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There are three great nations in the modern world; all three formed twelve to fifteen hundred years ago. Finding accurate information about the time before this is difficult (literacy rates jumped after the formation of the three nations). Only those who specifically study “Pre-history” know much about it.

The seed of the first of these nations was planted around fifteen hundred years ago, though it would take much longer for it to grow into the Grove Empire. At that time the people of the jungle were separated into many small villages and wandering tribes who often raided or warred with each other. It is believed that, in an effort to gain the upper hand against its neighbors, one of these villages created the Network Trees. These Trees generated a virtual space that allowed them (and the people connected to them) to interact regardless of distance.

As the Trees grew and produced more and more networked seeds, the Network began to engulf the jungle. This provoked war from the other villages.  To stand up against wars on so many fronts, those who tended the Trees (now called Sysadmins) learned how to rapidly grow and cause physical movement in the Trees.

The war dragged on for nearly a generation. The enhanced growth of the Tree meant that, by the end, the Network had invaded most of the jungle and people started calling it an Empire. The Network called itself the Grove but never made much effort to rule or govern the territory it had taken.

The second nation comes from the Trilith revolution, which happened within a generation of the first Network Trees’ creation. The kingdoms of Ilgóòlú, Ilirin, and Okuta Iyebiye were the wealthiest and greatest in the world at that time. Though few were able to enjoy those achievements, as the nobility hoarded the wealth and shared only with their family. One brilliant smith from Ilirin decided to change this. Having no army with which to fight the nobility, she chose to build one of iron soldiers. These were the first of the Okonia, and they easily destroyed the troops the nobility sent against them. Seeing their success, the unhappy citizens of Ilgóòlú and Okuta Iyebiye begged the smith and her iron army to drive out their own nobles. In order to fight on three fronts, the smith created two more Okonia armies, one of diamond, and one of gold. The Okonia defeated the nobility in all three kingdoms.

Victorious, the people decided to tie their fortunes together and give control to the smith who had started it all. The smith, however, feared that people could not be trusted with power, and that eventually a new entrenched nobility would arise. As they had no real concept of greed or sense of self, the smith gave control of the Trilith to her Okonia armies.  These Okonia became the Stone Judges, and have acted as the Trilith’s government ever since.

Khemet arose from sheer need and was the last of the modern nations to form. Within a few hundred years of their creation, the Network Trees had taken over a good portion of the jungle and many villages within it. Some of the villages that were left feared they would also be consumed. They could not fight the very land itself.  So they prayed to their Gods for help. The Goddess Aset devised a plan. At the very edge of the world she created a river and fertile land surrounding it, and the people ran to it. Around it, the God Sutekh made a great desert so that no Network Tree might survive. As the Gods had saved them, the people decided the Gods would rule them. Control of the government was given to the priesthoods with the high priest/ess of Aset ruling the country.

Cultures

The Grove -  There is very little one can say about the Grove as a whole, other than that its citizens spend a lot of time in “the Network.” It is fairly well known that they can communicate instantly over long distances with it. But since non-Networked people can’t see or interact with it, who knows what’s actually going on in there?

The Trilith - The cities and countryside of the Trilith are beautiful. The country is filled with museums, ornate gardens, breathtaking architecture, and endless artists’ markets. This is to be expected when almost every person in the city is trained to be some kind of artist or crafter. However, very few of the Trilith know how to fend for themselves or lead others. Many whisper that without the Stone Judges to feed and govern them, the Trilith would simply die off.

Khemet -  Khemet is a land of myth and legend, with great stories of Gods and heroes celebrated and reenacted yearly. They structure their laws and society around Ma’at, the concept of divine justice, and for this the other nations consider them the most conservative. Khemet considers itself to be the most resourceful and adaptive of the nations, as they are not dependent on any one entity (as the Grove is with the Network, and the Trilith with the Stone Judges) to survive.

People

Enia -  Basic humanoids. They are believed to be the oldest of the people.

Mangaro -  The Mangaro are like Enia but with characteristics from a specific animal species (a leopard’s tail and claws, a falcon’s wings, etc.). Many Mangaro believe their ancestors were Enia who developed these characteristics to help survive the dangerous environment of the pre-network jungle.

Okonia – The Okonia are stone. They are shaped by a creator so that they might speak, think, and act as people. This is usually not entirely successful (it is sometimes not intended to be). The other two peoples find them hard to interact with as the Okonia still, to some degree, perceive the world as ageless stone does.

While technically an Okonia may be made in any shape, they are typically carved into a humanoid form.  Okonia are made from gems, metals, or other types of stone.

Okonia are not so much born as their perspective is shifted. In this world, stone is sentient but it perceives itself as a continually shifting whole rather than as individual rocks. Making stone into an Okonia causes it to perceive the world in a more person-like way.

The transformation is rarely entirely successful. The Okonia have spent far longer as infinite stone than as an individual, and they still tend to judge their world from that perspective.  Okonia tend to use “we” as a personal pronoun as the concept of “I” is strange to them. The idea of gender is not particularly relevant to stone, so many Okonia are agender. Of course this varies from Okonia to Okonia, and their identities may shift as they settle into their new state of being.

Okonia do not age and can’t reproduce. An Okonia can make another Okonia, however.

History

The first Okonia were the Stone Judges who were created by the founder of the Trilith (the Great Smith) to fight a war. Hundreds were created from diamond, gold, and iron. All shared the same memories and acted with one mind.

After the war was won, several thought to copy what the Great Smith had created.  Many fine Okonia were made but none could replicate the shared co-consciousness of the Stone Judges. Making them into Okonia seemed to irrevocably separate them from the stone they came from.  Most Okonia makers gave up on the idea of recreating the Stone Judges, and switched focus to making the most individually perfect Okonia.

Most Okonia have been made in the Trilith, though over the years some have migrated to Khemet and the Grove.

Currently

While everyone considers Okonia to be “people”, most Enia and Mangaro find interacting with them difficult, or at least odd.

The Okonia are best integrated with society in the Trilith. This is most likely to do with the Trilith acceptance of the Okonia's differences, and not any effort by the Okonia to fit in.

In Khemet and the Grove, Okonia are rather rare and tend to stick out.

The Mangaro are a humanoid race with various animal characteristics. Mangaro can have characteristics from any type of animal. Mangaro who are of the same animal type might also have different characteristics from each other. For example, one lion Mangaro might have the mane, tail, and fur of a lion, while another might have the claws and teeth.

Mangaro type is not passed from parent to child.  A spider monkey Mangaro might have parents that are elephant Mangaro, or a gazelle Mangaro and a leopard Mangaro. Mangaro cannot have children with Enia or Okonia.

History

Amongst the Mangaro, there is a story that is passed down from parent to child. It is the tale of the beast God and how the Mangaro came to be.

In the days before the three great nations, when there was no Network to mitigate the dangers of the jungle, the people suffered. They had no special skills with which to survive. They had no claws to hunt their prey nor vision to see through the dark of night. They prayed for help but what answered them was no God of the Enia. It was a tremendous beast whose body was as vast as the heavens with heads as numerous as the stars. This was the beast God, and it came with an offer. Each head issued its own challenge, and those who passed would receive the gifts of the animal that head represented.

The nature of the challenges varies from telling to telling, but the outcome is always the same. Those well-suited to the specific challenges took them and became the Mangaro. The Mangaro praised the beast God for their newfound strength, and to this day many Mangaro still worship and look to the beast God for guidance.

Culture

Mangaro in the Grove are the ones most likely to have a culture that is distinctive from their nation as a whole. Many still live in nomadic groups and eschew the use of the Network. The level of dislike for the Network varies from group to group. Some completely forbid use of the Network, believing it to be an insult to the gifts of the beast God. Others allow or even encourage a few of their members to connect to the Network in order to ease travel through the Grove.

Because of the mandatory integrated schooling, and the Trilith’s general distaste for bloodlines, there is little difference between the Mangaro and the Enia in the Trilith.

Mangaro in Khemet are similar to Mangaro in the Trilith. It is common for Mangaro to enter the priesthood of the God that they share an animal type with. For example, a jackal Mangaro might become an incarnation of Anapa, or a bird Mangaro might become an incarnation of Djehuti.

The Enia are a humanoid race with unnaturally colored hair and/or brightly colored geometric patterns on their bodies. Two or more Enia may share the same patterns or colors. However, neither the patterns nor the color seem to be an inherited trait. A parent with bright blue stars across the face might have a child with only purple hair as an Enia mark. Enia cannot reproduce with Mangaro or Okonia.

History

No one knows for sure how old the Enia race is, nor where they came from. There are a number of stories and myths about the creation of the Enia. The priesthood of Djehuti contends that all of the myths are true, and can show them to you through their Djet time. This view of things tends to be confusing to those outside Khemet, so most either pick one myth or simply ignore the topic entirely.

Currently

The Enia are the most numerous race of people. They can be found in roughly equal proportions in the Grove, the Trilith, and Khemet. They are well integrated into each society.

There is some division between the Enia and the Mangaro in the Grove. Almost all Enia are connected to the Network, and a large portion of the Mangaro population distrust the Network's presence in their jungle.

The majority of the Trilith population lives in or around the three major cities. Each of the cities was once its own kingdom and so has associated farmlands and forests. The Trilith is not a continuous kingdom. They use a well-maintained and guarded series of mosaic roads to connect the three cities. Ownership of the land that surrounds these roads is somewhat fuzzy.

Ilirin is the city of iron, where the Unbroken are mined and constructed. It is known for its museums.

Ilgóòlú is the city of gold, where the Glittering are mined and constructed. It has the grandest marketplace.

Okuta Iyebiye is the city of diamond, where the Faultless are mined and constructed. Its public gardens are its pride.

The Trilith have an extensive public education system. All children are required to attend one of the boarding schools run by the Faultless. The Faultless also have classes and provide individual tutors for adults. Education is geared towards crafting knowledge. A general overview of almost every type of craft is provided in the early stages of education, with students choosing areas of focus as they progress. After students have learned the essentials of their chosen profession, they will often seek an apprenticeship with a Master of that craft. These arrangements must be approved by the Stone Judges.

The Stone Judges provide a basic living wage to all Trilith. This is given out in the form of raw materials of a person’s choosing (grain, meat, metal, gems, lumber, etc.).

The Glittering decide the value of all raw materials and crafted goods. All trade must be approved by the Glittering and be roughly equal in value. A craftsperson may also sell their items to the government for raw materials.

Trilith life revolves around art and the skill it takes to make it. The explicit goal of the Stone Judges is to facilitate a society that allows people to attain their maximum artistic potential.

The Trilith have various ranks to denote one’s skill in a particular craft. Generally, anyone who is studying a particular craft may call themselves an apprentice in that craft. Subsequent ranks are awarded by the Stone Judges after an evaluation of the artist’s work. The Trilith do not have last names, but it is common for them to include their rank and profession when introducing themselves.

The Stone Judges

The Stone Judges are the governmental body of the Trilith. Once, they were the main force of the armies that freed the Trilith from their hereditary rulers. After the war, it was decided that people were too susceptible to corruption and favoritism, so the Stone Judges were put in charge.

Though there are thousands of individual Stone Judges, they consider themselves to be one entity with three distinct personalities.

The Faultless are the Stone Judges who are made from diamond. They handle education.

The Glittering are the Stone Judges who are made from gold. They handle commerce.

The Unbroken are the Stone Judges who are made from iron. They maintain infrastructure and harvest raw resources (crops, lumber, metals, etc.).

Relationship with Other Nations

The Grove - Generally, the Trilith get along well with the Grove. The Grove has some natural resources that are scarce in the Trilith’s lands. Recently there have been some disputes over the Network Trees overrunning Trilith borders. The lack of (physical) developments and infrastructure in the Grove can be unsettling to people of the Trilith.

Khemet - The Trilith trade heavily with Khemet. Khemet also has a thriving community of craftspeople, and these tend to be the people that get along best with the Trilith. The Trilith do find Khemet’s beliefs a bit strange. Their concept of Ma’at (divine justice) doesn’t really make sense to most Trilith, and their strong devotion to their Gods can make individual Trilith uncomfortable.

The Soul and Spirit Energy

Every physical thing has a soul, whether stone, tree, animal, or person. Of course not every soul is the same. People each have their own soul, which makes them an individual. Minerals seem to have one collective soul (or at least their souls are all connected). Plants and animals sit somewhere near the middle of the individual-to-collective soul spectrum.

Souls produce energy. In the Trilith, this energy is called Spirit. Through crafting, artisans manipulate the Spirit energy of their materials and combine it with their own Spiritual energy to create a work of art. The greater the Spiritual energy of a work of art, the more valuable (and powerful) it is.

Friendship

Those that seek to unlock a material’s true potential must gain its friendship. Making an offer of friendship can be somewhat difficult as materials do not speak as people do. There are, however, several ways to communicate with a particular material type. The most common are reaching a trancelike state while crafting that material, or getting the help of the Stone Judges to act as a medium/translator for communication. Once communication is open, the material will put forth a request/challenge. One must satisfy the material's request in order to be granted friendship.

People of the Trilith often include their friendships in their titles/introductions.

The Soulforged

Soul Forging (or Soulforging) is a technique invented some seven hundred years ago.

Because typical crafts are made purely using Spirit energy, their power level is mostly static. The soul, on the other hand, is continually producing more Spirit. A craft made with a soul would therefore continually grow in power.

A process was developed to sever a piece of one’s soul, and then set it in a chosen item. This process is called soulforging

Of course the severed soul piece still has a connection to the soul it came from: the soulforged item’s power only works for that person, and only they can direct its growth.

A person may use any piece of their soul for forging, but it is generally best to use one with a strong emotional connection (e.g. The rage I feel for my betrayer, the love I have for so-and-so). The type of emotion also affects the powers of the item (e.g. rage gives more destructive powers, sadness allows you to repair things).

The act of soul forging also has some consequences. Accidents can happen, and the soul can be damaged. More commonly, however, the soulforging process can lead to a somewhat fractured sense of self. The severed piece of your soul, and the memories and emotions that are connected to it, will seem more distant to you. It will be as though you are watching instead of experiencing those parts of yourself.

The population of Khemet is divided between the five Divine Cities and the Nomes (as well as the Desert, but that’s a special case).

Nomes are the various portions of arable land in Khemet (like a small state). Each Nome is led by a Nomarch who governs and distributes resources within that land as they see fit. They also choose their own successor, or a method by which their successor is chosen. Nomarchs are expected to follow the divine laws of Ma'at; those who do not are removed from power by the priesthood. Nomes usually have representatives in the Divine Cities (at least the ones closest to their lands) who negotiate trade and present the Nomes’ petitions to the Gods.

Each Diving City is ruled by a God and the cities’ land is owned by their priesthood. The city contains the main temple to that God and their high priest/ess resides there. The cities are centers of trade and hold festivals for the Nomes that surround them. Each city also has its own unique attractions befitting the God that inhabits it.

Over time the cities have built up a population of people who are neither part of the priesthood nor representatives from a Nome . These people tend to be the children of priests, runaways, and those banished from their Nome. They rent housing from the priesthoods and tend to take care of the city’s non-religious functions (cooking, cleaning, repair, etc.).

Per-Hebit is Aset’s city and the capital of Khemet. All major political decisions and foreign negotiations take place here.

Khnum is Djehuti’s city. Its major attraction is the Great Library.

The twin cities of Men-Nefer and Per-Beset belong to Sekhmet and Bast respectively. The border between the cities can get a bit fuzzy, but if you reach the prison you’re in Per-Beset, and if you’re in the hospital you’re in Men-Nefer.

Utenha Saka is Anapa’s city, though more dead than living reside there. Utenha Saka is notable for its great tombs, which are the only buildings that extend into the Desert.

Sutekh has no city. The Desert is their domain, and only their priesthood is foolish enough to try and reside there.

The people of Khemet do not use last names, and instead use the title of (En) their Divine City/Nome.

Relationship with the Other Nations

The Trilith - The Trilith and Khemet are trading partners and their governments are generally on good terms. On a more personal level, many in Khemet find the values of the Trilith’s people strange. It seems hypocritical to be so devoted to individual achievement while being so dependent on the Stone Judges.

The Grove - Officially, the Grove and Khemet are not at war, though relations are tense and there have been regular skirmishes since Khemet’s founding.  The people of Khemet do not trust the Network or the people that sustain it.  The Network Trees once drove the people of Khemet from their homes, and since then the Grove has shown no interest in restraining the Trees’ growth.

The Gods

Aset -  Aset is the head of the pantheon and ruler (through her high priestess) of Khemet. She values order and the continuation of the nation. Her aspects are magic, trickery, and illusion. She believes in planning and calculation, and that the correct approach to any situation is the one that gives you the upper hand.

Bast - Bast protects the home and those who cannot protect themselves. She values bravery and protection. Her aspects are violence (controlled), and strength. It is said that Bast split from Sekhmet in order to keep her rage in check.

Sekhmet -  Sekhmet is the battlefield and master of its turmoil. She values rage and blood (both in a literal and metaphorical sense). Her aspects are violence (unleashed) and disease. Only Sekhmet, in her eternal battle, has felt and conquered every pain and hurt.

Anapa - Anapa is the guide of the dead. He values peace and acceptance of that which is unknown. His aspects are death and mystery. Anapa alone knows the paths and may navigate the confusion of the underworld.

Sutekh - Sutekh is all that is dangerous and necessary. They value that which is not discussed in polite company. Their aspects are chaos and freedom. Sutekh is the desert: inhospitable, deadly, and all that stands between Khemet and invasion.

Djehuti -  Djehuti is the scribe. He values well-kept records and stories. His aspects are knowledge and writing. Djehuti believes a thing is not really true unless it is written down, so he strives to record everything.

Terminology

Composition of a Person - The people of Khemet believe that each person is made up of five distinct parts. They are:

The Name (Ren) - In this case, The Name is not what people call you but your True Name. The True Name is what identifies you as an individual, and separates you from what is not you. Having the True Name of someone gives you a great deal of power over them; Incarnations of Aset specialize in this type of magic.

The Body (Hau) - This is your physical body. Sekhmet and Bast focus on magics related to repairing and strengthening the body.

The Soul (Ba) - The soul is the essence of what makes you you. If you took away every part of you but your soul (do not do this), you would still be you.

Life Force (Ka) - This is the energy that you produce and that sustains you while you are alive. It is lost when you die. Incarnations of Anapa make offerings at the tombs to sustain the life force of the dead.

The Shadow (Sheut) - The shadow is the unknown and mysterious parts of the self. It is rarely talked about.

Ma'at - Those from the other nations do not understand the code by which Khemet lives. This is to be expected, as even many within Khemet do not fully understand Ma'at. Ma'at is not an archaic set of rules imposed upon the people, as some believe. Ma'at is how people understand the nature of existence. Ma'at is the world in perfection, but it does not mean that everything in the world is perfect.

Neheh - Time is a circle. The sun rises, the sun sets, and the sun rises again. A good sovereign rules, chaos rises to defeat them, and a new sovereign rises to defeat chaos. This is Neheh. Neheh is the repetition of time. It is Ma'at for there to be Neheh.

Djet - Djet is not time. Djet is eternal. Ma'at comes from Djet. The Gods come from Djet. By following Ma'at, the Incarnations enter Djet and become Gods. The Incarnations return to Neheh and in this way the Gods come to Neheh. This is Ma'at.

Incarnations

To be an Incarnation is to give some amount of yourself over to your God’s will. An Incarnation tries to emulate their God and spread their values. The more like your God you behave, the greater the Divine power you are given. However, there is danger in this. To be fully in sync with one’s God is to lose oneself. This is called a Full Incarnation. It does mean the full power of your God will be unleashed into the world for a short period of time, but you will be lost afterwards.

To start the sync and become an Incarnation one must relive one of the God’s myths, playing the role of that God. The myth you will be reliving is the Gods’ exodus from the Grove and the creation of Khemet.

The Grove has no major (physical) cities. Everything about its organization is a bit haphazard. Most people live in villages that may or may not have a leader. Some people live entirely on their own. There are also wandering groups of (primarily) Mangaro. They are some of the very few people who live in the Grove without being connected to the Network.

The Grove has a center, where the first Network Trees were grown. This might be called the capital; at least, it’s where most Sysadmins are trained and where a number go to retire. This, and the area that immediately surrounds it, is the Inner Grove. The Inner Grove is made entirely of Network Trees. The line between virtual and physical worlds is blurred, and even some denizens of the Grove find it a bit unsettling.

The area surrounding that, and making up most of Grove territory, is the Middle Grove. More often than not this area is just called the Grove. In this area, every village has many Network Trees to connect its population, and there are a number of Network Trees in the uninhabited areas between villages. However, in the Middle Grove there are still “dead zones”, areas where there are no Network Trees within range.

The relentless growth of the Network Trees reached beyond the edges of the jungle and swallowed up whatever land was in front of it. This is the Outer Grove, and its borders are continually growing. The area is a bit of a strange mix, as it is less densely forested than the rest of the Grove yet every inch of it is Networked.

Most of the Grove is sustained by highly nutritious genetically modified Network Fruit Trees. The Network Trees also emit a signal (Terpenes) that wards off dangerous wildlife. Many in the Grove find this to be enough to meet their physical needs, and instead focus on development in the Network.

While the Sysadmins usually handle Network-related technical difficulties, they can also be called in to settle legal disputes. They may or may not respond. Most legal issues are settled by a (physical or virtual) community's own standards of justice. There are rumors of some power within the central Grove that is able to cut off individual Trees or entire regions from the Network. It is best not to think about what would cause that to happen.

Relationship with Other Nations

Khemet - The Grove has no idea what to do with Khemet. They see them as backwards traditionalists who keep attacking them for no reason.

The Trilith - The people of the Grove tend to get along with the Trilith, even if they think the Trilith are a bit too exclusively focused on physical crafts. There is a bit of tension as the Network Trees have begun to overgrow the borders of historically Trilith territory.

The Network

The heart and soul of the Grove is the Network. The Network is generated by the Trees. The Network is a virtual space that people in the Grove use to communicate, organize, and simply exist. People connect to the Network by connecting themselves to Network Trees.

The Network has unlimited (as far as anyone knows) space and anyone can create things for it. New areas of the Network often arise from many people working to realize a shared vision, or possibly from a single very determined person. Groups usually form around common interests, and many feel greater connection with their Network groups than their physical communities.

Those with a physical body who die while connected to the Network might have some echo of themselves "saved". Often times these Network Ghosts are harmless, and are left to interact with the living as they see fit. Other times, the trauma of death can cause the Ghosts to become hostile and dangerous. At this point, the Sysadmins are usually called to handle it.

Network Terms

Most technical Network terms are taken from semi-equivalent processes/terms for normal plants, but re-interpreted by the Sysadmins to apply to the virtual, but almost real and physical-feeling, realm of the Network.

Mycorrhiza - (“Mics”) - The special trees/plants/parts thereof that make up the Network and allow the connection. “We’ve got to get some Mics set up so these villages can talk to each other.” (Originally taken from normal plant communications, the connective fungi and roots that bridge the gap to other plants.)

Strigolactones - (“Tones”) - The communication that happens over the Mics, and the connections between/among people/plants, through which they send Flaves. “We can’t seem to get any Tones out of that village. Better check if there’s something stuck in the Mics.” (Taken from normal plant communications. Technically, plant hormones that establish a symbiotic association between the plant and fungus, and increase nearby parasitic Network growth.)

Rhizosphere - (“The Sphere”) - The area taken over by the Network. (Taken from normal plants, the soil that is directly influenced by root secretions and associated soil microorganisms.)

Flavonoids - (“Flaves”) - Colloquially, the term for most social-Network messages and Network products, including basic messages (“Personal Flaves” or just “Flaves”), audio-visual messages (“Visi-Flaves”), food (“Flavor Flaves”). “She sent out her new Visi-Flave through the Tones to all who wished to see it.” Some people spend a great deal of time creating new types of Flaves. (Taken from a broad category of normal plants’ excretions that travel through Mycorrhiza.)

GLVs - (“Gloves”) - The Network emergency alert protocol. Signals other network nodes that something is attacking the Network or its denizens. (Technically, stands for “green leaf volatiles,” from normal plants.)

Terpenes - (“Terps”) - The Tones used to scare off threats. “Gimme some Terps to keep the bear away while I fix these Mics.” Not usually used by your average Network denizen - mostly known to Sysadmins. (Taken from normal plants, where it refers to chemicals used to ward off predators.)

Myrcene - (“Mercy”) - Broadcast emitted on demand by the Network, used to help heal people and keep them calm and active in emergencies. It is sometimes used to calm one’s nerves after a stressful encounter in the Network, but it can also cause similar effects to sedative/depressant drugs when abused. (It’s not literally a physical drug, but rather the Tonal equivalent through the Network.) (Named based on a chemical in normal plants, which has an analgesic effect and anti-inflammatory properties.)

Sysadmins

The average citizen of the Grove has no idea how the Network actually functions. Usually this is not a problem as the Network Trees are pretty good at keeping themselves in order. But sometimes things go wrong, or the physical environment causes the Trees to malfunction. This is where the Sysadmins come in.

Sysadmins understand how to grow and care for the physical Trees of the Network. Because of this physical knowledge and connection, the Sysadmins are able to use the Network’s energy in the physical world. This is useful on the rare occasion that the Sysadmins are called to act as peacekeepers in the physical world.

The Sysadmins learn the grafting process that connects a non-Networked plant to the Network (generally this is used to incorporate new species of Flora). They also learn to grow Network plants directly on their bodies using their lifeforce, so they are never without their Network connection.

The Sysadmins are responsible for most advances to Network tech.

The Sysadmins are also trained to soothe and to destroy angry Network Ghosts.

Your group of Sysadmins are going to fix a physical part of the Grove where the Network is reporting problems. There is a local Sysadmin who will meet you there.