Thumbnail of Arth's Known World

[MoonHunter]

Arth is a geographically huge. (Bigger than a ringworld kind of huge)

It is made up of semi-continuous biomes.

Each biome follows its own way, thus it has its own unique weather, ecology, social patterns, and rules for magic and tech. Most biomes are very, very similar to their neighboring biomes (hence the semi-continuous). Some are not. In some biomes they have different weather than the others, or a different moon, or a notably different ecology, or way for society. No matter what the way of the biome, each biome has a Pylon in it that seems to be the center of control for it.

GE-EM, the first god, is a collector. It collects/ copies things from other spheres and incorporates them upon its own world. It created a number of lesser dieties to aid in the "administration" of Arth. Thus a spiritual heirachy of five tiers was created. These dieties are everywhere on Arth.
Second Tier: GE-EM (post creating other dieties), Lady Arth (Mother Earth), Yi-Ang (Balance/ Chance)
Third Tier: Masters of Death, Time, and Luminance who become 4th tier light and dark.
Fourth Tier: Masters of the Five (Six) Elements: Fire, Earth, Air, Water, and Luminance/ Spirit- Light and Dark
Fifth Tier: Masters of XXX. These are the vast number of spirits in charge of everything else.


The Known World is the Elventi Imperium.

The Imperium is a Mid European Renaissance level tech world, with a well developed low level magic system. This is the "average" of all the biomes.

It is run by The Emperor (whos common name has come to mean Emperor over the centuries) and the Noble High Elventi. Each Land has its own High Elventi Governor. Administration below that is up to the local's choice. So your old king and his fedual lords, or your first senator, or your tribal chief, run the show for the Elventi. Those that rebel... usually don't last very long.

High Elves are immortal being of great power... imagine an immortal experienced Captain America/Batman, with access to IronMan/ Green Lantern power level item, and knowledge to rival a realm sorcerer (Dr. Strange/ Dr. Fate/ Tim) and has access to gate technology. There are not very many High Elves in comparison to the other races, but the standing imperial army only has 32 members and is enough to rule a surface area akin to the Earth's. Many of the Noble High Elventi have served in the Army for a century or four. Others follow more refined pursuits.

High Elves are full elves who have achieved the "next level". This process is a combination of physical, spiritual, and mental perfection, plus good genes and being in the right place at the right time.

The Elventi (Full Elves and High Elves) live on FirstLand. This area has 7 large biomes. Each biome is a Dukedom.

SecondLand has a number of biomes and one warp point (a place where stuff from other places "find" themselves. It is the current home of the 12 Humanti clans, the Amazonti, The Wapti (Landdwelling Squidish beings), and the Nikhon Orcenti (Our samurai are orcs). It is the home of 19 biomes (12 human, 2 amazonti, 4 of the great swamp/ wapti, and one of the island for the Nikhon.)

Thirdland is the second largest land in the Known World. It is filled with fractured biomes (a huge number of biomes of smaller than average size). The Imperium originally had mining colonies here (they shipped the humans here). Thirdland has the most biologic diversity as it has Elventi (including "wild" ones), Humanti (in a wide variety), Dwarfenti, Orcenti (Orcs of four types, Goblins, Hobgoblins, and Gremlins), Centaurs, Kerrenti (Wolf Folk), Putti (Cat Folk), and Gargoyles to name most of them. Note: things without the -enti designation are made species.

The main geographic features are the Three Human City States (Antioch, Amar, and Avon), The Kingdoms (Princedoms really... mostly agrarian feudal areas), The Wastes, The Great Plains, the Great Ridge (Huge Mountain Range home to Dwarves, Orcs, Goblins, and Skyfolk), and all those places inbetween. It is made up of hundred and eighty or so biomes.

Thirdland is the place where I tend to start a campaign group.

Northland is the largest land area. It is four times the area of Eurasia plus India. It is a preserve, untouched by the Imperium. In addition to being the home of the StarElventi, it contains giant mansized insects and godzilla sized monsters. A change from the two brutal meta races whos near constant conflict that makes travel there difficult if not deadly that I had originally placed here.

MaskLand is a 9 biome land that "appeared" a scant hundred years ago. The Masklanders (who are human) have a very unique culture based upon masques and costumes. They were brought here whole cloth from their world. They are the most "alien" of Imperial Peoples.

FourthLand: This is a 22 smaller biome land segregated between the coastal Lamic people (who are urbane, civilized, and religious zelots) and the more "primative" Engeti people of the interior (who see themselves of the caretakers of their world). It has only recently been brought into the Imperium, as both peoples have accepted Imperial rule (the Engeti accepting it first).

First Ocean is an 5 biome oceanic biome area where aquatic races live.

There is a "race" to find another Land to the far south of SecondLand (and East of Fourthland). Predictions show one is there. Some are exploring north of Northland, but so far nothing but terrible storms have been found.

[MoonHunter]

The first tribe of Elventi find themselves on Firstland. The Elventi expand and intergrate themselves into the ecologies of the Firstland biomes. This occured vastly before any recorded activity on the other lands.

after some time
The Dwarventi begin to spread amongst the mountains of Thirdland.
As the Dwarventi expand, they encounter Orcenti. The Dwarventi begin to carve out their great halls. This process takes several hundred years and is occuring when the Humanti arrive.

after some more time
Note: Secondland is a land with a warp, a place where people and things from other worlds. It is in the "eastern swamp biome".

The Humanti tribes move from the swamp around the warp, and expand into the 14 other biomes of Secondland. Over the next few hundred years they change from stone age peoples to an early bronze age peoples.

The Wapti, an odd multipod species, came through the warp. Being antagonistic and zenophobic, they began to attack the Humanti. They initially drove them from the coasts that were their livelyhoods. Realizing the Humantis had taken to the high ground, they attempted to drive them from there with a series of offensives. Pushed and trapped, the Humanti tribes made secret runs to the sea. The Humanti tribes took to the sea, to paddle away from the monsters.

They eventually found their way, in waves, to Firstland. At first the Elventi were concerned and admused by these primative peoples. Taking a paternal interest in the Humanti, the Elventi of the Imperium taught them the way of civilizations (adjusted for the short humanti attention span). The Humanti became knights and vassels of the Elventi Imperium.

It was from the Humanti that the Elventi discovered the rest of the lands. Bringing Humanti soldiers along, the Elventi swept the Wapti back into the warp swamp biomes. The "civilized humans" then "uplifted" the remaining "highlanders" (those that had survived the Wapti offensives and did not run to the sea). The Humanti took to the task of building a Humanti civilization on Secondland and defending themselves from the Wapti.

While Humanti society was developing on SecondLand, the Elventi used their new found knowledge of "tuning into pylons" to gate to other "lands" near FirstLand. With a small militia of Elventi augmenting the Elder Elventi army, they managed to "conquer" all the peoples of ThirdLand. In some places, the conquest was military (as with the Dwarventi). In others, it was merely administrative (they came, they negociated, the natives accepted). FirstOcean was contacted and eventually brought under Imperial rule. Northland was found, and except for an embasy to the StarElventi, has been left unadministered. Though technically part of the Imperium, the Imperium has no presence there.

Humans from Firstland and a few from SecondLand colonized most of ThirdLand. The Elventi were delighted to gate the initial colonists, though eventually the Humanti were able to ply the sea biomes between the Lands. Those Humanti initially gated paid for their passage by working in StarStone mines, or other projects for the Imperium.

It was durring this time that the Amazonenti and the Nikhonese Orcenti came throught the warp. The Amazonenti tribe that came through the Warp, fought their way out of the swamp. After some intial conflicts with the Humanti of SecondLand, the Imperium granted them biomes adjacent and charged them with the task of stopping Wapti agression. The Orcenti Nikhonese actually did not come through the Warp. The GrandOne, a warrior elite from another land (A Samurai), came through the Warp, eluded the Wapti and made it to the coast. He saw an island that he thought was home. He realized his mistake once he was there. The venerated FirstMother watched this warrior save some of her children. From then on, each generation learned and was taught.

Humanti spread throughout ThirdLand, encountering a number of lesser peoples (Small Folks, Gargoyles, Dwarventi, Kern, WildElves, Wastelanders (technically Humanti, but....), Goblins, HobGoblins, and a few others). The three great city states (Imperial regions) of Amar, Antioch, and Avaon were formed to administer Western Thirdland. The Principalities and Dwarventi Clans administer the Northern regions. The Various Tribes of the Western Wastes, and Eastern Plains administer there. The peoples found the appropriate Ways for each of their biomes and live in harmony with the Lands.

Note: Most of the "made" races on ThirdLand can trace their origins to a small set of biomes in the South East of ThirdLand. These Biomes are filled with ruined cities. The Human "Makers" had a thriving society based on alchemy and "shifting" living things. Many centuries ago, there was a crisis of some kind. Now there is nothing but ruins there.

In the last century, Humanti sailors have discovered two new Lands. The first, MaskLand literally appeared via the blue fog. (Witnessed by some Dolphin Clan Sailors). An Imperial Envoy and three Guards were sent to explain to the Masklanders the "way of things". The MaskLanders accepted graciously. In the last 30 years or so, the Humanti sailors discovered FourthLand (which had appeared in much the same way as MaskLand, but had done so about 200 years earlier). Again Envoys were sent to both peoples of Forthland (Lamic and Ngetti Humanti). While they are in constant conflict with each other, they both agreed to be part of the Imperium. (And the Ngetti actually seem to be the people the Imperium most approve of, to the annoyance of the apparently more civilized Lamnic peoples).