I climbed up the jagged rocky wall with my bare hands–because apparently my survival instincts are dramatic like that. Once I reached the top, I saw that, well…
I was stranded.
Truly splendid.
My first hour into the cosmere and I’ve already achieved the impressive feat of being lost, confused, and perched on a small rock mound like some kind of underprepared mountain hermit.

Surrounded by a red sea.
Wait.
Red sea.

I opened my leather notebook and flipped through the pages. I hadn’t researched anything about the red sea.
Of course I hadn’t.
Why would Past Me ever think Present Me might need that information about the Secret Projects? That would be far too convenient. 

Well, I couldn’t do anything about it now.

I grabbed my spectacles and put them on.
I was wrong.
The sea wasn’t red.
The sea wasn’t–well–a sea.

It was actually a giant group of spores.
Rose‑coloured spores.
Huh. Fascinating.
You know, in the “this is beautiful but also probably wants to kill me” sort of way.

After my brief moment of curiosity (and mild existential dread), came the realisation that I was stuck.
“ZORCK.”
Yes, that was the noise I made. It’s my native slang–i’m not human, okay? What are you going to do about it?

I decided it was time for an experiment. I climbed back down and threw a stone into the sea.
(Yes, I know it’s not a sea. No, I’m not inventing a new name for it. I’m already traumatised enough.)

The stone sat on top for a bit, like it was thinking about sinking, then–out of nowhere–rose vines shot up from within the spores and wrapped around it like it was a teddy bear.
I gulped.
Loudly.

I needed to find a town.
Quick.
Preferably one without murderous rose oceans.
Or at least one with a pamphlet titled “So You’ve Accidentally Entered A World In The Cosmere Which You Didn't Research About.”