The Lost World
In a few secluded places around the world there are subterranean passages and portals leading to a lush, secret land in which dinosaurs still live, where the two dominant civilizations are long-lost populations from the Incan and the Roman empires, and where mysteries hide in ancient Atlantean and alien ruins.
The exact location of the Lost World is hard to pinpoint, if that’s possible at all, but it seems to exist in a pocket dimension of some sort, although there have been a number of theories put forth by visitors over the years. Whatever the case, the reality of the Lost World is a savage realm where only the strong survive.
Unfortunately, they underestimated the Serpent People, who used their dark arts to weaken the barriers between the dimensions and “tunnel” back to Earth as well as into a number of parallel dimensions. They quickly reestablished their Empire of Lemuria and came into conflict with the nation of Atlantis, founded by the humans the Preservers had experimented on. The two nations fought, which brought about the Great Cataclysm, signaling the end of both nations. For the Serpent People it was their final defeat. Their civilization was left in ruins, their people spread in small bands throughout the world. They quickly sunk into barbarism. Even their prison wasn’t safe during the war. The Atlanteans found it, attacked, and devastated the refuges the Serpent People had set up there, but not without heavy losses on both sides of the conflict. Atlantean and Lemurian artifacts from the time of this conflict still litter parts of the Lost World.
In the time since the Great Cataclysm, the Lost World has changed very little. Life persists and, over time, even more strange creatures and people have found their way into the Lost World. At some points in the past the barrier between Earth and the Lost World was so permeable that whole portions of Earth were drawn into it, seemingly permanently.
Even in this configuration, many of the major geographical landmarks exist, such as the Andes, Urals, and Rocky Mountains. Vast expanses of plains, forests, and deserts also exist, but their locations aren’t necessarily consistent with those of Earth’s, simply because of where the continents are located on the surface of the Earth and what the weather is like, given those changes.
After the decision was made, the men of the Legion began expanding the city. This had already been necessary, as some had taken local tribeswomen as brides and raised families, but now the command to establish a city had been given and they attacked the problem with typical Roman precision and determination. In short order they’d cleared some of the surrounding land, expanded the walls, and built more structures using traditional Roman building techniques as well as new tricks learned from locals. Thanks to the influx of Lost World natives as well as the ever-expanding families of Roman stock, the city has continued to grow. Thousands now populate Nova Roma, all of them living in a city that resembles Rome at the height of the Empire, albeit a tropical Rome with domesticated dinosaurs carrying riders and hauling carts through the cobblestone streets. They are ruled by Praetor-Governor Antoninus Augustus. Even in all this time, no Nova Roman has declared himself Emperor, ostensibly owing allegiance to far off, lost Rome, although some consider the “City of Seven Hills” just as much a myth as Mount Olympus.
Relations between Nova Roma and the surrounding territories are good. The city provides a stable place for the tribespeople to trade and has even supplied aid to some of the tribes when needed. The Nova Romans’ relationship with Viracochasuyu is uneasy at best. Soon after the Incans’ arrival to the Lost World, the Nova Romans tried to conquer them, but the power of Viracocha drove them back. Since then the two citystates have treated each other diplomatically and trade between them has grown. Even so, Praetor-Governor Augustus dislikes the fact that there’s a power his Legionnaires can’t overcome and he’s actively searching for a way to overthrow the Incan “god,” should he become a threat to the city.
The Incan Empire was drawn here centuries ago by the power of Viracocha, who’d foreseen the end of the Incan civilization on Earth at the hands of outsiders. Viracocha found the Lost World and, thanks to his power and the weakened dimensional barriers, was able to transplant his mountain empire here. Since then he’s stayed with his people and defended them against invaders, natural disasters, and otherworldly threats. The Incan people are thankful for Viracocha’s presence and regularly sacrifice people (both Incans and outsiders) to a live volcano in his honor.
The citizens of Viracochasuyu show little fear while within the boundaries of their city, but are cautious when outside their god’s domain. Their reliance on Viracocha has made the Incans somewhat overconfident on their own turf, and wary about expanding beyond it, but they still know they have to take care of themselves and most of them are competent warriors, some of whom are trained pteranadon riders. Their terrestrial leader holds the title of Willaq Umu, or High Priest. He runs the day-to-day workings of the Empire and often confers with Viracocha on important matters.
The sea itself doesn’t have a single personality; depending on the day, time, location, and weather, it is calm, choppy, threatening, or downright dangerous. Most of the coastdwelling people of the Lost World know how to read the sea thanks to a lifetime of exposure to it while fishing, both from the shore and from handmade boats. Only the major civilizations sail the high seas for purposes of trade, but their ships are becoming a common enough sight in some parts of the world that some of the tribes are starting to do the same, albeit on a smaller scale.
The exact location of the Lost World is hard to pinpoint, if that’s possible at all, but it seems to exist in a pocket dimension of some sort, although there have been a number of theories put forth by visitors over the years. Whatever the case, the reality of the Lost World is a savage realm where only the strong survive.
LOST WORLD PREMISES
The Lost World is in a dimension of its own, but it isn’t a world of its own. Its existence is tied to Earth’s and possibly (probably) a number of other worlds. It seems to take bits and pieces from these other worlds haphazardly but, despite its apparent randomness, the Lost World has a look and feel that’s distinctive.IT’S EASIER TO GET TO THAN TO LEAVE..
...and it’s not easy to get to! Most people find their way to the Lost World by accident. Usually the trip is short and unexpected. Some people, those who’ve heard of the Lost World and decide to seek it out, can spend a long time finding a way there. Oftentimes the portals are hidden underground or guarded by primitive tribes, impenetrable wilderness, or guardian spirits linked to the portals. Other times, a portal appears randomly, like in the Bermuda Triangle. No matter how a person gets there or what they have to overcome to do it, getting there is actually the easy part, leaving, on the other hand, is trickier. The path a character took to get here may not lead back to the same place or the portal may have closed up entirely! Those stable portals that do exist are few and far between. A handful of people in the Lost World know of a stable portal or two (such as Zandar the Jungle Lord's knowledge of a path back to Freedom City), but depending on whom you meet, it may not be the portal you need.STRANGE JUXTAPOSITIONS
While the Lost World looks like a savage, jungle world populated by dinosaurs and other prehistoric creatures, in truth it’s much more than that. Within its confines is a strange mixture of people and artifacts from different worlds, times, and races. Primitive humans live alongside dinosaurs, which prey upon bands of Serpent People who search through Atlantean ruins for powerful artifacts. New people arrive at random and either survive and add to the mix or perish, leaving behind artifacts of their own to add to the mystique of the place. At first glance the Lost World wouldn’t seem to be a place where you’d find alien technology, magic, primitive tribes, and civilizations from other times, but those things are there and they combine to make Lost World unique.PRIMITIVE TRUMPS MODERN...USUALLY
Physical strength, raw power, big teeth and claws—these are the things that define the Lost World. Anyone who accepts that will survive; anyone who embraces it will thrive; and anyone who rejects it, will die. The only time being from an “advanced” culture is a good thing is when it makes you stronger—such as knowing how to build traps, create explosives, or use a gun!EXPLORATION AND THE UNKNOWN
The Lost World hasn’t been mapped, not accurately and not completely, anyway. Certainly the people who live there know how to get around and where important landmarks are, but easily usable maps are nonexistent. Perhaps this is simply a matter of the level of technology available, but it’s just as likely that there’s something about the land itself that resists mapping so that a map made one day doesn’t actually reflect where things are the next. Regardless, exploration and discovery of what lies around the next bend is an important theme in the Lost World.HERE BE MONSTERS!
Unlike the modern, civilized world, “monsters” of all stripes exist and are actually the dominant lifeforms in the Lost World. This includes everything from cavemen and pre-historic creatures like dinosaurs and sabertoothed cats to Serpent People and strangely mutated animals. There may even be alien creatures that have found their way here through portals from other worlds or that escaped from an alien ark. These beasts are a threat to everything and a constant danger to anyone in the Lost World.“MAGIC” SUFFUSES EVERYTHING
In addition to raw strength, some of the creatures and inhabitants of the Lost World have been changed by a power intrinsic to the place. In this case “magic” could mean almost anything from an alien artifact that has unpredictable effects to radioactive crystals, or actual magic. Regardless of the source, this power source (or all of them) changes some of the creatures exposed to it. It’s possible to find a fire-breathing T-rex, a giant ape, some other creature never seen before, or a young woman with the ability to cast spells. All of these draw their abilities from this power source, consciously or not.ONLY THE STRONG SURVIVE
Finally, the Lost World is a savage land, and survival is a daily struggle. The people here know that and are quick to recognize and separate the strong from the weak. Danger lies around every corner in the form of a raptor just as it lies in the sweet smile of a jungle princess who has ambitions of her own. Everyone in the Lost World can take care of him- or herself and anyone who spends much time here better have their wits about them and be quick on their feet.HISTORY OF THE LOST WORLD
The peoples of the Lost World each have their own creation myths or ideas about where their world came from. These include everything from the traditional beliefs of the Romans and Incans, to the unfathomable thoughts the Serpent People have about Yig or the Dark Gods that came before. In addition, the tribes native to the land have primitive ideas all their own. It’s likely they’ll never know the truth of the matter.THE PRESERVERS
The ancient aliens known as the Preservers actually created the Lost World to serve as a prison. When the Preservers first arrived on Earth they experimented with human life, but cared little for the reptilian Serpent People, seeing little potential in them. In order to remove them from the equation and ensure that they wouldn’t interfere with human progress, the Preservers created a pocket dimension and gathered up many of the Serpent People and imprisoned them there. Along with the Serpent People, they deposited some of the indigenous peoples they hadn’t experimented on and re-created a number of creatures that had been native to Earth, but died out due to environmental conditions. They thought it might be worthwhile to have some of the original human stock and other life-forms native to Earth safely stored away just in case something went wrong with their experiment. When they were done with their experiments, they left.Unfortunately, they underestimated the Serpent People, who used their dark arts to weaken the barriers between the dimensions and “tunnel” back to Earth as well as into a number of parallel dimensions. They quickly reestablished their Empire of Lemuria and came into conflict with the nation of Atlantis, founded by the humans the Preservers had experimented on. The two nations fought, which brought about the Great Cataclysm, signaling the end of both nations. For the Serpent People it was their final defeat. Their civilization was left in ruins, their people spread in small bands throughout the world. They quickly sunk into barbarism. Even their prison wasn’t safe during the war. The Atlanteans found it, attacked, and devastated the refuges the Serpent People had set up there, but not without heavy losses on both sides of the conflict. Atlantean and Lemurian artifacts from the time of this conflict still litter parts of the Lost World.
In the time since the Great Cataclysm, the Lost World has changed very little. Life persists and, over time, even more strange creatures and people have found their way into the Lost World. At some points in the past the barrier between Earth and the Lost World was so permeable that whole portions of Earth were drawn into it, seemingly permanently.
THE LOST WORLD TODAY
In the present day of the Lost World, things are as they’ve always been—at least from the perspective of the people who live there. Dinosaurs roam the land, the two major civilizations have an unsteady truce, and every now and again strangers from somewhere else arrive to cause trouble. What the people in the Lost World don’t know is that the walls between dimensions have slowly strengthened over time. The portals between worlds have become erratic and more difficult to find. Perhaps the barriers established by the Preservers have slowly “healed” the damage inflicted by the Serpent People, or the influence of interdimensional conflicts like the Terminus Invasion, or the discovery of the Preserver Stones, on Earth-Prime have had some effect.THE TRUE HISTORY
No one in the Lost World actually knows its true history and, depending on how you want the setting to work in your game, the information given here may have to change entirely. Use what’s presented here as a jumping off point or feel free to change it. It doesn’t really matter since there’s no written history of the Lost World, no scientists delving into the secrets of its universe, or anyone who really cares all that much about it. The inhabitants of the Lost World are far more concerned with what’s happening in the here and now, and not what may have happened at the dawn of creation.GEOGRAPHY
The Lost World mirrors Earth’s geography at an early stage of its development. It looks something like Earth did during the early Jurassic period. The continents are still mostly linked together, with Antarctica, Australia, India, Africa, South America, and North America clumped together running north-south and Europe and Asia spread out widely running roughly east-west in the far north.Even in this configuration, many of the major geographical landmarks exist, such as the Andes, Urals, and Rocky Mountains. Vast expanses of plains, forests, and deserts also exist, but their locations aren’t necessarily consistent with those of Earth’s, simply because of where the continents are located on the surface of the Earth and what the weather is like, given those changes.
NOVA ROMA
Nova Roma is a grand, walled city built and expanded over more than a thousand years. It was founded when General Viridius Sophus and his legion found a passage into the Lost World and claimed the strange new land in the name of Emperor Marcus Aurelius. General Sophus and his men set to work on building a defensible encampment and reporting back to his commanders. Unfortunately all of the messengers either never came back or returned to report they couldn’t find the path back. Regardless, Sophus continued to make the attempt for years, as did the Generals who replaced him after he died. Finally, after nearly 100 years they stopped sending messengers and decided to give up on ever seeing or hearing from Rome again.After the decision was made, the men of the Legion began expanding the city. This had already been necessary, as some had taken local tribeswomen as brides and raised families, but now the command to establish a city had been given and they attacked the problem with typical Roman precision and determination. In short order they’d cleared some of the surrounding land, expanded the walls, and built more structures using traditional Roman building techniques as well as new tricks learned from locals. Thanks to the influx of Lost World natives as well as the ever-expanding families of Roman stock, the city has continued to grow. Thousands now populate Nova Roma, all of them living in a city that resembles Rome at the height of the Empire, albeit a tropical Rome with domesticated dinosaurs carrying riders and hauling carts through the cobblestone streets. They are ruled by Praetor-Governor Antoninus Augustus. Even in all this time, no Nova Roman has declared himself Emperor, ostensibly owing allegiance to far off, lost Rome, although some consider the “City of Seven Hills” just as much a myth as Mount Olympus.
Relations between Nova Roma and the surrounding territories are good. The city provides a stable place for the tribespeople to trade and has even supplied aid to some of the tribes when needed. The Nova Romans’ relationship with Viracochasuyu is uneasy at best. Soon after the Incans’ arrival to the Lost World, the Nova Romans tried to conquer them, but the power of Viracocha drove them back. Since then the two citystates have treated each other diplomatically and trade between them has grown. Even so, Praetor-Governor Augustus dislikes the fact that there’s a power his Legionnaires can’t overcome and he’s actively searching for a way to overthrow the Incan “god,” should he become a threat to the city.
VIRACOCHASUYU
Viracochasuyu is a city, but a city in the Incan concept of such things. It has buildings, dwellings, streets, and people, but considering the population of Incans in the area, very few of them actually call Viracochasuyu home. To the Incans, a city is mostly a place of business, trade, and government, so during the days Viracochasuyu is lively and packed with people, but at night its streets are nearly empty, as almost everyone goes home to the villages and townships in the surrounding hills and mountains. Some of these villages and terraced farms are miles from the heart of Viracochasuyu, but even so they’re considered part of the city simply because they’re within the sphere of influence of their god-king Viracocha.The Incan Empire was drawn here centuries ago by the power of Viracocha, who’d foreseen the end of the Incan civilization on Earth at the hands of outsiders. Viracocha found the Lost World and, thanks to his power and the weakened dimensional barriers, was able to transplant his mountain empire here. Since then he’s stayed with his people and defended them against invaders, natural disasters, and otherworldly threats. The Incan people are thankful for Viracocha’s presence and regularly sacrifice people (both Incans and outsiders) to a live volcano in his honor.
The citizens of Viracochasuyu show little fear while within the boundaries of their city, but are cautious when outside their god’s domain. Their reliance on Viracocha has made the Incans somewhat overconfident on their own turf, and wary about expanding beyond it, but they still know they have to take care of themselves and most of them are competent warriors, some of whom are trained pteranadon riders. Their terrestrial leader holds the title of Willaq Umu, or High Priest. He runs the day-to-day workings of the Empire and often confers with Viracocha on important matters.
AGHARTA
A metropolitan city made up of tribes-people who have left their towns and villages to create a city all their own. This would make an excellent “capital city” for the Lost World as it incorporates all the various factions found here.ARYAYARSHA
A city originally founded by Hindu mystics. Unfortunately their association with the Aryan concept brought them to the attention of Nazi occultists who found their way here and wiped out the founders. Now this small Nazi outpost struggles to survive by using tribeswomen as breeding stock while searching for Atlantean artifacts they’re certain will give them the power to return home and rejoin the Third Reich.BELOVODYE
Founded by a nineteenth-century Christian sect from Russia. This is a peaceful city of quiet contemplation. More than a few citizens of Belovodye take it upon themselves to wander the Lost World and spread the Good Word.HSI TIEN
A Chinese city of artists and warriors who still believe strongly in traditional hierarchy and manners.JANAIDAR
So named by the Kirghiz people who settled here around 1000 C.E. after finding a path to the Lost World in the Tian Shian Mountains. The original settlers were one of the fabled forty tribes of the Kirghiz. They live a somewhat nomadic life, but built the permanent city of Janaidar for protection. It sits empty much of the time, but during times of trouble it overflows with people.KALAPA
A Tibetan city settled by monks and servants. They think of the Lost World as the Pure Land of their teachings and call the entire area Olmolungring. Kalapa is an incredibly impressive mountain city with well-guarded paths and buildings that hang off the sides of the mountain. It is a beautiful place almost always shrouded in clouds or covered in snow.THE SHADOW SEA
Since the Lost World is made up of basically one single landmass that stretches across one side of the globe, there’s really only one body of water, at least from the Lost World’s inhabitants’ perspective. They call it the Shadow Sea, not because it is dark, but because they can see the shadows of all the creatures swimming in it—and given how varied and abundant life is in the Lost World, that’s a great many shadows. The sea teems with life, from the smallest fish to whales, kraken, and even aquatic dinosaurs like the plesiosaur.The sea itself doesn’t have a single personality; depending on the day, time, location, and weather, it is calm, choppy, threatening, or downright dangerous. Most of the coastdwelling people of the Lost World know how to read the sea thanks to a lifetime of exposure to it while fishing, both from the shore and from handmade boats. Only the major civilizations sail the high seas for purposes of trade, but their ships are becoming a common enough sight in some parts of the world that some of the tribes are starting to do the same, albeit on a smaller scale.
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