If you are new to Gaea Parallaxis please read the Foreword & Introduction before proceeding!

___________________________________________________________________________________________________

Economy of the Sovereign Coin.

NB: the Common Tongue spelling of nouns are italicised.

The Free Commonwealth Co-operative Charter decrees that member states must, by good common governance and fair stewardship of wealth, operate under the authority of the People as a Nation State. Each citizen, with sovereign rights and democratic liberties, has an equality of entitlement and obligation to the National State that serves and protects their interests, as well as those of the common good, whether it be local, national or commonwealth wide.

Economically, geographically and politically, the Free Commonwealth Nations represent a substantial block of the Human (or Siapiyen) and Elf (or Aelfa) Races around the fringes of the North Atlantika Oshean and the Meridhiyol and Blak Siys, spreading to the inland Nations that occupy substantial parts of North Athapaska, West- and Iyst-Boriya, northern Eyddan, the lands of Nodd and deeper into Azjiyana and even the Dravidiyan sub-continent.

The coins in a citizen's pocket or purse are an indelible symbol of their stake in the sovereign ownership and national welfare of their own Nation State. Not only do they represent the Nation State's monetary investment in the individual citizen, they are also a symbol of the citizen's obligations to that Nation State, and not least among those obligations of course, is the economic burden of national service, taxation and excise.

The member states of the Free Commonwealth all partake in a common monetary system and they trade with each other in a common limited free-market economy with levies on certain commodities, goods and services, and prohibitions on others. The monetary unit of the Free Commonwealth monetary system is the Soverin or $, and it's value of one monetary unit is intrinsically linked to the value of the gold within the standard Gold Sovereign coin.

Each Nation State within the Free Commonwealth has the authority to mint its own version of the Gold Sovereign, with each stamped to identify the Nation State that minted it. In all other regards, like its weight, size and metallic make-up, the Gold Sovereign coins must conform to a commonwealth-wide standard. All other coins within the Free Commonwealth monetary system must conform to the set standard in all aspects, regardless of the Nation State that minted them.

Coins of the Free Commonwealth monetary system:

Gold Sovereign (Soverin), worth $1.00

Gold Doubloon (Dublluun), worth $2.00

Silver Sterling, worth $0.50

Silver Piece (Piys), worth $0.20

Nikkel Shilling, worth $0.05

Brass Penny (Penniy), worth $0.01

Lawful possession of one Gold Sovereign coin is enough to entitle the possessor to full citizenship of the Nation State that minted the coin, thus rendering them subject to all entitlements and obligations that that citizenship requires.  Should a citizen refuse his or her obligations to appointed agents of the Nation State concerned, they forfeit their rights as a citizen and said agents have full authority to confiscate, by any means necessary, any and all of that particular nation's minted Sovereign coins from the person's possession.

Beyond the borders and influence of the Free Commonwealth, trade usually operates by means of the barter system and the exchange of commodities and goods are often subject to haggling and compromise. Most none commonwealth traders will accept commonwealth coins as part, or all, of a bartered exchange, but their worth can vary greatly, positively or negatively, with each trading transaction.

The non-commonwealth Freebooter Independencies, of the southern and western fringes of the North Atlantika Oshean, have their own monetary unit called the Dukat, which is equivalent in value to approximately $0.40. There are three types of Freebooter coin;

Gold Dukatuun, worth 3Dukats = approximately $1.20

Silver Dukatuun, worth 2Ducats = approximately $0.80

Bronz Dukatuun, worth 1Ducat = approximately $0.40

These Freebooter states, mainly comprised of ex-commonwealth colony states that have since declared themselves independent, operate an entirely free-market economy, with no levies or prohibitions on any commodities, goods or services. Corporate feudalism and professional Guilds feed the mercenary market forces of supply and demand in this totally free market - which in turn, feeds lucrative underworld black-markets among the Free Commonwealth states and other more limited or restricted economies.

Other monetary economies include that of the militaristic and industrialised Mountain Kingdoms (or Haiyper-Boqriyen) of the Dwarf (Dwarff or Dvergi) Race, spread through-out the Great Ranges of Nidavellir, Ural, Alp, Karpiathiya, Kaukasus, Altai, Tiyan, Zagro and Kush with numerous strategic outposts between and beyond.

The economic system of the Dwarff Kingdoms is, at first glance, a very simple one; the worth of all things is judged in Geldha, a Dwarffen unit of weight (approximately 19.3grams) and the worth of that weight in gold. The Geldha is also the name of a gold coin of the same weight, the only coin minted by the Dwarffs, and is the name of the monetary unit used in the Dwarffs' economic system as well. 1Ghelda is equivalent to about $1.10 or 2.75Dukats. All gold is treated as currency in the Dwarff Kingdoms, whether in coinage form or not and any amount of commodities, goods or services are equated to a worth and weight in gold. The trade and transactions of the Dwarffs are nearly always subject to serious, and sometimes prolonged, bartering and haggling - this can best be expressed in the famous Dwarff saying, 'the only good bargain is a hard bargain'.

The Dwarffs actively trade with the Free Commonwealth Nations, the Freebooter Independencies and with the Goblin (Goblinn or Khobaldh) tribal nations that they border on, chief among which are the Hobbs of the West-Boriyan highlands, the Djinn of Iyst-Boriya and Nodd; and to a lesser extent, the nomadic Iympa Goblinns that travel the vast tracts of the Steppe. The Dwarffs have also even been known to deal, though probably for purely strategic reasons, with the feared Upiyra (often erroneously termed Vampayr) Goblinns of Nifelqhaiym, north-east of the Dwarff homeland Nidavellir and north of perhaps the Dwarffs' greatest historical enemy the Yotun Trolls of the Yotunqhaiym Mountains.

It was once rumoured that the supposedly wild Svaart (or Blak) Aelfa, of Svaartalfhaiym, the Blak Forrests and the regions north of the Blak Siy, once used leaves as a form of currency but that is a myth which has no basis in reality. They do procure a kind of money from the trees however, which may be the origin of the myth, in the form of small, highly polished and intricately carved wooden discs called Kawnters that have no intrinsic value within themselves but are used as markers of transferable worth or as tokens of reward and honour for work or services rendered. The designs carved into the Kawnters vary greatly and seem to follow no set pattern, but carved design aside there are only two types of Kawnter, one is darkly lacquered some times up to the point of black, the other is lacquered with a light wash, some times up to the point of white. They can be, and are - whether in the singular, in pairs or on-mass - used in numerous games of chance and numerous ritualised methods for lottery decisions both mundane and profound. The black or dark ones are invariably named Neah, while the light or white ones are usually referred to asYeah.

One of the largest economies of the Anti-Earth, second only to the Free Commonwealth, is that shared by the Jiad and Sun Empaiyers of Far Eastern Azjiyana. Its monetary unit is the Cing, which is equivalent to about $1.32, and there are four coins in common usage;

Platinum Cing Cing, worth 2Cing = approximately $2.64 = 6.60Dukats = 2.40Gheldha

Gold Cing, worth 1Cing = approximately $1.32 = 3.30Dukats = 1.20Gheldha

Silver Ci, worth a ½Cing = approximately $0.66 = 1.65Dukats = 0.60Gheldha

Bronz Ng, worth a ¼Cing = approximately $0.33 = 0.82Dukats = 0.30Gheldha

 

___________________________________________________________________________________________________

On the main page you will find...

In the left-hand column, a list of Contents with links to all Chapters and Appendices, and a list of Dramatis Personae with links to the Chapter in which principle characters are first mentioned.

In the right-hand column you will find a Glossary of terms used with links to that term's first noted usage in a Chapter or to the most appropriate Appendix which contains an explanation of the term.

Each list is updated as relevant Chapters and Appendices are published. 

It is intended to expand the Appendices to include an RPG system of rules and stats that will enable a  traditional desktop RPG system and, ultimately, a 3D MMORPG virtual environment... all set within the Gaea Parallaxis anti-verse. Work is currently in progress to produce a single player computer RPG demo that will eventually expand to a full marketable PC game. The Demo will be free to download from this web-site soon so please check back regularly.

Please rate this site on Scifimatter.com by simply - Clicking Here!

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Although the content of this site is available free of charge at the moment, there may come a time when a small subscription fee may need to be charged to access new blog posts. Voluntary donations of any amount, equivalent to 1 GB Pound or 2 US Dollars minimum, will be gratefully received and will help to ensure the continuance of the tale... this will also ensure that you receive access to all posts in the future - even if a subscription fee is later imposed. Please provide an email address with your donation so a subscription code can be given to you in the event of a subscription fee being imposed. Click on the link below to Donate with PayPal - it's fast, free and secure!

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© 2009 - Harbinger451 - All Rights Reserved.

If you are new to Gaea Parallaxis please read the Foreword & Introduction before proceeding!

___________________________________________________________________________________________________

Time of the day and tolls of the Watch.

NB: the Common Tongue spelling of nouns are italicised.

The Common Standard for measuring and keeping time in the Gaea Parallaxis anti-verse is the twenty-four hour clock in which there are twenty-four hours to each day. These hours are numbered from 00 to 23. Each hour has sixty minutes, numbered from 00 to 59, and each minute has sixty seconds, numbered from 00 to 59. For most everyday use hours and minutes are all that is needed, for example – 13:49; but for more precise time keeping seconds can be used as needed, for example – 13:49:30.

The day, as part of the solar cycle, is very much a reflection of the solar year. Like the year, a day is also divided into quarters; these are morning (spring), noon (summer), evening (autumn) and night (winter). Also, as the solar festivals mark key times of the year, the tolls of the Watch mark key times of the day, often marked by tolls or chimes of a bell or clock.

The tolls of the Watch are as follows:

3 tolls = 03:00 = Morntide (Morntaiyd), the beginning of the morning quarter.

6 tolls = 06:00 = Midmorning (Midmorning), the mid point of the morning quarter.

9 tolls = 09:00 = Noontide (Nuwntaiyd), the beginning of the noon quarter.

12 tolls = 12:00 = Midnoon (Midnuwn) or High Noon, the midpoint of the noon quarter.

15 tolls = 15:00 = Eventide (Iyventaiyd), the beginning of the evening quarter.

18 tolls = 18:00 = Midevening (Midiyvening), the mid point of the evening quarter.

21 tolls = 21:00 = Nighttide (Niyttaiyd), the beginning of the night quarter.

24 tolls = 00:00 = Midnight (Midniyt), the mid point of the night quarter.

The Watches of the day are the traditional shifts that were kept by guards, watchmen, priests and officials since before the Common Era began. The system has passed into widespread use with the expansion of the Free Commonwealth and has become the standard measure for any occupation or post requiring a continuous twenty-four hour work schedule. Due to the increased productivity and efficiency the system provides it is now used throughout the Free Commonwealth for most professions making the society very much a twenty-four hour one. Each Watch of the day is six hours long and there are eight overlapping Watches in each day, as follows:

1. The first morning Watch runs from 03:00 till 09:00.

2. The second morning Watch runs from 06:00 till 12:00.

3. The first noon Watch runs from 09:00 till 15:00.

4. The second noon Watch runs from 12:00 till 18:00.

5. The first evening Watch runs from 15:00 till 21:00.

6. The second evening Watch runs from 18:00 till 00:00.

7. The first night Watch runs from 21:00 till 03:00.

8. The second night Watch runs from 00:00 till 06:00.

An individual would normally be expected to work eight, ideally non-consecutive, Watches (a total of 48 hours) in any eight day period (solar festivals not included for all bar the most essential professions).

___________________________________________________________________________________________________

On the main page you will find...

In the left-hand column, a list of Contents with links to all Chapters and Appendices, and a list of Dramatis Personae with links to the Chapter in which principle characters are first mentioned.

In the right-hand column you will find a Glossary of terms used with links to that term's first noted usage in a Chapter or to the most appropriate Appendix which contains an explanation of the term.

Each list is updated as relevant Chapters and Appendices are published. 

It is intended to expand the Appendices to include an RPG system of rules and stats that will enable a  traditional desktop RPG system and, ultimately, a 3D MMORPG virtual environment... all set within the Gaea Parallaxis anti-verse. Work is currently in progress to produce a single player computer RPG demo that will eventually expand to a full marketable PC game. The Demo will be free to download from this web-site soon so please check back regularly.

Please rate this site on Scifimatter.com by simply - Clicking Here!

Please show your appreciation for this site...

Spread the word: display one, or both, of the Gaea Parallaxis badges on your own web-site. Or display the Gaea Parallaxis banner. Get the HTML by clicking on the link below.

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Although the content of this site is available free of charge at the moment, there may come a time when a small subscription fee may need to be charged to access new blog posts. Voluntary donations of any amount, equivalent to 1 GB Pound or 2 US Dollars minimum, will be gratefully received and will help to ensure the continuance of the tale... this will also ensure that you receive access to all posts in the future - even if a subscription fee is later imposed. Please provide an email address with your donation so a subscription code can be given to you in the event of a subscription fee being imposed. Click on the link below to Donate with PayPal - it's fast, free and secure!

Make A Donation

© 2008 - Harbinger451 - All Rights Reserved.

If you are new to Gaea Parallaxis please read the Foreword & Introduction before proceeding!

___________________________________________________________________________________________________

Months of the year and the solar cycle.

NB: the Common Tongue spelling of nouns are italicised.

The most widely used calendar in Gaea Parallaxis is the Common Calendar. It has twelve regular months per year and runs from midwinter to midwinter in the northern hemisphere and midsummer to midsummer in the southern.  A calendar year is generally 365 days long, comprised of five months of 31 days each and 7 months of 30 days each. The actual length of an astronomical solar year is approximately 365.2422 days (that's 365 days, 5 hours, 48 minutes and 46 seconds). Due to this discrepancy it is necessary, to keep the calendar year in sync with the solar year, to add an extra day every four years. The only exceptions to this are when it falls in a century year (a year that ends in 00) which is not divisible by 400. These 366 day years are called leap years and the extra day is added at the end of the year, giving the twelfth month 31 days instead of the usual 30. In the ancient calendar system from which the Common Calendar is derived this extra day was termed a thirteenth month in, and of, itself and is still sometimes referred to as the thirteenth month.

Any given date is expressed as the day, followed by the month, followed by the year; for example 24/03/1059. If necessary the era can be noted after the year, for example 1059 CE (of the Common Era) or 1059 BCE (Before the Common Era). Gaea Parallaxis' Common Era is counted from Year Zero, the year that Eadbriyht the Good formed the first Free Commonwealth and founded the Priory of Universal Truth. Year Zero is equivalent to the year 952 AD in our universe.

The months of the Common, or solar, Calendar are as follows:

01. Snowmonth (Snoamunth), often abbreviated to Sno, is 30 days in length (22 Dec - 20 Jan) and is approximately equivalent to the period we know as Capricorn in the zodiacal calendar.

02. Solsmonth (Solsmunth), often abbreviated to Sol, is 30 days in length (21 Jan - 19 Feb) and is approximately equivalent to the period we know as Aquarius in the zodiacal calendar.

03. Lentenmonth (Lentenmunth), often abbreviated to Len, is 30 days in length (20 Feb - 20 Mar) and is approximately equivalent to the period we know as Pisces in the zodiacal calendar.

04. Eostarmonth (Iyostarmunth), often abbreviated to Iyo, is 31 days in length (21 Mar - 20 Apr) and is approximately equivalent to the period we know as Aries in the zodiacal calendar.

05. Merrymonth (Meriymunth), often abbreviated to Mer, is 31 days in length (21 Apr - 21 May) and is approximately equivalent to the period we know as Taurus in the zodiacal calendar.

06. Fallowmonth (Faloamunth), often abbreviated to Fal, is 31 days in length (22 May - 21 Jun) and is approximately equivalent to the period we know as Gemini in the zodiacal calendar.

07. Haymonth (Hiamunth), often abbreviated to Hia, is 31 days in length (22 Jun - 22 Jul) and is approximately equivalent to the period we know as Cancer in the zodiacal calendar.

08. Cornmonth (Kornmunth), often abbreviated to Kor, is 31 days in length (23 Jul - 23 Aug) and is approximately equivalent to the period we know as Leo in the zodiacal calendar.

09. Sheddingmonth (Shedingmunth), often abbreviated to She, is 30 days in length (24 Aug - 22 Sep) and is approximately equivalent to the period we know as Virgo in the zodiacal calendar.

10. Huntingmonth (Huntingmunth), often abbreviated to Hun, is 30 days in length (23 Sep - 23 Oct) and is approximately equivalent to the period we know as Libra in the zodiacal calendar.

11. Fogmonth (Fogmunth), often abbreviated to Fog, is 30 days in length (24 Oct - 22 Nov) and is approximately equivalent to the period we know as Scorpio in the zodiacal calendar.

12. Wolfmonth (Wulfmunth), often abbreviated to Wul, is 30 days in length (23 Nov - 21 Dec) and is approximately equivalent to the period we know as Sagittarius in the zodiacal calendar.

13. Yulemonth (Yewlmunth), often abbreviated to Yew, is 1 day in length and only appears in leap years. In modern times this day is more often incorporated into a leap year's Wolfmonth as the 31st day. This extra day is considered a part of the Yuletide festival and as such is treated as an extension of the Yule celebrations.

The yearly solar cycle is most obviously witnessed with the passing of the four quarter seasons; spring, summer, autumn and winter. In antiquity the four quarters were often grouped into the winter half (winter & spring) and the summer half (summer & autumn). The seasons were so central to life and society that their passing has taken on great symbolic and religious meaning, so much so that even today the great pagan festivals of antiquity are still celebrated as festive periods and a time for feasting, though much of their original religious significance is lost and largely redundant. These once holy days, running from the evening of one day to the evening of the next, have been extended into three days of rest and leisure for the majority of the working population when only the most necessary jobs of work are carried out. In a society that does not have weekends in the sense that we would recognize, these festivals have retained their importance and significance much more so than in our Western society where really only the winter festival is still celebrated to anything like a universal extent.

The festivals have developed round the solar seasons of the Northern hemisphere where they were first observed. With the expansion of the Free Commonwealth around the world and into the Southern hemisphere, these festivals and their observance have spread with them even though the natural seasons of the local areas involved are no-longer directly comparable. 

The festivals and feast days of the Gaea Parallaxis solar year are as follows:

1. Yuletide (Yewltaiyd), the festival of birth and renewal that marks the midwinter solstice as the end of the old solar year and the beginning of the new.

Yuleseve (Yewlsiyv), 30th of Wolfmonth (21 Dec), marks the last day of the old year and the beginning of the longest night, also known as Mother's Night. Traditionally Yule celebrations commenced at dusk or in the evening of this day (hence Yule's 'eve').  Homes are decorated with numerous candles and traditional ever-greens like holly, ivy and mistletoe. Evergreen trees are often decked out with colourful ribbons and brought into the warmth and sanctuary of the home.

Yule (Yewl), 1st of Snowmonth (22 Dec), midwinter's day and the first day of the new year. Feast day celebrating the victory of the new born Sun over winter for, although it is the day with the shortest period of daylight, henceforth the hours of light begin to grow longer each day. Traditionally the key part of the day is the feast itself, the most important and expansive of the year, when all manner of food and drink is taken in profusion as a symbolic strengthener for the winter sun.

Yulesgift Day (Yewlsgift Dia), 2nd of Snowmonth (23 Dec). Traditionally this was a day for giving alms and aid to those less well off, to help them through the worst of winter, but has also become a day to give gifts to family, friends and loved ones. Also known as Gifting Day, or Boxing Day due to the tradition of calling the gifts given on this day Yule boxes.

2. Springtide (Springtaiyd), the festival of purity and potential that marks the end of the winter quarter and the beginning of spring.

Springseve (Springsiyv), 15th of Solsmonth (4 Feb), the last night of winter, though traditionally the coldest night of the solar year it marks a point when the hours of daylight start to noticeably lengthen. Candles are lit to help the strengthening sun on this Night of the Waxing Light. In pagan symbolism the Hag of winter is transformed into the virgin maid who represents the budding potential of spring – an aspect of the goddess Sol.

Springsday (Springsdia),16th of Solsmonth (5 Feb), the first day of spring, a feast day in celebration of nurturing and childhood that has its roots in the seasonal nature of agriculture, it represents the first stirring of the buried seed within the earth and the beginning of the traditional lambing season.

Ewesmilk Day (Yeuwsmilk Dia), 17th of Solsmonth (6 Feb), an ancient pagan purification festival now almost completely lost except for the traditional libation, a quantity of ewes milk, drank by women who wish to become pregnant in the coming year, or scattered on the fields to promote the fertility of the crops and livestock. 

3. Eostara (Iyostara), the festival of fertility and conception that marks the spring equinox.

Eostaraseve (Iyostarasiyv), 30th of Lentenmonth (21 Mar), a transition point of the year when the light and dark of the day are of equal measure. Fires are lit to encourage the growing light to triumph over the darkness. Traditionally the sun child to be born at the next Yule is conceived tonight so it is considered an auspicious time for prospective parents to couple.

Eostarasday (Iyostaradia), 1st of Eostarmonth (22 Mar). Eostar is an aspect of Mani, the virgin lunar goddess, represented as a hare she symbolizes the inevitable loss of virginity and innocence with the coming of adulthood. Her feast day is seen as a time for giving – often anonymous – tokens and sentiments of love, fidelity and desire. Also a social occasion for dances and parties where single young men and women can come together, meet and socialize, random couples often being formed by a series of lotteries throughout the night.

Summer Finding (Summer Fiynding), 2nd of Eostarmonth (23 Mar), also known as Eggsday (Egsdia), the egg being a symbol of the sun as giver of life, sustenance and fecundity. Looking forward to summer, this day is traditionally marked by various fairs and occasions for fun as well as by hunts or races and other pursuits involving eggs. The eggs, usually hard-boiled and brightly painted in the past, are now more likely to be of the brightly wrapped chocolate or confectionery variety.

4. Maytide (Miataiyd), the festival of joy that marks the end of the spring quarter (and the ancient winter half) and the beginning of summer.

Mayseve (Miasiyv),15th of Merrymonth (6 May), the last day of spring, this evening and night is seen as the major fire festival of the year, bonfires are lit, torches brandished and candles and lamps distributed to encourage a good and fertile summer ahead. Jumping through the flames and smoke of the central bonfire is considered a bringer of good luck and fortune. In pagan times couples were encouraged to spend the entire night out in the fields, orchards and groves, frolicking and laying together to promote a good harvest.

Maysday (Miasdia)16th of Merrymonth (7 May), the first day of summer and the feast day of May (Mia), the Flower Bride – an aspect, or daughter, of the mother goddess Frigg, patroness of the fields, of crops and grain. Today is a day of masked processions, maypole dances and general merrymaking that culminates with the mock wedding feast and the crowning of the Flower Bride and her consort, the Green Man of the wild-wood, as the queen and king of Summer. It has become a traditional time for betrothals, engagements and weddings.

Summer Fairsday (Summer Fearsdia),17th of Merrymonth (8 May), the first of the year's great fair days, a time of fairs and merrymaking, of races, sporting competitions and entertainments.

5. Litha (Litha), the festival of life that marks the midsummer solstice.

Lithaseve (Lithasiyv), 31st of Fallowmonth (22 Jun), another fire festival, the midsummer celebrations begin with an evening of bonfires, set on the windward side of buildings and fields so the purifying smoke is blown over them. Torchlight processions, with the circular twirling and swinging of burning brands at the end of chains, do a circuit of the same buildings and fields in a sun-wise direction to promote good fortune, the vitality of the sun and to encourage the continual turning of the wheel of life.

Lithasday (Lithasdia), 1st of Haymonth (23 Jun), the midsummer feast day when burning wheels or barrels are pushed, rolled or sometimes carried around the fields and villages of the area – often seen as a competition or race between villages and communities. The great feast enjoyed on this day is second only to the Yule feast in terms of importance and indulgence.

Midsummer Fairsday (Midsummer Fearsdia), 2nd of Haymonth (24 Jun), another day of merrymaking, fairs, and races, of sporting competitions and entertainments.

6. Loafmass (Loafmas), the festival of community that marks the end of the summer quarter and the beginning of autumn and the harvest season.

Loafmasseve (Loafmasiyv),15th of Cornmonth (7 Aug), an evening of burning corn dollies and wicker men – the symbolic vestiges of ancient sacrificial rites that were thought to promote and enable a good and bountiful harvest. 

Loafmassday (Loafmasdia),16th of Cornmonth (8 Aug), feast day marking the traditional baking and eating of the first loaf from the new season's corn harvest. This day is seen as a celebration and confirmation of community and social harmony, embodied in the communal breaking and consuming of the traditional staple dietary commodity that is the loaf of bread.

Autumn Fairsday (Aotum Fearsdia),17th of Cornmonth (9 Aug), the third and last of the year's great fair days.

7. Thanksgiving (Thanksgiving), the festival of thanksgiving that marks the autumn equinox, the high point of the traditional harvest season.

Thanksgiving Eve (Thanksgiving Iyv) 30th of Sheddingmonth (22 Sep), this evening is for the getting together, saluting and toasting of family and friends; giving thanks by way of liquid, and usually alcoholic, libations. 

Thanksgiving Day (Thanksgiving Dia)1st of Huntingmonth (23 Sep), this feast day is a thanksgiving celebration for all of the sustaining and nourishing gifts and produce that nature, in her bounty, has provided.

Winter Finding (Winter Fiynding), 2nd of Huntingmonth (24 Sep), the start of the traditional season for the hunting of all wild game – in modern times it is, more often than not, a day for treasure hunts and games of hide and go-seek.

8. Hallowtide (Haloataiyd), the festival of remembrance that marks the end of the autumn quarter (and the ancient summer half) and the beginning of winter.

Hallowseve (Haloasiyv), 15th of Fogmonth (6 Nov), an ancient celebration of the traditional yearly livestock harvest in preparation for the lean winter months ahead and in which bonfire’s and jack-o-lanterns are lit to mark the end of autumn and the harvest season.

Hallowsday (Haloasdia), 16th of Fogmonth (7 Nov), the first day of winter, a solemn feast day when all those who have given their lives for others or in the service of the Free Commonwealth are commemorated and honored.

Day of the Dead (Dia ov dhe Ded), 17th of Fogmonth (8 Nov), when all of the ancestors and those that went before are commemorated.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________

On the main page you will find...

In the left-hand column, a list of Contents with links to all Chapters and Appendices, and a list of Dramatis Personae with links to the Chapter in which principle characters are first mentioned.

In the right-hand column you will find a Glossary of terms used with links to that term's first noted usage in a Chapter or to the most appropriate Appendix which contains an explanation of the term.

Each list is updated as relevant Chapters and Appendices are published. 

It is intended to expand the Appendices to include an RPG system of rules and stats that will enable a  traditional desktop RPG system and, ultimately, a 3D MMORPG virtual environment... all set within the Gaea Parallaxis anti-verse. Work is currently in progress to produce a single player computer RPG demo that will eventually expand to a full marketable PC game. The Demo will be free to download from this web-site soon so please check back regularly.

Please rate this site on Scifimatter.com by simply - Clicking Here!

Please show your appreciation for this site...

Spread the word: display one, or both, of the Gaea Parallaxis badges on your own web-site. Or display the Gaea Parallaxis banner. Get the HTML by clicking on the link below.

Get your own Gaea Parallaxis Badge!

Although the content of this site is available free of charge at the moment, there may come a time when a small subscription fee may need to be charged to access new blog posts. Voluntary donations of any amount, equivalent to 1 GB Pound or 2 US Dollars minimum, will be gratefully received and will help to ensure the continuance of the tale... this will also ensure that you receive access to all posts in the future - even if a subscription fee is later imposed. Please provide an email address with your donation so a subscription code can be given to you in the event of a subscription fee being imposed. Click on the link below to Donate with PayPal - it's fast, free and secure!

Make A Donation

© 2008 - Harbinger451 - All Rights Reserved.

If you are new to Gaea Parallaxis please read the Foreword & Introduction before proceeding!

___________________________________________________________________________________________________

3. A matter of time.

After lunch I was feeling much stronger. I’d had a smoke, Sister Judy bringing a pouch of vanilla-smelling tobacco with my meal. It smoked a treat in the pipe that she brought with it; she didn’t seem to have any idea what rolling papers were so I said I’d make do with the pipe. It had a long, thin and slightly curved stem, with a good round bowl at the end to pack the tobacco into. At the front of the bowl was a small button that, when clicked, sparked or heated a filament or something inside the bowl which ignited the tobacco. The pipe was made from some sort of Bakelite or ceramic, I’m not sure which; it felt light, but pretty solid, and it cooled the smoke like a dream as I drew it through. I was smoking just beyond the door to my cell and trying to take in the scene that confronted me there.

I was beginning to suspect that something a lot more serious had happened to me than I had previously realised. I was actually beginning to wonder if I had somehow been transported forward in time. Now, I know that time travel is a pretty heavy concept to just throw in there at the end of an otherwise perfectly harmless sentence, and I’m sure that you, the reader, are probably rolling your eyes at such an unlikely possibility. I know I would. I’ve always been of the opinion that time travel, although a preposition that does have appeal, is essentially an impossibility. It can’t, and frankly never will, happen. It’s a pure fantasy that belongs only in so called speculative fiction, a grandiose McGuffin designed to allow the exploration of certain paradoxes that can never really happen – the ultimate wouldn’t it be weird if scenario. You know the kind of thing... a guy goes back in time, accidentally kills his own grandfather, inadvertently marries his grandmother… and then fathers his own mother – or some other such nonsense.

The past is the past, it’s history and a matter of record – done and dusted so to speak. You can’t change what has already happened. Having said that, the future, I must concede, is unexplored territory and is by no means set. We are all time travellers to some extent, hurtling through time toward the future for the span of our lives. But the only direction possible is most definitely forward. The question is, can we accelerate or jump from one time to another, can we get beyond our natural time span… say by some form of stasis or hibernation? I have to admit that I was seriously considering whether I had been in a coma like sleep for decades if not centuries. Has time marched ever onward while my comatose body-clock slowed to a slumbering snails pace?

Of course, common sense soon came knocking at the door of my wildly speculating imagination. There is no way I could have survived for decades, let alone centuries, up on the moors, laid out and naked like I was, exposed to the elements – I would have surely died. No, I was probably up there a matter of hours if not, the more likely, minutes before Aranwen found me like that. It occurred to me that the simple fact of my memory loss could account for an apparent jump forward in time. Maybe I had simply forgotten the last few decades or so, causing the illusion that things had moved on without me and that I had travelled in time.

I supposed it was more likely than the other option that had occurred to me, that some mad scientist type had cryogenically frozen me for a number of decades, had thawed me out, then dumped me on the moors as part of some dastardly plot to take over the world. What can I say… I’ve got a vivid imagination – either that or the baccy I was smoking was mixed with something a little stronger. Thinking about it, I did have a bit of a buzz going on… and I did feel a little light-headed.

But enough of the wild speculation, back to the matter at hand. Immediately through the cell door, there opened up a long cloister that stretched to the left and right. It looked out over a large, about a hundred meter square or so, open-air quadrangle that housed an ornamental tree garden with a substantial – and quite spectacularly statuesque from what I could see through the trees – fountain at its centre. This quadrangle was enclosed on all four sides by three levels of convincingly gothic, late medieval cloistered walkways, at the ground level beneath me, at the first-floor level on which I stood and at the second floor level above. I estimated that each level could probably accommodated a hundred or so cells like the one in which I had awoke. Above the highest cloistered walkway a steep angled roof darkly glistened and shone in the late autumn sunshine. From what I could see it appeared to be entirely covered in solar panels. At the roof’s apex, at each of the two visible corners at least, there soared high, thinly tapering towers, apparently made of stone up to about a third of the way, the rest constructed of, or at least coated in, some smooth and blindingly white material. About fifty meters above the roof each tower was topped with an impressively huge wind-turbine, mounted on a rotating pedestal the aspect of which could turn to meet any prevailing wind. Very carbon-neutral, I thought. The full span of the turbine blades must have been at least seventy-five or eighty meters all told.

Now, as impressive as all that was, the thing that had me speculating madly about fanciful time travel scenarios, was by comparison a much smaller and relatively minor thing indeed. Below me was what appeared to be a robot tending the garden. It was humanoid in form if not necessarily in motion – unless your talking a slightly effete, double-jointed, gymnast who can rotate their head through three hundred and sixty degrees. Encased in a rigid white skin, it appeared to have fully rotating and pivoting joints at its elbows, wrists, knees and ankles, as well as at its hips and neck. It was quite eerie to watch and I found the whole spectacle surprisingly unnerving, I kept expecting to see the thing topple over but somehow it managed to keep its centre of gravity balanced and remain the right way up with fluid, almost balletic, grace. The only facial feature that I could see were a pair of over-sized black or mirrored, lens-like eyes; as far as I could tell its face was otherwise smooth and blank though there appeared to be two antenna like ears, one on each side of its head. Across its chest was a red graphic forming some kind of rectangular logo with writing beneath, I couldn’t quite make out what it said though.

The robot was raking leaves and collecting them into a large bin, it was more or less winning a battle with the chill blustery wind that kept gusting and whipping at the raked piles that the machine had so carefully formed before attempting to scoop them into the bin.  Not only did the robot have the wind to contend with, but Mrs Mu seemed to be doing all she could to thwart its efforts. Though the cat would freeze in its stalking tracks if the machine were to look in her direction, as soon as it turned away she would pounce, sometimes onto a freshly piled mound of leaves and sometimes at the rake if it came too close. Occasionally she would even leap and swipe at the robot’s ankles with her pin sharp claws. The robot seemed largely oblivious to the cat, but a couple of times I would swear that it nudged her, almost playfully, away [see fig001]. This would just seem to make the cat even more determined to wreak havoc with the robot’s efforts at leaf collecting.

I watched the machine’s hampered progress for about fifteen minutes before Aranwen approached along the cloister.

“What year is it?” I asked, as casually as I could, while tapping out the spent ashes of baccy from the pipe.

“What year?” she smiled. “Its ten fifty-five… why? What year did you think it was?”

I had to think about that. It was an extremely good question and one that I didn’t  have an immediate answer to. I desperately tried to remember any time related events that I could pin down to a particular year… I remembered that there was a scare over the year two thousand – the millennium bug and all that. And I remembered the attack on the Twin Towers in New York… and then the London bombings a little later… but I had to admit that the years were a little hazy. Let me think, the Twin Towers… that was nine eleven – the ninth of November – no, the eleventh of September that was it – bloody Yanks always having there dates the wrong way round… don’t they know the only logical order is day, month, year. But anyway, what year was the Twin Towers attack? Two thousand and two…or was it two thousand and three? And the London bombings… when was that? A couple of years later maybe… no, it was no good – I gave up. “I’m sorry,” I said. “I have to admit… I have no idea what year I think it is. I thought it was sometime after two-thousand certainly, but more than that… I couldn’t tell ya.” I shrugged.

“Two-thousand?” she said. “Well, I can assure you it is most definitely ten fifty-five… the tenth of Fogmonth*.” Before I could question what month Fogmonth might be, she added “It’ll be Hallowtide** soon.”

“Hallowtide?” I asked.  I was clearly going to have to start writing down a list of words I needed explaining.

“Yes” She said. “The festival of remembrance. Do you not remember… Hallows Eve, Hallows Day and the Day of the Dead?” she questioned, clearly trying to aid my memory by stating what, at least to her, was obvious. “It marks the end of autumn and the beginning of the winter quarter.” She continued.

Hallows Eve, I thought. Meaning Halloween presumably… so that’s it – they’re Neo-Pagans – I knew there’d be a religious angle somewhere along the line. But then, I reasoned, by the same token you could say that I was Christian because I celebrate Christmas… which of course I do… sort of – I eat lots, drink too much and enjoy receiving presents… like every other member of western civilisation. It doesn’t mean I believe that Jesus was the son of God… or even that he ever existed – which I certainly doubt very much.  And any-way, what am I saying? Halloween is simply a contraction of All Hallows Eve – the day before All Saints Day – it is Christian too. Samhain is the pagan festival.  Now, how or why I knew that, I have no idea.

“What calendar are you using for it to be the year ten fifty-five?” I asked with a laugh that I tried not to make too derisory. The only other calendar that I could think of was the Muslim calendar, which I was fairly sure would make it fourteen hundred and something. The years of the Christian world were counted from the supposed time of Christ’s birth… Anno Domini and all that – and that of the Muslim world was counted, I believe, from Mohammed’s. So I added “What birth or event marks the beginning of this era?” Then clarified “What happened one-thousand and fifty-five years ago?”

Aranwen looked at me with a genuinely shocked expression. “We are living in the Common Era.” She said. “The era of enlightenment… beginning when Eadbriyht the Good, the last king of Northumbria, abdicated his throne and abolished the monarchy. He founded the first of the Free Commonwealth*** territories right here in Northumbria. He founded the Priory… he is the Father of the Free, the Enlightened One. How can you not know this…” seeing the bewilderment that must have been evident in my face she then softened her countenance and smiled as if to a child, saying matter-of-factly, “– in many ways it seems like you were born yesterday.”

I wasn’t sure if that last comment was meant to be a joke… I failed to see the funny side if it was… I was way too confused and not for the first time I found myself dumbfounded, not sure at all what to make of my situation.

“So,” Aranwen said after an uncomfortable pause, “do you feel up to taking a look at where I found you?”

“I think so.” I said, I was feeling tired again and was beginning to descend in to one hell of a downer, but I was keen to see if the trip would jog my memory at all. “How far is it?” I asked.

“Its about an hours walk, but we should probably ride – I’m not sure if a two hour walk there and back would be too punishing for you a the moment… and if there are bandits about we don’t want to be caught on foot.”

I couldn’t help thinking that bandits were pretty unlikely in this day and age, but then I remembered that I didn’t know much at all about this day – let alone the age.

“Ride?” I quizzed. “On horses you mean?” Having never ridden a horse before, or at least if I had – I didn’t recall, the prospect was both exhilarating and daunting at the same time.

Aranwen laughed. “I wish.” She said. “I would love to be able to ride a real horse, but no… we will have to make do with equinoids.”

“What’s an equinoid?”

“What’s an equinoid” she repeated, “why its an equine model droid of course.”

“Oh… of course.” I said, rather sharply. “– silly me.” I wasn’t entirely convinced that she wasn’t fooling with me, and was beginning to get a little hacked off at her increasingly patronising tone.

“I’m sorry,” she placated. “I keep forgetting – I can’t imagine what it must be like to lose your memory, but I’m trying to understand.” The sincerity of her smile was quite beguiling, so much so that I couldn’t remain hostile to her, but the smile was quickly replaced by a much more serious countenance. “We’ll need some protection though,” She said, “just in case.”

“Em… okay.” Was all I could manage in reply to that, for I was unsure as to what she was referring to and I didn’t particularly want to put my foot in it by asking more stupid questions. The first thing that came into my mind when she said protection was a condom and I’m assuming that’s not what she was referring to. I must be coming across as a right idiot, I thought.

“I am afraid you will have to wear one of the black robes though… especially outside of the Seminary. It marks you as a lay attendant to the Priory – as stipulated in your dispensation.”

The dispensation was currently folded into quarters and residing in my back pocket. Aranwen had told me to carry it at all times in case I was ever asked to verify my identity. Which apparently seemed a distinct, and probably regular, possibility. I thought about whipping it out and checking the small print for any other little surprises I might have signed up for, but then I thought – what’s the point, I can’t even read the stupid thing properly anyway.

Aranwen followed me back into my cell where I put on one of the robes from the wardrobe. “What’s the significance of the different coloured robes?” I asked, trying to mask my discomfort at having to wear the habit like garment, it was way too much like fancy-dress for my liking.

“The blue robes are for ordained secularics and the green ones are for ordained sophiarics. Novices of the Priory all wear brown robes, while the Elders get to wear a particularly fetching blood red.” She flashed one of her cheeky half smiles at me. “The black robes are specifically for non-ordained assistants, advisors and attendants employed – like yourself, by the Priory. It’s a great honour that gives you the fullest protection and support that the Priory can offer.”

My eyes literally lit up… well, I’m sure that they widened anyway – and, if it was possible, my ears would’ve pricked up too… all at the mention of the word employed. “So, technically, I’m employed by the Priory you say?” I asked. “Is there any kind of remuneration with that?”

“Well… of course every citizen receives a minimum living allowance, twenty-three credits a day is the current rate. Being an attendant to the Priory does get you certain perks however… your food and board for starters.”

“All citizens receive an allowance?”

“The welfare of its citizens mean the welfare of the state…” she stated earnestly, as if quoting a memorised sound-bite from some socialist political manifesto. “And of course half of everything earned, gained or otherwise accrued over that minimum goes back to the Commonwealth.”

“Oh of course.” I said, thinking that a tax of fifty percent seemed a little steep for my liking. I decided to put on the overcoat also, it was a chilly autumn day so would be freezing up on the windswept moors. And anyway, the duster style overcoat was slightly cooler looking than the robe it would hide. I had no desire to look like a second rate Jedi wannabe at some lame Star-Wars convention.

Twenty-three credits? I thought. It didn’t sound like much, but then I had no idea how much a credit was worth. “Twenty-three credits… is that like twenty-three pounds?” I asked.

“Twenty-three pounds of what?” She replied.

“Oh… em – never mind.” I said. “How is it paid… cash, or cheque? Or is it paid direct into my bank account – ‘cause if it is, I can’t even remember what bank I’m with let alone my account number.” I realised that I was probably coming across as entirely mercenary but frankly it was true. I must never have been one to romanticise poverty – for even with no memory I knew enough to reason that being poor sucks – big time!

“I don’t know what cash or cheque is…” she said, “but a credit account was set up when we registered your ID with the digi-pod. Your credits should be deposited there each day, at least they will be ‘til we find out your real identity. You can withdraw your credits from any bank, as coins or credit-slips, if you really want to – but unless you’re planning to travel into the Wilds there is little need to do so, your Clearance Code is all that is needed by most vendors… certainly within the territories of the Free Commonwealth.”

My, at the moment still imaginary, list of things to ask, was only getting longer by the minute – I really must try to write them down before I forget any of them. Aranwen led me out of the cell, turning right we went along the cloister to the nearest corner of the large quadrangle where stairs led us down to the ground floor.

“Along there,” said Aranwen in passing, pointing along the ground floor equivalent of the cloister that housed my cell, “are the shower rooms, kitchens and communal areas for your block.”

We then set off across the garden toward the fountain at its centre. As we got closer to the robot, still raking leaves, I saw that the red writing across its chest said DA 12-15 in big fat letters; underneath, in a much smaller typeface, it said Domestik Androyd Twelv Fiftiyn. “Domestic Android Twelve Fifteen.” I read aloud. Maybe I’ll get the hang of this Common Tongue spelling crap after all, I thought. Or, am I just beginning to remember it? Now that I had a chance to take a closer look, I could see that the skin was anything but rigid, it must be some kind of latex I surmised for it stretched as the machine moved. At least it did at the chest which was expanding and contracting at a good pace, almost like it was breathing very fast. I could now see that it’s face had a number of horizontal vents forming a triangular pattern in place of a nose and mouth, and wondered if this breathing process was to draw cool air in to keep its presumably powerful power unit and processor from overheating. It sounded like a very quiet, though not so sinister, Darth Vader... on speed.

Now that I could check the machine out, up-close and personal so to speak, I saw that its right hand was missing, the left was of the five fingered human design, but the right seemed to simply be the rake – like it was an attachment of some kind. I wondered what other attachments it had… and whether it had a right hand at all, or just a series of attachments. For some reason I found the whole idea of attachments highly amusing… I imagined a room or shed somewhere with all these different tool and implement attachments; of the garden, kitchen and household variety – all lined up, perhaps with a couple of spare heads and other appendages… I chuckled to my self at the thought.

“Did you say something?” Aranwen asked.

“No, no…” I replied. “But, can I ask you something?”

“Of course.” She said.

“How long have you had a robot here? It must have been expensive?” I had a vague memory of the first robot that could fully walk properly on two legs. It was Japanese I think… what was it called? Asimo, was it? Something like that I’m sure.  Compared to this thing though it had been quite dumpy looking and its movement totally ponderous.

She stopped and looked at the robot. “The droid you mean?”

“Yes… the droid. Was it expensive?”

“No, not really… it’s a pretty standard model, you know – a basic domestic. Nothing special.”

“Wow… really?” I was impressed.

“Sure, a year as an attendant and you’d probably be able to buy one yourself, if you really wanted to… and you were especially frugal with your credits.”

“Cool!” Was about all I could manage at that. My own personal robot, how fantastic would that be? Fantastic doesn’t even cover it. I think I’d call it Bob. “Since when have these been standard?” I asked, waving my hand in the general direction of the droid as it carried on with its mundane and menial task. Mrs Mu was nowhere to be seen so had obviously given up her campaign of harassment.

“Well,” she said “this particular model, say about four or five years – its hardly the latest thing. The D-A twelve’s as a whole… they’ve been around about twenty years maybe – since I was a child anyway.”

“No way!” I said. “That can’t be right.” I was sure that I’d remember if robots like this were that common back then.

“Well it is.” She said. A church bell tolled in the distance. Aranwen paused, absently listening. I counted fifteen tolls**** before it ceased and then she spoke again. “I’m sorry, but we should be getting on… it’ll start getting dark in a few hours – we’ll want to get back before dusk.” She set off around the fountain and I followed her.

“You weren’t joking about the horse droids then.”

“The equinoids? Of course not – did you think I was?” She seemed slightly offended.

“I don’t know. I’m not sure of anything these days.” It wasn’t until this point that I had started to seriously consider the possibility that I may have somehow woken up in a parallel world of some sort. Too much seems to have changed, even if I couldn't remember the last twenty years or so. I know my memory loss totally complicates things, but I was becoming more and more certain that this world is not the same as the one I had been brought up in. I decided to not think about it too much, or at least to try and not do so, not until I was outside of this seminary and I had experienced a little more of the world outside. I was still not entirely convinced that this wasn’t some strange cult or other, and that I probably shouldn’t accept or believe anything I’m told here.

“We’ll get some weapons and then set off.” She said as I trailed her in silence. My mind was in a turmoil – I couldn’t even begin to explain how confused I was feeling. Did she say weapons? I suddenly thought, slightly alarmed. Bloody Hell! I exclaimed silently to my self. If the robots are this advanced, what are the weapons going to be like? I had visions of ray-guns, light-sabers, plasma-rifles, photon blasters and the like… I didn’t know whether to be scared or excited so the two sort of melded into a nervous anxiety that set me totally on edge.

--

Notes:

* Fogmonth: the eleventh month of the Common Calendar year, often abbreviated to Fog, has thirty days (23 Oct – 21 Nov) and is approximately equivalent to the period we know as Scorpio in the zodiacal calendar (see Appendix 1.3).

** Hallowtide: the festival of remembrance, which includes: Hallowseve (15 Fog), an ancient celebration of the traditional yearly livestock harvest in preparation for the lean winter months ahead and in which bonfire’s and jack-o-lanterns are lit to mark the end of autumn and the harvest season; Hallowsday (16 Fog), the first day of winter, when all those who have given their lives for others or in the service of the Free Commonwealth are commemorated and honoured; and the Day of the Dead (17 Fog), when the ancestors and all those that went before are commemorated (see Appendix 1.3).

*** the Free Commonwealth: an alliance of independent sovereign states and territories that have signed the Free Commonwealth Co-operative Charter; primarily, signatories are required to adopt a secular system of representative government based on the ideals of commonwealth, to uphold systems of Common Law and Individual Rights over-seen by a judiciary independent of the governmental legislature and executive, to participate in the Common Monetary System and to enable a free-market economy. The Charter also requires signatories to partake in a binding treaty of mutual aid and military co-operation and support.

**** fifteen tolls: marking Eventide at 15:00 hours, the beginning of the evening quarter and of the first evening Watch (see Appendix 1.4).

___________________________________________________________________________________________________

On the main page you will find...

In the left-hand column, a list of Contents with links to all Chapters and Appendices, and a list of Dramatis Personae with links to the Chapter in which principle characters are first mentioned.

In the right-hand column you will find a Glossary of terms used with links to that term's first noted usage in a Chapter or to the most appropriate Appendix which contains an explanation of the term.

Each list is updated as relevant Chapters and Appendices are published. 

It is intended to expand the Appendices to include an RPG system of rules and stats that will enable a  traditional desktop RPG system and, ultimately, a 3D MMORPG virtual environment... all set within the Gaea Parallaxis anti-verse. Work is currently in progress to produce a single player computer RPG demo that will eventually expand to a full marketable PC game. The Demo will be free to download from this web-site soon so please check back regularly.

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Although the content of this site is available free of charge at the moment, there may come a time when a small subscription fee may need to be charged to access new blog posts. Voluntary donations of any amount, equivalent to 1 GB Pound or 2 US Dollars minimum, will be gratefully received and will help to ensure the continuance of the tale... this will also ensure that you receive access to all posts in the future - even if a subscription fee is later imposed. Please provide an email address with your donation so a subscription code can be given to you in the event of a subscription fee being imposed. Click on the link below to Donate with PayPal - it's fast, free and secure!

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If you are new to Gaea Parallaxis please read the Foreword & Introduction before proceeding!

___________________________________________________________________________________________________

Days of the week and the lunar cycle.

NB: the Common Tongue spelling of nouns are italicised.

A week in Gaea Parallaxis can either have seven or eight days depending on how it falls within an ancient lunar calendar. The origins of this calendar have been largely lost, but it is assumed to date back to the prehistoric hunter-gatherer societies that first settled into an agricultural lifestyle in the fertile river valleys of central Gnodd. The names of the week days used today however, have a much more recent origin, they are based on the pagan gods of northern Boriya that were worshiped at the beginning of the Common Era and have subsequently been passed down into Common Tongue usage.

The days of the week are:

1. Manisday (Maniysdia), named after the goddess of the moon, of witchcraft & the hunt.

2. Tyrsday (Tiyrsdia), named after the god of war, law & order.

3. Wodensday (Wodensdia), named after the god of wisdom, knowledge & magic.

4. Thunorsday (Thuwnorsdia), named after the god of thunder & lightning, of honour & loyalty.

5. Fryjasday (Friyasdia), named after the goddess of joy, love & fertility.

6. Seatersday (Seatersdia), named after the god of the dead, of wealth & of agriculture.

7. Solsday (Solsdia), named after the goddess of the sun, of the hearth & the home.

8. Baldersday (Baldersdia), named after the god of poetry & skill, harmony & wise council.

In the ancient calendar a lunar month, commonly termed a Moon (Muuwn or Müwn), is the period of time in which the phases of the moon complete one full phase cycle from new moon to new moon. This is technically termed its synodic (sinodik) period and lasts approximately 29 days, 12 hours, 44 minutes and 2.9 seconds. Each Moon is divided into four quarters, or weeks (wiyks), that mark the four quarter points of the moon's phases, new moon, waxing half moon, full moon and waning half moon. A new week starts, with Manisday, at each of these points.

As a consequence of the fact that the synodic period cannot be divided evenly into four weeks containing an equal number of days (4x7=28, 4x8=32), a cycle of weeks of differing lengths is employed over a period of sixty-five Moons, or a Lunar Year, to keep the phases of the moon more or less aligned with the days of the week.

This Lunar Year not only requires that there be two types of week, a standard week of 7 days, and an extended week of 8 days; but also requires that there be three types of lunar month or Moon; a Standard, an Extended and a Blue (Bluw) Moon.

A Standard Moon has 3 standard weeks and 1 extended week, giving a total of 29 days.

An Extended Moon, which occurs every other Moon, has 2 standard weeks and 2 extended weeks, giving a total of 30 days.

A Blue Moon, which occurs every 32nd and 65th Moon in the cycle, has 1 standard week and 3 extended weeks, giving a total of 31 days

The full 65 Moon Lunar Year always starts with a Standard Moon followed by an Extended Moon, from then the Moons alternate between those two types till the 32nd, which is the first Blue Moon. This is followed again by alternating Standard and Extended Moons until the 65th and last Moon in the cycle, which is the second Blue Moon.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________

On the main page you will find...

In the left-hand column, a list of Contents with links to all Chapters and Appendices, and a list of Dramatis Personae with links to the Chapter in which principle characters are first mentioned.

In the right-hand column you will find a Glossary of terms used with links to that term's first noted usage in a Chapter or to the most appropriate Appendix which contains an explanation of the term.

Each list is updated as relevant Chapters and Appendices are published. 

It is intended to expand the Appendices to include an RPG system of rules and stats that will enable a  traditional desktop RPG system and, ultimately, a 3D MMORPG virtual environment... all set within the Gaea Parallaxis anti-verse. Work is currently in progress to produce a single player computer RPG demo that will eventually expand to a full marketable PC game. The Demo will be free to download from this web-site soon so please check back regularly.

Please rate this site on Scifimatter.com by simply - Clicking Here!

Please show your appreciation for this site...

Spread the word: display one, or both, of the Gaea Parallaxis badges on your own web-site. Or display the Gaea Parallaxis banner. Get the HTML by clicking on the link below.

Get your own Gaea Parallaxis Badge!

Although the content of this site is available free of charge at the moment, there may come a time when a small subscription fee may need to be charged to access new blog posts. Voluntary donations of any amount, equivalent to 1 GB Pound or 2 US Dollars minimum, will be gratefully received and will help to ensure the continuance of the tale... this will also ensure that you receive access to all posts in the future - even if a subscription fee is later imposed. Please provide an email address with your donation so a subscription code can be given to you in the event of a subscription fee being imposed. Click on the link below to Donate with PayPal - it's fast, free and secure!

Make A Donation

© 2007 - Harbinger451 - All Rights Reserved.

If you are new to Gaea Parallaxis please read the Foreword & Introduction before proceeding!

___________________________________________________________________________________________________

The Universal Alphabet and the Common Tongue

The Common Tongue is the most widely used language in Gaea Parallaxis; it is the international (& interstellar) language of law, philosophy, economics, navigation, science and diplomacy. Despite being surprisingly similar to the English language of our world, there are a few notable differences, especially regarding the phonetic sounds of the letters used. Generally each letter has a single specific sound, for example; C or c always indicates a ch sound and Q or q always indicates a kh sound. It should also be noted that the letter Y or y is treated as a sixth vowel. Each letter's phonetic sound is detailed in the table below.

No.	Universal Alphabet	[English equivalent]: example sound in bold & italic.
1	Aa	[a]: at, sat, grass, path
2	Bb	[b]: bat, rub
3	Cc	[ch]: chair, match, ciao
4	Dd	[d]: door, gladden, sad
5	Ee	[e]: egg, bet, red, thread
6	Ff	[f]: feel, phile, fox, front
7	Gg	[g]: gate, toggle, log
8	Hh	[h]: hell, hat
9	Ii	[i]: imp, pin, till, busy, hymn
10	Jj	[j]: jump, page, general, digital, gorge
11	Kk	[k]: cork, chasm, quick
12	Ll	[l]: lift, halt
13	Mm	[m]: milk, sum
14	Nn	[n]: no,  know, heaven, gnosis
15	Oo	[o]: shop, pot, shone
16	Pp	[p]: pot, lap
17	Qq	[kh]: loch, (Spa) jalapeno, (Ger) ach
18	Rr	[r]: road, borrow, merry
19	Ss	[s]: slow, lace, miss
20	Tt	[t]: top, lot better
21	Uu	[u]: up, but, other, love
22	Vv	[v]: van, of, even
23	Ww	[w]: water, one, twig, quick
24	Xx	[ks/gs]: box, lax, expect
25	Yy	[y]: yellow, bastion,  you, join
26	Zz	[z]: zero, xylophone, lazy, roads

Common combinations of letters, with examples of their phonetic sound, are given in the following table with English equivalents:

Repeating a consonant accentuates & lengthens the sound briefly:

ss: hiss kiss

rr: burr, (Fre) raison

Repeating a vowel also accentuates & lengthens the sound briefly:

aa or ä: father, harm, heart

oo or ö: floor, for, more, fall, lawn, haul

uu or ü: could, would, good, wood

Vowel combination sounds (diphthongs):

ea: hair, dare, pear, there, vary

eu: learn, bird, turn, absurd, word

iy: chief, feet, here, deal, seize, carefully

ia: pain, pay, rein, late, name

ay: side, shy, height, hire, byre, eye

oy: toy, buoy, soil, boy,

oa: boat, bone, low, dough, no

au: gather, flavour, cheetah, thorough

yu: tune, due, newt

Vowel and consonant combination sounds:

aw: frown, mount, sour

uw: do, blue, who, you, two

uuw or üw: school, moor, tour, (Welsh) arrwn

Consonant combination sounds:

dh: the, there, mother

th: thin, thought

ng: playing, thing bank, conquer

zj: measure, azure, lesion

sh: shop, motion, cheroot

wh: why, when, where

gn: gnosis, gnat, (Ita) gnocchi, know, knee, knuckle

___________________________________________________________________________________________________

On the main page you will find...

In the left-hand column, a list of Contents with links to all Chapters and Appendices, and a list of Dramatis Personae with links to the Chapter in which principle characters are first mentioned.

In the right-hand column you will find a Glossary of terms used with links to that term's first noted usage in a Chapter or to the most appropriate Appendix which contains an explanation of the term.

Each list is updated as relevant Chapters and Appendices are published. 

It is intended to expand the Appendices to include an RPG system of rules and stats that will enable a  traditional desktop RPG system and, ultimately, a 3D MMORPG virtual environment... all set within the Gaea Parallaxis anti-verse. Work is currently in progress to produce a single player computer RPG demo that will eventually expand to a full marketable PC game. The Demo will be free to download from this web-site soon so please check back regularly.

Please rate this site on Scifimatter.com by simply - Clicking Here!

Please show your appreciation for this site...

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© 2007 - Harbinger451 - All Rights Reserved.

If you are new to Gaea Parallaxis please read the Foreword & Introduction before proceeding!

___________________________________________________________________________________________________

2. What’s in a name?

As I awoke again, I became conscious of a warm mass weighing heavily on my chest. Groggily I opened my eyes and saw that it was a relatively small black cat, but one with a disproportionately large stomach. It was staring at me with what appeared to be nothing less than utter contempt.

"Hello kitty.” I said; wondering where it had come from for the door was still closed. “What’s your name?”

It lay sphinx-like with all four paws gathered under itself and it’s long tail wrapped close on its left side. The end of that tail began to flick as if to show the beast’s annoyance at the fact that its warm comfortable cushion was now awake and that it would probably have to move soon.

“She’s called Mrs Mu.” A woman’s voice answered from my left. “Be careful moving her though, she has a nasty habit of lashing out if not happy.”

I looked over to the armchair past the left-hand bedside cabinet. A young woman sat there with her legs stretched out and with what appeared to be quite a chunky and rounded pod-like palmtop or laptop held open in her lap, the soft light from its screen bathed her face in a faint blue luminescence. I estimated she was in her twenties, her dark, rich auburn hair only partially obscured a fresh youthful face contradicted by big but darkly serious steel-blue eyes. Her features weren’t what you would call classically beautiful, if you buy into that sort of thing, but her aesthetic had a certain brooding, gothic charm that definitely appealed to me. She was wearing a similar robe to the others but in a dark green.

“Who are you?” I blurted rather bluntly, forcing an internal cringe of embarrassment… at least I hoped it was internal. The idea of civility tends to only manifest itself in my head after the first cup of tea, some marmalade on toast and a smoke… preferably followed quite rapidly by a cup of black coffee and another smoke. Only then am I ready to face the world and exchange sociable niceties.

“I’m Sister Aranwen Foxfire.” She replied. “Who are you?” Her retort was lightened by the suggestion of a half smile and a quizzically raised eyebrow that courted familiarity. I stared at her for a second or two before remembering that I did not, in fact, know my own name.

Sitting upright and closing the robust little computer, she broke the awkward silence by explaining that it was she who had found me on the moors three days ago.

Three days ago! I marvelled that I had been unconscious that long. It was she who had gone for help and it was she that was responsible for my present state of health. As opposed to the more likely state of death that I would have been in if she hadn’t happened by… the disquieting thought lingered disturbingly.

“I cannot thank you enough,” I said trying not to dwell on the possibilities, “but do you know anything of how I ended up being there in such a condition?”

“I assumed thieves or robbers had left you for dead.” She replied. “Do you remember nothing? Not even why you were out on the moors in the first place… or where you were going?”

I shook my head glumly. She appeared genuinely concerned… or at least curious. I suppose its not often that you find an adult who doesn’t remember their own name. I could certainly recall reading or hearing about such cases of memory loss but its not the sort of thing you imagine happening to yourself. I was always under the impression that in actuality such cases involved only partial memory loss – usually due to a trauma of some sort, psychological or physical. My loss of memory has certainly wiped out all recollection of the near past; but also, it seems, of all personal details – family, friends and acquaintances, my home, my job – if I had one… all of it gone. And yet, I seemed to have a foggy perception of numerous cultural references, Judi Dench the actress for example, I remember her… or at least I thought I did. Sister Judy obviously didn’t seem to have the same reference as I; she was plainly unaware of the actress who shared her name… so maybe it was me that was in the wrong?

Unable to face my own problems just yet I focused on Aranwen. Mrs Mu seemed to have settled down again on my chest, confident that her throne was safe for the time being. “So, em… what’s with the ‘Sister’?” I enquired. “Is this some sort of religious order.”

“Religious?” She seemed offended and added with barely suppressed indignation, “Certainly not! This is a training college for Secularics and Sophiarics… we are only concerned with universal truths and the seeking of knowledge and gnosis.”

I stared at her blankly; I was getting the notion that I would be doing quite a lot of that in the near future. It seemed that every other conversation I was going to have would leave me with more questions than answers. “Forgive me, but… erm, what are secularics and – what was it, sophiarics?” I asked cautiously.

“Wow…” she said, “are you serious? You really have lost your memory haven’t you? They are the cornerstone of our culture… the guardians of civilisation, of learning and secular humanism.”

Her facial expression implied that this should be self-evident. To tell the truth I was just relieved that they appeared to be non-religious – though I still needed convincing of that, they appeared to have the trappings of at least a quasi-religious sect or something. I have to admit that I have no time at all for those delusional enough to follow a religion. I just don’t understand how supposedly intelligent people can be so ignorant as to believe that religion is anything other than a fascist’s way of controlling the population as little more than slaves. It brainwashes the masses into an unquestioning life of toil and drudgery with only the promise of a better life after death to look forward to. Meanwhile the very human and most definitely none divine religious hierarchies reap the benefits of power and wealth. It makes me sick to the stomach.

Before I could sit myself up I scooped the cat with both hands as best I could and lifted her from my chest. She still somehow managed to get a number of needle sharp claws hooked into the blanket that luckily covered my chest. I struggled a bit as I sat up but eventually her claws withdrew as she realised the fight was lost and that her bed meant business. Swinging my legs round to sit on the edge of the bed I plonked Mrs Mu down onto the floor. The surprisingly heavy animal stood there a good few seconds absolutely stock still, before embarking on a furious bout of licking her back left paw, which she had suddenly thrust, with spread-eagled pads, straight up into the air.

With my head in my hands I watched the small feline through my fingers before looking up and asking Aranwen what time it was… “In fact what day is it?” I added. “I’ve totally lost track.”

She flipped her small laptop open and peered briefly at the glowing screen. “It’s nine thirty-two, Solsday*... the tenth.”

“Okay…” I said, trying not to sound too surprised or ignorant. “The tenth, eh?” My mind was in turmoil – she certainly didn’t seem to be taking the piss and she was now looking at me with a puzzlement that matched my own.

“What do you mean by… oh kay?” She said.

“It just means…” It was my turn to pause, thinking about the complexities of the term and its many uses dependant on context. “It means, I see – I understand... or, all right... you know – like, cool n’ stuff. It’s an Americanism.” She was now looking even more puzzled so I told her that it really didn’t matter. I was beginning to think it wasn’t just my memory that I’d lost but my mind also. I decided to change the subject.

“What have the police said about it… about what happened to me. I’m assuming they’ve been informed… and why aren’t I in hospital?” Grammar was not at the top of my list of priorities at that moment and although I disliked hospitals with a passion, I find the places so depressing, I knew at least that I should probably be in one.

Aranwen sported a strangely compelling expression of bemusement. “Well…” she said slowly, “police I understand, and yes they have been informed.” But then she said an even more astonishing thing, deadly serious and genuinely curious. “What is hospital?” For a brief second she looked at me with an expression similar to how I would look at a Martian trying to sell me insurance.

I was tempted to just say forget it, but I found myself trying to explain. “Hospital... you know, a hospital – where you go when injured or sick... nurses and doctors an’ shit. They look after you, heal you... or you get surgery done...” I was babbling of course, but I think I was entitled.

“I see.” She said. “Like an infirmary... we have one here. It’s where we tended your wound.” She pointed to my forehead.

“Yes,” I stated, relieved to get past that little hurdle, then confirmed, “like an infirmary.”

The door then opened, it was Sister Judy carrying a tray. The rich, delicious scent of coffee wafted in around her.

Mrs Mu shot out of the room like the devil himself was at her tail.

Aranwen stood, her closed pod-like computer swung to her side, it was on a shoulder strap crossed over her body. “I’ll see our Chapter Magister,” she said, “and ask about getting you some ID… though without a name that may be a problem.”

“Okay.” I said, then immediately remembered the phrase meant nothing to her and added, “I mean, em – all right, thanks.” Though little of what she had said meant much to me either.

As Sister Judy put the breakfast tray on the desk, and as I eyed the mushroom omelette, toast, orange juice and the coffee that it held, Aranwen made to leave but first suggested I look in the chest of drawers and the wardrobe for some clothes, if I felt up to getting dressed. I thanked her again as she walked out the door.

“How are you doing this morning?” asked Sister Judy.

I smiled, “I still don’t remember anything, but otherwise I’m ok...” I stopped myself mid okay before adding “– I’m all right.”

“Very well.” She said. “I’ll leave you to your breakfast, is there anything else you need?”
“Well,” I said hesitantly, giving my best cheeky smile before adding “I probably shouldn’t, but I could do with a smoke – any chance of getting some baccy?”

“Is it tobacco you want?”

I nodded affirmation and said “Please.” I was sure my head would feel much better with a bit of nicotine.

“I’ll see what I can get.” She said. She picked up the tray left over from supper, and said, "I'll bring some when I come back for the breakfast things."

Wow, I thought, that was painless – I was sure that I’d get a lecture… probably will if she brings me some though… no smoking in public spaces, et cetera, et cetera.

I thanked her and she too left. I demolished the breakfast in no time at all and, still a little shaky on my feet, I checked out the wardrobe. The double doors opened to reveal that it was packed with what looked like new clothing. Every item of which was black. Interesting, I thought, a little puzzled. Black trousers, black tops, black robes and even a black heavy – what appeared to be – overcoat to go over the robes. All very well made, I had to say. Boots also… and in my size too. I quickly checked the chest of drawers also; it was packed with black socks, white underwear and white tee shirts... oh, and some towels and a bath-robe – all in white. Talk about a strict dress code, this place was unbelievable. I wondered if every one wore the same underwear beneath their variously coloured robes.

I quickly washed my face and attempted to tame my hair with water at the washbasin. A little cupboard beneath the basin housed spare toilet roll, soap, flannels, a cut-throat razor, a pair of scissors and... yes! – an electric hair trimmer, with a variety of attachment combs of different size. After realising that there was no lead, and in fact nowhere to plug it into anyway, I flipped the switch and it buzzed away merrily under its own power. I set it to about five millimetres for my head and about three millimetres for my beard. I then did a bit of shaping with the cut-throat. I almost felt human again. I changed my underwear and dressed myself in black, though I refrained from wearing a robe.

Now, I thought, lets see what goodies are in the desk. Paper, pens, pencils, paper-clips... the usual detritus – but wait... another result. A computer-pod like the one Aranwen was using.

Placing it on the desktop I flipped the machine open. It switched itself on as the screen was revealed and immediately displayed a cryptic message at me.

Welkom tü yaur Diji-Pod!

Yaur Pursonal Dijital Informeashun and Komyunikeashun Portal.

Pliyz enteu yaur Niamz and Kliyarens Koad.

Beneath this was then a series of boxes awaiting typed input, presumably by me... or whoever else opened the machine.

Beuth Niam - Sitizen Niam - Mateunal Niam - Dinastik Niam - Kliyarens Koad -

I was staring at the screen somewhat nonplussed when Aranwen returned.

“Ah, you’ve found a digi-pod...” she said. “Excellent, I’ve got you a special Dispensation – It acts as your ID till we find your real name.” She waved a piece of paper at me.

“A special dispensation?” I asked. “What does that mean... a dispensation for what?”

“Well,” she said, “first of all it means you can access that, and any other, digi-pod." She pointed at the machine on the desk. "Second, it means you can now leave the grounds of this Seminary with proper ID and you won't run the risk of arrest.”

“Arrest?” I exclaimed. “Arrest for what – not remembering my name?”

“Well... yes. If you don’t have a name, you don’t have a verifiable identity and are therefore not a citizen. Surely you remember that?”

I hoped my blank face answered her question sufficiently.

“Well – no matter. You have a name now... of sorts.” She didn’t seem entirely sure.

So I asked what the catch was, for there obviously was one.

“Well...” she began with the air of someone about to tell a person that their favourite pet was going to be put down, “you must appreciate that we've never encountered this problem before, you know – someone who doesn't know their name, the Magister reckoned it was totally unprecedented – but technically you now have a name, unfortunately it is No Name.”

“Excuse me?” I asked, quite reasonably I thought.

“Every citizen has four verifiable names.” She began what was obviously going to be a long explanation. “They have a Birth Name, given to them at birth, usually by their parents... obviously, we don’t know yours – so, because a Birth Name cannot be changed, that has had to go down as Unknown – for the purposes of your Dispensation. Luckily we don’t use Birth Names very much – usually just for identity verification. Second we have your Citizen Name, which is usually chosen by an individual at the age of sixteen when they become a full citizen – but can be changed at the age of twenty-one if the individual so chooses. Unfortunately you are neither sixteen nor, I'm assuming, twenty-one – so you can’t pick or make one up now. I’m afraid you’re stuck with what the Dispensation allows till we find out your real Citizen Name, it has had to go down as the default No Name. Now this is the name you will have to use from now on as your general first name if anyone asks... its the law I’m afraid.”

“You’re shittin' me right...” I said, convinced this was going to be an elaborate joke. “You are shitting me – aren’t you?”

She entirely ignored my little outburst and continued. “The third name is again not one used very often, just for verification purposes, but again it can never be changed, so has to go down as Unknown for now. It's is your Maternal Name, which is the Maternal Name of your mother and of her mother before her and so on. The fourth name is your Dynastic Name. As a child this is the same as your father’s Maternal Name, but once you reach the age of sixteen you can change it to what-ever you wish, whenever and however many times you wish just so long as it is legally recorded that you did so. Which means you have the option to pick one now if you wish, to be used as your general surname... any ideas?”

I stared at her. “So I have to use the name No Name... is that what you’re telling me?”

“With the addition of a Dynastic Name of your choice... yes.”

To be quite honest I was dumbfounded, I didn’t know what to think let alone say. You can always rely on a bureaucracy to deal with unforeseen or unanticipated circumstances by throwing a totally random and inadequate solution at the problem.

“You’ll be known as Citizen No Name... something?” She added, by way of encouragement.

I mulled it over briefly, then figured – what did it matter? If it means I can get out of here and to a hospital or the police, then I can get back to normal everyday life where my memory has a better chance of being jogged, so to speak. Now, the matter at hand. A name. Citizen No Name… what?

The only surname that came readily to mind was Kane… as in – Citizen Kane, the Orson Wells movie. That’s it then, I thought, it’ll have to do. Citizen No Name Kane. It illiterates quite nicely too, so I told her “I’ll be Citizen No Name Kane.”

“Kane?” she said. I nodded. “Great,” she continued, “now you just have to write it on the dispensation and then input it into the digi-pod."

She handed me the paper and a pen. The paper felt a little strange between my fingers, sort of waxy, like opaque acetate and much smoother and stronger than ordinary paper. I glanced at the writing upon it but saw that it was written in the same gobbledygook as that displayed by the digi-pod. “I’m sorry,” I said. “This means nothing to me – I can’t read it. Why is everything spelt so weirdly?”

“Weirdly?” she seemed surprised by my assertion. “It’s all in the standard form of the Common Tongue**.” She took it back from my hand and looked it through as if nothing were out of place.

“To tell the truth I think the blow to my head has affected more than just my memory.” I said, sitting down on the bed. I could feel an anxious fear building within me again. “I think its given me some sort of dyslexia or something – all the words look strange… look, wrong.” I slowly shook my head and raised both hands, palms up, to emphasize how wrong they were.

“That’s all right.” She said, putting a hand on my shoulder. “I’m sorry – I’m probably rushing you. I’ll fill in the dispensation for you and then log it in on the digi-pod. Then all your records are done… till we find out who you really are.”

I watched her fill in the Dynastic Name, as she called it, and couldn’t help but notice that the way she spelt Kane was Kian.

I didn’t have the strength to correct her – and anyway, it was probably me that was in the wrong, seeing as I couldn't seem to recognise any words or their spelling at the moment. I lay back on the bed; my head was really starting to hurt again.

--

Notes:

* Solsday: the seventh day of the week, named after the ancient pagan Sun goddess of northern Boriya (see Appendix 1.2).

** Common Tongue: the most widely used language of Gaea Parallaxis, not dissimilar to the English language, it has taken on elements of many distinct ethnic languages and incorporated them into a universal common one. It uses an alphabet that looks almost identical to the English alphabet but has numerous differences in the phonetic sounds of certain letters and combinations of letters (see Appendix 1.1).

___________________________________________________________________________________________________

On the main page you will find...

In the left-hand column, a list of Contents with links to all Chapters and Appendices, and a list of Dramatis Personae with links to the Chapter in which principle characters are first mentioned.

In the right-hand column you will find a Glossary of terms used with links to that term's first noted usage in a Chapter or to the most appropriate Appendix which contains an explanation of the term.

Each list is updated as relevant Chapters and Appendices are published. 

It is intended to expand the Appendices to include an RPG system of rules and stats that will enable a  traditional desktop RPG system and, ultimately, a 3D MMORPG virtual environment... all set within the Gaea Parallaxis anti-verse. Work is currently in progress to produce a single player computer RPG demo that will eventually expand to a full marketable PC game. The Demo will be free to download from this web-site soon so please check back regularly.

Please rate this site on Scifimatter.com by simply - Clicking Here!

Please show your appreciation for this site...

Spread the word: display one, or both, of the Gaea Parallaxis badges on your own web-site. Or display the Gaea Parallaxis banner. Get the HTML by clicking on the link below.

Get your own Gaea Parallaxis Badge!

Although the content of this site is available free of charge at the moment, there may come a time when a small subscription fee may need to be charged to access new blog posts. Voluntary donations of any amount, equivalent to 1 GB Pound or 2 US Dollars minimum, will be gratefully received and will help to ensure the continuance of the tale... this will also ensure that you receive access to all posts in the future - even if a subscription fee is later imposed. Please provide an email address with your donation so a subscription code can be given to you in the event of a subscription fee being imposed. Click on the link below to Donate with PayPal - it's fast, free and secure!

Make A Donation

© 2007 - Harbinger451 - All Rights Reserved.

If you are new to Gaea Parallaxis please read the Foreword & Introduction before proceeding!

___________________________________________________________________________________________________

1. Hand of the hypnogogue.

I have to admit that the tortuous journey into consciousness left me more than a little dazed and most definitely confused. I was unsure where I was, and experiencing great difficulty in remembering much of anything. I lay in a bed in what appeared to be some sort of hospital room but I wasn’t entirely convinced. The room’s intent could well have been a monastic rehab centre, or even an exclusive and very private sanatorium of some kind. The next possibility that came to my moribund mind, a lunatic asylum – however exclusive, left me feeling an uneasy chill of foreboding. So I desperately tried to remember what had happened, what event or circumstance had brought me here… wherever here was.

My short-term memory was a blank and the period of consciousness that ended with me in this bed remained totally inaccessible. I reasoned that perhaps I’d been in an accident of some sort. Maybe I had received a head injury... and had been unconscious for days. I certainly felt massively fatigued and undeniably fragile… and I was suffering from an unbearable hunger, while my head ached as if cold icy fingers were probing inside my skull.

With trepidation I looked around. It was way too homely for a hospital room, and the bed was much too big and comfortable. As sure as eggs are eggs and bacon is bacon it was cleaner than any hospital interior that I had ever been in. The furnishings were simple but sublime, all made in a robust fashion from a dark, warm lacquered wood with brass coloured fixings and fittings. It gave the room a puritan farmhouse feel… very Old World, the walls were of sand coloured stone blocks precisely butted together to provide a smooth and almost seamless finish, while the high ceiling was of an off-white plaster. There was a desk and stool with a tall wardrobe to my right, a chest of drawers and a partly partitioned toilet with a small hand basin to my left. As well as the sturdy bed on which I lay there were two bedside cabinets on either side, on each was placed a glowing globe emitting dim warm light to the unfamiliar surroundings.

I realized that they were the only light sources in the room and it occurred to me that I had no idea what time of day it was. I had assumed it must be morning but there was no real evidence I could base that upon. On the left side cabinet was placed a carafe of water with a small glass beside it. Recognizing how thirsty I was I poured myself a glass or three and downed them in quick succession.

Past the foot of the bed the only door to the room opened quietly inward and the back-lit silhouette of a figure looked in on me. “Hello,” my still dry mouth voiced shakily.  “Where am I?  What is this place?” I pictured myself sitting up a little in the bed but my strength betrayed my will and left me laying there.

I think I startled the visitor slightly for he paused before entering into the room properly. “You’re awake!” stated the man. “The community will be pleased, we’ve all been worried about you. How do you feel?”

“Have I been in an accident? What’s going on, where am I?” I tried to stay calm though I patently didn’t feel it.

“Do you not remember what happened to you?” The man asked as he closed the door behind himself. The older man, English I’m sure though with an accent I couldn’t quite place, had the manner and garb of a priest or monk, but like none I had seen before. He was a little below average height but solidly built with a slight paunch. He had balding short-cropped white hair and a full beard as if to compensate for the bareness on top, the beard was cropped to match his hair.

I’d been raised a Roman Catholic and have met a fair number of priests in my time, though I could name none of them to you now. I disliked the way that their masculinity was so willingly sacrificed in the name of a misogynist mother church. It was as if they had been neutered, whatever their sexual proclivity, by their too often forced celibacy. I got no air of that here, he gave the impression of a full rounded male, confident in all aspects of his persona.  No denial of his nature was expected, required nor given. He was wearing a kind of monk’s habit or robe, it was tailored in an austere utilitarian looking dark blue-gray cloth with a rich charcoal satin trim and lining – no sackcloth for this guy, obviously. The roomy hood was down behind his shoulders and the spacious sleeves flared slightly at the wrist. It was belted at the waist and braced over each shoulder with a heavy duty, almost military like harness or holster, like the webbing that combat troops often wear to help carry all their gear. The skirt of the robe, over-lapping at the front and fluted at the back, was shy of the floor by about an inch or two and the shine of black shoes or boots could be glimpsed as he walked further into the room.

“I’m having trouble remembering much of anything at the moment.” I apologized half-heartedly; his strange apparel had caught me off guard. “Err… how did I get here?” I asked.

“One of our community found you while taking a constitutional out on the moors… you were unconscious and naked, very close to death in fact.”

“The moors? Does no one know what happened to me?” I said, desperation and even a little fear were barely held in check. Never able to handle mornings very well, assuming that it was even morning for I had no real idea, the strange surroundings and thumping head-ache were doing little to improve my natural post-waking grumpiness.

“It was Sister Aranwen who found you, she has been nursing you without break since you were brought in. I had to convince her to go to her own cell, rest and get some sleep. You may have said something in your sleep that she may be privy to, you can ask her. I am sure she will look in on you once she knows your consciousness has returned.”

He paused as his gaze studied me, before asking, “Do you know your name?” There was a hint of concern in his voice but also a faint trace of almost excited curiosity. I thought a while before quietly admitting that I didn’t. His reference to, her own cell, was needling subconsciously at my somewhat addled brain.

I think he could see that I was trying to suppress a fearful anxiety over my situation… not that I achieved it with much success, my thoughts were racing frantically but with no firm destination to aim for. He said, “I think you should try and rest, I will have some food sent and we will try and strengthen you up a bit. I'm sure it will all come back to you once you're feeling better.” As he made to leave he added, “You can stay here as long as you need to, it is our duty to help all those in need.”

“Can I just ask something?”  I managed hesitantly.  “Who are you… and what is this place – where am I?”

He smiled.  “I am Brother Artious Lightbrow, the Rector Secularic* here at Ampleforth Seminary." He then added, as if he hardly needed to – "The North Riding of Yorkshire’s Seminary for the Priory of Universal Truth... to be precise.”  I stared blankly at him so he continued.  “We are up near the moors, north east of York, in the Britannic Sovereign Territory of Northumbria.”

Elements in his reply had me confused, but I supposed that was par for the course when you have problems with your memory. Although it seemed wholly inadequate I thanked him for taking me in and looking after me.

“Do not worry about such things.” He said with a gentle laugh. “It is our duty. Life is sacred after all.” He closed the door as he left.

Looking around the now silent room I was suddenly overwhelmed with a need for the toilet. I gingerly got out of the bed. The dark gray slate like flags of the floor were surprisingly warm to the touch of my bare feet, I surmised that it must be due to some sort of under-floor heating system. I was wearing a pair of button fly under-shorts and a T-shirt; both made from a fine white cotton material. Presumably, considering I was found naked, these items of clothing had been given to me.

The toilet seat was heated like the floor and a cushioned backrest protected my back from the cistern that must be hidden in the wall behind it. If this is some sort of monastery, I thought, it seemed to be a very luxurious one indeed. As I sat there on the surprisingly comfortable toilet I mulled over my situation. The North Riding of Yorkshire’s Seminary for the Priory of Universal Truth – what was that all about! Trust me to end up with a bunch of crazy cultists somewhere up on the moors – and what was the Britannic Sovereign Territory of Northumbria supposed to mean. Now, I know I must have lost a good part of my memory, after all I couldn’t even remember my own name, but something definitely did not ring true about what I had just been told. What was I doing in the North Yorkshire Moors in the first place…? I racked my mind trying to remember, but I couldn’t quite get there. I seemed to have plenty of fleeting glimpses and shadowy facts hiding just under my consciousness but nothing tangible surfaced.

After tending to my ablutions I gave myself a good stare in the mirror above the basin.  There was a certain familiarity to the face that stared back at me but no revelatory recognition. I looked thin and pale and, though it had obviously been cleaned up, I didn’t like the look of the nasty looking gash on the top left of my forehead. Looking at my disheveled hair and beard I couldn’t help but voice aloud “God I need a trim!”

Pulling myself from the mirror I subjected the room to a scrutinizing gaze and spotted two narrow draped windows in the wall behind the bed – one to the left above the desk and the other to the right above the armchair.  I guessed it must be night for there were no chinks of daylight coming through… hang on a minute, I thought with helpless resignation then bleated. “Where did that armchair come from?” before pulling myself together – the chair had always been there, I rationalized, I just hadn’t noticed it from the bed. A bed I now needed to get back into for my body craved rest and my head now felt like someone had cleaved an axe into it. I could almost feel the left side of my face and head peel away and slip down like a dead weight of dripping flesh.

I supposed I was lucky to be alive and to have ended up here.  God knows what happened to me, I could only guess that I must have been attacked and robbed then left for dead.  Lucky indeed then to have woken up here… despite how weird it all was, hell – life is sometimes.

I feebly got back into the beckoning bed for my vision was starting to spin and I was beginning to feel decidedly nauseous. Contradictory dark spots of light were flashing before my eyes.

I’d just managed to convince myself that this was all probably a dream as I lay in that twilight state between waking and full sleep. The hypnogogue was about to grab my hand, or sprinkle sand into my eyes or whatever it is that the bringer of sleep is supposed to do, when the heavy wooden door to the room opened inward again.

I have to say that I have never been happier to greet a total stranger in all my life – for she was carrying food! The smell of which made my soul rejoice. As I sat up, successfully this time, to receive my supper, or breakfast or whatever it was, the bottom of my rumbling stomach seemed to drop away into a cavernous aching void of desperate hunger. I was the hungriest I had ever been and I was ready to eat. It is no exaggeration to say that the bacon and lentil soup, with a good chunk of fresh baked bread and an ample knob of butter on the side, was the most sumptuous feast imaginable for me at that moment. It looked gorgeous, and I set myself to gorge upon it.

“Whoa whoa whoa…” the lady who had brought the offerings to my stomach said. “Take it easy.” She smiled. “You haven’t eaten in days – take your time. You’ll throw it all up if you eat too quickly.” She reminded me of a dinner-lady who used to work at my old school.

I can remember that?  I thought testily, but not my own name… typical! She was a chubby, cheerful and chatty woman of about 50 to 55 years wearing a similar robe or habit to that of the Rector, but with sleeves rolled up, an apron and what looked like a Victorian charwoman’s hat on. A rolling pin would have finished the picture perfectly, though she had the haphazard but homely dusting of flour down to a tee.

“I’m Sister Judy Dhench." She stated. "What’s your story then?”

“I’m sorry?” I interjected.  “Did you say Judi Dench?”

“Yes?”  She puzzled a little suspiciously.  “Do you know my name?”

“Erm… well yes… I know of it, but its pure coincidence I’m sure.” After-all, she was obviously not the famous actress.

She immediately moved on, flitting and clucking around the bed like an agitated hen. “You’ve been out a good few days…” she said, “there was such a fuss when they brought you in. Aranwen was most upset – I think she thought that you were dead but then you moved, or convulsed or something… up on the moors.”

I eagerly supped at the soup and nibbled the bread as she warbled on.

“So… you don’t remember your name!” she stated rather than questioned, then added by way of explanation.  “Rector Artious told me that the knock on your head seems to have affected your memory.”

She looked at me expectantly so I confirmed to her that it was indeed true, I did not know my name.

Apparently satisfied by my answer she promptly shooed herself from the room, interjecting the encouragement to finish my meal and get some sleep. I thanked her and she closed the door with the final instruction. “Eat and sleep.”

So that’s exactly what I did, and this time the hypnogogue took me firmly by the hand and led me to a deep and undisturbed slumber. Not in the least concerned, for the moment, that I can remember some random actress's name but not my own.

--

Notes:

* Secularic: an ordained member of one of the two branches of monastic order belonging to the Priory of Universal Truth, the other being the Sophiaric branch. The Secularic branch indicates a vocation to the guarding, teaching, study and dissemination of the three philosophic constants; knowledge, truth and gnosis. Secularics are identified by their dark blue robes, and are often colloquially referred to as the keepers. The Sophiaric branch indicates a vocation to the deduction, speculation, verification and debate of the three philosophic constants, they are identified by their dark green robes and are often referred to as the finders. Ordained members of both branches, whatever their rank, are addressed with the titles Brother or Sister preceding the name.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________

On the main page you will find...

In the left-hand column, a list of Contents with links to all Chapters and Appendices, and a list of Dramatis Personae with links to the Chapter in which principle characters are first mentioned.

In the right-hand column you will find a Glossary of terms used with links to that term's first noted usage in a Chapter or to the most appropriate Appendix which contains an explanation of the term.

Each list is updated as relevant Chapters and Appendices are published. 

It is intended to expand the Appendices to include an RPG system of rules and stats that will enable a  traditional desktop RPG system and, ultimately, a 3D MMORPG virtual environment... all set within the Gaea Parallaxis anti-verse. Work is currently in progress to produce a single player computer RPG demo that will eventually expand to a full marketable PC game. The Demo will be free to download from this web-site soon so please check back regularly.

Please rate this site on Scifimatter.com by simply - Clicking Here!

Please show your appreciation for this site...

Spread the word: display one, or both, of the Gaea Parallaxis badges on your own web-site. Or display the Gaea Parallaxis banner. Get the HTML by clicking on the link below.

Get your own Gaea Parallaxis Badge!

Although the content of this site is available free of charge at the moment, there may come a time when a small subscription fee may need to be charged to access new blog posts. Voluntary donations of any amount, equivalent to 1 GB Pound or 2 US Dollars minimum, will be gratefully received and will help to ensure the continuance of the tale... this will also ensure that you receive access to all posts in the future - even if a subscription fee is later imposed. Please provide an email address with your donation so a subscription code can be given to you in the event of a subscription fee being imposed. Click on the link below to Donate with PayPal - it's fast, free and secure!

Make A Donation

© 2007 - Harbinger451 - All Rights Reserved.

If you are new to Gaea Parallaxis please read the Foreword & Introduction before proceeding!

___________________________________________________________________________________________________

What and where is Gaea Parallaxis?

Gaea Parallaxis is a mirror of our world, in many ways very similar to it, manifesting as it does along the same dimension of time as ours - but its three spatial dimensions are not the same as those that form our continuum. It is an other-world, an anti-verse, which operates in a continuum that is, in effect, a reflection of our own. Opposite and yet beside us, beyond and yet around us. Poles apart but a hair's breadth away.

In terms of physical atomic structure, extra-dimensional gossamer threads link positive quanta at one end in this world to negative quanta at the other end in that. Likewise negative quanta in this world links to positive in that, the polar ends of these invisible strings mirroring each other. By these fundamental bonds of nature the two worlds are inextricably bound.

The anti-verse that is Gaea Parallaxis is not another universe, it is simply the flip side of ours, equal and opposite. A shift in perspective, or perception, reveals a wholly other world, a wholly other continuum.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________

On the main page you will find...

In the left-hand column, a list of Contents with links to all Chapters and Appendices, and a list of Dramatis Personae with links to the Chapter in which principle characters are first mentioned.

In the right-hand column you will find a Glossary of terms used with links to that term's first noted usage in a Chapter or to the most appropriate Appendix which contains an explanation of the term.

Each list is updated as relevant Chapters and Appendices are published. 

It is intended to expand the Appendices to include an RPG system of rules and stats that will enable a  traditional desktop RPG system and, ultimately, a 3D MMORPG virtual environment... all set within the Gaea Parallaxis anti-verse. Work is currently in progress to produce a single player computer RPG demo that will eventually expand to a full marketable PC game. The Demo will be free to download from this web-site soon so please check back regularly.

Please rate this site on Scifimatter.com by simply - Clicking Here!

Please show your appreciation for this site...

Spread the word: display one, or both, of the Gaea Parallaxis badges on your own web-site. Or display the Gaea Parallaxis banner. Get the HTML by clicking on the link below.

Get your own Gaea Parallaxis Badge!

Although the content of this site is available free of charge at the moment, there may come a time when a small subscription fee may need to be charged to access new blog posts. Voluntary donations of any amount, equivalent to 1 GB Pound or 2 US Dollars minimum, will be gratefully received and will help to ensure the continuance of the tale... this will also ensure that you receive access to all posts in the future - even if a subscription fee is later imposed. Please provide an email address with your donation so a subscription code can be given to you in the event of a subscription fee being imposed. Click on the link below to Donate with PayPal - it's fast, free and secure!

Make A Donation

© 2007 - Harbinger451 - All Rights Reserved.

If you are new to Gaea Parallaxis please read the Foreword & Introduction before proceeding!

___________________________________________________________________________________________________

The premise.

There have always been tales - in fable, legend and myth - of other worlds; running side by side with our own yet somehow within, beyond or beneath. The Netherworld, the Underworld, the land of Fairy or the land of the gods. A place of dreams and a place of nightmares, or even a place of the dead. Ever since humanity has had the capacity to imagine and to wonder, there has been an 'other' world.

Modern science has made great leaps in explaining the observable universe but there is so much that is still beyond our ability to observe. Though we are constantly expanding the limitations of our perception with advances in technology and even, some may argue, with 'mind altering' drugs, it is estimated that the matter (in the form of mass & energy) that we can see, or is illuminated, represents only four percent of the universe in which we live. Another twenty-three percent or so, is thought to be composed of what is termed dark-matter. That is, matter that we cannot see - meaning that it is not being made evident by either its own light or by the emitted or reflected light of other, more conventional matter such as stars or galaxies. Generally, it is assumed, the majority of this mysterious dark-matter is locked up within black-holes, dead stars and planets, or is simply present in vast, diffuse clouds of none illuminated dust. Spiral galaxies, like our own Milky Way, are now thought to exist within roughly spherical halos or cloud bubbles of dark-matter particles.

So, what of the other seventy-three percent? I here you ask. Here, we are forced to consider the even more mysterious dark-energy: the unexplained, and possibly inexplicable, repulsive or inflationary energy (force or quality) of the vacuum of space. Which must exist to explain the apparent acceleration of the rate of expansion of the observable universe and that is somehow counteracting the force of gravity. Its fundamental nature, however, is anyone's guess! The possibility that dark-energy may involve interactions between the standard three spatial dimensions that we see (the classic x, y & z) and extra spatial dimensions that we don't, may go someway to account for the strange properties of otherwise empty space.

String theorists have suggested there may be many more dimensions at play in the universe than the standard three of space and one of time, which comprise the four-dimensional space-time continuum in which we, and the observable universe, exist and interact. String Theory relies on the supposition that the basic quanta of sub-atomic particles are not so much a point, as they are envisioned in our space-time continuum, but are in fact line-like strings running through our continuum along an extra dimension we cannot, as yet, perceive. The related M-Theory follows on from this and postulates that the different properties of sub-atomic particles and quanta in our continuum are defined by the harmonies of these strings. They vibrate within extra-dimensional planes (or membranes - composed of two extra dimensions) or are even resonating within other multi-dimensional continua (composed of three, four or possibly more extra dimensions). M-Theorists suggest that there may be at least six extra spatial dimensions beyond our mundane three, and therefore numerous planes and continua are potentially operating in conjunction with ours, but about which we may never know more of than their existence by inference.

Since the production of anti-matter particles (identical to ordinary particles but with opposite electromagnetic charge and magnetic moment*) in particle accelerators, the possibility of an anti-verse has been postulated, a universe the exact opposite (sub-atomically at least) of our own. We could never physically travel to such an anti-verse for as soon as an ordinary particle comes into contact with its anti-matter counterpart; they annihilate each other in a burst of energy. Perhaps this anti-verse exists within its own extra-dimensional continuum running parallel, or more accurately parallax**, with ours. If we are not able to physically travel there, perhaps a shift in consciousness or perception is all that is needed to experience this other world… in fact, many of us may have already done so. There are numerous unexplained phenomena that may simply be a case of altered states of consciousness or perception that have allowed us glimpses of another, essentially alien but somehow strangely familiar, aspect of our universe. This 'world', and one may assume potentially many others, has always been there - out of sight, but not necessarily out of mind.

--

Notes:

* the magnetic moment of an object such as an atom or a compass needle is the measure of its interaction with a magnetic field. The moment points in some direction and is associated in classical physics with orbital currents and the angular momentum of charges. In the case of sub-atomic particles this angular momentum is often termed spin.

** parallax: from the Greek/Latin parallaxis = change, alternation, angle between two lines. 1, the fact of seeing wrongly or in a distorted way. 2, an apparent change in the position (or perception) of an object caused by a change in the position (or perception) of the observer.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________

On the main page you will find...

In the left-hand column, a list of Contents with links to all Chapters and Appendices, and a list of Dramatis Personae with links to the Chapter in which principle characters are first mentioned.

In the right-hand column you will find a Glossary of terms used with links to that term's first noted usage in a Chapter or to the most appropriate Appendix which contains an explanation of the term.

Each list is updated as relevant Chapters and Appendices are published. 

It is intended to expand the Appendices to include an RPG system of rules and stats that will enable a  traditional desktop RPG system and, ultimately, a 3D MMORPG virtual environment... all set within the Gaea Parallaxis anti-verse. Work is currently in progress to produce a single player computer RPG demo that will eventually expand to a full marketable PC game. The Demo will be free to download from this web-site soon so please check back regularly.

Please rate this site on Scifimatter.com by simply - Clicking Here!

Please show your appreciation for this site...

Spread the word: display one, or both, of the Gaea Parallaxis badges on your own web-site. Or display the Gaea Parallaxis banner. Get the HTML by clicking on the link below.

Get your own Gaea Parallaxis Badge!

Although the content of this site is available free of charge at the moment, there may come a time when a small subscription fee may need to be charged to access new blog posts. Voluntary donations of any amount, equivalent to 1 GB Pound or 2 US Dollars minimum, will be gratefully received and will help to ensure the continuance of the tale... this will also ensure that you receive access to all posts in the future - even if a subscription fee is later imposed. Please provide an email address with your donation so a subscription code can be given to you in the event of a subscription fee being imposed. Click on the link below to Donate with PayPal - it's fast, free and secure!

Make A Donation

© 2007 - Harbinger451 - All Rights Reserved.

An Heroic Myth for the Digital Age!

or

The Chronicles and Testament of Citizen No Name Kane

a serialized weblog direct from the anti-verse

Welcome to a bold experiment in genre fiction... Gaea Parallaxis - a serialized techno-gothic sci-fi fantasy horror that will be published free via the blog at this web-site.  Please subscribe to the 'RSS feed' or 'Sign up for alerts' on the main page so you can be notified of, and then read, the latest posts as and when they are published.

The anti-verse that is Gaea Parallaxis is not another universe, it is simply the flip side of ours, equal and opposite. A shift in perspective, or perception, reveals a wholly other world, a wholly other continuum.

On the main page you will find...

In the left-hand column, a list of Contents with links to all Chapters and Appendices, and a list of Dramatis Personae with links to the Chapter in which principle characters are first mentioned.

In the right-hand column you will find a Glossary of terms used with links to that term's first noted usage in a Chapter or to the most appropriate Appendix which contains an explanation of the term.

Each list is updated as relevant Chapters and Appendices are published. 

It is intended to expand the Appendices to include an RPG system of rules and stats that will enable a  traditional desktop RPG system and, ultimately, a 3D MMORPG virtual environment... all set within the Gaea Parallaxis anti-verse. Work is currently in progress to produce a single player computer RPG demo that will eventually expand to a full marketable PC game. The Demo will be free to download from this web-site soon so please check back regularly.

Please rate this site on Scifimatter.com by simply - Clicking Here!

................................................................ WARNING! ................................................................

 Although the author intends to observe the Windows Live Spaces Code of Conduct, Gaea Parallaxis will contain themes and situations of an often violent, horrific or sexual nature. If you are likely to be offended by such material, or by the use of adult language and expression, please do not continue reading the content of this web-site!

............................ This Site is not suitable for those under the age of 18! .............................

Please show your appreciation for this site...

Spread the word: display one, or both, of the Gaea Parallaxis badges on your own web-site. Or display the Gaea Parallaxis banner. Get the HTML by clicking on the link below.

Get your own Gaea Parallaxis Badge!

Although the content of this site is available free of charge at the moment, there may come a time when a small subscription fee may need to be charged to access new blog posts. Voluntary donations of any amount, equivalent to 1 GB Pound or 2 US Dollars minimum, will be gratefully received and will help to ensure the continuance of the tale... this will also ensure that you receive access to all posts in the future - even if a subscription fee is later imposed. Please provide an email address with your donation so a subscription code can be given to you in the event of a subscription fee being imposed. Click on the link below to Donate with PayPal - it's fast, free and secure!

Make A Donation

Thank you for reading this short introduction... now enjoy the making of a Modern Day Myth!

© 2007-2009 - Harbinger451 - All Rights Reserved.