The Garden

The Garden looks like a Japanese garden in spring. The cherry blossoms bloom, trees and bushes have just started to turn green. The air is cool and fresh, like just after a rain. The weather is generally beautiful, with elegant wisps of cloud on an azure sky. A slight breeze rustles the trees and make showers of pink blossoms to fall into the streams and dams of the garden. Old wooden bridges with ornamented railings cross them, often decorated with small figurines of vaguely oriental gods and heroes. Small paths lead to different places in the garden or just curve gracefully back to their origin.

There is no edge of the garden, but it seems to be not too large. When walking through it, it never seems to repeat exactly, and the visitor seems to return almost to their starting point. Certain landmarks are constant, like the meditation pavilion, a small pavilion placed on a small island in a large dam where cranes move in the distance. Other places are the Shrine, a temple like building surrounded by high hedges, the Bridge of Mist, a bridge over a stream where thin streamers of mist flow over the water or the Stone, a large black rock surrounded by low benches.

The reality of the garden has certain restrictions. Its axioms are about the same as normal reality, except that Mind is always coincidental. However, doing anything that disturbs the beauty and order of the garden will incur paradox. This range from breaking a flower just for fun or carving initials into benches to vulgar magick which doesn't fit in, like changing the weather or turning plants into something else. All such things will incur more paradox, even if they normally are coincidental or even natural. It also attracts the gardenkeepers.

The Gardenkeepers protect the garden. Normally they are never seen, or just seen in the distance, tending to the garden. They look like vaguely oriental figures, with simple yet tasteful clothes and meditative, gracious movements. They keep everything in shape, discreetly removing fallen branches and leaves and generally keeping an eye on everything without being seen. However, if the visitors disturb the garden they will discreetly approach and very politely suggest they leave. If this is not done, they will try to remove the intruders. They have reality on their side, and will respond to any threat with beautiful, elegant killing precision. Like everything else in the garden, even defeat is choreographed into an elegant piece of art.

The Garden can be reached by travel through the Umbra, but it can also be reached by Quiet. Many Akashic Brothers who have become lost in meditation slowly wander into the Garden with their minds. There they remain in peaceful meditation or walk around pleasantly. One interesting feature of the garden is that most visitors never meet or even notice each other, the Garden seems always to be almost empty.

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