Introduction to Trid

Trid is a world-spanning sandbox supporting a mix of cultures and technology thematically consistent with Earth's early Middle Ages, but distinctly different through the infusion of magic, real gods, and massive caches of ancient treasure hidden in dungeons and guarded by monsters.   The Visitors' Guide is written from the perspective of Continental inhabitants, whose populations—given its vast area—are highly varied. Everything here is considered common knowledge (though that doesn't mean it's entirely accurate).  

Cosmology

Trid circles the star Ammonkis, joined by three planetary siblings.   Ammonkis: Trid's sun is larger and hotter than Sol, giving off bright yellow-white light and exerting significant gravitational pull on its four far-flung satellites.   The planets: Trid occupies Ammonkis' second orbit. Three other planets exist within the Ammonkis Sphere:

• Aerchus: Occupying Ammonkis' closest orbit, Aerchus is a small and swift red planet traditionally associated with Chaos.
• Vincula: A pale blue orb whose size and orbit closely matches Trid's, Vincula occupies Ammonkis' third orbit and is associated with Neutrality.
• Hieron: Farthest from Ammonkis is Hieron, a massive planet that appears as a brilliant white star in the sky, associated with Law.

Trid’s moons: Two satellites orbit Trid: Lyolm, a verdant moon whose phases follow a 30-day cycle; and Opho, a radiant, hurtling asteroid whose erratic orbit disrupts Trid’s magical field and is responsible for the Ardic Curse.   The firmament: Within the sea of stars that surround Ammonkis’ family, nine constellations represent Trid's Gods, collectively known as The Circle. Deeply rooted in Trid’s Dim Ages, the influence of these constellations, and the gods they represent, is still felt today.  

Geography

Trid hosts two major landmasses and a scattering of large islands and archipelagos:   The Continent: Spanning nearly pole-to-pole, the Continent is a Pangean expanse comprising two-thirds of the habitable land on Trid and homeland to elves, dwarfs, and men. The Continent is criss-crossed with Elven Roads, which formed the boundaries of the Ardic Republic during the Age of Fable.   Eremus: A large island south-west of the Continent, Eremus is the homeland of the diminutive halflings. The elves initiated trade in during the Age of Fable, mapping the coastline and northern interior and laying roads to facilitate commerce.   The Far Isles: A trio of islands beyond the Shoreless Ocean west of the Continent, The Far Isles are unknown to Continentals, save for cryptic references within the Jade Chronicle and some vague scraps gathered through divination.   The Serpent Archipelago: The Serpent Sea east of the Continent contains a vast sprawl of large islands and small island chains. The ancient homeland of the now-extinct saurians, the Archipelago is dominated today by Segelmen city-states.  

Time & Calendars

Trid's day lasts 24 hours and a year—the time it takes for The Circle to complete a full progression—is 360 days long.   The annual Continental calendar was established during the Ardic Republic, and is divided into nine months, each corresponding to the passage of one of The Celestion's nine constellations behind Ammonkis. This arrangement reinforces the repeating cycle of Chaos to Law to Neutrality central to the elves' outlook. Developed in Trid's equatorial latitudes, the original calendar did not incorporate growing seasons; these correlations were applied by the Coastal Dukes of the Sovereignties after the Fall and are reflected in Modern Reckoning.  

Month	Analogue	God	Focus
	Early spring	Dionysus	Hedonism
	Late spring	Apollo	Restraint
	Early summer	Cygnus	Harmony
	High summer	Syrinx	Secrets
	Harvest	Lambeth	Empathy
	Early fall	Rocinante	Destiny
	Late fall	Necromancer	Unrest
	Early winter	Tybor	Duty
	Late winter	Master Yow	Craft

Transit Festivals: The first and last two days of each month are designated as Transit Festivals, holidays devoted to the departure of one god and the arrival of the next. Celebrations herald the arrival of Lawful and Neutral deities or the departure of Chaotic gods. The arrival of Chaotic gods or the departure of Lawful and Neutral deities are marked with symbolic ritual—sufficient to recognise the transition without engaging in harm or destructive acts.   Days of the Week: Transit festivals reduce each month's practical duration to 36 days, marked by six weeks of six days each. Days of the week are referred to by number, so Firstday, Seconday, Thirday, etc., though dates may be referenced by month and day of the month (e.g., Fall 23). By common convention, most cultures reserve Sixthday for rest, recreation, and time with loved ones.  

World Themes

As a setting, Trid is a sandbox of sandboxes, passively connected through some common, high-level concepts.  

Civilisation is Rebuilding

The Fall of the Republic reverted the majority of settled land into wilderness, now overrun with humanoids, monsters, and power-hungry men. The nation-state does not exist on Trid, and a polity’s size is the physical extent to which the settlements within can push back against (or expand into) the surrounding wilderness. As a result, settlements and their surrounding territory are safe havens separated by stretches of lawless wilderland.   On the Global Map, Continental realms are defined by their capitals and the surrounding communities either allied or under their control. The size of a settlement determines how much of the surrounding land it can patrol (i.e., “settled” for encounter purposes), though a polity’s mapped borders likely extend to indisputable boundaries like rivers, natural features, or roads. The land between what’s shown on the map and what’s actually safe is best defined as frontier, while the land beyond is wilderness, where chaos and danger invariably await.  

Conflicts are Prosaic

World-spanning battles between good and evil are the stuff of religion. Trid's conflicts are motivated by more immediate and tangible prizes: territory, wealth, and power. Of course, some power brokers couch their ambition in altruism, but rarely do their goals serve the common good better than themselves. Conversely, adventurers may have aspirations to change the world, but they advance through the accumulation of riches and go where the money is. A side effect of these banal motives is that actions tend to play out on a local stage, and it is rare for conflicts in one region to influence significantly the conditions in another.

Will to Power