Chapter One: The Continent of Oerik
The Continent of
Oerik
I
t was established long ago, as
everyone knows, that Oerth is a
great rotating sphere floating in
a void, around which the sun and
moons revolve. Careful mathematical
measurements and magical divinations
reveal that the circumference of Oerth is
25,200 miles. Thus, the diameter of Oerth
is about 8,021.5 miles, and the total
surface area is about 202,139,540 square
miles.
Oerth is but one world among many,
separated either by the invisible ether, or
the fragile veils of reality. The craft and
persistence of magic defines the very
nature of Oerth. Throughout recorded
history, magical conflict and restoration
have shaped this world. Some of these
magic-driven events touch upon the
history of other worlds, and portals
sometimes open between Oerth and alien
spheres. Few other worlds boast the
magical profundity of Oerth, and many
strange beings are found there, drawn by
the lure of the supernatural. The majority
of such entities make their homes far
from the sunlit skies of Oerth’s surface,
preferring to live secretly in lightless
caverns below, where they may thrive and
plot unseen.
If the paths of the underworld are
hidden from view, the wise may still turn
their attention to the heavens. All know
that the sun travels once around Oerth
every 364 days, visiting the Twelve Lairs
of the Zodiac in an appointed round that
never varies. The pale Great Moon, called
Luna, waxes and wanes in fixed cycles of
28 days each, upon which the months
are based. The aquamarine Lesser Moon,
Celene, follows a path that reveals her
full beauty but four times each year, thus
showing the time for civilized festivals.
When both Mistress and Handmaiden,
are full, things of great portent are likely
to occur, depending upon the positions
of the five wandering stars in the Lairs,
naturally
Oerth has at least four continents,
the largest of which is Oerik (which
makes up about 14.66% of Oerth), lying
mainly in the Northern Hemisphere.
Southeast of Oerik lies the much smaller
landmass of Hepmonaland, lying in the
tropics. Telchuria (after Telchur, the god
of winter), lies at the north pole, while a
near-mythical fourth continent lies in the
southern hemisphere (known to some as
Aqueneth or Aquaria). Oerth also has a
number of islands surround it, the largest
being Fireland in the northern Solnor
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