The Open Wake is where Homeward lets go.
It is the city’s primary point of departure—a broad threshold where Anchors may pass onward into other Story Realms, arrange passage through the Storywake, or prepare vessels capable of surviving the space between stories.
If the Threshold of Return is where Anchors arrive safely, the Open Wake is where they choose to risk motion again.
The Open Wake is not a single gate, but a vast, open departure district built along the edge of Homeward’s narrative gravity.
Here, the Storywake is visible—not as stars or void, but as slow-moving currents of color, light, and resonance beyond the city’s bounds. The air feels thinner. Sound carries oddly. Distance behaves less reliably.
The Open Wake exists to make departure intentional.
Nothing here happens by accident.
The Open Wake manifests as a grand, open concourse leading toward the edge of Homeward, where solid architecture gives way to platforms, docks, and suspended structures.
Common features include:
Wide plazas opening toward the Storywake
Gate frames and anchor pylons that shift alignment over time
Docks and hangars designed for Wake Ships
Elevated walkways overlooking drifting currents of Light
There are no walls at the edge—only space, held stable by purpose.
Anchors may depart Homeward in several ways:
Through Gates, when a stable path to a Story Realm exists
Via Arranged Transit, guided by specialists attuned to the Wake
Aboard Wake Ships, vessels capable of independent travel
Gates do not open on command. They respond to alignment—intent, readiness, and narrative relevance. Some appear briefly and vanish. Others remain for long periods, serving as well-traveled routes.
No gate leads directly into the Unwritten.
Wake Ships are vessels designed to navigate the Storywake itself.
They are not purely mechanical, nor purely metaphysical. Each Wake Ship is partially shaped by its crew, responding to purpose, resolve, and shared intent. Two identical hulls may behave very differently depending on who commands them.
Wake Ships are acquired, commissioned, or inherited at the Open Wake. They range from small personal craft to larger communal vessels.
Ownership is less important than compatibility.
A ship that does not answer will not fly.
(Wake Ships are expanded in their own lore section.)
The Open Wake hosts specialists rather than vendors:
Navigators who read Storywake currents
Shipwrights who repair or attune Wake Ships
Cartographers of unstable paths
Brokers who trade in access, timing, and opportunity
Continuance is commonly used here, but not always sufficient. Some journeys demand readiness rather than payment.
Those unprepared are not turned away—but they are warned.
The Open Wake is the least stable district in Homeward—and intentionally so.
It is meant to pull.
Anchors lingering too long here often feel restless, compelled to move on. This is not coercion, but resonance. The Open Wake reminds stories that motion is still possible.
Homeward does not fear departure.
It exists so that departure can happen safely.
For players, the Open Wake serves as:
Primary world-travel hub
Access point for Wake Ships
Transition between arcs
Visible reminder of scale and choice
Every major journey begins here—or returns here changed.
POI Name: The Open Wake
Function: Departure hub and Wake Ship port
Location: Outer edge of Homeward
Theme: Choice, motion, readiness
Homeward does not hold on.
It opens.
And waits to see
who will return.