The world of Cratekin

The Rejectory

Every world has a place for the things that didn't quite make it. This one has The Rejectory.

Where rejects go

The Rejectory is where the world sends things that didn't pass inspection. Not broken things, exactly. Things that are slightly wrong: a little too fluffy, one tooth over, printed upside down. Somewhere along the line, the rejects started waking up.

Inspection

Everything that arrives is inspected. Whatever fails is stamped REJECTED, and the reason goes on its record. The reasons are rarely dramatic. Sprocket was rejected for having one tooth too many. Puddlewump, for leaking. The Wax Sovereign, for refusing to be opened. Every Cratekin's page in the catalog includes its inspection report.

The intake belt

Rejects leave on the intake belt, sealed in wooden crates that are usually slightly dented. The labels are honest about what they know: THE REJECTORY · CONTENTS: ALIVE (PROBABLY). You find out who's inside by opening one.

The Night Shift

Things that only move once the inspectors go home. Lintwick glows faintly in the dark and was rejected for exactly that. Nightstamp is a night-shift inspector who never blinks and never misses a crate, and was rejected anyway, for approving itself.

Still being explored

Much of The Rejectory hasn't been mapped yet. Why the rejects wake up, how far back the shelves go, and what else is waiting further down the belt are open questions. New Cratekin will arrive as more of it is explored.