“The Association of Ishtar is a clandestine organization which investigates the many Rifts that opens up their world to The Multiverse and determine any threats before 'they' find them”
Genre and Ground Rules Edit
For this series, we define the Steampunk Genre as the combination of Science Fiction with Alternate History
No Magic and Magic Systems: The supernatural or paranormal is fine, as long it is not humans with superpowers
In the Multiverse objects and life forms cannot exist on other ‘Planes’ for longer than 40 days.
Exceptions are the ‘Sanctuary’, a facility under the Association's control. It is a haphazard solution to contain otherworldly artifacts and individuals. There is not much lore on the place, yet. Then there is ‘Arkology’. Arkology is a city drifting in the void with a lot of lore behind it. So check out a couple of stories on this before attempting to expand on this.
The World
The Association’s ‘Plane of Origin’, codenamed ‘Atlas’ is similar to the historical 19th century
Exceptions are
The Association uses the first wireless telegraphs thanks to the multinational company ‘Utter-Krapp’.
Germany didn’t unify in 1871
The Existence of ‘Elysium’ in the same orbit as the moon encouraged the development of Space Rockets. Napoleon launched his version of the V-2 rockets at England (Ps. Napoleon R-2 rocket is not mentioned yet in any of the stories.)
The Association
Associates and the Doctors are volunteers who operate under a strict code of conduct. Those who violate the code risk being nominated a ‘Lost Number’.
The Chair is responsible for the daily affairs of the Association.
Special Committees are specialized groups, responsible for investigating and containing particular threats. Some committees are not Associates at all.
The Association is primarily an advisory organization, helping local authorities to contain Rift- or Outsider-Activity.
Associates use numbers as code names while doctors use alcoholic drinks.
Story Structure Edit
Write an introduction to the entry: Think of it as the 'warning label' or the 'before-you-read-on-section. This is often a warning, procedure, letter, or a statement about the subject.
The File: The is the story proper.
a. Can contain a factual Description (but make this engaging). Give examples, use witness testimonies, recovered notes, etc.
b. Tells the stories through audio recordings, interviews, diary entries, personal records, and other evidence.
Themes, Atmosphere, and Tone
The tone from the stories can range from comedy to horror
The themes and atmosphere emerge from the character's relationship between themselves, the world technology and the unknowable.
Tip: You can create an atmosphere by giving examples of sounds, smells, and reactions. But also the emotional state of the character.