Dimension T-2022

Dimension T-2022 came into existence in 2022 and collapsed later that year. It was home to two major continents called Kojima and Orwald. Conflict between the two continents and the nations located in them were the direct cause of the collapse of T-2022. As a result of the collapse, elements of T-2022 have merged into Dimension S-2012, with the continent of Orwald in particular surviving the disaster because of the Orwald Displacement Event.

## Geography

### Orwald

The continent of Orwald was formed 40 million years ago when two tectonic plates pushed against each other, creating a new landmass where they touched. Where they touched, a vast mountain range emerged, what we today know as the Toularean Highlands on the southeastern end of the continent. From the Toularean Highlands, meltwater began to form rivers, flowing down towards the ocean in western direction. Two main river systems arose, the northern Calypsan Basin and the southern Campian Basin.

In between the two basins, a more recent geological phenomenon is occurring; the Tonguska Volcano. The first volcanic activity at Tonguska took place around 500 000 years ago, violently disturbing the surrounding area. Fertile volcanic ash deposits to the north allowed the Calypsan rainforest, the second largest rainforest on the continent, to develop. Although its edges regularly encounter wildfire due to lava flows, the Calypsan rainforest is home to an astonishing range of plant and animal species.

To the west of the Tonguska, another geological feature was formed by volcanic activity; the Crimson Mesa. The Crimson Mesa is the result of lava eruptions during an ice age 750 000 years ago. At the time, a large ice cap covered the western side of the continent. This ice cap prevented emerging lava from forming a volcano peak, resulting in the formation of a flattened mesa. After the ice cap disappeared, strong wind currents further eroded the Crimson Mesa to give its iconic look today.

Located within the Campian Basin is a mysterious desert, which by all logic should not be there. The Dextran Desert is surrounded by fertile fields on almost all sides, so the question remains why the area of the Dextran Desert is covered in sand. One theory is that strong winds from the northwest have continuously carried sand from the Crimson Mesa to the region.

On the northeastern side of the continent, a younger mountain range gives birth to a whole different range of biomes. The Noctian Highlands encompass three mountain ridges enveloping the San Orléon Basin. The cold meltwater from the Highlands flows down and forms the San Orléon river. While initially, the San Orléon meanders through snowy plains, by the time it gets to the ocean, it has warmed up enough to give birth to the continent’s largest rainforest; the Florean Rainforest.

## History

### Orwald

#### Prehistory

Orwald’s unique geography has given birth to a whole range of different cultures, nations and kingdoms. The first people arrived to Orwald by boat around 5 000 years ago. The continent they found was at first very inhospitable to man. Very little archaeological evidence remains of this period to this day. To survive, many people were forced to adopt different lifestyles, causing a variety of cultures today. We can generally distinguish four different types of lifestyles on Orwald today:

1. Sedentary, peaceful lifestyle: characterized by the peaceful villagers, one way people thrived was by settling down in more hospitable regions and founding village communities. In these communities, trait specialization quickly arose after the introduction of agriculture. Villages also became centers of trade and while a road system does not exist on Orwald as of today, villages were still intensely connected to one another through trade. This type of village is generally characterized by a very egalitarian society.
2. Nomadic, peaceful lifestyle: evolved from the sedentary, peaceful lifestyle, some villagers specialized in trade and started roaming the continent from one village to another to trade goods. These ‘wandering traders’ are often independent from their original village and are as a result very self-sufficient.
3. Sedentary, violent lifestyle: the complete opposite of peaceful villagers. At one point in history, certain villages adopted a more aggressive stance, usually when one or more villagers usurped all the power and began hoarding wealth. These villages generally ceased being villages and rather transformed into mansions, or sometimes even castles and dungeons, inhabited by maleficent illagers. These mansions often rely on roaming pillagers to assert dominance over nearby villages.
4. Nomadic, violent lifestyle: this lifestyle evolved independently from the sedentary, violent lifestyle but is very much complementary to it. At one point in history, disgruntled and greedy villagers chose to leave their village and started roaming the continent, raiding villages as they went along. These roaming villagers became pillagers and turned raiding into their survival strategy. Once mansions became abundant, pillagers started cooperating more and more with the inhabitants of these mansions. Pillager outposts were often a way to signal and intimidate nearby villages into paying off these war bands.

While traveling through Orwald, one will encounter evidence of these different lifestyles, be it the abundant villages scattered throughout the continent, or the frightening mansions located in strategic positions.

#### Rise and Fall of the Lamiran Empire

Around 2000 years ago, writing was invented, and along with it the first organized religions and magic wielders evolved. While magic seems very mundane today, civilizations that could enchant tools, weapons and armor had a natural advantage of those that couldn’t. As a result, it is 2000 years ago that we see the emergence of the first continental empire.

The Lamiran Empire has its origins in the ancient city of Lamira, located in the Campian Basin. Lamira was founded by a wealthy local trader in between the rivers Campia and Jorin. It quickly grew as more and more villagers were attracted to the relative safety of the city. Lamira’s ruler eventually came into conflict with a nearby mansion lord who was blackmailing the city for money. Lamira’s citizens came together and formed a militia, surprising the mansion lord and destroying his forces. Lamira then formed alliances with nearby villages to band together and destroy the mansion once and for all. After succeeding, the Lamiran Empire was born.

Lamira became a central hub for early magic users and as a result, its power grew exponentially. Within two decades, the Lamiran Empire controlled most of the Campian Basin. Eventually, its ruler passed away and he was succeeded by his daughter, Lilac the Great. Lilac expanded Lamira’s military capabilities by forming the first cavalry regiment in history. Lilac’s cavalry would be very successful on the open plains of the Campian Basin in the coming decades. As a result, the Lamiran Empire was able to expand westward until its borders reached the coast and northward entering the Calypsan Basin. At this point, the Lamiran Empire was at the height of its power.

Over the next few centuries, the Lamiran Empire would change drastically. After Lilac the Great, a quick succession of incompetent heirs saw the loss of several border territories. The emergence of the Kaeplic tribes in the Toularean Highlands in the 5th century SW (= since writing was invented) set in motion a chain of events that would eventually lead to the downfall and eventual destruction of Lamira. It began in 462 SW when Kaeplic the Magnificent was the first to successfully cross the Toularean Highlands with a warband. Famously including at least three captive wardens, Kaeplic and his tribespeople surprised the Lamiran forces and managed to plunder the capital. In 463, Kaeplic died in the Battle of Oppida Rynca when his captive wardens escaped and turned on his army. His campaign ended in a victory for Lamira, but the damage to the capital, and to Lamira’s prestige, was done.

In the following decades, other border tribes in the Calypsan Basin, but also in the Crimson Mesa, started to become more aggressive and regularly pillaged border settlements. Due to internal pressure, in 487 the Lamiran Empire was split into the Northern Lamiran Empire, which controlled the territory north of the Campia and Jorin rivers, and the Southern Lamiran Empire where the capital itself was located. At first it seemed this division would allow both empires to survive, but continued attacks from across the Toularean Highlands eventually made an end to Lamira in 532 SW.

While the Northern Lamiran Empire, later also known as the Perian Empire, survived another 500 years, the Southern Lamiran Empire collapsed into a dozen smaller kingdoms. The dark ages had begun.

#### The Dark Ages

Coinciding with the dark ages, a period of colder climate meant that harvests became less and less bountiful, increasing competition between kingdoms. On the northern half of the continent, a new regional power emerged; the Kingdom of Baijan. Based primarily on the textile industry, the Kingdom of Baijan initially was a minor trading partner of the Perian Empire. However, using its income from trade, Baijan was able to translate its soft power into hard power by annexing nearby villages. Around 719 SW, the King of Baijan declared a Holy War against its neighbors and expanded to include a large part of the Noctian Lowlands.

Initially, contacts between Baijan and the Perian Empire were friendly and based around trade, but by 866 Baijan’s foreign policy became more and more dominated by its religion and the Kingdom became openly hostile to any other religion. As a result, religious persecution within Baijan drove many people into hiding, mostly within the Noctian Highlands.

In 923 SW, the Perian Empire succeeded in funding an uprising against the King of Baijan, resulting in his overthrow. Baijan subsequently entered a decade of civil war between pro-monarchists and heavily armed peasant militias. By 934, the Kingdom of Baijan was dissolved into smaller states often ruled by warlords. However, the funding of foreign resurrectionists had been costly for the Perian Empire and disgruntled peasants started opposing the Emperor more and more. In 1011, a failed assassination attempt on the Emperor by a farmer from the western marches of the Empire triggered a large crackdown against opposition forces. This had the opposite effect and in 1012, the Emperor was assassinated by his own guards.

Following the assassination of the Emperor, the Perian Empire fell into anarchy, and similarly to the Kingdom of Baijan, it was divided into multiple warring states. A brief attempt was made by a small kingdom in the former Southern Lamiran Empire to restore the Lamiran Empire. Known as the Burgoan Realm, this attempt lasted around 10 years and was able to reclaim around 50% of former Lamiran territories before it eventually collapsed under its own weight.

The next big empire to arise was the Spinan Empire, located in the San Orléon Basin. Around 1345, a local ruler struck deals with surrounding villages and became the first Stadtholder of the Spinan Empire. With its capital located in Deventburg, the Spinan Empire became a merchant republic with a vast military force. This military force was driven by the promise of land when conquering new territories and within a span of fifteen years, the Spinan Empire was able to triple its size.

#### The Scramble for Orwald

However, in 1364, the first signs of disaster for the continent of Orwald began when a large earthquake destroyed many towns and cities across the continent. The earthquake was a herald of the eruption of Mount Tonguska a year later. Large clouds of smoke caused a further decline in harvests and several famines arose. More worrying was the fact that the eruption had been noticed by fishermen across the ocean. These fishermen lived on a different continent, Kojima, where the climate had been more favorable and several sea-faring nations were competing for trade power.

The first of these nations arrived with a small exploration party in 1392 at Cape Callous on the western part of the continent. Establishing a small settlement, the colonization of Orwald had begun. Three Kojiman empires competed for resources in what is known as the Scramble for Orwald;

1. The Empire of the Setting Moon: located on a chain of islands in Kojima, the Empire of the Setting Moon is characterized by a militaristic society heavily dependent on notions of honor and harmony. Feared for its Masourai knights, the Empire of the Setting Moon was able to control a large section of the western coast of Orwald.
2. The Dailing Dynasty: located on mainland Kojima, the Dailing Dynasty is an ancient dynasty of magic wielders who seek to accumulate knowledge about the ancient past. In their quest for knowledge, they have traveled to the four corners of the world, hoping to find mystical portals to other dimensions. The Dailing Dynasty eventually hopes to harvest power from these dimensions to achieve eternal life. They were able to control the Crimson Mesa.
3. The Kingdom of Mooberang: located on the largest island in Kojima, the Kingdom of Mooberang is a seafaring power house. Its political structure is based around 5 families who share equal power between them. These 5 houses, in an effort to outcompete each other, independently seek to control the wealth of Orwald. As a result, their colonization efforts mainly focussed on trade relations with local rulers and did not turn into the large settlement colonization efforts of the other two empires.

However, with the arrival of the Kojimans, new diseases also arrived. Most devastating was the arrival of what we know today as the virus Z-5, or more commonly called the zombie plague. The zombie plague wreaked havoc among the natives of Orwald, reducing the population to a 10th of pre-colonial numbers. When infected, villagers with the zombie plague turn aggressive and have the potential to infect their entire village during a single night. A side-effect of the plague is also that infected individuals are no longer resistant to the UV-rays of the sun, thus burning them when in contact with direct sunlight. Individuals in the last phase of the plague are decomposed to the bone and are practically walking skeletons. The arrival of the zombie plague caused the disappearance of almost every major native kingdom on Orwald by 1721 SW, yet individual native villages and small kingdoms still survived on their own.

Around 1750, the industrial revolution took hold of the world and new tools allowed people to dig deeper than ever before. As a result, many new mining towns, characterized by the typical water towers, sprung up across Orwald. Gold, diamond and emerald rushes gave rise to a large wave of immigration from Kojima, further solidifying the local presence of the colonizers. However, bad working conditions in combination with almost absent political rights for colonists gave rise to discontent in the colonies. In the 1830s through the 1840s, a major conflict on the continent of Kojima itself caused these colonies to break away from their metropoles. As a result, five new independent nations were born:

1. The Republic of Balenj: a former colony of the Empire of the Setting Moon, the Republic of Balenj is located in the northwestern corner of the continent. It was the first Kojima colony to declare its independence. Established as a republic, Balenj is characterized by the ideals of liberty, equality and fraternity. However, in the search for an egalitarian meritocratic society, a small group of wealthy businessmen have become the power elite of the republic. Its capital is Balenj.

1. The Principality of Inner Peria: the Principality is located in the former heartland of the Perian Empire; lake Peria. As a former colony of the Empire of the Setting Moon, the Principality has a strong local aristocracy. It tried to remain rather loyal to the motherland, but still declared its independence eventually. The Principality tries to be a strong local power, but is somewhat limited by its geography.

1. The Crimson Dynasty: the Crimson Dynasty is the only former colony of the Dailing Dynasty and is ruled by an offshoot of the royal house of Dailing. Named after the Crimson Mesa, where the capital of this nation is located, the Crimson Dynasty has ambitious goals and hopes to eventually enforce its dynastic claims on the former motherland. Its capital is Ruberton.

1. The Kingdom of Corellia: the Kingdom of Corellia is located in the Noctian Highlands. Benefitting from the relative isolation, they were able to flourish without much interference of the Kojiman overlords. Corellia is a safehaven for scientists, engineers and scholars who were threatened by the colonists because of their dissenting opinions. As a result, Corellia is at the forefront of scientific progress and industrialization in Orwald.

1. The Kingdom of Duyn: the Kingdom of Duyn is the result of a native rebellion against the Empire of the Setting Moon. Duyn is located around the estuary of the river Campia and is an important entry hub for intercontinental trade. When local rulers were dissatisfied with the way the Empire was running trade, they came together and elected a king of their own to lead a rebellion against the Empire. Eventually succeeding, they founded the Kingdom of Duyn. However, soon after its independence it became clear that the fate of the natives of Orwald was in a bad state. The Kingdom of Duyn therefore tried to establish itself as the liberator of other oppressed natives, often resulting in clashes with its neighbors. It was sparsely populated and almost devoid of villages. Its capital is Duynburg, in 1850 a city mostly consisting of ruins.

During the decolonization rebellions, these five nations sat together during the First Congress of Nations in 1847. Since then, annual meetings of the Congress of Nations have produced a firm set of international laws binding these countries to a diplomatic code of conduct. At first, the Congress of Nations was meant as protection against the former colonizers from Kojima, but now it was becoming clear that they will also serve as protection against each other.

#### The Industrial Age

After independence from the Kojiman colonizers, the nations of Orwald flourished as the industrial revolution spread across the continent. Several industrial espionage missions conducted by Corellia, the Golden Archipelago and Duyn allowed these nations to build factories and produce goods at a faster raid. The iron forges in the Archipelago, the industrial furnaces at Duynburg and the hydroponic farms at Coldram provided the necessary fuel for a population boom. Cities like Duynburg, L'Anse aux Meadows and Coldram expanded and grew into new trading hubs.

However, not all was going well in Orwald. Because of the industrial espionage conducted by the Orwaldian nations in Kojima, tensions with the former colonizers grew and the threat of war grew. In addition, trouble was brewing in the Republic of Balenj. A controversial election in 1854 combined with the spread of the Worker's Manifesto eventually resulted in a revolution and the establishment of the Worker's Republic of Balenj during the Winter of Discontent. Meanwhile, scientific progress had its downsides too, as a prominent scholar, Professor Prevost, disappeared after experimenting with the End Dimension. Search parties into the End returned empty handed and in a rare show of unity, scientists from across Orwald put together their heads to locate the scholar. Eventually, scientists from Corellia engineered a device that would enable to scan the End for any signs of the Professor.

The device operated through three listening devices strategically located across Orwald; one in Corellia, one in Duyn and one in Inner Peria. However, Kojiman spies tampered with the devices, causing them to initiate the collapse of Dimension T-2022 in 1859 instead. The Kojiman spies had thus inadvertedly caused the destruction of their homeland, while Orwald in its entirety was transported to Dimension S-2012 during the Orwald Displacement Event.

## Civilizations

* Crimson Dynasty
* Golden Archipelago
* Grenivik Chiefdom
* Kingdom of Corellia
* Kingdom of Duyn
* Principality of Inner Peria
* Republic of Balenj