The Planesurfer's Guide to the Multiverse

By Puck Finn

Have you ever wanted to float through the silvery void of the Astral Plane? To do battle in the halls of Valhalla? To experience the terrors of the Abyss or to dine on ambrosia from the peaks of Mt. Olympus?

The Planesurfer's Guide to the Multiverse, one of the newest additions to Pan Historia, is a novel where truly anything can happen. A delightful potpourri of science fiction, fantasy, horror and nearly every other imaginable genre, the main storyline focuses on life in the donut-shaped city of Sigil which is located in the exact center of the multiverse and from which all realities, all planes of existence are as easy to reach as walking through the right door.

The city of Sigil (often referred to as "the Cage" or the "City of Doors") is sectioned into six distinctive areas from the luxurious Lady's Ward (named for the ever-silent ruler of Sigil, The Lady of Pain) to the vile and dangerous streets of the Hive. It's a place where virtually any pleasure or any sort of treachery can be had... for a price... and where it's not who you know, but what you know that counts. Knowledge is power, Cutter.. don't forget it. ;)

What you believe is also an important issue in Sigil. In fact, some would say that it is the most important issue. After all, it's what a person believes that is the motivating force behind the city's factions whose power is second only to that of The Lady and is what truly makes the City of Doors a unique place to write and play in.

The factions currently in play in the novel include the Dustmen, who believe that everyone is already dead and it's only after your mortal body dies that you truly begin living; The Godsmen, who believe that all things can ascend to greater glory.. that if you do well in this life, that you'll move up to a higher life form in the next until you eventually become more powerful than a god, but if you do poorly, however, you might come back as larvae instead. Also in play is a member of the Revolutionary League who believe that the real secrets to the multiverse will only be revealed after all of the other factions are destroyed and who spend countless hours plotting new ways to pit the other factions against one another.

Virtually any kind of creature can be found in Sigil, from demons and djinns to elves and fairies as well as those unfortunate humans who find themselves deposited there after having unwittingly stepped through a portal (which are pretty much all one-way, of course). The good folks of Sigil call these poor sods "the Clueless".

Beyond the city of Sigil even more endless possibilities can be found. There is the Outlands that surround Sigil, where the Wild Hunt is forever on the prowl and beyond that, a multiverse of planes from the ethereal and the astral to Asgard, the Grey Waste and the wild and feral Beastlands.

Some of the characters that currently flavor this new novel include Puck, who recently found himself waking up on a slab in the city's mortuary, the victim of some unknown power; Tokker, a petty thief who found himself in the right place in the wrong time and is now caught in the middle of a mystery he'd just as soon not be a part of; Azrael, an elemental being who is being pursued by a god; Roxanna, a mortician who's curiosity might soon get the best of her; Mirai the devoted servant of the Lady of Pain who has journeyed into the heart of madness in hopes of finding some relief from the humdrum life in the Lady's Ward and Mat and Electron who, by sheer misfortune, find themselves ripped from their earthly home and will soon have to face the cold reality that they may never find their way back again.

Complete with it's own unique cant (or slang, if you will), The Planesurfer's Guide to the Multiverse is based on Wizard's of the Coast's now-retired philosophical roleplaying setting, Planescape and is one of the last remaining refuges for it's devout fans. Not familiar with Planescape? Not to worry, Cutter, all you have to do to become part of Sigil and the multiverse is just step through a door or mark a path across the Great Road. Once you're there, be sure to pay a visit to Diamond Lil's, one of the Hive's most notorious Inns... you can tell 'em that Puck sent ya. ;)

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