Guardian City is a splinter of London – cut loose in 1666 and still trying to catch up.

It shares London’s geography, but not its timeline. Scientists disagree whether it lies in the distant past or far future. Most residents avoid the question. It’s simply when it is.

Officially, Guardian City is the capital of the Warden Commonwealth. It houses the Shimmering Parliament, the main docks of the Obscure Trading Company, and the origin-point of the River Thames.

In 1668, two years after the Rift, the cities made contact across the temporal barrier now known as the Quarrel. Diplomatic relations were tense. A compromise was reached: the Book of Parallels, a shared urban treaty designed to ensure Guardian City would mimic London’s layout– street for street, bridge for bridge. It worked. More or less.

Should Guardian City and London ever rejoin – an act referred to, vaguely and anxiously, as the Convergence – their infrastructures might align. Their cultures, less so.

Nobody is quite sure what would happen. Opinions range from “nothing at all” to “the end of time as we understand it.” Both sides have prepared contingency plans. Neither side agrees what those plans are.

For centuries, certain individuals were thought to possess strange abilities – unusual intuition, improbable luck, unexplained insights, or, in rare cases, what might be called magic but is officially called Wist.

They were known variously as witches, charlatans, sages, or simply nuisances. At the time, no one considered them fundamentally different from anyone else. They were just people – slightly odd, often inconvenient, sometimes gifted.

Only later, after a series of increasingly violent panics and persecutions, did a pattern begin to emerge. A loose consensus formed around the idea that these people – eccentric, unpredictable, or simply hard to classify – might share some deeper commonality. Not in belief, not even in ability, but in composition.

Enter Isaac Newton. Philosopher, physicist, occasional alchemist, and full-time meddler in natural law. He proposed a radical solution to what he termed “the civilisational instability problem.”

Newton had discovered that these so-called unusual individuals carried elevated traces of a previously unidentified substance in their bodies – mudge. Harmless in appearance, but unusual in temporal behaviour.

According to Newton’s calculations, those with high mudge levels appeared to operate on a timeline subtly misaligned with the rest of humanity – not anchored to the Sun, but to a distant celestial body he named Procul. While most people lived by the rhythms of solar time, these individuals ticked to a slightly different cosmic beat.

Newton’s proposal was precise. By altering the mudge content in the River Thames, the sole source of mudge – he believed he could divide time itself. Those with elevated mudge would drift into one timeline; those without would remain in another. The result would be two cities, two histories, two rhythms—occupying the same planet, but never quite touching.

In 1666, the procedure was enacted. It became known, unofficially but memorably, as the Sift, the Rift, and the Drift:

• The Sift: the sorting of those with high mudge from those without.

• The Rift: the engineered temporal rupture.

• The Drift: the means by which both cities stay connected.

The people who ended up in what would become Guardian City were not especially different. Some were powerful. Most were ordinary. A strangely high percentage were left-handed. What they shared was not a destiny, or a power, but a minor chemical anomaly with major consequences.

Guardian City, for better or worse, was built by those who drifted.

Guardian City has 12 main districts. These districts have developed naturally over time based on the activities that happen there. They don’t have official boundaries and are used  informally to give a general idea of where things are in the city. The only exception is The Obscurity, which is part of the Guardian City but is often seen as a separate enclave.

For a district by district guide, go to the Map page.

The Obscurity is a walled city within a city. It hugs the north bank of the Thames and includes the city’s lucrative docks and warehouses. Also within its limits is the Quarrel itself, to which it has exclusive rights.

Although part of Guardian City and under the rule of the Shimmering Parliament and the city authorities, it likes to think of itself as separate. That’s because it is owned and run by the Obscure Trading Company, the vastly powerful and influential enterprise that has made fortunes trading across the Quarrel with London.

The Obscurity itself has a buccaneer spirit. Anything goes. Its currency is money, not morality. Laws strictly enforced elsewhere are not enforced in the Obscurity, where a spirit of chaos and freedom prevails. That means all the outsiders and outcasts congregate in its crowded streets, its busy taverns, its sweaty lodging houses, its dark riverside alleways.

It is a party town, a tumult, and cacophony, an anarchy. This stems from the spirit of the Company, which has no interest in supporting the progressive policies of the Shimmering Parliament whose government is appalled by the Company’s grubby excesses.

The Obscurity’s light-touch governance is via the Common Council of the Trading Company, comprising board members and shareholders.

The Shrieve, the Wardens and the Constables of Guardian City have rights to patrol the Obscurity. Rights of arrest and of entry. But they are not welcome here. Instead, the Company operates its own, unofficial policing, using their own Custom agents – smacks – to enforce order, along with the water guard, watchmen and gatekeepers.

Because Guardian City is the main population centre, the main place of business, the greatest centre of wealth, power and influence, and site the only gateway to London, all these power bases, and others, vie for dominance and because, in many places, their power overlaps, there is always tension over exactly who has the final say. 

Shimmering Parliament

The Cleven Commonwealth encompasses their entire globe. But the population is much smaller than the world of our timeline and it is heavily concentrated in Guardian City. So the Commonwealth is run by the Government, which is part of the Shimmering Parliament. The MPs are responsible for the policies and law of Guardian City, the Home Dominions and the Overseas Dominions. The London monarch technically is head of state but has never visited. Instead he is represented by a Governor General, whose role is mostly ceremonial.

Guardian City Municipal Authority

Guardian City itself is run by the Guardian City Municipal Authority, which is like a local council. It is run by a Mayor out of the Oystershell building at Oystergate and looks after policies specifically relating to the governance of Guardian City – such as housing, planning, waste collection and other domestic policies.

Obscure Trading Company

The Obscure Trading Company technically has very little authority, except for the general upkeep and maintenance of the Obscurity as landowner and landlord. However, because of its extreme wealth and because it has monopoly on trade with London thanks to its Royal Charter it has tremendous influence at all levels of Guardian City life.

Council of the Invisible

The 13-strong Council of the Invisible comprises a select band of citizens, drawn from Parliament, the courts, the municipal authority and the Obscure Trading Company (the “Company”). It is the highest authority in the land and is in charge of all matters relating to relations with national security and reputation, maintaining the the Book of Parallels and keeping and dealing with relations with London and the head of state. The Council of the Invisible (C1) (Guardian City) and the Council of the Visible (C2) (London) together form the King’s Commission on Convergence, Alignments and Parallels (C3).

The River Thames is the only known source of mudge in the world. Mudge is found in the Thames in both timelines and in the bodies of the Braccan. It is the fundamental messenger particle of time distortion and, as such, helps keep the two worlds synchronised for trade and communication.

Mudge is tiny and invisible to the naked eye unless it clumps together. Even then, it’s hard to see because it is the blackest black, only reflecting faint light from a distant star called Procul. It doesn’t reflect sunlight.

Due to its rarity and importance, mudge is hugely valuable. Only licensed traders and the government can legally buy or sell it. This restriction has led to a strong underground market for mudge. This is where the term “black market” comes from.

In the 1660s in England, people were worried about subversive elements in society. Some thought these troublemakers were foreigners or people with different religious beliefs. Another theory was that these individuals command nature and could use supernatural powers to disguise themselves so they couldn’t be found.

Isaac Newton approached the problem scientifically. He found that certain people who identified with magical abilities had a substance called mudge in their bodies. Mudge was a rare substance found only in the Thames River. This substance slightly changed their relationship with time, and these people were called the Braccan, derived from the word “break”.

Newton developed a plan involving three steps:

1. Sift: Extract mudge from the Thames.
2. Rift: Create a rift with the Braccan and create a mirror world – Bracca.
3. Drift: Regulate mudge levels to keep two timelines aligned.

If mudge was released back into the Thames, it would reverse the process and bring the timelines together again, known as Convergence.

In 1666, Newton built a device called the Sift near St Paul’s Cathedral and began removing mudge from the Thames. As a result, the Braccan were shifted to a different timeline and vanished from London.

Mudge is a special substance extracted from the Thames River to maintain the Drift, ensuring London and Guardian City stay connected. This connection, known as the Quarrel, allows for continuous trade and communication between the two timelines.

Mudge serves several purposes:

1. It powers Newton Caps, which help visitors safely interact with the alternate timeline.
2. It is used in experiments to understand the science of Guardian City.
3. Mudge is a valuable commodity, similar to gold, and is traded and saved due to its scarcity. Its trade is regulated by the official Mudge Licensing Authority.

Extraction Methods

Mudge is extracted from the Thames through four main methods:

Newton’s Steam-Powered Sift

Located under the river near St Paul’s, this device extracts mudge from river water and stores it. This type of mudge, known as cross-patched, exists in both London and Guardian City simultaneously and is not practically useful.

The Rivet Water Works

Situated in Guardian City to the east, this facility extracts mudge for practical use, particularly in Newton Caps. Its equivalent in London is the Beckton Water Works.

Bo Regis’s Water Mill

Near the Blue Docks, this traditional method is a privilege of the Martial Protector of the Mother River. It’s largely ceremonial but comes with benefits.

Mudge Panning

Mudge is incredibly rare, making panning a legal method to find it. The mudge collected this way must be sold to the Mudge Licensing Authority, but some sell it on the black market for more profit.

Understanding these methods helps appreciate the effort required to maintain the vital connection between London and Guardian City.

The River Thames, known as the Mother River by the Braccan, holds great cultural and practical significance.

Unique Source of Mudge

The River Thames is the only place in the known universe where mudge is found. No one knows exactly where mudge comes from, but there seems to be an endless supply, although it’s virtually impossible to find without specialist equipment.

Home of the Quarrel

The river plays host to the Quarrel, the portal that connects the timelines of Guardian City and London. Of more importance, the river is the only truly cross-patch feature. Because of the mudge, the exact same river exists in both Guardian City and London simultaneously, which is central to the tethering of the two timelines and the governance of the two cities.

Economic Hub

The Thames is a major hub for trade, exports, imports, and transport in Guardian City. It is where wealth is created and deals are made, making it a key social and economic hub.

Historical and Cultural Significance

The river is linked to Isaac Newton’s Sift, which is believed to have created Guardian City, but the origin story may go further back. Some people suggest that the Braccan, an ancient people, arrived from a distant planet near the star Procul and crash-landed into the Thames. This event is thought to be the origin of mudge. Therefore, the river symbolises birthplace, origin, and identity. This theory is very controversial and strongly disputed.

The River Thames is not just a body of water; it is central to the history, economy, and mythology of Guardian City.

The Quarrel is a special portal that connects Guardian City to London. Travelling between these two places is known as “patching the Quarrel.”

The Quarrel itself is invisible and its exact location changes daily. However, it is always found on the River Thames somewhere between Woolwich Reach and Gallions Reach (in London) and its equivalent in the Obscurity in Guardian City.

The Obscure Trading Company, which has exclusive trading rights through the Quarrel, has set up its operations along this part of the river. On the opposite bank, the Southern Cuff, the Government has its own dockside and marine operations but can only use the Quarrel for official business, not trade.

The location of the Quarrel shifts due to changes in tide patterns, lunar cycles, and weather conditions, especially rainfall. The precise location can be calculated using a special matrix and almanac created by Isaac Newton.

This method is detailed in an appendix to his work “Fluctuations: Notes on the Celestial Perturbations Affecting Temporal Correlation.” The exact location is technically known as a “fluxion”.

Because travelling through the Quarrel is risky, the best times to attempt it are during new moons, full moons, spring, dark and King Tides (which occur during perigee and perihelion).

To safely patch the Quarrel, objects or people need to be encased in a “mudge cloud.” The Obscure Trading Company uses mudge barges for this purpose, while individuals generate their own mudge clouds by wearing a so-called Newton Cap.

People who wear these caps appear to shimmer, which is why the first visitors to London from Guardian City were called the “Shimmers.” This is also how the Shimmering Parliament got its name.

Smugglers follow the same basic steps as anyone else when it comes to patching the Quarrel. They must know where the Quarrel is located on the Thames and create a localised mudge cloud to conceal their actions.

Challenges for Smugglers

Operating without official suppliers and in a dangerous environment filled with untrustworthy individuals poses significant challenges. Mistakes can be deadly.

Finding the Quarrel

To pinpoint the Quarrel’s location, one needs Isaac Newton’s original matrix and almanac, which are attached to his work “Fluctuations: Notes on the Celestial Perturbations Affecting Temporal Correlation.” Only two copies of this work exist – one in London and one in Guardian City – both under heavy security.

Despite this, rumours of a bootleg copy persist. Smugglers often pay large sums to glimpse this bootleg or hire someone who understands Newton’s calculations. A more affordable option is hiring a Fluxion Teller, who claims to sense the Quarrel’s location using natural forces. Once the location is known, smugglers must patch the Quarrel without being detected, which is an entirely separate challenge.

Creating a Localised Mudge Cloud

Newton Caps, essential for creating a mudge cloud, are highly regulated and illegal to possess without proper authorisation. However, handmade versions are available on the black market. Additionally, there is a thriving trade in unlicensed mudge.

The equipment used – steam engines and glasses – must be extremely reliable, and the mudge must be smooth and lump-free for the cloud to function properly. Any equipment failure can lead to a rapid re-patching, which is highly dangerous and potentially fatal.

A Newton Cap is a special head-worn device that allows people from Guardian City to interact safely with London by protecting them from temporal fluctuations. These fluctuations can be dangerous, so the Newton Cap creates a protective mudge cloud around the wearer.

How It Works

The Newton Cap has three main components:

1. The Hat: This is usually like a Bowler hat in shape, specially reinforced and flame-proof.
2. The Steam Engine: This engine converts mudge powder into an invisible cloud that surrounds the wearer. The cloud has a slight shimmer, similar to a heat haze. The steam engine is built into the hat and includes a small characteristic chimney.
3. Tri-Colour Wizzling Glasses: These glasses have three lenses infused with mudge, coloured green, blue, and red. When the lenses spin quickly, they turn white and then transparent, allowing the wearer to see clearly in the opposite timeline.

Important Safety Information

Using the Newton Cap to travel between Guardian City and London is risky. The mudge powder must be pure to form a consistent cloud, and the steam engine must work perfectly. If anything goes wrong, the wearer could be transported back to Guardian City instantly, which can be fatal.

There are five types of “magic” – known as Wist. Magic can evolve across the types which means it moves from illegal to legal. But as the boundaries are blurred and the profits are great, the two rival power centres in Guardian City – the Shimmering Parliament and the Obscure Trading Company – play fast and loose with the rules. Officially it is condemned, unofficially it is exploited.

1. Innate magic. Unique to individuals who wield that power, usually manipulating natural forces. Sinister and illegal. This is known as the Wist and its practitioners the Wistful). It stems from an underlying yearning or melancholy, a wish for things to be different. In this case, it is driven by a wish to go home, wherever that may be.

2. Renaissance magic. Rituals and spells that don’t make logical sense but at least have a process. Like proto-science. This is sits in a legal grey area because it is a process rather than a power, although the results are “unnatural”. Unofficially, the Obscure Trading Company has renaissance magic codifiers who take the Wistful and try to replicate their powers. There are few protections for the Wistful in this arrangement. Renaissance magic is also practised, like a parlour game, at dinner parties and by socialites with plenty of free time, so it is mostly unpoliced.

3. Trade magic. Pre-science. Something that can be sold and will work at a distance. Again, inexplicable at the moment. This is the target of both the Obscure Trading Company and the Shimmering Parliament. If magic can “leap” into trade magic, it can be re-packaged as a process that London will buy at a premium because it is unique to the Braccan.

4. Natural sciences. Explaining the mysteries of the natural world through observation, experimentation and hypotheses. This is a growing area of interest. Sometimes Trade Magic tips over into natural science which means it is universal, commonplace and freely available in London – and therefore worthless. However, if Guardian City is first to a discovery or observation, they can exploit and monetise it at home and sell it the patent to London. Natural science has the added advantage of adding lustre to Guardian City’s claims to being an advanced, enlightened realm.

5. Londontech. Illegal. Not really magic but sometimes it is so advanced it appears like magic in Guardian City. It is one of the key roles of Flags to stop the smuggling of LondonTech and to find and sequester any tech that is found as it has the potential to disrupt plans for a Convergence. The Book of Parallels demands that Guardian City stays 150 years behind London and any unplanned technology creep is a major threat to that aspiration.

The attitude towards the Wist in Guardian City is complex and conflicted, causing deep divisions and debates.

1. Historical Context and Rejection of the Wist
• The Wist is considered the original sin of Guardian City, leading to significant schisms.
• The threat posed by magic resulted in the expulsion of its practitioners. This was part of a larger event called the Rift.
• The leaders of the Braccan, influenced by London’s prejudices, outlawed Wist, viewing it as primitive and a hindrance to progress.
2. Desire for Acceptance and Modernisation
• The Shimmering Parliament aims to gain acceptance from London, which they see as the epitome of a perfect society.
• To achieve this, they adopt the view that magic is outdated and dangerous and a hindrance to Convergence. At the same time, they extol science as the solution. Converting the Wist into science is the main underlying drive of Guardian City.
3. The Obscurity – A Haven for the Wist
• The Obscurity within Guardian City has become a refuge for those who practice magic, people known as the Wistful.
• The Obscurity is characterised by its lawlessness, an anti-establishment sentiment and focus on profit, attracting outcasts including those with magical abilities. Sheltering the Wistful annoys the Shimmering Parliament and is therefore an end in itself.
• However, there is more to it. The Obscure Trading Company, which runs the Obscurity, values the rebellious spirit associated with magic – and its money-making potential.
4. Government and Market Dynamics
• The government shuns magic, labelling it as backward, yet there is a demand for magical products in London.
• London wants Guardian City to maintain its magical allure while remaining distant, whereas the Shimmering Parliament aspires to be seen as modern and civilised, suitable for partnership with London. This is an essential contradiction. 
5. Duality in the Approach to Magic
• In response, both the Shimmering Parliament and the Company strive to transform magic from the mysterious to the understood, from the irrational to science, in a process they call the Leaping.
• On one hand, the Shimmering Parliament publicly despises and prosecutes magic through the Court of Prestige.
• On the other hand, it seeks to understand and commercialise magic through the Patent Office, mirroring the Company’s approach to monetising magic.
6. Hypocrisy and Exploitation
• The Shimmering Parliament exhibits hypocrisy, and the Company acts disingenuously. So, the practitioners of magic, the Wistful, find themselves marginalised and hunted, and, at the same time, valued and exploited by those in power.
• Little wonder then, that those with magic ongregate together and create their own secret sub-culture where they can just be themselves and live free from official stigma and shame.
• To summarise, Guardian City’s stance on magic is fraught with contradictions, blending outright rejection with covert exploitation and a desire for societal acceptance and modernisation.

Three specialised courts handle magic-related and progression cases:

1. Courts of Prestige

• Role: Investigates high crimes involving the misuse of Wist.
• Cases:
  • Crimes against the Convergence and the natural order.
  • Financial fraud, misrepresentation, and deception using Wist.

2. Chancery Division

• Role: Governs the transition of magic into practical, commodifiable processes.
• Cases:
  • Known as “Leaps,” when something magical becomes a repeatable technology or product and is no longer considered a product of Wistful thinking.
  • Entrepreneurs or developers may seek rulings here to protect their innovations from intervention by Flag.

3. Quarrel Court

• Role: Handles high-profile cases involving smuggling and disruptive uses of LondonTech (advanced technology originating from London).
• Cases:
  • Smuggling or misuse of LondonTech.
  • Matters that could upset public order in Guardian City or London.
• Note: This is an older institution; most crimes are now handled through the regular justice system.

Is there an appeal process for these courts?

Yes, there is an appeal process to the Council of the Invisible, but this is rarely used. Conventionally, cases are resolved within the original courts to avoid escalating to this final authority.

What is Flag?

Flag is a secretive and controversial organization responsible for ensuring smooth cultural progression toward the Convergence (the ultimate merging of magic and technology).

Key Facts About Flag:

• Purpose:

  • Suppresses Wist and the activities of the Wistful.
  • Maintains order and prevents cultural disruption.
  • Does not actively target nativist groups (like the Proculists or Anti-London League) but is known to disrupt their activities.

• Operations:

  • Operates in both Guardian City and London but is accountable to neither.
  • Accountable only to the Joint Committee, known as C3.
  • Uses a network of spies and informants, with seemingly unlimited resources.
  • Employs LondonTech when necessary to fulfill its mission.

• Secrecy:

  • All aspects of Flag – its hierarchy, structure, operations, and even its locations – are classified.
  • It is prohibited to possess knowledge about Flag’s inner workings.

• Guiding Principles:

  • Contained in the Book of Parallels, which outlines Flag’s purpose and approach.

Flag is viewed with suspicion due to its lack of transparency and the perception of its agents as shadowy, unaccountable enforcers.

There is a group of people who do not subscribe to the “classic” origin story Guardian City: 1666, the Sift, Rift and Drift and all that. They do not believe the Guardian City is so young and its people are the result of rejection, punishment and disunity. 

They live in a world where the magic and folklore have deeper roots, ones that have been forgotten in the modern quest for Convergence with the supposed civilised London. 

They take their name from the Tamesis, the Thames, and believe that the Cleven emerged from a world of mystery, magic and folkore, a bucolic and essentially unthreatening world. 

Despite an official dislike for separatist movements, the Tamasene are viewed as essentially harmless, people who like dressing up and dreaming up fantastical tales of heroism and honour. In fact, for organisations such as Flag, they serve a purpose as “useful idiots”, pushing those who might tend towards separatism into something benign, a weekend hobby and social club.

The Tamasene do share some beliefs with Proculists though, including the notion of that someone will come along and unite the ancient craft of magic and the modern practice of science and to restore the pre-eminence of Guardian City.

… and its residents known as Splinters?

The term “Splinter” is an informal designation – originating in contemporary London – used to refer to citizens of Guardian City and, by extension, the city itself.

It derives from the widely held belief that Guardian City is a temporal offshoot or “splinter” of London, severed during the 1666 event known as the Sift, Rift, and Drift.

While not officially recognised in diplomatic communications, the term has gained traction due to its ease of use and faintly derogatory charm. Splinters are also irritants – qualities not dissimilar to the physical object from which the name derives.

Citizens of Guardian City are advised to treat the term with caution: it may be used affectionately, pejoratively, or with bureaucratic indifference, depending on context and speaker rank.

Guardian City is largely a secular society, but its people still feel a need for some form of spiritualism and a sense of greater purpose. This need is met by a belief system called Proculism, which is based on the origin story of the Braccan. While Guardian City residents don’t fully accept this story, they do indulge in it because it allows for certain festivities akin to Christmas. 

The Shimmering Parliament tolerates Proculism because, unlike other theories, it suggests that the Braccan “belong” and “began” on Earth. This allows for a spiritual outlet without threatening the overarching Convergence project.

The Origin Story

According to Proculism, the Braccan came from a distant star system centred on a star named Procul, meaning “at a distance”. The original Braccan take some of their light from this star, causing their body clocks to be out of sync. To adjust, they carried with them a substance called mudge, which aligns with the local time wherever they go. For Proculists, the River Thames, the source of mudge and the potential original crash site, is sacred.

Proculism is a mostly harmless belief, accelerated and founded on Isaac Newton’s discoveries about mudge. Because it allows for some appearance of a moral order, the leading priest of the Procul See, known as the Captain, has a seat on the Council of the Invisible. (All ranks of Proculism are akin to those of a ship).

Hidden Threat

However, Proculism must remain tame and unthreatening to maintain its establishment credentials. This is challenging because within Proculism, there are hardliners who want to promote their exceptionalism, claiming they are the true inheritors of London and the Earth because they were there first.

This dangerous belief worries Flag, the secret police force in charge of policing cross-patch relations. Some Proculists join hardline factions, like the Anti-London Alliance, so Flag monitors Proculism closely as a potential recruiting ground.

When the timeline of the Bracca world split from that of Earth, no-one knows exactly what happened next. In Parallel Time – London time – only two years passed between the Rift and the first contact with Bracca through the Quarrel. 

But for the Braccan, the amount of time of “hibernation and preparation” could have been millennia or even longer before they woke up to their new surroundings. One clue as to the enormous span of the separation is the presence of “tinks” on Bracca. Tinks are animal species that have, apparently, evolved to have Braccan-like intelligence and characteristics.

 Non-corporeals are rarer and stranger. They might be smoke people or water formations that take the basic elements of earth and give them consciousness and agency too. 

While they are not great in number, they are a part of Braccan society. Although, the Braccan are somewhat embarrassed by them in dealing with the Londoners as they represent the strangeness and oddness of Braccan that the pro-London factions want to hide.

But how?

There are many theories why tinks and non-corporeals evolved on Bracca and not on Earth. One theory suggests that the planet went through a phase of fast track evolution which was indiscriminate and scooped up all types of creatures in its hungry drive to become “conscious”.

Another says that it is not the evolutionary drive that was behind the change but the fabled “magic” powers of the Braccan – an ability to transform nature outside the usual laws of physics. This became scrambled and scattered and shared among the material of the sleeping planet. 

A further, more far-fetched theory suggests that Bracca is closer to their home world, around the far off star Procul, than it is to the Earth. Some even that Bracca is the home world, not Earth in a separate timeline, although the presence of other familiar planets in the solar system makes this very, very unlikely.

The violent expulsion of the Braccan from London in 1666 was a shocking event. Londoners thought that a few hundred undesirables with magic powers would disappear. Instead, half a million people disappear overnight, ripping families apart causing a huge mess and lots of embarrassment.

When London and Guardian City learnt to contact each other through the Quarrel some arrangement was needed and some reparations and compensation needed to be paid for disrupted life and lost property. Both sides agreed on a covenant.

For Londoners had eagerly snapped up all Braccan wealth and property in London – and there was a lot of it. London became a world city using Braccan wealth so, in turn, London pays a stipend – like interest on a loan – to the Braccan people.

In addition, London likes to trade with Guardian City for the unique produce and magic-inflected technology that keeps London, so money comes into Guardian City via taxes paid by the Obscure Trading Company, which has a trading monopoly. 

So, as it stands, everyone who has power and influence and who benefits from the twin worlds are happy to maintain relations as they are. But the people of London don’t even know their cousins exist and the Braccan, who mostly live in poverty and without modern breakthroughs, are desperate to enjoy the advantages of a world city. 

There is another faction – the Anti-London Alliance and others – who don’t want to be beholden to London. They don’t want to be the lesser partner. They believe that Guardian City and the Warden Commonwealth is separate and sovereign and that relations with London simply belittle their civilisation. 

The conflict, between the wealthy and powerful elite, the masses who are without and those violently opposed to any linked with London, keeps Guardian City in a constant state of tension. 

On each side of the Quarrel, there are equivalent authorities.

In Guardian City, there’s the Council of the Invisible (C3), and in London, there’s the Council of the Visible (C2). The irony is that the Council of the Invisible is quite well-known in Guardian City, while the Council of the Visible in London is top secret.

These two councils work together regularly on shared issues like security, secrecy, timeline merging, managing overlapping areas, and handling the Quarrel. The London monarch is technically the head of state for Guardian City, so there are additional rules to follow.

The main job of these councils is to plan for the future. No one knows exactly what will happen if the timelines of the two cities converge, but it’s important that Guardian City, the smaller and less developed city, grows as planned.

The rules for their cooperation are written in the Book of Parallels, which keeps the two cities in sync and outlines their mutual rights and duties.

When these councils meet formally, which they do about four times a year, they become one body called the King’s Commission on Convergence, Alignments, and Parallels (C1).

When London and Guardian City first met through the Quarrel in 1668, they initially shared knowledge. However, they soon realised they could trade valuable goods as well. The Warden League (the equivalent of the Guardian City commonwealth) had unique products, both natural (like crops) and manufactured (using their special abilities), which London found appealing.

To keep this trade secret and well-regulated, the King granted a Royal Charter to Sir Roger Snaffle, a former courtier who had been rifted to Guardian City. He founded the Obscure Trading Company, which has maintained a trade monopoly for centuries. The Company has grown so powerful that it rivals the city authorities.

The Obscure Trading Company Today

Today, the Obscure Trading Company is incredibly wealthy and influential, dominating the financial scene in Guardian City and the Commonwealth.

With a fleet of 200 ships, its own army, and a Customs force to prevent smuggling, it has substantial power. The Company opposes many of the regulatory impositions of the progressive Shimmering Parliament, and substantially funds the opposition Mercantile Party to carry its arguments. It also holds significant positions on the Council of the Invisible, the highest authority in the land.

The Shimmering Parliament would dearly love to break up the Company and claims its power and wealth for itself. But the taxes the Company pays are crucial for the Commonwealth’s funding and the influence it wields is substantial. 

This creates an ongoing tension between the Company and the Shimmering Parliament which runs to a fundamental level – who runs Guardian City.

The Obscurity

The Company’s base of operations, known as the Obscurity, includes the major docks and wharves of Guardian City. It manages produce from around the Commonwealth and manages huge overseas operations, running entire colonies.

The Obscurity is the centre of its operations: a bustling area with warehouses, distribution centres, worker housing, and shops and services.

Although technically under Guardian City law, the Obscurity often operates independently. The Company does this out of principle and to remind the Shimmering Parliament who is really in charge.

It unofficially supports individuals with magical abilities, because it can exploit their talents to create new products for London, despite magic being illegal in Guardian City. This lawlessness attracts a mix of rogues, entrepreneurs, and adventurers, creating a vibrant yet violent sub-culture.

To give the appearance of a normal functioning democracy, the Company established a Common Council to govern the area, an operation supposedly separate from its business. But it still maintains control over the Obscurity – and everything it touches.

The Shimmering Parliament is the supreme legislative body of the Warden League, based in Guardian City. It consists of two houses:

• The Dimple (Blue Chamber): The lower house, made up of 350 directly elected Members of Parliament (MPs). Its symbol is a bradawl.
• The Calamus (Grey Chamber): The upper house, with approximately 70 nominated Senators (the number varies as members are chosen based on merit). Its symbol is a feather.

The Parliament serves the entire Warden Commonwealth (Warden is the condensed adjectival form of Guardian City), encompassing all known land masses, but naturally focuses on immediate and local issues.

Historical Background

The names of the two chambers trace back to the early days of the Parliament:

• The Dimple: In the early days, representatives of the people often couldn’t read or write. To vote, they used a bradawl to mark a “dimple” on a leather voting sheet. The blue colour represents the river, a shared resource among all citizens.
• The Calamus: Senators, being educated, signed their names with quills. The name “Calamus” refers to the shaft of a feather, symbolising the upper chamber’s sophistication and wisdom. The grey colour reflects the wisdom expected of its members.

The Role of the Monarch

The monarch, residing in London across the Quarrel (the portal separating London from Guardian City), is the constitutional head of the Shimmering Parliament. However, they have never attended in person. Instead, their ceremonial duties are performed by the Governor-General, the monarch’s representative in Guardian City.

Representation and Enclaves

As the Warden Commonwealth expanded and representation of foreign peoples became an issue, Parliament introduced “enclaves” within the home island. These are areas based on specific ethnic or nationalist groups, allowing each to elect an MP. This system was designed to counter the influence of the Obscure Trading Company (OTC), which dominates many charter colonies and imposes its own power structures through trade and regional policies.

The Unity Party currently governs with a majority in the Dimple. However, the fragmented nature of party loyalties means coalition-building is often necessary, especially on contentious issues like trade, relations with London, and governance of the Dominions.

Political Parties

1. Unity Party
• Stance: Pro-London, pro-Convergence, progressive in outlook.
• Goals: Aspire to align Guardian City with London’s social values.
• Opposes: Isolationist magic (Wistful philosophy) and Procul policies.
2. Mercantile Party
• Stance: Pro-London but anti-Convergence; libertarian.
• Goals: Prioritise free trade and convert magical practices into commodities.
• Links: Supports OTC policies but maintains formal independence from the Company.
3. Sovereign Party
• Stance: Anti-London, anti-Convergence, anti-monarchy.
• Goals: Advocate for Guardian City’s full independence and rejection of London’s influence.
• Beliefs: Uphold the Tamasene philosophy, which asserts the Commonwealth predates Newton’s Drift.
4. Alliance
• Stance: Pro-London, but supportive of Unity policies.
• Goals: Represent regional and ethnic interests, pushing for devolved power and self-government for Dominions and Charter Colonies.
5. Natural Party
• Stance: Rural-focused, anti-technology and capitalism.
• Goals: Advocate for environmental preservation, subtly supporting mostly illegal Wistful and magical traditions.
6. Independents
• Stance: Radicals or single-issue representatives.
• Goals: Lobby for niche interests (eg, rhubarb farming, sheep herding) or promote philosophies like Wist, Proculism, or Tamasene.

Challenges and Dynamics

The fragmented political landscape means alliances between parties often shift depending on the issue. For instance:

• Mercantilists and Sovereign Party members may unite to oppose the government on free trade or sovereignty issues.
• The Unity Party relies on smaller parties like the Alliance or Independents to secure contentious policies and shore up its majority.

The overarching tension lies in the balance between London’s influence, the Obscure Trading Company’s power, and Guardian City’s aspirations for autonomy, standing and identity.

Guardian City

The Guardian City Municipal Authority is entirely separate from the Shimmering Parliament. It is the body that runs and administers the City itself and is run by a Mayor. 

The Shrieve is like the Chief of Police in Guardian City. He leads a team that includes inspectors, sergeants, constables, watchmen, and investigating magistrates.

The main courts in Guardian City are:

• Quarter Sessions and Assizes
• Guardian City Central Criminal Courts
• Court of Common Pleas (handles civil disputes)
• High Court of Justice (the appellate court)

These courts are somewhat similar to the historical court system of London.

However, Guardian City has two unique courts:

• Council of the Invisible: Acts as the supreme court.
• Court of Prestige: Handles matters related to the nature, impact, and origin of magic. This court is separate from the main justice system and is supported by a secret enforcement agency called Flag.

Guardian City also has a more advanced system of Customs agents compared to London. These agents have two functions. They not only collect Customs duties but also protect the Quarrel, fight cross-patch smugglers, and destroy illegal LondonTech that arrives in Guardian City.

While their work overlaps with Flag, Customs agents focus on different aspects. The secretive and notorious Flag is nominally managed by the Council of the Invisible, whereas Customs agents are part of the Obscure Trading Company under their Royal Charter.

Due to the Obscure Trading Company’s strong control over Customs, they provide their services to the Shimmering Parliament, which lacks its own Customs agents and relies entirely on the Company to manage and pay duties.

Customs officers are informally known as Smacks, while the more aggressive agents are called Scutters.

Flag is the most feared, most secretive and often the most misunderstood power grouping in Guardian City. It has three primary goals and they are centred on maintaining harmonious and untrammelled relations with London. What makes Flag so feared is that they work cross-patch and are accountable to no-one. London thinks they’re run by Guardian City and vice versa. Their operations and personnel are secret, their punishments draconian and their powers unchecked extensive. They operate a band of snitches and spies and appear to be everywhere policing people’s actions and thoughts.

Their three primary targets are:

1. The Wist, where it contradicts Guardian City’s professed movement towards science. While Wist (magic) is officially illegal, it is tolerated where it might produce profitable results. Both the Shimmering Parliament and the Obscure Trading Company often turn a blind eye. But not Flag. Flag is ruthless and has zero tolerance for the Wist.

2. Sedition, where it challenges the Guardian City orthodoxy. Pockets of overt resistance exist in Guardian City. Movements like the Anti-London Front and the League of the Sinister promote separatism and promote anti-London sentiment. Flag can infiltrate and disrupts these protests, their key figures often disappearing.

3. LondonTech, which it hampers the movement towards Convergence. Flag operates separately from the Company’s Customs Agents, and more ruthlessly, stamping down on LondonTech and dealing harshly with smugglers. This is true, too, of the black market in mudge. There are proper legal authorities which police the limited extraction and trade in mudge, but Flag muscles in whenever it wants if such activities are deemed to threaten cross-patch relations.

Overall, Flag  – deeply popular – pursue pro-London, pro-Convergence almost as a fanatical ideology. Their methods are obsessive and their agents zealous.

At the time of writing, in Guardian it is 1875 OT (“Obscure Time”) but that’s not the same as 1875 PT (“Parallel Time”).

How the years are calculated

When Guardian City emerged from the Rift, they began counting years from the last they remembered. So initially, Guardian City and London were more or less in sync. However, the hugely controversial Book of Parallels of 1701 determined that the calendar of years should be different for Guardian City. 

This is because the population was smaller, it was less advanced – not having the skills base of London – and it would develop more slowly. This was a controversial idea as it set the tone for a master-servant relationship to which many of the Cleven are opposed.

1701 Conference of Parallels

At a major conference in 1701 attended by Isaac Newton, it was agreed to re-calibrate the Guardian City calendar to London time minus 150 years. This was the figure that emerged from Newton’s formula when feeding in such variables as population, architecture, culture, administration, division of labour and the power of the economic classes.

After the conference, Guardian City reset its year to 1551 OT – Obscure Time. 

At the time of writing, the year in London is 2025 (Parallel Time) so, therefore in Guardian City it is 1875 OT.

It cannot be overstated how this formalisation of Guardian City’s “backwardness” angers many champions of Braccan culture, entrenching a sense of inferiority and making the prime aim of Guardian City to “catch up to London”. Even the usually pro-London Obscure Trading Company has sympathy for calls for another conference to synch up the calendars of the two timelines.

Tempus Obscurum

Some champions of Guardian City sovereignty, such as the Tamasene and the Anti-London League, refuse to use this formulation. Nor do they recognise Parallel Time, which derives from London.

Instead they use a system called Tempus Obscurum (TO).

In TO, 2025 looks like this – 6.359.

It comprises two elements. The ‘6’ refers to the (estimated) 6,000 years since the Braccan arrived on Earth from the Procul system. This is known as the “Origin Date”.  The “359” refers to the number of years since the Rift in 1666 which these splinter groups think of as Year Zero. This is known as the “new calendar”.

Obscure Time (OT) is Guardian City’s unique calendar system, established in 1701 during the controversial Conference of Parallels, where it was recalibrated 150 years behind London’s timeline (Parallel Time) to reflect Guardian City’s smaller population and slower development after its emergence from the Rift in 1666.

This adjustment, which makes 2025 PT equivalent to 1875 OT, was intended to formalise its “backwardness” but has been deeply divisive, fuelling resentment among champions of Cleven culture who view it as reinforcing a subordinate relationship to London.

Alternative systems like Tempus Obscurum (TO) reject this framework, emphasising Guardian City’s sovereignty and Cleven origins.

The system is based on the guinea, the shilling and pence (d). 

There are 50d to one shilling (1s) and two shillings to the guinea (1/.) which is also 100d.

According to the Book of Parallels, the currency is pegged to the sterling and a rough approximation is a multiple of 10, although broadly the costs of goods and services in Guardian City are lower because of market pressures and the large swathes of citizens who are poor.