Earth

"It is a beautiful planet, one unlike any I've ever seen in my life. The Aravaraians call it 'Kaivalantanara-Hashvaraiha', meaning the 'Planet of the Ten Billion Faces', but the locals simply call it 'Earth', meaning 'ground' or 'soil'. In my opinion, an extremely humble name for a world whose beauty surpasses any other in the known galaxy" 
-the adventurer Tzan'kai, describing Earth in his work: Guidebook to The Planets of Mastaar
Earth, also often called Terra, Old Terra, Arkon-Terra, and codenamed Garden of Eden, is the homeworld of the human species and capital of the Federation of the Sol Stars, located in the Orion arm of the Mastaar Galaxy. Its size is rather small compared to other worlds, but its diversity in terrain, biome, species, government, and culture make it one of the most diverse worlds in the galaxy. 
During the 2020s, planet Earth collided with a parallel version of itself in an event known as the Convergence. During the event, Earth was linked via a complicated web of ley lines to one of its sister realities, Arkon. The links between the worlds of science and magic have lead to Earth experiencing "relative disability", resulting in breaches to other realities opening up regularly. Due to the effects left by the Convergence, it is estimated that nearly 8% of the galaxy's magic is located on the planet. This has caused multiple galactic nations like Harvath and Aravaraia to either seek to conquer or negotiate with the small planet for its energy. 
Earth, as a loose confederacy, does not have a national mage agency, though the Order of the White Cross is tasked by the UN Congress with Terran, esoteric, and interdimensional matters, while the Heavensky Corporation tends to focus on intergalactic matters and exploration. 
The current World President is Delma Majate, representing East Africa. 
== Terrain and Biomes ==
Unlike other planets, Earth's terrain is not the same as when it was when land first emerged. 
71% of Earth is covered in oceans, and the remaining 29% is made up of puzzle-piece continents created by tectonic shift. Earth is a very geologically active planet, and its location makes it a miracle that life emerged there at all, and to such a degree as well. 
Earth is classified both as a class 8 deathworld, and as a class 42 garden world, granting it both one of the highest natural danger grades and one of the highest possible classifications for ecological development. This dual-classification is likely one of the reasons Terran life is so highly varied, and contains so many specific ecological niches. 
This diversity has resulted in the creation great mountains, deep oceans, frozen tundras, scorching deserts, and much more. Its terrain is shaped by geological activity caused by the rotation of the planet's core, which fuels tectonic shift and vulcanism. 
The planet is tilted on its own axis, causing a season cycle that alternates between cold and warm weather. This also plays into the currents of the planet's oceans, which also fuels the cycle of Earth's atmosphere.
Areas around the planet's equator tend to be more tropical, the areas around that more arid, and as one gets closer to the poles, they tend to become temperate, followed by tundra and then ice cap regions. 
The mountains of the planet cause large rain shadows that block water from reaching the areas beyond them, creating large arid zones were rainfall is uncommon. 
Most of planet is covered in small to medium sized flora, and it supports a vibrant and diverse planetary ecosystem.
Most fauna of the planet resides on the terrestrial surface of the planet and the epipelagic zones of the planet's oceans, though life on this world has found ways to exist in the most extreme of conditions. 
== Civilization ==
Earth's only native sapient species is the Homo Sapiens Sapiens, the modern human. However, due to the planet's unstable reality, multiple other races, commonly from its trans-dimensional counterpart Arkon, have come to live on the world.
Earth has a population of 10 billion people, making it one of the most densely populated planets in the galaxy. 
Earth's civilization is a type 1, with the people in the early stages of galactic expansion. The farthest any human settlement has been built as of 2128 is the world of Shuglan-Krai, though since the Trae Connection, human adventurers have been traveling the galaxy on exploration or mercenary missions to some degree or another. 
== Government ==
Though Earth has a unified faux government in the form of the United Nations and the leadership of World President Delma Majate, Earth is in truth not ruled by a single overarching entity, instead being divided among multiple advanced tribes known as 'countries' or 'nations' on the planet. 
Because of this, the planet has a high variation in the types of government it has, though most tend to be rule-by-the-people styled governments like republics and constitutional monarchies. 
These countries often align themselves with other nations. The most prominent of these alliances are the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), the European Union (EU), the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN), the Arabic League (AL), the United African Congress (UAC), and the Eastern Axis (EA). 
The closest thing to an overarching planetary government is the United Nations, a regulatory body and outlet for national concerns. The UN Congress is located at Union Tower in New York City, the International Court of Justice is located in The Hague, and Geneva acts as a secondary headquarters and the headquarters of the Red Cross (not to be confused with the White Cross). 
== Civil Rights and Values ==
Terrans experience some of the freest forms of life in the galaxy, being able to express their opinions, religion, ideals, and ways of life freely and without fear of repercussion in most places. 
The people of Earth believe that government should reflect the views and ideals of its citizens, and thus they strive to create a democratic society. 
Most terrans believe in self-determination and and the right to chose one's own path and future. 
== Travel ==
Earth is considered to have the tightest security of any world in the galaxy. 
Intergalactic travel to Earth is extremely difficult due to the planet's location in the turbulent Orion Arm and because of its isolationism. An intergalactic passport will not work on Earth, and applicants who wish to travel to the planet's territorial space must apply for a permit at the planet's Solgate Outpost in the Alpha Centauri system. Here they will obtain a visitor's passport that grants them limited access to the planet's territorial space. 
If one wishes to travel to the planet itself, they must make another stop at Ark Station, which is a medium sized ring outpost that floats between Earth and the Moon. 
While at Ark Station, people who wish to travel to Earth must undergo a complete sweep of their spaceship and person. Any weaponry must be declared and disabled before entering the atmosphere. Applicants must undergo multiple medical tests that could take up to two days to make sure that they cannot get infected with a disease while on the planet. 
After they have been cleared, the applicant will be allowed onto the planet. Once on Earth they will be given a tour guide/bodyguard that will remain with them throughout the journey. This person will commonly be a highly trained psyker from SkyCorp. 
== Safety Concerns ==
Due to the tight security on Earth, it is perfectly alright to walk around without a weapon. In urbanized areas it is actually unrecommended to carry a weapon. Regardless, it might still be a good idea to have a small handheld defensive device as crime still occurs, though a traveler's guide would protect them.
The primary issue for people wishing to travel to Earth is diseases. Terrans live in close proximity to each other and with other local fauna, making diseases common. The locals are often immune to these diseases due to a long history of fending them off; however, incoming tourists and travelers will likely not have the same immunities. It is also not recommended to travel through the planet's wilderness without proper disease protection, and no matter where or how small, if an injury occurs, travelers should report them to their guides, so infection can be prevented. 
If an injury occurs, the injured will be treated as fast as possible. Terrans, due to their long history of fending off death, have developed multiple medical procedures for any kind of injury. It should be noted however, that as these are all designed to be done on a terran, it may not work on an intergalactic traveler. 
== Attractions, Entertainment, and Other Things of Interest ==
Terran architecture is considered to be primitive and backwards among the people of the galaxy. The usage of natural materials first give the illusion of a backwards world. The lack of hover vehicles and the very planet-oriented society also contributes. However, as true as this may be, potential tourists are not discouraged from traveling to the planet. 
Unlike many intergalactic attractions, Terran architecture and tourism sights are not designed to impress. Instead, many Terran sights try to wow their visitors with history. While Mastaerian sights such as the Jewel of Baas and the Grand Monument to the Great Mother are built to be large and imposing, Terrans instead prefer to use their monuments to tell stories, or act as echoes to the past, leaving many a visitor pondering the lives and customers of those who stood in those same spots before them. 
Earth's many foods are a major attraction, and one of the main reasons people wish to travel to Earth. Terran food is much more delicious than food in other parts of the galaxy, likely due to the locals' long history of selectively breeding their fauna and flora to maximize flavor. Terrans often use many spices and herbs to farther modify their food, giving them unique tastes not found anywhere else in the galaxy. The planet's long history of being completely isolated from the rest of the universe before the cataclysm has resulted in the people focusing more on what they have instead of expanding, thus giving them ample time to experiment and perfect their culinary craft. 
Terrans live in an extremely connected world. The artificial hive-mind entity they have created for themselves, something the locals call the "internet", allows them to communicate and share ideas with people across the world. Though that alone is rather miniscule compared to the intergalactic information webs of great nations like the Aravaraia or Harva empires, the extent to which the people use the internet dwarfs the rest of the galaxy. The internet is used for matters of entertainment, fact searching, communication, and much more. It is actually very difficult to live on Earth without having access to the internet, as almost all business and major communication is done through it. 
Earth is considered to have some of the most unique, sophisticated, and interesting fun forms of entertainment in the galaxy. Common forms of entertainment like opera, books, and dances they have perfected to a fault, and they have invented many more forms of entertainment like radio, videogames, movies and television that do not exist anywhere else in the galaxy. Physical forms of entertainment like sports, rides, and other such things they have also meticulously crafted to maximize fun. 
== Economy ==
Earth has a highly varied economy, but it's primary export to the rest of the galaxy consists of biomaterial and entertainment. Both are considered high-value and luxury products. 
Earth's high gravity causes it near the upper limit for large plant growth, resulting in highly sturdy flora known as "trees" forming the basis for a majority of Earth's ecosphere. Since Earth's introduction to the galaxy, wood has been estimated to become one of the most profitable exports, due to its construction, decoration, and comfort values. 
In addition to wood, various foodstuffs of both the flora and fauna variety are expected to fetch a high price on the intergalactic luxury foods market, spices in particular. Two particular products, syrup and amber, are considered such high-value exports that some nations such as Russia and Canada have begun stockpiling them in preparation for the immense value they could serve. 
Entertainment has also proven to have a high potential for export. Humans are naturally inclines to the production of music and media, and speculators have estimated that Terran entertainment could form a major export market in the future. Nations known for their production of entertainment like the United States, India, and Nigeria have begun planning for the export of copies of pre-existing forms of media, their transferrence to Mastaerian entertainment units, and have been scoping out potential distribution networks among galactic suppliers.