Geography

Rhadixe
Depictions of Rhadixe generally consist of paired maps: one map depicts the view of the globe from above, with the zenith in the centre, while the second depicts the view of the globe from below, with the nadir in the centre. There are three continents clustered around the zenith, which would appear on the first map of "upper" Rhadixe. They are as follows:
Celes
Two island-continents in the center (i.e. close to the zenith of Rhadixe) - Peuro and Ukanos - and a number of smaller, surrounding islands. Agriculturally rich, save for a few patches of desert, but a territory of quite limited size. The Celesti have spent much of their history fighting amongst themselves over this restricted space.
Sol
A single island-continent in the northwest. Mostly desert, badlands and mountains, save for fertile land along the coasts - this barreness is partly due to past overdevelopment. In present-day Rhadixe, the Solari mainly restrict themselves to acropolis-cities, within which they carry on all the necessities of life.
Lune
Consists of a number of territories in the southeast. The largest of these is the continent of Tarusha, most of which is (or was) covered by rain forest. Surrounding Tarusha are three island-continents: Tiana to the southwest, Koaffi to the northwest and Yuenti to the north. Due to the resouces available there, Tarusha and Tiana have suffered more from colonization than have Koaffi and Yuenti. However, Koaffi has also particularly suffered from religiously-motivated wars with Celes.

A fourth continent, Teneb, appears on the second map of "lower" Rhadixe. Centrally positioned, it is a sizable continent, larger than any individual continent on the upper half of Rhadixe, with a broad range of different ecologies in different places. Once ruled exclusively by the Tenebrae, Teneb was invaded by the Celesti and Solari several hundred years ago. By the time-frame of the main plot action of the novel, Teneb is dominated both politically and culturally by the invaders, who bear only a minimal tolerance toward the Tenebrae minority that remains. They refer to the land they have conquered as "New Celes." The (un?)holy Tenebrae city of Methakasha is positioned at the exact nadir of Rhadixe.


The Spheres
It should be noted that Rhadixe, unlike our world or other 'real' planets, is a stationary globe orbited by various Spheres (celestial bodies of light), including a "sun" (Lux) and a "moon" (Silene). Lux orbits from east to west, passing over the zenith and nadir, and Silene orbits from north to south, again passing over the zenith and nadir. It follows from this that the zenith and nadir, despite being positioned similarly to Earth's north and south poles, are not especially cold. Instead, if one were standing at the zenith of Rhadixe, the coldest points on the planet would be where Silene rises and sets. Furthermore, seasons occur due to the waxing and waning of Lux's energy, rather than the position of Rhadixe, which remains static.

In addition to the sun and moon, there are also nine other Spheres in the skies of Rhadixe. Eight of these - Ophidia, Faera, Satyrus, Xastri, Orgone, Halcyn, Caleda and Mera - orbit Rhadixe along various trajectories, while one, Kliphos, remains fixed at the nadir of Rhadixe, directly above Methakasha. Since Kliphos was thus unknown to non-Tenebrae prior to the Invasion, this Sphere is perceived as malevolent by the other races, the Celesti in particular.

The appearances of the Spheres are as follows. (note: 'size' in this context means 'apparent/observed size') They are listed here in order from the Sphere which orbits most closely to Rhadixe to that which orbits furthest away.

  • Kliphos: Fixed above Methakasha, it is very large, occupying perhaps an eigth of the sky directly overhead. As a result it eclipses various other Spheres on a daily basis. Its colors vary, usually dominated by emerald green and purple, but it tends to take on the coloration of any Sphere that passes near or behind it.
  • Silene: white with patches of pale orchid; similar size and brightness to our moon.
  • Caleda: fiery orange, about 1/5 the size and brightness of our moon.
  • Mera: turquoise green, about 1/4 the size and brightness of our moon.
  • Lux: white-yellow, similar size and brightness to our sun; the only Sphere bright enough to make a really significant difference in light levels on Rhadixe.
  • Halcyn: fiery red, about 2x the size of the sun but dimmer than the moon.
  • Orgone: deep blue, quite dim, occasionally visible only due to the erratic flashes of pale-blue energy storms across its surface. Same size as Halcyn.
  • Faera: violet; usually about 1/3 the size and brightness of our moon but varies cyclically. That is, Spheres inward from Faera tend to resemble planets, whereas Spheres outward from Faera are less distinct and may resemble dense, swirling globes of gas and fire - Faera is a bit of both. How 'red' or 'blue' a shade of violet Faera is also varies cyclically. Also, because its orbit lies along Rhadixe's equator whilest all the lands of Rhadixe are either near the zenith or near the nadir, it is seldom seen and all of the races regard it as somewhat mysterious.
  • Xastri: black; similar to Orgone except that its storms appear silver. About 10x the size of the moon.
  • Satyrus: pearl gray, occasionally streaked with gold clouds. About 8x the size of the moon, but again quite dim.
  • Ophidia: white, smaller than Caleda but brighter than the moon. Often called the "Dragon Star" because its orbit is erratic, almost as if it possessed a mind of its own.

Codixe
Codixe has three main areas:

The mountains of Nidjn
Formerly inhabited by the Jenisi. Many of the mountains are volcanic. Mostly wasteland during the time-frame of the novel. Some of the more remote areas have been reclaimed by the more bestial Kimerae, such as Dragons, Griffins and Beholders.
The woods of Ydraanelf
Former lands of the Sylfae. A wilderness dotted with mysterious ruined shrines and cities, as well as occasional Luminary or Daemon outposts. Again, there are some Kimerae in the remote areas, especially Wraiths and Basilisks, both of which are drawn to ruins.
The Vaniran Sea
Territory of the Naia, who conceal themselves in its depths. The Sea is a vast repository of free-floating magic, and has been drawn upon extensively by both Daemons and Luminaries as a resource in their conflict. This has resulted in a gradual weakening of the Naia, but they still have not suffered nearly so much as either of the forces directly involved in hostilities.

Humans tend to perceive Nidjn as the western part of Codixe, Ydraanelf as central, and the Vaniran Sea as the eastern region. This is somewhat misleading, however, since Codixe is a non-material world, and subjective differences between individuals' psyches may therefore result in variable perceptions of distance and/or vicinity.


Other Worlds
Six other important worlds are:

Aislinn
The dream world. Takes the form of astral space between the other worlds. One must travel through the dream world in order to move from Rhadixe to the other worlds via one of the Spheres - a journey made by one's astral body rather than one's physical, for only Rhadixe is a world of matter. Some parts of Aislinn are dominated by Kimerae, who exist in the dream world while their physical bodies are hibernating in some remote part of Rhadixe.
Malsophos
A world beneath Rhadixe, just above the Abyss. In former times, the Daemons wandered freely amongst the worlds, but ever since Enuzir began to seek their destruction, the Daemon leaders have confined themselves in this secret place. It magnifies the energies that rise from the Abyss, and as a result is a place of considerable magical power even though it is amongst the lowest of worlds. The Daemons use this energy in their efforts to protect the Nameless One from afar. This energy seeps up to Rhadixe as well, but only at the nadir of the world, which is why magic continues to work in Methakasha even after Enuzir has stopped it from working anywhere else.
The Abyss, a.k.a. Astral Desert
A perilous place which lies below Malsophos. It is said to be inhabited by horrifying entropic entitites, to which the Sinistre parasite is a distant relative.
Neheva
Just as Malsophos is a citadel on the edge of the Abyss, Neheva is a citadel on the outskirts of Thallixe, the world above Codixe. City of the Luminaries, it is dominated by geometric structures and crystalline forms, including The Divine Eye, which preserves the souls of those whom Enuzir considers worthy. The Divine Eye functions somewhat like a computer, "recording" or "copying" the lives of those who declare themselves Righteous. To what extent such a device can provide humans with an "afterlife" is a point which Lazramael once debated - yet another reason for his exile.
Thallixe
The world above Codixe. Inhabited by Enuzir and, originally, Anihkesh. Once Edenic, it has gradually sterilized in Anihkesh's absence. Over time, it has also become cluttered with otherworldly machinery, connected to devices such as The Divine Eye in Neheva, such that Enuzir can exercise control over the lower worlds from here.
Apixe
The world above Thallixe. A shifting, abstract place inhabited by the Nameless One, a manifestation of primal chaos. The Nameless One is that from which all existence originally emanated. In his madness, Enuzir seeks to destroy the Nameless One because the Daemons arose from it. That is, he has forgotten that the Nameless One is also the basis of his own origin - an error that is not entirely beyond understanding, given that the Nameless One is generally not "conscious" in a normal sense, and thus all "conscious" creation of the world was undertaken by Enuzir and Anihkesh.


Travel Between Worlds

The upper worlds of Codixe, Thallixe and Apixe are each orbited by their own compliment of Spheres, just as Rhadixe is. Through the Spheres, it is possible to engage in astral travel between the worlds. (Not physical travel, even though in Rhadixe's case the Spheres have a physical as well as astral component - the appropriate technology is a magical trance state, not a space ship). Regardless of which world one is currently on, a mage or similarly-skilled individual can call upon the power of the Spheres in order to reach the following destinations:

  • Ophidia and Faera: Apixe
  • Satyrus and Xastri: Thallixe
  • Orgone and Mera: Codixe - The Vaniran Sea
  • Halcyn and Caleda: Codixe - the Nidjn Mountains
  • Lux and Silene: Codixe - the Woods of Ydraanelf
  • Tellura: Rhadixe (note: Tellura only appears in the skies of worlds other than Rhadixe)
  • Kliphos: Malsophos and/or the Abyss (note: Kliphos only appears in the skies of Rhadixe, and even then, only above Methakasha, being the only Sphere that is stationary.)

While the orbits of the Spheres are regular in Rhadixe, their appearance can be unpredictable in the upper worlds, such that travel is always accompanied by the risk of becoming stranded - a risk higher in Thallixe than in Codixe, and greater still in Apixe.

Mages often perceive Spheres in the dream world as glowing portals. Upon entering such a portal, one finds oneself in a building, palace, hallway or other interior place, which one must then pass through in order to arrive in the next world. The Tenebrae thus associate each Sphere with a particular Daemon, since in ancient times prior to the outbreak of all-out Angellic war, each of the major Daemons made their homes in one of these astral halls. (With some Daemons subsequently gaining worse reputations than others for harassing astral travellers.)

Note: although magic largely derives from the upper worlds, the loss of magic in post-Invasion times does not prevent travel between the worlds via the Spheres. That is, Enuzir did not 'close' the Spheres in order to stop the flow of magic down to Rhadixe. Rather, he diverted the flow of magic back up into Thallixe; the Spheres are open even in contemporary times, but little magic trickles down through them.

Last update: October 28, 2004



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