The world of Random is a world touched by the arcane and twisted by darkness, but within it, there is hope and light.
Under the sovereign rule of the Queen, six realms, each unlike the last, are where the people of Random live their lives, but there’s a catch! When a child turns the age of twelve, the Queen visits them and lets them roll her mythical black dice, determining their fate. Each of its six sides corresponds to one of the realms, and upon rolling it, the child’s future is decided and they are sent to their new home.
Each realm is grander than the last, or at least was once upon a time, with the Queen’s realm being the greatest of them all. Our story, though, begins with two sisters, Even and Odd, who’ve grown up in the lowliest of the six realms.
Onecroft
Onecroft is the most decrepit of the six realms. It’s rundown, dirty, and quite a mess. The junk of the other five realms is discarded into Onecroft, leaving the Oners (as they’re known) with far more trash than treasure. The Oners mostly make their living hauling junk onto freighters so that anything of value can be used by the Queen. What the junk is used for, however, is quite unknown to them.
However, it’s not all bad. Home is still home, and for Even and Odd, Onecroft is just that. At times, it can be a safe, cozy place. Many of those who live in Onecroft have come to accept it for what it is. After all, it’s better to be together in Onecroft than separated across the realms.
Two-Town
This is where things begin to get a bit stranger. Two-Town is a magical place, but one that’s equally twisted. It is a town of dualities and split-personalities.
Each day the Queen, in all her glory, rolls her magical dice to decide how Two-Town will change. Depending on the roll of her dice, the residents will change drastically; their personalities will shift and they may act altogether differently. Even the Mayor of Two-Town is affected. Or rather, the Mayors, as his dormant personality has manifested almost entirely into a person of its own that grows out of his tophat, ruling upside-down in his own twisted mirror-flipped version of Two-Town!
Threedom
Threedom is a mess for entirely different reasons than Onecroft. Many years ago, the King of Threedom was murdered and the region has been in disarray since. The King’s triplets each blamed the others for the fatal act, resulting in a devastating three-way civil war that goes on to this day.
The three children, who otherwise live lives of luxury, wage war against each other, all with the blessing of the Queen. Her royal grace approved of the civil war as a way to resolve the matter, going so far as to provide each of the three siblings with giant colossi—machines of war to help them fight each other!
But there are other dangers lurking in the shadows of Threedom...so do be careful.
Fourburg
Are you looking for somewhere posh to live? Somewhere you can thrive on honest living and hard work, where the people are happy and their days are bright?
Well, keep looking. Fourburg is anything but that. Long ago during the No Dice War, the fourth realm was known as Four-Town and was a much different place—a place of nobility and heroism. Unfortunately, it was destroyed, and, upon the bones and ruins of Four-Town, Fourburg was built for a new era of decadence.
Fourburg is a realm of lawlessness where gambling is the only way to get what you want and few play fairly. It’s run by a nasty “Fourman” known as the Highroller who seems to have an in with the crown, meaning the law looks the other way when he wheels and deals however he pleases, including illegally. It’s anything but a safe place, but unlikely help can be found there, if one knows where to look.
Fivetropolis
Once upon a time, Fivetropolis was a mystical land home to the five legendary card makers. These five artisans created the most powerful cards in all the realms. Anyone would be lucky to have even one of their creations. The five card makers were treated almost as though they were divine in nature due to their skills, revered for what they could create. They brought wonders and greatness to Fivetropolis, but only for a time.
Like the other realms, Fivetropolis fell into decay after the No Dice War. With no more dice, save the Queen’s, there was no more need for such wondrous cards, as cards bring out the power of dice. And so, production stopped and all that was once magical in Fivetropolis faded into a distant memory, though perhaps it’s not entirely forgotten.
Now, Fivetropolis stands as a shadow in the distance to most, identified best by the silhouette of the five towering chimneys that make up its structure. The card-making factories have also changed since the glory days, now instead being repurposed in accordance with the Queen’s desires.
Sixtopia
But of course, there is also the greatest of the six realms: Sixtopia. What can be said about Sixtopia that hasn’t already been said by her grace? It’s perfect. Entirely and absolutely. Without question. There is not a thing wrong with it at all. It’s a magical paradise of luxury where anyone would be lucky to stay.
Therein lives the Queen herself, and under her watchful rule, Sixtopia has flourished into a perfect, very good place which no one returns from. That is where Even’s sister, Odd, gets sent. How very lucky of her indeed.
Well, there might also be some other places in the world, too, but you need not worry about them. What lies between the realms isn’t your concern. Simply live your life where the Queen’s black dice dictates and all will be well.
And remember: Whether you’re a Oner or a Sixer or anything in between, you’ll know one thing is forever true...Random rules!
