Back to Seradyne

I slowly make my way over to the desk, but after a few minutes, I realise I have a monumental case of writer's block. There are so many possibilities that I can't narrow it down to just one. I have no idea what to do, so I decide to go and visit the world my grandfather created.

I exit the studio and re-enter the main room, that I'd taken to calling The Lounge in my head. Muse is nowhere to be seen.

"Uh, Muse?" The air in front of me shimmers again, and Muse appears, seemingly from nowhere. I don't ask any questions about it, I'm starting to get used to the weirdness.
"Okay Muse. I can't figure out what world to create, so I thought I'd head back to Seradyne. What do I need to know before I go there? And what should I wear? I want to make sure I don't get into any trouble I can't get out of. Also, on that note, while it occurs to me, how do I leave Seradyne and come back here?"

"I will answer your questions in the order you posed them, Master." Muse says, in a measured voice. "The first thing you need to know about Seradyne is that everyone who lives there has magical powers, to some degree. Regardless of race, gender or class, at around 6 years of age, magical powers begin to manifest in everyone. For most people, they are only ever powerful enough to light a hearth-fire or boil a pot of water, however, there are some who never stop gaining magical power, and as a result they are breathtakingly powerful. It is up to you how much magical power you want to have when you enter. I'll also let you pick a race and caste. My previous master, the creator of this world, came up with an excellent way to determine such things. The second thing you need to know about Seradyne is that humans are a minority. There are only a few small human kingdoms in Seradyne and even those are fractured. The humans have never united under one banner. The most prolific race in Seradyne are the Elves. They are your typical fantasy elves found in many texts, movies and video-games in your world. They are tall and graceful, and live longer than most other races. They are ruled by an Empress and there are far more Elvish women than Elvish men. As a result, many low-born Elf women intermarry with Human men. The Dwarves are almost as numerous as the Elves. They are masters of commerce and shrewd diplomats. After the Dwarves are the Goblins, rather dull, but standing at almost 8-feet tall, most Goblins are employed by high-born Elves as personal bodyguards, or by Dwarven merchant caravans as caravan guards. After the Goblins, come the Varyx, a race of cat-like people who occupy the Northern tropical jungles. Then come the three human Kingdoms: Stormsbreak, Rarneth and Kroll, each is rife with political turmoil. Finally, the only race less prolific than Humans are the mystical Brenn. They occupy only one small kingdom in the coldest, southern reaches of the world, and are very isolated. They are easily identifiable due to their blue skin, a symptom of living in such a cold climate. Very little is known about them except that they are a deeply religious people."

Muse stopped, aware that my eyes had begun to glaze over. I'd tried to pay attention, I really had.
"Okay. Wow. I had no idea it would be so detailed, granddad must have put a lot of time and effort into it. Is there some way I could get all that information written down, in case I need to consult it? Maybe like some Lonely Planet Guide to Seradyne?"

"I can of course, put it in written form if you prefer. I can also answer any questions you have from here. If you want you could even take me with you into the world." Muse replies.

"I can? Huh, that actually might not be a bad idea." I reply.

"Should I get back to answering the other questions you posed, Master?" Muse asks.

"What? Oh, yes, of course. Go ahead."

"As for what you should wear..." Muse continues, "That depends a great deal on whom you wish to be in the world of Seradyne. The changing room contains a near infinite number of possible outfits. I can help you pick one out if you wish. To answer your final question, returning to here from Seradyne is easy. There are multiple ways to do it. The easiest is the simply say "Muse, get me out of here," or something to that effect, and I will bring you back here. You will also return here if you die in Seradyne, though that is perhaps the least pleasant way. You can also return by ingesting certain plants or performing certain rituals. There are also occasional "gates" or "portals" that the old master installed that will transport you back here."

"Okay, I think I've got all that." I reply.

"Very good. Then all we need to do is select an outfit for you to wear and you're good to go. As I said before, your outfit selection will depend heavily on your race and caste. Do you have any idea who you want to be in this magical world?" Muse asks.

"Well, I don't want to just jump in at the deep end, so I think just be a human for now. I want to have quite a bit of magical power. I don't want to be an all-powerful sorcerer or anything, but it would be nice to be able to do some things I could never do in the real world, like fly, or breathe underwater or conjure food. I'd like to have some political power as well. I don't want to be a monarch, but I'd like to own land and have servants. Perhaps I could be a baron." Muse's eyes are flickering slightly as she's absorbing all this, and presumably implementing my requests in the world. "Are you married, or single?" She asks. I honestly hadn't thought about it, but I'm quick to come up with a response. "I'm married to a stunningly-beautiful elf woman of middling birth. She is not low-born, but not high-born either. She has almost as much magical power as me. Do you want me to describe her?" I ask.
"No," Muse replies. "She will look the way you envision her when you enter the world."
"Is there anything else?" I ask.
"No. The rest of the world is made up of minor details, which will change based on the way you envisage them. All of the characters and locations already have names, and if you ever wish to change any detail, no matter how small, you can come back here and change it." Muse says.

With that done, Muse leads the way over to the changing room and begins pulling clothes off the rack.
"Now you want to be a baron, so that means no patched or frayed clothing. She hands you a white undershirt and a pair of grey trousers. Next comes a forest-green doublet, trimmed in silver. A leather jerkin, some shiny metal spaulders, a pair of solid brown boots and matching socks, and, finally, a rather fetching wide-brimmed hat inlaid with what appears to be some kind of crushed shell. It glints when the light hits it in the right way. Muse stops and looks at me.

"Well, put them on." She chides.

"I...uh, don't really feel comfortable getting changed in front of you yet."

"Oh, I'm terribly sorry master." She says, and leaves the room.

It takes me a while to figure out how to put it all on, but I get there in the end. I spot a dark grey cloak hanging on a rack by the door, and put it on too, it really completes my ensemble. I glance at myself in the mirror. I look ridiculous, but I do at least look like a character from Lord of the Rings, so it will probably be adequate for Seradyne.

"Okay Muse. I'm ready." I say, stepping out of the changing room.

"Excellent master. You look very dashing. Would you like me to accompany you?"

"Yes. This first time, I think that's probably a good idea. Just until I get used to it." I reply.

Again the air in front of me shimmers and Muse becomes indistinct. A few moments later she solidifies again, now wearing an opulent lilac-coloured dress with fine embroidery. Her hair has turned from blood red to a rich dark brown, and is tied up in a sleek knot. She is wearing shoes made of what appears to be suede and has a silver brooch in the shape of a butterfly on her lapel. Her hands are covered with fine silk gloves. My heart begins to race. She looks fantastic.

"Well, I'm ready to go." She says. Unperturbed by how much I'm staring. "Shall we be off?" She holds out a hand.

"Yes. Of course." I reply. "Off to Seradyne."

The sense of vertigo overcomes me again and all around me, The Studio begins to blur as I am transported to another world.