The world of Elder Soteria home to many, the main continent is home to the 10 Kingdoms of Man, who have been at peace for 1000 years.
Map Scale / Travel Time
On the above map, each Hex is about 90 km from corner to opposite corner. To calculate traveling times we figure that the party takes a break every 4-6 hours, given the average walking speed is about 5 kph and average horse speed is 6.5 kph. For ease of calculations we figure about 12 hours of daylight, this varies depending on time of year though.
- Walking - 1 Hex / 18 Hours for Travel + 4 Hours for Breaks
- For simplicity sake we will say that 1 Hex is 2 days travel walking.
- Riding - 1 Hex / 14 Hours /w Horse Walking for Travel + 3 Hours for Breaks
- For this we will say 1 Hex is about a day and a half.
- Riding - 1 Hex / 7 Hours /w Horse Jogging for Travel + 5 Hours for Breaks
- This gets the travel time down to a days ride. It should be noted, however, that jogging for 7 hours would be very stressful on a horse. Someone who knows more than myself about horses would need to weigh in on how realistic this is.
Language
There is a rough-shod language of the most commonly used words simply called the common tongue and it is spoken by nearly everyone. However, it is not the native language of anyone but more a hodge-podge that has been roughly agreed upon by the various powers. While the language is not as nuanced as any older and more full bodied languages it is enough to get most ideas across.
Scholars, magic users, priests, and most political leaders are able to write and speak in the language of Aannean, the most ancient language still being actively spoken today. It is mostly known to the highly educated of the world. Magical and psionic spells, incantations, and formulae are written in an even older dialect of it called Aanneomi, though much beyond the use of it as a language of magic has been lost to time, very few claim to even be able to possibly have a conversation in this old tongue - even if they could, no one but those scarce few could understand it.
Each of the 10 Kingdoms has off-shoots from the old Aannean language that has morphed into their own unique languages with similar root words and semantic structure.
Economy
The world has a largely pre-industrial civilization running on agricultural trade.
Ecology
Elder Soteria is a lush and green world with a single moon orbiting. Seasons equate roughly with those one would see on Earth of Southern Europe with fairly mild weather over most of its surface.
Continuity
Elder Soteria is the planet otherwise known as Schatten III in the Schatten Star System of the Blazing Umbra Setting, just 1 billion years prior to the events of that setting.