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Age of Wonders, The

The 'before time' or age of myth when the world was divided into princely realms ruled by, most notably, Bolobobnar the Delightful, Grubblemir the Silent, Wungo Bung the Lovière, Biscuity Biscuity, Jingles the Merry and Pumpkin the Large, who fought both amongst themselves and against the Ancient Sorcerers. Strange creatures also roamed the wilderness at this time, including Ograe, Musical Trolls and Titans. The Age of Wonders came to end with the collapse or abandonment of the princely realms and the visitation of the Owl People to the Ancient Sorcerers.

Angel­ica

A Guide who assisted the questing knight Peredur's Sister in entering the Diamond during the events of 12 PEOPLE OF FISH. They are also briefly present at the pub with their friend Marfisa in the Three-Headed Beer Goddess television commercial.

Angels

A form of spirit-entity, mainly messengers and benign guardians. Angels can form spirithost Guides such as the Owl People and Pyrrha.

Beans of Gold

Universal currency of the Oikoumene; small golden beans. Though items for sale are often priced, no Beans of Gold--or money of any description--are ever exchanged; they hold only symbolic and ritual value. The widely acknowledged concept of “Pear Tart For All” and the latent functioning of artificial reproduction make maintaining the value of currency untenable. Rather, in cases of trade (such as occur at the Village Store) an inscrutible barter system is used. It is said that Sorcerers' masks are made from Beans of Gold.

Beauty Icon, The

A piece of religious technology, venerated and operated by the Sorcerers. It consists of a depiction by Giovanni Jean Brindesi (1826-1888) of a Yol Haseki, Çuhadar and Bölükağası of the Ottoman Empire, overlaid with the word ‘BEAUTY’. On auspicious occasions, an eye will appear on the surface of the Icon. This eye is a manifestation of the functioning of the Bells (it perceives and destroys).

Beer

A tasty beverage, the liquid form of bread that when poured into a glass under auspicious circumstances becomes a technology of earth-based creation/reproduction (see: Bell & Cup, The for the mechanics of this). An alternative to wine as a method for creating Worlds-Within-Worlds only known to Sphinxes, as taught to them by the Three-Headed Beer Goddess following their Choice within the Cave of Choices.

Beer (list of known labels)

Brineisfine, Bruggisbier, Three-Headed Beer Goddess, Robobob, Yokel.

Beer Glass

Earth-based creation, a reproductive technology. See: Bell & Cup, The.

Bell

Destruction, an unproductive technology. See: Bell & Cup, The.

Bell & Cup, The

Technologies that direct allow access to the fundamental functions of the artificial universe (reproduction and unproduction); the Bell destroys whilst the Cup or Goblet creates (the Bell is an inversion of the Cup).

Bells

Bells are used by Sorcerers to rip portals through the fabric of reality, thereby observing and influencing the world. Bells are therefore associated with sight/eyes (to see through something) and overseeing/swords/staves (influence); the functions of both the Sorcerer and the Gardener in maintaining the Tree and the Oikoumene. Major repositories of Bells can be found in the Pyramids of the Sorcerers and in the clocktower of the Village of Brug Night.

Cups

Cups are generally used to affect change; as done by the Punchinelli in the Forest in THE STARS GO OUT; generate Worlds-Within-Worlds; as done by Pyrrha in LITTLE NODULES: PART 1; and create new beings; as done by the Potato Friend and the Ocean Princess in creating the Potato People and the Punchinelli respectively. The creation of a Cup involves the pouring of either wine or beer into a vessel under auspicious circumstances. The Tree is responsible for the Cup's functioning, and Cups are often found buried near its roots. The Cup symbolises the Tree, the wine water and the beer earth, which when combined with the Tree creates growth. This would explain why Worlds-Within-Worlds created by Wine Glasses are usually suspended above primordial waters (as with the swimming pool in PEARHOTELSPIRAL, the Potato Friend's island, and the Ocean Princess's Palazzo), while those created by the Beer Glass are usually buried underground or have some basis in earth, as with the Cave of Choices. The Beer Glass is only known and practiced by Sphinxes.

Icosahedrons

It is possible to combine a Bell with a Cup to create an Icosahedron; a very objective object. This has been achieved by the Punchinelli using wine, but it is an affront to all that is right and proper to manufacture such an object. An Icosahedron can unlock any portal or doorway, but has a dangerously volatile tendency to reduce things around it to their object-constituents (for example, Punchinello-to-plant in THE STARS GO OUT) and to generally upset things entropically!

Bert­rand

A notable Sorcerer. See: Wardary, The Wizard.

Bis­cuity Bis­cuity

A ruler during the Age of Wonders, associated with ducks and geese, and often depicted with a goose's head. Biscuity Biscuity is the supposed creator of Magic Cards.

Bolo­bobnar Comp­uters

A ubiquitous brand of computers, dominant throughout the Oikoumene. Mr. Wonderful's Automated Region Service and the Ranger communication terminal in the Forest, for example, are made by Bolobobnar Computers, as are BOLOfone mobile telephones and BOLODisc laser-disc devices. The company was founded in Bugworth Fug during the Age of Wonders by famous orc prince, Bolobobnar the Delightful.

Bolo­bobnar the Delight­ful

A famous orc prince, leader of a thriving culture centred around his capital at Bugworth Fug. He fought with, and was ultimately defeated by, the corrupted hafling Wungo Bung the Lovière during the Age of Wonders. Bolobobnar was the founder of the now ubiquitous computer company Bolobobnar Computers.

Brug Night

A festival held by the Pear People to honour the dark god Lord Bruggis. Brug Night is held at some point in late May/early April in the Village of Brug Night, near the Forest, and it is upon this accursèd night that Bruggis's influence upon the Pear People; and through them thus the universe at large; is at its height. In THE STARS GO OUT, the Pyramid at the centre of First Tier in the Ziggurat City was sundered on Brug Night, the Sorcerers dwelling within were cast out and imprisoned in the Pear Hotel, their physical forms used in celebratory Brug Night rituals to assist in the Punchinelli's fateful opening of a portal into Negative Space.

Brug Night, The Village of

Decaying fastness of the Pear People, wherein they hold their Brug Night celebrations. The village is located close to the Forest and at the time of THE STARS GO OUT consisted of three buildings; a house with a clocktower and two ruined structures; plus a crudely fashioned totem of Lord Bruggis. The clocktower contained Bells that allowed the Pear People to create portals. By the time of LITTLE NODULES: PART 1 only the fountain and the totem remain. The village is also the location of the Village Store.

Bruggis, Lord

The deity of the Pear People who say of him: “the stars go out, give thanks to Bruggis,” which is to suggest that they believe that he swallows the stars and brings about the end of the Oikoumene; an embodiment of the destructive functioning of the Bell and ultimately of Negative Space ascendant, an ecstatic darkness. In depictions of him; found as totems, posters and paintings in the Village of Brug Night, the Pear Hotel and the post-fall Ziggurat City; Bruggis has a large round head, small moustachioed face and prominent angry eyebrows, atop his head is often found the phrase “human or animal.”

Bug­worth Fug

The lost capital Goblin-city of Bolobobnar the Delightful, once a centre of culture and learning before being lost to a seige by the corrupted halfling Wungo Bung.

Card-Giver

Communication technology. A disembodied head, floating (as in IN THE SUBURBS) or otherwise (as in OCEANPRINCE), that speaks through the apparition of cards. Each card has a specific meaning, and a set of them can make a sentence, thus a Card-Giver can be a vital device if one cannot speak or cannot hear. Since it has a face, it is possible also for the Card-Giver to have a mind of its own (see: Person) and to speak of its own accord. The Card-Giver in OCEANPRINCE is exclusively this way inclined, declaring for example “Pear Tart For All!” of its own volition.

Cave of Choices, The

A magical World-Within-a-World, created using the Beer Glass by the Three-Headed Beer Goddess. It is held as sacred by Sphinxes, who, when first encountering the Cave, were offered all of the Choices. Upon choosing beer, they were taught the knowledge of brewing and using the drink to fashion Beer Glasses. The entrance to the Cave of Choices is located in a cliff-face near to Henry's Hotel and is only accessible in the Sphinxes' festival month of February [citation pending]. It was discovered by Peredur and Pyrrha with the aid of the Pear Tart Person and the Wizard Wardary in LITTLE NODULES: PART 1.

Choice­master, The

The first Sphinx, who joined with the Three-Headed Beer Goddess to become a spirithost and deity to Sphinxes. They present the Choices to those entering the Cave of Choices.

Ciné

A cinema in the Ziggurat City. See: Pear Cinema.

Circles, Flash­ing

A technology of enslaving or knowledge-swapping a person, typically used to turn Punchinelli into dutiful servants by separating individuals from the hive-mind, as seen at the end of 12 PEOPLE OF FISH and at Henry's Hotel in LITTLE NODULES: PART 1.

Cloister, The

A microcosm/diagram of the Oikoumene and thus an important place for Gardeners and the principle location of the Tree. It is the site of two sealed doors leading beyond the bounds of the Oikoumene into Negative Space, considered by plant-like peoples (Punchinelli and Pear People particularly) to be the route to paradise. The Cloister does not necessarily have a fixed location, but in THE STARS GO OUT it was located on an island close to the Distant City, after having been awhile located inside the Diamond in 12 PEOPLE OF FISH where it briefly contained a hedge maze.

Dia­mond, The

An extraordinarily large diamond, possibly a mountain known as Mount Fish, venerated in the Village of Fish to whose inhabitants it may appear in avatar form at auspicious occasions. The Diamond is a kind of lens, refracting and sometimes capable of entrapping other places and temporalities. The interior of the Diamond is occasionally accessible in the area demarcated by its associated Gateposts (encompassing a region in and around the Village of Fish). At one point (12 PEOPLE OF FISH) the Cloister and the Tree were temporarily relocated to the Diamond due to damage to the latter by separation from its water supply, the Real Ocean (possibly caused by the well-intentioned excavations of the Ocean Prince). For some time it was hoped by the People of Fish that the Diamond would prevent the coming of Lord Bruggis and the subsequent fall of the Ziggurat City.

Distant City, The

A hive-city created by the Punchinelli, its name derives from the inability of any to approach its bounds who are not Punchinelli themselves. The city sits upon a lake or ocean, suggesting that it is a World-Within-a-World created through the use of a Wine Glass. The Cloister and the ruins of the Magical Kitchen were drawn into the orbit of the city during the events of THE STARS GO OUT.

Duck & the Pyra­mid, The

A pair of power. Influential when drawn together from a Magic Card deck, probably due to the association of ducks with Biscuity Biscuity.

Edward

A notable Tourist and apprentice to the Wizard Wardary. He also works at a drive-through branch of Mr. Wonderful's fast food restaurant, where he is unhappy. He was present at the discovery of the New Species and at the creation of the Punchinelli.

EXCEL­LENT! Apart­ments

An apartment building at Torte, situated opposite Henry's Hotel and at the terminus of the principle road into the resort. Angelica lives on the second floor, one of seemingly only two other residents. They were visited at the Apartments by Peredur's Sister during the events of 12 PEOPLE OF FISH.

Fish, Mount

A conical mountain located at the centre of the Village of Fish. It is likely that it is also the corporeal form of the Diamond.

Fish, The Village of

A suburb of the Ziggurat City, ranged around the base of a conical mountain (Mount Fish) and surrounded by damp and dreary moorland. It is the dwelling-place of the twelve People of Fish and presumably various other entities living the suburban dream.

Fish People

Twelve inhabitants of the Village of Fish who venerate and utilise the Diamond, identifiable by their cowls designed to look like fish heads. They went on to form the Knights of the Table Round under the errant knight Peredur following the failure of the Diamond to prevent the fall of the Ziggurat City.

Fish Ships

Mode of transport particular to the Knights of the Table Round.

Forest, The

A rhizomatic pine forest that grows wherever there are ruins. As scar tissue, transitional regrowth after destruction (damage to Oikoumene), the Forest is associated with the Cup (as are all trees, including the Tree). The principle, and perhaps most ancient, mass of trees known as the Forest is located in a valley near the Village of Brug Night and encompasses the unidentified remains of ancient structures perhaps related to the origin of the Sorcerers (see: Ancient Sorcerers), such as the Fountain, alongside more recent facilities for tourism, such as a cafe and miniature railway. Lately it has grown to engulf the ruins of the Ziggurat City also.

Forest Rangers

Guardians of the Forest. Rangers are to the Forest as Gardeners are to the wider Oikoumene; although as custodians of the gradual repair of damage to the world, Rangers are associated with Wine Glasses rather than with Bells (they operate from within, rather than from without; they do not intervene). When within the boundaries of the Forest, Rangers are capable of functioning as Guides, as seen in THE STARS GO OUT. They are friends and protectors of animal-like peoples, such as Sphinxes.

Foun­tain, The

A fountain located in the Forest, on auspicious occasions it is capable of turning water into wine for use in creating Wine Glasses. The Fountain is carved to resemble the mask of a Sorcerer, and is referred to by a Sorcerer in THE STARS GO OUT as their “birthplace,” suggesting that it, and the various other ruins found in The Forest, are the remnants of Ancient Sorcerer constructions, perhaps dating from the Sorcerers' initial contact with the Owl People.

Frog People

Large green frogs with human-like faces. Mysterious beings, possibly friends or associates of the Wizard Wardary.

Gard­eners

Guardians of the Oikoumene, Gardeners act to ensure that the World-As-Garden does not entropically collapse. They achieve this by intervening, planting and recording (observing, seeing), work aided by, and associated with, Bells. As part of their interventionist function, Gardeners may act as Guides, as done gently (along with recording) by the Gardener in THE STARS GO OUT. The care of the Tree, as linchpin of negative and positive space, is of extreme importance to Gardeners. Occasionally, Gardeners may become reclusive and turn away from the maintenance of the wider Oikoumene in favour of smaller, more manageable parcels of reality; often a World-Within-a-World created by themselves; becoming Hermetic Gardeners.

Gard­eners, Herm­etic

“ET IN ARCADIA EGO.” Gardeners who concern themselves no longer with the Oikoumene as a whole, but tend to small parcels of reality, usually a private World-Within-a-World created by themselves. Unlike regular Gardeners, Hermetic Gardeners use Wine Glasses over Bells and are responsible for the creation of various new plant-like peoples, such as the Punchinelli and the Potato People. Notable Hermetic Gardeners include the Ocean Princess and the Potato Friend.

Gate­posts

Grounding agents of the Diamond, of which there are probably four, located at equal distances from the mountain at the centre of the Village of Fish (four were photographed by Peredur's Sister in 12 PEOPLE OF FISH). They both conduct and mark the borders of the Diamond's influence, wherein the Diamond's avatar may appear. In 12 PEOPLE OF FISH, Peredur's Sister and Angelica used reproductions of the Gateposts to enter the Diamond artificially.

Gibbon Guide, The

A Gibbon who assisted the Wizard Wardary and his Courier in their escape from the Pear Hotel, guiding them along the train network to Mount, a location of the Magical Kitchen. The Gibbon Guide went on to return to the Gibbonhome in a human-like form, their tasks complete.

Gibbon Mart

Supermarket chain. Probably unrelated to Gibbons.

Gibbon Woman, The Wise

A Gibbon in the shape of a human-like woman. She performs divination with dice and acts as a Guide to the Searcher of the Magical Kitchen in KITCHENDREAM.

Gibbon­home

A World-Within-a-World, created either for or by the Gibbons. It is their birthplace and fastness, located beyond the top of the Tree. Only Gibbons (and, it must be assumed, Owls) know how to get there (only Gibbons can climb the Tree).

Gibbons

Soft, spry and unfathomably ancient animal-like people, fond of train travel and inclined to act as Guides due to their great wisdom and extraordinary motion (second only to that of spirit entities and those utilising Bells) that allows them to climb the Tree and enter through the canopy into a World-Within-a-World, the Gibbonhome. All Gibbons can also change into a human-like form on a whim, making it a possibility that all who are Guides (of human-like appearance) are actually Gibbons as well.

Guides

Entities conducting guidance, usually to Tourists. Notable Guides include: Angelica, Pyrrha (after becoming a spirithost), the Gibbon Guide, Marie, the Wizard Wardary.

Henry

Very mysterious entity, proprietor of Henry's Hotel and formed of the Magi of Henry. Possibly responsible through shadow-shrouded magics for the evolution of the Potato People into the Pear People and for teaching them the knowledge of hotels.

Henry, Magi of

Three confidants, brought together by shared and obscure ambitions, who together are the entity Henry. The Magi comprise a decrepit Sorcerer, a Gibbon and the Ocean Prince (who attends their meetings through his Avatar), together they run Henry's Hotel. They possibly engineered the evolution of the Potato People into the Pear People, for unknowable reasons.

Henry's Hotel

A famous seaside hotel, run by Henry. It is located at Torte, a World-Within-a-World created by Pyrrha in LITTLE NODULES: PART 1.

Icosa­hedron

Produced by the combining of a Bell and a Cup. See: Bell & Cup, The.

Juicy Juice

Juice.

Knigh­trees

A hillock notable for its cypress trees that look like knights (or indeed are knights due to reproduction). Knightrees is the location of a Sphinx communication terminal and a dock for aircraft such as Fish Ships. The Wizard Wardary visited here with his Valet in LITTLE NODULES: PART 1 in order to send a postcard to the Pear Tart Person.

Knights, Questing

Knights errant; Tourists.

Knights of the Table Round, Safe­house of the

Peredur's house and fastness of the Knights of the Table Round, located in the West-Corner Mountains of Third Tier in the Ziggurat City (an area largely unaffected by the structural damage caused by the followers of Bruggis). It is the foremost meeting-place of the Knights and also the location of their Round Table.

Knights of the Table Round, The

A group comprised of the twelve People of Fish--reconfigured for a questing, touristic role beyond their native Village of Fish and the influence of its Diamond--plus the spirithost Pyrrha. They wear circular white masks with black circles at their centre, representative of the Round Table around which they gather in Peredur's bungalow, located on Third Tier in the Ziggurat City. These masks also seem to have anti-surveillance properties, disrupting the view of anyone observing a Knight through a Bell-made portal. They venerate the Owl People and seek their knowledge in order to become akin to Sorcerers, hoping to fill a power vacuum in the Ziggurat City left after the sundering of its Pyramid and the expulsion of its Sorcerers by the followers of Lord Bruggis. Notable members include: Peredur, Marfisa, Pyrrha. The Wizard Wardary has assisted them on occasion.

Group chat

The Knights maintain an ongoing group chat through the BOLOfone messaging app, accessible from both computers and mobile telelphones. Each member uses an abbreviation of their name and an animal profile picture, those which are currently known are listed below:

gris, frog: Grifles.

hecdmr, rabbit: Hector de Maris.

perdur, badger: Peredur.

pinr, cat: Pellinore.

??, stoat: Pyrrha.

Know­ledge

Knowledge of a thing allows a greater degree of interaction with that thing. Anything is feasible in an artificial, immaterial world, but access to anything requires knowledge. A holder of greater knowledge knows how to use a greater variety of systems to a greater degree of functionality. This may for example be the knowledge of using Bells that is possessed by the Sorcerers, or the knowledge of achieving advanced forms of movement that is possessed by spirithosts. Knowledge is often condensed into functional objects (technologies) that focus associated systems and render them more accessible to the user. Application of knowledge is in essence magic.

Library, The

A repository of books (knowledge). It is possible to gain knowledge of spirit entities by frequenting the Library, as Pyrrha achieved in OCEANPRINCE.

Live-Action

Roiling waveforms of Negative Space, extremely objective.

Lobster, The

Owner of a seedy store, is also the guardian of a portal/backdoor into the Pear Hotel as used by the Courier of the Wizard Wardary in PEARHOTELSPIRAL.

Magic

In a fictional world such as the Oikoumene there is no material and no inherent material laws (physics),* therefore instead there are magic (the ground; 'things just happen', or more precisely 'things just happen over time'; the narrative), entities (the figures; subjects or people who exist upon the ground) and objects (though strange hybrid states of course abound). For subjects, interaction with, and influence in, the way in which the world unfurls into the future must be achieved through knowledge (comprehension of a ritual or 'magical working' (thus a narrative change)), either directly known or accessed through a magical place (such as a Mr. Wonderful's restaurant), technical object (such as a Bell or Cup) or spirit entity communication:

*Reliable practice of science is impossible within the Oikoumene.

Magical Kit­chen, The

An ancient World-Within-a-World accessible/known only to Owls, Sorcerers and Gibbons, although it was for awhile a shrine for the Punchinelli, who viewed its brief presence outside their City as a symbol of their self-rule. It is one of the locations of the Tree and a microcosm of the whole Oikoumene.

Magical Kit­chen, Search­er of the

Tourist who searched in vain for the Magical Kitchen, believing it a source of authority (as taught by the Ancient Sorcerers in their World-As-Kitchen theory of the Oikoumene) in KITCHENDREAM. She wears a special hat that allows her to open and jump though portals.

Marfisa

A Person of Fish and subsequent member of the Knights of the Table Round. Indeed they are possibly the member that initiated the transition, casting off their Diamond-shaped mask during IN THE SUBURBS. Marfisa is a friend of Angelica's and appeared alongside them at the pub in the Three-Headed Beer Goddess television commercial in LITTLE NODULES: PART 1.

Marie

A human-like spirithost-ish entity who is a friend and Guide to Edward in KITCHENDREAM. They have antlers, a stubby tail and wear a skirt made out of leaves, perhaps associating them with animal-like peoples and the Forest. They are fond of mayonnaise (which they can reproduce at will) and Pear Tart. They encouraged the Searcher of the Magical Kitchen to give up her quest to find the Magical Kitchen by declaring: “the Magical Kitchen does not exist, therefore you cannot find it,” suggesting that the Kitchen is a World-Within-a-World, accessible only to those with knowledge of it.

Masks

Technology used to assign faces. Used by various groups to assist in forming a single entity with a consensual purpose out of many individuals (the adopting of one present-body by a multitude). Can also be used to give faces to inanimate objects, thereby creating people.

Money

See: Beans of Gold.

Mount

World-Within-a-World visited via train by the Wizard Wardary, the Courier and the Gibbon Guide in PEARHOTELSPIRAL. At Mount is a train station and a single house, the house contains a method of reaching the Magical Kitchen guarded by a Sorcerer.

Mr. Wonder­ful's Rest­aurant

“Mmmm good! Yummy taste that you expect!” A fast food restaurant chain, branches can be found throughout the Oikoumene. Mr. Wonderful's restaurants have an especially magical atmosphere (created by the tasty and unhealthy food) and thus are places where unexpected events and revelations may take place. This happens, for example, to Edward in KITCHENDREAM and Peredur's Sister in 12 PEOPLE OF FISH.

Negative Space

(Lack of) space outside the tangible reality of the Oikoumene. The entropic void. Source of dangerously empirical environmental changes when and where it breaks through (see: Science). It is accessible through cracks/damage in the Oikoumene, through a pair of sealed doors in outer wall of the Cloister and at the roots of the Tree as the Real Ocean. It is considered the promised land by some, especially plant-like peoples such as the Punchinelli and the Pear People.

New Species, The

A mysterious entity, created by the Beauty Icon from the body of a Sorcerer. It was observed by Edward, the Wizard Wardary and a younger version of the Wizard Wardary in PEARHOTELSPIRAL. Wardary remarks of it: “it is an honour to be present at the discovery of a new species.” Pyrrha is also described as a “new species” by a Card-Giver in OCEANPRINCE, perhaps referring to their newly attained existence as a spirithost.

Nodal Net­work

A network used by the Punchinelli to teleport without immediate access to Bells. Each node is a receptacle designed to fit a Punchinello's hand, upon the insertion of which the node projects a flesh-map of possible destinations of travel; the locations of further nodes in the network. It is likely the network is a pre-existing system, 'tunnelled' out by a group with advanced knowledge of Bell use (possibly Gardeners) before being revealed to the Punchinelli (possibly by their creator, the Gardener Ocean Princess) or discovered by them independently. Used by a Punchinello in THE STARS GO OUT to travel from the Forest to the Village of Brug Night.

Ocean, The Real

A live-action ocean of untold (possibly infinite) size. A/the sea of Negative Space. It is located outside the Oikoumene, at the roots of the Tree (the connection and balance between negative and positive space), to which it provides nourishment. The Ocean surrounds the Pear Hotel, making escape for those imprisoned there extremely treacherous. It is also the dwelling-place of the Ocean Prince, the vantage point from which he may observe the Oikoumene as like a frail bacterium in the vast waters of non-space (see: Oikoumene, Theories of the).

Ocean Prince, The

A scientist who inhabits the Real Ocean; a live-action, negative sea beyond the Oikoumene that also surrounds the Pear Hotel. From here he studies bacteria in an underwater laboratory. He observed the events of OCEANPRINCE, possibly transmitting the World-As-Bacterium knowledge that made the Tourist Pyrrha into a spirithost. It has been suggested that he was once a Gardener who fell tragically out of the Oikoumene by digging too deeply at the roots of the Tree (this thus being the reason for the Tree's damaged state when taken under the protection of the Diamond in 12 PEOPLE OF FISH). He is the brother of the Ocean Princess and, through an avatar body, a Magus of Henry.

Ocean Prince, Avatar of the

A puppet body through which the Ocean Prince can communicate and interact with the Oikoumene and his fellow Magi of Henry whilst he remains trapped outside in the Real Ocean.

Ocean Prin­cess, The

A notable Hermetic Gardener. She dwells at the Palazzo, a defensive, Italianate World-Within-a-World she created using the Wine Glass in response to the fragility of the Oikoumene as revealed in the World-As-Bacterium theory of her brother, the Ocean Prince. She is a friend of the Wizard Wardary and provides safe haven to his apprentice Edward. She is the creator of the plant-like, hive-minded Punchinelli, a people that she brought into being at the end of OCEANPRINCE.

Oikou­mene, Micro­cosms of the

A place (or in the exceptional case of the Pear Tart Person, an entity) that is a fulcrum of the entire world, a privileged point at which all the Oikoumene may be accessed at once as a kind of tangible metaphor or surface. Microcosms of the Oikoumene include the Cloister, the Magical Kitchen (both being locations of the Tree), all pear tarts and the Pear Tart Person.

Oikou­mene, The

The habitable, positive world; held in equilibrium with Negative Space (the Real Ocean) by the Tree and the work of the Gardeners. It has no visualisable shape, but there exist several theories (knowledges) as to its nature (see: Oikoumene, Theories of the). The Oikoumene also exists in microcosm as the Cloister, as the Magical Kitchen (both being locations of the Tree), as any pear tart and as the Pear Tart Person.

Regions of the Oikou­mene

The Oikoumene is divided into three parts, each associated with aspects of a person and sections of the Tree. These regions are the Roots (associated with knowledge, inscription, past), Userspace/Userland (associated with body/trunk, the visible, present) and the Canopy (associated with action, movement, future):

Oikou­mene, Theories of the

There are several varying theories as to the nature of the Oikoumene; none of them are untrue, none of them are true (see: Magic), all save World-As-Pear-Tart are unnecessarily claustrophobic in various ways and most have overlap with each other. Knowledge of (rather than subscription to) any theory/theories allows greater access to the Oikoumene (advanced movement through it) though all, particularly the World-As-Prison, can restrict this access to varying degrees and in varying ways. Subscription to only a single theory can limit movement drastically, or indeed ultimately entrap. The Owl People know all the theories, but subscribe to none (thus are mystics), thereby possessing the most advanced movement of any being. Some of the most notable theories are listed below:

World-As-Bacterium

The World-As-Bacterium, posited by the Ocean Prince; subscribed to by himself (thus possibly Henry) and the Ocean Princess; known of by Pyrrha. The theory visualises the Oikoumene as one of a countless multitude of tiny, fragile bacterium-fictions of various substances and states adrift in the vast seas of the Real (Negative Space), protected by semi-permeable boundaries. The Bacterium-World is easily traversed, but accidentally falling outside of it (as the Ocean Prince perhaps did) is an ever-present danger. As with the World-As-Garden, the Bacterium is under threat from being completely flooded and destroyed by the negative Real Ocean; unlike the World-As-Garden however, the Ocean Prince is sceptical as to whether it can ultimately be saved from such a fate (World-As-Bacterium is thus a frightful theory to subscribe to or even just to know, unless you are the Ocean Prince, who does not live in the world).

World-As-Garden

The World-As-Garden, posited by the Gardeners; subscribed to by them and the Forest Rangers; known of by the Sorcerers, Hermetic Gardeners, plant-like peoples and probably most animal-like peoples such as Gibbons. World-As-Garden visualises a binary universe, with the Oikoumene as a clearly-delineated environment to be maintained against the wilderness of Negative Space through intervention. The World-As-Garden is instantiated as the Cloister.

World-As-Kitchen

The World-As-Kitchen posited by the Ancient Sorcerers, then (partially) rejected by them after contact with the Owl People; subscribed to by the Searcher of the Magical Kitchen; known by Sorcerers, Gibbons, Marie and the Punchinelli (who conversely deem Negative Space to be their kitchen to rule beyond the World-As-Prison). This theory presents the world as a toolset, designed for the continuing work of creation (cooking), demanding that work of its inhabitants. The Ancient Sorcerers took this as their mandate to rule and shape the Oikoumene; something the Sorcerers still do (hence, they only “partially reject” it); though this has been taken by most others to imply that the world has many tasty treats to discover and taste. This led to a schism in which the theory of World-As-Pear-Tart was put forward as a replacement (see below). The World-As-Kitchen is instantiated as the Magical Kitchen.

World-As-Pear-Tart

The World-As-Pear-Tart, posited as a replacement to the World-As-Kitchen, possibly by the Owl People; subscribed to by Gibbons, Marie, the Card-Giver in OCEANPRINCE and most others, including those subscribed to other theories (except the Pear People (who reject it)); known by everyone, somehow (maybe thanks to the Owls?). This theory is extremely open-ended and vague, thus subscribing to it is neither particularly restrictive nor can it be called fully subscribing to anything per se (it has been argued, therefore, that even the Owl People 'subscribe' to it). The World-As-Pear-Tart does not necessarily specify anything about the world other than that there exists Pear Tart and that it is For All. The theory is vindicated by the fact that Pear Tart does indeed exist, Marie ate some (thereby also proving that it is indeed For some of the All) in KITCHENDREAM before rebutting the World-As-Kitchen ambitions of the Searcher of the Magical Kitchen.

World-As-Prison

The World-As-Prison is an off-shoot of the World-As-Garden, though from the perspective of the plants in that garden. It is unknown who posited the theory, but it is subscribed to by all plant-like peoples, most notably the Punchinelli and the Pear People and known of by Hermetic Gardeners (who created the plant-like peoples) and probably Sorcerers. The World-As-Prison exists as an iron cage to be escaped from at all costs, the Negative Space outside thereby represents freedom. The Punchinelli wish to escape the prison by the opening of a doorway, the Pear People await the coming of Lord Bruggis to destroy the prison itself and set them free. Movement through the prison is slow and requires artificial assistance such as the Nodal Network.

Owl People

Mysterious, animal-like spirithosts. The Owls know all, being the most knowledgeable of all peoples, and may deign to act as Guides, albeit indirectly, if they decide it to be prudent. This guidance is usually transmitted through the exchange of the artifact Young Woman with a Pink. They have physically intervened in the world only once,* when they gifted the knowledge of Bell-working to the Ancient Sorcerers and attempted to dissuade them from seeking absolute rule over the Oikoumene, which was a course justified in the Sorcerers' eyes by the theory of the World-As-Kitchen; a concept it was hoped that the Owls' higher knowledge would disabuse them of.

*Though with the screening of the film To Celebrate Memory 7: Contact! at the Pear Cinema in IN THE SUBURBS, this could be amended to twice, owing to the nature of artificial reproduction.

Pal­azzo, The

A World-Within-a-World created by the Ocean Princess. As the name suggests, primarily the Palazzo is an Italianate palace, with terracotta roofs, whitewashed walls and a tiered garden arranged around statuary and cypress trees. This palace is built into a rocky island surrounded by water (as is typical of worlds created by the Wine Glass). The Palazzo has become the permanent home of the Princess, where she receives distinguished guests, such as the Wizard Wardary in OCEANPRINCE.

Pan

A small city in which Pyrrha lived before becoming a spirithost, also visited by the Wizard Wardary and his Courier with a Card-Giver in OCEANPRINCE. Most notable civic feature is a ruined Pyramid, repurposed as a pleasant outdoor market.

Pear

Train station from which the Wizard Wardary and his Courier embarked after escaping the Pear Hotel in PEARHOTELSPIRAL.

Pear Cine­ma

A cinema located on First Tier in the Ziggurat City before it fell to the Pear People. Subsequently it has become the Pear Hotel, being detached from the City and relocated by the Pear People to the Real Ocean. The cinema had an accompanying bar, unimaginatively and inaccurately named the Ziggurat for its impressive views over the city's Pyramid. In IN THE SUBURBS, the film To Celebrate Memory 7: Contact! was shown in the Pear Cinema to Peredur, gifting them with the knowledge of Bell-working.

Pear Hotel

A World-Within-a-World used by the Pear People to imprison their enemies, mainly Sorcerers. It is located in the Real Ocean and--maybe due to its being outside of the Oikoumene and hermetically sealed--experiences time in a cyclical, spiralling fashion; the same day over and over again. Those who are agèd in the Oikoumene are ever-young in the Pear Hotel Spiral. The Wizard Wardary was taken prisoner and sent to the hotel during Brug Night in THE STARS GO OUT, though he later would escape with the help of his Courier in PEARHOTELSPIRAL. The Pear Hotel was originally the Pear Cinema, located in the Ziggurat City. Following the fall of the city the building was detached from the Oikoumene and placed in Negative Space by the Pear People's powerful Brug Night rituals.

Pear People

A plant-like people who evolved from Potatoes. They desire the total destruction of the Oikoumene by their god, Lord Bruggis, whose works they celebrate every hallowed Brug Night. From their rotting fastness, the Village of Brug Night, they watch and shrivel; awaiting their glorious reward.

Pear Tart

“Pear Tart For All!” Baked good venerated by all entities except Pear People. The first batch was probably baked in the Magical Kitchen itself, and no doubt tasted very excellent indeed. The theory of World-As-Pear-Tart--accepted by most who have thought theoretically--posits that Pear Tart is For All. All Pear Tarts are microcosms of the Oikoumene.

Pear Tart Person

Possibly the most potent entity in the universe, being, uniquely, a microcosm of the Oikoumene, a person and a spirithost. During the events of LITTLE NODULES: PART 1, their form was created by the Knights of the Table Round from the bodies of decomposing Pear People and brought to the Cave of Choices by the knights Peredur and Pyrrha. Within the Cave, the Pear Tart Person was made a spirithost (demi-god) by the Choicemaster.

Pere­dur

Tourist and principal member of the Knights of the Table Round (and therefore perhaps also a Person of Fish). Peredur leads the Knights in search of the wisdom of the Sorcerers, having been given preliminary knowledge of Bells by the Owl People themselves through the medium of the film To Celebrate Memory 7: Contact!. During the events of LITTLE NODULES: PART 1, Peredur and Pyrrha created the Pear Tart Person and brought them into the Cave of Choices.

Pere­dur's House

See: Knights of the Table Round, Safehouse of the.

Pere­dur's Sister

Tourist who, in 12 PEOPLE OF FISH, accompanied their Guide, Angelica, into the Diamond through the photographing (see: Reproduction, Artificial) of the Diamond's Gateposts. It is uncertain whether they are a relation of Peredur.

Person

A subject or figure, as opposed to an object or ground. A person is a threefold time-image composite, made up of present body (appearance, face-mask, aesthetic quality), present→future movement (spirit, animation, travel) and past→present knowledge (soul, inscribed memory, intelligence that begets future movement); together these make up a 'gaze' (agency). Objects/ground-things will also have these aspects, but an object with a face is always a subject/figure. Masks can be attached onto objects, transforming them into figures through a reproductive process, such as the use of a Cup. Further, these aspects may be enhanced or altered through technologies and/or communication with spirits.

Knowledge and travel

Knowledge of/about movement or action preordains its execution. In the case of travel through the Oikoumene (the world)--more precisely, instantiations of the Oikoumene over time--spirithosts (knowledgeable and winged beings) may move about effortlessly while others require the knowledge to do so, given to them through guidance (see: Guides) or technologies (such as trains, Bells, the Nodal Network, etc.).

Potato Friend, The

A Hermetic Gardener who lives on a small island within his own World-Within-a-World, seen at the beginning of OCEANPRINCE. Enjoys listening to cricket on the radio. He created the Potato People by putting masks onto large potatoes, hoping to create friends.

Potato People

Lumpen plant-like people created by the Potato Friend at the beginning of OCEANPRINCE. The Potato Friend did a poor job of them, possibly due to an incomplete working knowledge of the Wine Glass. Because of this, the majority of Potatoes' faces have come unstuck over time. The more robust Pear People evolved from the Potato People through dark processes perhaps set in motion by Henry.

Punch­inelli

Hive-minded, plant-like people created by the Ocean Princess in the gardens of the Palazzo at the end of OCEANPRINCE. Learning the knowledge of working with Wine Glasses (possibly from the Ocean Princess), they have since (in THE STARS GO OUT) flourished independently into a sizeable civilisation arrayed around their hive-capital, the Distant City. Like the Pear People, the Punchinelli subscribe to the World-As-Prison theory of the Oikoumene, leading them to attempt entry into Negative Space through the creation of an Icosahedron and the help of a Brug Night ritual using the body of the Wizard Wardary (subsequently, there are now unfortunately far fewer Punchinelli and Pear People in existence). Individual Punchinelli may be separated from the hive through the use of a technical object; the Flashing Circle; as seen in 12 PEOPLE OF FISH.

Pyra­mids

The massive strongholds of the Sorcerers, found mainly at great population-centres. From their Pyramids, the Sorcerers work their Bells; observing and intervening in the world around them to further their own secretive ends. Throughout the land, several Pyramids also lie in ruins; most notably the Pyramid of First Tier in the Ziggurat City, which was sundered by Lord Bruggis and the Pear People in THE STARS GO OUT.

Pyrrha

A Tourist who gained great knowledge by both visiting the Library and listening to a cassette tape containing the Ocean Prince's World-as-Bacterium theory in OCEANPRINCE. This knowledge made them a spirithost, capable of advanced movement and use of both the Bell and the Cup. They have either blonde or pink hair, usually wear a green jumper with pink trousers or skirt and are possessed of a pair of fleshly wings that often cause them considerable pain.

Exploits as Guide to the Knights of the Table Round

Pyrrha became a member of the Knights of the Table Round through their association with the Knights' principle member, Peredur. Pyrrha acts as a Guide to the Knights and is particularly valued for their skill in using the Wine Glass. In LITTLE NODULES: PART 1, they assisted Peredur in the creation of both the Pear Tart Person and the World-Within-a-World Torte (within which is an entrance to the Cave of Choices), acts culminating in the bringing of the Pear Tart Person into the Cave.

Repro­duction, Arti­ficial

One of the two fundamental functions of the universe; the other being its inverse, unproduction. Any artificial reproduction (image) in an artificial world (such as the Oikoumene) is real because the world itself is already artifice; a reproduction is therefore as real as (or no more real than) its original. For example, when Peredur's Sister in 12 PEOPLE OF FISH photographed the Gateposts and displayed the photographs on their computer screen, the photographed-Gateposts acted as if they were the originals and opened a portal into the Diamond. This is because the photographed-Gateposts were as real as the originals; the originals being already artificial anyway. Manipulation of this latent effect to achieve things such as the creation of Worlds-Within-Worlds and new peoples is allowed by the Cup, a reproductive technology.

Science

Science--empirical observation of repeatable material phenomena(-ish)--is only possible in the objective, material-live-action Real Ocean, outside the Oikoumene. The Oikoumene is a fictional and immaterial realm and instead relies on magic to unfold narrative. The Ocean Prince, who lives in the Real Ocean, is the only known practitioner of science.

Sorc­erers

A powerful group of entities, indentifiable by their red robes and golden masks, who gained great knowledge of Bells from the Owl People (pre-contact Sorcerers are known as the Ancient Sorcerers). The Sorcerers' masks are adorned on the inside with lengthy spikes designed to puncture their eyesockets. They instead use Bells housed in monolithic Pyramids to provide far-reaching, supernatural vision.* From their Pyramids, they influence worldly events for their own mysterious ends; many still clutching to the obsolete World-As-Kitchen doctrine, believing themselves absolute rulers of the Oikoumene.

*Not all Sorcerers do this; the Wizard Wardary, for example, leads a extro-pyramidic and eye-retaining existence as a Guide, wandering the plains of the Oikoumene.

Sorc­erers, Anc­ient

Sorcerers as they existed during the Age of Wonders, before their contact with the Owl People and before receiving their knowledge of Bells. It is possible the ruins found in the Forest are remains of Ancient Sorcerer structures. Ancient Sorcerers subscribed to the World-As-Kitchen doctrine, seeking absolute control over the world.

Sphinx, The First

See: Choicemaster, The.

Sph­inxes

Secretive animal-like people, lion-dog-rabbit-cats with human-like faces. They live deep in the Forest, usually close to magical places, and view any intrusion into their domain with extreme distaste. Despite this, they are known to befriend and guide Forest Rangers, as seen in THE STARS GO OUT. They are the only people with knowledge of beer-brewing thanks to their deity, the Three-Headed Beer Goddess.

Spirit-Entities

Entities with only a spirit (movement, present→future) component (while a person has a present body and past→present knowledge as well as present→future movement). These can be lesser-godforms (such as the Three-Headed Beer Goddess or Lord Bruggis), Angels, Daemons or any such strange being. With only present→future movement, a spirit-entity exists entirely before the film-image (in the future), with no visible inscription. Correspondence with a spirit-entity--which must be done through interaction with images, such as a totem, icon, Magic Cards or a magical book (giving the spirit a present-body by means of artificial reproduction)--can be desirable for those wishing to alter narrative (magic) or create spirithosts.

Spirit­hosts

A demi-spirit, half-god or hero. A person combined with a spirit-entity; thus a person possessing extraordinary occult present→future movement often reflected in the growth of wings upon their present-body. Provided the person has knowledge of how to do it, a spirithost can be created through the forming of a pact with a spirit-entity, often an Angel. This is not a possession, but rather a consensual merging. Notable spirithosts include: Pyrrha, the Owl People, the Choicemaster, Marie, the Pear Tart Person.

Three-Headed Beer Godd­ess (beer)

A fine and tasty brand of beer, brewed by Sphinxes using a process taught to them by their goddess, after whom the beer is named. Though the Sphinxes brew many kinds of beers, Three-Headed Beer Goddess is considered sacred to them and is the only kind they use to create Beer Glasses.

Three-Headed Beer God­dess (deity)

Goddess of the Sphinxes and embodied as the spirithost Choicemaster who dwells within the sacred Cave of Choices. She taught the Sphinxes the process of beer-making and its usage as Beer Glasses. Is usually depicted as a leonine Sphinx with three heads, two of which are human skulls.

To Cele­brate Memory 7: Con­tact!

Historical science-fiction fantasy film, set during the time of the Ancient Sorcerers and depicting their contact with the Owl People. In IN THE SUBURBS, it was shown in the Pear Cinema to Peredur, gifting them, via artificial reproduction of the Young Woman with a Pink, with the knowledge of Bell-working.

Torte

A coastal World-Within-a-World created with a Wine Glass by Pyrrha for/with the Knights of the Table Round while at Peredur's house. It is a popular seaside resort and the location of the famous Henry's Hotel as well as an outdoor shopping area, a pirate-themed Milk-ee Jug bar and the EXCELLENT! Apartments building. Hidden in a cliff nearby is an entrance to the Cave of Choices, as discovered by Peredur and Pyrrha with the Pear Tart Person in LITTLE NODULES: PART 1.

Tour­ists

Questing entities, often assisted by Guides. Notable Tourists include: the Courier, Edward, Pyrrha (prior to becoming a spirithost), the Knights of the Table Round, Peredur, Peredur's Sister, the Searcher of the Magical Kitchen.

Trains

Public transport with a rhizomatic rail network that will not only get the traveller to an ever-changing multitude of destinations, but even to certain Worlds-Within-Worlds also, providing that they are public-domain. Trains are particularly enjoyed by Gibbons. View network map here.

Tree, The

Linchpin of the universe, holding the positive Oikoumene in alignment and balance with Negative Space. The Tree is located both at the Cloister and in the Magical Kitchen, at its roots lies the Real Ocean, which provides its nourishment, beyond its top lies the Gibbonhome, the fastness of the Gibbons. The Tree is associated with Wine and Beer Glasses, the Cup symbolising the Tree itself with the wine symbolising the water and the beer the earth that allows its growth. Such Cups are often found buried near the Tree.

Un­product­ion, Arti­ficial

One of the two fundamental functions of the universe; the other being its inverse, reproduction. In a fictional world (such as the Oikoumene) matter does not exist and therefore does not have to be retained, things can be completely and tracelessly destroyed, erased, moved or disappeared. Use of this property of the world to create portals, teleport and see through objects and over great distances can be given through the Bell, an unproductive technology.

Village Store, The

Local shopping destination. A tropical-themed World-Within-a-World located at the Village of Brug Night, inside a human skeleton and protected by a moat of live-action. The store's proprietor is a beetle (insect-like person) using a reproduction of a painting by François Boucher (1703-1770) as a face. A Punchinello visited the Village Store in THE STARS GO OUT to trade a Wine Glass for a Bell.

Ward­ary, Courier of the Wizard

A Tourist who, in PEARHOTELSPIRAL, delivered a video tape from an iteration of the Wizard Wardary to the Wizard Wardary himself in the Pear Hotel. The Courier managed to enter the hotel by travelling through a secret back entrance, concealed in the Lobster's seedy store. She also transported and (perhaps?) delivered a Card-Giver to a putto at Pan in OCEANPRINCE, possibly catalysing Pyrrha's transition into an Angel.

Ward­ary, The Wizard

A notable Sorcerer, though one who has rejected their ways almost completely. Wardary travels seemingly at random around the Oikoumene, following his own secret schemes but also offering guidance to those in need of it. He has mastered a particular kind of magic-working, in which he iterates himself multiple times throughout time-space; supposedly using an ingenious combination of Bell and Cup or some equivalency. He has struggled long against Lord Bruggis and the Pear People, who have destroyed many other Sorcerers. Edward is his apprentice.

Imprisonment in the Pear Hotel

In THE STARS GO OUT, during Bruggis' sundering of the Ziggurat City's Pyramid, Wardary was captured and imprisoned in the infamous Pear Hotel. His present body was meanwhile used by the Pear People in a dark Brug Night ritual to assist the Punchinelli in (disastrously) opening the doors of the Cloister into Negative Space.

Escape from the Pear Hotel

During the events of PEARHOTELSPIRAL, Wardary was able to escape the Pear Hotel through the playing of a live-action video tape smuggled to him by Courier from another iteration of himself. Playing the tape reproduced a subject-to-object magical ritual that allowed Wardary and the Courier to escape objectively through the Real Ocean and board a train on which they encountered the Gibbon Guide, who helped them reach the safety of Mount and the Magical Kitchen.

Association with the Knights of the Table Round

Wardary has rendered assistance unto the Knights of the Table Round and is known to have been granted passage aboard their exclusive Fish Ships. He perhaps views the Knights as successors to the Sorcerers, unburdened by World-As-Kitchen dogma as the Owl People originally intended. Wardary and his Courier were most likely in some way involved in the hostification of the soon-to-be Knight Pyrrha in Pan. Later, in LITTLE NODULES: PART 1, Wardary sent instructions from the Sphinxes at Knightrees to the Pear Tart Person, thereby ensuring the discovery of the Cave of Choices by Pyrrha and Peredur.

Ward­ary, Valet of the Wizard

A blemmyae with a Pyramid standard who often accompanies the Wizard Wardary upon his wanderings. What assistance they may offer the Wizard is mysterious.

Wine

A widely enjoyed beverage. When poured into a glass under auspicious circumstances becomes a technology of water-based creation/reproduction, the Cup.

Wine (list of known labels)

A XIII, AMBU fd ajkbca, Ansso Bay Nero D'Avolo, Balbo, Brond, Bupdilla, Chuog Sauvignon, Dungtwo IV Special, Eggsbo, Extri Bacu Poutalk, Gonbinakd Iuiogba PERIBOU ~ksl~, Gopilila Umbre JJ Boal, Grundf Zsfg Rfddsdf 3453, Lapin, M. Svueo, Lupiman's New Particilayenbk POP, Lugh Urwn, A Merchant's Wife, Merlot “Umbe” fin siecle, Nero Chuggy Ro, Nero Ubly Bub, NIX088, Ograe Speciale OO Ondo Rondo Bungu, Ograe Speciale XII Ondo Peloo Gru, Ou L'Art de la Guerre, Pear Hotel house champagne, Pear Hotel house red, Pear Hotel sparkling pear wine, Pear Hotel house white, Picpoul Clumpiss & Farmhand, Pinot Noir Bob Old's, Pufrovk, Reisling, Rosso Pulau Kanjd Ckloo, Saus, Slugrund's Favourite, Smell Beroo, Spherecorop, Tavuo, Trywn, TT TTTTT Bob Old's, Unbardien, Zucchero Rosé II.

Wine Glass

Water-based creation, a reproductive technology. See: Bell & Cup, The.

World-Within-a-World

A world created by use of the Cup, filled either with wine or, in rarer cases, beer. Wine Glass worlds are usually identifiable by their basis in water, Beer Glass worlds by their basis in earth. Notable Worlds-Within-Worlds include: the Distant City, the Gibbonhome, the Magical Kitchen, the Palazzo, the Pear Hotel, the Village Store, Torte and the Cave of Choices.

Yellow Room, The

A restaurant, part of Henry's Hotel, not particularly yellow. Peredur arranged to meet Pyrrha and the Pear Tart Person for breakfast in the Yellow Room in LITTLE NODULES: PART 1.

Young Wo­man with a Pink

Painting from the late 1480s, once part of a diptych, and attributed to Hans Memling (c.1430-1494). It is a technology and a symbol of the transmission by the Owl People of their knowledge to others. As a symbol, it is venerated particularly by the People of Fish and subsequently the Knights of the Table Round. The painting itself is an allegory of marriage.

Zig­gurat Bar

Bar adjoining the Pear Cinema, with excellent views over First Tier in the Ziggurat City and its Pyramid. Once a favourite drinking spot of Peredur's, however it is now part of the Pear Hotel.

Zig­gurat City

A large city arranged over four tiers of a ziggurat-esque structure. At the centre of First Tier is a Sorcerer Pyramid. The 'fall' of the Ziggurat City took place during the events of THE STARS GO OUT, in which the city was overrun by the Pear People and the devotees of their god, the Lord Bruggis, who sundered the Pyramid, imprisoned its Sorcerers in the Pear Hotel and left the rest of the city in a state of ruination. Since the time of the events of LITTLE NODULES: PART 1, the ruin of the Ziggurat City has been partially repopulated, though it has also become part of the Forest. Much of the inner city has come under the sway of the Knights of the Table Round, whilst other parts, particularly stretches of the lower tiers, have become wilderness.

Zuc­chero

A soft drink, known and celebrated for its very high sugar content. The company also produce a rosé wine.