“Our one and only home is the Disc, so all its people, no matter where they are, are at home”, — from the Cosmopolitan Manifesto, Anonymous, 1792
The Disc is the geographical name of the known world. These lands have been mapped and covered in countless miles of shipping routes throughout many generations of explorers and merchants. The population of the Disc is estimated to be up to one billion people, living in several significantly different nations, and the documented history of the Disc goes back two thousand years.
“The Disc” is a traditional and figurative name. Based on long observations and calculations, astronomers from all over the world concluded that the planet is a sphere. Nonetheless, considering only confirmed cases and not speculations of some con artists and lunatics, no traveler has yet managed to complete a trip around the world to prove that. That is why “the Disc”, supported by ancient uneducated beliefs, still remains a widely used term among both witless villagers and knowledgeable townsfolk.
The documented space of the Disc is limited by the Outer Oceans, leaving out the unconquerable White Steppe glacier to the north of the Old World. According to the early beliefs, beyond the Disc’s edge flow the endless Black Waters of Aurora, in which the Disc floats and from whence come caravans of the mysterious Strangers.
KNOWN PARTS OF THE WORLD
The Disc is mostly covered in the oceans, but as land inhabitants we are more interested in the four continents, each with its own complicated history and unique character. Those are the civilized Adriano, the deserted Al-Avid, the wild Salmandia, and the mysterious faraway Graaldo.
- ADRIANO. A massive western continent, divided into North and South Adriano by the wide Maris strait. Adriano is home to the so-called Old World civilization, which consists of a dozen proud and ambitious nations. Adrianites, the pioneers of industrialism and aggressive colonizers, think of themselves as the true masters of the Disc — and rightfully so. Not so long ago North Adriano was shaken by the Great Republican Revolution, which led to the fall of many monarchies. The dominant faith among Old World’s folk is Messianism, that preaches sinless living in the name of peace after death, but secular humanism and scientific atheism are gaining prominence in the cities.
- AL-AVID. A desert-covered southern continent with a massive rocky peninsula, hot and uninviting. Despite its natural conditions, Al-Avid is densely populated with a nation of people full of contradictions: extremely superstitious but highly educated, lazy but involved in countless impressive infrastructural projects. Al-Avid is under the reign of the fabled Solar Sultan, while the islands are ruled by Ameers — merchant princes who had been making their fortunes off trading between Adriano and Salmandia for generations. The dominant faith in these lands, deeply intertwined with all aspects of social life, is Sunworship — the uncompromising teaching of worthy and righteous living in the sunlight and the terrors that a sinful soul can face in the darkness of the night.
- SALMANDIA. A continent in the heart of the Disc covered in unconquerable jungles. Salmandia is divided into three big parts by an inner strait called the Diablo Sea; the northern part is taken by Deneria, an advanced exotic civilization considered the nominal ruler of Salmandia, while the rest of the continent is home to hundreds of tribes and savage kingdoms, hidden among jungles and savannas. In Salmandia, Idolatry is widespread — its believers are highly pragmatic in their desire to please various jinns and idols. People from the Old World have been exploring Salmandia for many years, yet it still remains the unconquered land of wild dangers and exotic treasures.
- GRAALDO. A giant continent to the east of the Disc, the true size and importance of which have been discovered only recently. Graaldo contains snowy tundra, wide steppe, and wildered woods; it has no master and is free to take — at least at first sight. The Old World started colonizing Graaldo during the reign of Carlos V, the Spohledian Wandering King. To the surprise of Adrianite pioneers, remains of abandoned ancient cities were found all throughout the western coast, and the reasons behind that ruin would remain unknown for a long time. Today we can confidently claim that Graaldo has its own curse embodied by nomads, who are ready to mercilessly pillage Old World’s colonial cities and enslave their inhabitants, same as they did hundreds of years ago with local civilized settlements. This, as well as the fight for freedom from their own metropolises, makes the life of Graaldian colonies vibrant and eventful.
Besides the continents, there are quite a few notable archipelagos on the Disc, populated with various distinctive societies. The biggest one is the Borian archipelago, situated between Adriano and Al-Avid, torn by colonial strife. There is also the distant exotic land of the Dameer archipelago, home to pirate clans turned to civilization. The oceans of the Disc present thousands of islands, some forgotten or still undiscovered; uninhabited, populated by local tribes, or controlled by secret isolated communes.
THE DISC AND ITS TRAITS
Comparing the Disc to other worlds or planets, an observant researcher might notice certain peculiarities that make it stand out… The question is, who will be there to share these observations with?
- THE FOG OF CHANGE. The Disc is explored by legions of inquisitive travelers; journalists document the history of its every corner. But in the Dawn of the New Times, this world is a capricious place. A state emerges, then falls before even making it into the printed maps; a groundbreaking discovery brings change to one region, yet the neighboring lands know nothing of it; influential figures can shape the present according to their vision, and then be ostracized by the future generations. A proper gentleman knows his view of the world is only partial and outdated, and only someone of a limited mindset can believe otherwise. And so, it’s an ordinary occasion on the Disc to meet a traveler from an unknown land or learn of a new state, worship, or a famous figure — even if the world forgets them completely the next day.
- THE CELESTIAL DANCE. The sky above the Disc is far from being stable and reliable. Stars seen and mapped one night can change their arrangement the next, becoming unrecognizable. The same could be said about the observed planets; one might get a chance to document their disposition in the night sky, but they’ll quickly fade into the vastness of space. Of course, such celestial erraticism impedes the development of seamanship and other sciences, and astronomy is fated to remain unsystematic. The only predictable astronomical body besides the Sun is the Moon, the loyal satellite of the Disc. However, even the Moon can bring its fair share of tricks and surprises.
- A SHIFTING EQUATOR. Upon analyzing the climate zones of the Disc, one may notice a strip of hot deserts stretching from East to West. The strip is visibly shifted and curved southerly; there is no clear consensus among natural philosophers as to the meaning of this phenomenon.
- NO MAKER. Many different religions exist on the Disc, but the majority of them do not mention the creation of the world. Historically, it’s not a huge deal for the inhabitants of the Disc. “Our ancestors came from distant lands,” various doctrines state, and that is quite sufficient. Nonetheless, peoples of the Disc still worship other kinds of higher beings that they consider powerful and timeless.
- THE GENTLEMAN’S RAZOR. For a long time, the gentleman’s razor was thought to be a dangerous relic of the Old World civilization. However, recent research expeditions unveiled the past popularity of the razor blade as a fashion accessory even amongst righteous servers of sultans, Denerian matrons, and pirate kings of Dameer; its depictions were discovered on the frescoes of long fallen civilizations of Graaldo. Traditionally, the razor serves as a symbol of a philosophical outlook, separating what is truly important in life from what is unnecessary. It can also be a great memento to gift somebody you respect. Thus, lavishly decorated razors do not exclusively reside in the pockets of Spohledian dandies’ tailcoats; it’s a cosmopolitan practice!