Welcome to CRIT, and Karagatan

Welcome to the Charter for Research & Investigative Travel, a collection of documents and papers that are designed to document as much of the wide world of Karagatan as possible. As more documents are added to the charter the collective knowledge of the world will expand, giving us a better understanding of the world that we are so eager to explore. Contributors extend throughout the world, and have an endlessly wide range of expertise, and interests, so they’ll contribute both what they know, and what they discover, leading this to be a, hopefully, ever expanding source of information and discovery for any who wish to understand what this world offers.

The world of Karagatan is unlike any others, at least as far as I can tell. A world of Exploration, Adventure, and Oddity, it can provide neverending potential for stories. What can be found in CRIT is never going to be a complete understanding of the world around the contributors, but should provide enough knowledge to begin one’s exploration into the world, as well as provide a starting point from which to change the world. CRIT isn’t the only documentation of the world though, as others have documented much of what is in the world, such as the feywilds, shadowfell, and elemental planes, although there seems to be some differences between their understanding of these realms and my understanding of them. The Charter will document anything it can write about, from the inner workings of cities, to the fleets of pirate ships, maybe even documents about the shifting of the stars and their interpretations.

The World of Karagatan

To begin with though we must establish an important baseline for the world. Karagatan is an oceanic world, there are absolutely no continents present on the world (although there are on other planes) however with islands as large as 500,000 KM² there are more than a few islands that have enough space for multiple kingdoms. With a boundless amount of trade, piracy, and exploitation of the lands, and seas, there are more than a few dangers within the world, as one can explore both the complexities of a single archipelago, or travel to those that have not yet been contacted by those within the charter. The vastness and diversity of the archipelagos leaves fairly little true connective tissue that extends throughout the whole world, as there are very few beings who have the power to experience the vastness of the world, much less influence it.

Dieties and Gods

One kind of being that could usually impact the vastness of the world is a deity, or god, which is partially lacking within this world. The world of Karagatan lacks its own deities, instead borrowing from other pantheons and realms, such as those in Faerun and Greyhawk, as well as those developed by the Greeks, Norse, and Egyptians. Any deity who comes from another realm lacks much of what is perceived as natural for a deity, for example they are more limited in perspective than in their home realms, and most importantly they are unable to manifest themselves or avatars into Karagatan. This by no means limits clerics, paladins, or warlocks from dealing with them though, as many have developed large followings in this realm.

The Planes and Cosmos

On the planes and cosmos, the true shapes and nature of reality is largely unexplored. There are certainly the presence of other planes, often perceived within two pillars adjacent to each other, providing a variety of ways for them to relate to each other, by either being adjacent to one another or by resting on top of each other. There is no true way to tell how involved each plane is with those around them, sometimes they will have a good deal of overlap with each other, sometimes there will be no apparent overlap. No one knows what rests at the bottom of each pillar, but it is clear that the material plane rests at the top, with the ethereal plane extending in the spaces between.

Stars and the Night Sky

As for the stars above the material plane they shift slowly, creating constellations in two rings above the night sky, a lower ring, and an upper ring. The lower ring is used for navigation, pointing the way to nearby archipelagos, as well as holding the four cardinal stars that indicate the north, south, east, and west. The upper ring rises above each archipelago, and shifts very differently, many will study these stars to attempt to divine the future, as wizened elders will speak of how they hold a wealth of information of whatever archipelago that one is currently in.

Archipelagos and Travel

The archipelago’s themselves are sorts of bubbles, often recognized and distinguished by their star networks and islands, as each archipelago has its own star system telling a story of its own. These archipelagos could contain one island, hundreds of small islands, or any number of possibilities, as one can navigate between them utilizing star maps, or simpler methods of marking directions and following the winds. Most of these pathways remain consistent, although on occasion a new one may appear, opening up a path to a new archipelago that is simply begging to be explored, and rarely a pathway may vanish, potentially isolating what once was a connected community.