The Physical World
Gia is a small planet, roughly 1/3 Earth’s size and 3/4s covered in brackish water. The world can be divided into two distinct zones. The first features the seven continents encompassed by a shallow ocean. The second is an unfathomably deep ocean sprinkled with small islands which rarely (if ever) interact with the major population continents of Gia.
This chapter will provide a snapshot of the world as a whole and general knowledge that an adventurer would know, having simply lived on the planet. This includes the available history, layout, and diversity of each continent as well as its standing and influences in the current (Post Cleanse) era.
A World Isolated As detailed in the Reemergence Era section, the continents primarily function as independent entities, and the connective tissue is mainly economic in nature. This setting is specifically designed for easy adaptation by a Gamemaster to provide the type of campaign they seek. Each continent provides a unique set of parameters or themes to provide a campaign’s base or the general atmosphere. It also provides a disconnect between continents, so each new location feels unique and encourages exploration.
Set in the aftermath of a war that saw a vast majority of powerful magic wielders perish, Gia is designed as a low fantasy world emphasizing mundane means of transportation and encouraging players to invest in the environment they find themselves in. Traveling to new continents involves sea adventures or risking using traceable teleportation magics, each having its own risk and rewards. Traveling to new cities or continents should be a significant undertaking filled with wonder and danger.
World Basics Within Gia, there is common knowledge about how the world functions on a global scale that all adventures should be familiar with, having existed in the world before their new exciting life. This section calls out world basics, which will be expanded in greater detail by the remainder of this chapter.
Planets and Moons The night sky holds thousands of stars but only eight prevailing or shared constellations. The most critical of these is referred to as The Breach, a never moving bright tear in reality used to navigate on both land and sea. Additionally, four planets can be seen throughout the year, one of which can take up 20% of the sky during its closest orbit. Finally, Gia possesses three moons which cause the planet to rarely have low luminosity, even at night. As such, the standard day-night cycle is only partially observed by the population, and creatures needing true darkvision are scarce.
Sea Travel Sea travel is expensive and slow, a reality after the Great Freeze when the trade winds faltered. Ocean vessels are large and mainly designed for cargo with a long shelf life. Those seeking to travel between continents would wish to locate the white Parish Company sails, buying their way on a ship that moves quickly and is not beholden to the whims of the undercurrent.
Time Gia rotates around its two suns once per 1000 days and experiences four seasons per rotation. For ease of tracking, civilization has segmented this time into a 10-day week and four 250-day seasonal cycles. Gia follows the standard 24-hour day and night cycle to remain viable for rules systems based on these requirements.
Days of Week Gyn, Exis Oni Nero Silfi Yert Swie Tyi Ectic Mik Seasons The Season of the Thaw (SoT) The Season of Growth (SoG) The Season of the Harvest (SoH) The Season of the Freeze (SoF) Expressing Time: (1-23) hour : (0-59)min | (1-250) Day of the Season, Year Era
Example 13:45 | 89 Season of the Harvest, 700 Post Cleanse Era
13:45 | 89 SoH, 700 PC (simplified)
The Current Landscape Throughout the following chapters, the history of places and cities will be named along with their original founding dates. Dates are intended to illustrate the first founding of the cities and not the refounding date after the Great Freeze. In the wake of the devastation of the 500-year Freeze, hundreds of cities were lost to Gia, ruins with untold treasures sprinkled generously across the landscape.
Now cities are generally much larger, preferring the security and stockpiles associated with large population centers, a cultural norm established as societies were forced together during the Freeze.
This chapter will provide a snapshot of the world as a whole and general knowledge that an adventurer would know, having simply lived on the planet. This includes the available history, layout, and diversity of each continent as well as its standing and influences in the current (Post Cleanse) era.
A World Isolated As detailed in the Reemergence Era section, the continents primarily function as independent entities, and the connective tissue is mainly economic in nature. This setting is specifically designed for easy adaptation by a Gamemaster to provide the type of campaign they seek. Each continent provides a unique set of parameters or themes to provide a campaign’s base or the general atmosphere. It also provides a disconnect between continents, so each new location feels unique and encourages exploration.
Set in the aftermath of a war that saw a vast majority of powerful magic wielders perish, Gia is designed as a low fantasy world emphasizing mundane means of transportation and encouraging players to invest in the environment they find themselves in. Traveling to new continents involves sea adventures or risking using traceable teleportation magics, each having its own risk and rewards. Traveling to new cities or continents should be a significant undertaking filled with wonder and danger.
World Basics Within Gia, there is common knowledge about how the world functions on a global scale that all adventures should be familiar with, having existed in the world before their new exciting life. This section calls out world basics, which will be expanded in greater detail by the remainder of this chapter.
Planets and Moons The night sky holds thousands of stars but only eight prevailing or shared constellations. The most critical of these is referred to as The Breach, a never moving bright tear in reality used to navigate on both land and sea. Additionally, four planets can be seen throughout the year, one of which can take up 20% of the sky during its closest orbit. Finally, Gia possesses three moons which cause the planet to rarely have low luminosity, even at night. As such, the standard day-night cycle is only partially observed by the population, and creatures needing true darkvision are scarce.
Sea Travel Sea travel is expensive and slow, a reality after the Great Freeze when the trade winds faltered. Ocean vessels are large and mainly designed for cargo with a long shelf life. Those seeking to travel between continents would wish to locate the white Parish Company sails, buying their way on a ship that moves quickly and is not beholden to the whims of the undercurrent.
Time Gia rotates around its two suns once per 1000 days and experiences four seasons per rotation. For ease of tracking, civilization has segmented this time into a 10-day week and four 250-day seasonal cycles. Gia follows the standard 24-hour day and night cycle to remain viable for rules systems based on these requirements.
Days of Week Gyn, Exis Oni Nero Silfi Yert Swie Tyi Ectic Mik Seasons The Season of the Thaw (SoT) The Season of Growth (SoG) The Season of the Harvest (SoH) The Season of the Freeze (SoF) Expressing Time: (1-23) hour : (0-59)min | (1-250) Day of the Season, Year Era
Example 13:45 | 89 Season of the Harvest, 700 Post Cleanse Era
13:45 | 89 SoH, 700 PC (simplified)
The Current Landscape Throughout the following chapters, the history of places and cities will be named along with their original founding dates. Dates are intended to illustrate the first founding of the cities and not the refounding date after the Great Freeze. In the wake of the devastation of the 500-year Freeze, hundreds of cities were lost to Gia, ruins with untold treasures sprinkled generously across the landscape.
Now cities are generally much larger, preferring the security and stockpiles associated with large population centers, a cultural norm established as societies were forced together during the Freeze.
Remove these ads. Join the Worldbuilders Guild
Comments