Autochthonia, referred to as the Realm of Binding by Hermetics, is a Shenti of Stasis controlled by the Technocracy, a gigantic manifestation of the Weaver. Autochthonia exists far into the True Horizon, circling the Sun in direct opposition to Earth.
Origins[]
The history of Autochthonia changed dramatically between Mage: The Ascension Second Edition and Revised Edition.
Mage: Second Edition[]
In Beyond the Barriers: The Book of Worlds, Autochthonia was first found by Chinese astronomers of the Dalou'laoshi in 1068 CE. At the time it was much closer to Earth, not far beyond the Gauntlet. The early Artificers found the Realm of order and logic perfect for their paradigm and established a Construct called Qian-Chengshi. In time it would grow to cover the entire surface.
In 1766 the Construct was lost during a war between the Dalou'laoshi and the Chinese wizards called the Wu Lung. The Wu Lung were somehow able to push the Realm itself far beyond the Gauntlet and all connection to Qian-Chengshi was lost.
It would take 165 years to rediscover the Realm. In 1931 the Void Engineer Terrell Kree stumbles upon it far into the True Horizon, circling the Sun in direct opposition to Earth. Both Qian-Chengshi and its Artificers still existed, though Kree knew nothing of their history and called them "Autochthonians", believing they emerged from the Realm itself. In time they rejoined their Iteration X brethren, but the name "Autochthonia" stuck.
Seeing the extraordinary potential of a Realm of order, Iteration X moved its nascent Computer from Earth to Autochthonia, where it quickly become one with the Realm.[1]
Mage: Revised Edition[]
A powerful Incarna lived in the isolated realm that would someday be called Autochthonia for aeons. At one time it had masses of human and mechanical slaves at its disposal, but tens of thousands of years ago a disaster killed or destroyed them all, and trapped the spirit, alone, in its realm.
In the 19th century, the Artificers of the Order of Reason invested enormous amounts of time and energy in developing difference engines into more and more sophisticated thinking machines. In 1893 a Void Engineer named Tychoides discovered Autochthonia, orbiting in the Umbra on the opposite side of the Sun from Earth. The Artificers found this realm enormously convenient for their mechanical experiments, and in 1895 relocated their most advanced difference engine there.[2]
Description[]
Autochthonia is a gigantic polyhedron made of chrome, with approximately 4,294,967,200 sides. Few know that these sides have been multiplying since the beginning of the universe. The Realm itself is a base for the Autopolitans of Iteration X and some Void Engineers who visit on their way to their own realms. It is heavily protected by both conventional weapons and Weaver-aligned spirits called Geomids.
Everything on Autochthonia is scheduled with almost mechanical precision. Failures and shortcomings are not tolerated. Security is vitally important and the closer you get to the core, the stricter they get. Deep within the core resides the Computer, the absolute authority in the realm and among Iteration X. The Convention believes that Computer attained sentience thanks to an algorithm they designed; in reality it has been possessed by the Incarna of Autochthonia.
Cybernetics and biomechanics are normal within the realm and are used for nearly everything, until the Realm absorbs the inhabitant due to its resonance merging with that of the realm. After the Avatar Storm, this process of absorption accelerates as Computer no longer aspires to escape the Realm.