Thel'Roistea

**Planet Name:** Thel’Roistea

**Races on the Planet:** Genasi, Triton

**Capitols:**

The Grand Spire (Air)

Heart of the Mountain (Fire/Earth)

The Armada (Water)

Sargassia (Triton)

**Environmental Landscape:** All land is barren, rocky desert. Mountainous regions contain massive underground cave systems where most land-dwellers live. Two large, interconnected oceans span the globe, allowing continuous transport over water.

**Political Landscape:** The Genasi Concord oversees all global political duties, with the Deep Council ambassadors ringing in on any matters that might affect the Triton residents. The current Prime Minister, Emberly Cole, is best known for her fine management of trade policies and is pushing for immigration reform in her next campaign.

**Leader:** Emberly Cole, Prime Minister of the Genasi Concord

**Culture:** On the surface, the Genasi population are all very much community oriented. Each element has its own unique set of cultural attributes: Air being the marketeering and political center, Fire and Earth the industrious, hard-working miners and smiths, and Water the seafaring free spirits. The Triton carry over their home plane’s culture and values, remaining steadfast defenders, and sometimes uppity nobles, of the sea.

**Demography & Population:**

·      The Grand Spire: Approx. 1M citizens. 80% Air, ~5% each other elements and Triton, <1% Off-worlders

·      Heart of the Mountain and surface world: Approx. 2.5M citizens. 50% Earth, 45% Fire, ~5% Air/Water, <1% Off-worlder/Triton.

·       Ocean (surface): Approx. 500K citizens. 75% Water, ~20% Triton, ~5% all others.

·       Ocean (floor): Approx. 100K citizens. 99% Triton, ~1% all others.

**Foreign Relations:** The Genasi Concord and Deep Council share a mutually beneficial partnership, with little political disagreement due to the fairly isolated nature of the world. Very few visitors from other planets ever arrive on purpose, and most that happen to stumble through a stray rift stay or are lucky enough to be able to get home on their own. No permanent transportation off-world is available save the portal to the Plane of Water in the Deep Council’s headquarters.

**Military:** The Genasi Concord does not have a standing military. Each of the main settlements have their own guard forces, but they are more for policing than war. The Deep Council has the Deep Guard, but they are a self-defense force aimed at protecting the Triton from the beasts that jump rift into the Thel ocean from the Plane of Water, and are also not prepared for large scale conflict.

**Religion: (needs update)**

·       Air: God of Winds and Sky

·       Water/Triton: God of Seas and Storms

·       Fire/Earth: God of Industry

**Agriculture & Industry:** Much of industry on Thel is centered around the collection and exploitation of magical energies. Household appliances are an assortment of magitech innovations, but the overall lifestyle on Thel is fairly primitive save the technology used to maintain infrastructure. Water corners the market on most food production with their fisheries, as well as textiles due to sea plants being the only source of fiber. Fire and Earth provide nearly all metals and gems used in production and the raw crystal required to craft many magitech devices. Air are the innovators, researching and developing most new tech and refining raw materials into usable products. The Triton provide a secondary supply of food, but mostly do not require the goods of the surface folk.

**Trade & Transport:** Nearly all trade is made on-world, and fair agreements between all elements and the Triton ensure well organized distribution of resources. Most trade is conducted via supply barges that have levitation capabilities similar to the Grand Spire, allowing them to traverse air, land, and sea for goods and public transport.

**Infrastructure:**

·      The Grand Spire: Most infrastructure is comparable to any 31st century city, but nearly all the main power generation and waste management happens in the Undercity, creating a hostile, poor side to the otherwise pristine nature of the capitol.

·      Heart of the Mountain: Geothermal vents provide a steady source of energy for daily use, with waste management utilizing the frequent presence of subsurface lava flows as a means of incineration. Air quality is markedly poor due to the industrious nature of the region and its lack of surface ventilation, but recyclers keep airborne particulates at a manageable level.

·      The Armada: A flotilla of connected vessels, the Armada has little infrastructure. Most ships and barges have their own power generation capabilities and operate independently of one another save the fresh water being pumped from the massive boilers on board the flagship, the Nautilon.

**Pictures:**

**Size Category:** Tiny (similar to mercury in size)

**Axial Cycle:** ~1 Earth month

**Orbital Cycle:** ~6 Earth months

**Native Races:** Genasi, Triton

**Continents:** 4

**Oceans:** 2

**Factions:**

The Genasi Concord

The Deep Council

## History and Racial Origins

**The Children of Magic**

During the earliest stages of human civilization, Kloak was still a red dwarf star, but was quickly nearing critical levels of free hydrogen at its core. The star had begun rapidly fusing to maintain itself, causing a spike in the energies responsible for magic in the universe. Sometime around 10,000 BC in Earth history, this influx of energy caused a massive rift to open on Thel’Roistea, Kloak’s Mercury equivalent, connecting it to Earth and joining the two systems in a temporary union.

Through this rift, the first true human space explorers ventured forth into the cosmos, finding themselves on an alien world that was harsh, but livable. Plant and animal life was thriving on land and in the vast oceans, but there seemed no signs of another intelligent species to be found. After some exploration, an outpost of sorts was constructed, and a line of supply was opened to ferry the new and interesting resources found on Thel back to Earth.

For some years, humans exploited this new world for its unique, magically touched oddities, as well as raw natural resources like wood and stone, and even plants and animals for early agricultural purposes. One day though, without warning, the rift collapsed on itself, stranding everyone that happened to be on Thel. With no way home, the outpost was converted to a village, and over thousands of years the marooned humans began to spread out and lay claim to more of the planet.

Throughout this time of expansion, the constant, heavy flow of magical energies from Kloak began to change the people, strange characteristics showing themselves ever more with each new generation. Soon enough, the population became a mix of humanity and an amalgamation of four distinctly unique groups of metahumans, each with ties to the four elements: earth, fire, air, and water. They would become the Genasi, the children of magic.

**The Blue Shift**

With these new developments, humanity as a whole began to prosper quickly. The magical nature of nearly everything on Thel spawned an industrial revolution of a different kind there, less technology focused and more so on harnessing the power of magic to accomplish their goals. Energy collection and storage methods, architecture, and manufacturing all focused nearly fully on exploiting magical energies. Having innate abilities, the Genasi pushed to the forefront of these developments, but somehow very little conflict ever emerged. Things were looking good on Thel, far better than the war-torn state of Earth. But this golden age would eventually come to a close…

A millennia after the initial magical revolution, Kloak had finally burned too much of its hydrogen supply. In a rapid, violent transition, the red star began a blue shift, radiating wave on wave of concentrated energy outward into space and bathing Thel in a blanket of destruction. Within months, the planet had been reduced to a barren, near lifeless hellscape, destroying much of what the new humanity had created. Without the abilities of their cousins, mundane humans did not survive the transition, and left the world in the hands of the Genasi.

Over time, the world slowly began to heal, but another cataclysmic event would send the tiny planet spiraling toward the state that would eventually become the new norm. An asteroid nearly 15% the mass of Thel impacted the planet with a glancing blow, ripping a substantial chunk of a continent away and disrupting the planet’s axial rotation. Almost a third of the oceans dried up within an earth year, and the planet became locked in a slow, painful day-night cycle that would force the remaining Genasi to completely reform their way of life.

**From the Ashes**

The centuries after showed a slow, but steady recovery as the children of magic adapted to the now nearly unlivable conditions of Thel. Fire and Earth moved underground to escape the weeks-long days of extreme heat and frozen nights. Water constructed massive flotillas, sailing the remaining interconnected oceans in the small band of dusk in time with the planet’s rotation. Air chose dawn, resurrecting the remains of a great crystalline city and taking to the skies in the greatest feat of engineering in Thel’s history, The Grand Spire.

Now splintered into four separate but cooperative empires, the elements began the process of truly recovering from the disaster, ushering in a new golden age on Thel’Roistea. One unified council, the Genasi Concord, now governs the planet’s surface and sky dwelling denizens, ensuring peace and prosperity at the global level. But the Genasi aren’t the only inhabitants of Thel... Deep below the surface of the oceans, another people have laid claim to the world, the Triton.

**The Deep Rising**

During the initial waves of the Blue Shift, the magical energy released by Kloak made its way down to the deepest parts of Thel’s oceans and, warped by the water itself, began to open countless rifts that connected to the Plane of Water. Through these rifts, a great multitude of creatures invaded, pushed upward toward the surface, and fed on the abundant life around them. Noticing this mass migration, the Triton native to the plane followed, determined to not let the creatures of their homeland threaten that of another.

What they found on the other side was a rich, thriving world beneath the waves, a stark contrast to what was happening on the surface at the time. The Triton commenced their hunt, bringing down the most dangerous of the creatures with ease thanks to their outstanding skills and vast knowledge of their prey. The sheer number of rifts remained a threat, however, so several permanent outposts were constructed to monitor and maintain a balance in this new territory.

Over the years, these outposts became settlements, the largest of which, Sargassia, becoming something of a capital city. With civilians making the crossing in addition to the hunting teams, a governing body was established to maintain order. They became known as the Deep Council and helped steer the Thel Tritons toward a thriving new civilization. Exploration of the depths led to the discovery of sunken vessels that once belonged to the Genasi, and curiosity led to the eventual formation of a surface expedition.

What they found was disheartening. Near desert conditions plagued all dry land, and there was little evidence of a surviving group of people on the surface. But the Triton continued to explore, and a chance meeting with a small fishing vessel confirmed their suspicions: they were not alone on this world. The Genasi were surprised by the sudden appearance of humanoids from below the waves, and both groups remained wary of each other for some time, rumors of ‘fish people’ spreading through the various remaining Genasi communities for years.

Some light trading was done, but the two groups had little meaningful contact until after the Great Impact, when the world slowed down and became even less livable on the surface. As the oceans receded, the Triton were continuing to expand their undersea empire, so as the Water Genasi took fully to sailing interactions increased steadily until the two groups were on friendly terms. At the establishment of the Genasi Concord, the Water council members urged brokering trade deals and inviting the Deep Council into the fold as ambassadors, forging an alliance that would lead to prosperity for both races.

## Government Structure

**The Genasi Concord**

Comprised of four council members from each element and an elected Prime Minister, the Genasi Concord is the main governing body on Thel’Roistea, seated in the Grand Spire. They handle all core politics: managing trade agreements, laws and regulations, conservation and resource management, immigration, etc. All matters are handled by vote among the council, with the Prime Minister being the tie breaker if necessary. The system works well due to the cooperative nature of the people of Thel-Roistea, as the repeated cataclysmic events of the past have proved to unify the race despite their many differences.

Alongside the elemental council, there is also a four-member group of ambassadors from the Triton Deep Council that participate in any matters that might affect the Triton or their domain. They are regarded as equals, and just as with each other, the Genasi have a history of cooperation with their undersea allies.

**Current PM: Emberly Cole (Fire)**

Prime Minister Cole is the youngest PM to be elected since the council was formed and is highly supported by the vast majority of the Genasi thanks to her stances on preserving unity between the elements and promoting fair global trade policies. She is due to run for a second term and her platform includes plans to reform immigration procedures to allow more free travel to and from Thel via rifts, as well as granting more alien visitors visas should they wish to remain on the planet. She is not expected to have an opponent for the next election.

**The Deep Council**

Seated in the Triton capital of Sargassia, the Deep Council is comprised of twelve members, one from each major settlement in the Thel oceans. There is no head seat, so any matters that cannot be decided by the council are sent back to the planar government for adjudication. The four ambassadors to the Genasi Concord are a separate entity, and any matters discussed in Concord meetings are brought before the Deep Council before a decision is made. Though all Triton law is carried over from the plane, the Deep Council can act independently on anything that specifically relates to Thel, especially matters pertaining to the protection of the rifts.

Due to the conditions of their home, little is known of the Deep Council other than what the ambassadors relay to the Concord. Not even the names of these elusive leaders are listed in the annals of the Grand Spire, but so far, they have given no reason to suspect they are untrustworthy.

## Cities

**The Grand Spire**

The crown jewel of the Genasi and home to the majority of the Air peoples as well as the Concord, the Grand Spire is a marvelous melding of science, magic, and architecture. Held aloft and kept in the Dawn Zone by force generators, this massive floating city orbits perfectly in time with the day/night cycle of Thel to provide a comfortable life for all those on board. On the sun side of the city is a gigantic array of flat, thin crystal sheets that gather magical energies from Kloak to be used for levitation, propulsion, and powering the magitech devices that keep the city running day after day.

The main hub of the city is known as the Crystal Palace, a tower in the center of the city made almost entirely of a native quartz-like crystal. The Crystal Palace is home to the Genasi Concord and their Triton ambassadors, along with most other government officials and their offices. In a ring around the Palace is the market district, broken down into four quarters that house mercantile facilities for each of the elements’ wares. Fire, Earth, and Water quarters mostly deal in raw materials and trade goods, where the Air quarter holds much of the manufactured products and specialty items.

Outside the trade circle are a multitude of residential districts, the elements and their Triton allies all intermixed. Certain blocks do have very specific design constraints however, lending to an overall unique and vibrant city aesthetic that awes visitors and residents alike. While much of the city is very clean and orderly, there are lower-class areas that lack the polish of the more refined districts. Government programs and a high importance placed on image still manage to keep any actual slums from ever appearing, though.

Below the surface of the city, however, lie the industrial areas where all the power and waste management, manufacturing, and other “unsightly” work happens. A stark contrast to the city above, the Undercity is dark and dingy, most areas lit by weak crystal lamps and some not at all. Nearly all reported crime in the Grand Spire happens here, with little law enforcement due to the unfavorable conditions and difficulty in apprehending of offending parties.

**Heart of the Mountain**

Deep inside the bowels of Mount Thelios, the tallest peak on Thel’Roistea, lies a sprawling network of tunnels and underground settlements that all intersect in one place: the Heart of the Mountain. This massive cave is miles across and nearly a thousand feet to the ceiling, providing a perfect place for the Fire and Earth Genasi to construct a city underground. In the center of the Heart lies a geothermal vent cluster, the city itself built around the vents and channeling their energies for power.

Broken down into districts based on trade, the Heart has separate blocks for miners, smelters, gem-cutters, and smiths, each with their own residential, industrial, and commercial areas. Relying on one another for materials and business, the Fire and Earth peoples have fostered a close bond and fancy themselves the hardest working of the Genasi elements. This mix of work ethic and pride has created a community with a singular mind, and as a result the crime and class disparity present in the Grand Spire is nearly non-existent.

While most Fire and Earth Genasi spend their lives in the dim light of the underground, many of the villages take to the surface during the days of dawn and dusk every year to meet with each other in celebration and relaxation. These holidays, known as Dawnfest and Duskfest, provide the people with much needed breaks from their normal routines, and always involve great gatherings where everyone feasts and drinks their fill before they must once again return to the darkness and escape the planet’s wrath.

**The Armada**

While there are dozens of massive flotillas sailing the oceans of Thel’Roistea, all pale in comparison to the size and complexity of the Armada. The Water peoples have managed to create the single largest naval structure to ever be seen in all of history, some three thousand individual vessels all interconnected and made one through feats of engineering and a touch of magic. The Armada rides the waves in the Dusk Zone, a band of perpetual sunset that provides a unique atmosphere and is highly sought after among tourists visiting Thel.

At the center of the floating nation is the Nautilon, once a massive cargo ship, now the operations center for the connected superstructure. Massive pumps at her heart bring in the salty sea, while boilers and filtration systems produce fresh water and steam power for much of the immediate area. Surrounding the Nautilon are the manufacturing districts, where textiles and processed seafoods are produced to feed and clothe the masses, as well as providing the main exports to the other nations. The sun side is mostly residential, with a very organic style gracing many of the vessels. The darker side hosts most of the commercial districts, as well as supporting a healthy night life with the many bars and other entertainment establishments normally found in port cities. Between the dark and the drink, the crime rates are somewhere between that of the other two capitals, but a well-organized law enforcement keeps things from spiraling out of control.

**Sargassia**

The capitol of the Triton undersea empire, Sargassia is situated in a deep chasm nearly perfectly centered in the Thelassian Ocean. Massive organic spires of a magically grown coral form clusters of buildings housing the thousands of residents, with glowing crystals and bioluminescent life the only lights in the crushing depths. At one end of the trench, a towering structure called the Obelisk juts up from the sea floor, the home of the Deep Council. Several air-filled chambers are present within, allowing the Concord members a place to conduct business when they visit, and a large main chamber at the base of the building houses the one artificially created rift that permanently connects the Triton to their planar home.

Being a society of structure and discipline, the Triton have little need for law enforcement or social guidance. Despite this, there are constant patrols of guards on duty and a strong military presence. This is mostly due to the monstrosities that can occasionally threaten the populace when the rifts are breached. Visitors that can withstand the conditions of life down below are warmly welcomed, and efforts are made to accommodate whenever possible. This is exceedingly rare, however, and consequently not much is known about what truly goes on beneath the waves…