The world

A floating school, a city at the end of time, and snow that falls when someone changes the past.

All artwork on this page is concept art — samples, not final illustrations. Each piece is credited to its artist in the corner. Artwork is hand drawn and colored, and may be AI assisted, edited, or cropped.

Nowhen: eight airships lashed together into a floating city — a stained-glass cathedral, a glowing forge ship, a clock tower, market ships, and the crooked salvage of Coddiwomple at the end

Nowhen

A city of eight ships lashed together at the end of time. Coddiwomple, Thornwick, and Grimwire are three of them.

More to come.

Schools

Three schools, one game

The Coddiwomple crest: a ship's wheel with gears, reading Coddiwomple, Unschool of the Eastern Dregs

Coddiwomple

Unschool of the Eastern Dregs — eight ships' worth of salvage lashed together, dead brown vines and a cracked gold sign snapped in half and mended with rope and green tape. No uniform. Head: Jinglebeard. Its witch is Widow. The smallest and most crooked of the three, and it opens on the first of September.

The Thornwick crest in ice blue: Thornwick Unschool of the Southern Drifts

Thornwick

Unschool of the Southern Drifts — a flying cathedral of stone and stained glass, thorned vines up its sides, a golden bell under the middle tower. Blue jackets; ship the Garden Envy. General: Captain Horny Gold. Its witch is Weddy. The rich school: three championships running.

The Grimwire crest in red: Grimwire Unschool of the Western Willows

Grimwire

Unschool of the Western Willows — a crimson forge ship, steel pipes and golden gears behind a glass underside, its name blowtorched into a metal plate. Red jackets; ship the Grimwire Express. General: Captain William Dampier. Where the best Wrights go.

School supplies

Four things float up in front of you. Pick one.

RRR
PLAY ME

Rooks

A deck of cards, and the weapon of choice for anyone with a pirate in the family. Commonly used by Strikers.

CLEAN ME

Shield

Extremely dirty. Dwarfolk swear that's on purpose. Commonly used by Tanks.

FIX ME

Screwdriver

An old one. The whole tool of a Wright, if the Wright is good enough. Commonly used by Wrights.

FEED ME

Book

It says FEED ME. Something has already been taking it at its word. Commonly used by Doctors.

Airships

Everyone in Nowhen has one

The three school ships moored side by side: Thornwick's stained-glass cathedral with a golden bell, Grimwire's crimson forge ship with glowing gears, and Coddiwomple's patched salvage ship with a mended sign

School ships

Coddiwomple, Thornwick, and Grimwire are each an airship in their own right, lashed into the city of Nowhen. Thornwick's is the Garden Envy; Grimwire's is the Grimwire Express.

The Bad Encounter: a patched, sand-crusted airship above night clouds, one window glowing, a rope trailing down to a boy far below

The Bad Encounter

Widow's ship. A patched, sand-crusted hull, one warm window, and a rope that hangs from her bow down to wherever she needs it to reach.

The Nimbus Bus: a patched brass airship-bus with a witch at the wheel, students waving from the portholes, and a green-bearded dwarf leaning out, over a red desert

The Nimbus Bus

The ship that carries new students to Coddiwomple every September — a witch at the wheel, a porthole for every passenger, and luggage roped to the roof.

The LAW's flagship: a white-and-navy warship with rows of brass cannons, a courthouse on its deck, uniformed guards in line, a crossed-gavels crest, and an empty cage hanging from a yardarm

The LAW's flagship

The biggest ship in Nowhen. The LAW keeps order in the city, and its flagship is a floating courthouse with cannons — white and navy, a crossed-gavels crest on the bow, and a cage on a chain for anyone it decides has earned one.

Ink sketch of a small personal airship with a spiral prow, fin sails, and a pilot at the wheel

Bike

Car-sized and personalized for everyday use — fin sails, a spiral prow, and just enough room for one pilot and a passenger.

Ink sketch of a round-hulled airship with a bat-wing sail

Pot

A stout, round-bellied ship with a single bat-wing sail, built more for hauling than for speed.

Companions

Things with wings, whiskers, and teeth

The Book Wyrm: a small furry dragon with ivy whiskers and round glasses, reading a book

Book Wyrm

A small dragon with ivy whiskers, sandy feet, and crooked glasses. It lives in books and travels in time, and it loves to eat incorrect history books and pages — which means it always knows what a page used to say.

A Mountain Seed: a round mossy boulder creature with stone arms and legs, a sprout on its head, and big curious eyes

Mountain Seed

A boulder that decided to get up and follow you. Mossy on top, crystals at the edges, a sprout growing from its head, and a little bigger every time you look. Slow, steady, and impossible to knock over.

O.K., a small brass robot in steampunk goggles holding a screwdriver beside a backpack on a ship's deck

Robots

Companions built of brass, bolts, and whatever else they can find. Robots are Botfolk, and Botfolk are not always welcome in Nowhen — so a Robot learns early to be useful. O.K., model AAABX2312, carries a screwdriver and a great many opinions.

The Sky Panda: a black-and-white creature with emerald eyes and a forked tail, leaping

Sky Panda

Part whale, part bear, emerald-eyed, with a forked tail. Sky Pandas guide planes and airships home, calm the storms, and keep Sky Pirates away — and they take note of the hearts they see.

The Coal Keeper: a small elf in a red hat, green glasses, and a tie, holding a Naughty List

Coal Keeper

The elf in a tie who weighs every fib against every kindness and decides where your name goes on the list.

The Little Knight: a tiny knight in silver armor with a lantern hanging from his sword

The Little Knight

Say the rhyme, drop a quarter in the coin-slotted lamp, and a fireplace appears out of nowhere. Out marches a tiny Knight in silver with a lantern on his sword, and the shadows fall back.