Tower of Babel: A Bronze Age Space Civ Quest

[dgr11897]

The Vanished Kingdom of Fae
The Time of the Doom was a chaotic one. And there are many holes in the modern understanding of that time. One such hole is that of the Vanished Kingdom. An entire kingdom, an entire people, Gone in the span of a few years, all that was left empty castles, and at the center, a circle of standing stones, tinged by strange and alien power.

The story of this place is remembered vaguely by the Philosophers of the living tower, as a tale from some of their progenitors.

Once upon a time as the doom just barely dawned upon the world there was a kingdom with a group of proto-philosophers operating within it. As the Doom came they saw what was coming and attempted to avert it. With strange magics and harnessing the power of the very thing destroying them they opened a gateway. The Gateway lead to a strange place, of energy and distortion, a higher realm than our own, where the powers of Philosophy could be greatly amplified. A place without the Doom.

The doom would come swiftly to that kingdom, and so, desperate, the people turned to the philosophers, who turned to the place they had discovered. They recruited wandering philosophers for aid, including some who would go on to be among the progenitors of the Living Tower.

Humans wouldn't fit in that new realm though. Not as they were. Their skin would be flayed to pieces by the energies of the place. The pressures involved would cause their eyes to explode. There would be no food, little ordinary matter at all. So they began to apply Philosophy, harnessing the very power of the place they sought to enter to reforge their bodies. Skin adapted to absorb the ambient power of that realm as food. Lungs shifted to recycle air rather than needing external input. Digestive system repurposed to allow them to process the thin pieces of matter of that realm into matter to repair their bodies and grow new individuals. Grand gossamer wings to allow them to soar on the currents of the realm. Ears re-attuned to the song of that universe, picking up on the subtle shifts of the forces involved.

Their minds couldn't understand that place, where time was an ocean rather than a river, flowing in waves forwards and back and sideways in countless dimensions. Couldn't understand the extra spatial dimensions and the way reality warped under Lies and deceptions. They couldn't understand the maze of warped time and folded space that was that place. So they adapted. Philosophers of the mind learned from the place and adapted their minds to understand it. They developed ways to communicate in places where sound couldn't easily travel and light was distorted and changed. They printed maps of the place into the minds of the people so they could navigate. They warped their minds into the shape of their new home.

But not all those who went through this process were changed equally or the same. The process was a work in process, so the vast majority of subjects died, some before, some after being hurled through the gate to their new home. Their bodies would all be deposited beyond the gate, alongside vast quantities of food and livestock and stone, to fill up that mostly empty void and provide the materials for the new life of those who would live.

Once these changes were done the survivors weren't human anymore. They couldn't live in a world so afflicted by the doom and so denied of the powers of the place they had found. So the philosophers on both sides shut the door behind them. And so the gateway became a mere empty circle of stones. And all that was left were those too old to make the transition, and those philosophers who had helped but chosen not to go through the process.

It's been hundreds of years since then.

And now tales are coming in from the edges of society, after cradle's ascension to a place closer to the higher realms. Of strange circles of Mushrooms, of gates of light glowing in the air. Of Strange lithe forms with gossamer wings. Of strange items of materials not borne of this world. Of the children of the Lost Kingdom. Of the Children of the Land of Fae.

 

[Sa'kage]

The Vanished Kingdom of Fae
The Time of the Doom was a chaotic one. And there are many holes in the modern understanding of that time. One such hole is that of the Vanished Kingdom. An entire kingdom, an entire people, Gone in the span of a few years, all that was left empty castles, and at the center, a circle of standing stones, tinged by strange and alien power.

The story of this place is remembered vaguely by the Philosophers of the living tower, as a tale from some of their progenitors.

Once upon a time as the doom just barely dawned upon the world there was a kingdom with a group of proto-philosophers operating within it. As the Doom came they saw what was coming and attempted to avert it. With strange magics and harnessing the power of the very thing destroying them they opened a gateway. The Gateway lead to a strange place, of energy and distortion, a higher realm than our own, where the powers of Philosophy could be greatly amplified. A place without the Doom.

The doom would come swiftly to that kingdom, and so, desperate, the people turned to the philosophers, who turned to the place they had discovered. They recruited wandering philosophers for aid, including some who would go on to be among the progenitors of the Living Tower.

Humans wouldn't fit in that new realm though. Not as they were. Their skin would be flayed to pieces by the energies of the place. The pressures involved would cause their eyes to explode. There would be no food, little ordinary matter at all. So they began to apply Philosophy, harnessing the very power of the place they sought to enter to reforge their bodies. Skin adapted to absorb the ambient power of that realm as food. Lungs shifted to recycle air rather than needing external input. Digestive system repurposed to allow them to process the thin pieces of matter of that realm into matter to repair their bodies and grow new individuals. Grand gossamer wings to allow them to soar on the currents of the realm. Ears re-attuned to the song of that universe, picking up on the subtle shifts of the forces involved.

Their minds couldn't understand that place, where time was an ocean rather than a river, flowing in waves forwards and back and sideways in countless dimensions. Couldn't understand the extra spatial dimensions and the way reality warped under Lies and deceptions. They couldn't understand the maze of warped time and folded space that was that place. So they adapted. Philosophers of the mind learned from the place and adapted their minds to understand it. They developed ways to communicate in places where sound couldn't easily travel and light was distorted and changed. They printed maps of the place into the minds of the people so they could navigate. They warped their minds into the shape of their new home.

But not all those who went through this process were changed equally or the same. The process was a work in process, so the vast majority of subjects died, some before, some after being hurled through the gate to their new home. Their bodies would all be deposited beyond the gate, alongside vast quantities of food and livestock and stone, to fill up that mostly empty void and provide the materials for the new life of those who would live.

Once these changes were done the survivors weren't human anymore. They couldn't live in a world so afflicted by the doom and so denied of the powers of the place they had found. So the philosophers on both sides shut the door behind them. And so the gateway became a mere empty circle of stones. And all that was left were those too old to make the transition, and those philosophers who had helped but chosen not to go through the process.

It's been hundreds of years since then.

And now tales are coming in from the edges of society, after cradle's ascension to a place closer to the higher realms. Of strange circles of Mushrooms, of gates of light glowing in the air. Of Strange lithe forms with gossamer wings. Of strange items of materials not borne of this world. Of the children of the Lost Kingdom. Of the Children of the Land of Fae.

Click to shrink...

Letter extracted from Philosopher debate regarding ancient tales of the Fae.
----
Having read the tales of the precursors recorded within the Living Tower's hall, by the hand of the Historian-God of the Tower that think, I am struck by the peculiarities in regards to the Workings that must have been cast in order to open up a door to another realm as well as their following transmutation according to the tales we've left with.

Our brethren of the Living Tower, tends to with their arcane art, use tools of Laws, cultivation and the synthesis of transformed life. While the recorded transformation of the people in the kingdom would certainly be within the capabilities of the Living Tower, had they put their minds to it, the subsequent gateway seems to be quite different, in regard to their usual Workings as something that's outside their Alchemy art.

As the Story-Weavers often say, there is a core of truth within every tale, lest the anima would have naught to grasp onto as firmament of the story. And so, we must observe the story through this lens that aspects of the story are true. How then did the precursors of the Living Tower who'd be lacking in Wisdom compared to the current Order, create such a gateway into another realm.

Perhaps there is Wisdom they still bore, which we are still lacking, and yet- To not sound arrogant, as such is a easy way for foul sorcerers thought to take ahold of one's spirit and so I've found myself doubting the veracity of the blood-scrips doing this. If the current Living Tower of the Order that's gathered four of the nine arts of the Great-Philosophers would struggle at to make a similar Working despite being at the current height of Wisdom for Cradle, then what are we lacking?

And yet, the story must have held truth, and so seeking understanding I've come to another conclusion. These were members, precursors to the Order, that much is true. These members, created a gateway to another realm such cannot be doubted. These members twisted and transformed their own shells, shedding it for another. One that was seemingly prone to failure. For the Living Tower, who's expertise upon the flesh exceeds all to fail? Even for their precursor that seems unlikely. And yet, the story says that most whom tried to fell to the scythe of Doom? Such seems preposterous for me.

So, I cast forth another truth for how this might have been. I believe, these were in fact precursors to the White Tower instead. As it's know, the White Tower employs extensive use of mirrors. Mirrors which are naturally inclined towards creating reflections, mirrors of our world. Using a mirror as a gateway, they could have created a reflection of our realm, and thus- Potentially create a path towards another realm by walking through mirror.

Through this Mirror Workings, they could have attempted to transform the reflection of the people as well. By reflecting their visage as something that would exist within that other realm naturally. Given the impurities that often haunted pre-Order Working tools, due to the untrained nature of the Mundanes at the time, the subsequent deaths could have been the result of mirrors created with impurities, that ensured the reflected form which the people were to take on came out as distorted, as most Workings without proper and utter certification are know to be erratic. Given how the Fae people were seemingly pressed for time, they might not had moments to craft purer mirrors, or perhaps it was too late to change it, as the Working might have been cast before they realized their mistake.

Of course, that still leaves mysteries. How is that the Living Tower came to possess this knowledge? Was there as split, where members of what would one day be White Tower and Living Tower worked together on this Working? So that those whom would become the Living Tower created the transformation, while the White Tower created the gateway? Or is there still more to the Art of Flesh that we've not yet discovered.
There is still Wisdom to be gained. Enlightenment shall one day come.

Sister Gleaming-Shade.


AN: So, i started out attempting to figure out how we'd attempt to make this as an Working ourself. Then slowly going "Hmm, this feels more like something the White Tower might do" And then it sorta developed into this IC debate thing over it. Not intentionally, but muses are a fickly beast indeed.

Title: The Weaving of Fate: Time and Precision as the Threads of Destiny

Introduction: The Instruments of Fate

In the grand loom of existence, Time and Precision are the fundamental tools wielded by Fate. They are the twin forces that stitch together the tapestry of life, guiding its threads into an intricate design that shapes destiny. Time grants progression and unfolding, while Precision carves the path with meticulous care, ensuring every moment finds its place in the greater whole.

I. Time: The Flow of Progression

Time is not merely a passive observer, but an active force that propels the world forward. It is the engine of creation, driving all things from birth to death, from inception to completion. Time unravels the complexities of existence, pushing every life and event toward its destined end. It does not rush, for haste disrupts its careful rhythm. Instead, it moves with relentless persistence, giving every action and consequence its due course.

To understand Time as a tool of Fate is to see that nothing happens without reason. All occurrences, whether seemingly random or deliberate, are part of a larger pattern. Time allows the unfolding of potential, and in its steady passage, it grants the opportunity for growth, change, and fulfillment. Without Time, life would remain stagnant, a mere echo of possibility without form or substance.

II. Precision: The Blade That Carves

While Time grants life the ability to move forward, Precision defines its path. Like a sculptor's chisel, it shapes the raw material of existence, ensuring that each moment fits perfectly into the broader tapestry of Fate. Precision is the force that determines the subtle nuances of life—the exact timing of an encounter, the precise action needed to shift a course, or the critical decision that alters a future.

Precision operates in harmony with Time, refining every event with deliberate care. It is not concerned with perfection but with purpose. Every detail, no matter how small, serves a role in the larger design. Through Precision, Fate carves out the destinies of individuals and civilizations alike, ensuring that the weave of life is both intricate and intentional.

III. The Tapestry of Life: A Synthesis of Time and Precision

Together, Time and Precision work in concert to weave the tapestry of life. Time provides the movement and context, while Precision ensures the order and structure. The two forces are inseparable, as one without the other would result in chaos or inertia. Fate, as the master weaver, relies on both to stitch the threads of existence into a coherent whole.

In this tapestry, each life is a thread, and every event is a knot tied with care. The interconnectedness of all things is evident in the way threads cross paths, intertwine, and diverge. Fate uses Time and Precision to ensure that no thread is wasted, no moment without meaning. In this way, destiny is not a predetermined outcome but a crafted journey, where every choice and consequence plays a vital role.

IV. Carving Destiny: The Role of the Individual

Though Time and Precision are the tools of Fate, individuals are not passive recipients of their designs. Each person has the power to act, to make choices that affect their place in the tapestry. Time grants them the space to grow, while Precision offers the opportunity to act with purpose. In embracing these forces, individuals carve their own destinies, shaping the course of their lives within the framework of Fate's larger design.

To live with awareness of Time and Precision is to understand that every moment carries potential, and every action has weight. It is to recognize that one's path is not random but shaped by both internal will and external forces. By acting with intention and embracing the flow of Time, individuals align themselves with the greater tapestry of life, becoming co-creators of their destiny.

Conclusion: The Eternal Weave

Time and Precision are the eternal tools by which Fate shapes the universe. They are the weavers and carvers of destiny, working in harmony to craft the intricate and purposeful design of existence. In recognizing their influence, we gain insight into the nature of life itself—a delicate balance between the flow of time and the precision of action, where every thread has its place, and every moment contributes to the greater whole. Through this understanding, we become active participants in the weaving of our own fates, shaping the future with deliberate care as we follow the path laid before us.

Click to shrink...

It is pretty interesting, when we look at the cross-tower actions we've gotten so far. Most of them, seems to be releated to the Living Tower where there's actual mixing of Workings, instead of Towers attempting to use different Workings in order to help the other.

I suspect, part of it is that there's never been this many Philosphers around before. This kind of inter-tower debate was straight up not possible without the sheer amount of resources and manpower that's at the current Order's disposal. There's also another fact in that we did delibratly vote to ensure future collabiration between each Tower. One that started due to the Living Tower, faction divide conflict. Which might explain why its' the Living Tower that get's the most of them first.

Because they were the ones that's been doing this the longest. I'm also half-way suspecting, that even if each art is generally speaking incompatiable(despite still working because that's just how Philosophy is), the Living Tower might be the most suited towards actually working together. Because their art is allready about Synthesis and fusing, they might be naturally inclided towards working with other Workings together compared to other Arts.

This also started last few cycles, so it might be a slight result of the Wisdom of the Tower's spreading amongst the mundane population. Rather then getting disciples that's just steeped into one Art, these days everyone probally knows a small tidbit from each Tower, so the conflicting mindset required for each Art, is a tad easier for the newest Philosophers compared to the Old Guard.

It's very interesting to see, this kind of cross-tower workings! So facinating read Bioticgrunt.

 

[dgr11897]

Working proposal: Straightening of Mankind
Just as the Doom left scars on our world so has it left scars on our people. A great many people suffer due to the inheritance of flesh they received from their parents. People born deaf, or blind, or weak, or crippled. And beyond that, the life expectancy of mundanes is currently... Not great.

The Augmentations and Alterations that are possible by the Living tower can allow one to live for many additional decades with greatly enhanced quality of life, but they are each and every one individual works, masterpieces based on the uniquenesses of each individual philosopher. But as seen with the Spawn, if properly integrated the Living tower's works can propagate, can be Inherited. So, I propose this project, the Straightening of the Flesh of Humanity. This is a project that must be attempted now, while the entirety of our people reside on one planet, as the difficulty is likely to rise greatly should we spread out before beginning this project, as if mankind is spread out this project will likely require many workings across multiple planets.

1. Preliminary requirements.
Before we should even begin planning out this alteration we should first seek to catalog the flaws and perfections, just as we did with Cradle. Map out the variability of mankind, and the relations to each other. This could be greatly aided through the work of the Sundial tower and the Tower of harmony, using their knowledge of Astrology and far reaching information networks to help us map out the Human Variability. It should be noted that the overall intent of the project is not to alter all the humans of cradle at once but to do so over multiple generations, thus the changes must be stable and able to proliferate.
2. Proposed objectives of the Straightening.
The objectives and alterations sought to be achieved are as follows. Firstly, the elimination of as many Inheritable diseases and purely negative conditions as possible. This must be done carefully, for many traits that make for excellent philosophers may be considered as a sickness of the mind in other individuals, so I suggest we primarily focus on the physical body. Second is the propagation of positive traits. Long life, sharp senses, and strong body, all these things can be heavily influenced and aided by one's inborn traits, so we shall seek out the best examples and spread around those traits through the straightening. Finally, is Stability, we want these changes to stick, we want them to endure without need of maintenance or additional workings.
3. Proposed Methodologies.
There are a few possible methodologies that could be attempted.
First is the creation by the living tower of a lifeform that can perform the changes or the creation of a medicine to induce the changes in an individual.
Second is the creation and Utilization of a God to do much the same by the tower that Thinks, perhaps using a God of Childbirth and lifeweaving in order to automatically induce the desired changes in unborn children automatically across entire god-cities.
Third is the utilization of Correspondence, using the vast map of the Human Variability in order to inflict changes upon said variability.
Finally is the usage of Fate. The traits we seek to cull and propagate are natural after all, so why not simply alter fate in order to ensure that some traits spread and others are culled simply through chance.

 

[Lord_Abaddon]

The Beating Tower

Great Art: Alchemy
Art: Art of Machinery, the engraving of purpose into a tool to make it work towards that goal.
Specialty: Engineering, working materials into machines and instruments that can be fueled to achieve their aims.
Tools: Engraving (inscribing purpose both conceptual and metaphorical onto a machine), Forging (a tool and the world both, using form to inform function), Singing (Using the voice to strike along with the beat of the heart, the engine and the hammer, and strike with intent)
Flaw: Flaw of Purpose. Everything is a machine made for a purpose, an instrument with a goal to achieve. Nothing can be done without intention, and lackadaisies are unacceptable. If a part is broken it must be replaced.
Seat: of Fulfillment, tasked with the entertainment of the Mundanes, and ensuring that resources are properly and efficiently distributed.


The Tower of the Singing Engineers, musicians and engineers who seek to synchronize the beat of the world into one, efficient and well-timed machine. It is a large, thrumming edifice of musical industry, the beating of its Machine Heart forming the foundation of the songs the Philosophers sing within.

The Philosophers of The Beating Tower seek to recreate the Oleo Eterna, the drop of eternal fuel that powers the Engine of the Universe, to start anew with an engine of their own design. They believe that the universe is unique in being an engine created without intent, and thus a purpose, which is what has caused the chaos and randomness of creation; the universe has function from its form, but with no purpose it creates randomly with no intent. Yet purpose has arrived, with the machines of mankind, arisen to shape itself with intent for and towards a purpose.

Thus The Beating Tower has taken up the Seat of Fulfillment, using their music and machines to provide entertainment and proper fueling to the engine of society, and the distribution of fuel to those who need it. They seek out the inefficiencies, the poorly maintained and poorly fueled parts of society and work to repair or replace what's broken. They forge and engrave single-purpose machines to ease the everyday lives of the Mundanes. Laundry constructs to wash clothes, cookers to provide (a single type of) street food, sweepers to sweep the streets. Simple-minded tasks for purposeful machines.

All proper machines have purpose, and mankind has created a grand machine under the Order called society, an engine to propel mankind forward to reach the Source of All. And like all engines, like all machines, society requires fuel, power, something to provide the energy to move forward. A man is powered by food, but society is fueled by Happiness; for the Order to use the Mundanes to work towards the Source of All the Mundanes must feel content and provided for or else the engine of society will break down. As well, this energy must be distributed properly, efficiently, so that all work in tandem to the Beat of the Universe's Heart. However those that take part in their entertainment without using their elation to fuel their work are shunned for wasting the wonders the Beating Tower provides.

Music, song and instruments, is a machine itself, to voice meaning and purpose with the emotions evoked from the Beat of the Engine of Thought that is the mind. They use this to conceive and convey the purpose of the machines they create, tools to create tools to create tools. Each machine has a song engraved upon them evoking their purpose and goal to achieve, and each machine has a specific fuel, that can be something as simple as a bar of soap, to complex mystical reagents. The fuel powers their machines to achieve its purpose, and no matter what it is their machines will not stop until it is achieved, reflecting their creators.

Their Workings forge the world into an Engine, synchronizing with the Beat of the Universe, that when fueled properly will accomplish its purpose as inexorably as Cradle turns, or as the Sun shines. Everything engraved upon the engine's body and sung into its soul will be done. Men will be fed, a mountain will move, the tides will change, a barren planet plowed and seeded with life. If there is a concrete goal to be achieved the Singing Engineers of the Beating Tower can make it happen. They can even make machines to change the properties of matter, for all is but an engine improperly tuned until given purpose.

The Singing Engineers are a productive, and some may say self-destructive, group of Philosophers. They do not cease in their duty, shedding sleep and food from their lives and instead living off the slick, burning fuel they create within the Heart of their Beating Tower. They forge the fire from this fuel into a metal to forge their most powerful machines and craft their engine masks, and draw their cloaks from it to fuel their bodies. And when the parts of their bodies-that-are-machines break down with age they replace them. The first part replaced, often as an apprentice, are their vocal cords, the Philosopher's constant singing and humming, used not just for their machines, but as the grindstone to sharpen their minds, damaging them to the point they need replacement. As they age their joints become hinges, their muscles pulleys, their skin painted canvas. Their eyes become spinning jars to hold light, their heart a screw pump, their blood oil. They replace their limbs with tools and add yet more to increase their capabilities, and replace their nerves with copper wire.

When a Singing Engineer finally feels their mind fraying and the end of their life approaching they return to The Beating Tower a final time and start crafting an Engine of Thought, often vastly inferior to their own mind. And when they finally crawl to a stop and their life comes to an end, their fellows shed their cloak and mask, remove their brain, and install the engine. They engrave the life and achievements of the Philosopher into the now automaton, setting it to menial tasks and lovingly maintaining it as a working grave to their passed comrade.

a/n: i'm having trouble writing that omake that i mentioned a bit ago, writing is hard and the muse for it diminished unfortunately. this, however, was a brainbug that i got last night and had trouble getting to sleep over. the idea is that these philosophers were inspired by an industrial society's machines and engines and had an epiphany about the nature of the universe adn the source of all as a result.

i noticed that each of the great arts have a fundamental difference in how they view the source of all: for divination it's a place, for theurgy it's a concept/intelligence, and for alchemy it's a material. This fundamental difference is what gives each of the great arts its abilities, my only issue with this tower is i think that i may be incorporating too many of the other great arts remits into it. however i think this is at least an excellent template for how to invent a tower in the future. hope you enjoyed!

@OldShadow omake!