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= Unconfirmed
information
Galatograd. A city in the SODROVNO-VOLDACHIAN UNION, briefly its capital. Characterised by hemispherical buildings divided into many apartments opening on an immense empty interior space, looking remarkably like the inside of the Pantheon of Rome. The site appears to be connected to the great hall of the SPHERES (EC). Only condemned persons are to be found outside of the buildings, and access is almost impossible to foreigners (GC). See BRAUNSTEIN, CENTER FOR CARTOGRAPHY, DE VROUW, ECOLE DES MINES, ELBASEC, SAUDAN and TOKLAS.
| Galerie de la
Reine [The Queen's Gallery]. A major landmark of the old BRÜSEL/BRUSSELS, miraculously
preserved when the city was re-constructed. Most noticeable is the presence, unexplained
on the Obscure side, of a modern Canadian flag; the design of which was finalised only in
1965 AD (GC). See also STAMPS and STREETS OF BRUSSELS. Gammes. Also translated into English as Gammas. A race of women inhabiting the HOLLOW EARTH called ZARA. They maintain a single male for reproductive purposes, but when the occasion presents itself they do not mind mating with visitors - which they eat afterwards (TC, Z). See FANETTE, GINA, JENNI, LIGAM, LIVA, LURISSE and ORION. Ganfila. A city in the north-eastern part of the CONTINENT (GC). |
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Garden of Delights. A place set aside for meetings between men and women in TAXANDRIA. Therein could be found neither a garden, nor delights (SEP).
Garden of Philodendrons. A greenhouse in CALVANI (A).
Gardens. See ROYAL GARDENS.
Gare du Midi and Gare du Nord. The two major train stations of BRÜSEL. They were connected together during the re-construction of the city (A, B). The many aerial roads of the new city probably made this joining less painful than in BRUSSELS, which does not have those advantages.
Gaspard, David. A talented Obscure painter, author of La REVANCHE DE NEPTUNE (GC).
| Gate of Uqbar. One of the entrances to the city of MYLOS
(A). There is a perfect copy of it on the distant planet TLÖN
(GC). Gausset, Quentin. A BRUSSELLITE/BRÜSELITE living in Copenhagen/KØBENHAVN, knowledgable about many Obscure mysteries. A precious source of information for this Dictionary, he maintains his own INTERNET site on the subject. He is an anthropologist in our world, and that is an occupation unknowed on the CONTINENT. A participant to both OBSCURE CONVENTIONS and the main guide of the first one. See LIGHTED WORLD. |
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| GAUW. A cartoonist
in the early days of L'ÉCHO DES CITÉS (EC). The word means
"quick", in Dutch. See GO. General Assessor. The head of the INSTITUT CENTRAL DES ARCHIVES (A). General Electric. A multinational concern in our world. It briefly controlled a car rental company, and thus touched Transportation; it may be for that reason that a building bearing its logo can be found in the Obscure World (PB). It is doubtful that large scale commercial activities can be maintained between our two universes.
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| General Morgan.
A pompous character, in charge of the launch of the CELESTIAL
BULLET (EP). He was also seen by the FUGITIVE in
the MUNICIPAL MUSEUM OF PÂHRY
(F) (QG). General Rapporter. See RAPPORTER GENERAL. |
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Genova. An Obscure city, north-east of CALVANI., with an architecture showing a certain lean towards anthropomorphism. At the time of the visit of the KØBENHAVN, in 746 AT, the town had a reputation for being quite severe and the top of its buildings ended up in somber statues, reminiscent of those of the four REFORMERS of Geneva, in the LIGHTED WORLD's Switzerland (RA). The newer neighbourhood of BREKERHOF is noticably more relaxed. Dr. ABRAHAM was born in that city, and Michel ARDAN was for a time director of its observatory (GC). See also SYLVANO.
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Geography. The Obscure landscape is different from that of the LIGHTED WORLD in that it is one of extremes. Its deserts are drier, its mountains more rugged and its jungles more impenetrable. The Obscure civilization being essentialy an urban one, many details about the outlying regions remains unknown. See also CARTOGRAPHY.
| . |
| Geôle Sud [South Jail]. A jail in URBICANDE. Designed by ROBICK, the building was impressive, but not very functional: the
wide open windows did not have bars... (FU). Gérard, Jo. An historian of BRUSSELS, interviewed in Le DOSSIER B. He has heard about BRÜSEL, but declared that he does not believe that it really exist (DB). |
Jo Gérard |
Gérôme. A painter at the end of the 19th Century in our world. A the time, his paintings were so expensive that even Emperor Napoleon III had to negotiate their price. He later became totally forgotten, but his work has recently seen an upsurge in popularity, just like Augustin DESOMBRES (ACO).
| Gigantic (The). An enormous
airship, of uncertain origin. A model of it can be found in EXPO 2000 (MISU). Gina. A GAMME, caught in the arms of FANETTE (TC, Z). Girard, Mario. |
The Gigantic |
| Girodyn. A prototype of flying
vehicle conceived by Axel WAPPENDORF. It fell into a canal
with the inventor during its trial flight in 719 AT. Now exhibited in ALAXIS (EC, GC). Another model somehow passed into our world
during another attempt and fell into the attic of the MAISON
AUTRIQUE (MAMI). Glaëver. A high mountain on the long peninsula located West of KØBENHAVN. Its summit is capped with a glass spire enclosing a luxuriant vegetation. It was the goal of the AMUNDSEN EXPEDITION (RA). |
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Gloria. A woman's magazine sold in BLOSSFELDTSTAD. Read by Sarah CHAMISSO (ODH).
Gloss. (Latin glosa, from the Greek glôssa, tongue). To explain an obscure text with words which are easier to understand (PLI). Jules VERNE's novels are considered to fit that description by Obscure people (GC).
Go. A school newspaper published as of 1969 AD by François SCHUITEN and Benoît PEETERS. Those persons must have had already special contacts with the Obscure World at the time, for some of the pseudonyms they used were the same as those of cartoonists of the first issue of L'ÉCHO DES CITÉS (ACO). See BAF, FUS and GAUW.
Godin. The technician in the group of invaders that tried to take over ZARA (TC, Z). See ORION.
Golfo Farantino. A gulf at the Southernmost tip of the CONTINENT, East of ROTH (GC).
Goliadkine Circle. A group of SODROVNO-VOLDACHIAN dissidents, long clandestine (GC). See also The Four IRREDUCIBLES.
Gorona. A city located on the West Coast of the CONTINENT, south of MYLOS (RA). It houses a temple dedicated to KEPLER (GC). See LOMS.
Graphophone. A sound recording device, based on a totally different principle than that of our ancient gramophones. The only known model in our world was part of the estate of Augustin DESOMBRES. Possibly an early form of SOUND INVERTER (MAD). See INVENTOR.
Gravity. Although no serious study as yet been done on the subject, it does appear that the force of gravity is not as strong in the Obscure World as in ours. We do know that the planet on which rests the CONTINENT is a little smaller than our own. A lesser gravity would explain in part how Obscure people can build so tall and fly in machines equipped with propellers so small. This state of affair may possibly have come into being following the disappearance of TAXANDRIA. In the HOLLOW EARTHS system, which has a special affinity with the Obscure Cities, gravity follows very different rules than those to which we are accustomed (TC, N, Z). See also KEPLER.
Great Cataclysm. The splitting of TAXANDRIA from the rest of the Obscure World, caused by a matter duplication experiment (SEP). See Irina BRENTANO.
Great Brüsel Hospital. Former name of the BRÜSEL CLINIC, later renamed the ERNEST DERSENVAL HOSPITAL.
| Great Eastern. British ship, launched in January 1858 AD. The largest passenger ship of its time, almost five times longer than any boat that sailed before it. It was propelled by seven masts and twelve sails, two paddle wheels 20 meters in diameter and a propeller witha 4 meters radius powered by ten steam engines. It caused the ruin of several of its successive owners and even some suicides. This ship greatly impressed Jules VERNE, who travelled on it in 1867 AD, and inspired to him the novels A Floating City and Propeller Island. According to researcher Mitya SUCHIN, it seems that its engine room had, through unknown means, influenced the design of some of the machines of the GWENDOLINE quarter in MYLOS. | ||
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| A Floating City, by Ferm | Propulsion machinery of the Great Eastern, by Derek Walker | Gwendoline, by Schuiten and Renard |
GREAT WALLS OF SAMARIS (The). See Les MURAILLES DE SAMARIS.
Green Lake. The largest body of water on the CONTINENT. Located 1,200 MEGAFATHOMS from the closest city, the place is uninhabited, perhaps because of the calcium-leaching properties of its water (MU), but its climate seems to be mild. An organ concert was held on the site in January by FROBÉLIUS (EC). It is also there, on May 24, 760 AT, that Mary VON RATHEN gave a major reception to celebrate the rebirth of MYLOS (EC, EP). It is difficult to be sure whether the strange columns rising from the sometimes stormy waters are leftovers from these celebrations or artefacts from a former civilisation (EP). A unique species, the SPONGIAS, lives in the lake (EP), and part of the NETWORK emerged for a while from its deep waters (A). See CBBD.
Greenhouse Number 2. In CALVANI, a greenhouse set aside for the cultivation of palm trees. Constant ABEELS was put in charge of it in 747 AT (GC). See STREETS OF BRUSSELS.
Greuze, Jean-Baptiste. French painter born in Tournus (1725-1805 AD). He is the author of works on a moralising theme (la Malédiction paternelle, le Fils puni, la Cruche cassée), as well as portraits (PLI, MAD).
Grimpelle. See CLIMBERELLE.
Groningen. A city in Holland. Site of a Bande Dessinée museum and hometown of Joseph LE PERDRIEL (INT).
| GUIDE DES CITÉS
(Le) [The Guide of the Cities]. A remarkable book, published
in 1996 AD. Without a doubt, the best source of practical information for anybody wishing
to visit the Obscure World (GC). The proportions of the book are the same as those
of the famous Michelin Guides. A translation in Dutch has been made, but it contains
only a fraction of the original material. Guillaume. A scientist from the MOUNT MICHELSON Observatory (EP). |
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Gwendoline. [1] A "Red Light" District of MYLOS, ruled by INSPECTOR Principal RENARD. Not easy to visit, reservations are required long in advance. It specialises in sadomasochism, so easily offended persons should abstain from visiting (GC). It has been described most faithfully in the album Les MACHINISTES (CBD). [2] A movie by Just Jaeckin based on a comic strip by John Willie, with scenery designed by F.SCHUITEN and C.RENARD.
György Mountains. A range located between the FOREST OF MEGARA and the CITY OF THE BOOK in BRÜSEL. It was crossed by the ORPHANS during their journey (EC).
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OBSCURE DICTIONARY |
