Our city is a picture of a thousand little worlds – a thousand little stories, each one truer than the last.
Tales of the Mosaic
From the Raining Stairs to the Skinside markets, from the neon glow of Trestle Street to the gleaming Pearl Estates, our city is a picture of a thousand little worlds – a thousand little stories, each one truer than the last.
Don't complain of broken paving stones or strange miasma; the sewer pipes – the city's roots – grow wherever they please. The churning river bursts its banks, the foundry smoke lies thickly on the streets, and the morning sun may only rise for those who can afford it. The wardens have a plan, they say, but nobody has heard it.
Don't ask how it came to be like this, or why, or who's to blame: this is the Mosaic. It’s always been this way.
Tesserae
The Mosaic is a city built at the intersection of the wondrous and the mundane. Vast, complex and ever-expanding, its stacked and crooked streets are a kaleidoscope of cultures and eras, fortunes and failures.
Its stories are the collective unconscious of every city given shape. Beautiful and grotesque, whimsical and horrific, it is a place where the fanciful logic of dreams and legends meets the grim reality of urban life.
Tales of the Mosaic are all 350 words or less, have no fixed reading order, and require no prior knowledge of lore or continuity.
Each tessera reveals more about the world of the Mosaic and the people who live there, but can still be read as a narratively complete standalone work.
Questions Most Frequently Asked
What is this?
Tales of the Mosaic is a short-form Tale series, focused on a strange, otherworldly city where reality does not behave according to familiar rules.
Each story in this series is a “tessera”: the name given to tiles in a mosaic. Just like in a mosaic, each tessera is a standalone piece, unique and complete, which fits into the larger picture, revealing more about this weird and wonderful place.
The tales use a lyrical prose style inspired by the oral storytelling tradition, with an emphasis on prosody and cadence.
What are the stories about?
Tales of the Mosaic are at their core about the city, and the ways in which it functions (or fails to function). Their scope may be vast or narrow, impersonal or intimate, systemic or humanistic, but the Mosaic itself is always at the center.
The Mosaic is a place where the impossible can happen, but when it happens it needs no explanation. After all, if it could be explained it wouldn’t be impossible.
How can I contribute?
Tales of the Mosaic is a closed series, but we're always looking for new authors who are interested in building this city one pebble at a time. If you would like to contribute, please reach out to Jezixo, TheChunk, or Dr Angell on Discord.
Why are the Earface Folk below the bridge buying steel in bulk?
No-one knows for sure, but so long as they can pay on time, what harm could it do?
[[/div]]