This is currently work-in-progress, but you already knew that since it's in a forum thread and not going through MyPW. Discussion on any and all aspects appreciated.
The Pseudoplane of Cyberspace
The transitive that leads nowhere, the elemental of information. The plane of Cyberspace is a recent addition to the Great Wheel, and was discovered shortly after the catastrophic 'reboot' of Mechanus. Since then, arguments have erupted over exactly what the plane is. Common theories tend to be that it's a layer of Logos, the Outlands or the Astral, while others contend that it's the theorised Ordial plane. Anyone who knows for certain is keeping it very secret.
Despite leading nowhere, this plane is one of the most heavily travelled, often using 'consciousness streaming' technologies to take a planewalker's mind and soul to places where the body cannot follow.
While the plane may be accessed using other, non-immersive methods, they lack the immediacy, richness and efficiency offered by other technologies. Of course, the risks aren't present either.
Cyberspace Traits
- Variable Gravity: The virtual representation of gravity may be freely set by networks, subnets, or even individual hosts.
- Normal Time: As far as the typical user can tell (or needs to know), time flows normally in Cyberspace.
- Infinite Size: The size of Cyberspace is theoretically infinite, though at any time only a finite amount is addressible. It is currently unknown where this limit lies, or what happens as space becomes limited.
- Highly Morphic: Virtually anyone with the time and skills can shape an area of cyberspace into a form of their choosing; that said, anyone with the time and skills can reshape other's cyberspace locations, too.
- Addictive: The depth and richness of experience and information in Cyberspace can be highly addictive. Mechanical+suggestions+invited
- No Elemental or Energy Traits
- No Alignment Traits
- Magic Traits: Owing to the nature of the plane, divination and illusion spells have greatly increased effects. Conversely, spells which rely on physical effects are greatly impeded on this plane except where the spell specifically affects individuals to whom a suitable path has been traced. Be wary of traces - Power Word: Kill is only four characters.
No known portals link to or from Cyberspace, supporting the generally accepted theory that physical existence is impossible within the plane. Conduits seem to form readily wherever significant quantities of information are exchanged electronically; it's currently unknown how, why or exactly where these form, or even how high a level of data transfer is needed. Curiously, even networks completely removed from each other coexist in Cyberspace. It's speculated that some way exists to move between these disjointed networks, though if anyone's discovered it they aren't telling yet.
Cyberspace Inhabitants
Sustained life in cyberspace is practically impossible; virtual food, after all, cannot sustain a physical body. The only true inhabitants of the plane are 'cyberspace constructs'; these creatures come in a number of types, and are discussed elsewhere.
Cyberspace Petitioners
Petitioners of this plane tend to be those who show a marked dedication to computing or related disciplines. These petitioners exist as self-aware artificial intelligences, and tend to appear to others as an idealised self-image, and exhibit odd traits for petitioners - memory retention being the most striking of them, and giving rise to some theories that Cyberspace might be a 'layer' of the Astral.
Cyberspace Features
Cyberspace itself is effectively nothing; not even a blank canvas. It consists of a single layer, upon which various networks are located. Networks themselves can be further divided into subnets, and even individual hosts, though it's rarely necessary to go quite that far.
Each network and subnet can be designed, formatted and presented as its own virtual environment, entirely at the whim of its developers. This level of presentational power is richly exploited for any number of reasons.
Beyond the formatted and controlled areas of cyberspace, odd electrical storms rage. It's uncertain what these are caused by, or even what effect they have on travellers who manage to stray that far.
The Planarnet
Despite the best efforts of some to retain the name 'Internet' for the new Interplanar Network, the name Planarnet stuck. The Planarnet itself is a sprawling collection of smaller, individual networks, linked to each other for any number of reasons. Any Planarnet user with appropriate permissions can access anything linked to it. Detailed operations of this network and locations attached to it are far too much to go into here, though a few sites will be mentioned.
anarchist.fact
This is the cyberspace presence of the Revolutionary League, drawn to its lack of established or enforceable order beyond the standards it's built on. The most commonly used service that the Anarchists provide in cyberspace is an anonymous proxy, used to provide additional protection against some kinds of attack.
revealing-light.fact.ely
One of the largest sources of information on the Planarnet is the openly accessible collection served from the Elysian home of the Revealing Light faction. Its databases contain incredible amounts of data, opinion, observation, theory, and anything else the Shiners have managed to collect from around the Multiverse.
Its design is an immense library, with subnets as wings for major subject areas. Throughout the library there is no gravity, so that reaching texts on higher shelves is as easy as breathing. For those who want help finding things, simple cyberspace constructs are on-hand to provide some search capabilities.
sensate.festhall.sig
The Society of Sensation dedicates this particular network to experience, and faction members can spend months at a time working on detailed virtual reality simulations of things they couldn't possibly experience in the real world. Rumours abound that the Sensates are currently working to duplicate the contents of sensory stones as virtual experiences.
The Festhall network looks and feels exactly like the real Civic Festhall, and provides very similar services. User-created virtual reality environments within the network look, feel and act like sensory stones.
Private Networks
Private networks are a tricky subject to cover, since there's probably quite a large number of them. They'd be far more useful detailed with their locations and/or the organisations that own them anyway, since the only real way to use them is to have physical access.
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Hm. Addictive, is it? I'd present it as similar to but very different from Entrapping, but, hey, whatever works....