So it's not a happy time in the multiverse. Metaphorically, the realms are often described as spheres floating in a boiling ocean. Sometimes they float to the surface and become accessible to magical transport... other times they sink and are hidden away. Powerful magics can keep them in one place, but need to be maintained regularly.
Worse, teleporting into a realm generally involves weakening the barriers that keep it separate from the other realms. If a lot of teleporting is going on, spontaneous portals and rifts in reality will tend to show up. If things get too bad, the entire realm can be broken up into chunks and break up. Things that fall into a spontaneous portal are normally lost forever.
Hybris, however, is special. Something about the city acts as a funnel of sorts... anything lost to the Void has a small chance of landing in Hybris instead. It also interferes with normal inter-realm teleportation... Ravagers that end up in Hybris, for example, are often very confused since they keep calling for their pack but only a tiny portion of them will actually show up. Folks kill Ravagers on sight, of course, since they're vicious predators that get more and more dangerous as they grow in numbers.
The major armies are vaguely aware of Hybris's existence, but can't open portals there. So they mostly try to insert the occasional spy or seize anyone who has come from there for interrogation.
Arkaes the Merciful founded the Arkaites (sometimes known as the Sanctuary). They're an almost religious order that helps out people who find themselves teleported to Hybris. They teach them the local language, help them find jobs, et cetera.
If you're up for dangerous work, there's always Portal Fishing. Semi-stable portals appear in Hybris from time to time... the Gray Man generally sends some scouts through to check out the other side. If there's anything valuable, they bring it back... if it's dangerous, they come back and tell the mages to disrupt the portal and close it. If it leads somewhere safe, they might see if any refugees want to go through. You can't send very many people at once through a transient portal without it shutting down, so they're limited to sending small groups.
Some refugees are waiting for a portal to open to their homeland. Others are hoping to find a safe paradise to evacuate to... but folks know that even if a realm seems peaceful now, it could fall prey to the demon hordes at any moment. Hybris itself, for all its flaws, at least seems to be safe from invasion.
Posted by Kiz at March 21, 2005 12:42 PMCommentsPost a comment