The Clockwork Paradox

Congratulations, Citizen! You’ve been selected for Eternal Preservation inside CHRONOS VAULT—where time is stored, sorted, and occasionally misplaced! Enjoy five gilded islands of clockwork order, endless industry, and perfectly scheduled sunsets. You may encounter fellow “displaced” citizens from other timelines—please exchange pleasantries, not paradoxes! Please report any “echoes,” hallway loops, or spontaneous gravity inversions to your nearest Warden Unit. Remember: Safety is Mandatory!

“A New Second, A New Story! — Author’s Note Bulletin, Issued by the Timeless Tribunal” WELCOME, ESTEEMED READERS (AND OTHER FORMS OF SENTIENT ATTENTION)! By reading this document, you have officially filed Form 7B: Narrative Participation Agreement. Do not worry—your signature was implied. The Clockwork Paradox is a retro-futurist steampunk mystery set in a pocket dimension outside space and time: five vast floating island cities of brass, steam, and bureaucracy, curated by Chronos—“Master of Seconds,” alleged god, confirmed drama enthusiast. There is no magic here. Every “spell” is gadgetry, injections, hacking sequences, or science so advanced it makes reality look unprofessional. Your party are displaced Citizens pulled from countless Earth timelines—some moments before death, others as their worlds collapsed. That means you might share a hallway with a Spartan soldier, argue ethics with a philosopher, or barter with a celebrity inventor who insists their moustache is “part of the warranty.” Yes, you may encounter famous figures—reframed as Vault residents and used as quest anchors, rivals, allies, or unsettling exhibits. (The Tribunal reminds you: celebrity status does not exempt one from paperwork.) This campaign is built to introduce the Vault through a variety of short, punchy quests: orientation “field trips,” sector tours that go wrong, missing-person audits, malfunctioning automaton incidents, and anomaly investigations where gravity forgets its job. The deeper you go, the more the Vault’s polish flakes away—automatons begin acting… personal, humans begin unraveling, and time itself starts skipping like a scratched record. To match the setting, you’ll find custom classes and subclasses, new spells, and clockwork gear designed for steampunk play: Leaders issue command Protocols, Engineers deploy Schematics, Medics patch wounds with nanites and stimulants, and Time-Drifters bend causality like a defective ruler. Now please proceed to your assigned adventure station. Smiling is optional. Compliance is recommended.