Gothic

Gothic is a strange pocket dimension found by Gatekeeper in 1963. Since it's discovery it has been used as a penal colony for dangerous Neohumans of all sorts. Due to it's underlying metaphysics, Gothic is exceptionally difficult to exit via all known methods other than the Purgatory Gate.

Gothic appears to be a series of rooms and hallways within an infinite stone castle. All doors and windows wihtin Gothic open into another room or hallway and there does not appear to be an "outside" of the castle. While the castle appears to be infinite, it has been proven to actually contain a total of 10,723,412 km² of space.

Metaphysics

The Clocks All of the clocks native to Gothic are synced and always show the same time on a 13 hour clock. All of them chime a single time simultaneously at the top of each hour. All rooms reset to their default state when the thirteeth hour chime rings.

There are a total of five kinds of "rooms" in Gothic:

• Bedchamber: These rooms contain varieties of four-poster beds. Each Bedchamber will have between one and five beds, a matching number of overstuffed chairs, a matching number of wardrobes, a grandfather clock, and a hanging candelabra. Roughly three quarters of Bedchambers include a large fireplace. Most will also include a washing vanity.
• Dungeon: These rooms are lit by green light that shines from small grated vents at floor level in the walls. These vents will randomly emit clouds of water vapor steam or wood smoke, but the area behind the vents appears to only be a small pocket of space and the source of these emissions is unknown. Metal and stone manacles and various sized cages of iron, steel, and wood are often found in these rooms. Between 0-6 suits of armor stand in the corners of these rooms.
• Feasting Hall: Each feasting hall will contain a feasting table of an appropriate length to comfortably sit the 4-36 table chairs that will also be present. Each feasting hall will also have one or two large fireplaces, and be decorated with numerous landscape paintings. A mantle clock sits on the mantle of each fireplace, and a candlelabra hangs every six feet above the table.
• Meeting Room: Each meeting room will contain a meeting table of an appropriate size to comfortably sit the 4-12 table chairs. 2-4 matching overstuffed chairs will frame a single large fireplace. A grandfather clock stands opposite the fireplace and 2-4 suits of armor stand in the corners of the room.
1. Guard Room: Each guard room will contain 4-8 suits of armor, a short meeting table and an equal number of overstuffed chairs to the number of suits of armor in the room.

Contents

All of these items are remarkably flame resistant, react as if they were Reality 69 plants (unless noted otherwise), but dissolve within seconds into a colorless goo if removed from Gothic or broken and that goo evaporates completely within a few minutes.

• Beds: Beds that will be between 70-170" long and 30-150" wide. The beds consist of a decoratively carved wooden single-peice frame and a thick mattress made of a cotton-like fabric around a dense closed-cell foam like growth. Beds will be covered in two matching sheets in white, blue, black, or green, a thin blanket of a cotton-like fabric in light or dark brown, a thick comforter of a cotton-like fabric stuffed with a downy fluff, and two pillows filled with the same dense closed-cell foam as the mattress.
• Candelabra: Candelabras are wooden circles 48" in diameter and set with a dozen lit candles, that hangs from the ceiling by a steel chain. The candles provide sufficent light to light a roughly 10' diameter circle under them, and do not shorten or emit smoke. This item reacts as a combinatin of Reality 69 metal and plants.
• Cages: These cages are present in a number of sizes ranging between 12-180" to a side, and are made of stone, metal or wood. The gaps between the bars of the cage is 1/12th the size of the cage (i.e. at 12" cage has 1" gaps, while a 180" cage has 15" gaps. These items will react as Reality 69 material of the same type. One side of each cage is hinged and can be opened. Cages can only be opened from the outside, and are impervious to damage originating inside the cage.
• Clock, Grandfather: These ornate clocks stand 6.5' tall and 2' wide, with a wooden body, a face and pendulum made of bronze and hands, chains, and counterweights of iron. The clocks have no internal mechanisms that explain how they run, but the clocks keep time accurate to 1/10th of a second at all times. The chains the counterweights and arm of the pendulum are simply connected to one of the internal walls of the clock. Despite what they appear to be constructed of, all parts of the grandfather clock react as if they are plant matter.
• Clock, Mantle: These small clocks stand 2' tall and 3' wide, with a face of bronze, hands of iron and a wooden body. The clocks have no internal mechanisms that explain how they run, but the clocks keep time accurate to 1/10th of a second at all time. All parts of the mantle clock react as if they are metal matter.
• Chair, Overstuffed: These plush chairs have a raised back and curved arms. The chairs appear to be made of wood, with a cotton-like fabric covering in maroon, black, green, white or blue, and stuffed with the same closed-cell foam-like material in the bed mattresses nearly to the point of bursting. These chairs are sized for humanoids ranging from 2-15' tall and 1-5' wide. All parts of the chairs react as if they were plant matter.
• Chair, Table: These carved wooden chairs depict landscape scenes of similar vistas as shown in the Landscape Paintings on the raised backs. 50% of these chairs have arms. All of them have seats covered in a cotton-like fabric covering in maroon, black, green, white, yellow or blue, and stuffed with the same closed-cell foam-like material in the bed mattresses, although only of approximately 2" thickness. All parts of the chairs react as if they were plant matter.
• Fireplace: Fireplaces range from 3-12' wide and 3-8' tall. All fireplaces have a moveable metal screen that is typically closed. A large iron rack inside the fireplace will hold burning logs of an appropriate length for the size of the fireplace. These logs burn without being consumed or emitting smoke, but put out sufficient light and heat to warm a room over time and illuminate the area in front of the fireplace for a fair distance. Smoke from other items are drawn toward the nearest fireplace flue. These flues are 15' tall and end in blank stone. Smoke gathered there disappears after a few seconds.
• Grate Vent: These small metal vents are set into the stone of the castle, and each square of the vent is roughly an 1" square. The vents themselves are typically 1' tall by 3' wide. The vents react as if they were made of metal.
• Manacles: These manacles are present in a number of sizes ranging between 1-48" in diameter and are attached to chains that range from 6" to 12' in length that emerge from the stone of the wall as if grown. The chains and attached cuffs are made from stone, metal, or wood with a simple hinge of the same material. A cuff closed around a living wrist or ankle will become a solid ring of the material around the limb. Anyone without a limb enclosed by a manacle can easily open a manacle cuff. The manacles and cuffs react as if they were made of the apparent material, although someone wearing a closed cuff cannot affect the cuff with material manipulation powers.
• Paintings, Landscape: The well-done and beautiful paintings range in size from 6"-8' in width and are always 3/4ths as tall as they are wide. The paintings are done in a mix of oil and acrylic paints and depict scenes of rivers, mountains, forests and coastlines. They are very reminiscent of the style of Bob Ross and Ansel Adams landscapes. Artifical structures or fauna are never present in the paintings, and while they have superficial similarities to some places, no one has reported finding an exact match. No two paintings have been proven to be identical either. The paintings react as if made of wood. The paintings present in a given room may change during the reset. It appears that these paintings are often swapped with paintings from other rooms.
• Paintings, Portraits: These paintings are well done and exceptionally well rendered. Many of these portaits appear to be of artifically generated portraits of humans, neohumans, and various other Exo races, all of which have been represented among the prisoners of Gothic. Rarely, given the number of portraits to look through, a portrait of a prisoner or guard who has been living in Gothic for at least a full 13 hour cycle will be found. The paintings present in a given room may change during the reset. It appears that these paintings are often swapped with paintings from other rooms. Portraits depicting a prisoner or guard vanish during the reset if their subject dies or is removed from Gothic for a full cycle.
• Suit of Armor: These elaborate and ornate suits of gothic plate mail stand on their own on inch tall risers at the corners of various rooms. Each also bears a polearm, sword and shield, or axe and shield. These weapons can be removed from the suits without dissolving, so long as they stay within Gothic, but will vanish during the reset. For the first fifteen minutes after a reset, all suits of armor will immediately animate and become hostile to all non-Gothic native entities. At the end of those fifteen minutes, all still motive armor will return to the nearest unoccupied riser and return to their normal non-animate posture.
• Table, Feasting: These rectangular tables appear to be made of mahogany and features inlaid geometric patterns of gold and silver. The tables are typically 4' wide and will be as long as needed to allow for the table chairs in the room during reset. During reset each of these tables will become laden with "typical medieval feast food", such as roasted quail, mutton legs, sliced beef and pork, root vegetables (both cooked and raw), multiple types of bread, a variety of cheeses, and pitchers of water, wine, whiskey, and wishey (a green-blue fluid that tastes like the favored drink of the imbiber, and is as hydrating as water). This food will appear on delicate china plates and metal serving dishes. Dishes removed from the table will dissolve and vanish during reset to appear again on a table.
• Table, Meeting: These circular tables are mounted on a swivel mount, so they can be spun or turned easily. They are made of mahogany and have inlaid brocade of gold and silver. They are of sufficent diameter to accomodate the table chairs in the room they reset in.
• Washing Vanity: This delicate wooden vanity has a hole that supports a china basin and enough space around the hole for a large china carafe that refills with clear, cold, crisp water during reset. A cotton-like cloth towel hangs from either side of the vanity. A metal chamber pot sits on the bottom shelf of the vanity. Vanities are scaled from 2'-14' in height.

Special Location

Gate Room: This room contains a 20' diameter ring of unknown metal. This ring is impervious to damage. Any portal, gate, or other means of ingress or egress for Gothic will contact to this ring. The only exception to this is if some means of planar transit is activated while standing inside the ring. A battalion of Power Suited and Costumed heroes are stationed in this room at all times. These troops are employed by the Stability Committee and are heavily vetted to avoid anyone who would be tempted by bribery or coercion by the inmates.

Type

Dimensional, Pocket