Myaasia is generally a tortured world,with its greatest flaw being the ready availability of too much power to those who know how to use it,in the shape of the Essaence.

This, and the fact that the whole world is an inter-dimensional gateway of sorts, has shaped the history of the world into a series of massive conflicts between would-be rulers of the globe, first between the original inhabitants,and then between these and something totally alien. The amount of raw power released in these battles has been enough to reshape the geography many times, and has given the globe its volcanic and extremely unstable nature.

The world is larger than the Earth, but the scarcity of heavy elements has both slowed down technology and given it an Earth-like surface gravity. Technology is notably absent for another reason, also: the power offered by the ever-present Essaence makes the things possible with mere technology seem tiny and unimportant. Only the dwarves of gret mountains have a much higher technological level than the rest of the planet employing Powder and Hydraulic power, though some of it is exported. The power of Essaence has tilted the “science” of the rest of myaasia into a study of the harnessing of this immense power pool, with the different methods of usage forming distinct “Realms” (Essence, Channeling and Mentalism).

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The peoples of Myaasia are generally quite aware of their place in the Cosmos; even the poorest goatherd could tell you that the world is round and that it revolves around a huge ball of fire,and that there are five moons,which are smaller balls whirling around myaasia. Things start to break down, however, when one asks more detailed questions. One thing in particular is a mystery to all: the Eastern Hemisphere. All known continents are on the (so-called) Western Hemisphere, there is absolutely no knowledge about the East. There are tales of a wildly beautiful but insanely shifting land and of an endless sea of chaotic colors,but no one knows. No one even wants to know, because one thing is constant: the supposition that to go East is to go insane. “He went East” is a common term for “He went mad”. It is said that the legendary Loremaster, Andraax, went East both physically and mentally some time in the ancient past.

Travel is generally very hazardous due to the wild geography, excessive volcanism in some places, the abundant evil and the unstable Essaence Flows. If one has (lots of) money, the easiest way to travel long distances is to hire a Navigator, who will act as a reliable guide to almost anywhere (with notable exceptions!). There are Elemental/Sail Airship lines and even rumors of underwater vehicles.

For shorter distances, most nations have some sort of coach and local ship traffic. Also many of the more magical places have permanent short range teleport gates usable for a variable fee.

The night sky—when not dominated by bright Orhan is thick with stars. Many cultures have perceived patterns in the groupings and even imagined that they delineate images of the gods or other beings. Because of the variable night sky depending on location and season, different civilizations give many different names to these perceived patterns; too many to mention all here.

Myaasia’s diameter is approximately 8,600 miles, making its circumference about 27,000 miles. Though it is the seventh planet of fifteen, its orbit (averaging 98 million miles from the sun) places it well within the normal limits for a viable carbon-based life form ecosphere about a G-type star. The planets in four of the first five orbits are very small. (Some might be errant asteroids from the belt which circles in the fourth orbit). The sixth planet is sizable, with a 5,000 mile diameter, but the surface is hidden beneath a dense cloudcover and is probably uninhabitable. The eighth planet is also of reasonable size (about 7,000 miles in diameter), but its thin atmosphere is too rarified to support humanoid life. The remaining planets are gas giants—numbers nine and twelve in particular have elaborate ring systems—out to number fifteen, Vuul, which is a rock world slightly smaller than Myaasia.

Most of the nearby planets are visible in the Myaasian night sky at various times. As with the constellations of stars, diverse cultures have their own names for these glimmering celestial bodies.