A persistent archipelago of islands, plains, mountains, deserts, monsoon coasts, and the high cloud-forest crowns of a continent that has not yet found its name. Ten cultures share this world. The world keeps ticking whether you're online or not. Storms drown crops. Bandits fatten on lonely caravans. A neglected temple is one festival short of a holy war.
The archipelago is one connected world, not a hub-and-spoke set of islands. Player territories abut. Caravans cross borders. Fleets traverse the seas between island chains. NPC bandit camps live in the cracks between empires.
Climate zones range from the boreal north of the Fjordborn coasts to the monsoon-and-bamboo plains of the Jade Lotus heartland, the terraced cloud forests of the Condor Crown, the storm-coast and mist of the Cairnveil isles, the savannah grasslands of Red Earth, the deserts and oasis belts of the Sun Dune Sultanates, the floodplains of River Crown, the prairies and mound-cities of Thunder Lodge, the island chains of Azure Isles, and the volcanic mountains of Ironpeak. Each climate zone has its own divine domain.
The world has a finite life — typically 9 real-time months (default Option B). Within that arc:
See world lifecycle for the full progression.
The world is partly random, partly deterministic, partly divine.
Five interlocking simulation systems, all server-authoritative:
Ten distinct factions, each with its own religious sphere, signature buildings, climate affinity, and signature mechanic:
See cultures for the full identity index.
60 gods across the 10 cultures (6 per culture). Each god has a domain, a unique gift, and one signature manifestation form (Avatar, Creature, or Blessing) that appears at Belief Tier V + Wonder + State God status. See gods & avatars.
No culture is self-sufficient. The native-resource lists deliberately don't cover what each culture needs. Wars naturally emerge over horses, iron, timber, grain, sulfur, and luxuries. Trade is the spine of the political economy — and the spine breaks first in wartime.
The title is the arc. The world begins in light — opening hopes, fertile lands, ambitions. It ends in ruin — climate collapse, dying gods, last alliances. Some empires win. Most don't. All leave a mark.
The Memorial of Lost Cities is a wonder, not a metaphor.
Sources: README.md, cultures.md, world_lifecycle.md, gods_and_avatars.md.