Here & There

Once, here was not there, and there was nowhere- a vast emptiness of nothing at all. There were no things, and nowhere for said things to even exist; and so the gods set out, spreading across the corners of space, and stating as to where anywhere was. And so, once 'here' and 'there' was established, the world came to be.   But even then, exact geography is fuzzy, and maps are of little use; for the land itself is shifting and changing, with vast canyons and giant hills popping in and out of existence, as people believe or doubt it's placement. If someone was lost and believed the forest went on forever, then it truly will; if everyone believed in a far off land to the east, then it is so! Someone simply has to go find it, and make it real. The wilderness can expand and compress between cities, making travel either a swift breeze, or an agonizing journey- or cities themselves can seem to sprawl on endlessly, being impossibly large. But at the edge of the chaotic warbling mass of fantastical landscapes, lies the edge; where nothing exists, and nowhere begins. Nowhere isn't anywhere, and isn't anything- and so is like a void. If one where to step off the edge, they would wander forever in the nothing of nowhere.   Even Magic itself is an endlessly chaotic force in these lands, being a living feeling thing itself. One doesn't simply command the forces of Magic; it's a fickle thing, and must be convinced. Whether through sly coercion, or perhaps brute force, one must make Magic do as you wish through bribery and manipulation. And even then, it's never certain it will completely obey. Only the most terrifying, most fantastical beings in the universe can make Magic obey- and only because the Magic is scared of what would happen if they didn't.   What are you waiting for? You've got nothing to lose, and nowhere else to be. So go on! Go and climb the mountain over the horizon, go cross the sea to find lands far away! Better act fast; they might not be there forever, after all. So better not dally.