Rainy Refuge

Rainy Refuge

rating: +6

6 votes (+6, -0) 5★

rating: +6+x

Survival Difficulty 0/5 Survival is guaranteed.
Hazard Level 0/5 No hazards documented.
Chaos Rating 0/5 Completely static.
Basset-Frazier Index 0/5 Utterly tranquil.

LIMSPACE OVERVIEW


Amidst the dizzying chaos of the grand tapestry of limspaces and thresholds and innumerable systems, an abiding scene of still and umbral bliss waits for the weary. Dimly aglow within the quiet soundscape of pitapatting rain, the Rainy Refuge sits, hardly changing, singing to itself the songs of times gone and times yet to come.

Those who wander, those who fall, those who get up… this space reveals itself to them. An outstretched path opened to them alone, a door only they can see, or perhaps simply a dream.

Cradled in a thick forest, perhaps deep into some mountains, an old dilapidated bus stop stands, barely illuminated by its dulled blinking overhead lamp. Its battered frame stands firm against the perpetual dance of pounding rain. Its cold metal bench has supported thousands of tired travelers and will continue to do so for eternity. The nest waits along a desolate and cracked asphalt road—the painted lines long worn away. The road emerges from the darkness like a snake from the brush and trails off into the darkness out of the dim light in a manner much the same.

The forest harbors a darkness not exhumed by the glow of the stars, for the rain clouds blanket the sky like a shroud. The night of the forest is unchallengeable and creeping forth continually. The dim light of the refuge has, in kind, fought back the darkness unceasingly. Yet the dark circles the bus stop, eager to swarm in and smother it with the void. What lies in the night is better left unknown, for the greedy pursuit of knowledge leads to nothing but greater death and ruinous disasters. Yet those who arrive at the Rainy Refuge never venture into the darkness, for the warmth of the dim light and firm foundation of the stop is all they need at present.

Not all who wait here wait alone. Travelers from all across the folds of interspace take respite upon the cold metal bench. Knights in muddied and dented armor, heavy-laden explorers with empty bags, curious creatures from who knows where, and the meek lost in between. Some exchange stories while others keep to themselves. No matter who waits, there is no conflict. Perhaps it is the rainy realm in which they’ve found themselves, or maybe they’re simply too tired. They see this space as a place of rest in the interim.

After an indeterminate duration with naught any indication, the darkness is suddenly set ablaze by encroaching lights from down the mountain road. The soft orange headlights of the weathered grey bus come to a slow halt in front of the bus stop. With a somber screech not too harsh lest it disturb the peace—the bus doors creak open. Just past the doorway, a spindly and shadowy creature with a dim white cycloptic eye sits comfortably in a leather chair, controlling a smorgasbord of switches, wheels, and buttons. They welcome those of the bus stop into the vehicle with no questions asked and a simple wave of one of their many hands.

The inside of the bus is warmed gently with hushed, faltering heaters lining the ceiling. Rows of seats lie empty all the way to the back of the bus—seats of torn cloth and tarnished metal. The few windows are cracked and partly fogged but cling steadily to the sturdy chassis. Not that the view outside matters. The ride eventually lulls all its passengers into a deep sleep.

As the occupants wake from their slumber, they find themselves approaching the place they call home. The vehicle of approach invariably fits the arrival location perfectly. Passengers awaken aboard buses in bustling cities, in the back of a carriage in the countryside, perhaps even walking along the wayside. That which one calls home is different for everyone and impossible to universally define. For some, it could be their childhood home or their humble apartment. Home could be in Baseline, across the furthest, most distant stars, or somewhere in between. As the journey comes to a close, everyone is seamlessly brought home.


ENTRANCES AND EXITS


Entrance into the Rainy Refuge is not well defined. The modes of access are idiosyncratic and irreplicable. The consensus theory posits that the limspace possesses untold trillions of faint and fragile connections to other spaces throughout Interspace. These connections only unveil themselves to those who satisfy at least one of a few essential criteria. Even then, the paths still may not show.

  1. Those at the end of a long journey, who long to return home.
  2. Those who wander with no aim.
  3. Those at the end of their lives.

Apart from fulfilling these requirements, there are a handful of more reliable means of access into the Rainy Refuge.

  1. Being caught by its threads by leaving a space that doesn't have any other connected space.1
  2. Being a member of the Infinitum Wonderers.2
  3. Being loved by the Rainy Refuge itself.3
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