glossary

=== Glossary of the Known World === From the perspective of Pelos.

=== The Cataclysm === A tremendously destructive event that occurred many thousands of years ago. Nobody knows exactly when or what happened. It is known that there was once several highly advanced cultures, surpassing any known today. They were all severely devastated or destroyed outright during the cataclysm.

For many thousands of years, #The Twilight, the gift of “civilization” was lost. Those few that survived(1) scratched out what pitiful barbarous existences they could and waited. Waited for civilization to again rise.

We know this much from such things as #The Great Road and various ruins and artifacts predating any culture in the know world. Many say #The Great Whirl and the island of Pelos Minor were created during the cataclysm.

Some peoples claim to be the decedents of these elder cultures. Most don’t care. To them it just doesn’t matter, whatever came before is no more.

1. Some believe none survived. That whatever races which exist today have been created after the cataclysm by the gods to repopulate Dirt.

=== The Twilight === Long period of indeterminate length(thousands of years) between #The Cataclysm and when the first #New Peoples

=== Elders === Elders, Ancients, Old Ones, all names for the unknown races and their advanced cultures that existed before #The Cataclysm.

Some have suggested that the Dwarves are elders.

=== New Peoples === Uncommon term to describe the post-cataclysm races that have regained civilization. Pelos, The Old Kingdom, and Fist all claim to be the first to have emerged from Twilight.

=== The Great Road === A road believed to have been built by the #Elders. Two parts survived #The Cataclysm and are assumed to have once been connected. One part stretches West-East across souther Pelos Major until it stops at the Theops sea. The other part picks up on the other side and travels through the Wildlands until it hits the Hadenos mountains where broken and shattered pieces of it can be seen.

No force or magic has ever been found that damage the road. It’s current damage is assumed to have occurred during #The Cataclysm. Debris and obstructions do not remain long. The road “moves” and adapt to the terrain as can be seen the Athe bridge. Several hundred years ago the Athe was diverted for irrigation. The river’s new course to the sea crossed the road. No one is exactly sure when it happened but there is now a bridge where there was none before.

=== The Great Whirl === A tremendous whirlpool in the center of the Theops sea. At the surface the funnel is many miles across. It is not much of a hazard to navigation as it doesn’t move, everyone knows where it is and most ships prefer to stay along the coasts anyway.

=== Statue of Light === Fabled avatar of Hlark, the Godhead of .fist:contents|Fist's religion. That appeared around one thousand years ago. For many years it delivered the laws and teachings of Hlark to the races#Qatrun

=== Sky Sea === Pelosians believe space(what’s around their planet) is a vast sea of unknown liquid. The various objects visible in the day and nighttime sky are great ships, islands, continents, and the lights of cities. This “sea” is named the Sky Sea.

=== Endless Sea === Large ocean west of the known world. The few ships that ventured out into it either never returned or found nothing but endless water.

=== Lost Isle === Large island off of Pelos. It was a prosperous province of the Empire until the 2nd Kjore War when it was devastated. The Kjorians knew they couldn’t keep control of it so they performed foul rituals and soaked the land with blood and corruption.

Now no people live there and nothing wholesome grows there. What life exists is mutated and corrupt. Foul chaos storms brutalize the land and surrounding seas. Monsters and worse roam its ragged wastelands. The Pelosian navy heavily patrols the surrounding waters for the evil spawn of this place strive to spread their corruption.