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The Inverted Earth [OOC/OPEN]

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Aureumterra
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The Inverted Earth [OOC/OPEN]

Postby Aureumterra » Mon Aug 05, 2019 1:56 pm




The Inverted Earth

For whatever reason, the third planet from the Sun has developed a peculiar landscape. Defying nearly all laws of geology, the planet has ended up being inverted form what would normally have happened, oceans are where the continents are, and a massive landmass is where the oceans are. Lakes become islands, gulfs become peninsulas, and trenches become mountain ranges. The world is made of 7 significant oceans, and a single interconnected landmass dotted with large extensive rivers running through it. The tallest mountains are where the trenches of our world are, with the highest one being the Mariana Mountain Range, the tallest peak being what we know as Challenger Deep. While a water shortage would be expected in this world, there is certainly no shortage of freshwater, as the unique topography of this world allow for rivers to run extensive distances, the most notable being the Mariana river, which is sourced from the snowmelt of the Mariana Mountains and runs all the way into the Pacific Savannah, creating an area of fertile land around it. What we know as the Pacific ocean becomes a massive, expansive, and largely dry landmass, however, it doesn’t become a desert due to the humidity from the American Ocean, and instead, the more western parts become semi-arid savannah and Steppe. Our Mid-Atlantic ridge, an underwater mountain range, becomes a large basin, due to its elevation, ending up being extremely dry, so dry that crossing it is near impossible. The most fertile parts of this land are the coasts of the American Ocean, the banks of the Mariana River, and our Indian Ocean, as well as the Mediterranean Peninsula and the Caspian Island. Many other islands dot the oceans, notably the archipelago that would be our world’s Great Lakes. For whatever reason, life has developed just like it did in our world, and with it came Humans, who have discovered fire and quickly spread across the massive landmass. The first civilizations have begun to emerge.


OOC: I saw this inverted Earth map, and wondered how Human civilization and culture would have developed if the Earth actually looked like this. I’m not a geologist, this is simply a thought exercise that I did, I don’t care about the actual geological possibility of such an Earth being possible, nor do I care about how it would affect evolution. For the sake of this RP, for whatever reason, all life on Earth has evolved as it did IRL, including humans, who started out close to where they did IRL, near the coast of the African Ocean, but have since spread across the world. Anyways, I hope we develop an interesting world, and most importantly, have fun!


Rules
  • Basic NS RP rules apply (No godmodding, meta gaming, etc.)
  • OP’s word is law
  • I know this isn’t the most realistic of scenarios, but all laws of physics and biological phenomenon apply
  • Keep OOC discussion civil
  • No OOC posts on the IC
  • Have fun!


App:
Code: Select all
[align=center][b]App[/b][/align]
Civilization name:
Civilization location:
Civilization Leader:
Describe culture:
Describe religion:
Describe history:
Anything else?:
Last edited by Aureumterra on Sat Aug 10, 2019 2:40 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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Aureumterra
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Postby Aureumterra » Mon Aug 05, 2019 1:58 pm

Last edited by Aureumterra on Fri Aug 09, 2019 6:49 am, edited 3 times in total.
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Great Confederacy of Commonwealth States
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Postby Great Confederacy of Commonwealth States » Mon Aug 05, 2019 2:13 pm

What year would we be starting in? Like, in BCE?
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Postby Aureumterra » Mon Aug 05, 2019 2:14 pm

Great Confederacy of Commonwealth States wrote:What year would we be starting in? Like, in BCE?

Yep, think cradle of civilization times
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The Hindustani State
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Postby The Hindustani State » Mon Aug 05, 2019 4:07 pm

Interesting RP, never seen one like this before, tagged
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Reatra
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Postby Reatra » Mon Aug 05, 2019 4:21 pm

This is a cool concept, one I've thought about before, but I think y'all need to come up with some basic rules for what areas would be cradles of civilization and such. Are there any river maps? Biome maps? Etc?
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Aureumterra
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Postby Aureumterra » Mon Aug 05, 2019 4:45 pm

Reatra wrote:This is a cool concept, one I've thought about before, but I think y'all need to come up with some basic rules for what areas would be cradles of civilization and such. Are there any river maps? Biome maps? Etc?

I described a few biomes in the OP, but as long as it makes basic geologic sense, you can put rivers anywhere. As for biomes, Indian Ocean would be a dense rainforest near the North, but taper down to a temperate forest to the center and south
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Rykil
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Postby Rykil » Mon Aug 05, 2019 5:26 pm

Tagging for a civilization on the Mediterranean Peninsula. On another note, I managed to find a much larger inverted earth. It's the exact same image but upsized.

Image
Last edited by Rykil on Mon Aug 05, 2019 5:43 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Aureumterra
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Postby Aureumterra » Mon Aug 05, 2019 6:08 pm

Rykil wrote:Tagging for a civilization on the Mediterranean Peninsula. On another note, I managed to find a much larger inverted earth. It's the exact same image but upsized.


Aight thanks, I’ll add that to the OP
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The Greater Gothic Empire
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Postby The Greater Gothic Empire » Mon Aug 05, 2019 6:10 pm

Brilliant concept. Wonder if I pinpoint a Gothic civilization there in this 'inverted Earth'.

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Postby Aureumterra » Mon Aug 05, 2019 6:12 pm

The Greater Gothic Empire wrote:Brilliant concept. Wonder if I pinpoint a Gothic civilization there in this 'inverted Earth'.

It’s cradle of civilization times, so I don’t think a Gothic aesthetic would be as prevalent, but go ahead
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The Hindustani State
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Postby The Hindustani State » Tue Aug 06, 2019 5:40 am

I’m debating between a seafaring culture in the Canadian Archipelago (All of Canada’s lakes became islands, so that’s a lot of potential) or a remote group of people settled on Baikal Island
Last edited by The Hindustani State on Tue Aug 06, 2019 5:41 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Postby Aureumterra » Tue Aug 06, 2019 6:23 am

The Hindustani State wrote:I’m debating between a seafaring culture in the Canadian Archipelago (All of Canada’s lakes became islands, so that’s a lot of potential) or a remote group of people settled on Baikal Island

I don’t think you’ll have much interaction from somewhere as remote as Baikal
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The Hindustani State
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Postby The Hindustani State » Tue Aug 06, 2019 9:31 am

Aureumterra wrote:
The Hindustani State wrote:I’m debating between a seafaring culture in the Canadian Archipelago (All of Canada’s lakes became islands, so that’s a lot of potential) or a remote group of people settled on Baikal Island

I don’t think you’ll have much interaction from somewhere as remote as Baikal

Right, I might not do the Canadian Archipelago either, I have something else in mind…
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Ihsalihna
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Postby Ihsalihna » Tue Aug 06, 2019 9:50 am

Tagged for interest!

Looking at this, wouldn't the cradles of civilizations, traditionally located in river valleys, be where undersea mountains and ridges are located? For example the Atlantic Ridge would probably be a massive fertile valley.

But I love this concept overall. Instead of a Mongolian-like civilization being steppe nomads would they be a great seafaring thalassocracy raiding the coastal regions of the Great Asian Ocean? Would the masterful navigational skills of a Polynesian-inspired people transfer into them being a widespread group of desert nomads that have settled all around the fertile oasis that dot the massive Pacific Desert, creating a massive trade route? Love it.
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Aureumterra
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Postby Aureumterra » Tue Aug 06, 2019 10:16 am

Ihsalihna wrote:Tagged for interest!

Looking at this, wouldn't the cradles of civilizations, traditionally located in river valleys, be where undersea mountains and ridges are located? For example the Atlantic Ridge would probably be a massive fertile valley.

But I love this concept overall. Instead of a Mongolian-like civilization being steppe nomads would they be a great seafaring thalassocracy raiding the coastal regions of the Great Asian Ocean? Would the masterful navigational skills of a Polynesian-inspired people transfer into them being a widespread group of desert nomads that have settled all around the fertile oasis that dot the massive Pacific Desert, creating a massive trade route? Love it.

Actually, Mid Atlantic ridge is extremely deep, so it’s the one that becomes an extremely dry desert, however, both sides of the ridge are extremely fertile

The Pacific isn’t a dry desert due to the humidity from the American oceans which, assuming wind current remain the same for whatever reason, would end up there, so the coastal parts of it are fertile deciduous landscapes, while the entire thing is a savannah/steppe rather than a desert, also, I think cultures and civilizations would develop extremely different, so I don’t think we would have the same characteristics as Polynesians or Mongols

EDIT: Actually, I might label the map for more detail once we get properly started
Last edited by Aureumterra on Tue Aug 06, 2019 10:17 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Postby Aureumterra » Tue Aug 06, 2019 11:10 am

Just to clear possible confusion, the only things not inverted are rivers, because that would mean we have thin strips of land extending into oceans which would be really weird, also, you have the freedom to place rivers in any areas described as fertile
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Postby Benuty » Tue Aug 06, 2019 11:54 am

I like this roleplay idea and will come up with an application shortly.
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Postby The Hindustani State » Tue Aug 06, 2019 1:07 pm

When’s IC coming?
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Postby Aureumterra » Tue Aug 06, 2019 1:10 pm

The Hindustani State wrote:When’s IC coming?

Not until we actually get some apps :p
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Postby The Hindustani State » Tue Aug 06, 2019 5:22 pm

Mediterranean peninsula is reserved, right?
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Postby Aureumterra » Tue Aug 06, 2019 5:23 pm

The Hindustani State wrote:Mediterranean peninsula is reserved, right?

For now, yes, although the person hasn’t made an app, we have a good number of tags but no actual apps yet
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Postby Aureumterra » Wed Aug 07, 2019 1:43 pm

No apps yet huh :(
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COMPLETE

Postby Xanh » Wed Aug 07, 2019 9:32 pm

App

Civilization Name: Ilania (მთამეფო; "Mtamepo")
Civilization Location: Lake Baikal, Issyk-Kul, and Balkhash (I mean, the Baikal-Balkhash Archipelagos)
Civilization Leader: Matriarch Nonna Ketevan
Describe Culture:
  • (Government): The Ilanian government is a spiritualistic dictatorship, ruled by a single individual in a hierarchical power structure supported by the official state religion. The leader is always a female, typically one who is considered the most wise and loyal among the Ilanian faith (Sulism - see 'Religion' for more details). It be correct to say that the Ilanian government is an elective monarchy, because whenever a matriarch cannot provide a worthy heiress, the religious clergy can elect an alternative ruler. Real power is all in the hands of the matriarch herself, with her rule defended by a cadre of informants and spies, whom take orders directly from the matriarch herself. But if the matriarch is suspected and accused of treason and/or incompetence, she can be disposed by the clergy and secret police all together, subsequently replaced by another matriarch.
  • (Social Structure): Ilanian society is based around a social structure with merchants on the bottom, peasants and artisans in the middle, and the Ilanian clergy at the top. Undesirables/Outsiders are a forbidden social class, silently segregated and isolated from the rest of Ilanian society, mostly sent to work camps or imprisoned in solitary. One can move up the social ranks, however, via undergoing religious assimilation and disciplining, essentially becoming a full-time monk. Heresy and apostasy is punishable by permanent solitary confinement, with some offenders lucky enough to be released and brainwashed into becoming a different person.
  • (Architecture): Ilanian architecture is typified by wooden structures, elevated slightly off the ground, with tiled or thatched roofs. Sliding doors were used in place of walls, allowing the internal configuration of a space to be customized for different occasions. Due to the subzero temperatures in the winter, hot spring baths and saunas are commonplace in Ilania, often built using insulated wooden structures to retain as much as heat as possible. Stone is rarely used in Ilanian structures due to its weight, erosion, and inflexibility to earthquakes. Thus, timber is the most common building material across all Ilanian construction projects.
Describe Religion: The Ilanian religion is an animist faith generally referred as 'Sulism' (მთისული; "Mtisuli"). There are no guiding dogmas, official scriptures, or founders, but Sulism is based around spirits and forces of nature. It's believed that every intelligent lifeform has a soul, and when in death, he/she will simply be reincarnated into a new life; however, if one has lived a hard and worthy life, he/she will instead become a spirit themselves, freed from the sufferings of life. Lastly but not least, females are often considered as revered and respected figures, since it's believed that they're the spirits of life in a mortal form. Thus, Ilanian society is subsequently matriarchal.
Describe History: The Ilanians were originally from the continental landmass. Unfortunately, warring tribes forced the Ilanians to migrate northward into the Eurasian Ocean. There, the Ilanians found the Issyk-Kul islands, but the exploration and expansionism didn’t end there. While the Ilanians were settling down on Issyk-Kul islands, the remaining Ilanians island-hopped to other islands, eventually finding the Baikal archipelagos. Discovering an even larger landmass known as Baikal, the Ilanians resettled to that particular nearby archipelago, but Issyk-Kul archipelagos remained very much under their control.

Through fishing and herding, the Ilanians survived and lived on their newly founded homes based on a meat-based diet. Using the furs of great games and bears, and the hide of seals and whales, the Ilanians were able to survive and tolerate in the extreme cold. But life up in the north was anything but lazy. That was because the Ilanians were a religious society, unified together by faith and common ethnic traits. They hope to unify their lands - and perhaps any future land they stumble upon - under their faith and iron rule.
Anything else?:
  • (Ilanian Landscape and Climate): Ilania is an archipelago mainly comprised of hilly or mountainous islands, with the Baikal mainland being the tallest and largest island. On the flat and small islands, there is only tundra or permafrost. But on the larger islands like Baikal and Issyk Kul, there exists rugged taiga, snow, and rocky coasts. Rainfall is very common among the islands as much as blizzards and snow storms exist in winter. The Ilanian climate is described as having moderate yet hot summers (May to September; temperatures rising as high as 35 Celsius), while winters are long and cold (October to April; temperatures drop as low as -65 Celsius).
  • (Ilanian Military): The key to the Ilanian's success in administration and control was its navy, both maritime and military alike. The Ilanians have a special type of wooden sailing ship called, the Baikalina, designed with a high freeboard to allow the ship to slide on top of ice sheets. Akin to a caravel, the Baikalina has two large lateen sails that allow the ship to sail against the wind, and when combined with the ship's high freeboard, the Baikalina is a fast yet cramped vessel. Ship-to-ship combat is primarily defined by boarding each other; however, destroying the actual ships themselves are taboo, since ships are highly valued among Ilania's maritime culture and fishing industry.
Last edited by Xanh on Thu Aug 08, 2019 4:28 pm, edited 3 times in total.

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Great Confederacy of Commonwealth States
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Postby Great Confederacy of Commonwealth States » Thu Aug 08, 2019 8:30 am

App

Civilization name: Early Andamani Civilisation
Civilization location: Lands of Andaman and Malacca, Selat Karimata, Java, Thai Peninsula
Civilization Leader: Prebenura (High Teacher) Mansuukalikon
The Prebenura heads the eNura Hekon, the Teaching School. The School is more a tradition, having sole access to the Grand Alphabet. The writing system of the early Andamani is incredibly complex, almost like a secret code, and it takes years of study and great intelligence to become familiar with it. It is seen as holy, and to try and make a different system of writing is seen has heretical. The pupils of the School are the only ones capable of understanding the alphabet and the counting system, making them incredibly valuable in all parts of society. These Taught, as they are known, help with agriculture, taxation, legal judgements, and trade, among other things. This is the way the central authority exerts control.
Describe culture: Culture-wise, the early Andamani put a lot of faith in symbols and the written word. In their theology, the written word is somthing from the realm of the gods, fundamental to the fabric of the universe, capable of changing and securing the nature of reality. As such, the written word is itself a work of art, entirely separate from the stories that are conveyed by them. Those who can translate the written language of the universe into the spoken word ar held in high regard. It is hard to say where Andamani culture begins and their religion ends, as their love for writing enters sheer veneration. Buildings of culture and writing serve as temples, as do libraries and archives, which hold central positions in Andamani society.
Describe religion: The religion of the Andamani can be called both formal and informal. It is formal, in the sense that only one group, those taught by the School, have the ability to play a significant role in the religion. However, there is no holy book, as all script is inherently holy. These Taught fulfil the role of priest as well as bureaucrat and magistrate, and those positions are not really seperate. There are no religious services, per se, but cultural events are very spiritual events as well, and always center around the written word. The written word, as they say, is the very fabric of reality. In the beginning, the Spirits, essences of reality, wrote the world into being. The water spirits wrote the rivers and the seas, and the woodland spirits wrote the forests and the trees. Still, these spirits communicate to the Andamani through writing. Part of the goal of the School is to unlock the secrets of writing even more, to unlock even more powerful words, symbols of numbers.
Describe history: According to legend, Man was once like an animal, uncaring about its environment and incapable of creation. MeWa, the Spirit of Mischief, came down to Earth and taught the skill of language and writing to the Chief of one of the groups of Man. The man understood but the smallest part of the lessons of MeWa, but with this knowledge he could bring about enormous change. His group built a village, on the site of the current capital of Malacca, and he chose the most intelligent man and his only son to teach what MaWe had taught him. However, not all agreed that just the Chief should have this power, and while the intelligent man stayed true to the will of MaWe, the son left and tried to teach the world, which led to the creation of lesser civilisations.

This is, of course, an origin myth. In reality, the foundations of the early Andamani civilisation are much more practical. Known for their lake-terrace farming in an otherwise quite inhospitable land, the Andamani settled around the sweet water lakes of Borneo, Sumatra and Java for their sustenance. Writing was discovered by one of the city-states, which made them incredibly wealthy and powerful, and allowed it to overwhelm its neighbours. The secret of writing, however, was closely kept by the rulers of the city-state, which led to the foundation of the School. This School would eventually use its spiritual standing and effective control to overshadow the various governments of the city states to become the ruling body in the realm. While local princes and bodies, make laws, technically, true power lies with the bureaucracy.
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