| hope this missive finds you well. Indeed, | hope it finds you at all. | 
am writing this report from within a fourth-level branch universe 
inhabited by a rather curious species of ambulatory pastry, which | 
have tentatively identified as a kind of danish. (They are docile, 
delicious, and devoid of any self-preservation instincts.) However, 
due to the great magnitude of separation between this branch and 
the mainline, | have had to resort to using thaumaturgy to ensure 
this report arrives in your mailbox. If it happens to hiss, growl, or 
begin rapidly vibrating while you read it, | urge you to consult an 
exorcist immediately. 


For ease of reference, | have divided this report into the following 
sections: the Survey of Three Portlands; the Investigation of 


JCR-038; the Study of the Mettryns; the Encounter with the Thule; 
and an Assessment of Our Current Situation and Future Plans. For 
the sake of brevity, | have omitted descriptions of otherwise 
unnotable universes from the main body of this report; the attached 
catalogue? contains brief descriptions of all universes we 
encountered, as well as several we learned of indirectly. 


Survey of Three Portlands 


Three Portlands was chosen as the starting point for the expedition 
due to a combination of factors, all of which made it an ideal 
candidate from which to launch our search for second-level 
branches: the number and spatial distribution of its connections to 
the mainline; its physical and metaphysical similarity to the mainline; 
its topological stability; and the amount of existing data and 
documentation regarding it. 


On the first day of the expedition’ we set about attempting to 
perform a complete survey of all Ways terminating or originating in 
Three Portlands. By the end of the third day, it had become 
blindingly obvious that accomplishing such a task within a 
reasonable period of time would require more manpower than we 
possessed‘. The decision was made to narrow our survey to only 
those Ways originating in Three Portlands that had a strongly 
negative flux of aspect radiation, a phenomena that | had previously 
theorized would be indicative of Ways between a lower level branch 
and a higher level one®. Even with this narrowed scope, it would 
take another two weeks for us to complete our survey. In this time, 
we found forty-three Ways that matched our criteria. Twelve of these 
Ways would later be ruled out as false positives, and an additional 
five would collapse before they could be explored. 


It was during this time that Eichel® began experiencing severe 

insomnia, which necessitated consultation with a local apothecary. 
He prescribed a tea of camomile leaves mixed with essential oil of 
lavender, which proved effective in treating Eichel's sleeplessness. 


Investigation of JCR-0387 


The remainder of the third week was spent making preparations for 
our descent into the second-level branches. We selected a Way 
located in the Shadow of the Portland Observatory® as the target of 
our first expedition, in the hopes that the topological anchoring 
provided by the lighthouse would extend to the Way, or even into the 
branch universe beyond it. 


Not wanting to risk the entire party at the first venture, | decided that 
only three people would enter the Way for this initial investigation. In 
what would become our standard procedure for exploring unknown 
Ways, | (or in later cases, one of the other thaumaturges) would lead 
the vanguard party into the Way. The remaining two thaumaturges 
would perform what workings they could to stabilize the Way and 
prevent it from closing? — until and unless it was confirmed that the 
Way could be opened from the other side. The rest of the party 
would only follow us into the Way if and when it was determined to 
be safe to do so. 


The first second-level branch universe we explored, which | have 
designated JCR-038 in the attached catalogue, has a topology that 
is both stable and consistent with the mainline's. (In retrospect, this 
was a rather fortuitous occurrence. Not all universes possess such 
an amicable topology, and exploration of those that do not is both 
challenging and perilous.) However, its geometry is highly unusual. 


The Way from Three Portlands to JCR-038 opens into the center of 
a large, empty plaza. This plaza is located in the middle of what can 
only be called a city, although it resembles no city that has ever 
been built or that ever will be built by man. Its architecture and 
layout can only be described as confused. Buildings appear to have 
been randomly assembled from pieces of other buildings, with no 
apparent pattern or reason; few, if any, of these buildings form 
complete structures. One building | observed incorporated aspects 
of Neoclassical, Oriental, Gothic, and Aztec architecture into its 
design. It also completely lacked a ground floor. 


However, this bizarre jumble of architecture is not the most 
interesting or unusual aspect of JCR-038. (Indeed, after having seen 
similar, although usually more coherent, occurrences of mixed 
architecture in many other branch universes, | would almost 
describe this as normal.) 


There are many doors within JCR-038, but in all our time there we 
never found one that would become open. That is not to say that 
these doors were all locked, or otherwise unable to be opened. 
Rather, while it is possible to perform the physical action that 
corresponds to opening a door, this will not cause the doors in 
JCR-038 to become open. If this statement sounds like so much 
nonsense, then it is only because human language is not well 
equipped to describe this phenomena. 


Allow me to use the analogy of a bucket of infinite volume. This 
bucket has a finite width, length, and depth, but due to a quirk of its 
topology, it has an infinite volume. If this bucket were filled with an 
infinite quantity of water, it would be possible to upend this bucket to 
try to empty it of water, while still leaving it completely filled. So too, 
it is possible to open a door in JCR-038, while still having the door 
remain closed. 


To one attempting to open a door in JCR-038, the door appears to 
swing outwards until approximately thirty degrees, at which point it 
"falls" back to approximately minus thirty degrees (in reality, there is 
no apparent motion during this transition) and continues to swing 
outwards until the door is closed. To an outside observer, the door 
does not appear to move at all. | can present no satisfactory 
explanation for this phenomena, except perhaps as a perceptual or 
conceptual deception. 


We spent a week exploring JCR-038, mapping approximately nine 
square miles of the city. During this time, we failed to encounter any 
other life, nor did we discover any Ways other than the one that 
brought us there. 


Study of the Mettryns 


We returned to Three Portlands on the thirtieth day of the 
expedition, where we replenished our supplies and prepared to 
explore the next second-level branch. Having confirmed the 
existence of second-level branches, we now began to discuss the 
option of focusing our efforts on finding higher level branches. On 
the recommendation of Simonides!9, we decided to perform only 
cursory surveys of later second-level branches in-order to prioritize 


efforts to find a Way to a third-level branch, leaving more in-depth 
studies to future expeditions. 


Over the next two weeks, we would explore ten more universes. Of 
particular note was JCR-047, a universe with only two spatial 
dimensions and the topology of a Moebius strip. 


It is difficult to describe the experience of being a three-dimensional 
figure embedded in a two-dimensional space. At any one time, only 
a cross-section of one's body is manifest on the surface of the 
universe and capable of interacting with it. The rest of one's body 
remains outside and "above" the universe, although terms such as 
above and below have little meaning outside of conventional space. 
The closest analogy | can think of to describe it is that of standing 
above a shallow pool of water and dipping one's finger into it to 
interact with objects floating on the surface. Such an analogy fails to 
fully and properly convey this sensation, for unlike the shallow pool, 
it is impossible to observe any part of JCR-047 that one is not 
currently intersecting. 


Perhaps the most surprising feature of being embedded in a two- 
dimensional universe is how easily the human body adapts to 
becoming hyperspatial. Despite the obvious impossibility of drawing 
oxygen from a cross-section of the lungs, none of us found 
ourselves in need of breath. And it was the same with other bodily 
functions. | suspect that we were somehow drawing sustenance 
from the unspace that surrounds the universe. Or perhaps we simply 
did not need to breathe because we did not actually exist within 
JCR-047, except for the small cross-sections of ourselves. 


JCR-047 is, to our initial shock, inhabited. The native denizens are 
complex geometric curves constructed from simple patterns 
repeated recursively and, | believe, infinitely’’. These beings are 
capable of communicating through a form of telepathy, although we 
were unable to determine the exact mechanism during our time in 
JCR-047. 


Our first encounter with the Mettryns, as they call themselves, 
triggered a theological crisis within their civilization. To a two- 
dimensional being, a three-dimensional figure is an impossibility that 
borders on the incomprehensible. It is unsurprising, then, that there 


were those among the Mettryns who viewed us as gods, a notion 
that we had difficulty disabusing them of. 


When it became clear that the Mettryns could not be convinced of 
our lack of divinity, we decided that it would be best to play along, 
under the assumption that beneficent deities would be received 
more favorably than eldritch explorers. Travers'!2 was able to 
convince the Mettryns that we were lesser members of their 
pantheon, come to make an accounting of Mettryn civilization, which 
we would take back to our celestial home to recount to the rest of 
the gods. Personally, | had difficulty expecting anyone to believe 
such fanciful nonsense, but the Mettryns were easily swayed. 


We spent three days among the Mettryns, during which we learned 
a great deal about their culture and history, far more than can be 
detailed here. | have included the entirety of my notes regarding 
them in an appendix to this report, although | suspect that they shall 
pale in comparison to Travers' writings. At her own request, she 
remained on JCR-047 in-order to study the Mettryns further. We 
plan to rendezvous with her again four weeks from the time of this 
writing, on our next return to Three Portlands!3. 


Encounter with the Thule 


Of the many things that we learned during our stay with the 
Mettryns, the most important was the discovery of a Way to a third- 
level branch universe, designated JCR-050 in the catalogue. 
JCR-050 is largely unremarkable, being devoid of native life and 
possessing no highly unusual topology. The entire universe consists 
of a plane (which | estimate to be perhaps sixteen kilometers across 
on each side) of constantly shifting color. If one walks to the edge of 
this plane, it is possible to cross over to the underside, which is 
almost identical to the top. Gravity seems to point towards the 
ground at all times, regardless of which side of the plane one is on. 


However, in addition to being the first third-level branch we 
discovered, it bears mentioning for two reasons; it is a multiversal 
nexus, containing the endpoints for dozens of Ways, and it is where 
we encountered the Thule Society". 


Because of the number of Ways that terminated in JCR-050, we had 
decided to establish a temporary base of operations there. We had 
already been there for two days when the Thule arrived, to our 
mutual surprise. The Thule party comprised seven individuals, four 
of them thaumaturges, under the command of Kord Weiss!9. 


According to Kord, his party had set out two weeks after our own 
departure, with a similar intent to explore and catalogue the 
multiverse. Beyond that, he was recalcitrant in revealing any further 
information, deflecting questions about his expedition and declining 
our offer to exchange survey data. From what little information | was 
able to elicit from him, | was able to infer that the Thule expedition 
performs only cursory surveys of each new universe they encounter. 
Given this, | suspect that they are looking for a specific branch 
universe, and that their true purpose is archeological in nature, not 
cartographic. 


The Thule departed JCR-050 the next morning in great haste, 
leaving no hint of their future plans or intentions. | believe that they 
were worried about us following them, a thought which | must admit | 
had entertained, if only briefly. However, | decided against it, instead 
electing to remain in JCR-050 to continue our own survey efforts. 


We remained in JCR-050 for two weeks, during which we explored 
over a dozen connected branches. 


Assessment of Our Current Situation and 
Future Plans 


We are currently on our sixty-third day of the expedition, during 
which we have catalogued thirty-five branch universes and explored 
up to five levels beyond the mainline. It has been twenty days since 
we last left Three Portlands, but we have enough provisions to 
continue for at least four more weeks. Everyone remains in good 
spirits and health, save for Eichel, whose insomnia has worsened as 
we've continued to venture deeper into the multiverse. | can only 
guess that it is a side-effect of multiversal travel, possibly caused by 
the great amount of aspect radiation flux which we have 
encountered'6. 


At this time, we plan to continue exploring deeper into the multiverse 
until we have reached the limits of our provisions, at which point we 
will return to Three Portlands to resupply, rendezvousing with 
Travers on the trip back. It is our intention to continue our 
exploration for another two or three months after resupplying, with 
the possibility of one or more additional resupply trips during that 
time. 


| shall write again on our return to Three Portlands. 
Regards, 
J.C. Randall 


Editor's Note: Obviously, neither Randall nor his party made the 
return trip to Three Portlands. 


But what, exactly, happened to them? 


Three months after Randall missed his scheduled check in — a 
span deemed long enough that temporal desynchronization was 
unlikely to be at fault — a search party was assembled, headed by 
Sir Robert Durant of the British Occult Service. Relying on Randall's 
catalogue of universes and the traces of microbacklash left from the 
workings the expedition had used to open Ways, the search team 
was able to retrace Randall's path as far as JCR-072. 


At this point, the trail ran cold. Although there were indications that a 
Way out of JCR-072 had been opened by Randall's party, Durant's 
team were unable to replicate the working — the Way had 
collapsed, making it impossible to follow any further without knowing 
exactly where they had gone. 


In his after action report, Durant described two possible outcomes 
that he believed could have befallen the Randall party. The first, and 
the one considered most likely by scholarly consensus, is that the 
party became trapped in a low-level branch universe after their Way 
out collapsed. Durant estimated that in such an event the expedition 
could have survived for as long a month and a half, depending on 
how they rationed their provisions.