Folded Spaces

Folded spaces is a term given to a magical technique that creates a pocket of space which does not exist within the physical world. The creation of folded spaces is complex, and is often described as “folding” physical locations in such a way that it can only be accessed through a dedicated entrance, without otherwise taking up space.

The initial folded spaces created by the Kahvlarashar were relatively small, and were used primarily for creating small bags which could hold two or three times their apparent size. In time, the creation of folded spaces became more efficient, though the larger a folder space is, the more complex and difficult it is to create.

The common Folded Bag most civilians might own would be a satchel with a functional size of 1 cubic meter. Travelers with more wealth to spend will often own something that functions closer to a 12 Square Meter room and roughly 3 meters high, though the physical bag size of these is typically a bit larger, as the owner needs to be able to enter it in order to retrieve most of their possessions from a space of that size.

An unfortunate risk to folded spaces is that there is only one entrance, and if that entrance were lost, the space becomes all but inaccessible. Some unfortunate travelers have lost their possessions to the collapse of a poorly made folded space, though most concerning for those with large enough bags is the fact that the owner will typically need to enter, if only for brief periods, and if it were to collapse at the wrong time, the owner would be stranded with no escape.

Fortunately, this is extremely rare, the odds of suffering a folded space collapse in a well-made Folded Bag at all are lower than many other common risks, such as one’s dwelling burning to the ground from a fluke fire, and the chances of this occurring while the owner is inside is extremely low. Most collapses have occurred with spaces that are improperly made, either by an inexperienced mage or simply by one who is too hasty in their production.

However, as larger stable folded spaces became possible, other uses of them began to be considered. One of the first was housing, a large enough physical space could serve as a dwelling and take up little space in the real world while retaining a reasonable size within the folded space. A number of larger cities have begun to construct homes of varying sizes within folded spaces. Folded spaces of this size are rather difficult to create, however, and along with fears of becoming stranded inside if the entrance collapses, they have yet to catch on widely yet.

The rarest and most recent use of folded spaces, however, is in the creation of functional towns. Spaces of this size are considerably difficult to create, and only a few have begun to form, usually fully autonomous and separated from any major nation. Of course, fears of an entrance collapse are even stronger for these, larger spaces like this are typically a bit unstable, and the entrance to Perayam, one of the earliest folded towns, collapsed, further escalating fears of these towns, and of folded spaces in general.

Usually these towns draw in people who want a new life, or who are unhappy with the current state of Verail and want to live in one of the smaller, insular communities that typically form within folded spaces.