Ohtn

Ohtn is an artificial world created by reincarnating interdimensional beings who are on the run from a rogue member of their race. The world is essentially a flat, two-sided continent suspended in the center of a sphere made of light energy. On one side of the continent (the "bottom") live the Tsivar, a division of the world's creators who worship an archival system and spend their lives collecting and cataloging anything and everything they can find. Their side of the continent is dry, cold, and mostly barren. The Tsivar wanted their lands this way because such conditions are best suited for preservation and keeping everything clean and sterile. The other side of the continent (the "top") live the rest of the world's creators. Unlike the Tsivar, these people embrace all kinds of climates and biomes, and the "top" abounds in exotic flora and fauna. The most distinctive feature of these lands are the massive landmasses that float across the sky, almost like mobile, miniature continents within the sphere. Most of the world's sentient inhabitants reside on these flying lands, only venturing down to the surface to work and tend the animals and plants living on the main continent. The "top" contains a variety of cultural divisions within the race of creators, all centering around the interests of each faction. For example, those interested in studying and working with geology, minerals, seismology, and all things earth-related tend to live and labor in caverns and volcanic areas. The members of this group often prefer clothing suited to underground work, generally in colors reminiscent of fire and earth. Since different groups gravitate toward those with similar interests, distinct societies have arisen over time, resulting in a diverse collection of cultural systems and traditions. The goals of these factions often collide with one another, as in the case of the conflict between those interested in fire and those interested in water, and the subsequent chaos used to cause outright war between the factions. The solution is an annual set of competitions where the groups take out their frustrations and satisfy their rivalries in a series of bloodsports. Imagine the Olympics comprised primarily of Rugby and MMA matches, mixed with the Hunger Games. Once a year, specially selected collections of the floating landmasses act as vast arenas for the games. The factions let off some steam, and then return to their pursuits for another year. The only form of government in this world is the semi-religious group of individuals who derive their power (literal and figurative) from the very energy sphere that surrounds their world. These forces of light exist to protect their race against anything outside the sphere and to keep the factional tensions from overflowing into actual wars. The Shiners, as most people call them, preside over the annual competition, more to oversee and regulate the violence than to prevent cheating.