Temporal Prime (CB)

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Temporal Prime appears as an infinite expanse of black space with an infinite number of timestreams flowing through it. The timestreams a creature can perceive are separated by vast distances partially filled with a thick, bluish gray mist-smoke.
Viewed from afar, if the mist-smoke wasn't obscuring the observer's view, a timestream would appear as a pale silver cord, or perhaps a river, stretching from one horizon to another in a basically straight course. Each plane of all possible realities is represented on Temporal Prime by a separate timestream that, upon moving closer, is seen to be a collection of intertwined silverish lines-the lifelines of the that plane's residents. A timestream represents the course of history for that plane from hypothetical beginning to speculative end.
A chronomancer's perception is locked into whatever plane he was on before entering Temporal Prime, so the timestream of this plane, and the alternate versions of this plane, are all that can be seen. This accounts for the vast areas found between timestreams, space in which the timestreams of other planes are flowing but cannot be seen.
If, for example, a chronomancer entered Temporal Prime from the plane of Elemental Fire, every timestream he could perceive would be an alternate version of Elemental Fire. If he were to travel back to reality, somehow move over to the third plane of the Abyss, and re-enter Temporal Prime, each timestream he can now perceive is an alternate third plane of the Abyss. This phenomenon is due to several factors, such as the different rate at which time flows within different planes, but it is a natural limitation of the humanoid mind.
Conceivably, the chronomancer could find a way to open the timestreams of other planes directly, but the difference in temporal current would be dangerous. Also, if he somehow made all timestreams visible, the chronomancer would only see masses of lifelines and would not be able to tell where one reality/plane ended and another began.
==End of the Line==
If the chronomancer managed to travel back or ahead far enough, an end to the lifelines would be found. These ends correspond to a time before life appeared on the world and a time after all life disappears from the world. Neither is an end to the timestream.
﻿Linear substance does not leave a physical trace on Temporal Prime, but it still exists. Within the timestream, the mist-smoke still travels in thinner, more turbulent patterns, while in the true void, it condenses and flows together much more smoothly. Travel within the boundaries of the timestream past the lifelines is exactly the same. The characters can still slip into reality, though the conditions may be unsuitable for humanoid life.
==Inside the Timestream==
A chronomancer in Temporal Prime appears near the middle of the timestream, apparently floating in midair, surrounded by a vast wilderness of lifelines. Some lines run straight with no major twists, while some writhe as living things in reality interact with each other, but all lifelines run in roughly the same direction. They could be left to right, back to front, or up to down, depending on the viewer's orientation, but the lines are always running from the past to the future.
A birth can be detected by a second lifeline splitting from the original, and a death by the gradual fading of the line into a ghostline and then nothing. The lifelines of people involved in intense interactions (a husband and wife, or a band of adventurers being devoured by a black dragon) would intertwine so tightly that one could not pass a hand between them.
The lifeline belonging to any organism that slips to Temporal Prime stops at that instant, and a trail of silvery mist follows it in the same way as an astral tether. The tether is not permanent, but any given portion does not fade until the owner is at least two days of normal travel distant. When the lifeform slips back to reality, the tether completely fades, and the lifeline on Temporal Prime continues from the point entered. On a plot of time, it appears that the lifeline has a large gap in it.
More of this is covered in detail in the following chapter.
﻿Some areas in the timestream have few or no lines, and some areas are impassable due to the event tangle of thousands of lifelines. The location of the lifeform in reality often dictates which lifelines are close. Normally there is room enough between lines for a person to pass easily. Even in areas corresponding to crowded cities, the lifelines do not normally impede passage. Event tangles are usually small, only a few dozen lines, easily passed quickly by, but they can grow large enough to impede progress for several days or prevent a chronomancer from reaching the nexus.
An event tangle usually occurs by at least one bright silver line (and probably more) tying large numbers of others together, but it could also begin with something as simple as a natural disaster. Either way, the event equates to a focal point of time-space affecting anywhere from dozens to thousands of lifeforms. The deciding battle of a war, the assassination of a monarch, and councils between countries, large cities, or very powerful wizards might be possible event tangles.
A light, bluish gray mist-smoke exists among the lifelines-the same substance found in the voids between timestreams. This is a representation of the momentum of time, it being so great it has begun to intrude in a physical sense. Within the timestream, it alternates between thin sheets and wispy tendrils drifting in the direction of the future as if blown by an unfelt wind. Regardless of a character's speed of travel, the mist-smoke always drifts slightly faster. Within the mist-smoke are small threads of matter known as strands. These vary in length from one to six inches, and are usually invisible. Those that can be seen appear as small white threads, and their effect is discussed later.
Many features of Temporal Prime have not been discussed in detail or at all. Most of them can be classified as disruptions to the normal flow of time, and their explanations are best withheld until later.
Category:Chronomancer Book