Overview
Travel between Nodes occurs through connections commonly called edges.
An ordinary edge connects a fixed pair of Nodes. Most normal connections are mapped, allowing travelers to follow established routes through Postremo Limine. However, the exact locations of their entrances and exits may change.
Fake edges are very likely to occur, complicating the use of otherwise familiar routes.
Ordinary Edges
An ordinary edge maintains its connection between the same two Nodes.
Its access points do not necessarily remain in the same physical locations. The way travelers enter or exit retains the same recognizable form for that pair, even when the access points move.
Knowing which Nodes are connected and locating the current entrance are therefore separate parts of navigation.
Twin Nodes and Crossings
Shadowbloom Forest and the Abysmal Abyss are rare twin Nodes. They always appear as a pair, and if one is destroyed, the other follows.
Their paired appearance and linked survival do not establish a particular mapped entrance or crossing. The two remain separate Nodes, and the exact crossings between them have not been established.
Crossing Distance and Travel Time
The distance between connected Nodes is normally short. The time required to cross mostly depends on the entrance’s form.
A door may require only walking through it. An elevator shaft requires travelers to descend before completing the passage.
Travel through the edge is also separate from the journey needed to reach its entrance or continue from its exit.
Groups, Vehicles, and Cargo
Anything can pass through an ordinary edge as long as it fits.
Groups can cross without issue, including when there is a delay between individual members entering. This remains the normal behavior unless something is affecting the edge.
The size and form of the passage determine what travelers can bring through it.
Fake Edges
Fake edges do not follow one universal pattern.
What happens when someone enters one varies according to who or what created it. Their destinations, effects, and behavior cannot be described by a single rule.
The fixed connection of an ordinary edge should therefore not be assumed to apply to a fake.
Migration and Trade
Civilian migration and routine trade normally follow established routes set by Divers.
Divers also protect the traveling group. Their role includes establishing the route and providing protection during the journey.
Mapped connections support regular movement between communities, while shifting access points and fake edges remain complications.
Guilds and corporations conduct most trade, while independent sellers usually operate on the scale of what they can carry. Merchants normally arrange full payment in universal credits or the destination Safe Zone’s currency; upfront payment varies. See Currency and Trade for local currencies, exchanges, cards, and merchant payments.
Navigation and Safe Zones
Fairies help Divers detect exits, viable paths, and changes in dimensional structure. Their guidance can become unreliable under corruption or interference, so finding a route still requires judgment.
Safe Zones provide places to rest, resupply, repair equipment, compare maps, and plan routes. The communities supported by these journeys are described in Life Within Safe Zones.
Other Forms of Traversal
Black Gates provide artificial travel between marked locations. They require prepared destination markers, substantial energy, and time to open and close.
Edge Rift Doors describe threshold anomalies associated with connections between spaces. Their specific behavior must be considered alongside the rules for ordinary edges and the possibility of fakes.
A Journey Through the Hollow Metropolis
In Chapter 7: The Hollow Metropolis, Mayhem identifies an elevator shaft as a likely way out and explains that a fairy would make exit-finding easier. She and Vestige descend into a ruined lobby before emerging into the Hollow Metropolis.
From their arrival point, Mayhem estimates about a day’s walk to the Black Dome surrounding New Tucson. She recalls a previous journey taking roughly a week. These are travel times within the Node, rather than a standard duration for crossing an edge.
The Library
The mechanics of transition involving the Library remain unknown.
No one has found a path back to it.
Travel Within a Node: Riseholm
Most journeys between the parts of Riseholm require airships. These journeys cross gaps between protected areas within one floating-island Node. Smaller Safe Zones exist between some areas, but the whole route is not continuously stabilized. The Air Force protects the skies and guards the skyports. Traveling between these islands is distinct from crossing an edge into another Node.
