This planet is known as Aestas, a corruption of the much longer Elven word for the world, which apparently only one of many known to that ancient and almost extinct race. It is an Earthlike world, a sphere roughly 25,000 miles in circumference at the equator, with the usual climate and temperature bands one would expect. The night sky is occupied by two moons. The larger is a white ball of rock, known as "Atoros" to the Keller, while the second one, "Quarten", is a distant red point, glowing balefully in the night sky. Neither one is as large as Earth's moon is in the night sky, but they have both proven significant in the formation of systems of time used by various cultures. Atoros is in a regular orbit, defining the calendar month in most civilizations, while Quarten follows an elliptical orbit.
Most interesting of all is the "Great Ring", a disc of dust, ice, and rock which circles the equator. On the surface, it casts a sharp shadow nearly a thousand miles across which divides the planet with a band of dim twilight across the equatorial regions, in defiance of the geometries involved. Most people simply believe it to be the work of the Gods, and leave it at that. Oddly, the very oldest known chronicles speak of no such ring, leading some scholars to believe that it is the creation of the Elves, a remnant of their final war. The ring is visible in the night sky as a shimmering ribbon, while in the day sky it is a band of white. In both cases it appears as an arch on the horizon facing the equator. The closer one goes to the equator, the higher in the sky it appears. Finally, meteor showers are a common occurrence throughout the world.
There are numerous intelligent races here, the current dominant one is humanity. The northern hemisphere is referred to as the "Known World", and is the focus of this campaign. Prior to the current era, Elves were the undisputed masters of the world, raising great cities and commanding powerful magics unrivaled even by today’s greatest mages. Humanity was just one more savage race of primitives, hiding in the wilds. Several thousand years ago, the elves destroyed themselves in a great cataclysm which changed the face of Aestas. No one knows how or why, and the surviving elves say nothing of their former glories. Eventually, humanity grew in power, coming to dominate the Known World.
Major Regions of the "Known World"
Pershamon Empire: This is the oldest, most advanced state in the "Known World". The Pershamon were once a vigorous horse people, but are now settled and have become quite decadent. Despite this, the size of the empire and the power of her armies make the Pershamon Empire the center of civilization for the "Known World". The capital city, Kalmah, is home to nearly a million people, and is as corrupt as Rome ever was. The Pershamon are a matrilineal people, and women are held as equals to men. Despite this, the empire is extremely stratified by caste; they are divided into warrior/nobles, priest/mages, artisans, peasants, and numerous slaves. Crossing over caste lines is forbidden by the religion of the Pershamon, which vaguely resembles Hinduism. The Pershamon Empire is highly advanced in the military and medical sciences, much like medieval China. The Army makes good use of gunpowder, cannon, and rocketry, supplementing this with a few but very powerful war-mages. Currently, the empire is stagnant; having reached easily defensible natural frontiers, it makes only occasional forays beyond them.
Keller Lands: Three hundred years ago, the Keller Empire was at its zenith, rivaling the Pershamon Empire in power. This empire was a brittle feudal arrangement, tying dozens of different peoples under the banner of the sun-worshipping Alikai Dynasty. Unfortunately, several hard years of crusades combined with a succession dispute, plunging the empire into civil war. Barbarian invaders and Pershamon intrigues finished the job. Today, the Keller Lands are scores of independent duchies and baronies, as well as a few powerful free cities, bound together by ties of trade and common language. The Keller Lands are actually inhabited by many different groups, Keller being the majority, with some Sevastin in the central regions, and a few Noladen baronies in the north. Despite its fractured state, the Keller Lands are vigorous. The Keller are renowned seafarers and traders, and "Keller Common", the language of the empire, is a trade language spoken throughout the "Known World". Individual Keller can be found in nearly any port or caravan city in the world.
Northlands: These are the frigid woodlands along the northern fringes of the "Known World", inhabited mainly by the savage Noladen tribes. These barbarians live in the great coniferous woodlands with a few other people and all manner of beasts and fell monsters. There are numerous small villages, but few large enough to be called towns. The region is a source of furs and timber, valued throughout the "Known World" for shipbuilding.
Farspar Mountains: This vast range divides the Keller Lands from the Pershamon Empire, running north-south across the "Known World". The northern end is the home of the Dwarves, who jealously guard their lands from most human encroachment. Little is known for certain about the Dwarven lands, but the stories usually involve grand cities beneath the mountains and Seven Kings. The southern end is pierced by two mountain passes, the "Greater" and "Lesser Farspar Roads", which are the main trade routes between the Keller Lands and the Pershamon Empire. There are large cities on both ends of both trails, thriving on this unending commerce. Despite the heavy traffic, the mountain range itself remains quite wild. They are home to a number of dragons, perhaps the only place in the "Known World" that such beasts are not completely extinct.
The Great Steppelands: Beyond the vast Hanismah River, the western frontier of the Pershamon Empire, lies a veritable ocean of grasslands, broken up only by rolling hills and meandering rivers. This marks the western limits of the "Known World". Beyond this grassland, which stretches thousands of miles, lies a desert and a great mountain range. Beyond that lie the lands of the Hasherah, a hideous race of insectoid beasts. The Great Steppelands are home to nomadic tribes of Pershamon and Noladen peoples, which follow the migrating herds of bison and cattle. The plains are home to numbers of large and savage reptiles, some of which are used as war beasts by the tribes.
Mayhar Peninsula: This vast area of jungle covers the southern part of the "Known World", and the southern end of the Farspar Range. The coastal areas are settled by pirates and a few Keller colonists, but by and large the jungles are inhabited by the Montoc peoples. Most of the Montoc here, unlike their cousins across the seas, are fairly primitive tribesmen who distrust all outsiders. The Mayhar Peninsula is dotted with the ruins of previous cultures, including ones predating humanity. Despite the mutual hostility, the Montoc do occasionally trade with outsiders. The Mayhar Peninsula is a place of danger for interlopers from more temperate climes, as it is home to many virulent diseases unknown to Keller or Pershamon.
Yanosh: At the far eastern extremity of the "Known World" lies the land of Yanosh, a kingdom at war with itself. It is the ancestral homeland of the Noladen people, ruled by a powerless yet divine "God-King". Under this divine figure are countless clans, each controlling a small area, each trying to gain control over its neighbors. Yanosh is alone in the degree of glorification of warfare and warriors, raising almost to a religion. The situation is similar to ancient Japan. Despite the savagery of conditions, Yanosh arts are highly developed, and weapons forged in Yanosh are extremely prized. This is especially true for the national weapon, a strange affair called the "Urum". An Urum is a single edged, curved sword blade affixed to a three-foot staff, with a weighted chain some six feet long at the other end. The weapon is dangerous to use, and requires great skill (Staff and Chain skills) to use properly. When the whole affair is sheathed, the Urum resembled an oddly proportioned staff. There is a large body of knowledge developed around this weapon both in use and etiquette.
Far Shores : Formerly the Keller Empire’s toehold on a distant continent, this realm is now an independent kingdom. Many weeks travel across the ocean, it is primarily notable for the many savage inhabitants that plague the colonies. It is of some interest to scholars and wizards, however, as the land seems to be a former Elven center of civilization. The dry expanses of Far Shores are dotted with ancient ruins, now infested by aberrations and other, stranger things. The kingdom itself is flourishing despite all setbacks, due to a constant influx of fortune-seekers and colonists.
Savage Lands: This term refers to the numerous small islands and subcontinents that make up the tropical zone of the world. The tropical regions are divided into three areas. The "Northern Tropics" are the area closest to the "Known World", marked by hot, wet climate and violent weather patterns. The "Southern Tropics" are nearly identical. These two areas are separated by a thousand miles of perpetual twilight, the sharp shadow of the Great Ring, known as the "Tropics of Eternal Night". The sun never shines in this sullen region, which circles the entire globe. The lands within are believed infested with demons and the dead, and hence travel through it is left only to the brave, greedy, or foolhardy. By and large they are well known only to the Keller traders who ply these waters. The inhabitants of the "Savage Lands" are by and large Montoc, who do not deserve the appellation "Savage". There are no empires in the region, but there are numerous island kingdoms linked by language and trade. The most sophisticated of these are the Nahuanti, who have achieved an iron-age civilization on their large island chain. The Montoc, despite their lack of large states, are a fairly sophisticated people with a highly developed science of astronomy, and equal the Kellers in seafaring ability if not scale. Needless to say, the Montoc do not fear the Tropics of Eternal Night
Southern Reaches: This is a catch-all name given to the lands on the far side of the Savage Lands, which are largely unknown. Only the coastlines have been explored, and only the closest parts of that. The lands that are known are wilderness, uninhabited save for a few Montoc tribes. It is known that there are other races of men living beyond this area, one of them a dark-skinned race called the Uthman. The few that have been encountered by Keller traders seemed to come from a culture not dissimilar to the Pershamon Empire, except in details. Uthman ships are sometimes encountered in the Savage Lands, trading and exploring in the same way as the Keller. The Uthman and Montoc have alluded to a sophisticated land of black-haired and yellow-complected humans called the Taohuan, but nothing is known of their lands or empires.