15 + 22 points
Ethereal Cartography by River Rock
June 11th, 2010 11:11 AM
Doubt is an uneasy land, and most entering it are anxious to leave. Yet the ways out are beset with difficulty. I hope this map and some information may be of help. Those who find words tedious may skip to the map below.
If you have found yourself in Doubt because you landed, without meaning to of course, in Mistake, your best course is to head north as quickly as possible toward Certainty. Mistake is most often reached by crossing Action Bridge; by all means re-cross this bridge quickly so that you can reverse the direction that brought you to Mistake in the first place. If, alas, from Mistake you have stumbled onto the dismal Plains of Regret, it is very easy to become lost. If this happens, your safest route is to head uphill until you find yourself on Resignation Plateau. While this is not the fastest way out of Doubt, it at least prevents your stumbling into the Trackless Waste of Time.
From Resignation Plateau, you are afforded a fine view over the Depression River Valley and all the way to the Mountains of Lies that are so troublesome for voyagers heading east. You should also be able to see, to the south, the glittering edge of the Sea of Denial. Head south now to avoid Resignation Plateau’s only hazard, the Cliffs of Unkind Words on its western edge, from which many have plunged into the Abyss of Hurt Feelings. (A few, true, have come out the other side up the Banks of Friendship and have been sustained by resting at Healing Springs; but this escape is not assured.)
Following the gradual southern downslope of Resignation, you come in sight of the Shores of Human Frailty, beset with quicksand and yet possessed of a wistful beauty. Turning west, you will find that the bleak uplands of Resignation give way to the pleasant land of Acceptance, which is beyond Doubt.
Another region of Doubt coincides with the southern reaches of Loss. While the northern regions of Loss Valley are part of the territory of Certainty, some voyagers in Loss have strayed south into Doubt and found themselves at the confluence of Bereavement and Depression. This is dangerous terrain. A miasma hangs over the valley of Depression River, obscuring the view and at times making even breathing difficult. This river at low water may be navigable, but be warned that it is subject to flooding without warning because of increased flow from tributaries such as Bereavement, fed by torrential rains in Loss Valley.
While Rut Road leads northeast away from Depression, it is not a sure way out of Doubt, as the towns of Mean People, Gossip and Suspicion often delay travelers. However, if from Suspicion you turn left to Proof, you can reach Certainty very quickly.
Avoiding the towns, you may also go overland eastward to Truth, but avoid the Lies that loom in between. One difficulty is that the Residuum of Childhood Inadequacy, a desert, lies in between the mountains and the passage out of Doubt. Some have suggested that this desert is bewitched, as some travelers in it enter a kind of mental paralysis in which they make poor decisions. If you keep your wits about you, you will recognize landmarks by which you should be able to guide your steps. Some of these are Shame, Innocence, and Fear of Failure. Be on the lookout for Effigies of Old Authority, which appear menacing but are actually made of sand.
A few more words are in order about following the Depression River on southern routes out of Doubt. Watching the course of the river from a distance is useful, but the banks themselves are slippery. As mentioned, it is better to avoid entering this river. Two reasons have not been mentioned; first, Folly Falls is a hazard, and second, Depression has led travelers unwittingly to the Sea of Denial.
Many have attempted to leave Doubt by way of this treacherous body of water, which beckons attractively from the shores of Bummer Beach. From Cowardice Cove, it is all too easy to launch a ship. However, reaching either Truth or Acceptance over the Sea of Denial is extremely difficult, since the way is perpetually shrouded in the Fog of Obfuscation. A beacon, Reality, often fails to penetrate this fog, but a few fortunate travelers, noticing the beacon and guided by the Foghorn of Conscience, have managed to avoid the Shoals of Blame (these are uncharted, as they are hidden in the fog) and make their way to Truth or, skirting the Shores of Human Frailty, to Acceptance.
If you have found yourself in Doubt because you landed, without meaning to of course, in Mistake, your best course is to head north as quickly as possible toward Certainty. Mistake is most often reached by crossing Action Bridge; by all means re-cross this bridge quickly so that you can reverse the direction that brought you to Mistake in the first place. If, alas, from Mistake you have stumbled onto the dismal Plains of Regret, it is very easy to become lost. If this happens, your safest route is to head uphill until you find yourself on Resignation Plateau. While this is not the fastest way out of Doubt, it at least prevents your stumbling into the Trackless Waste of Time.
From Resignation Plateau, you are afforded a fine view over the Depression River Valley and all the way to the Mountains of Lies that are so troublesome for voyagers heading east. You should also be able to see, to the south, the glittering edge of the Sea of Denial. Head south now to avoid Resignation Plateau’s only hazard, the Cliffs of Unkind Words on its western edge, from which many have plunged into the Abyss of Hurt Feelings. (A few, true, have come out the other side up the Banks of Friendship and have been sustained by resting at Healing Springs; but this escape is not assured.)
Following the gradual southern downslope of Resignation, you come in sight of the Shores of Human Frailty, beset with quicksand and yet possessed of a wistful beauty. Turning west, you will find that the bleak uplands of Resignation give way to the pleasant land of Acceptance, which is beyond Doubt.
Another region of Doubt coincides with the southern reaches of Loss. While the northern regions of Loss Valley are part of the territory of Certainty, some voyagers in Loss have strayed south into Doubt and found themselves at the confluence of Bereavement and Depression. This is dangerous terrain. A miasma hangs over the valley of Depression River, obscuring the view and at times making even breathing difficult. This river at low water may be navigable, but be warned that it is subject to flooding without warning because of increased flow from tributaries such as Bereavement, fed by torrential rains in Loss Valley.
While Rut Road leads northeast away from Depression, it is not a sure way out of Doubt, as the towns of Mean People, Gossip and Suspicion often delay travelers. However, if from Suspicion you turn left to Proof, you can reach Certainty very quickly.
Avoiding the towns, you may also go overland eastward to Truth, but avoid the Lies that loom in between. One difficulty is that the Residuum of Childhood Inadequacy, a desert, lies in between the mountains and the passage out of Doubt. Some have suggested that this desert is bewitched, as some travelers in it enter a kind of mental paralysis in which they make poor decisions. If you keep your wits about you, you will recognize landmarks by which you should be able to guide your steps. Some of these are Shame, Innocence, and Fear of Failure. Be on the lookout for Effigies of Old Authority, which appear menacing but are actually made of sand.
A few more words are in order about following the Depression River on southern routes out of Doubt. Watching the course of the river from a distance is useful, but the banks themselves are slippery. As mentioned, it is better to avoid entering this river. Two reasons have not been mentioned; first, Folly Falls is a hazard, and second, Depression has led travelers unwittingly to the Sea of Denial.
Many have attempted to leave Doubt by way of this treacherous body of water, which beckons attractively from the shores of Bummer Beach. From Cowardice Cove, it is all too easy to launch a ship. However, reaching either Truth or Acceptance over the Sea of Denial is extremely difficult, since the way is perpetually shrouded in the Fog of Obfuscation. A beacon, Reality, often fails to penetrate this fog, but a few fortunate travelers, noticing the beacon and guided by the Foghorn of Conscience, have managed to avoid the Shoals of Blame (these are uncharted, as they are hidden in the fog) and make their way to Truth or, skirting the Shores of Human Frailty, to Acceptance.
