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The World of Terris
The world of Terris is an alternate-Earth
filled with dangerous monsters, determined explorers, power-hungry nobles, and
rising civilizations set upon the path of expansion and conquest. The setting
combines alchemy, ritual sorcery, and the power of the human spirit as means to
explore and colonize a largely unknown and mysterious world. Because certain key
events didn’t place in Terris’ history, the world is both familiar and alien all
at once. Terris is a place filled with adventure, danger, and thousands of lost
cities just waiting to be unearthed.
Unlike many fantasy settings, all events and
developments are derived from natural history. Every creature or society can be
explained with a basis of historical accuracy and accurate scientific theory.
Terris is what Earth might have been, had one or two historical events (both
before and after the rise of man) gone differently.
Some of the differences between Terris and
Earth include:
- Acheulian (uh-shoo-lee-uhn)
culture rose dramatically beyond pottery making to a global culture based on
magic and science.
- Parallel species development led to the
rise of the aquatic Mer.
- Australopithecus
robustus did not die out and have survived to become the Dwarves.
- Neanderthals did not
die out and have survived to become the Fey.
- The civilization of
Rome never fell to the barbarian hordes.
- The global calamity
that destroyed the dinosaurs on our own Earth never happened on Terris.
- Magic is a natural,
measurable force in the world. Ritualists, Alchemists, and Enchanters shape
the world.
- Humans are just now recovering from the
depopulation caused by the Fever Plagues.
- The giant ape
gigantopithecus evolved and survive as giants, trolls, and cyclopeans.
Growing empires shape the world of Terris.
As human repopulate, they increasingly clash with each other as well as the Fey
and Dwarves. Here is a sample of the culture and empires of Terris.
- Roma - the Never-Fallen human empire
- Onogur - an empire of paranoia rising
from the ashes
- Russka - the holy empire of dark
prophecy
- Dotur - a growing empire driven by
Reason Radiant
- Castile - a church-state grown from
conquered to conqueror
- Wyddians - the beleaguered remains of
once mighty empire
- Horse Lords
- a nomad culture turned to
an unstoppable tide of horse and bow
- Yamato - an ancient culture recently
returned from the Spirit Curtain
- Chohote - a federation of diverse
warrior cultures
- Nahuatl - an empire based on tribute
and blood sacrifice
- Thulea - the last true empire of the
dwarves
- Imouha - the ancient and never
conquered Fey empire
- Tyria - militaristic and imperialist
empire of Fey
- Mer - a world spanning undersea empire
- Zhongguo - the eternal empire of the
Ever Living
Creatures, guilds, religious orders, knights, and world-changing events are
similar, but different, to that on earth. While some of the roots are the same,
the ultimate expression on Terris is unique.
- Vámpir - the Ritual of Preservation, ghouls,
and vámpir
- Dutha Knights - origin, growth, and
order
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