The Great Stair of Ix
In the past, the existance of the Great Stair was only a rumour. However, now many of the Amber and Chaos Royal Families claim a set of stairs really exists than link continuua with other Amber/Chaos universes much like that of Solstice, including the lost worlds of Equinox and the Brandreich known as Fatherland.
The stairs varies and changes and mutates, almost randomly and unpredictably.
One day one can be on an open air stairs by a waterfall, then what was believed to be the same location, one is inside a gloomy oppressive stairs in a giant underground cavern.
There are doors, many doors in fact that lead without any logic or reason to different worlds in the Solstice universes and beyond. Some may have external guardians on this side or internal guardians on the other side of the door. Some guardians may be bad tempered and vicious while others are just surly and rude. There are doors that lead to universes outside of Solstice. Some are like the merchant territory of Stillwater, outside of the Solstice Continuum like a micro-continuum.
Marking the door does one no good as they are self-cleaning within minutes.
Accessing the doors out can be challenging and local door owners may spent much time barricading, locking or destroying door access to Ix’s Stair as a threat to their local security.
Views of the Stair |
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Guardians of the Stair
Ix
Ix is a fellow who is of medium height, white hair, decorated goat horns and cloven hooves like a satyr or faun. He has a foul mouth and curses out users of the Stair frequently. He is very offended if one says he is a good person or has a heart of gold. He dislikes too much greenery, preferring wastelands. Ix claims to be millions of years old and loves to complain especially how long it took to get vested sick leave.
Gertie
Gertie has long hair similar faun like appearance though her hair can sometimes hide the goat horns. She carries a mop made from Odin’s Spear from one shadow. She wears a Seattle Seahawks sweatshirt and has a fierce pride in her team. She can give you her opinion or will scold at will. She is Ix’s sister and feels it was unfair that the “Board of the Stairs” gave Ix the more senior position.
Tolls
The tariff to use the stairs is one real apple per person. Ix may choose to put one in debt to him for apples at a usurious rates or he may eject the offending deadbeat with a ferocious “Ix-Kick” banishing them to a distant shadow. Gertie may hit someone over the head with her mop.
Rules of the Stair
1. No armies. Creatures of insufficient power to use the stair are not permitted on it.
2. No mugging or attacking other users.
3. Payment of Tariff and Toll is paramount
4. No kidnappings. Containers may be examined upon request
5. No killing except in self-defence
6. No preaching, signs, posters, want-ads, or other annoying of staff or users
7. No Littering. This means YOU – Matthew, Lucius and the Twins!
8. No charging for secondary fees – That means YOU – Jericho!
9. User assumes all risk for injuries, death etc.
10. In case of dispute, Ix then Gertie will tell you what is right and they are always right in their interpretations.
11. If you bring pizza, pizza boxes are to be handed over immediately to Ix who will actually grunt a thanks to you.