The Traill is thought to be the oldest extant astral current in the galaxy. Most experts agree that it was constructed by the Floozies shortly after the big bang, making it a template for future astral currents. Like most Floozy creations, the Trail has evolved since their disappearance. What was once a simple liminal space used for transportation is now a sprawling realm in its own right.
Astral geography
The Trail is a small, simple pathway through an ever changing vista. Every step taken causes the view to change in a process the locals call “the shift”. The path changes as well at a slower pace, changing from dirt to duckboards to rope and pitons. There are many “fixed points” in the Trail, either ancient outposts or astral confluxes where the Trail meets another current. Navigation in the Trail works by way of intention and connection; a traveler can set a destination by picturing a person or destination known to them. Travel time is based on the strength of the mental image, the stronger the impression, the shorter the journey.
Leaving the Trail takes you to the Unknown Wilds, a trackless and pernicious expanse of feral dreamscape. Traveling in the wilds works on similar principles, except it is slower and much more difficult. A new visitor probably does not have any connections strong enough to escape.
The Threaded
These Maskforms live on the fixed points in the Trail. Their name comes from their binding ritual; two or more maskforms that wish to have their bond formalized will sew special ceremonial fiber into their skin. The thread reinforces the sympathetic connection and makes it easier for them to find each other in the Trail and in the Wilds. The Threaded live in small communities built around stable points.
Jaraga - Found amid a wasteland of cyclopean glass, this city is the bread basket of Threaded civilization. The glass falls down from an astral conflux with the Neon SpeedWay. The interior of these impossible glass castoffs is often larger than the exterior. The Threaded seek out these anomalous jars in order to turn them into agricultural centers. Some jars have seen centuries of careful cultivation, while other jars have fallen prey to strange blights and have been sealed off.
Archearg - This city is built on an ancient Phantasmagoric outpost near the Conceptual Gap, a region of The Trail where the dream reality breaks down. The outpost takes the form of a series of stone lighthouses extending the trail across the void of meaning. Long since defunct, the towers instead serve as anchor points for a vast series of webs spun by the residents using trained weaver beasts. The webs catch the strange creatures and emanations that drift in from the gap, which the locals distill into a variety of curious liquors.
Ilumos - This settlement is within a low vibrational “subterranean” region of the trail, near a crossing point with the astral current The Squeeze. The center of the settlement is a large cavern that holds the Flame of Animation. Anything drawn on the walls becomes a doodle dream creature. Artists from across Chunky Space come here for the chance to bring their creations to life, only to have their dreams dashed by the nascence committee who controls access. Gangs of rejected artists are fomenting rebellion against the committee.
Dream Creatures
Any Beast - Protean shapeshifters, these creatures are often glimpsed from the trail, flowing between forms as the landscape changes. Their mercurial nature makes them dangerous up close, as they can become carnivorous at a moment's notice. The Threaded have domesticated them with a branding ritual that limits their forms into a single animal archetype.
Ancient Sojourner - Humanoid entities wearing ancient patterned void suits. Through their dark visors luminous galaxies of star vermin shine within their eyes. They carry knowledge of every wrecked and lost starship, and will speak recite accounts of horrid disasters. Their hypnotic screeds have been known to carry memetic parasites, but sometimes they contain clues to lost treasures.
Abstractor - A parasite with an unknown form. It carries with it a shroud of abstraction that causes the details of local reality to fade out. This allows it to approach its prey without raising alarms. It feeds off life energy and likes to follow and repeatedly visit its victims.
Strange Parade - Sometimes music can be heard on the trail, a strange, ponderous melody. If the source is investigated, the parade appears. Strange striding giants tower over hordes of mutant creatures. Witnessing the parade causes a compulsion to join it. Unfortunates who join the parade are lost for a period of time before turning up somewhere in the cosmos.
Hungry Landscape - A mouth-like cave beckons travelers inside with the promise of knowledge. Once inside, one experiences hundreds of subjective years in a pocket dreamscape, emerging seconds later. Sometimes they have even learned useful skills.
