Lore | Gravity Shift

The Fracturing

The catastrophic catastrophe that broke reality and started our narrative.

There existed the Continuum at first, a single, harmonic world in which the laws of physics were unchanging and fixed. The Continuum was in perfect equilibrium for ages, and gravity was the basic force holding all things together.

Then came the Fracturing.

Seventy years ago, a group of researchers referred to as the Quantum Architects tried to control the basic principles of existence. Designed to control gravitational fields to generate sustainable energy, their experiment took place at the Nexus Research Facility. Rather, it split the fabric of reality.

The Architects' Gravity Engine's catastrophic failure set off a chain reaction breaking the Continuum into five separate realms, each with individual qualities and physical rules. Gravity Wells, the fracture sites, started to operate as unstable gates separating these worlds.

Following this, the survivors were dispersed over these new realities and had to adjust to surroundings in which gravity itself could not be relied upon. While some dimensions had gravitational fluctuations, others evolved whole unique connections with this basic force.

These broken realities lived in solitude for decades, only the most courageous adventurers trying to negotiate the hazardous Gravity Wells. Every dimension evolved its own culture and perspective of reality as the knowledge of the united Continuum vanished into myth.

A fresh catastrophe now strikes. The margins between dimensions are getting more erratic, leading to disastrous "shifts" that might bring all reality into oblivion. Understanding the original Fracturing and knowing how to either permanently stabilize the fractured dimensions or restore the Continuum will provide only hope.

Here is where your trip starts.

The Mirror Dimensions

Each of the five realities generated from the Fracturing has a different connection to gravity.

The five separate worlds the Continuum split apart each mirrored a different aspect of the original planet. These realities coincide and are united only by the unstable Gravity Wells produced at fracture sites.

The Nexus

The position of the fundamental dimension and the first Fracturing. Gravity remains essentially constant in the Nexus but can be managed by someone with the right tools or knowledge. Acting as a hub connecting to all other dimensions, this dimension stores the ruins of the Quantum Architects' society.

The Crystal Dimension

One in which the enormous crystalline structures defining the ground refractify gravity as light does. Here gravitational forces can split and fluctuate in direction, creating areas where objects are simultaneously drawn in many directions.

The Void Dimension

Low gravity and a meager dimension of floating islands. The weak and localized gravity in the Void creates large empty spaces where passengers must negotiate from one gravitational zone to another or risk floating forever in the void.

The Mechanical Dimension

A world of gears, pistons, and continuous motion in which complex apparatus uses gravity and targeted application. The people of this dimension have evolved sophisticated methods to control and apply gravitational forces for their civilization.

The Organic Dimension

A live surroundings in which gravity responds to biological occurrences. Plants, animals, and even the environment can affect gravitational fields, therefore creating an always shifting scene whereby survival depends on adaptation.

As the boundaries between these dimensions dissolve, elements from each are beginning to flow into others creating unstable hybrid zones where the rules of physics are progressively more chaotic. These "Shift Zones" are both harmful and helpful since they include unique resources and events not found in any one dimension.

The Lore of Gravity Shift