Chronoplex

The Essential Bits

Written and Edited By Matthew Swetnam

Chronoplex, The Essential Bits is Copyright 2011 by Matthew Swetnam

All rights reserved.
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This version is for evaluation and editing purposes only. No part of this document may be
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Forward
The document you are reading is a highly excerpted version of the setting for the Role Playing
Game, Chronoplex. The passages presented here have been selected as essential pieces for
gaining a general understanding of the Chronoplex setting. Some passages are presented in
their entirety, others have been distilled for the sake of brevity.
This document has been created to support the first open beta test of Chronoplex. To follow
the progress of the beta test and to stay informed about the upcoming release of Chronoplex,
please visit http://www.DeadTreeGames.com.

About the Chronoplex

The Chronoplex is a network of conduits linking different locations in time, or geotemporal
locations (GTLs for short). These conduits, referred to as tubes by most tempors, normally flow
in only one direction. That is to say that you can go from one GTL to the other, but not viceversa.
Tubes usually only appear in linear time for a minute at best, but can be consistently found in
the same GTL. The entrance to a tube isn't much to see. The intake of space/time into the tube
causes a slight refraction of the light around it, but that's about all that is visible. This usually
sticks out like a sore thumb to seasoned spanners, but those who haven't seen it before might
pass right by without noticing.
What people might notice is the effect a tube entrance has on creatures close to it. Much like a
whirlpool, it exerts a slight pull on nearby objects and creatures, drawing them toward it. People
passing close to an open tube entrance often feel dizzy or disoriented and have to catch their
balance. Spanners can easily identify this feeling and know to move in the direction of the pull
(assuming it's a tube they're looking for).
The exit end of a tube is quite a bit more dramatic than the entrance. The same refractory

ripples line its perimeter, but the center spews tendrils of light pulled in from the other end. This
light winds out and dissipates while small orbs of condensed light bubble out and fades into the
surrounding illumination.
Tube exits also exhibit an effect on nearby creatures, though it is the opposite of the entrance.
Instead of being drawn to it, creatures feel repelled from an exit. The sensation is slight, so
tempors can approach an exit if they must, but somehow it just feels wrong.

Anatomy of a GTL
Tube exits emit temporal energy known as temporal radiance. This energy forms a bubble of
non-time, a chroneurism, which offers shelter from linear time. Inside a chroneurism, creatures
carry on with their normal activities while the world outside of the horosheath, the hazy border of
the chroneurism that separates it from linear time, seems to remain frozen. Think of it this way:
time normally marches forward. Inside a chroneurism time still marches, it just marches in place
while linear time outside the chroneurism continues to march forward.
While the terms "geotemporal location" and "GTL" technically refer to any location in time,
most tempors use them interchangeably with the term "chroneurism" since chroneurisms are
just permanent, stable GTLs. (Not to mention GTL is easier to say than chroneurism. People
are lazy like that.) Chroneurisms range in size from a few feet in diameter to several miles,
depending on the force of the temporal radiance flowing from the tube.
Being cut off from the resources of linear time is, of course, problematic for GTLs. Each GTL
must act as its own ecosystem in order to sustain life. Thankfully, a phenomenon unique to
chroneurisms counteracts this limitation. The horosheath surrounding a chroneurism acts as a
recycling mechanism for resources inside the GTL. This process, called horocirculation, returns
water in the form of cloud bursts, provides daylight in cyclic waves of intensity, adds nutrients
back into the soil and filters impurities from the air. Without horocirculation, GTLs would quickly
become wastelands and would make temporal travel impractical, if not impossible.

Temporal Fluidity and Rechronoration

When it comes to time travel, many linnies buy into the "butterfly effect" theory. The argument
is that the flap of a butterflys wings in Brazil can set off a tornado in Texas. Basically, they're
saying that small changes at the start of events will cause big changes to occur in the long run.
It's an interesting theory, but it is inaccurate.
Linear history is not just a series of events that always play out the same way. The timeline is
organic and flexible. There are specific directions that it favors and it will attempt to flow in those
directions, but a tempor who returns frequently to the same GTL will often see slightly different
events that lead to the same, or similar, conclusions. This flexibility in the timeline is known as
temporal fluidity. Temporal fluidity allows spanners to travel across linear time without having
to worry about disrupting the timeline. Let's face it, if stepping on a flower in the past might
somehow kill a spanner's grandmother in the future, most spanners would probably opt to stay
home.
In addition, the timeline can heal itself. As was stated before, the timeline favors certain
directions. So even if changes are made in the short term, time normally finds a way to go

where it wants to go. This is known as rechronoration.

This does not mean that history can't be changed; it can be. But it's hard to change history
long term because the timeline adapts and flows toward specific ends. In order to truly change
history, someone would have to constantly, almost fanatically, nudge events toward their
desired end. Sadly, there are people who try to do just that. More on them later.

Temporal State and Temporal Inertia

Most linnies find it hard to understand how the Chronoplex can exist right under their noses and
still remain undetected. Many spanners boast that it is because of their ninja-like stealth or their
innate ability to blend in with any culture. The truth is that spanners have no special skills for
remaining undetected. They simply benefit from a slowed temporal state.
All creatures have a temporal state. It is the speed at which they exist in time. Unless acted
upon by an outside force, a temporal state in motion will stay in motion. The flip side, of course,
is that a stopped temporal state wants to remain stopped. This resistance to changing temporal
states is called temporal inertia.
When creatures exit the Plex by stepping through the horosheath of a chroneurism their
temporal state reacts to the movement of linear time and begins to come up to speed with it.
However, since their temporal inertia resists that change it results in the creature not having
a lasting existance in the linear world for a period of time. This can last anywhere from a few
days to a few weeks. Spanners can interact with linnies all they want during this period, but the
linnies will soon have no recollection of ever meeting them. Eventually a spanner's temporal
state overcomes his temporal inertia, allowing him to come up to speed and become part of
linear time. Think of it this way: picture a chunk of ice in a cool river. The ice can enter the water
and it can move with the current, but only trace amounts melt and mix with the river at any given
time. But if the ice remains in the river long enough, it will melt completely and become part of
that river.
Conversely, when a creature enters the Plex, their temporal state is abruptly halted. It is not
a gradual slowing of the creature's temporal state, but a sudden stop. To extend the previous
metaphor, if a small amount of water is diverted from a river to an area of unrelenting sub-zero
temperatures, it quickly solidifies into ice. This sudden change in temporal inertia can be very
disorienting to spanners, resulting in a reaction known as C-shock. C-shock affects all spanners
with varying degrees of intensity depending on their temporal inertia at their time of entry. Cshock can result in dizziness, hallucinations, nausea, vomiting, and in the most extreme cases
mild soft tissue disruption. C-shock can be lessened, or in mild cases avoided altogether, by
increasing fluids and sugars in the body. Seasoned spanners have discovered that a small
bottle of milk does the trick nicely.

A Brief History of the Plex

The following is a high-level view of events in the Plex.
Temporal Pre-history - Thanks to a key journal, civilization in the Chronoplex can be
traced back over 400 years. It is not known if it existed before that.
Tempors and Trade Routes - As early spanners settled down in different chroneurisms,

trade routes formed between major settlements, eventually leading to the formation of
Caesias five main aggregates.
Chrono-Standard War - A protracted conflict erupted among the aggregates over which
had the one true time standard.
The Great Sync - Upon the discovery of the atomic clock in London, England, 1955, the
five aggregates agreed to end the Chrono-Standard War and follow the LE55 standard.
Temporal Articles of Confederation - Following the Great Sync, delegates of the
five aggregates hashed out a loose federal government for settling internal disputes.
Although limited in power, the new Confederation was the first step toward unity.
The Caesian Jeet Rush - Held as a publicity stunt to gain support for the fledgeling
Confederation, the Jeet Rush opened large portions of unsettled lands to tempors living
in overpopulated chroneurisms.
The Contagions - Having been exposed to diseases throughout history, the Plex
was hit hard by a variety of illnesses. The Confederation used the opportunity to seize
greater power.
Nudger Emergence - Tempors disillusioned by failure to claim land in the Jeet Rush
and irrationally angry at linear society for the Contagions, turned to radical groups
looking to disrupt the linear timeline by nudging it in particular directions.
Temporal Preservation Authority - In response to the growing number of Nudgers,
the Confederation formed the Temporal Preservation Authority to combat linear time
pollution at all costs.

Geotemporal Political Boundaries

In linear society countries are formed in terms of land area. Boundaries are drawn based on
natural features or arbitrary latitudes/longitudes. Proximity plays a huge part in defining political
states.
Unfortunately, this model simply doesn't work in tempor society. GTLs are scattered across time
and the globe making physical boundaries virtually impossible. What matters to tempors is not
land mass, it's connections:
Single GTLs are the tempor equivalent of a linear village, town or city.
A parcel, a group of GTLs whose tubes form an easily traversable local loop or small
web, is the tempor equivalent of a linear state or province.
An aggregate, a group of parcels tied together by a relatively dense network of tubes, is
the tempor equivalent of a linear country.
An isola, a loosely bound group of aggregates with few ties outside of itself, is the
tempor equivalent of a linear continent.
There are five known isolas in the Plex. They are:
Caesia
Onverkend
Mur
Palisade
Legend
The main focus of Chronoplex is on Caesia. Caesia is the oldest, largest, most widely explored

and best developed isola in the Plex. It is home to five aggregates: Croatan, Donatus, Inkarri,
Olmecca and Sprosny. The capitals of each of these aggregates were once known collectively
as The Syncs and each maintained the time standard for their respective aggregate.
The discovery of the atomic clock in GTL London, England: 1955 provided a standard that all
of the Syncs could agree upon. This discovery eventually led to The Great Sync and resulted
in the formation of the Temporal Articles of Confederation, creating a loose federal government
over all aggregates in Caesia.
While The Great Sync helped put a stopper on hostilities, tensions still remain. Most have made
their peace with their former adversaries, but many believe it will only take a small disagreement
to flare up aggressions anew between the Caesian aggregates.

Glossary
The following section lists common terms heard in the Plex.
aggregate - A group of parcels tied together by a relatively dense network of tubes. The
tempor equivalent of a linear country.
chroneurism - The bubble of non-time formed by the exit end of a time conduit.
Chronoplex - The known network of naturally occurring time conduits.
chronostomose - Time conduits that mix or join.
currency value - Abstract standard used in the Plex for monetary exchange rate. While
the Plex does not have its own currency, currency value notes are kept on ECL bartered
currency and goods.
CV - Short form of currency value.
dowsing stone - Naturally occurring crystal or gem that was present at the opening of
a GTL's portal. Dowsing stones internalize temporal radiation and thereafter will vibrate,
hum, or even glow in the presence of a nearby portal. Most spanners carry a dowsing
stone as a means of navigation.
geotemporal location - A person's position in space and time.
gonjen - The timepiece used in the Plex that tracks both time and illumination cycles;
modified from the official term gung zhng.
GTF - Fugitive on the run through the Chronoplex.
GTL - Short for geotemporal location. Also used as the tempor equivalent of a linear
village, town or city.
horocirculation - The recycling of elements inside a chroneurism by the horosheath in a
stable GTL environment.
horodim - The end of a light cycle within a chroneurism.
horolum - The beginning of a new light cycle within a chroneurism.
horosheath - The boundary separating GTLs from linear time; responsible for the
process of horocirculation.
jeet - Slang for geotemporal location.
linnies - People living life in the chronological world who are unaware of time traveling
society.
mose - Short form of chronostomose.
parcel - An easily traversed local loop or web of GTLs. The tempor equivalent of a linear

state or province.
Plex - Short form of Chronoplex.
spanner(s) - Time travelers.
temporal radiance - energy emitted by the exit of a conduit; responsible for the
formation of a chroneurism.
tempor(s) - People who are members of, or are aware of, time traveling society.
tube(s) - Slang term for time conduits.
zeit(s) - People who are members of, or are aware of, time traveling society but do not
travel themselves (derogatory).