General notes
Our inner world is divided into three physical layers; the topmost layer is what we call the Haven, which is a building that is linked to our Collective, and Bigger On The Inside. We also have an ability to change individual rooms and teleport within the Haven, and to a lesser extent the second layer, which floats below the top layer. The second layer is what we call the Forest, and is what was our first headspace before we moved to the Haven. The third and final layer is a planet we call Divisus, although it has no name for itself. It, unlike the other two layers, is a purely physical space, and operates by (mostly) logical laws of physics. It is the primary subject of this page. The countries, cities, and continents of this world have their own culture, people, and history, disconnected from our world and beyond our control, despite there being humans on this world--although the humans may or may or may not just be a product of convergent evolution.
We do not consider Divisus to be either mentally constructed or a physical reality due to certain members of our system viewing things one way, and others viewing things another way. We ask that you respect the Divisian's own ideas of who they are and what they are, even if you personally disagree.
Learn more about the Haven here!
Kaltrix
Kaltrix is a continent likely located in the upper hemisphere of Divisus. It is mostly a peninsula, with a main western part, with an eastern bay and secondary peninsula. It is mostly temperate, with the upper portions being slightly colder than the lower, but generally having good weather. It is surrounded on all sides by either seas, poisoned* many miles out, or poisoned forest, or impassable mountains. It is essentially cut off from the land mass it's attached to. Each city on the continent is minimally governed by a council of 25-50 people, who are not elected but rather the members are pulled from the general population to serve on the council for 6 month periods at least once in their life once they reach adulthood. These councils handle building requisition and allocation. They also deal with placing some people in jobs that need filling and make sure no one goes without necessities. They also often have the role of preparing and organizing local festivals at the city level.
* A note on the Apocalypse: 200 years ago, a massive war between the civilizations at the time which culminated with missiles being fired indiscriminately; these missiles poisoned some of the land in the long term and caused massive death, ending many civilizations and causing the incredibly small remainder of society to have to rebuild. Part of this rendered much of the population naturally infertile, and that genetic predisposition has lessened but definitely not disappeared. During the reconstruction period, people found genetic research and the means to artificially create people, and even create genes out of whole cloth.
An additional note on genetics, birthing culture, and soul work on Kaltrix: Science and what is called soul work are intimately tied together, although geneticists are not usually soul workers, and vice versa. Souls, or a vital life essence that is drawn from a different plane and returns to that plane when the physical body dies, is a necessary component to a person; this soul can be intentionally picked and drawn into a body, or a soul will fill an artificially created person shortly before they're born. Geneticists can make fully grown humans and imprint them with life skills and memories, or create babies for those that cannot conceive naturally. There isn't technically supposed to be a stigma for those born artificially, but naturally-born people tend to be seen as a little bit out of the ordinary in a positive way.
Maharra
Maharra is often considered the cultural center of Kaltrix, if there is such a thing. It is the biggest city by far, and houses a plurality of the people on the continent. Its culture is varied due to the influx of people that often move in and out, as well as the way it is both literally and metaphorically the center of the continent. However, it still has a culture of its own.
Cultural values
Although all the Maharran cities value cooperation and helping one another survive for the good of society, Maharra is especially focused on this mission, and it is extremely frowned upon to ask for any form of payment for a good or a service. Kaltrix is solidly anarcho-communist, with its own system of 'commerce' and creation and distribution of goods and especially necessities. It is highly encouraged for everyone to pursue a career that they enjoy or have talent in, or one they find meaningful to society--although work is not compulsory, the culture around society ensures that necessary functions are always filled. Groups called Seekers are primarily made up of young people entering the workforce. They do odd jobs or fill temporary vacancies in positions in order to help find jobs for those who don't have a solid idea of what they want to do, but still want to try things out.
Maharra borders a forest on its southeastern edge, and in visiting Maharra a visitor might notice the heavy amount of greenery incorporated into its structures, the proliferation of parks, and even festival decorations. Maharra considers itself a green city, and due to the events of the past doing things in an environmentally-friendly way is important to most inhabitants. Maharra was built on an existing city, and as a result, many of the people there use recycled materials, buildings, and tech from the old world. This includes building on extant structures and using old buildings in order to maximize use of space, using either whole or parts of streetcars recovered to form their own city rail network, or using existing glass and metal to create new buildings.
Religious Beliefs
Historically, Maharra city has primarily worshipped the god of the roads, a guardian of travel, represented by a wagon wheel. Although there are many small shrines scattered throughout the city and a few larger shrines, Maharra is not a particularly pious or religious city, especially compared to other cities like Per'el. Their major religious festival takes place in late spring or early summer, and is a week-long festival wherein the populace puts out decorations for the god of the roads garnered with fresh flowers and greenery, and often produce and vegetables from this time is especially in demand. Some people forage for wild foods, as well. Throughout the year as other cities celebrate their patron gods' holidays, there are often lesser celebrations in Maharra for people who have moved to the city.
El-Bakri
El-Bakri is made up of two different groups. The stationary city/town of El-Bakri, and the roaming tribe of El-Bakri. Both groups are related to each other but have different convictions for their lifestyles. El-Bakri means, roughly, 'winds whisper'.
The area that the city and roaming tribe inhabit is a broad plain to the east and slightly north of Maharra; the climate is temperate and usually pleasant. It gets hot in the summer months but usually is not too humid owing to the desert in its vicinity. It is near enough to the watershed to the north that it is still able to grow long grasses. The city itself has many buildings that are low to the ground and many have large amounts of square footage, as opposed to the high-stacked buildings of Maharra (and to a lesser extent, Per'el and Kahul).
Religion and culture
El-Bakrians worship the god of horses and winds; because of this, horses are incredibly important culturally and spiritually, and this is true for both tribes. Children are gifted a horse when they become old enough to learn to ride. They find it very important to bond with their horse, which is unique from other horses they may take in. When this horse eventually passes, a funeral is held and they will choose a new special horse or have a priest divine which horse is to be their new companion.
Even in the city, children and others are given a lot of freedom to explore with their friends and their horses. It's seen as an important bonding experience. Many people become ranch-hands or do other jobs that require them to stray from the city for a significant amount of time.
El-Bakrians celebrate their yearly festival in the fall. It celebrates the last harvest of the year, and usually lasts a few days where farmers offer some of the last of the crops grown that year to their god. There are also games and competitive horse racing. The roaming tribe returns to the city to stay for the duration of the festival, and brings foraged goods to both offer and share with the townspeople.
The roaming tribe
The roaming tribe of El-Bakri, although coming from the same ancestors as those in the city, consider the nomadic way closer to the way of life of their ancestors right after the Apocalypse. They believe that travelling rather than settling down is a more natural way to live and brings them closer to the wind. They, too, revere horses, many because they are their primary transportation and need them for their way of life. They have a primarily hunter-gatherer lifestyle, although it's not unheard of for the tribe to ask for help from the town.
Per'el
Per'el is a city that exists in between a fork in a river; it is often hotter and more humid than other places on the continent. Just north of the city is a continent-wide famous hot spring that often draws people there. Outside of the river valley, though, this city is surrounded by desert kept at bay by the river. The culture of Per'el is rich and family-oriented. Their food is similar to Indian and Thai food. The population of Per'el is heavily nonhuman, with the majority of nonhumans being made up of animal people and animal people hybrids, with a smaller population of Naga and an even smaller population of harpies.
Cultural values
In contrast to most cities on the continent, Per'el is considered more conservative than others in the way it values history and tradition. Part of this is no doubt the high emphasis on family, and more broadly, the connections between people. This emphasis on family does not strictly focus on the American idea of a nuclear, blood-related family. Often family friends are considered part of people's families, and it is culturally very normal and common for people to be in polyamorous couples and families, often leading to incredibly complicated family lines. Per'el is a little more open about bartering for goods, although it is still seen as bad form to request payment for something someone needs to survive, and it doesn't take much to dissuade someone from trying to barter. This is something that they tend to keep a secret from other cities. It is a slight tension in cultural differences that nobody particularly wants to fight about.
Religion
Per'elians worship the literal connections between people, both family and friends. They view this as an energy that strings all of life together, a necessary component of society. They do not conceive of this force as a god in the traditional sense, and that sets them apart from other cities on the continent. Instead, their religious beliefs spill out into their culture, and they are as a result often even more collectivist than other cultures. Their yearly holiday takes place in the fall around the first week of November. It is a single day called the Festival of Lines, wherein offerings are made to ancestors and time is spent with family, friends, and the community.
Vacara
Vacara is a small town, or encampment, along the northern edge of the Continent. It borders the toxic forests and was established within the last 50 years as a research outpost in order to figure out a solution to the toxic land and water surrounding the continent. Directly east is a campground used by people sightseeing the mountain range and view of the bay. The town is generally smaller than the others and quieter, with the majority of the people there being researchers, guards, and their families. it's colder there than the rest of the continent, and the town has mainly been constructed of log cabins made from the timber of un-poisoned trees.
Cultural Values
Vacara is a bit of a melting pot of cultures, even moreso than Maharra. Unlike the other cities on the continent, Vacara wasn't built off an existing city and culture, and the inhabitants are all recent immigrants. There is a general sense of solemnity and solitude in the town, and unlike other cities there's no established town religious celebration. Much like the snow that falls there often during the winter, the people that Vacara attract tend to be, if not outcasts, at least socially awkward. There is a culture of tolerance for different traditions among the inhabitants, especially since many new researchers get paired to live with strangers in existing housing rather than building anything new.
Research History
The initial push to solve the conundrum of the poisoned land and water was long in the making, but the mountains and ocean seemed too hostile. The location that Vacara would be built on was ideal in that there was easy access to the forest there, and although there was a point of no return within the forest, it was easier for researchers to traverse than the nearby mountains.
Initially, there wasn't any way for the people of Vacara to venture into the woods, so samples were taken from any poisoned flora or fauna that happened to grow outside the dangerous zone, something that was rare. Eventually, they were able to come up with something akin to hazmat suits that allowed short trips into the poisoned zone. This also necessitated guards to protect the researchers from poisoned and mutated fauna that lived in the forest.
There have been great strides recently in understanding the poison, and Vacarans are hopeful that passage will be possible within the next few years.
Alora
Alora is a town on the western side of Kaltrix; they are unlike the other 'beach' town on the continent. Alorans are generally distrustful of outsiders, although not in a way that would threaten peace on the continent; they just generally like to be left alone. The population also skews older, although there are still plenty of young families. Alora's main export is fish and seafood products. They are the continent's main supply of fish.
The natural environment of Alora is also quite different than their Kahulan counterparts. The town sits on an accessible portion of the beach, with fishing and boat docks on the water. On either side of it are large seaside cliffs of gray rock; the surrounding areaa is quite barren of anything other than scrub grass. The weather is often stormy and fickle, especially in the summer, and due to this Alorans worship the god of storms.
Cultural Values
While Alorans are not entirely unfriendly people, they tend not to trust outsiders at first. Anyone new to town will need to gain the trust of the locals before they're able to do more than what's necessary to live there. Alorans also participate in some trade, although it is frowned upon in greater Kaltrix culture. Alorans do not generally trust or go along with the ways of life presented by the other cities in Kaltrix; this is due to their past issues, with Maharra especially. But Alorans often feel like the ugly stepchild of the cities, and their attitiudes tend to match. This is also why Alora does not have a direct train station stop; the train station is several miles away, and even getting to Alora can be difficult. It isn't a very popular spot to go sunbathing.
Alorans tend to be industrious and hard-working. Their town is maintained by the townspeople themselves; sweeping, severe storms in late summer and early fall will often devastate the roofs of most houses, which are usually thatched and made from scrub grass. Once the storm season ends, the town will get to work replacing all the roofs for the year. Most Alorans are fishermen, and because of this the diet of Alorans is very fish-heavy. There are also fewer people able to work on infrastructure, since the population of Alora is smaller than most of the other cities. Their buildings are usually made of brick and stay low to the ground to avoid wind damage during the storm season.
While initially prickly, Alora is a proud town and very protective of their own. They also take pride in their contribution to the continent's food supply, as fish raised in other parts of the continent would not be able to sustain the population, and real fish is generally one of the meats that people like 'real' better than lab-grown. If you are accepted by the townspeople they will gladly welcome you into their fold and treat you like family.
Religion
Alora worships the god of storms, and their festival occurs in the dog days of summer right before hurricane season. They have a week-long somber holiday, and pray to the god to spare their homes and boats. Although there is usually some damage, the locals continue this tradition.
Alora's relative sobriety when it comes to their holiday speaks to their piety. Fishermen take the god of storms quite seriously, and even for those that don't 'believe' in the god per se, they still often participate in rituals just as fervently for the social aspect, and because superstition and avoiding bad luck is held in very high import in Alora no matter one's religious affiliation.
Kahul
Kahul is the vacation destination of most people on Kaltrix. This island city boasts beautiful vistas and fair weather almost the whole year, on account of it being on the southern part of the continent. The city is replete with sand, making glass-making its primary export and industry. Much of the architecture is based on using glass and white clay as a primary building material. The people are remarkably laid back, and Kahul also has the longest festival season on the continent, lasting for several weeks during the middle of summer.
Cultural Values
The people of Kahul are, as stated, very laid back and very friendly. Unlike Alorans, they tend to welcome outsiders to come and take part in their traditions and cuisine, which mostly consists of seafood and other tropical plants. As a rule, they tend to be very cooperative but not extremely pressed for time--Kahulians live on 'island time', and with the exception of food production, are more laid back than most people in Maharra, especially during festival season, when almost all work grinds to a halt for a bevy of partying and very lively religious ceremonies and processions. Kahulians freely give and expect nothing in return; bartering is a foreign concept to them.
Common pastimes include fishing, both for sustenance and for pleasure, glass sculpture making, recreational boating and related water sports, and diving. Although sailing is the primary method of locomotion on the water, mechanized boats are not unheard of.
Religion
Kahul worships the twin gods of the sky and sea, the sky being a god and the sea being a goddess. Although Kahulians would not strike the average person as pious, they certainly enjoy their festivals and give appropriate respect ot their deities, as they make their livelihoods possible. Although the god of storms is a separate deity, they know very well how capricious the twin gods can be.
Their religious festival is several weeks long. To call it a single festival is not entirely accurate; instead, it is many holidays side-by-side, with feasts, games, and general revelry happening for several weeks on end, all of them celebrating the island or their gods. This is also generally the hottest time of the year, so most people take the opportunity to take it easy, doing most of their activities in the evening, night, or morning, with the middle of the day being dedicated to relaxation and spending time with family.
Rashaw
Rashaw is the nightlife capital of the continent, as well as the undisputed home of the best night markets. The city itself sits on the bay and is the last stop before the long bridge journey to Belagria, and some of the views are spectacular. Rashaw has the tendency to build upwards rather than out just like Maharra, although it also extends to underground passages for getting around the city. Its primary export is technology and main businesses revolve around tourism. Being surrounded primarily by desert with a thin stretch of arable land along the bay, the people are used to dealing with intense heat during the day, and relative cool at night. A lot of business is done at night due to that, and Rashaw is home to lots of artificial, colorful lights to make the nights more lively.
Cultural Values
Rashawites are generally reserved when it comes to talking to other people; small talk and friendliness towards strangers are pretty rare, but don't let that make you think they don't have the same pro-social values as others on the continent do. You just need to get to know them first. In addition, as a rule most of them are not extremely industrious, and often have late morning starts and take mid-day breaks. That doesn't mean they won't drop whatever they're doing to help out someone in need, but there may be some grumbling.
Daytime recreation often includes Theatre, spending time on the beach of the bay where people can train-watch the bridge to Belagria, as well as several swimming beaches and some boating and fishing, and visiting daytime shops. There are plenty of things one can do after dark, ranging from outdoor shows to browsing the night markets which are famous for their wide variety of food stalls.
Religion
Rashawites worship the goddess of night, darkness, and pleasure. Far from night being a frightening time, it is the time when the city is most alive. Pulsing with artificial lights along skyscrapers and paths and passages. As it is a reprieve from the heat of the day, Rashawites see the night as a time to both let loose and do more vigorous activity and have fun. Although not really pious as someone from Earth might imagine it, they do tend to hold plenty of space for their goddess in informal worship as well as formal ceremonies. Rather than one large festival a year, they have monthly festivals based around the moon and taking place at night, often featuring processions featuring puppets of the goddess's messengers, skull-headed animals.
Belagria
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The Three Kingdoms
The Three Kingdoms lies north of Kaltrix past its northernmost forest and mountain range. The region is made up of two parts; the South and East, which have a land border, and the large island of the Crystalline Nation. the Empire of Remedia lies in the southernmost portion, while on its eastern border lies the reclusive and mysterious nation of Horon, constantly covered in snow and ice. The Crystalline Nation is North of Remedia and west of Horon.
The ecology and climate of this continent is variable. Horon is nearly always below freezing, while the southern Remedia is quite dry, although it can get cold in the winter time. Meanwhile The Crystalline Nation seems to be temperate enough for almost everyone, save for the very northern reaches, where it can get below freezing often and the southern region which inherits some of Remedia's drier climate.
Unlike Kaltrix, one cannot speak generally on the culture of the Three Kingdoms, because all three nations have wildly different politics and philosophies. One thing is certain: up until recently, Remedia was at war with the Crystalline Nation. The conflict over resources has been going on for several decades, but the current Empress, Xella, thankfully put a stop to it. The Northern continent (and indeed, all of Divisus save Kaltrix) has no access to Kaltrix's genetic technology, and although TCN is well-off for different reasons, the other citizens remain quite poor.
Remedia
History and Government
The Empire of Remedia is currently headed by Empress Ayun'Xella and her advisors. Although Remedia did not initially form as an Empire, Xella's grandparents started their war of conquest on the then much more divided southern portion of the continent. Because of the planetwide devastation caused by the preceeding war, the rest of the nations, already populations already critically low, did not put up much resistance. Within Xella's parent's lifetimes, the southern portion of the continent was united under the banner of Empire. The border with Horon became more and more impassable the more land that was ceded, and eventually, that part of the campaign was given up.
Although the offensive against TCN didn't erupt in earnest for a few more decades, there were still attempts to take small southern islands, most of which failed. Remedia's crop yields and overall wealth was depleted more and more over the course of the war, and by the time the current monarch took over, the nation was experiencing severe crop shortages, water shortages, and famine.
Currently, this dearth of resources is being addressed by Kaltrixi aid. This decision was reached after the current monarch ended the war of conquest officially, and promises were made that no invasion attempt would be made on Kaltrixan soil.
Culture
Remedia has been historically ruled by one rule and one rule alone: might makes right. In other words, the people of Remedia value strength over most other things. Remedians are taught to hide their pain and physical problems from people that may be a threat to them, and generally tolerate rulers as long as they are perceived as strong and dominant. Empress Xella was briefly dethroned for a perceived lack of mental fortitude by her advisors; however, she was able to regain the throne and the respect of the people by taking back power and executing anyone associated with the treachery. To let those responsible live would have been seen as an enormous display of weakness.
To that end, Remedia is not a very kind place to live, and one has to rely on their own wits to survive. Before Empress Xella joined the collective, her policies were cruel and authoritarian, and anyone disobeying said orders had to keep their heads on a swivel. Most people work very demanding jobs, mentally or physically, and those jobs were and to an extent are seen as one's patriotic duty. That is, to quit one's job or to be seen complaining openly about one's job or management might mean treason to the Empire. Secret police have been employed in the past to keep public sentiment in line, but it is unclear if they are still being used.
Housing construction and general aesthetics lean to what we might call east and south Asian in design. houses are often built with wrap-around porches enclosed by outer sliding doors with inner paper sliding doors leading to the main living area, although the outer sliding doors are usually robustly designed in case of dust storms or other inclement weather. Clothes are also reminiscent of Kimono, especially for the rich, and simpler robes for average citizens.
Religion
Religion does not feature prominently in Remedian culture. Although cultures assimilated by the Empire did have religious traditions, much of it has been consumed by state propaganda and encouraged to not be practiced. However, remnants of it still survive, being passed down in families, and farther away from the Remedian capital, as functional (if old and not well-maintained) shrines and places of worship.
Horon
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The Crystalline Nation
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The Western Continent
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