Other Planets

So, as you may know, I put the world on an Orrery. I did this, partly because I could, and partly to remind myself to keep things weird. I am a chronic systematiser, not so much from a scientific standpoint as a historic one, and I will tend to think a little too extensively about the social effects of anything I place in my world for funsies. So to this end, I wanted to remind myself that this was not a place that always works rationally. Plus, it is a really medieval mindset, and I sort of like running a world where the medieval theories are proved true (note to self: do something with leeches).

The other thing I really love about this very archaic view of the Universe, is the opportunity to populate other celestial bodies with alien civilizations, which are weirdly similar to the sort of thing you would find back home (blame Lucian and Terry Gilliam). It gives a chance for people to wander out amongst the stars and still adventure in a relatively recognisable place. A little bit of Classic Sci-Fi in there speculating about civilisations on Mars and Venus.

However it also serves the other purpose of getting me away from my systematising. There can be places that are essentially an entirely different setting. If I have been a bit too low magic, lets have a place where magic is the norm. Not enough high fantasy savage kingdoms? Another planet for that. Here are a few of the other objects spinning in the Orrery. (What do you mean there are more than seven planets? What are you high? Get outta here!)

City of the Moon Wizards

One of the oldest of the civilizations of the celestial bodies. Made up of students of magic who slipped the surly bonds of earth to touch the face of god, and never got around to coming back. Think they are much more enlightened and civilized than earth dwellers. Magic use is much more common on the moon, and virtually all people there are spell-casters of one stripe or another. Mostly taken up with intestine politicking, bickering, and academic symposia. The city of the moon wizards is known to be a fanciful fairy-tale by most sensible people.

The towers of the Moon Wizards can be seen with particularly powerful optics, however sceptics claim that these sightings are likely the result of smudges on the lens.

[A good place to run high magic adventures, given that in the regular world magic is weird and not often used, or at least not for everyday purposes]

The Majesty of the Sun

Surprisingly cool for all that it is a giant lamp that lights and warms the world. The air is like curtains of fire that does not burn, a constant aurora of light. The inhabitants of the sun are strange creatures made of fire and light, as well as seemingly normal humans who seem without a care. Gold is worthless here due to its common nature (although Silver, the tears of the Moon, is treasure beyond price), it lies in great heaps as common stones lie on the earth.

There is a constant feeling that this place is the seat of some ineffable wisdom, of great and secret knowledge held by all the inhabitants. However, none of them seem to be able to properly articulate this, so maybe they are just very stoned.

The sun is a land of plenty, merely eating the fruit of that land bestows unending life and vitality. Indeed death, strife, and want seem unknown there. Where else might one lie upon a mountain of gold dust, caring nothing for it save how much it resembled warm sand? However, woe to those who take from the Sun's hoard, for theirs is a doom that will hunt you until the least of the coins is returned.

The Mutability of Mercury

A glistening and changeable land, protean in its geography and its inhabitants. All the creatures that reside on Mercury are mutable in form. Dopplegangers, Changelings, Skinchangers. It is said that the flowers that bloom iridescent on the silvered hillsides hold the secret to trans-formative powers and even eternal life.

Much of the surface is covered in a bright and shining sea, all land is made up of small archipelagos, each island having its own little self contained adventure à la Voyage of the Dawn Treader.

This is also the only place to acquire "True Mercury" of which the quicksilver of Earth is but a pale imitation.

Dawn Treader Concept Art; Justin Sweet

Princesses of Mars

As befits its name, it is a planet perpetually at war. The next largest celestial orb after the Sun and Moon, it glows red with the blood of those spilled in its endless internecine conflicts. The great canals of the land bespeak some lost civilization, and certainly there are ancient tombs and structures at least as old as the civilization of the Serpent Folk dotted around its surface.

This great and warlike orb is divided between its rival, and thematically distinct, principalities. Each led by a Princess that epitomizes the theme.

Great for High Fantasy wacky adventures. Maybe involving a boy and his best friend/brother/dog?

Don't look at me like that, you knew this was coming

Old Venus

Last of the Naga Exciles inhabit this densely forested spheroid. Once the masters of the Earth, the last vestiges of their once great civilization cling to this abandoned world. Settled by a last hope space flight, set to launch as the Earth was pulled away from its native home, and through the cold void between the worlds, somethign went wrong. Other ships much have launched easily enough, but this one ship was left frozen in time, only wrenching free of its cradle once the Orrery was at least part constructed.

Retro sci-fi feel, ancient astronauts, sufficiently advanced technology and all that. Crazy magical adventures, as the Naga practice a sorcery combined with technology. Great for mighty doomsday weapons, warforged robots, ancient computers spitting out nonsense readings. Not interested in returning to Earth, want to sail the stars to find their lost brethren. Only answers you might get about the Orrery are here.

Air Oceans of Jupiter

A planet of airs and vapours, where the air is of a density that one may float and fly throughout it as fish do in water.

Castles in the sky inhabited by giants, terrible beasts that lurk in the lower airs.

None know what lurks in the depths of the Air Ocean, although some that have searched the ,lowest have claimed that deep below the clouds they have seen some great dark land, and the tops of immeasurably tall trees.

Cloud Castle

Saturn: The Dead Planet

A place of cold emptiness. Also a place of secrets. The history of the world, the story behind the Orrery. All can be found here.

This planet is the furthest out, and closest to the stars. From here you can hear them sing and talk, in their usual way, rather in the half madness they fall into when they fall to earth. It may be that all these great halls of knowledge were made by beings who listened and noted down the talk of the stars, perhaps it was a planet for the stars themselves (the halls are certainly far too big for anyone of human proportions). Whoever made the great records, they are gone now.