Difference between revisions of "Geography and Culture"

Latest revision as of 16:05, 2 December 2014

Geography

The geography of Krystallos has quite a bit of variety, including forest, desert, mountains, grasslands and more. In general, the region resembles Europe. Of special note are the gemstone formations growing everywhere. They jut out of the ground everywhere, the type determined by region. You can tell you are moving from one region to another by the types of gemstone formations (Amethyst formations within the bounds of the Amethyst region, for example, and emerald formations in the Emerald Shire). These gemstone formations are not gemstones in the traditional sense. Smaller deposits of gemstones are sometimes found and turned into perfect gems for jewelry. The larger deposits are more structurally sound and can be shaped and crafted into building materials. It isn’t uncommon for homes to have gemstone windows or bricks.

The Skies

The sun and moon of Krystallos are not heavenly bodies but a single entity. A giant turtle known as the Sky Turtle flies across the sky, from east to west each day. It is on fire as it does so and, so, provides the light of a sun. The Sky Turtle dives down into the waters of the Crystal Sea at sundown, extinguishing itself. It then rises up into the air and travels from west to east as the glowing moon before diving into Mount Opal, where it ignites itself in lava and rises up into the skies once more.

It is unknown what the stars are. They are pinpoints of light in the sky far beyond the Sky Turtle. Some believe they are other Sky Turtles. Others think them lanterns hanging from a great dome. Many see patterns in the stars and there are a common set of constellations, though the names vary from culture to culture.

Climate

Weather is regionally dependent. The actual seasons are dependent upon how distant the Sky Turtle is from the ground and, thus, all of Krystallos share the same seasons: spring to summer to autumn to winter. However, the severity of each season in a region depends upon that region's Totem. All four seasons feel more or less the same in Citrine, for example. In Tourmaline, summers are chilly and winters are especially harsh while in the Quartz Territories, winter simply means an occasional chilly night.

Because the Sky Turtle's journey remains constant, the length of days and nights remains constant. The beginning of each season is marked by when the Sky Turtle's elevation changes.

Time Measurement

A year in Krystallos has three-hundred and fifty days. The year is divided into twenty-five months, each containing fourteen days. The months are named after the Totems and are, in order: Amethyst, Tourmaline, Alexanderite, Iolite, Scapolite, Onyx, Pearl, Citrine, Thulite, Topaz, Sapphire, Peridot, Amazonite, Ruby, Emerald, Jade, Quartz, Chalcedony, Garnet, Turquoise, Zirconian, Diamond, Tanzinite, Obsidian and Opal. The individual days are not named or divided into weeks. For example, the twelth day in the month of Jade is known simply as the Twelth of Jade.

Years are grouped into Ages with each Age named after the last great happening of the previous Age. The numbering of years resets to one at the beginning of each Age.

The day in Krystallos is divided into twenty-five hours, each of which contains fifty minutes. Each minute contains fifty seconds.

Magic

Magic has never been unknown in Krystallos. The Totems have always given power to their favored clergy. Druids and rangers have known how to draw the magic the Totems used to create Krystallos into themselves. Psions have learned how to harness the power of their own minds and many creatures have seemingly supernatural abilities. The magic brought by the invaders during the Great Invasion, however, was new. It did not rely on the power of the Totems or the mind but could be learned through study and scholarship. To fight the invaders this magic was studied and is now, while not common, practiced in Krystallos. Wizardry is often suspect, especially by the lower class, because it is the magic of the invaders.