“The Dreaming City is built upon a disc that contains a silver sea, The water is real, but the horizon is an illusion if you’re accustomed to spherical worlds. If you went far enough, you’d fall off the edge of the disc”
“There are rumours that the Dreaming City was built upon the foundation of a ruined planet, one we found and towed back from beyond. They say we preserved the old structures and built atop them…”
“When we helped Queen Mara build this place, she felt it essential to incorporate water into the landscape – to honour our old home in the distributary, to make everything here feel more…real”
« This waterfall is not fed by a river. Instead, its water comes from hydrocapture systems buried deep in the bedrock. We recycle all of our water – the whole place runs on a closed ecosystem. »
« We built the Dreaming City with the help of the Ahamkara. Their wishes fueled our innovations, but it was our own ingenuity that shaped our evolution as a people. Wishes only go so far with the short-sighted and unimaginative »
« There is a stabilisation ring beyond the horizon that holds the City in alignment. When water goes spilling off the horizon, it is captured and fed back into the atmosphere before it dissipates into space. »
Look into the sky. See that portal? It controls access to the Tangled Shore – and, crucially, it holds the cloaking technology that we use to disguise and protect the Dreaming City. »
« When Mara and Illyn began to shape the Dreaming City, this was where they started. They stood on the edge of the world with rough rocks all around, and they saw the potential of what this place could be. »
« Your Traveler terraformed your planets. But the Awoken terraformed the Dreaming City. It is our creation. It is a reflection of our people – not a false gift from a skittish god. »
« You can tell a statue of a queen from a statue of a Techeun by what they hold in their hands. The queens hold nothing at all. Techeuns hold symbols of life – orbs, lights… »
« Look at the statues all around you. How many queens? How many Techeuns came before you? The Dreaming City is older than your Tower, your Last City – but the carvings here almost all honour people that never once stepped foot in the Reef. »
“Ordinarily, it is not possible for a planet to have more than a single ring. Gravity and the planet’s equator will pull two rings into one. But, where there’s a wish, there’s a way…”
“Dual-ringed planets should be impossible. Two rings, distinct and equal, each in its own self-supported orbit. They are a good metaphor for the Awoken, if you ask me”