Name of Shadow:               Lemuria           

Type:                                   Deepest Shadow

Points of Access:                Climbing a mountain through a bank of dense cloud.

Percentage Explored:            100%  

Principle Geological Features: Mountain Top.

Major Season:            Spring

Culture:                        Centralized Technocracy

Religion:                       Information

Currency:                     Credit Hours

 

Description:              

One of the Royal Amberite’s shadows of desire.  Created or found when someone of the younger generation attempted to “max out” the shadow variables of magic, high technology, education, and research.

 

Lemuria is an island amongst a sea of clouds.  Fully 100 square miles of land encapsulates a mountaintop with no clear peak.  Lemuria looks like a half cratered bowl shaped land studded with small mountain tops, deep valleys and diffused ridges. 

 

Huge clear domes, a mile in diameter, dot the countryside.  They are connected by glass tubes, that themselves connect to skyscrapers.  Much of the building materials appear to be quartz of varying hues, and colorations.  At night, several areas of Lemuria glisten in multicolored light.

 

Access:

In shadows where one of the four variables (magic, technology, education, research) is in abundance, it can be found by climbing a mountain and entering a cloud bank while holding a clear image of Lemuria in ones mind and shifting shadow.

 

Environment:

A mountain abode, it rests 7,000 ft above sea level.  The landscape is studded with coniferous trees, ferns, and bushes.  The highest peaks range upwards above 12,000 ft and a good quarter of the land is perpetually snow covered due to it’s high elevation.

 

A large, fresh water lake fills the bowl of land that is Lemuria’s central geography. This covers about 25 square miles (5 X 5 roughly) This figure does not include the 100 square miles of this shadow possesses.

 

Flora & Fauna:

There is no wildlife per say.  All vegetation found in Lemuria was transplanted from other shadows.  The landscape is predominantly high alpine meadows of short grasses and small exotic flowers.  The only insects are butterflies, bees, and spiders.

 

Inside each of the domes is a different unique ecological system found in a particular shadow.

Technicians employ the magical arts and advanced technological engineering to maintain the environment in each of the domes at a level similar to what is native to the contents of the domes.

 

These domes provide the foodstuffs and much of the raw materials necessary for Lemuria’s existence.   Matter replicators and raw conjuration making up the difference.

 

Presently, there are 36 domes in operation.  This covers roughy a third of the available land mass of this shadow.

 

Locations of Note:

Workshop of Telescopes: A tall willowy building, something like Seattle’s Space Needle extends from the tallest peak of Lemuria.  Within this complex is the Workshop of Telescopes.  All manner of devices are used to scan the skys of any conceivable emmision.  Electromagnetic, Radio, infrared, Cosmic rays, Mana inferometers are in abundance.  The researchers scan the heavens in search of refinements to cosmological theories.  A large mural representing the album cover of a hard rock music group adorns one of the walls.

 

This tower also contains numerous lecture halls, and classrooms for the instruction of astronomy, cosmology, astrophysics, astrology, and related subjects.  The research and construction of new telescopes also occurs within this building.  During daylight hours the place is a buzz with the mounting of new telescopes, classroom lectures, and maintenance of computers and other equipment.  At night the place is just as busy, with red lights used to ensure night vision is unspoiled.  A place active 24 hours a day.    

 

The Core:

Deep within the Mountain of Lemuria is the main power plant that generate the energy needs for a hungry technocracy.  A massive fusion plant maintains a tiny star in the balance of powerful magnetic fields.  

 

Primus:

One skyscraper is devoted to books.  These books are virtually indestructible and built to last.  All canonized works of knowledge in Lemuria find their way into this library.  The skyscraper runs as deep underground as it does up into the air, and it is easily the tallest of buildings (though not the highest; thats the Workshop of Telescopes).    

 

HAL:

The central processing unit for the island’s sprawling computer network is HAL.  HAL exists underground in a VAT of liquid nitrogen.  A being of excellent computational power.  He passes the turing test (If you can’t tell whether or not a machine is sentient after prolonged conversation then it’s determined that the machine is sentient).  HAL has thousands of access points throughout the island where he can watch, listen, and talk with people.  HAL is also the principle administrator of the island.  Most people in Lemuria could care less about politics as they are mostly involved in research and education.  Most building and grounds maintenance are performed by a sizable robot community.  HAL has been known to take control of individual robots on occasion.  HAL also is the bank of Lemuria. 

 

Given all that HAL does for Lemuria it seems odd there are no blueprints, schematics, or records of this device.  Questions involving who programmed, maintains, or otherwise directs him are not answered.  Regardless his role in Lemuria is integral to the smooth operation of society.  His decisions (eventually) appear fair, and he is not without a sense of compassion.

 

Human Society:

The society is loosely based on the environment of a college campus.  Most people who live here have 3 jobs; instructor, student, and researcher.  

 

Money is one of the strangest concepts for newcomers as most anything anyone would want can be picked up through the use of matter replicators.  Basic housing, food, utilities, and services appear free for the taking. In reality, each person is awarded credit hours based on the work they perform for HAL.  Some elements of the island’s maintenance, upkeep, and construction cannot be done by robots.  Likewise providing services as an instructor in various academic disciplines can earn a person credit hours.  Things that cost credit hours include use of computer time, lab facilities, supplies, and taking courses of education. 

 

A few people work directly for HAL and spend the rest of their time researching alone.  This is more of an exception as most people prefer to work in groups.  HAL doesn’t interfere with individual groups as long as data is shared and credit hours stay in the green (positive balance of hours).

 

Disruptions and criminal behavior result in fine’s levied on a person’s credit hours.  A negative balance is immediate cause for banishment.  No formal death penalty exists in Lemuria, and there are no prisons.  Continued criminal behavior is simply not tolerated and the offenders are forced to take a walk into the surrounding clouds of Lemuria.  Walk far enough downhill in the surrounding clouds and a person emerges into another shadow.  Unless you have some form of shadow shifting, it’s tough to get back.  Major crimes of murder, rape, computer hacking, etc. earn a person a trip downhill.  HAL is judge, jury, and executioner in these matters.

 

Just about every conceivable form of education is available within the Mega-University that is Lemuria.  Each of the 120 skyscrapers could be considered a separate university in it’s own right.

To be an instructor all a person need do is reserve a classroom for a semester.  The class is advertised and students enroll based on the instructor’s reputation and the class’s popularity.  To encourage new instructors.  First time classes are usually free to students.  HAL is pretty crafty about a lot of this stuff...

 

The people of Lemuria are as unusual as anything else about this place.  A homogenous mix of every conceivable race of human, humanoid, and others numbering over a 300,000.  HAL monitors population levels.   For couples to have children requires submitting a request to HAL, taking appropriate classes in parenting, and demonstrating parenting skill by working in the day care centers, and schools of Lemuria.  This work does not earn credit hours.  The overall effect being that most people do not have children and the population is technically in negative growth.  This is offset by newcomers to Lemuria eager to learn.

 

It’s not exactly known how people find their way to this land.  It figures in legends in some surrounding shadows.  People who thirst for knowledge sometimes find themselves here so there may be a metaphysical component to this land.  Another possibility is that HAL has something to do with recruitment.  He sometimes directs projects that seem mysterious; utilizing meson guns that detonate spells within quantum dimensions and tachyon emitters that beam conjurations someplace...

 

People stay for as long as they like, then leave.  An interesting component of this place is that the denizens are aware of their place in shadow.  That other dimensions exist with differing physical properties.  They are ignorant of the poles of reality or such things as Pattern, Logrus and such.  However, some of their theories, and research infers that such things may exist. 

 

Transportation

Matter transporters, flyers, Spell based teleportation, conveyer belts.  It’s all here and used.  Transportation is more a matter of style then anything else.

 

What do they do for fun?

Virtual reality simulators, games, debates, art exhibits, theaters, concerts, education of all kinds.

 

Exports:

Knowledge, scholars, engineers, artists, sorcerers, skilled labor.

 

Imports:

People wishing to learn, and impart their learning.

 

How are Amberites Treated?

There is one hotel in Lemuria.  It’s fully automated and staffed by robots.  Visitors are often directed there.  A newcomer to Lemuria is usually given a couple credit hours.  Any facility may be utilized (excepting The Core).  To stay longer requires an interview with HAL.