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Pipers Fort - Hollow World
The fields gently sloped down for several acres before they reached the woodland which formed a perimeter to the college grounds, long switch grass swayed in the damp morning breeze.

The grizzled form of Nathaniel Brocklesby examined a patch of ground covered in tuberous scarlet red vines, rubbing his stubbled chin he set to digging the invading weeds out.
As always the bastards proved difficult, writhing and squirming around the fork until he wrenched them from earthly soil, panting he took a breath before committing them to fire.

As he listened to them hiss and burn he noticed movement in the tree line, hopefully deer, sqirrils or a flock of the keets, but no such luck as a small walker broke into a striding gallop through the foliage.

“Fer gods sake” he grumbled, turning to his wheelbarrow he opened his rifle bag and drew his Witch Rifle “More every week” he said to himself as he shouldered the wide barreled rifle.
Drawing a bead, he watched the swirling ribbons of energy within its scope, following the alien machine as it darted trying to remain in cover before make a break for the college.

As it charged he fired three times, Etherium discs arced across the clearing exploding through Martian metals, the walker shuddered, staggered and collapsed, Nate waited keeping his bead.
Moments passed before seals on the domed body hissed, a hatch opened allowing a slimy red form to slide from its capsule, as it twitched and tried to stand, he fired, a noisome pop sprayed viscous gloop over the lawn.

The poacher turned grounds man grumbled to himself, now he had to clean all of this up and it would be hours before he could return to his boat on the Barbican.

Pipers Fort - Hollow World.
Spray and salt broke across the rocky shoreline of Pipers Fort, the sky was a clear blue with a faint chill that reminded a person they were alive.

Gulls wheeled along the breeze, squawking their annoyance at the intrusion, some 5 or 6 miles out from the coastline an alien machine strode into visibility as if emerging from a thick fog.
The tripod strode menacingly through the sea making its way towards the buildings stood upon the top of the cliff.

Rapidly responding to another intrusion men at arms readied the batteries, from sunken mounts along the top of the cliff long cannon barrels extended upwards and rotated to a horizontal axis facing seaward.

Resembling a hybrid of rifled artillery cannon fused with connected brass pipes, dials and luminescent green tubes, the weapons hummed with Aetheric energy as the gunners sighted up.

Behind the emplacements stood a cylindrical building of Georgian design topped with an equally ornate domed roof, inside signal men programmed difference engines and etherphonic devices.
Antennae bombarded the tripod with counter messages, signal man Grace Heky watched the spikes on her dials “Sir, energy is building”
“ACTIVATE THE BREAKWATER, NOW!” shouted Watch Sergeant Hoyte

Beneath the sounds waters, stone pilings emerged from the seabed and rose, as they broke the surface each fired a jet of water, water that expanded into a raging wall of shielding the length of the breakwater.

The tripod lurched its alien pilot struggling to fully control it under the electronic onslaught, finally it managed to arm the machines terrible weapon. A heat ray seared out crashing into the aquais wall, a cloud of superheated vapour exploded across the oceans surface.

“We are charged” shouted the gunnery sergeant
"FIRE!" bellowed Hoyte
The cannons boomed, each firing a trio of rounds, a heavy thump preceded an explosion.

Collectively the signal men and men at arms waited until with no further signs of attack came, the barrier resided revealing two legs wobbling and a third having collapsed into the sea.

The militias commander Wexham lowered his telescope “Get the boats straight out for salvage, we will require more shells” his junior officers turned to begin the cleanup.

The Nox Regina - The Arium, The Higher Scope
Captain West looked out across the starscape, to their portside was Luna whilst below them the Brick Moon, one of the Empires Higher Scope Domains.

Below that lay the Expanse or what most folk referred to as the Scope, the discovery of the etheric world in 1812 had confronted mankind with a dizzying array of other places and most people, even the educated had little concept of how these places worked.

He watched as his bridge crew bustled about checking the consoles and difference engines, content that all was in hand.

To West it was no different to the layers of Earth if you dug in the garden, above the ground was the air, above that clouds and above that still the void of space, below the surface top soil, then darker earth, then shale, hard stone and so on, layers.
In amongst the layers were hidden warrens, knots, roots and even underground streams and pools, the worlds beyond were not so different, it was wizards and scientists who made everything complicated.
On the other side of the mirror was the Astral Plane the etheric echo of mother earth, the volatile etheric energies calmed by mana or white ether, once you travelled above the astral clouds you entered the scope, the etheric plane where white mana was rarer and the expanse the realm of more hostile and volatile elemental energies, the upside being that the Scope was malleable with either magic or the clever Enlightened inventions of Babbage and Lovelace.

If you knew where to look there were hidden places in both the Astral Plane and the Scope that led to other places, the Most famous being the Lost Worlds or Hollows, actual physical places seemingly trapped between the material and astral worlds.
If you knew how to navigate one could locate gateways in the Scope that led to Nether Worlds, unlike the Lost Worlds these were more alien spirit worlds and again if you knew where the right windows were you could travel up and above the Scope into the Arium.

Despite its failures and achievements, notably harnessing etheric or Enlightened Science mankind had not conquered material outer space, the few expeditions had met with often disastrous consequences, but material space had an echo The Horizon or Arium, essentially the Higher Scope.
Unlike material outer space it had the same properties as the Scope, various etheric and other supernatural energies were present and travellers cast their minds from their bodies meaning that whilst they risks harm from the etheric environment they didn't explode or freeze to death as soon as entering the Arium.

Celestial versions of planets and objects where found here, as well as things that did not exist or certainly hadn't been observed by telescopes and Earths various powers had quickly set about the more difficult task of creating Higher Scope Domains such as the Empires Brick Moon and the Heleograph Station or Prussias Lichtpalast.

Unlike the Scope proper safety navigating and building in the Arium was more challenging, the travellers form suffered dissonance far more quickly unless they travelled in Ether Ship and even then, so building Arium domains was a major undertaking.

The Nox Regina the elder Sabbath families Ether Yacht, or rather Lady Sabbaths with her husbands untimely death, an elegant vessel made not from the traditional Etherium but Nether Realm timber sourced by the late Lord Sabbath, although safe to say her fixtures and fittings were most certainly forged Etherium.

The ships Purser Mrs Fergusson stepped onto the Bridge "Just to let you know Her Ladyships guests have arrived Sir", West nodded frowning as some wisps of light raced across the darkness outside, illuminating a nebulous bank of emerald green ether, the other stark contrast to material space was that the Arium was most assuredly inhabited.
"Mr Smith, please keep an eye on those sprites in case they ignite that bank"
"Aye sir" replied the Ships Lookout
"Thank you Mrs Fergusson"
"And Lord Sabbath might be arriving to see his mother"
"Very good" 'A full ship' thought West to himself

Inspiration and Credit: Nemesis The Warlock Book IV & Space 1889.

The Nox Regina - The Arium, The Higher Scope
Lady Estaria Sabbath stood in her stateroom, looking out if the wide latticed window at the stars and planets beyond.

She shuddered her face shrouded in unnatural shadow that obeyed no legitimate light sources, her eyes glowing like embers.
“How are you feeling M’lady” asked Jacobson
“None of your business” she hissed
“There I have to disagree, it is entirely my business, you have completed your mantras and rituals”
“You’re as bad as Dunn, fussing like a mother hen”
“I cannot speak for Mr Dunn, however unlike his self appointed caretaking of you mine is pledged and bound to you, let’s not make this difficult Lady Sabbath” scolded the Cog Automaton
“How dare you tell me what to do!”
“I do dare upon both Lord Arthur and your insistence, so come along, your guests are arriving soon, you like socialising now don’t you!”
“Yes, very well” she pouted and fumed and began to recite a series of archaic chants and prays.

A short time later Lady Sabbath appeared from her dressing room, dressed in an elegant afternoon gown, her eyes once again their calmer amber and an
Infectious smile upon her face.
“My apologies about the earlier episode Jacobson, I’d like to say I don’t know what came over me!”
“No apology necessary M’lady it is why I am here by your side”
“And for that I am eternally grateful, oh and have the guests arrived?”
“Lord Admiral Ivaellon and his set are here, others are imminent I believe the usual ascension delays”
“Yes, yes, we’ll we certainly want everyone in one piece don’t we”
“We do indeed, is there anything else M’lady as ever numerous matters to attend to?”
“Of course, just one thing could you send an Ethergram to Gabriel, it would be good to see him, we’ve all been so terribly busy”
Jacobson nodded a motion in the scope that was significant more fluid than in the material “Consider it done!”

The Nox Regina - The Arium, The Higher Scope.
The guests and their hostess had gathered in the Regina’s stateroom, such events in the scope although seen as terribly daring weren’t uncommon, but there were differences.

For example Food and drink in the traditional sense didn’t exist in the etheric world, however it simply wasn’t the done thing to socialise without refreshments so the guests sleeping flesh were fed nutrients and drugs eliciting the desired effect, by instruction of the domains Lovelace Imprints.

Of course campaigners and libertarians were quick to point out the vast effort and expense invested in making the aristocracy and upper class comfortable whilst the poor lived in misery.

Lady Sabbath laughed at Mr Mortaigne’s jest
“So what do we think of The Iron Dukes latest Military Bill” she interjected
“Oh must we talk of such dreary matters, replied Lady Catherine Reynolds”
“It was only a matter of time” chuckled Lord Admiral Ivaellon
“Well I know my husband cannot speak out of turn” responded Lady Ivaellon “But I think it does not go nearly far enough”
The Stateroom immediately erupted in guffaws and mock heckling
“Well you would say that madam, for you are a woman!” responded Mr Barcroft, a senior banker
“How observant of you Henry” retorted Lady Ivaellon with dry amusement
“What do you think Mr Trigg, being a Troll?” inquired Lord Ivaellon
“I’m inclined to agree Mr Lord, in my personal opinion the Reform Acts have merely been to boost the Empires flagging manpower and stifle insurrection, not to grant Boojums, natives or even British women actual equal rights!”

“Hear, hear” chimed Miss Caldwell “Just look at the labyrinthine hoops we must jump through and the places that people are still not socially acceptable, it’s nearly the 1880s for heavens sake, I have to get a professional endorsement and degree just to be able to work!”

“And your lucky in that respect Madam” responded Trigg
“Many of we Les Grotesques haven’t a hope of Professional Endorsement without significant patronage!” with that Trigg tipped his glass toward Ivaellon

“Least I could do, old boy, the Empire is in need of competant people irrespective and it being somewhat easier for the Eldren”

One of the stewards appeared bowing and waiting until Lady Sabbath addressed him
“Lord Sabbath is just ascending M’lady”
“Yes of course, you’ll excuse me for a brief moment and don’t stop the debate, it’s healthy”

Standing we waited just a moment to avoid the delayed effects of drink travelling the long distance between her body and mind, the Savouring they called it, satisfied she wouldn’t make an improper misstep she bowed and excused herself.

The Slick - The Fumis Netherworld - 1879
The figures stomped through the thick layers of slate like chippings, that made up the slopes and mounds, their breathing heavy and laboured within their great armoured suits looking like mechanical hermit crabs standing upright.
Finally they arrived at the higher points where a series of railcars were laid up on a rough and ready stone platform, climbing aboard the cars hauled them up the mountainside to a series of huge rectangular lifts, stepping into domed airlocks that sat before the lifts they wearily removed their suits shutting them in great iron trunks.

Odis Roak breathed in the the stale recycled air, despite the unpleasant old wet linen taste it was better than the air in the suits, the Foreman of VarrCore Mines looked with distain as his daughter Erma paid the Northern Consortium Clerk.
"How much" she spat, the clerk smiled smugly and pointed to the lacquered wood sign with brass numbers that could be flipped over to change the values "You just changed that" she growled
The clerk smiled again and this time took equal pleasure in pointing to the large yellowed sign with various rates for Consortium and non-consortium members, Odis could twll when an eruption was imminent and Fumis had enough of those in its landscape.
"Erma, pay the boy, can't fight everyone"
The clerk stiffened at the moniker of boy, but the older Dwarf merely smiled at him
"Argue that with me you little fuckwad" he muttered just loudily enough for the clerk to hear, his Chief Hurrier a big Newcastle born Snark called Moody stood over the man grinding his tusks.

"Come on, lets get this over with Odis snapped, his chiefs falling in line and entering one of the enormous lifts, some time later several dozen sweaty miners and workers had boarded and the car started its ascent up the mountain.

Mount Pendle - The Fumis Netherworld - 1879
Named after a somewhat shorter hill in Lancashire, Mount Pendle rose like most peaks to Himalayan heights and its slopes greedily occupied by the great and less good, due to the peaks being one of the few areas of clean air in the Netherworld.

The peaks were occupied by multistorey fortifications similar in style to modern versions of a cave castle a fortified building build on the side of the stone face, the majority of Pendles buildings being owned or controlled by the Northern Consortium.

The lift chambers finished their ascent having climbed thousands of feet, followed by his entourage Roak stepped out and headed up several flights of stairs, the décor changing from rivetted steel to wood lacquer panelling, he dismissed his crew who gratefully headed to the canteen before he climbed further floors before arriving at an engraved frosted glass door.
Knocking he didn't wait for a response before turning the handle and stepping in, he looked nonchalantly at the three figures sat in the bay window balcony in leather wing chairs, one a human well presented with black hair brushed to one side and a pencil think moustache.
Beside him a catwoman, beastfolk and the final one sat a little back from the first two a Cog, equally well presented, he blew out, placed his cap upon the large oval mahogany table and poured himself a cup of tea.

The man stood smiling warmly "Mr Roak, journey wasn't too arduous I trust"
Roak considered his reply, but there was little point in a truthful response that not a single thing on Fumis wasn't ardous and having to ascend thousands of feet, lining the Consortiums pockets more than they did already stuck in his throat.
"It was alright" he said gruffly
"And the crew enjoying some fresh food"
"Aye, they drew straws as usual, so what can I do for you Mr Privett"
"Of course" replied Privett smiling but his eyes steely hard "To business"

Mount Pendle - The Fumis Netherworld - 1879
Roak took a seat, from his vantage sat slightly further back into the room he gazed out of the floor ot ceiling bay window at the other peaks, he marvelled at how blue the skies were up here, where the Nether World touched the elemental plane of air.
Far below them below a thousand feet and the fog began, a blanket of toxic gas usually as thick as pea soup, filled with poisons and acids that would shrivel your lungs, melt your skin or make your blood freeze, a person unprotected below the fog was dead, it was just a matter of how.
However thats where the treasure was, Fumis was a Nether World caught smack bang between all four elemental planes, the combination of water, fire and most especially earth at ground level meant that the place was dripping with ores, mineral and other precious bounty.

His attention returned to the room "Sorry Mr Privett, can you repeat that!"
The human frowned "Yes of course, the Board has asked us to look into overcoming our problem of increasing our yields"
Orid sighed he wasn't sure how many times he'd had this same conversation with same people, but that was the problem with rich folks who didn't understand or want to understand business, they might hear but they didn't listen.
"As I've said in our ethergrams Mr Privett, our yields ain' the problem, claims healthy, very healthy, part from the occasional jump, we just can't move the loads when their up, we end up selling them on the local market for a hundreth their price"
Privett shook his head "So what about reducing production, slow things to reduce overheads"
"Well you can do, but then we fall afoul of Consortium quotas, we don't meet them and we lose the mine"
Privett shot to his feet and started pacing
"And there's nothing Courtney can do to increase the sale offworld"
"Well he can but as you know as we increase outbound the Consortium takes a higher tarrif and the Alliance increases its tunnel fees as a percentage"
"And there's no way around that"
"Course there is less than legitimate ways but Courtney's constantly worried about losing his Consortium certificate or worse ending up on the wrong side of the Alliance!"
"Maybe we need a new Mr Courtney!"
"Assayers tend to be much the same and Courtney knows what he's doing, we could have a lot worse"

Roak looked with amusement at the collected noting that 75% of them were Boojums or created, only Privett was human, the Catwoman Miss Cole was both his assistant and bodyguard, a role not unlike Lord Sabbath's companion, although he had a suspicion his Lordship was a little more handy in a fight, he also knew that Miss Cole and Miss Brockelsbury didn't get along.
Then there was the Cog, an aware automaton Mr Jennings, his Lordships business manager, bit of a mysterious one, who seemed very well equiped chassis wise for a administrative Cog, he turned back to Privett who had by now reached the fireplace a the end of the room.

"The board are as ever frustrated with British Etherium having to subsidize this endeavour"
"Which isn't entirely accurate" said Jennings speaking for the first time "The operation is cost neutral essentially paying for itself, the board or more correctly its investors aren't seeing a diminished return, the late Lord Sabbath was very careful to avoid falling into the trap that other smaller operators have found themselves in, essentially in the pocket of the Consortium or the Alliance"
"Thats as may be, but as you know Mr Jennings Investors see any overhead with an increase in profit as in effect a loan"
"Yes, short sightedness is a common failing of the wealthy, but I do sympathise with your position Mr Privett in having to keep them mollified"
Privett sat, his shoulders heavy "So yet again we return with the same answer"

"Not necessarily said Roak"
Privett narrowed his eyes "Your referring to Lord Sabbath's blockage running, I am very uncomfortable with the Marquis of Pembrokeshire risking his eternal soul with smuggling operations and isn't the Ether ship on the small size cargo wise, then theirs the blackmarket Transition of the Materials"
The Dwarf smiled "I don't think His Lordship recieved that memorandum Mr Privett and I'm reliably informed he may have something grander in mind"
Privett regarded Roak with suspicion he had never seen the stoic Dward come close to smiling and here he was beaming like a cheshire cat, which worried him immensely
"Think its time the Board decide if they are in or not Mr Privett!' said Roak still smiling

The Varrocorp Mine, East Boundary - Fumis Netherworld - 1879
The survival suits stomped across the uneven rocky terrain, approaching the post at the Eastern boundary marker, magnesium lanterns cast their eerie glow through the green and purple poison clouds.

Roak looked through the transparent aluminium of his visor, their suits resembling a fusion of a dead sea diving suit and medieval plate mail armour, each boundary had a guard post a blackened series of cylindrical and domed buildings, made from coal quartz, a strange union of the two minerals , common and of low value on Fumis, once tempered it resisted the acidic nature of the toxic fog better than most substances so mining facilities were usually built from it.

Roak signalled to his companion, everything about the outpost booked in order, its True Air generator humming along but an ether-tent inflated on the rock scrub in front of the main doors was odd, such things were only used if you were stuck out in the toxic fields.
The two of them trudged down the slope, armoured boots crunching the loose shale as pneumatic pistons moved the suits forward, Moody moved forwards tribarrel rifle at the ready, as the big Snark moved carefully around the domed tent, spotting a largish hole on its outer wall.
Looking inside he saw a charboiled body, the inside of the tent scoured by superheated steam, he noted the pipe and tobacco scattered on the floor and shook his head, turned and drew his finger across his thoat.

Odis nodded, after they'd checked the perimeter the pair collected the body and used their keys to enter the outpost, the airlock banishing the toxins the pair removed their helmets, Moody snarled "Hare's a damn fool, fire smoking, why can't simple things like combustion get through their heads"
"Cus their prospectors and miners, they ain't hired for their brains, but their backs" replied Odis "But lets be sure"
Stepping out of their armoured survival suits the pair effortlessly carried the twisted cadavre to the physicians chamber and onto a gurney.
Odis looked over Hare's body, the skin seared and lobster red, his attention drawn to three small holes behind his ear
"I fuckin knew it" he growled, Moody leaned in, his wide nose screwing up to avoid the unpleasant smell akin to boiled pork smeared with rotten eggs.
"He was jumped" replied Moody
"Slivergun, probably watched him go out for a smoke a few times, crept up to the tent and shot his silhouette, his blood mixin with the residual ether an gas, steam flashed"
Moody stood back up and sighed
"Hare wasn't a complete idiot he'd shut the vent off and cycled most of the Blue Ether out, either of those things been on or full and he'd have done up like a firework soon as he lit his pipe"
The big Snarks face was dark "Third one this month, you can see why other claims are puttin them automaton defences in"
"Or shuttin up shop, whci is wahts happenin to the smaller operations" replied Odis "Here help me with this"
The pair picked the body up carrying it through to a sealed etherium chamber connected by a heavy metal door, checking the dials and readings they steppd through into the airlock, waited and then into the boiler room, without ceremony they deposited the body in an etherium drawer and slid it into the large drum like contraption occupying the far wall.
The chamber shook as earthly material suddenly met Red Ether, the latter consuming it instantaneously
"Sleep Deep" they both said crossing themselves

"Get Mantock an a couple of others over here to get this one up and running!"
"Leave us short handed"
"Aye which is what they want, but its that or we lose our East Boundary"
Moody looked Odis in the eye, the dwarf nodded "You up for it", the Snark gave him a what do you think look in response
"Might be Consortium or Alliance" observed Odis blinking as he allowed his snuff to hit his upper nose
"Don't matter if its a small local, a syndicate or the great or bad, the rules...."
"Aye, blood for blood, inch fer inch, just checkin, ain't takin each time fer granted, take the gang"
Moody shook his head "No, thats what they're expectin, leaves the whole claim shorthanded plus they'll be local no matter where the orders come from, I know where to start, remember Prospectors ain't hired fer their brains!"
The pair left the boiler chamber, Moody tapped a message to the main camp via the Ethergraph whilst Odis made some tea
"There will be blood' he thought to himself

Varrocorp Main Mining Operation, Camp Hades - Fumis Netherworld - 1879
The sun was beginning to set, noticeable in that the scant light managing to break through the Choke was diminishing leaving everything beneath its noxious vapours in shadow, that and the reflector towers captured light and shining it down to the ground were growing dark.
Odis saw the different crests on survival suits as they trudged up the slope past the compacting rams and mine platforms, waving to Varrocorp diggers as they did.

His office was on the second floor of the main camp building, he let the visitors get to the outer doors where the guards questioned them, no matter how familiar a crest might be, they were still grilled, satisifed they were permitted entry and allowed into the airlock where they had to remove their suits.
He heard the heavy thudding feet trudge up the metal stairs before a heavyset figure strolled in, her thick scaled tail knocking a heavy chair as she entered

"Evening" said Roak
"Thought it was getting cold" the Lizardfolk woman replied settling into a heavy chair beside his heater
"What are you talking about its neither hot nor cold here, not so we can tell" she snorted in response through her scaled snout, as Roak handed her a large metal cup of scotch
"This stuff always gives me rough guts, but I do like it though" she hissed, Odis smiled leaning his bulk against his side bureau
"Hows things" he said
"Between tough and a disaster" she replied snorting another snifler
"That bad" she nodded in response
"Jumps are getting close to every other day, diggers getting hurt not from mining, fairly sure my assayers turned her lot in with the Consortium and tarrifs are burying us" Thosk Bibel looked glum, not that it was easy to tell what a lizard beastfolk
"What're going to do?" replied Odis looking at his feet
"Not sure, got offers from the Tyrell Syndicate and the Consortium, fraction of what the claims worth, not even enough to settle the loans, not sure I got the energy now the boys have gone"
"But yer claims got Ivoal and firestone, theres a fortune down there"
Thosk shook her head "You know the score, we can't haul a thousenth of the seams, we'd break our backs and lose most of it to Levies and tarrifs"
"Hows it going with this place" she said as Odis refilled her mug
"Ticking by, same thing the main seams are the Copper and Iron, we've got the connections to get both to the Etherium Foundaries at New Southwark, hell his Lordship's got access to a small foundry in Pembrokeshire but its the tarrifs and levies, which is highest on the Etherium ores"
"Bastards" hissed Thosk
"Much as you needed a chat, somethin elses is on yer mind, so out with it" grinned Roak
Thosk looked like she'd been caught out and signed "You don't spose your Lordship would consider buying the claim, do you?"
It was Roak's turn to puff his cheeks and exhale deeply
"Think it unlikely old girl, he's got his handful with this place an dealing with that board of his, right collection of limp wristed busy body know it alls they are, but they got a stake"
"Ah well it was worth askin, sticks in my gullet to give those bastards what they want, specially when I knows they're the ones crossing coin for the jumping, say how are you dealin with that"
"Well we got some strong arms and keen eyes, but to tell you the truth this claims more defensable that yours, the Late Lord Sabbath was pretty switched on, rumour is he say Deadwood when travellin the West, saw how bloody things could get, there were more attractive plots like yours but fact we got tough terrain on all side makes things a little more tricky, not that they don't try!"
Thosk mused over her mug "All that glitters" she grumbled "All that glitters"