The World of Trid is a global sandbox supporting a mix of cultures and technology thematically consistent with Earth's early Middle Ages, but distinctly different through the infusion of magic, real gods, and massive caches of ancient treasure hidden in dungeons and guarded by monsters.
This Gazetteer is written from the perspective of Continental inhabitants, whose populations—given its vast area—are highly varied. Everything here is considered common knowledge (though that doesn't mean it's entirely accurate).
Cosmology
Trid circles the star Ammonkis, joined by three planetary siblings.
Ammonkis: Trid's sun is larger and hotter than Sol, giving off bright yellow-white light and exerting significant gravitational pull on its four far-flung satellites.
The planets: Trid occupies Ammonkis' second orbit. Three other planets exist within the Ammonkis Sphere:
- Aerchus: Occupying Ammonkis' closest orbit, Aerchus is a small and swift red planet traditionally associated with Chaos.
- Vincula: A pale blue orb whose size and orbit closely matches Trid's, Vincula occupies Ammonkis' third orbit and is associated with Neutrality.
- Hieron: Farthest from Ammonkis is Hieron, a massive planet that appears as a brilliant white star in the sky, associated with Law.
Trid’s moons: Two satellites orbit Trid: Lyolm, a verdant moon whose phases follow a 30-day cycle; and
Opho, a radiant, hurtling asteroid whose erratic orbit disrupts Trid’s magical field and is responsible for the
Ardic Curse.
The firmament: Within the sea of stars that surround Ammonkis’ family, nine constellations represent Trid's Gods, collectively known as
The Circle. Deeply rooted in Trid’s Dim Ages, the influence of these constellations, and the gods they represent, is still felt today.
Geography
The major
territories described in the Gazetteer rest on two major landmasses and a scattering of large islands and archipelagos:
The Continent: Spanning nearly pole-to-pole, the Continent is a Pangean expanse comprising two-thirds of the habitable land on Trid and homeland to elves, dwarfs, and humans. The Continent is criss-crossed with
Elven Roads, which formed the boundaries of the Ardic Republic during the Age of Fable.
Eremus: A large island south-west of the Continent,
Eremus is the homeland of the halflings. The elves initiated trade in the Age of Fable, mapping the coastline and northern interior and laying roads to facilitate commerce.
The Far Isles: A trio of islands beyond the
Shoreless Ocean west of the Continent,
The Far Isles are unknown to Continentals, save for cryptic references within the
Jade Chronicle and some vague scraps gathered through divination.
The Serpent Archipelago: The
Serpent Sea east of the Continent contains a vast sprawl of island chains. The ancient homeland of the now-extinct saurians, the Archipelago is dominated today by
Segelmen city-states.
The Ages
The history of Trid is aeons long, stretching years beyond the ability to count them. This posed a problem for scholars early in the Age of History, who no longer had access to the records lost during the Fall, and were thus unable to recreate a coherent timeline of the distant past. Coupled with the unreliability of living memory, these gaps in the past (and the biases applied to fill them) render the collective histories prior to the fourth century non-authoritative.
The
Guild of Archivists solved this problem by dividing Trid’s deep past into
Ages, whose lengths are agreed to be unknown. Only the current age, the Age of History, is tracked (scrupulously, by the Archivists) in numbered years—the rest are indeterminate periods just long enough to contain the events assigned to them.
The Before Times: A primeval period dominated by warring
elves and
saurians. Less advanced human and humanoid tribes live as stone age hunter-gatherers.
The Dim Ages: The elves teach civilisation to humans, eventually recruting them as allies in a war that crushes the
Saurian Empire.
The Age of Fable: The alliance of men and elves blossoms into the
Ardic Republic, uniting two-thirds of the Continent under a common language, currency, and religion. The elves grow tyrannical until the freak arrival of the asteroid-moon
Opho shifts the balance of power to men. Humans rebel, overthrowing the Republic; the few elves who survive are exiled from the Continent.
The Age of History: Archivists track the current age in Modern Reckoning (MR; it is presently 991 MR, or 991 years since the Fall of the Republic). The destruction of the Fall turned most settled land into lawless wilderness, now overrun with humanoids, monsters, and would-be kings. Humans push back by creating and fortifying settlements to expand into the wilds, determined to conquer the chaos that threatens every border.
The Calendar
Trid's day lasts 24 hours and a year—the time it takes for
The Circle to complete its full progression—is 360 days long.
The annual Continental calendar was established during the Ardic Republic and is divided into nine 40-day months, each corresponding to the passage of one of
The Circle's nine constellations “through” Ammonkis. Developed in Trid's equatorial latitudes, the original calendar did not contemplate the distinct growing seasons of more temperate climes; these correlations were applied by the Coastal Dukes of the Sovereignties after the Fall and are reflected in Modern Reckoning.
| Month | Constellation | God | Influence | AL |
|---|
| Devouring maw | Master Yow | Ambition | C |
| Iron bastion | Tybor | Duty | L |
| Blazing flame | Dionysus | Desire | C |
| Silver eye | Apollo | Insight | L |
| Grey scales | Cygnus | Balance | N |
| Veiled moon | Syrinx | Mystery | C |
| Twin hearts | Lamneth | Empathy | L |
| Raging storm | The Necromancer | Fury | C |
| Steadfast shield | Rocinante | Resolve | L |
The Elven Cycle: The order of the constellations throughout the year was set by the elves to track the repeating cycle of order to disorder. As exemplified by The Circle, this cycle repeats four times in a year, each time initiated by a Chaotic urge whose excesses give rise to a Lawful response.
Transit Festivals: The first and last two days of each month are designated as Transit Festivals, holidays devoted to the brief period of balance between Law and Chaos. There are eight such festivals throughout the year, with an entire month dedicated to Cygnus, the God of Balance, at midyear.
Days of the Week: Transit festivals reduce each month's practical duration to 36 days, marked by six weeks of six days each. Days of the week are referred to by number, so Firstday, Seconday, Thirday, etc., though dates may be referenced by month and day of the month (e.g., Fall 23). By common convention, most cultures reserve Sixthday for rest and religion.
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