Locations

General

To get a grasp on the planet both for myself and those working for me, at the center of the planet there is a core of pure Mana.

Much higher above that, but still much deeper than the planet's crust, are pitch dark labyrinths of caves. Drow and Redux's tend to be the only races at this depth, living together in patches; though there are many untold great treasures left from the age of the gods, and even greater untold horrors lurking in some parts. Neither of these have really been defined!

Above the caves, where the soil is softer, Gnomes live in almost seclusion, swimming freely through the earth as if it was water. Naturally, they are prey to creatures that do the same, and have unique access to many things have sunk below the face of the planet. As they are the only race to be able to do so, they don't have much outside interaction, except with their neighbors above and below them in rare situations.

Finally reaching the crust, Dwarves fill many cave mouths leading deeper into the planet. They tend to hollow out a general living space as large as they can, and farm any valuable materials they sense in or near it, or any place they've dug to do so before. They too have access to some things can be found only within the planet, and as such are valued in society and in contact with many of the civilized races.

Many caves however lie within or near deep woods, which have become one of the most dangerous areas. Though they used to be homes of other races such as Fae, Kitsune, Dragons, and Elves, many of those have moved on to other areas or at least occupy much less, now being home almost exclusively of the violent and xenophobic Dryads and many untamed beasts.

Wide, grassy plains are most readily associated with Centaurs on Sote, who use the area to farm crops, dominating the supply of vegetation for civilizations. They're also often home to races that are civilized but aren't fans of sprawling cities, such as the more traditional Harpies.

Plains and open areas are often turned into small towns and cities if given time, which are the most diverse offerings nowadays, as many races have abandoned any sense of wilderness. Humans tend to make the majority of the populations, but Usagi and Tengu are also almost exclusively found in cities now. Nekos and Goblins enjoy making sleek futuristic cities, but these are few and far between due to the size and resources they need.

Wide, significantly less grassy deserts are currently largely uninhabited by races permanently, although there are many that feel at home in it at times, such as Salamanders and some breeds of the adaptable Giants, Dragons, Fae, and Trolls. These areas are again home to many undiscovered treasures under the sand, and again many dangers.

Traveling to the opposite in humidity, the sea is equally filled with life. Merfolk most readily make up the majority of civilized water races and the only one exclusively in the water, making their homes in lopsided and tall buildings. Kappa and Undine have become involved with civilization and indeed can leave the water to travel to the surface to check out the offerings of those cities instead, and many races such as Salamanders, Nagas, or the adaptable races are able to travel down to see the offerings of the sea instead. However, by and large the sea is untamed, especially its darkest depths, which holds the same caveats as the deepest caves.

Returning to the surface and traveling up, larger hills and smaller mountains are most often associated with Giants, if only because they're most obvious there. As the temperature drops and the snow falls, larger mountains become home exclusively to Yuki, who take unkindly to visitors in their small territory. This is aggravated when such mountains turn out to be volcanoes, which are hotspots (ha ha!) for Salamanders.

Yuki also dominate the freezing poles, but this is solely due to them being the only race capable of easily surviving there, and these Yuki, due to such large areas, are much friendlier to outsiders. But much like deserts, these areas house little hospitality in general, though they hide great rewards and dangers as well.

From the description, the following races were left out entirely:

• Angel (Sure they can fly, but where do they hang naturally?)
• Asura (Which isn't too hard to believe as they don't really have a set home)
• Cubus (Majority in their own plane, otherwise tend to be in cities?)
• Inu (Which IS concerning because I realized I never get them an explicit niche and now it shows)
• Karm's (Extinct)
• Mandragora (Same as Inu)
• Minotaur (Probably small settlements on plains before moving to the cities?)
• Orc (Almost exclusively in cities as well now?)
• Raijuu (Where IS their natural habitat?)
• Vanzin's (Extraterrestrial)

Not horrible, but I'd kinda like to put most of them somewhere. I also didn't describe beaches and swamps (and I'm sure some others), because I don't really know what to put there (Trolls were originally swamp because they're alligator-esque, but that's no longer the ONLY option they have). That also includes non-race-wise, I mean, it feels kinda silly putting treasures in swamps? Poor swamps. Maybe they'll get Raijuu.

Specifics

Deep Caves

Deep below the surface are labyrinths of tunnels covering the underside of the planet, connecting many caves from around the world. However, this deep in the cave range are extreme temperatures and a severe lack of light, so it is mostly empty.

The Formric were a later race created with great burrowing abilities, and they quickly dug deep into the planet, interweaving their colonies. Later, an offshoot of Elves who directly opposed OO sought safety, and were welcomed to the vast underground network, adjusting to survive.

Although the Planet Eaters never arrived on Sote, many of their Void Mites reached the planet and burrowed deep into the planet, wiping themselves out in the planet core. In their journey, many hit Formric colonies, wiping them out; and many more ended up flooding the tunnels with mana from the core, wiping out even more and destroying the familiar structure. The elf inhabitants prove their worth during this crisis, able to use their mastery of magic to reroute the mana and save many lives.

The tunnels are mostly clear of hostile creatures, although any mana pits usually have some sort of predator around for eating the spawning Adamites. There are rumors that a few Void Mites themselves are still alive deep in the tunnels, but these reports are disregarded as 'depressing.'

Racial Demographics

• Majority (>90%)
  • Formic
  • Deep Elves
• Minority (<10%)
  • Yuki
  • Goblins
  • Trolls
  • Cubus
  • Nekos
  • Salamanders
  • Humans (<1%)

Creature Demographics

• Majority (>99%)
  • Corrupted Adamites
  • Ghouls
  • Boogies
  • Kobolds
  • Sponges
• Minority (<1%)
  • Basilisks
  • Drakes
  • Liches
  • Void Mites?

Mountain Caves

Just past the surface of the planet are tunnels connected the outside world to the deeper caves. These caves are rich with solid mana veins, left untapped when the Formric burrowed deeper. The dwarves were a later race created shortly after the Formric began their subterranean paradise, and found many hidey-holes in mountains to protect them from the savage creatures. They soon discover the mana veins, and began to restructure the entirety of these entrance caves to support the mining of these as well as supporting the growing size and population of their race as protection became more viable. Soon other races began to approach the dwarves for their secrets, and the dwarves effectively started metal trade, helping set the foundation for what would eventually become society.

While dwares make up the majority of Mountain cave inhabitants, there are many that were or became unsuitable for dwarven needs and hostile creatures took residence instead. Several large creatures find the size suitable for a resting chamber, and in abandoned caves Nymphs sometimes move like ghosts, hoping to find the revelry that once filled the caves.

Racial Demographics

• Majority (>70%)
  • Dwarves
• Minority (<30%)
  • Goblins
  • Humans

Creature Demographics

• Majority (>80%)
  • Ogres
  • Drakes
• Minority (<20%)
  • Nymphs

Woods

Deep woods have always been a dangerous place on Sote. Originally some of the First Tellurians were savage hunters, but as civilization has progressed a new threat arose, the once peaceful Dryads. Their homes being cut into as cities grew, Dryads tend to control the heart of forests but tend to maintain a perimeter on wherever they feel their territory start. The only areas within forests that tend to be untamed by Dryads tend to be dominated by beasts not even they can oppose. Going into a forest is a bad idea, going into a forest without a clear plan is the equivalent of suicide.

A small number or area of forests sometimes house a small village or community of other races who cleared out the Dryads before them. That said, these communities are not always welcoming of outsiders, and even if they are, claiming to remove Dryads from a forested area is something like claiming to remove the sand from the desert, there's always still more around.

Racial Demographics

• Majority (>95%)
  • Dryads
  • OO
• Minority (<5%)

Creature Demographics

• Majority (>60%)
  • Cockatrices
  • Tanukis
• Minority (<40%)
  • Kobolds

Plains

Plains were once a mixed bag for races, they provided no cover for enemies, but that also meant the races themselves were unprotected. Centaurs were one of the first races to take a dive and establish actual villages on the plains, cultivating the natural plants and coordinating defensive maneuvers when attacked. Eventually these villages thrived, and many races came to the Centaurs asking for reliable food in exchange for something, which laid down an agricultural trade and was pretty much the start of any form of civilization.

The plains being a hotspot for races already, humans came along and started developing towns to entertain and engross travelers. Most of these towns thrived (due to contracts with minotaurs bought out from centaurs) and turned into bustling cities, pinnacles of creation and innovation, and symbols of civilization. Humans started to work with other races to form groups dedicated to eradicating things that threatened their lifestyles, most notably the once dangerous First Tellurians.

Humans clearly won out, and many cities became melting pots of all races and cultures. Centaurs stuck to small farms, feeling most comfortable with that, and Nekos felt that they might not be able to beat the sheer magnitude of the humans, but they could certainly improve the quality, and built sleek futuristic cities. Harpies, who became upset over losing their cultural identity, became building their own villages again to try to preserve their traditions.

Racial Demographics

• Majority (>70%)
  • Humans
  • Nekos
  • Orcs
  • Minotaurs
  • Goblins
  • Centaurs
• Minority (<30%)
  • Tengus
  • Cubus
  • Harpies
  • Usagi
  • Kappa

Creature Demographics

• Majority (>80%)
  • Orges
• Minority (<20%)
  • Boogeys

Deserts

Desert are already dangerous to many races on their own, the significant heat and lack of any viable subsistence make it deadly in general. This is not helped by the fact that it has some of the planet's deadliest creatures. Large vulture-like creatures set up large nests and head out in all directions, intent of stripping nutrition from any foolish enough to end up in the desert. Large scorpion-like creatures hug the canyons and valleys, intent of catching any stranglers that are trying to avoid the former. And large worms burrow deep underground, searching for subsistence of their own.

Not all races find the desert unforgiving, though. Salamanders love the heat and are more protected than other races to the predators that fill the landscape. And gnomes in particular are able to move through the sand as if it were water, having only trouble defending themselves from worms.

The desert itself is desolate of civilization, any salamanders or other races living as nomads. An ancient civilization once lied in the desert, producing vibrations to scare off the burrowing worms. Unfortunately, as the vultures became more plentiful, they soon came to check what produced those vibrations and stripped the city of all life, leaving no clue of the inhabitants. The city still stands empty, routinely attacked by the vultures examining the creatures. Gnomes have taken residence under the city, as the vibrations protect them from their primary predator. They occasionally explore the surface of the city for visitors with protective shells made of sand, so they can quickly retreat into the ground should the vultures strike.

Racial Demographics

• Majority (<80%)
  • Gnomes
• Minority (<20%)
  • Salamanders

Creature Demographics

• Majority (>70%)
  • Vultures
  • Scorpions
• Minority (<30%)
  • Worms

Sea

The sea covers the majority of the surface of Sote, and is probably the most untamed area of it, with strict routes maintained for transcontinental travel. Even on these routes are great perils like storms and pirates, but off the routes lurk things far more dangerous.

Merfolk tend to hug towards land, as it makes their camps easier to find. Kappa have relatively recently joined their camps, though they often leave for the surface upon maturity. Merfolk tend to be fiercely protective against hostile outsiders, so the coasts are usually relatively peaceful.

Just a bit further out are small settlements of salamanders or giants looking for underwater mana springs, as well as large reefs of Sponge. But past those are dark, primordial things that are driven by hunger.

Of particular note is the Undine, a creature that is actually made up of two types of creature. They are able to alter to the flow of water, and in large groups are able to create deadly whirlpools and other water phenomena. So deadly, in fact, that most other creatures know to stay clear of them, so small groups ventured out in search of food on their own. Several of these ended up attacking Merfolk, but their attacks were so weak on their own the Merfolk read them as playfulness and treated them as pets. The Undine took the free food and shelter, and adapted to be more like their providers, which in turn got them more favor, until they functionally became a basic race. Like the Kappa, some of them journey to the surface out of the promise of more goods, but most 'civilized' ones are content with their place among the Merfolk.

Racial Demographics

• Majority (>70%)
  • Merfolk
  • Kappa
• Minority (<30%)
  • Undine
  • Salamanders
  • Giants
  • Nagas

Creature Demographics

Swamps and Marshes

The only areas with heavy vegetation that don't house many Dryads and even fewer hostile ones, civilization rarely encroached on swamps and marshes as they are not sources of any essentials. As such, the areas remain largely unchanged since their inception. Raijuu slide along the surface of the sitting water, while small groups of particularly tolerant Dryads, Trolls, Nagas, and Fae often make homes in any vegetation growing, and Sponge cover much of the water surface and base of plants.

Racial Demographics

• Majority (>60%)
  • Raijuu
• Minority (<40%)
  • Nagas
  • Fae
  • Trolls
  • Dryads

Creature Demographics

Mountain Peaks

Mountain tops are often extremes, and many of the most esoteric races thrive in this location as a result. Giants love the solitude above the tree line, Yuki love the snow-tipped peaks and Salamanders love volcanic domes. Of course, each race wants different things, and conflict is bound to happen. Mountain Yuki in particular are very aggressive to any giants or salamanders or really anything that enter their territory.

Racial Demographics

• Majority (>95%)
  • Yuki
  • Salamanders
  • Giants

Creature Demographics

• Majority (>95%)
  • Snow
  • Phoenix

Arctic

The arctic, much like the desert, is a hard place for any life to be sustained. However, the Arctic Yuki thrive in the temperature, and due to their uncontested rule of the area, are very welcoming of strangers. The relatively small and fast creatures that thrive in the desert give way to larger and sturdier beasts in the wintery wilderness.

Racial Demographics

• Majority (>99%)
  • Yuki

Creature Demographics

• Majority (>60%)
• Minority (<40%)
  • Snow

SAS

A continent with many untamed sections, and diverse climates and locations. The most notable place on the continent is Metro City.

Spread throughout the continent there are still withdrawn villages of purely dryads, elves, or humans, as well as a very rare one of one or two others.

(So what do SAS stand for?)

Metro City

A city of many names, artificially created by Tad trying to create a home after losing the peninsula. The nature citizens are weak (Tier 0) beings whose energies are recycles by the cycle after they die, same with destroyed buildings. They lack desire, going about meaningless business until they are killed. As BLUE has started to set up base here, the senseless violence has decreased, but most often only replaced by sensible violence.

The city became a target for those who sought to exploit it, and a slums developed around it. This area is very violent and all resources are pretty much constantly contested. Further out, there are more permanent and developed buildings, which has started becoming a community of its own.

Recently, a young outsider entrepreneur has somehow gained a rule over the city, and has allowed many businesses to build within the city limits. These buildings are NOT part of the city have to be rebuilt by hand if destroyed.

The Presidential Building

A large sleek spire in the middle of the city, it is somehow intimidating as well as inviting. Blake rules the city from here, handing out deeds to business owners, working to try to solve internal and external social problems, and dicking around in his free time. Currently it is undergoing renovations to become the official BLUE headquarters as well.

Freyu's Diner

A diner within the limits run by Freyu (gasp!), the main source of food for outsides in both the city limits and those in the areas around it. The place is opened all hours, and is generally ran by Freyu alone unless she has a waitstaff on duty. She is very intolerant of people acting out in the diner, and even moreso of damage to it, recruiting any that slight her to work for her until they pay off their debt. The diner is open to any faction.

DMs are encouraged to throw random supporting characters in the area into the waitstaff every now and then for kicks. You know you want to.

Laidena's Tailor

A clothing shop ran by Laidena and assisted by Dommi, provider mostly for those in the Slums and the forming city. Accepts commissions at any hour and usually produces results within a day unless particularly esoteric. Recently it has been revealed Laidena opened the shop in Metro City to keep an eye on the city for HAZE, but it still functions normally and for any faction.

Rapa's Store

Weapons, armor, and general goods are provided here. If a character needs something special delivered, Rapa is usually able to get it, though it might take some time. In certain cases, providers refuse or the request to too obscure, but it's rare for her to give up her pursuit easily. Rapa is open to commission at any hour to anybody, but she shows huge bias to BLUE employees, giving them discounts and prioritizing them over others.

NEO

The most technologically focused continent, as where as HAZE's headquarters are. In most drafts it's about 1.5 times larger than SAS, but due to the focus that ratio might flip, especially seeing how NEO is more heavily watched by HAZE and as such more tame.

Humans, nekos, and goblins make up the majority of the native population, although obviously they are joined by all walks of life employed by HAZE.

(Again, the abbreviation)

The Heart

Papercut's company's headquarters, a large monopoly that makes many of the goods of Sote and distributes even more. The staff is fairly small for the size but very dedicated, with all hours and organizations covered under its plans.

The Floating Continent

A once fertile peninsula of SAS, destroyed from within shortly after the attack by the Planet Eaters after the chain of volcanoes lining it were activated and amplified. Barren and bereft of life, the area was struck by a mana satellite, creating a fine dust cloud over the area for a while. When it finally settled, the area was gone, assumed to have finally sank at the stress. A few people speculated that the area became adrift, developing a new environment from the mana and becoming an attraction to those seeking power. These remarks were shrugged off as 'poorly-written.'

LUU

A continent that was a group of civilized and diplomatic kingdoms working together, refusing the rule of HAZE instead governing themselves. When a felon usagi of HAZE carrying a strange item entered their domain, they forbade HAZE from entering and removing him, welcoming him as a visitor. The rest of the details are unclear to most, just knowing the areas is off-limits nowadays. If they think about it at all, they usually assume the item was misused and covered the area in unstable magics or something.

The reality is far worse. The item was part of a dead planet's core, and he was able to use it to subtly manipulate the citizens. He altered the structure to benefit him, as those free of his control became more anxious. HAZE decided to send in a group to destroy him, and they failed. Specifically, one of them betrayed the others, not seeing the problem herself. As she sent more time with the usagi, though, it became clear just how much his actions were hurting the continent, and he was slain by the one he love, but not before leaving an heir.

His heir proved even more dangerous, absorbing part of the core (which shattered as a result), ignoring the subtleties of control at all. She could make people do whatever she wanted, and she was going to. The continent quickly fell into civil war as she spread her control, and many of those who rose up against her only wanted power themselves, now armed with a shard of the core themselves. The continent was falling from its diplomacy and becoming unthinking armies, and HAZE decided to quarantine it and seal it off. The act was mostly pointless, though: The heir and her kind had no desire to leave, their armies had no thoughts of escape, and those who were still free of mind were the only ones who suffered its effects.

Nowadays, those with the power tend to play games of control amongst each other, with the occasional shifts of powers as one rises and another one falls. It's considered poor sport to lure or force others from another continent, but these acts are usually appreciated, as they tend to backfire on the cheater and introduce new pieces that are unable to leave. And so the game goes on.

Due to her vast fortune being worthless, the heir also set up several different ways to invest in external companies and even provide for them. As such, she actually has a more concrete grasp on the world than HAZE, and could drive it into chaos financially if she ever wanted to. But as the games begin to bore her, she has instead become fascinated with the businesses she has a hand in.

Originally the largest continent, about twice the size of SAS. It'll probably get shrunk unless the size does discourage people from going there. (Also abbreviation)