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Trylithia
“Trylithia is a gem among the stars,” Damek waxed eloquently. “There is an area of it called Duskrealm which is most beautiful. There is also a vast, snowy region, and a desert on the opposite side of the planet.”
(The Sorcerer’s Realm 127)
-Climate-
Trylithia is marked by a diversity of climate zones that form rings around its circumference. The planet has a 180Ëš tilt and rotates very slowly on its axis, causing the same side to always face the sun. Directly beneath the sun is the south pole, called the Scorched Lands, with no surface water and a temperature of 180ËšF. Only sand and bare rock exist here...there are no plants or animals.
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At a slight angle to the sun but still in perpetual daylight are the Sun Lands, which range between 130 to 100ËšF. Resilient flora and fauna make their home here, in climates ranging from desert dunes to hot grassland. Bathed in afternoon and sunset light are the Jungle Regions, with temperatures of 90 to 70ËšF and high to moderate humidity. As their name implies, they hold a variety of forests, groves of giant trees, and some mountains.
Farther north lies Duskrealm, a climate ring half in shadow which sits at a cool 60ËšF to freezing. This region is a mixture of grassy flatland, swamp, forests and high, rocky mountains, with gorgeous bio-luminescent flora and fauna. The Frozen Lands, bathed in perpetual night, plummet from 32ËšF at their borders to – 70ËšF at the north pole, and are locked in snow and ice.
-History-
The first inhabitants of Trylithia led primitive lives and lived almost exclusively in the Jungle Lands. They fought wild beasts and hunted to stay alive. Gradually, they started building walled villages and conquering their environment. With protection from the elements and from wild animals, the population of Trylithia grew, and people began settling regions farther north and south.
Although accounts from this period are scarce, a powerful being named Soth laid siege to Trylithia. Conquering its regions one by one, he finally took the capital of Duskrealm after a lengthy and bloody campaign. The Trylithians continued to resist him in scattered pockets, but the proud planet was conquered.
These invaders had come with technology far more advanced than the spears, axes, and scythes of the natives. They boasted plasma weapons, tanks, and star-ships, and some Trylithians learned the secrets of their "metal sorcery," turning their own technology on them. Nonetheless, Trylithia remained conquered for centuries. The details of how it gained freedom are lost to the history of the Gorvan System (but you can read the tale in The Sorcerer's Realm).
After its occupation, Trylithia rebuilt its population, cities, and pride. Trylithian kings began establishing countries in Duskrealm. The Jungle Regions remained tribal, while the Sun Lands ruled via elected tribunals. However, Soth's conquest had opened the door to further invasions. A new alien race, the Kazrahkii, descended on the unsuspecting world. While the Kazrahkii were beast-like and armed with claws or primitive weapons, their superior strength, size, and tough hides made them formidable enemies. They nearly wiped out the Trylithians about 2,300 years after Soth's occupation. Fortunately, a male named Jordaccis from the Sun Lands devised a bold strategy to defeat them. They faced the remainder of the Kazrahkii hordes in a mountain citadel, defeating them with few casualties. Despite this, the death toll of the overall war was a staggering 300 million. Only a few thousand people remained alive after the grueling fight for survival, and they clustered in Duskrealm.
About 2,000 years after Creation, while wars tore through the Jungle Lands, Duskrealm and the Sun Lands grew rapidly in population and started developing distinct civilizations. The Sun Lands' influx of settlers gradually died down. It became sparsely populated, with its inhabitants focused on survival. Duskrealm, however, continued to grow. Families learned the art of farming and raising cattle in its twilit valleys, and a written language was developed. The first city was built, and the region soon became the cultural and political center of the planet. Duskrealm's rise to prominence, however, was not a peaceful one. The Trylithian people were defiant, and many wars among neighboring countries plagued its history. Yet the arrival of alien invaders 4,000 years after Creation changed everything.
