Worlds Beyond

## Background

Worlds Beyond is an RPG show GM'ed by Lauren airing on Wednesdays at 7PM. It premiered on October 17, 2018.

It is set in the world of *The Strange*, an RPG by Seattle-based MonteCook Games. *The Strange* uses the Cypher System.

A small preview of what the characters are getting into:

> Jade: *Alright, let's get to that gate! Oh, you're gonna be fine, most agents make it back first time around.*
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> Oz: *You said* most.
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> Jade: *I usually don't lose anyone*.
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> Oz: *You just said* usually.
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## Cast

GM:

* Lauren

Also starring:

* Jeannine, as veteran Estate operative Jade Atwood;

* Nathaniel, as Nebraska native Oswald "Oz" Dukes;

* Claudia, as Pine Night, a native of the recursion known as the Republic of Sanzut, on Earth by accident;

* Banzai, as secretive hacker Dale Fink;

* Sarah, as Inan Nissi, a native of the recursion known as Atom Nocturne, on a mission.

## Story

The Estate is a secret organization based in Seattle, whose human and alien operatives protect Earth against monsters from other dimensions.

The story starts with The Estate successfully recruiting most of the characters. Jade Atwood is the Estate veteran chosen to lead them into their first mission in the world of The Strange.

## Canon recursions

### **Ardeyn**

This video-game-ancient-fantasy recursion is the first one the group goes to. It also returns there later.

### **Bad Baby Planet**

First evoked by Oz, this nightmarish world of darkness is haunted by evil puppets from *#NotAHorror* movies.

### **Jethro's recursion**

In the Library, Inan reads an index card written in a language she recognizes from *Jethro's recursion*. Inan named the recursion after a lover she had there.

### **President World**

This world is inhabited by all the fictional American presidents and vice-presidents from movies and literature, as well as all the fictional versions of real presidents. Our characters would have to go there—they won't, obviously—to find out if there are presidents from other countries.

### **Queen Land**

A British equivalent of President World. Our characters would have to go there—they will, obviously—to find out if there are kings, or queens from other countries.

### **Spiders' Mansion**

The tiny recursion where the group had a great supper / dinner then almost became spider dinner while having nice, but slightly odd, flashback-like dreams.

### **The Wasteland**

This sandy desert plagued by drought is prowled both by allies – Terra's *Libera Forte* Motorcycle gang – and enemies – the *Howling Hunters* of iron-fisted Agusta Lupe. Power in this post-apocalyptic world belongs to those who control vital resources such as water and oil. The only known city is Lupe's slummy capital, New Roma.

Also, *no one in the Apocalypse can spell**, because no one gets an education*: *there is no public school.* There is a Colosseum though, with gladiator fights, and stands immediately surrounding it that sell "*merchandise*" such as *a bit of disembodied limb*. There are also *"government" buildings*. The Colosseum eventually becomes the place where the Might fall and the salves take their freedom.

### **Hades**

Our heroes are always just a failed translation away from death ... or at least the Greek Underworld. Charon; the Styx river; the judges: Minos, Rhadamanthus, and Aeacus; Cerberus, the cute and ferocious three-headed dog; Persephone and Hades himself, they are all there, to help or hinder, to feed or to bite, to guide them in, and hopefully out. This is also the place where it becomes apparent that the Strange has a bigger claim on Captain Atwood than a mere arm, and the mystery of her long stay in the Strange thickens. Things only start looking up when Jay Ling, a coworker of Jade's at The Estate who has been stuck for some time leads to another famous denizen of this place: Eurydice.

### **The Library**

This recursion is a basically infinite repository of knowledge about every existing recursion. The Estate only sends agents there when necessary because of the dangers that lie within. The group is sent there, without Jade — still missing — and Dale — who cannot be trusted with such an access to information — to find information about Fall's Harbinger. While there, they are told, they are free to also seek information that would help bring Jade back.

### **Transylvania**

The group, minus Jade, reach this recursion after Laura Wilson gives Oz a translation key to it in a dream. Laura lives in a castle there, as does Dracula, whose fame has even reached the Republic of Sanzut. As the night falls and a full moon rises, werewolves go on the hunt.

### **Oz**

This is Laura Wilson's homeworld. Her boyfriend Oswald "Oz" Dukes and the rest of the group deceive Dracula into returning the stone she needed to move her castle / Lexenberg back there from the Transylvania recursion.

### **The Jungle of Oqaineya**

This small recursion draws on adventure movies *à la* Indiana Jones, Tombraider and suchlike. A temple inspired by every kind of pyramid on Earth stands in the middle of a jungle inhabited by snake-like sentient people. The team led by Carmin Santiago is defeated by Kaylin Ophor, the spiteful September Project operative, in the temple.

### **The Strange**

It is not really a recursion, but gets a mention here because a big chunk of Ep 15 takes place in that medium that feels a little like the vacuum of space. Riley also drops a lot of Strange knowledge on the group in this episode. Jade is held in a structure known as the Sinking Dark.

### **Paradiso**

On Inan's request, Riley finds that Rowan Wise, aka The Sage, was seen in this *beach resort recursion*. Riley gives Inan a set of fact about this one *big, beautiful, meandering island*:

* piña coladas are actually bottomless;
* everyone, recursors as well as locals, has gold eyes;
* they have military dolphins that they use for every water thing; there is also a system of tubes to extend their reach onto land;
* everybody has perfect rhythm and there are flashmob beach parties;
* everybody has their own porta-potty portal or there are goggles that allow to get high without consequences.

It's a nice place, a place for happiness, relaxation and fun times; people stay until they're booted out. You can feel emotional discomfort here, but you recover faster. It really sucks when you go back home.

### **Astoria**

In Astoria, Ronan Wise is seen as a traitor, whose deceit has caused destruction. The Royal Huntsman of Astoria catches up with Wise in Paradiso. After his capture, Wise is taken back to Astoria to be tried. Jade and her group also translate to Astoria to serve as witnesses both for the tribunal and The Estate.

## Notes

1. ↑ More precisely: by Monte Cook and Bruce R. Cordell.
2. ↑ *NftE*: Spelling now confirmed, see here.
3. ↑ Capital T, Capital S.
4. ↑ *NftE*: This Halloween episode is not only 100% canon, it also contains important elements of backstory for each character.
5. ↑ *NftE*: Thanks to Jeannine for this week's title.
6. ↑ Featuring the new intro.
7. ↑ See Ep 6.
8. ↑ *NftE*: Thanks to Banzai for this beautiful song. This is, as far as I could find, originally a Swedish folk song (See, for instance, here).
9. ↑ Both Jeannine and Banzai were absent.
10. ↑ *NftE*: Thanks Claudia, thank you so much.
11. ↑ This special episode took place because Nathan could not be there.
12. ↑ *NftE*: Sarah kindly confirmed Light's last name and added that *their birth name is Rebecca Harvest*.
13. ↑ Claudia was absent.
14. ↑ Which took care of Claudia not being there.
15. ↑ *NftE*: Spelling confirmed by Lauren.
16. ↑ *NftE*: I watched this episode in the GSTV studio (thanks for having me), the night before ECCC started. I took less notes than usual and I have had less time to write a recap too, but it was all 200% worth it.
17. ↑ There was no episode on March 20, 2019 because Lauren was sick for several days after ECCC.
18. ↑ *NftE*: Thanks, Oz. It's the best summary of the situation in this world.
19. ↑ *NftE*: Thanks, Sarah.
20. ↑ See Ep 1.
21. ↑ See Ep 10.
22. ↑ *NftE*: as Sarah told me.
23. ↑ The latter meaning that every actor who portrayed JFK can be found there.
24. ↑ This one is better suited to Lauren.
25. ↑ See Ep 3. *NftE*: Name is mine. Not sure how Lauren called it.
26. ↑ *NftE*: No spelling? Cough, gasp, this is the end of me.
27. ↑ *NftE*: Or Coliseum. I'm not sure which of these two words Lauren uses ... maybe both.
28. ↑ See Ep 6 and Ep 7.
29. ↑ See Ep 8 and Ep 9.
30. ↑ See Ep 10.
31. ↑ See Ep 11, Ep 12 and Ep 13.
32. ↑ See Ep 13.
33. ↑ See Ep SP1 and Ep 14.
34. ↑ See Ep 15 and Ep 16.
35. ↑ See Ep 17.
36. ↑ Suggested by Claudia.
37. ↑ Suggested by Sarah.
38. ↑ Suggested by Jeannine and Banzai (the tubes)
39. ↑ Suggested by Banzai and Jeannine.
40. ↑ Suggested by Nathan.
41. ↑ See Ep 17.