linking books ===== ===== Linking books =====
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 {{ :thuban:linking_book_linking_page_example_abstraction_thuban_.gif|Swirly!}} {{ :thuban:linking_book_linking_page_example_abstraction_thuban_.gif|Swirly!}}
-The last element of the book to consider is the linking page, the one to be touched in order to achieve actual teleportation. By convention, this is either on the first page or on the inside of the front cover. Like the descriptive pages, it is bordered by an array of glpyhs, though of a different appearance and function. While traditionally nothing is drawn in the center, the nature of the enchantment nonetheless tends to cause a "picture" of the destination to appear in the middle, seemingly drawn of ink in abstracted swirls, but constantly moving and undulating and shifting colors. While the image is of the destination, in a sense, it is not so much a literal one as an impression; it depicts the general shape of the land and kinds of features found at the destination rather than a realistic, accurate replication. That said, the image is still a useful guide for what the traveler can expect on the other side, and many a Writer has been warned that something has gone wrong with their destination by the appearance of violent, chaotic swirling, or of unchanging white dots on a black background.+The last element of the book to consider is the linking page, the one to be touched in order to achieve actual teleportation. By convention, this is either on the first page or on the inside of the front cover. Like the descriptive pages, it is bordered by an array of glyphs, though of a different appearance and function. While traditionally nothing is drawn in the center, the nature of the enchantment nonetheless tends to cause a "picture" of the destination to appear in the middle, seemingly drawn of ink in abstracted swirls, but constantly moving and undulating and shifting colors. While the image is of the destination, in a sense, it is not so much a literal one as an impression; it depicts the general shape of the land and kinds of features found at the destination rather than a realistic, accurate replication. That said, the image is still a useful guide for what the traveler can expect on the other side, and many a Writer has been warned that something has gone wrong with their destination by the appearance of violent, chaotic swirling, or of unchanging white dots on a black background.
  
 ==== Considerations in writing ==== ==== Considerations in writing ====
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 Left unspecified, world-ruining features and events may happen by themselves; but this is still less likely to occur than when a Writer unintentionall puts them in a linking book's description. Good Writers, therefore, must have a sufficient understanding of the principles that underlie a safe world to avoid pitfalls - and must know how to Write with an appropriate level of vagueness when they encounter a field in which their knowledge is lacking. Left unspecified, world-ruining features and events may happen by themselves; but this is still less likely to occur than when a Writer unintentionall puts them in a linking book's description. Good Writers, therefore, must have a sufficient understanding of the principles that underlie a safe world to avoid pitfalls - and must know how to Write with an appropriate level of vagueness when they encounter a field in which their knowledge is lacking.
  
-With the spread of the art of Writing among the [[chosen:|Chosen]], a difference in style between [[chosen:srian|Srian]] and [[chosen:kaean|Kaean]] Writers has become notable. The description in a Srian book will attempt to rest more on underlying rules and processes - describing the composition and movements of plates, for example - and letting consequences arise from then, while that in a Kaean book tends to shy away from processes in favor of describing effects and impressions. While both approaches can lead to useable worlds, they have their own pitfalls, and a careful mix of both is best employed.+With the spread of the art of Writing among the [[Chosen:]], a difference in style between [[chosen:#Srians|Srian]] and [[chosen:#Kaeans|Kaean]] Writers has become notable. The description in a Srian book will tend to attempt to rest more on underlying rules and processes - describing the composition and movements of plates, for example - and letting consequences arise from then, while that in a Kaean book tends to shy away from processes in favor of describing effects and impressions. While both approaches can lead to useable worlds, they have their own pitfalls, and a careful mix of both is best employed.
  
 ==== Careful use ==== ==== Careful use ====
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 ===== History ===== ===== History =====
-The rise of glyphic teleportation came about in the early [[history:cloud_era:|Cloud Era]] among the [[xtauh:|xtauh]] of the towns of the northern Brightness as a very specialized outgrowth of the development of enchantment in general.+The rise of glyphic teleportation came about in the early [[history:Cloud Era:]] among the [[xtauh:]] of the towns of the northern Brightness as a very specialized outgrowth of the development of enchantment in general.
  
 Enchantment was, and historically has been among the xtauh, considered a form of interaction with the divine; the discovery of a glyph capable of performing a useful function was considered a sign that the propagation of the symbol was meaningful and appreciated by the gods. As a result, extensive knowledge of enchantment came to be, by and large, the province of holy men and women and of priesthoods. It is no surprise, then, that the earliest glyphic teleportation enchantments came about at the shrines and holy places near xtauh settlements - usually upon walls, as the enchantments required considerable space and wide, flat surfaces. Enchantment was, and historically has been among the xtauh, considered a form of interaction with the divine; the discovery of a glyph capable of performing a useful function was considered a sign that the propagation of the symbol was meaningful and appreciated by the gods. As a result, extensive knowledge of enchantment came to be, by and large, the province of holy men and women and of priesthoods. It is no surprise, then, that the earliest glyphic teleportation enchantments came about at the shrines and holy places near xtauh settlements - usually upon walls, as the enchantments required considerable space and wide, flat surfaces.
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 The arrival of the Gates therefore fueled an intense competition among the northern xtauh cities for influence over distant markets. Many destinations found it difficult to support more than one Gate, and therefore might receive visitors from many places but might have only one path of return, and if it was a good place to trade - which, if it had a Gate at all, it likely was - another city might well have a certain interest in seeing that the destination of the Gate was itself. The arrival of the Gates therefore fueled an intense competition among the northern xtauh cities for influence over distant markets. Many destinations found it difficult to support more than one Gate, and therefore might receive visitors from many places but might have only one path of return, and if it was a good place to trade - which, if it had a Gate at all, it likely was - another city might well have a certain interest in seeing that the destination of the Gate was itself.
  
-The resulting geopolitical changes eventually culminated in the outbreak of the [[history:cloud_era:gate_wars|Gate Wars]] from 48 to 50 Cloud. The pyrrhic victory of the Breaker faction ensured that many of the Gates and nearly all of the referents were damaged beyond use, putting an end to the general use of the Gate network for travel.+The resulting geopolitical changes eventually culminated in the outbreak of the [[history:cloud_era:Gate Wars]] from 48 to 50 Cloud. The pyrrhic victory of the Breaker faction ensured that many of the Gates and nearly all of the referents were damaged beyond use, putting an end to the general use of the Gate network for travel.
  
-Progress in the field remained stagnant until a 66 Cloud takma raid on the xtauh village of Rukhiltik, a former protectorate of [[avishraa:place:ivridan|Ivridan]] that retained an intact Gate still pointing to a valid destination referent. The invaders, witnessing the xtauh fleeing through the Gate, realized its import; although the takmar had theorized the existence of gates, they had never built any, deeming it uneconomic. The Gate was destroyed shortly thereafter to discourage attempts by the local xtauh to take it back, but not before rubbings of the glyphs were taken and brought back to the takma sphere along with other spoils.+Progress in the field remained stagnant until a 66 Cloud takma raid on the xtauh village of Rukhiltik, a former protectorate of [[geopolitical:Ivridan]] that retained an intact Gate still pointing to a valid destination referent. The invaders, witnessing the xtauh fleeing through the Gate, realized its import; although the takmar had theorized the existence of gates, they had never built any, deeming it uneconomic. The Gate was destroyed shortly thereafter to discourage attempts by the local xtauh to take it back, but not before rubbings of the glyphs were taken and brought back to the takma sphere along with other spoils.
  
 The prize of a working glyph-set for teleportation resulted in the construction of a few test Gates by the takmar, but although they worked, further attempts were redirected in the face of a new development: variable-geometry enchantment. Before this point, each glyph was constrained by its three-dimensional geometry: one glyph inscribed on a flat surface, for example, would not work on a curved surface. Usually equivalent glyphs existed for various geometries, but discovering them had been a lengthy and tortuous process; and it meant that enchantments could not be placed on items that were flexible enough to be light, unless their shape was held with frames. The discovery of a method to derive glyphs capable of functioning over a range of surface shapes allowed enchantments, for the first time, to be drawn on flexible surfaces without losing their function; although less durable than stone or metal, it allowed a reduction in both the size and the weight of the objects housing complicated enchantments. The translation of the huge teleportation glyph-set to a variable geometry took time, but when it happened, it allowed it to be written into books: the first linking books. The prize of a working glyph-set for teleportation resulted in the construction of a few test Gates by the takmar, but although they worked, further attempts were redirected in the face of a new development: variable-geometry enchantment. Before this point, each glyph was constrained by its three-dimensional geometry: one glyph inscribed on a flat surface, for example, would not work on a curved surface. Usually equivalent glyphs existed for various geometries, but discovering them had been a lengthy and tortuous process; and it meant that enchantments could not be placed on items that were flexible enough to be light, unless their shape was held with frames. The discovery of a method to derive glyphs capable of functioning over a range of surface shapes allowed enchantments, for the first time, to be drawn on flexible surfaces without losing their function; although less durable than stone or metal, it allowed a reduction in both the size and the weight of the objects housing complicated enchantments. The translation of the huge teleportation glyph-set to a variable geometry took time, but when it happened, it allowed it to be written into books: the first linking books.
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 Like the Gates, these books relied on marking destinations with referent glyphs in order to successfully link to them. Unlike the Gates, however, the books, though still expensive, were far cheaper and easier to create than stone edifices, and as they multiplied across the river valleys of the southern Brightness, so too did the number of places claiming conflicting destination glyphs. The brief flowering of instantaneous travel between towns was abruptly curbed by a disturbing outbreak of messy accidents and the resulting cold wars over which locales had the right to claim which marks. Lingering distrust of the books discouraged large numbers of takmar from learning the art of writing them, but those that persisted searched tirelessly for ways to improve them. Like the Gates, these books relied on marking destinations with referent glyphs in order to successfully link to them. Unlike the Gates, however, the books, though still expensive, were far cheaper and easier to create than stone edifices, and as they multiplied across the river valleys of the southern Brightness, so too did the number of places claiming conflicting destination glyphs. The brief flowering of instantaneous travel between towns was abruptly curbed by a disturbing outbreak of messy accidents and the resulting cold wars over which locales had the right to claim which marks. Lingering distrust of the books discouraged large numbers of takmar from learning the art of writing them, but those that persisted searched tirelessly for ways to improve them.
  
-The latest development, in 75 Cloud, involved an elaboration of the idea of referent glyphs. The scholar [[person:kreith-of-oraa|Kreith of Oraa]], pondering the nature of the referent, reasoned that if a non-magical symbol could be given meaning in an enchantment through its placement among certain other glyphs, surely there was no reason to suppose that said symbol had to have no meaning in itself. Traditionally, a destination was marked with a referent that was complicated by abstract: but why, she thought, could it not be expressed in written words instead, and achieve much more specific results? She set out to test her theory by creating a book that relied on representing a destination with words rather than by an arbitrary symbol.+The latest development, in 75 Cloud, involved an elaboration of the idea of referent glyphs. The scholar [[person:Kreith of Oraa]], pondering the nature of the referent, reasoned that if a non-magical symbol could be given meaning in an enchantment through its placement among certain other glyphs, surely there was no reason to suppose that said symbol had to have no meaning in itself. Traditionally, a destination was marked with a referent that was complicated by abstract: but why, she thought, could it not be expressed in written words instead, and achieve much more specific results? She set out to test her theory by creating a book that relied on representing a destination with words rather than by an arbitrary symbol.
  
-Kreith decided, for her first attempt, to aim for a high hill that had been near her childhood home in the [[avishraa:place:cerulean-tangle|Cerulean Tangle]]; she had immigrated to the Brightness as a youth, but still had fond, clear memories of the view from the hilltop. Her home had been an isolated farmstead without any particular name, but had not been far from a named village; it would have been possible (as was later realized) simply to simply write the name of the village into the book, and, assuming no other villages of that name were confusing the book, could have gone there and walked the rest of the way to her hilltop. But so intent was she on teleporting directly to her hilltop that what she did instead was to write into the book a detailed and vivid description of the hill and its environs. This proved to be a momentous choice.+Kreith decided, for her first attempt, to aim for a high hill that had been near her childhood home in the [[geography:sekhaa:region:cerulean_tangle]]; she had immigrated to the Brightness as a youth, but still had fond, clear memories of the view from the hilltop. Her home had been an isolated farmstead without any particular name, but had not been far from a named village; it would have been possible (as was later realized) to simply write the name of the village into the book, and, assuming no other villages of that name were confusing the book, could have gone there and walked the rest of the way to her hilltop. But so intent was she on teleporting directly to her hilltop that what she did instead was to write into the book a detailed and vivid description of the hill and its environs. This proved to be a momentous choice.
  
-When Kreith used the finished book, she was indeed transported to a hilltop. And while it clearly bore a resemblance to her intended destination - indeed, it was so similar as to be uncanny - it also clearly was not the place from her childhood. The details were not quite right, but as she spent time exploring her surroundings, larger issues revealed themselves. The vegetation was strange, the leaves the wrong color. Such animals as she saw were utterly unfamiliar. And she realized, with fascinated horror, that not only was [[universe:mikurmiya:kastun|Kastun]] not in the sky, but that the sun was moving across it far too quickly; where the sun had just dawned when she arrived, it had reached its zenith barely ten rests later!+When Kreith used the finished book, she was indeed transported to a hilltop. And while it clearly bore a resemblance to her intended destination - indeed, it was so similar as to be uncanny - it also clearly was not the place from her childhood. The details were not quite right, but as she spent time exploring her surroundings, larger issues revealed themselves. The vegetation was strange, the leaves the wrong color. Such animals as she saw were utterly unfamiliar. And she realized, with fascinated horror, that not only was [[universe:mikurmiya:Kastun]] not in the sky, but that the sun was moving across it far too quickly; where the sun had just dawned when she arrived, it had reached its zenith barely ten rests later!
  
-She had brought a linking book back to [[avishraa:place:oraa|Oraa]] with her, since she had had no intention of going to her hilltop, however beloved, only to travel back thousands of miles. Siting that book in a rocky crevice for protection from the weather, she used it to return home, and over the following turns traveled again and again to her unknown destination to study it. From the absence of Kastun to the dizzyingly fast sky to the flora, fauna, and even stars being unfamiliar, it became evident to Kreith that she had accidentally linked to a world that was not [[avishraa:|Avishraa]].+She had brought a linking book back to [[geopolitical:Oraa]] with her, since she had had no intention of going to her hilltop, however beloved, only to travel back thousands of miles. Siting that book in a rocky crevice for protection from the weather, she used it to return home, and over the following turns traveled again and again to her unknown destination to study it. From the absence of Kastun to the dizzyingly fast sky to the flora, fauna, and even stars being unfamiliar, it became evident to Kreith that she had accidentally linked to a world that was not [[universe:mikurmiya:avishraa]].
  
-While Kreith was sufficiently respected that people were willing to entertain the idea that she was not crazy, they did perhaps regard her in the fashion that a beloved grandmother gets when she's had too much to drink. But she was able to demonstrate her new world upon request, and eagerly described her methods to other Writers she knew. Over the past generation, a new type of linking book has been developing - not widespread yet, but promising a new era of exploration. The technique has even received some interest from the [[chosen:|Chosen]]; it was brought to the Citadel by Jennith, the escaped Chosen scribe of one of Kreith's pupils. Jennith has attracted a small following of new Writers there, including her daughter [[person:enneth|Enneth]].+While Kreith was sufficiently respected that people were willing to entertain the idea that she was not crazy, they did perhaps regard her in the fashion that a beloved grandmother gets when she's had too much to drink. But she was able to demonstrate her new world upon request, and eagerly described her methods to other Writers she knew. Over the past generation, a new type of linking book has been developing - not widespread yet, but promising a new era of exploration. The technique has even received some interest from the [[Chosen:]]; it was brought to the Citadel by Jennith, the escaped Chosen scribe of one of Kreith's pupils. Jennith has attracted a small following of new Writers there, including her daughter [[person:Enneth]].
  
 {{tag>wip}} {{tag>wip}}
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