Premise
The Snake Gulch Singularity refers to an unusual confluence of several minor
worlds that form an 'archipelago' within a broader
multiverse. The cosmology of these several worlds overlap within a region that, for some reason, mirrors the American frontier in many physical (if not metaphysical) respects, suggesting that the concept of 'genre' might be enforced by some transcendant cosmological order that the residents have yet to understand. Far removed from external assistance from any
greater power that might seek to right the wrongs of this bizarre and aprocryphal world, people from each of the many worlds that overlap to form Snake Gulch must either work to find their way back home or make their living within the gulch's boundaries while fending off incursions from dangerous entities from other 'genres' of reality.
Characters
The most powerful group of adventurers to call the Snake Gulch Singularity home are
The Arbiters, a motley crew of explorers and peacekeepers drawn from across the
Cosmic Archipelago.
Tau's existence within the Snake Gulch Singularity may be the result of his own unusual physiology more than an actual connection to the 'Old West.' A sentient, slime-like creature whose interior is a geode-like pocket dimension encapsulating part of pine forest, Tau's connection to dimension-bending magics allowed him to slip from one of the most distant parts of the Cosmic Archipelago into the Singularity in a bid to lure the evil wizards chasing him away from his home and tribe.
Eliza McCray is a French 'technologist'; in her world, magic is scientifically studied cosmic force that can only be channeled through 'craft-works,' a process of alchemical and mechanical tinkering that results in machines with fantastical properties. Equal parts the brains and heart of The Arbiters, Eliza keeps her fellows well-equipped while also providing the arcane firepower needed to overcome the supernatural entities that sometimes seep through the barriers between worlds.
Jonah Wheatstraw is a gentleman, gunslinger, man of letters, and self-professed dandy about town. With equal parts ineffible charm and deadly zeal for the cause of righteousness, Jonah would be the platonic ideal of a cowboy if not for the fact that he isn't from the 'frontier' at all. His world, or what remains, was a post-nuclear cinder, and all his frontiersmanlike manners are a facade that he uses to prevent himself from accepting the horror of that situation. Still, as part of the Arbiters, Jonah can be relied upon to pursue the cause of justice with single-minded dedication.
Hudson Quaking-Sage is a shape-shifting coyote from a world where the psychic energies of sentient beings create a dream-like layer above physical reality, casting the spirits of various mythologies into physical forms. A bakemono whose human form and abilities were shaped by the native mythologies of the American Southwest, Hudson is the close-quarters brawler, naturalist, supernaturalist, and overall gadfly of the Arbiters. As a man who has walked both the civilized world of men and the trackless wilds of the frontier, Hudson is down-to-earth and an important sounding board for the otherwise mostly human members of the crew.
Conflict
The Arbiters must cope with the danger of rampaging beasts or marauding extra-dimensional travelers from beyond the Singularity. Between monster-of-the-week battles, this cadre of adventurers is also responsible for maintaining a semblance of order amongst the several small towns that dot Snake Gulch and its environs. Sometimes, people who wander into the Singularity must be either acculturated to their new homes or, if they aren't a good fit, helped back across the boundaries of the Singularity to return to their native worlds. The Arbiters are also sometimes tasked with aiding the investigation into the structure of the Singularity, how it came to be, and what can be done to restore the proper boundaries between realities - though they remain divided on whether that would actually be a preferable outcome to the status quo. More broadly, everyone in the Snake Gulch Singularity has one question at the end of the day: who - or what - created the Singularity, and why?
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