Isekai of the Zone
Visitors, immigrants, and Earthlings
The Kirinal Concordance Zone receives a steady influx of immigration from the worlds that Manifest in the Kirinal Pit every day. They stay in the Zone for a variety of reasons. Some leave a world on the brink of disaster. Others seek to escape a past full of troubles. More than a few were left behind by accident! They call themselves the "Isekai", a word from the world of "Dirt" that a disproportionate number of them come from.
There seem to be a lot of worlds called “Dirt”, I mean “Earth” out there that are really similar to each other. We get one every few years, but we’ve never had the same one twice! Some appear to be alternates of each other, but others are completely different. It’s one of those multiversal phenomenon that I don’t understand at all! There’s a group of them here who band together for companionship, but none of them actually want to go home!
People come to live in the Kirinal Concordance Zone for many reasons. They come fleeing a disaster, whether it's personal or planetary. They come in with a past Manifest and discover that the Zone feels more like home than the world of their origin. Some desire to become true Kirinalos by serving as Maharlikas or simply purchasing their citizenship.
The "isekai of the Zone" are an amorphous subset of immigrants who feel like they were "spirited away" from their homeworld. They usually come from a world with less magic than Erathia. Many are overcome by the wonder (or the horror) of finding themselves in a world where magic is real. Whether or not they seek to return "home", they still maintain a strong connection to the world of their origin.
Of Infinite Earthlings
A disproportionate number of isekai come from a world known as "Earth", a TL5/ML0 world inhabited only by humans. Strangely, multiple iterations of this particular world has Manifested multiple times. Despite having a roughly similar history and geography, each of these "infinite" Earths appears to be slightly different.
Isekai usually come to the Zone on Prime when one of the infinite mortal worlds of the multiverse manifests in the Pit. A number of visitors come from strange Earths with magic, high levels of technology, or powerful beings unlike those found on the "prime" Earths.
This is the best LARP we've ever been to!", said Siobhan, "I don't even remember how we got here, but the costumes and sets are amazing!"
"It all looks great, but I haven't had service since we got here. How many bars do you have? And does anyone remember where we parked?"
Oh my ears and whiskers, where am I now and what's wrong with the sky? I shall be ever so late!
The Great Wheel/Web/Vine
Many other unique worlds also Manifest in the Pit. They usually appear only one time, but some are invited to sign the "Metropolis Manifest" and make a formal alliance with the Concordance for Survival. These worlds reappear in the Zone on a schedule once every few years.
This serves several purposes. First, scheduling worlds in the Orrery reduces the possibility of random, possibly malevolent, worlds from appearing in the Pit. Secondly, it allows for better cross-dimensional trade with worlds that are expecting to be Manifested instead of it happening to them suddenly by surprise. Lastly, the Manifest world is given a Beacon to demarcate the area of their world that will be Manifested.
Continuing to monitor activities here in the Eight Embassy Cities of the KCZ. Of particular interest are a treasure trove of books and scrolls from an extinct civilization. They have not yet been identified as such and are ripe for extraction. My next report shall include details.
Refugees and Recreants
Of course, the Zone makes an especially effective refuge for those seeking to escape the law back home or the consequences of their actions. It's especially profitable for the unscrupulous who want to make a quick buck back home.
Just when things had gotten a little too steamy for me on the Salnoque Ocean. I had to let things die down on Uk'lavros. Luckily for me, I sailed the Kyra Nor out of summer into winter on another world! I plied me trade in the Zone for quite a few years before the zaps came a little too close! Luckily by that time, I'd "acquired" a wake portal gem that allowed Kyra Nor to sail home!
I was as surprised as anyone else when Bridgeport County popped into that Pit that morning, but to ol' Shurosh it smelled like opportunity! I was the first gnome to line up at the gates and the first one back in Bridgeport with my trusty bag full of maharlitech trinkets to sell to the less adventurous! I made it back and forth into the Zone 6 times that day before we returned to our own world! Now I have the scent of the place. I can get back there through Faerie anytime I want!
This is fantastic and its amazing and fun to see the collaboration type article too, that's so fun, really cool idea and fits the Zone in a really fun way too. Awesome read!!
Thank you! It was a lot of fun to put together!
Learn about the World of Wizard's Peak and check out my award winning article about the Ghost Boy of Kirinal!