The Anomalous Earth By moxn Watch

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Location Earth

This map has been the product of several years of tinkering and tweaking. It would lay fallow for weeks and months at a time before a burst of inspiration would bring me back to rework it and make some new addition. Despite all the countless revisions and alterations, the underlying theme of the map always remained the same: to make a version of our world where magic and the old gods were real and history was smashed together with fantasy tropes.



Backstory

The ancient history of the world has long faded away to a menagerie of faded myths and legends. No one is certain just how old it is, or if it can even be said to have a beginning. The gods are the only ones who have been witness to Earth's entire story but they remain as elusive as ever whenever the mortal races ask for insight. All that can be known for certain is that many ages and peoples have come and gone before the modern age. The oldest of these empires that we can trace back was that of Atlantis, but even they marveled at the ruins of those that came before them. The Atlanteans were the progenitors to men, elves, and many other races living today. Being favored by the gods, they were able to spread across the world and harness the powers of magic in ways that the greatest mages today still struggle to grasp. Their time ended, however, when they attempted to usurp the gods themselves and hearkened the destruction of their homeland.



Thousands of years have passed since the sinking of Atlantis and the Great Flood that followed, but nearly every nation can still trace their lineage back to them in some form or another.



Holy Europa and the West

The Holy Empire of Europa is the dominant power of the Western lands and has begun to spread its influence across the rest of the world. It is the last vestige of the greater Rome that came before it. Numerous Emperors have worked to restore its lost glory and bring its neighbors back into the Imperial fold to varying success. On the whole, however, most people are more concerned with internal matters and realize that the dreams of total reconquest should be let go.



The Empire itself is divided into eight Circles, each ruled by a different family. These eight families control the bulk of the Empire's military and financial power and constantly vie against one another for court power. Peace is maintained between them not just through intermarriage, but also the threat of mutual destruction from their arsenal of dragons. Their greatest source of influence comes into play whenever a sitting Emperor dies. The head head of each family holds the title of Elector, and along with the Patriarch of the Church they are able to cast their vote on who will take the throne next. Many Emperors have indebted themselves in order to gain much-needed votes. This isn't to say the throne is entirely powerless, however. While the eight Circles each have their own territory, the Emperor retains control over the free cities and counties of the Empire. It's from these that he can raise revenue for the Fiscus, the royal treasury that has evolved to become an Imperial bank. He is also able to raise soldiers to fill the Praetorian and Varangian Legions who answer only to him.



Surrounding the Empire are numerous kingdoms. The most antagonistic of these has been Britannia. It was only a generation ago that the Century of Strife ended and left Britannia independent from the Empire. The conflict began after a contested Imperial election left two men claiming the throne for themselves. What started as an inter-family fight spiraled into an endless civil war that saw dragons devastate countless cities, invading armies ravaging everything in their path, and the intervention of nearly every other kingdom. While peace was eventually restored, the two factions still refuse to formally recognize one another. The Britannian Emperor still claims to be the rightful ruler over the entire Empire, while Holy Europa refuses to recognize the Arthurian dynasty and considers Britannia to be a rebellious Circle that will eventually be brought back to order.



To the north lies the Kingdom of Kalmar, named after the great city where its first king proclaimed its formation. What was once a loose union has become more centralized over the ages. Ironically, it was the Empire's own invasion and occupation of its southernmost provinces that helped make this centralization and subsequent strengthening possible. Despite its much smaller size, Kalmar continues to pose a threat thanks to its highly elite military forces and merchant fleet. The kingdom sided with Britannia during the Century of Strife and its armies razed large portions of the Hanseatic Circle before they could be pushed back. The large numbers of elves in their ranks left behind a lingering hostility among many northern peasants, which resulted in numerous reprisals against elven communities within the Empire. Kalmar has since returned to its status quo relationship with the Empire, profiting greatly from trading with its southern neighbor and competing with it to explore and colonize the New World.



Further to the east is Grand Ruthenia, the youngest of the Western nations. It was only in the last several centuries that the disparate kingdoms and tribes were unified under a single Tsar. While the kingdom rivals the Empire in size, it remains far less populous and vulnerable to Imperial encroachment. The Jagallion Circle in particular has invaded and annexed Ruthenian lands on its own initiative numerous times. Despite the troubled relationship of invasions and counter-invasions, a portion of the Imperial Fiscus continues to be set aside each year and sent to Ruthenia to help maintain the Great Wall of Kazan that runs between the Aral and Yugra seas. Many Emperors have recognized the importance of Ruthenia as a protective buffer between them and the much more fearsome steppe tribes beyond. Recently, Ruthenia has begun to become less interested in reclaiming its western lands and more preoccupied with expanding to the east instead. Their Cossack Legions have founded a number of distant outposts across Hyperborea in their search for furs and new routes to the Khanate of Cathay.



To the south is the isolated mountain kingdom of Gorgana. The small kingdom is ruled over by the Bograton dynasty, who have maintained close ties to the Empire. Their domain has become heavily fortified from generations of attacks from Ruthenia in the north and Persia to the south as well as fears of Imperial annexation from the west. The kingdom contains many holy sites and ascetic monasteries, the most important of which is the Temple of the First Flame where a great fire has been continuously kept since Prometheus first gifted it to the mortal races. Many Sun Cultists make pilgrimages to the temple to advance their magical training.



The final kingdom bordering the Empire is ancient Khemesh. Despite its unassuming size, Khemesh controls more wealth than the Empire and all the other neighboring kingdoms combined. Its bountiful harvests feed countless Imperial subjects, its southern reaches in Alodia are rich with ivory and gold mines. Its province of Kyrene is the only place in the known world where bitterleaf, a natural birth control, can be grown. Thousands of ships pass back and forth through the Pharaoh's Canal as they travel from the Empire to the distant lands of Bharata and beyond in the east, paying a toll every time they do. Pilgrims from across the world come to study at the Great Library and visit the countless holy temples. The kingdom uses this wealth to influence Imperial politics in its favor and maintains a massive army of mercenaries and slave soldiers in case this bribery ever fails. It's the dream of nearly every Emperor to someday reconquer the entire kingdom and bring it under their own personal domain, but often find their plans being foiled by the families of their own Imperial Circles who have no interest in handing over such a massive source of wealth to the Emperor, or anyone else for that matter.



Races

Many mortals and ethereal races live across Earth. The most widespread is humanity, which can be found across every continent in many different varieties. Some people believe humans have become dominant due to the gods' favor, but others see it as nothing more than blind chance and luck. Elves, amazons, and many other humanoid races are also spread across the world in varying numbers. Despite all their differences, the different species all descend from the original Atlanteans, and as a result can still interbreed with one another. Most of these hybrids are infertile, however.



Beastmen are also a common sight in many lands. The humanoid beasts come in many different varieties, ranging from canines to felines, foxes to bears. Despite their differences, they also come from a common ancestor and can all interbreed to varying degrees. Within the Empire, beastmen are often viewed with suspicion at best and genocidal hate at worst. Wild tribes in the dense forests still terrorize many farms and towns, while others have assimilated into society and serve as a source of cheap labor. The Emperor's constant need to keep his private legions stocked with soldiers has meant a lot of beastmen have been able to rise up the ranks and a few have even achieved knighthood. In other realms such as Khemesh, beastmen are treated equally in society, and legends say in some lost lands they even hold power over the local humans instead.



Naga are not numerous, but still feared by nearly every other race. They are known as the daughters of Medusa and retain some of the potent magic if their ancestor. While they can't turn their enemies into stone anymore, locking eyes with them will still cause most people to freeze and and become paralyzed. They live mostly isolated lives, often building their nests in the ancient ruins of their old kingdoms lost in the jungles. They are known head hunters, collecting trophies from anyone unfortunate enough to wander into their hunting grounds. Some of these hunters are in contact with a strange race of fungal beings from another world who trade for their collected heads for unknown purposes. A subspecies of naga known have branched off from their sisters and become adapted to life in the sea. Many of these mermaids have come in contact with many strange things lost to the sea and have become powerful witches in service to the Old Titans, particularly Leviathan, who they call Dagon.



Isinji lizardmen once dominated the entire southern continent of Australis, but after a great cataclysm caused the great continent to freeze over they were forced to flee north to Hesperia, Mu, Aethiopia, and elsewhere. Their diaspora has lost all sense of their former unity and they war with each other as often as any other race. Isinji are devout followers of The Crafter above all other gods, but they don't channel their magic to creating new weapons or technologies like others. Instead, they use the Crafter's magic to alter their own bodies and shape themselves into a number of different specialized forms.



Demons of different forms can be found wherever dark magic has run amok. All demons were once mortals who turned to worshiping the Titanic gods and removed themselves from the cycle of resurrection, causing them to become powerful spirits after death instead of being reborn. They are naturally chaotic entities who constantly seek to accumulate more power for themselves in one form or another. Their longevity and proximity to the sleeping Titans allow them to train their magical powers beyond what many mortals can achieve.



Religion and Magic

Since time immemorial it has been known that the twelve gods, known in Europa as the Olympians, were real and influenced the physical world. What were once different local religions slowly consolidated into a single faith as people began to see the similarities between their gods and the gods of others. It was understood that while one culture may worship Poseidon and another Varuna, they were in fact following the same oceanic god who simply revealed itself to different people in different ways. Many educated people have since abandoned the old local names and traditions and have instead adopted the universal monikers of the gods (In this case, channeling the power for a spell from The Ocean instead of just from Poseidon or Varuna.) Despite this universalism, most people still understand there are another set of twelve gods, representing older and more chaotic entities who once ruled. These Old Gods are often known as the Titans, but they have a far darker and more sinister nature than the Titans of old myth.



Despite its power, the Western Church is not the only religious authority in the world.



The Atomic Heresy continues to persist despite constant persecution. Atomists believe that everything, including the soul, is made up of fundamental elements that are entirely physical in nature. As far as they are concerned, the gods are not divine, but physical beings like any other mortal who simply have a better understanding of the universe, and use that understanding to control the universe. Atomists push the boundaries of alchemy, astrology, and other scientific magics in the pursuit of catching up to, and even surpassing, the gods.



Tenebreos is also a widespread belief that often finds itself at odds with mainstream religion. Tenebrae cultists believe that the division between the twelve Olympians and the twelve gods of chaos is artificial, and that they are in fact one and the same. In their minds, Neptune and Leviathan, or Venus and Hastur, or Jupiter and Saturn, or so on are not two opposing beings, but two sides of the same coin who must both be worshiped in order to gain greater insights into the workings of the world and develop more potent magical abilities. These cults are often a source of ethereal corruption that serves to summon and produce new demons into the world.



Finally there are the monotheist cults. They believe that the Olympians are not distinct from one another, and instead represent different facets of the one true god. Oftentimes they refer to this one god as simply Deus. This heresy continues to be suppressed in most corners of the Empire, but has taken hold of a number of foreign lands. Infuriatingly to the Imperial inquisitors and mages, monotheists have the same access to divine magic as they do. A fireball channeled by The Sun is just as powerful as one channeled through Deus.

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