fig 1.0 Martison Lake
Threshold Location and Landmarks
The threshold of Martison Lake, commonly known as "The Lake Vessels", can be found many miles north of Hearst, Ontario. At the location exists a small town, known as the Martison Gated Community, which is the only settlement for quite a great distance. The town connects to the lake by several docks on the north side, as well as one on the south side. A variety of boats are usually scattered across the waters, only brought ashore by the town's residence for repairs and before severe weather.
Scattered Cavities in Reality
Throughout the waters of Martison Lake are boats of many kinds. Each boat acts as a partial bridge into a unique liminal space. While situated within a boat on the lake, one can view outside of Baseline Reality from a safe vantage point. Exiting one of the lake vessels will not cause a person to exit Baseline Reality; rather, the person will remain within Baseline Reality, and their view of the liminal space will be lost. This is also true of physical objects, which will return to Baseline if removed from the vessel. There is only one exception to this rule: the trusty fishing line, which can be cast into the liminal space in hopes of catching something truly marvelous.
Each of these liminal spaces contains its own body of water, often resembling a lake, and usually of similar size to Martison Lake itself. These bodies of water are typically populated with aquatic life and peculiar objects which can be hooked, reeled in, and brought to Baseline Reality.
Many vessels are positioned far from the lake's edge. Rafts are often used to travel to and from these vessels without needing to swim.
List of Boats
| Description of Boat | Description of Liminal Space |
|---|---|
| A wooden rowboat, splintery and unpainted1 | Codename: S.S. Cove Dweller The rowboat is located in a luminescent cave within the Moorich Woods of the Middengrounds. From the rowboat, an exit to the large cove is visible, which leads to a lake located near the Gwyllithmire Dominion. Flora and fauna from the glowing caves can be collected via fishing methods, but it is generally limited. If another vessel led to a large lake within the Middenground, there would be much more opportunity. That is not the case here, although this space has its limited uses. Members of the Martison community who have only lived life in baseline see the S.S. Cove Dweller as a nice place to relax and take a limited glimpse at the scenery. |
| A red-colored wooden canoe | Codename: Carmine Canoe This smaller vessel sits anchored within the center of Lotus Lake, surrounded on all sides by the serene Crimson Forest. The community of Bleakshore is located here, signified by the passing by of their boats for both fishing and travel as the days pass. Not only can sustenance be found, the view and calm surroundings make this a favorite for many experienced fishermen within the Martison Community. |
| A yellow motorboat with an orange-painted interior | Codename: The Lonely Dinghy Despite the brightly-colored outward appearance of the vessel, the setting of the limspace couldn’t be more desolate. The motorboat is located 200 meters off the coast of the highly saliferous waters of the Spiteful Coastline. Items floating on the water have been rarely collected, but no actual life exists within the ocean on the edge of the Spiteful Coastline. |
| A black gondola2 | Codename: Slice of Venice This limspace strongly resembles the Italian city of Venice, which is permanently flooded and requires one to travel using boats known as gondolas. The gondola within this limspace appears at the center of an intersection between two waterway streets. The setting is calm and uneventful aside from the silhouette of pedestrians which sometimes travel along walkways at the sides of the waterways. Other boats never appear within the water. |
| A blue inflatable plastic boat3 | Codename: Solo Cruise This limspace seems to be the swimming pool within a large, desolate cruise ship. The ship is in good condition, clean and fit with working lights, but there are never any people to be seen. |
| A pink flamingo boat with two sitting positions | Codename: The Flamingo This boat is rather flashy and visible among the other vessels spaced throughout Martison Lake, The Flamingo ironically creates a viewpoint to a very inhospitable place. When aboard the vessel, in all directions is a ceaseless void. The swirling of hot and cold air around the boat keeps it in a relatively stable position, and can additionally be felt by those aboard. From the view of the vessel, figures could sometimes be spotted in the void, but details are too vague and distant to make out. Not much can be seen, let alone retrieved. |
| A white sailboat with red stripes painted on the side | Codename: Watery Greed This limspace resembles a flooded casino with an intense aura of greed and pride. Many people find long stays within this location to be uncomfortable and in extreme cases, sickening. The casino is home to a remarkably dense ecosystem of fish and practically any type of fish can be caught here. |
| A model ship within a sealed bottle | Codename: Limspace in a Bottle Although too small to enter, glimpses of a limspace can be seen through the bottle's opening. This limspace appears to be a large pond within a meadow. Previous tests have shown that when a boat is removed from Martison Lake, the threshold is closed until the boat is returned to the lake from whence it came. One of the biggest features that differentiates this object from other vessels is the defiance of the previously stated rule. The floating bottle has been retrieved from the lake, and the limspace within is still visible through the opening of the bottle. The bottle is currently on display in the town hall of the Martison Gated Community. |
| An old gray-and-white pontoon boat showing signs of wear and tear | Codename: The Rusty Gallivant When aboard The Rusty Gallivant, the interconnecting web of bridges found in the Bridgespace can be seen looming above. The noxious “sea” of Bridgespace is visible on all sides. Fishing isn’t suggested unless you want to lose your hook and your line. |
List of Notable Acquired Items
| Location Codename | Description of Item |
|---|---|
| The Lonely Dinghy | A small box containing blue seeds. This was placed in the community storage for items found a long time ago, unfortunately before a fire which destroyed numerous items within the building. |
| Slice of Venice | A flat cap known as a coppola. |
| Watery Greed | A matchbook with the face of Abraham Lincoln printed on the front in fluorescent blue ink. |
The Gated Community And its Vague Origin
The latest census, taken around the time of this document’s creation, states a population of 112 permanent residents in the Martison Gated Community. Most of the existing buildings are dated to be created around the early 1900s, but almost all buildings are renovated to modern standards, apart from a couple monuments. Overhead maps of the community are not to be distributed digitally, and can only be obtained physically if you are a member of the Martison Community.
No records of liminality in the area have been documented before 1909. Mentions of the boats had slowly started appearing in texts written in the mid-1900s before The Archivists began to administer the area around Martison Lake. News and mysterious stories were purged to avoid spreading to nearby Canadian towns and settlements. Today, not even the oldest of the fisherman population in Martison know of any origin of The Vessels. It’s always the same story: “They were already there when I got here.”
