Meridian Wasteland
Simply referred to as the Wasteland, the Wastes, or the New World, the Meridian Wasteland is the collective landscape within the Meridian Eternal Equatorial Rise that subsequently replaced all the natural biomes of the Old World with that of new, magic-based terrain that is typically inhospitable to the Old Races. In its base state, the Wasteland is an endless plain of blue, cracked rock and soil stretching for many miles, with the occasional landmark or dead tree scattered about as a result of the Evening Star's tendency to shuffle remnant objects around every rotation; most man-made creations are obliterated, but some are spared for reasons unknown. Mountain ranges remain in their same locations after every Evening, but grow ever-increasingly deformed and eroded, now appearing as towering ridges of spiked rock due to the intense barrage of magic they sustain every year. There is no breathable air, for most particulate have bonded into Elemental Air that is extremely toxic to any organic's health, though can be dispersed with the assistance of a Ward to be breathable once more. Additionally, the remnant particulate radiation will cause a wide series of adverse side effects without proper protection and equipment, eventually leading to a slow and painful death should one wander outside the Civil Perimeter for too long. It is worth noting that these effects decrease with time as the particulate settles throughout a rotation. Grotesque monstrosities and undead born from the unnatural circumstances of Evening wander the countryside aimlessly, sometimes attacking expeditions and facilities, though many withering and dying without their lifeline to Evening. Some creatures have evolved into new flora and fauna, adapted to the extreme conditions of Evening and the dense magical particulate it brings, surviving and thriving off the warped realities within particularly radiated regions. One new race in particular, the Lecno have consistently made an appearance, besting the test of Evening every rotation and spreading their foul tendrils far and wide. They take the appearance of ethereal flora, taking root where no life dares tread, sustained off the rampant magic in the earth and from the Evening Star as sustenance to grow and prosper. Eventually, they will coalesce into mobile, amorphous colonies hungrily eyeing Meridian facilities and settlements for their stores of particulate. The dead, sterile blue Wastes are not the only notable features of this brave new world. When Evening comes, it brings with it a flurry of magic, of which condenses into literal solidified manifestations of a specific school of magic. These fields host life that rely on it as food or shelter, but can and must be harvested by the Houses before the next Evening, lest they catalyze into something worse. Sometimes, multiple magic schools will occupy the same field, with each additional school of magic threatening the Meridian with the possibility of creating another World Scar. Said World Scars are permanently uninhabitable zones of the Equatorial Rise, focusing the effects of Evening and amplifying it on certain regions, forged from the catalysis of particularly large multi-fields of magic. They can no longer be repaired or harvested, thus "scarring" the world for the rest of time, hence their name; however, they do bear very interesting properties unique to every World Scar. They have a tendency to "emulate" the Old World to some degree amid the lethal fields of magical particulate, boasting lush forests of false life, golden plains touched by a lie, still oceans that contain no water, or a sea of lava with no heat. Every form they take is but a misshapen facsimile of what was before, given form in a twisted environment that hosts its own array of monstrosities within. Most magic fields are centered around the Exclusion Zones of World Scars, or regions affected by their reality-twisting capabilities, with rogue particulate never settling and posing a constant danger that only increases in intensity the closer you approach. Eventually, you will be unable to return should you enter the Inner Exclusion Zone, space and time not persisting as normal, thereby disallowing exit entirely. And at the edge of the entire Equatorial Rise and the Wastes lay the Veil: an impassable cloud of misty nothingness, where no object or person can exist, let alone return from. What is beyond is unreachable, if there even is anything beyond.
Alternative Name(s)
The Wastes
Type
Continent
Owner/Ruler
Owning Organization
Characters in Location
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