Climate & Geography: The Broken World
"The world didn't end with fire. It ended with winter. And 437 years later, winter hasn't stopped."
-Nomad Elder, Oral Histories
The Theslar Event didn't just collapse civilization...it restructured the planet's climate, geography, and ecology. Volcanic eruptions filled the atmosphere with ash. Tectonic shifts created new mountains and drowned coastlines. The Void breach at the North Pole warps reality itself, creating impossible weather and corrupted ecosystems. Year 437 Earth is colder, darker, and more hostile than the world that existed before the Sundering.
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Global Climate Shift
The Ashfall Winter (Year 0-2)
The Theslar Event triggered 214 simultaneous volcanic eruptions. Ash and debris ejected into the stratosphere, blocking sunlight for two years. Global temperatures plummeted 10-15°C. Agriculture failed globally. The majority of Year 0-2 deaths were from exposure and starvation, not the initial catastrophe.
| Period | Global Avg. Temperature | Sunlight Levels |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-Sundering | 14°C (57°F) | 100% (clear skies) |
| Year 0-1 | 2°C (36°F) | 20% (perpetual twilight) |
| Year 1-2 | 5°C (41°F) | 40% (ash thinning) |
| Year 3-10 | 8°C (46°F) | 70% (skies clearing) |
| Year 437 (Current) | 9°C (48°F) | 75% (Crimson Aurora reduces light) |
Permanent Climate Changes
- 5°C Cooler Globally: Never fully recovered from Ashfall Winter
- Shortened Growing Seasons: Agriculture 60% less productive than pre-Sundering
- Erratic Weather: Void energy disrupts atmospheric patterns (sudden storms, freak freezes)
- Crimson Aurora: Permanent red aurora over North Pole casts eerie light, disrupts circadian rhythms
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Major Geographic Changes
Tectonic Catastrophe
The Theslar Engine's failure destabilized Earth's tectonic plates. The resulting earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and tsunamis reshaped continents and coastlines.
| Region | Pre-Sundering | Year 437 |
|---|---|---|
| North Pole | Arctic ice sheet, research stations | 23-mile crater (The Scar), flooded with Void energy, lethal within 50 miles |
| Pacific Ring of Fire | Active volcanoes, seismic activity | Hyperactive (eruptions weekly), new volcanic islands formed |
| Coastlines | Billions lived in coastal cities | Sea level dropped 20 meters (ice age), former ports now inland, new settlements in exposed seabeds |
| Great Plains (North America) | Breadbasket of the world | Ashveil Caldera (volcanic wasteland), 15,000 goblinoid survivors (Crucible Packs) |
| Siberia | Frozen tundra | Sibarian Wastes (Void-corrupted, home to The Engine...ongoing campaign threat) |
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Regional Climates (Year 437)
The Scar (North Pole)
| Aspect | Description |
|---|---|
| Climate | Perpetual winter, -40°C average, blizzards every 3 days |
| Hazards | Lethal radiation, Void corruption, reality distortion, Abominations |
| Geography | 23-mile crater, jagged ice spires, twisted Engine remnants at center |
| Habitability | None (Forbidden Zone, expeditions never return) |
Temperate Zones (Mid-Latitudes)
| Aspect | Description |
|---|---|
| Climate | Cool temperate, 5-15°C, four seasons (shorter summers) |
| Factions | Church of Absolution, Dwarven Forge-Guilds, Elven Verdant Covenant, Ossuarium |
| Agriculture | Possible but difficult (hardy crops, short growing season) |
| Habitability | Best available (most population concentrated here) |
Equatorial Zones
| Aspect | Description |
|---|---|
| Climate | Warm but unstable, 20-30°C, monsoons, hurricanes |
| Factions | Nomad Collective, Vestige Bloodlines, Emergent Syndicate (jungles) |
| Hazards | Void-mutated fauna, disease, extreme weather |
| Habitability | Moderate (survivable but harsh) |
Polar Regions (Besides The Scar)
| Aspect | Description |
|---|---|
| Climate | Extreme cold, -20 to -50°C, ice sheets expanding |
| Factions | None (occasional Nomad outposts) |
| Hazards | Exposure, isolation, ice quakes |
| Habitability | Nearly none (abandoned) |
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Ecological Transformation
Flora (Plant Life)
| Type | Description | Regions |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-Sundering Crops | 95% extinct (couldn't survive Ashfall Winter), only hardy grains survived | Cultivated fields (rare) |
| Void-Adapted Plants | Mutated flora that thrives on Void energy (bioluminescent, carnivorous, mobile) | Near Void rifts |
| Post-Sundering Hybrids | Elven-cultivated symbiotic plants (provide food, medicine, materials) | Verdant Covenant territories |
| Frozen Wastes | Minimal vegetation, lichens, frost-resistant mosses | Polar regions |
Fauna (Animal Life)
| Type | Description | Threat Level |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-Sundering Animals | 60% extinct, survivors smaller and hardier (rats, crows, feral dogs) | Low (scavengers, not predators) |
| Void-Corrupted Beasts | Mutated predators (wolf-sized rats, armored bears, swarms of carnivorous insects) | High (hunt humans) |
| Abominations | Extradimensional creatures from Void rifts (nightmares made flesh) | Extreme (Caskets required) |
| Livestock (Domesticated) | Chickens, goats, pigs (hardy breeds survived), cattle nearly extinct | None (food source) |
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The Crimson Aurora
What Is It?
The Crimson Aurora is a permanent red aurora borealis centered over the North Pole Void breach. Visible from anywhere on Earth, it casts an eerie red glow across the northern sky, pulsing in rhythm with Void activity. It has never faded in 437 years.
| Property | Details |
|---|---|
| Visibility | Global (brighter near poles, faint at equator) |
| Color | Deep crimson (changes to violet/black during Void surges) |
| Effect on Light | Reduces effective sunlight by 25% (perpetual dusk feel) |
| Psychological Impact | Unsettling, constant reminder of the Sundering, linked to insomnia and anxiety |
| Practical Use | Navigation (always points north), Void surge prediction (color changes warn of rift activity) |
"You can't escape it. No matter where you go, the sky bleeds red. It's the wound that never heals...the scar of the world's death, written across the heavens."
-Nomad testimony
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Void Corruption Zones
How Void Energy Affects Geography
Void rifts...dimensional tears scattered globally...leak extradimensional energy into the surrounding environment. Over time, this warps reality, creates impossible terrain, and mutates ecosystems.
| Corruption Level | Radius from Rift | Effects |
|---|---|---|
| Stage 1 (Tainted) | 1-5 miles | Wildlife mutations, plants glow faintly, disorientation, nightmares |
| Stage 2 (Warped) | 5-10 miles | Gravity fluctuations, impossible geometry, aggressive fauna, memory loss |
| Stage 3 (Twisted) | 10-20 miles | Time dilation, hallucinations become real, terrain reshapes itself, Abominations spawn |
| Stage 4 (Consumed) | 20+ miles | Reality breakdown, physics optional, survival impossible without Caskets |
Notable Void Corruption Sites
- The Scar (North Pole): Stage 4, epicenter of Void breach
- Sibarian Wastes: Stage 3, home to The Engine (campaign threat)
- Ashveil Caldera: Stage 2, volcanic wasteland with goblinoid survivors
- The Drowned Cities: Stage 1-2, submerged ruins with aquatic Abominations
- Scattered Minor Rifts: 200+ globally, Stage 1, expanding slowly
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Seasons (Year 437)
Temperate Zone Seasonal Cycle
| Season | Duration | Temperature Range | Characteristics |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | 6 months (longer than pre-Sundering) | -10 to 5°C | Heavy snow, blizzards, Void surges increase, most dangerous season |
| Spring | 2 months (brief, unstable) | 5-12°C | Rapid thaw, flooding, mudslides, brief growth burst |
| Summer | 2 months (too short for pre-war crops) | 12-20°C | Growing season, scarce warmth, frantic planting/harvesting |
| Autumn | 2 months (rapid cooling) | 5-12°C | Harvest, preparation for winter, early frosts common |
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Impact on Civilization
How Climate Shapes Faction Survival
| Faction | Climate Adaptation Strategy |
|---|---|
| Church of Absolution | Walled settlements, strict rationing, communal heating (prayer as morale tool during winter) |
| Dwarven Forge-Guilds | Underground cities (geothermal heating, protected from weather) |
| Elven Verdant Covenant | Bio-domes, symbiotic plants provide warmth/food, climate-controlled groves |
| Nomad Collective | Seasonal migration (follow warmth), scavenging, improvised shelters |
| The Ossuarium | Industrial-scale salvage of pre-war infrastructure, fuel hoarding, Casket labor for resource extraction |
"We live in a world that wants us dead. The cold kills. The Void corrupts. The seasons are too short to grow food and too long to survive without it. Humanity didn't conquer this planet anymore. We're just tenants, hoping the landlord doesn't evict us."
-Elder Testimony, Nomad Oral Histories
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Explore Further
| Topic | Description |
|---|---|
| The Theslar Event | The catastrophe that reshaped the climate |
| The Void | The extradimensional force corrupting geography |
| Ground Zero | The Scar at the North Pole |
| Major Settlements | Where humanity survives in this hostile world |
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