relia-robot

Trans married robot/doll

[Robot/doll/moth/slime/NHP]-girl. DGN-001. I like writing!

See post-cohost writing at https://reliarobot.dreamwidth.org/, on tumblr at https://www.tumblr.com/relia-robot-writes, or collected long-form pieces at https://reliarobot.itch.io/


pinkbun
@pinkbun

An enormous labyrinth, stretching for miles in all directions.... A three dimensional maze of clean-cut marble. The passages are perfectly square, and vast; tall enough for a dragon to walk upright.

The creators, if there were any, paid no heed to verticality; hallways turn towards up and down just as often as east and west.

The labyrinth attracts many people: adventurers, certain that it must guard some treasure; hobbyists, who delight in the puzzle; hermits, eager to find a quiet dead-end to call their own.

Towns have popped up inside, whole cities even, of people who got too deep in to find their way out, and banded together to settle down. Of course, the largest city is at the entrance, serving as both a gateway for arrivals, and a line to the outside for those within.

The most common currency between explorers is the trading of maps. Sections one has explored and charted are swapped, copied, and bartered with others. Each group tends to keep their own maps and records, as much for secrecy as for the fun of the puzzle.

Of course, for those more interested in assembling complete information recorded for posterity, the Cartographer's Guild coordinates the Great Expedition, the largest single cooperative exploration effort in the labyrinth, for the purpose of assembling a complete and accurate map of the entire labyrinth.


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in reply to @pinkbun's post:

Nice idea but I cannot help but wonder how people sustain the cities deep in the labyrinth in terms of food and water? If the foundation is marble (which is pretty soft stone as far as stones go) there could have been natural erosion due to rain and wind in natural environment to create some soils, but there is no such things in the labyrinth, I think. Do people bring the food from the outside? If so, is there a monopoly by the entrance cities which makes all inner cities to depend on them and do their bidding or else?
Water is even more of concern as it is more difficult to transport (some food might be light but water is always somewhat heavy). Unless normal human needs (sleep, food, water) are suspended in the labyrinth?

Those are definitely interesting questions! I imagined things like soil and water availability to be solved by either magical means, or perhaps advanced hydroponics. I bet larger settlements within could even sustain their own artificial water cycle to serve their needs!

Though it could also be interesting to explore the logistics of regular supply caravans, especially if they have to deal with vertical corridors as well. Considering both the physical practicalities and the sociological and political factors could certainly make for a fascinating read as well!

Ultimately, these aren't fleshed-out settings so much as concepts I find interesting to imagine and consider. Seeing it spark questions about the deeper implications and details is very satisfying!