ENCYCLOPEDIA INFINITA

This section appears at the end of each Act (For example at the end of X1.8 – The Throne of Bones). It includes additional info and lore, enriching the story. Think of it as extra reading for those who want a deeper understanding of the world of the story. It also allows the author's writing schedule not to slip out of control with the publication schedule.

Lord Smog

The First Gate of the Palace. Lord of the Flooded Basements and more than two hundred worlds connected to them. Lord Smog, as he is known in Free Society, is the head of a group of wealthy families and oligarchs who have built their wealth in the oil business. Lord Smog is a tall, regal-looking figure donning a crown, surrounded by billowing smoke, hence his nickname. The few who had the displeasure of gazing into his eyes describe them as fiery, burning with greed. Among his investment portfolio is Oilworkxx Ultracorp, along with most of the other top players that make up Big Oil.

Lothrah the Abomination

Controlled by the First Gate, Lord Smog, Lothrah is a monstruous creature, about five times bigger than Earth's biggest whale. It takes on the shape of a long, sinuous larva mostly made of rotting flesh, metal and bone. Its face looks like a Shadow's mask melted onto the carapace of a giant bug. The bottom of its abdomen is bright red, acting like a furnace, as it spews hot oil and other liquids. The monster is not very intelligent and is kept on a chain by its master to ensure that it neither escapes nor bites the hand that feeds it. While the relationship between a Gate and its Abomination is not yet understood, its auras seem to somehow be intertwined. When one dies, the other also falls.

The Throne of Bones

Lord Smog, the Gate guarding the Throat of the Palace known as Ardor's Forge, sits upon the Throne of Bones, a profane seat made of metal exhaust tubes, large dinosaur bones, and concrete. The arm rests have decorations depicting the Lord's two major arms of operations: the Sisters and the Cartel. The seat is located in the Throne Room of Ardor's Forge, a small cupola where the immense locked doors out of the Basements have stood, locked for generations.

The Throats of the Palace

Every few, or many, floors of the labyrinth one may find a chokepoint, a place where one must pass through to get to the next room and floor. The Throats of the Palace come in many shapes and sizes, each one distinct. In the current age, the chokepoints have been blocked by beings of immense power called the Abominations, controlled by the top men within Default World.

Ardor's Forge

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Ardor's Forge is the first chokepoint of the Palace, where the First Gate resides. This giant room of the Palace is perfectly round, surrounded by tall, industrial machinery and plants. At its center is an enormous oil tank, with one single, very tall, oil platform in the middle called Platform One. The creature known as Lothrah is kept inside a gargantuan metal cage or allowed to swim within the dark abyss it spawned from.

The Springs of Ambrosia

Known as the Waters of Immortality, they are the stuff of legends, and every long-term Jumper's short-term destination. Rare and extremely hard to find, these springs come out from the magic walls of the Palace, often in gorgeously-ornate fountains and pools. Jumpers with an entrepreneurial spirit have attempted to monopolize the waters to their own benefit, some achieving immense levels of wealth and influence.

The waters are known as the birth waters which give the name to the Palace, also known as the Birthpalace. The waters are also known as Ambrosia and their Free caretakers are known as Ambrosians.

Names Used

- The waters of immortality

- The golden waters

- The waters of gold

- The birth waters

- The springs of ambrosia

- The fountains of immortality

Affect on the World

The waters of immortality flow out of the walls of the Palace. Nobody knows from where exactly, however. The Palace is filled with fountains and other water works, however, springs with these most special of properties are extremely rare and hard to find.

The vast majority are under the control of the Patriarch who guards them jealously. The remaining are kept hidden by Free Folk who use them to live for generations. Only by drinking the Ambrosian waters can one reach the Thinker at the top of the Palace and have their wish granted, given the length and distance of such a journey.

Therefore, the waters of immortality are key to most Jumpers' ambitions. This creates an environment of opportunism, distrust, selfishness and greed around these springs that often corrupts more than helps Free Society. It also displaces Locals who lived near them as the control of such a resource never goes unnoticed.

The Water Trade

Given its high demand and value to Jumpers, controlling a spring is big business and many of the most influential Free People have found their fortunes in the water trade.

Giving access to or selling small portable flasks of Ambrosia is big business. Most Jumpers carry a vial for emergency in case they get trapped in a world or the way back to the Palace takes so long that old age starts creeping in.

One of the richest (and most opportunistic) of water traders is the Jumper known as Spexx the Bank. Having access to a spring in a secret location, he has gained untold levels of aura by getting paid in life energy instead of money. This in turn has allowed him to protect his business by becoming one of the most powerful Jumpers.

Properties

The waters have a golden tone to them and tend to sparkle slightly when looked at closely. They have a slightly sweet and aromatic smell and taste. Some culinary artists have described it as resembling a mix of water, sugar, a bit of lemon and syrup of the sambuco flower.

One can regain one's youth through bathing inside the golden waters. The longer one stays the younger one gets. However, for a faster and more thorough approach, it is best to simply drink the waters and digest them. The reaction is delayed by the absorption into the body, so it is best to carefully manage the intake to avoid becoming too young.

There is a risk of over consuming the waters and returning to a fetal or even single celled stage, thereby doing the exact opposite of gaining immortality. The act of killing one's self through the excessive consumption of Ambrosia is referred to as "rewinding yourself to death" by Jumpers.

The waters not only give youth, but heal all health issues. The Palace is not only the world with the most Exits, but a must to pass through to heal, return to youth and continue the long journeys most Jumpers are on.

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