Primer for the World of Acuthan
The World in a Cosmic Nutshell
The World of Acuthan is a planet about three quarters the size of Earth surrounded by two suns and four moons. Beyond (and within) that is a universe and multiverse to which it is inextricably tied - it's just that there are only three beings currently on the World of Acuthan who are aware of that fact. One of those is Silas Green, a sweet old man that runs The Pen & Ink stationers in the The Library of Learning & Culture in the New City of Churiss. He knows the world is fast approaching a key moment in which it will rise into glory or be obliterated with its dust rejoining its fellows in the cosmic swirl. Silas doesn't care too much - in the nine hundred thousand years of this life as a Cosmic Observer, he has seen countless planets fall and has become somewhat numb to the loss of minor sentient life that goes with it - in his eyes, the World of Acuthan is little different... "apart perhaps from one truly beautiful thing". The population of the world do not refer to the globe they reside on as the World of Acuthan, for they do not know who Acuthan was or is. For Acuthan was born from another world some seven hundred million light-years away. There she evolved her DNA through countless iterations over millions of years, honing her genetic code until the point of perfection that allowed her to Ascend. The first task given to an Ascendant is to build a new world; one from their own being. Acuthan labored long and hard until her first world was complete. The Ascendant then abandons the newly built and fragile world, drifting off into the multiverse to attend to greater tasks. They leave behind a part of themselves to seed and nourish the new world in the hope that one day it too will birth an Ascendant and continue the cycle. For it is the worlds of the multiverse that are its true and ultimate lifeforms.The People of the World
There are many races spread over the world but prior to the The Devastation, there were so many more. That deliberate apocalypse laid waste to swathes of the planet and the combined biological/magical weapon put pay to many wondrous species. Over the thousands of intervening years, there has been massive recovery but also the unnaturally fast evolution of twisted beings and monsters set along a genetic path that was never intended by Acuthan. The Devastation wiped away most historic record and in the absence of knowledge, we all tend to make things up to fill the gaps. And the peoples of this world have done a fantastic job of it - coming up with the weird, the wonderful and the ridiculous. Many creation stories have sprung up over thousands of years as peoples ask the fundamental questions of: where did we come from? and more desperately what happens when we die?There's Magic in the Air
Acuthan left a particular part of her being's energy behind that, after sufficient evolution, can be manifested by certain species as 'magical abilities' through a process termed Tuning. This energy comprises various types that were in perfect balance to nourish the world so life could take and flourish. However, the abuse of this energy can lead to an imbalance that is toxic to the planet. If left unchecked the imbalance will cause severe shifts in the forces that act upon the world, and destruction is a real and probable outcome. That process of decline has been in train for a long time.The Journey
The main thrust of the journey through this world is to experience its cultures, politics, conflicts, and harmonies. It is to seek the complete truth behind its creation, and through that knowledge repair the world and perhaps enable it to birth an Ascendant. And then beyond the confines of this world to seek the wonders of the worlds that pepper the vastness of space, and ultimately to discover the origin of the multiverse. Is it born purely from natural forces, was it designed by a first being akin to an Ascendant, is there a first planet zero where these answers can be found. Granted, that's a pretty tall order for even the most intrepid of explorers......but if you don't aim high in life......Races
As a fantasy world that will be designed to fit into a D&D 5e environment, the usual races appear. So far as the central region is concerned, the predominant race is Human. The overall mix and locations are broadly as follows:- Humans - 85%
- Dwarves - 10% (Nim Daruhm, Ber Toldhur)
- Elves - 2% (Isho Asari, Rynn Asari)
- Orcs - 2% (Az Lodur, Azur Makh)
- Other - 1%
Government
A spectrum of governments exist from democracy through to dictatorships and most of the in-betweens.Map & Geography
The focus of worldbuilding and storytelling is the central region as detailed on the map below.The focus for Summer Camp was the nation of Churiss and overflowed into Acaria to the north and the Kingdom of Ascaria to the west. The alignment of the two suns provides for climate zones similar to Earth, with more tropical conditions across the centre of the world moving into more temperate zones as you move north or south with icy regions at the extremes. The maps here show the largest mountain ranges only. The following world map illustrates how the central region fits into the global view.
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