Strathos has expanded from a continent to an entire world!
Strathos (the world) is in the style of a “Flat Earth,” in that it isn’t a globe or sphere, but rather a disc. However, this disc, like a coin, has two sides. A Light side, and a Dark side. Which is kind of a misnomer, as there is darkness on the light side and light on the dark side, but well I’ll explain as I go on.
Imagine a coin or wheel floating in the air, laying parallel to the ground. Now put an axle through the center of the wheel, with equal lengths on either side of wheel. At each end of the axle, imagine a light bulb. When one light bulb is turned on, the other turns off. Now, place a bubble on either side of the wheel, encompassing everything within that side of the wheel, including the axle and light bulb.
That’s a rough description of Strathos.
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| I never claimed to be a good artist |
For our purposes, I will refer to the world as the Coin, and the previously described axle as the Axis. The light bulb is the Sun.
The center of the coin, the area surrounding the axis, is the hottest area of the world. Jungles, swamps, deserts, tropics, etc. The outer edge of the coin is the coldest; tundra, ice flows, glaciers, and so on. In between is the temperate regions.
The Light Side of the coin experiences daylight for a uniform 16 hours a day, and 8 hours of darkness. The Dark Side, by contrast, experiences daylight for 8 hours a day, and 16 hours of darkness.
The Light Side is where I’m going to concentrate first.
The Axis in the center of the Coin, rises higher than the tallest mountains. At its pinnacle rests a gigantic sphere that emits light and heat. Not as much light and heat as a traditional star, of course. But just enough to mimic most of the conditions here on Earth.
Surrounding the Axis is a continent filled with steaming jungles.
Outward from that continent are more continents and landmasses, each with their own ecological systems and dominant life forms. These would be the “sandbox,” to borrow the popular term. I will build upon the central continent and Axis, while the rest of the world can be whatever; premade settings, homemade ideas, or a mixture of both.