Travel Agency Shard Index: Universe Numbers
This list contains the "Shard Index" or universe number as used by the Travel Agency.
Index by Shard Number
2
One of the original three universes that simultaneously discovered Interdimensional Displacement, more commonly known as shard stepping or "a jaunt". After far too short a time, cooperation with Shard 1 turned to animosity, then war. While Shard 2 itself is no longer accessible to the Agency and its fate is unknown, many refugees fled to Shard 3 before that neutral universe shattered the tenuous interdimensional bonds. Generations later, some of these Shard 2 communities still hold on to their identity and culture, but most have attempted to blend in with their surroundings as enmity to and from Shard 2 refugees remains.
Notable figures: Astel S'rora 2 (resistance leader and hero to the shard 2 refugees who died in an uprising on planet 17-12jtX7T113-04 aka Kalvoa)
3
Palisade of the First Domain; Universe in which the Travel Agency was formed. Members of the first three universes originally discovered each other's existence and created the dimension-bridging Displacement Engine, though it was quite rudimentary and only worked for a few. After war threatened all three, this universe shattered the dimensional gateway, permanently cutting off the other universes. But it failed to prevent future abuse. Over time, those "chosen few" with the capability and means for dimensional travel began exploring the multiverse. Some started working with parallel selves from the other universes, and the results were catastrophic. Not in the sense that they caused the multiverse to collapse. As it turned out, that was already happening. But these Collaborators abused their power for great gain and greater suffering. As a result, the Agency was formed with a goal to both explore and preserve.
Government history (brief): Individual Country Governments w/United Nations (Earth) collaboration -> Discovery of other shards -> Centralized United Nations (Earth) government -> Shattering of the gateway -> First Domain (Empire) -> Culling -> Agency Leaves -> Fall of the Emperor (Emperor of Tears) -> First Domain (Oligarchy)
Individual naming: Shard 3 doesn't use numbers for its own names (seeing itself as the "true first universe"), but the Agency does designate those from Shard 3 with a shard number.
Notable figures: Alexi Graham Bell 3 (founding member of the Agency, turned Collaborator, passed away on shard 387.0)
11
Ten’ti; An early discovered universe with a single known populated planet, it was one of the first "other worlds" accepted into a young Travel Agency. Shard 11 was lost to the Collapse, but not before valuable research on the phenomenon was conducted. Unlike refugees of Shard 2, denizens of Shard 11 and their kin are revered within the multiverse, and especially within the Agency for their bravery and willingness to dive into danger. Many early agents lost their lives collecting direct evidence of the Collapse, and still more hunting down Collaborators. Several have held positions on the Agency Council.
True history: Shard 11 is often spoken of with reverence today, of brave scientists sacrificing their lives to understand the Collapse and the Sanctuary of Starlight spreading aid and peace across the multiverse. However, Ten’ti was a war-torn world when discovered by the Agency. Harsh parallels to the Shard 1 and 2 atrocities almost kept the Agency away. It was the discovery of the Collapse itself that changed Ten'ti's fate, bringing the world together and convincing the Agency to expand its membership.
Notable figures: Ariadne Loth'rille 11 (known as Ariloth, currently residing on shard 387.0)
17
The Spectrum: An Early discovered universe, a highly advanced spacefaring society that has colonized more than a dozen planets under a distributed coalition government. The first universe discovered where none of its residents could initially travel to other dimensions, they instead developed a method of "shard surfing" to ride the deviation in the dimensions as a means of faster-than-light travel. This necessitated the search for a method of shard stepping that was not tied to the Displacement Engine.
Notable figures: Keelan 17 (Specialist and famed Collaborator hunter, passed away on Shard 387.0), Benton McKay 17 (inventor of the "Caramel Drive", a Displacement Engine technology unique to Shard 17)
33
Die-hard Dying Worlds; Universe discovered well within the grasp of the Collapse. Despite the universe's impending destruction, most denizens of Shard 33 refuse relocation. Those who join the Agency tend to be tenaciously focused on reversing the Collapse, which is believed impossible by most.
Notable figures: Dacel Tin 33 (explorer, researcher, and famed author obsessed with the varying ways the Collapse progressed on different shards)
88
Nothing grander than semi-sentient slime molds.
99
Current home of the Travel Agency. In this universe, a planet was found featuring two distinct sentient species. The Valtra, a humanoid race resembling those of the earliest shards, and a small vulpine creature capable of shard stepping without technology. These cinderfoxes proved worthy and eager allies. Paired with agents to act as shard navigators, they expanded the field of potential travelers all without the reliance on massive gates.
Taught to be a scribe in service of the Agency (mostly to keep the verbose creatures quiet), cinderfoxes became a mainstay of an agent's toolkit. Their practical understanding of dimensional travel also dramatically accelerated the development of new shard stepping technology and provided the means to expand the agency.
The Vultra would eventually join the Agency as well, once these local humanoids could be convinced to stop hunting their cinderfox neighbors.
Notable figures: General Yeet 99 (currently residing on shard 387.0), Nina 99 (currently residing on shard 387.13)
113
Immoderacy: A universe of nomadic people whose society has accepted their inability to limit consumption. As a whole race, they move from planet to planet as they exhaust resources. Due to Shard 113's laissez-faire attitude, The Agency limits admission to those denizens who can demonstrate restraint and to members of the Zed (I need nothing) sect of minimalism monks.
Notable figures: Zed A'tel (whose name translates to "I need no name"; a current member of the Agency Council and noted researcher on deific fallout)
126
Keiron IV (or is it V "Primitatve" dimension that discovered interdimensional travel during the early age of flight. While initial exploration indicated that gates (locals call them "rifts") may be naturally occurring on the only inhabited world on Shard 126, it was later determined that temporal anomalies had sent gate technology back from further in the shard's future. Due to the anomalies, and the fact that the Collapse seems to have traveled thru them as well (or maybe accelerated because of them), travel to this shard is now restricted to specialized teams.
188
Chorus of Echoes; home of the Chordborn of Loricity and the Untuned (referred to derogatively as the "Shrill" by Chordborn), two castes of incorporeal beings that ended their millennia-long hostilities when the Collapse could no longer be avoided. Chordborn society entirely revolves around the Grand Harmony, an event in which all of Loricity comes together in spirit and sound to sing the great hymns that rejuvenate (almost recreate) their world. This spectacle is so infrequent that generations may prepare for an event they will never experience. The Untuned are excluded from such events, and thus the political operations of Loricity. In fact, alignment to the Grand Harmony is one of the few ways an Untuned can join the Chordborn society, whereas segregation to the ranks of Shrill is an ever-present warning to unruly children and discontents alike.
235
The Technotheocracy Synergism: a universe where the advancement of technology is worshiped, heavy into evangelism via cybernetic assimilation. The beings of the Synergism are simply nodes in a grand network ruled by the Unity Mainframe. No collected history remains in this universe from before the Synergism was formed. However, remnant memory fragments hint at a past plagued by ritual and tyranny, followed by a golden age of unchecked technological experimentation and the "salvation from self".
When first discovered by the Agency, the Technotheocracy Synergism was aggressively seeking to expand its reach. The goal: assimilate and convert all sentient creatures. With the help of the Synergism's Unlinked (an underground society of nodes that had been disconnected from the Unity Mainframe for individualistic ideation), the Agency was able to come to an accord with the Technotheocracy. Now, the Synergism is a valuable contributor to the Agency's cause. Much of the Mainframe's processing goes to analyzing data collected about the Collapse, and members of the Technotheocracy, linked and unlinked alike, are free to join the Agency, assuming they follow its strict "no assimilations" policy.
291
Worlds of the long-lived Z'thar'h'i, worshipers of legend and the grandiose. Denizens of Shard 291 have a peculiar relationship with death. During their often centuries-long lives, Z'thar'h'i strive to make a name for themselves. Icon or outlaw does not matter, as long as they are known to their people. Success means Ascent to the afterlife. Failure means reincarnation and repeat. Thus, Z'thar'h'i live in a society of ever-evolving extremes.
Notable figures: Voidwalker, Kha'th'zul the Worldeater, and Sapphire Sunburst
387.0
Twin universes (with 387.13) that have, in places, merged due to some unexplained event. These congruent shards are suspicious in that they survived their Collapse. However, it appears only life on this single planet (387.0-25xeG2V989-03) survived. The result seems to be deities actively interfering with mortal activities.
Notable figures: Professor Kriox Von Drake Esq 387.0, Xelderaan Hambergall 387.0
387.13
Twin universes (with 387.0).
Notable figures: Yebba Durhig 387.13, W. Nikolia "Nick" Wright 387.13 (currently residing on shard 387.0), Nina 387.13
Notes
The Collapse
An event, an unraveling of reality, which has occurred in enough universes that the Agency believes it is the inevitable fate of the multiverse. Some within the Agency's ranks do not accept this fatal view and have attempted to stop the Collapse on their own or in other universes. The agency now considers this outside its jurisdiction and often tracks down and punishes those who would pursue such folly.
Congruent Shards
Universes that are so close in quantum measure that they are often called twins. These shards can be so close that large structures and landmarks are indistinguishable between the two, though it is more common for them to be out of sync slightly, at least in time. The shards are measured in the deviation from the "original" (first discovered). For example, shard 387 would be labeled 387.0 when a congruent shard was discovered, and its twin's identifier would carry a decimal indicating the deviation. Congruent shards exist in theory and may be quite common. However, due to their nearly perfect alignment, they tend to "shadow" each other and are rarely discovered.
Shard Index Numbering
Why so few discovered shards in an infinite multiverse? There are, in fact, many more discovered shards than have received primary labels. Due to the lack of standards existing during the earliest discoveries of the multiverse, many different cataloging systems were used. When the Travel Agency was formed, it built a new simplified labeling system that only focused on worlds deemed "valuable", including those where the Collapse had not already occurred, where intelligent life was discovered, or simply where the quantum measures were close enough to allow travel. Barren universes and those too far to the extreme were left with their original label, and newly discovered "sterile" universes continued to use the old labeling based on whoever discovered them.
