Schwarzwelt

The Schwarzwelt is the main setting of Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey.
==Appearances==
*Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey
*Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey Redux
*Shin Megami Tensei: Synchronicity Prologue
==Profile==
The Schwarzwelt is a world comprised of alternate dimensions and is inhabited by demons. Upon its first appearance, it was only approximately one meter in diameter but stretched to an indefinite height in the sky. It soon began to rapidly expand, consuming Antarctic research bases owned by several nations. Unmanned camera probes were sent into the Schwarzwelt by the U.N., but even the ones which made it through the plasma barrier surrounding the anomaly quickly failed for unknown reasons (it is later implied that they were attacked by demons, which are normally invisible to humans). The images the probes managed to relay suggested that the inside of the Schwarzwelt resembled structures from the human world: such an improbable sight was met with disbelief and the conjecture that the images must be the result of malfunction.
This led to several nations' leaders forming an expedition to the interior of the Schwarzwelt. Highly advanced technological backing would be required, given the unknown nature of the Schwarzwelt's internal conditions (atmosphere, etc.) and the plasma barrier surrounding the phenomenon, which disintegrates matter at the molecular level on contact.
The interior of the Schwarzwelt is comprised of eight sectors, separated both by space/time coordinates and quantum variables. Each sector being controlled by a major demon with designs on destroying humanity, for various reasons according to each one's beliefs. A ninth sector was created by Jack's Squad, intent on creating a base on the Schwarzwelt for research purposes.
#Sector Antlia - Represents human conflict. It is modeled after a battlefield interspersed with icy caverns. Said to be born of the intense and prolonged wars occurring in Eastern Europe.
#Sector Bootes - Represents human decadence and materialism through luxury and comfort. Is modeled after a red-light district. Said to be born of the gruesome series of sexual serial murders in Tokyo.
#Sector Carina - Represents human greed and hunger. Is modeled after a shopping mall. Said to be born of the violent looting and riots over the scarcities of resources and necessities responsible by the economy occurring in South America.
#Sector Delphinus - Represents human destruction and neglect of the environment. Is modeled after a huge waste dump. Said to be born of the wave of protests booming throughout South Asia over the vast amounts of pollution and ecological destruction in its wake.
#Sector Eridanus - Represents the Earth once the Schwarzwelt has destroyed humanity. It is a huge expanse of greenery and extremely high technology coexisting.
#Sector Fornax - Represents the Schwarzwelt in its original state. It resembles a massive computer, collecting massive amounts of data.
#Sector Grus -Embodies a chaotic, distorted combination of the first four sectors, mashed together by Maya's powers of illusion.
#Sector Horologium - Represents the Earth as it was before life sprung on it - large corridors of heated magma and violent storms raging in the skies.
#Jack's Squad HQ - A human-created base, it is mostly a simple cave used for storage and human habitation. It is the smallest of the sectors, as its creation and maintenance require significant resources. As the name indicates, Jack's Squad is based here after their departure from Sector Carina.
Each of the sectors, except for Jack's, are named after the constellations of the same names. Antlia means "air pump," Bootes means "herdsman," Carina means "keel," Delphinus means "dolphin," Eridanus is derived from the Eridanus river in Greek Mythology, Fornax means "chemical furnace," Grus means "crane" (as in the bird) and Horologium means "pendulum clock."
==Trivia==
*The existence of the Schwarzwelt itself is tethered to humanity's abuse of nature. As long as humans abuse nature, the Schwarzwelt cannot be removed from reality.
* The name Schwarzwelt comes from the German words Schwarz, meaning black, and Welt, meaning world. This makes Schwarzwelt a black world, likely a metaphor for its existence being born from dark actions and desires of humanity.
*The Schwartzwelt has manifested previously on Earth, wiping out a civilization that preceded mankind by hundreds of thousands of years.
Category:Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey
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