“Things change when you pass the Great Equator. People behave strangely; spells have variable effects. The Stars are different.

“Of course, that is nothing compared to the East. To the East lies madness.”

“Conversations with Andraax”
An unverified compilation by The Historian Viiris Taldain
Nomikos Library, c. TE 4900

LANDS

The western hemisphere of Kutlhea has at least several continents. Harsh oceans, huge mountain ranges, andthe dangerous Flows make travelingeven within continents dangerous or impossible. The different continents tend to remain isolated with only occasional communication with any neighboring lands.

Islands are everywhere on Kulthea, in every shape and size, in long chains or resting alone in a wide sea. Some are even in motion, floating domains sustained by exotic marine plants which are no more (or less) than great gas-filled balloons. Numerous chains of treacherous atolls also stretch across the seas, making navigation tricky for the skilled - and foolhardy for those without intimate knowledge of the sea-lanes.

Kulthea is a world rocked by frequent disturbances from within. The unstable tectonic plates grind against one another, vying for dominance; powerful lunar gravity tugs at the planet. These tectonic plates generally correspond to the continents, with plate boundaries running along coasts and mountain ranges. These are the most likely areas for seismic activity… though nowhere is safe.

SEAS

Even as there are a few dominant continental masses in the world, there are but a handful of unbroken expanses of ocean. Early seismic activity has so convoluted the surface of the planet that there are few stretches of water wider than one thousand miles unbroken by a formidable island or series of islands. Also common are atoll chains, strings of sheer black volcanic rock isles, uninhabitable, but presenting formidable navigational barriers. Many a ship has been wrecked upon these dark crags, either because the hazard remained undetected in the night or the ship was unable to veer away in time - for the currents of the world’s seas are often swift and ever-changing. Cruel they have been called; it cannot be denied that they are fickle. A Navigator can safely direct a ship past reefs (for a fee, of course). Failing the guidance of a Navigator, only intimate knowledge of the area, ideally combined with accurate, detailed charts, offers a measure of safety. Sandbars are more tricky in that they are constantly shifting; it is fortunate that they are usually only located very near sandy shores.

One of the most enduring mysteries of the Shadow World is the nature of the Greater Depths - and what may lurk there. Legends tell of monstrous creatures which make their homes in the darkest reaches of the sea bottom, yet sojourn to the surface to wreak havoc with the fragile ships and coastal homes of men - The mighty kraken, great whales, and sea serpents. Aside from the numerous sea creatures which roam the waters of Kulthea, there are inanimate terrors of which the ocean traveller must beware.

TIDES

The mighty Orhan dictates the tides of Kulthea, causing a high tide every 12.17 hours, and two low tides per day between those times. There are two high tides per day because the pull of the Shadow World’s largest moon drags the seas towards it. The weaker centrifugal force (created by the two spheres whirling about their mutual center of gravity) causes the oceans to ‘bulge away’ from the Great Moon. The separation of tides is slightly more than half of the Kulthean day because of Orhan’s orbit (in the same direction) around the Shadow World.

In addition to Orhan, there are a number of factors (the other moons, the sun, and even the other planets) which can affect the severity of the tides and create minor tidal shifts. In some areas the difference between high and low tides can be more than 100 feet, given the right conditions.

ATMOSPHERE & WEATHER

Kulthea’s axial tilt is approximately 25 degrees, causing definite seasonal weather changes. Additionally, wind and air currents often lead to a variety of divergent local weather patterns. In general, weather is surprisingly mild, with habitable regions extending to quite near the poles. The equatorial regions, while sometimes quite hot, are bearable to most humanoid races.

Like everything else on the Shadow World, weather changes can occur abruptly and dramatically. Shifting wind and water currents can cause sudden mutations in prevailing conditions. While the planet has discernible seasons and consistent temperature ranges in a given area, there are periods when norms are abandoned and completely aberrant weather occurs. The strange forces which have shaped the Shadow World continue to influence her day-to-day environment. Weather prediction, even through the means of powerful magics, is far from a certain thing. Certain areas are prone to very severe weather, however, and have consistently remained so for millennia. It is believed that they are at or near old Essænce Foci, thus attracting the more violent meteorological effects.

The Flows of Essænce have a role in the way weather patterns form on Kulthea. Just as mountain ranges and coastlines affect frontal movement, so do the Flows. A strong band of Essænce can act just like a sheer, mountainous ridge against a weather pattern. Jetstreams often travel along Essænce Flows. More on the effects of Essænce Flows is explained in the Essænce & Spells section.

MAGNETOSPHERE

Like virtually all celestial bodies, Kulthea has a magnetic field. These gigantic ‘belts’ are generated from the core of the world, which acts like a huge magnet. The magnetosphere is critical to life on the planet, protecting the inhabitants from various types of solar radiation. It also has the side effect of creating beautiful displays of coruscating lights near the poles: a curtain of luminous gases drifting through the night sky.

Unlike many worlds, however, the magnetosphere of the Shadow World is in a state of flux. It appears to be affected by - and indeed a part of - the Flows of Essænce. The bands of magnetic force, which should flow in a fairly uniform arcs in a N-S direction over the planet, are often warped as much as 20º along their route.

The magnetic poles themselves move about, as far as 15º from the geographic pole (the planetary axis) and as close as dead-on. The distortion of the magnetic bands may have played a role in the formation of so many odd races on Kulthea by allowing heavy doses of radiation to reach the planet surface at intervals, stimulating mutation. The magnetosphere and the Flows are somehow related, though which one dominates the other is not clear. In any case, this capricious nature of the magnetic field makes a compass or similar instrument virtually useless.