Murk
Arcane
- Joined
- Jan 17, 2008
- Messages
- 13,459
Note: I'm not at all too fond of the names I used but they help to give a rough idea of what I was imagining.
Sphereia, world inverted.
This is a thought experiment on a possible game world that, due to its fairly simple nature, has probably been talked about before by people who are far more creative and intelligent than I am, but alas, I present an idea for a setting.
Dimension of Sphereia: This plane of existence is a finite space that is inside a large orb, the world is effectively a hollow planet that holds things in and there exists nothing outside of it that is known to any of the natives. Inside the center is a large star and surrounding this large star are islands floating around it. Gravity is reflected as opposite of the star – that is, the star is “up” from any point of the world you are in, and the shell of the world itself is mostly uninhabitable due to the mystical energies that keep it bound. Also, it is so far from the star, it is too cold to live on… at least, for the majority of life.
The actual size, distance, number of islands, or most other metrics are not worked out yet – the way I see it is you could have it as “not everything as been explored” or “here’s a map to everything” depending on how you want to use the setting.
Each floating island is of different size and distance from the large star, the islands range from single home hermit’s escapes to Africa sized continents. The distance variation will allow for desert realms to cold frost bitten lands of grim gloom. Some of the islands are so close to the sun that they are perpetually on fire and only the hardiest of their rocky cores remain.
Description of Sphereia: It is always light, night does not exist unless the star is eclipsed. Many of the inhabited realms have opted to build large canopies over their lands to shield them from the light. Travel is done via flying and gravity works largely like it does here – you are pulled “straight down”, with down being the opposite direction of the sun known as the Pupil of God. Water exists in some places but is largely known as an expensive commodity – not to the point of being used as currency – but a tankard of cold water in a tavern will cost you a decent copper. Copper, yes, most of the elements and substances of this world are the same as our own (but do feel free to suggest any good ideas).
“How do the islands float?” : The argument of science in fantasy land, feel free to completely disregard this as saying “magic” or if you prefer – gravity here works in strange ways, the bottom of the islands have a reverse polarity to the rest of the land – the shell of the world, and the two reflect one another. The islands’ proximity to the star reflects how powerful their reverse gravitational push is to the shell of the world and so determines how far they are from it. Traveling underneath an island is near impossible as you could very easily be thrown into the gravitational struggle, or in the case of the larger islands, be torn to shreds/crushed/imploded/all three’d by the forces of the gravitational push. Given that the “pillar of death” that this presents would prove to be a dangerous aspect, you could limit the number of floating lands, create bizarre travel patterns that people use to travel, or simply disregard it and stick to the “flies by magic, god did it” argument.
Ecology of Sphereia: The culture, language, and genetic makeup of the peoples of the islands differ as much as they do in Forgotten Realms, Earth, or whatever source you prefer. Characters can spend time trying to unravel the mystery of what lies outside the world’s shell as much as they can try to explore the societies established by the islands. There are a particular number of phenomena unique to this world however. Technology in this world is largely fledgling but with certain exceptions. Given their particular geological setting they mastered heavier than air flight much sooner than Earth and have used it to great extent. The lands closest to the shell or edge of the world are colder but bountiful in water. The need for this necessary resource has made it all together too important to not pursue.
Gunpowder and steam engines are just barely turning the corner and are still largerly experimental, but becoming common and necessary. Many of the islands however do not have the resources to develop such intricacies and rely on older almost feudal societies to survive. Some of the fringe islands that have little contact are unable to even send basic hot air ships to other lands and mostly live off their own lands. The presence of magic allows for some things to be slightly more advanced however, as air controlling mages can guide airships without the need of propellors or currents... as there is little air movement. The elements are literally alive as fire, water, earth, and air elementals are very real and they provide many of their inborn energies to the world. In some cases, air elementals literally create wind.
Possible religious groups:
Seers of the Eye: This group believes that world is actually the eye of the creator, god, and that the sun – the source of possible life and the protector of the endless cold of the edge, is his pupil. They value vision, sight, and clairvoyance. Many of their followers become diviners and illusionists and their cult is a great supporter of the visual arts. Many a great artist has professed to be a seer.
Followers of the Egg: This group believes that the world is a great egg and that all life comes from eggs. They hold that the egg is a holy thing pointing to scientific findings of eggs in humans and animals as a reflection of what is divine. They believe in fertility, modesty, humanitarianism, and many of their followers abstain from consuming all egg-based life. Their followers are often druids, healers, geomancers, and doctors.
The Church of the Flame: An offshoot of the Seers of the Eye founded by one of their fire minded disciples. The Church of the Flame believes that fire and warmth is the source of all life and that the sun itself is god given in a physical form. They find that the edge of the world is so cold that it is uninhabitable and so that which shields them from the endless cold must be the source of life. They hold that life is itself a powerful thing and so too much of it is possibly deadly, not by its nature, but by overwhelming power. They hold that the sun is to be worshipped and heralded and those who believe in this group shun any attempt to shield their homes from the sun. The followers of the Church of the Flame take up practices of blacksmithing, industrial work, pyromancy, and technology. The countries/floating lands closest to the sun are sometimes formed almost entirely of followers of this faith.
The edge/shell of Sphereia: Cold, chaotic, mostly uninhabitable, but an important part of life. Some frost-born creatures dwell here and are often at odds with their environment to survive. Much of the shell itself is actually frozen water and little excavation has been attempted to find out what is beyond the shell/edge. For some odd reason magic, technology, and most other ‘energy’ driven things seem to not work entirely the same on the edge. Even the very physics of the world seems to go haywire at times as things start to float or are pulled randomly towards the ground.
Possible adventure seeds!
Local adventures:
You are a young government engineer on the mid-way land of Arptis, and your island has begun to slowly but surely descend! Find out the cause of this descent before your land is destroyed by “Island Cooling!”
Your island has started to move around and is about to crash with another island that is stationary (as is their normal state)! Find a way to save your homeland before two entire city states are destroyed!
A neighboring island has declared war on your own and has sent its fleet of zeppelins to your cliffs! Your country is outmatched and outnumbered and has called on you, a diplomat of great esteem, intellect, and speed of blade to beseech aid from other neighboring lands. Will you seek help from former allies or attempt to negotiate with or assassinate the man leading this attack on your country?
Large scale adventures:
Just what exactly is beyond the shell? Space? Nothingness? And endless universe of dirt with more hollowed worlds like your own? In a strange twist of fate your expedition that was originally set to harvest ice from the edge has come across a strange edifice that is, despite the surroundings, at a temperature that can only be described as “room.” After minor investigation you and your few companions find a strange marking on the edifice and while attempting to investigate it you end up being sucked down a tunnel that seems to lead into a place that defies all physics… what is further in this strange place and does it have to do with what lies beyond?
A strange new island encased in a giant block has appeared near the sun and now the sun has started to turn and is causing all the islands to turn! The tornado of land will surely be your undoing? What is the cause of this? Is it related to the new island?
The seclusive land of the empire of Kartor has opened its borders at last and has sent its ships out to many of the powerful lands in Sphereia. Their technology is alien and ferocious and their ambassadors come bearing offers as much as they do threats. What is the Kartorian Empire planning? And why is it always an empire?
Sphereia, world inverted.
This is a thought experiment on a possible game world that, due to its fairly simple nature, has probably been talked about before by people who are far more creative and intelligent than I am, but alas, I present an idea for a setting.
Dimension of Sphereia: This plane of existence is a finite space that is inside a large orb, the world is effectively a hollow planet that holds things in and there exists nothing outside of it that is known to any of the natives. Inside the center is a large star and surrounding this large star are islands floating around it. Gravity is reflected as opposite of the star – that is, the star is “up” from any point of the world you are in, and the shell of the world itself is mostly uninhabitable due to the mystical energies that keep it bound. Also, it is so far from the star, it is too cold to live on… at least, for the majority of life.
The actual size, distance, number of islands, or most other metrics are not worked out yet – the way I see it is you could have it as “not everything as been explored” or “here’s a map to everything” depending on how you want to use the setting.
Each floating island is of different size and distance from the large star, the islands range from single home hermit’s escapes to Africa sized continents. The distance variation will allow for desert realms to cold frost bitten lands of grim gloom. Some of the islands are so close to the sun that they are perpetually on fire and only the hardiest of their rocky cores remain.
Description of Sphereia: It is always light, night does not exist unless the star is eclipsed. Many of the inhabited realms have opted to build large canopies over their lands to shield them from the light. Travel is done via flying and gravity works largely like it does here – you are pulled “straight down”, with down being the opposite direction of the sun known as the Pupil of God. Water exists in some places but is largely known as an expensive commodity – not to the point of being used as currency – but a tankard of cold water in a tavern will cost you a decent copper. Copper, yes, most of the elements and substances of this world are the same as our own (but do feel free to suggest any good ideas).
“How do the islands float?” : The argument of science in fantasy land, feel free to completely disregard this as saying “magic” or if you prefer – gravity here works in strange ways, the bottom of the islands have a reverse polarity to the rest of the land – the shell of the world, and the two reflect one another. The islands’ proximity to the star reflects how powerful their reverse gravitational push is to the shell of the world and so determines how far they are from it. Traveling underneath an island is near impossible as you could very easily be thrown into the gravitational struggle, or in the case of the larger islands, be torn to shreds/crushed/imploded/all three’d by the forces of the gravitational push. Given that the “pillar of death” that this presents would prove to be a dangerous aspect, you could limit the number of floating lands, create bizarre travel patterns that people use to travel, or simply disregard it and stick to the “flies by magic, god did it” argument.
Ecology of Sphereia: The culture, language, and genetic makeup of the peoples of the islands differ as much as they do in Forgotten Realms, Earth, or whatever source you prefer. Characters can spend time trying to unravel the mystery of what lies outside the world’s shell as much as they can try to explore the societies established by the islands. There are a particular number of phenomena unique to this world however. Technology in this world is largely fledgling but with certain exceptions. Given their particular geological setting they mastered heavier than air flight much sooner than Earth and have used it to great extent. The lands closest to the shell or edge of the world are colder but bountiful in water. The need for this necessary resource has made it all together too important to not pursue.
Gunpowder and steam engines are just barely turning the corner and are still largerly experimental, but becoming common and necessary. Many of the islands however do not have the resources to develop such intricacies and rely on older almost feudal societies to survive. Some of the fringe islands that have little contact are unable to even send basic hot air ships to other lands and mostly live off their own lands. The presence of magic allows for some things to be slightly more advanced however, as air controlling mages can guide airships without the need of propellors or currents... as there is little air movement. The elements are literally alive as fire, water, earth, and air elementals are very real and they provide many of their inborn energies to the world. In some cases, air elementals literally create wind.
Possible religious groups:
Seers of the Eye: This group believes that world is actually the eye of the creator, god, and that the sun – the source of possible life and the protector of the endless cold of the edge, is his pupil. They value vision, sight, and clairvoyance. Many of their followers become diviners and illusionists and their cult is a great supporter of the visual arts. Many a great artist has professed to be a seer.
Followers of the Egg: This group believes that the world is a great egg and that all life comes from eggs. They hold that the egg is a holy thing pointing to scientific findings of eggs in humans and animals as a reflection of what is divine. They believe in fertility, modesty, humanitarianism, and many of their followers abstain from consuming all egg-based life. Their followers are often druids, healers, geomancers, and doctors.
The Church of the Flame: An offshoot of the Seers of the Eye founded by one of their fire minded disciples. The Church of the Flame believes that fire and warmth is the source of all life and that the sun itself is god given in a physical form. They find that the edge of the world is so cold that it is uninhabitable and so that which shields them from the endless cold must be the source of life. They hold that life is itself a powerful thing and so too much of it is possibly deadly, not by its nature, but by overwhelming power. They hold that the sun is to be worshipped and heralded and those who believe in this group shun any attempt to shield their homes from the sun. The followers of the Church of the Flame take up practices of blacksmithing, industrial work, pyromancy, and technology. The countries/floating lands closest to the sun are sometimes formed almost entirely of followers of this faith.
The edge/shell of Sphereia: Cold, chaotic, mostly uninhabitable, but an important part of life. Some frost-born creatures dwell here and are often at odds with their environment to survive. Much of the shell itself is actually frozen water and little excavation has been attempted to find out what is beyond the shell/edge. For some odd reason magic, technology, and most other ‘energy’ driven things seem to not work entirely the same on the edge. Even the very physics of the world seems to go haywire at times as things start to float or are pulled randomly towards the ground.
Possible adventure seeds!
Local adventures:
You are a young government engineer on the mid-way land of Arptis, and your island has begun to slowly but surely descend! Find out the cause of this descent before your land is destroyed by “Island Cooling!”
Your island has started to move around and is about to crash with another island that is stationary (as is their normal state)! Find a way to save your homeland before two entire city states are destroyed!
A neighboring island has declared war on your own and has sent its fleet of zeppelins to your cliffs! Your country is outmatched and outnumbered and has called on you, a diplomat of great esteem, intellect, and speed of blade to beseech aid from other neighboring lands. Will you seek help from former allies or attempt to negotiate with or assassinate the man leading this attack on your country?
Large scale adventures:
Just what exactly is beyond the shell? Space? Nothingness? And endless universe of dirt with more hollowed worlds like your own? In a strange twist of fate your expedition that was originally set to harvest ice from the edge has come across a strange edifice that is, despite the surroundings, at a temperature that can only be described as “room.” After minor investigation you and your few companions find a strange marking on the edifice and while attempting to investigate it you end up being sucked down a tunnel that seems to lead into a place that defies all physics… what is further in this strange place and does it have to do with what lies beyond?
A strange new island encased in a giant block has appeared near the sun and now the sun has started to turn and is causing all the islands to turn! The tornado of land will surely be your undoing? What is the cause of this? Is it related to the new island?
The seclusive land of the empire of Kartor has opened its borders at last and has sent its ships out to many of the powerful lands in Sphereia. Their technology is alien and ferocious and their ambassadors come bearing offers as much as they do threats. What is the Kartorian Empire planning? And why is it always an empire?
