DragonRealms: Difference between revisions
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''(The information for the appearance times of the DragonRealms planets, if compiled, will be used to calculate the orbital distances and periods. Merewalda through Er'qutra require a telescope to be seen.)'' |
''(The information for the appearance times of the DragonRealms planets, if compiled, will be used to calculate the orbital distances and periods. Merewalda through Er'qutra require a telescope to be seen.)'' |
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Bre'Naere is known to have significantly less mass than Elanthia because the Aelotoi are unable to fly. While Kulthea has a slightly larger diameter and circumference than Earth, it might still have Earth gravity from having lower density. Kulthea has a lot of seismic and volcanic activity because of the moons, which should be true for Elanthia as well but is never mentioned. The axial tilt of Kulthea is about 25 degrees, where Earth's cycles between 22 and 24.5, causing similar seasons. However, the magnetic field situation is drastically different, since it interacts with the [[flows of essence]]. While the magnetic declination varies locally on Earth, the magnetic field lines warp by as much as 20 degrees from north-south, and the magnetic poles routinely fluctuate from the geographical by as much as 15 degrees. |
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Constellations are arbitrary patterns drawn out of stars by various cultures. In the Shadow World Master Atlas it asserts that the Elves of the northern hemisphere have named some after the Lords of Orhan, but otherwise it is up to the GameMaster to define constellations for cultures. In GemStone IV there are 25 [[Constellations of the Northern Sky|constellations]] of the northern sky that are agreed upon by most societies. In DragonRealms there are [https://elanthipedia.play.net/Star_chart 52 constellations], which have defined rise and set days. The continent that DragonRealms is centered upon is in the southern hemisphere, while the continents of GemStone were always northern. |
Constellations are arbitrary patterns drawn out of stars by various cultures. In the Shadow World Master Atlas it asserts that the Elves of the northern hemisphere have named some after the Lords of Orhan, but otherwise it is up to the GameMaster to define constellations for cultures. In GemStone IV there are 25 [[Constellations of the Northern Sky|constellations]] of the northern sky that are agreed upon by most societies. In DragonRealms there are [https://elanthipedia.play.net/Star_chart 52 constellations], which have defined rise and set days. The continent that DragonRealms is centered upon is in the southern hemisphere, while the continents of GemStone were always northern. |
Revision as of 12:42, 8 July 2017
DragonRealms is an immersive online roleplaying game set on Elanthia, thousands of years further into the future than GemStone IV. It is set after a cataclysmic event does drastic damage to world geography, spoken of as a "world dragon" hatching out of (supposedly) Makiri that almost destroys the world. They refer to the Arkati as "the thirteen immortals" who battled the dragon and are trying to keep it asleep in the center of the world. (This is curiously similar and possibly related to the theme of Shadow Valley.) It is not clear where the setting is relative to the continent of Elanith.
The game has several races in common with GemStone, as well as others which have not been encountered yet. These include Humans, Elves, Halflings, Dwarves, Gnomes, and Elotheans (Erithians.) The Kaldar are reminiscent of Giantmen. The Gor'Tog are larger than them and colored green. However, the S'Kra Mur are lizard people, the Prydaen are cat people, and Rakash are shapeshifters.
There are similar professions as well as a few novel ones. DragonRealms has Barbarians (Warriors), Bards, Thieves (Rogues), Rangers, Paladins, Clerics, and Empaths. Warrior Mages are essentially Wizards, and Necromancers would be Sorcerers. There are also Traders and Moon Mages, which are seers who use mana influenced by celestial bodies.
Comparisons
Moons
While the Shadow World moons have direct correspondences to the moons of GemStone IV, with some changes in the exact details, Liabo is the only one that is unambiguously supposed to exist in DragonRealms as Katamba. Lornon is probably Yavash, but it is not quite obvious. The closest moon in the time DragonRealms is set is Xibar, which has nothing resembling it in GemStone IV.
Distance | Shadow World | GemStone IV | DragonRealms |
1st (least) | Varin | Liabo | Xibar |
2nd | Charon (Lornon) | Makiri/Tilaok | Katamba |
3rd | Orhan (Liabo) | Makiri/Tilaok | Yavash |
4th | Tlilok (Tilaok) | Lornon | N/A |
5th (most) | Mikori (Makiri) | N/A | N/A |
Lornon is regarded as fairly large but distant in the modern lore for GemStone IV, whereas Charon was tiny and closer than Orhan in Shadow World. In the Red Forest release it was established that Lornon and Liabo rarely conjunct, which was true in the Shadow World setting because Charon was on a polar orbit. Varin was larger than Charon, but still only the size of a very large asteroid. When the history for DragonRealms was being developed GemStone III was transitioning out of the I.C.E. Age, where in contrast to the current lore Mikori was larger than Tlilok. Grazhir was the smallest moon.
Size | I.C.E. Age GemStone III | Post-I.C.E. GemStone III | GemStone IV | DragonRealms |
1st (most) | Orhan (Liabo) | Liabo | Liabo | Katamba |
2nd | Varin | Lornon | Lornon | Yavash |
3rd | Charon (Lornon) | Makiri? | Tilaok | Xibar |
4th | Mikori (Makiri) | Tilaok? | Makiri | Grazhir |
5th (least) | Tlilok (Tilaok) | N/A | N/A | N/A |
There is an OOC note in the GemStone IV documentation claiming thousand of years into the future Makiri was Grazhir, Lornon is Yavash, and Liabo is Katamba. This moon lore for GemStone III did not exist until about half a decade after the launch of DragonRealms and the end of the I.C.E. Age, which possibly helps explain the inconsistencies with Tilaok arguably making more sense as Grazhir.
Moon | Game | World | Orbits Other Moon? | Atmosphere? | Color | Other Information |
Liabo | GSIII/GSIV | Elanthia | No | Maybe | Silver-white, craters | Home of Thirteen Lords of Liabo |
Katamba | DR | Elanthia | No | Yes | Blackened | Home of Thirteen Immortals |
Orhan | GSIII | Kulthea | No | Yes | Clouds | Home of Thirteen Lords of Orhan |
Lornon | GSIII/GSIV | Elanthia | No | Yes | Pale white, sometimes red | Home of the Dark Lords |
Yavash | DR | Elanthia | No | Yes | Red | ? |
Charon | GSIII | Kulthea | No | No | Silver-grey, sometimes red | Home of the Dark Lords |
Makiri | GSIII/GSIV | Elanthia | Yes | No | Dark | Rumored to be slowly growing. Does not exist in DragonRealms. |
Mikori | GSIII | Kulthea | No | No | Gleaming mote of light | Most distant. Does not exist in DragonRealms. |
Varin | GSIII | Kulthea | No | No | Mottled orange | Closest. Does not exist in GemStone IV. |
Xibar | DR | Elanthia | No | No | Icy blue | Closest. Does not exist in GemStone IV. |
Tilaok | GSIII/GSIV | Elanthia | Yes | Yes | Reddish-orange | Second smallest moon in GemStone IV. Does not exist in DragonRealms. |
Tlilok | GSIII | Kulthea | Yes | No | Multi-hued grey, craters | Smallest moon in Shadow World. Does not exist in DragonRealms |
Grazhir | DR | Elanthia | ? | ? | Pearlescent white | Former smallest moon in DragonRealms. Destroyed supposedly by World Dragon. |
Yavash is permanently colored red, while Charon and Lornon only appear that way periodically. The word "zenith" for Lornon is misused by implying that is simultaneously defined at every location, and it is synchronous with the solar orbit for no reason. In the Shadow World history Charon has a polar orbit and the world population lives only on the western hemisphere, so Charon is invisible at night for half of its rotation. The "Night of the Third Moon" is wherever Charon happens to be full and zenith, once every 149 days, glowing reddish and only occurring near the equatorial latitudes. Once every 10.2 years it is at perigee and zenith near the equator, which is the situation where it is huge and red. These times correspond to essence disturbances, cult worship, and malevolent presences for Charon and Lornon.
Gods
The Kermonian pantheon in DragonRealms consists of the Thirteen Immortals, which are taken to be extra-planar in origin and were associated with the equivalent of Liabo. There are thirteen Lords of Orhan / Liabo in Shadow World and GemStone IV. However, these gods are taken to have light and dark aspects, with the Dark Lords of Charon / Lornon not acknowledged as a pantheon. In the Shadow World setting there are 13 other planets in the solar system, where in DragonRealms our world is 6th rather than 7th and each has an associated immortal. This confinement is rooted in Shadow World.
Immortal | Neutral | Light | Dark |
Kertigen | Kertigen (Eonak) | Divyaush | Zachriedek |
Hodierna | Hodierna (Imaera) | Berengaria (Oleani) | Asketi |
Meraud | Meraud (Fash'lo'nae) | Firulf (Jastev?) | Kerenhappuch (Eorgina / Ivas) |
Damaris | Damaris (Ronan / Onar) | Phelim (Tonis?) | Dergati (Sheru) |
Everild | Everild (Kai) | Kuniyo | Trothfang (V'tull / Amasalen) |
Truffenyi | Truffenyi | Alamhif (Lorminstra?) | Huldah (Luukos?) |
Hav'roth | Hav'roth (Luukos) | Peri'el (Eonak? / Leya?) | Ushnish |
Eluned | Eluned (Lumnis) | Lemicus (Niima) | Drogor (Charl) |
Glythide | Glythide (Cholen) | Seamaus (Voaris) | Be'ort (Laethe) |
Tamsine | Tamsine (Imaera) | Albreda (Oleani) | Harawep (Arachne) |
Faenella | Faenella | Murrula | Idon (Phoen?) |
Chadatru | Chadatru (Koar) | Rutilor | Botolf (Onar) |
Urrem'tier | Urrem'tier (Gosaena) | Eylhaar (Lorminstra / Gosaena) | Aldauth (Luukos) |
The direct comparison of immortals and gods is slightly complicated by the fact that the gods lore has changed multiple times in GemStone during the existence of DragonRealms. They are fundamentally non-corporeal beings who have preferred manifestations, but can in principle take on any form they wish. In GemStone IV the "Arkati" have allowed various cultures to interpret them very differently. In the Shadow World setting of GemStone III the Lords of Orhan were all extra-planar in origin, and the Dark Lords of Charon had arrived from demonic planes of existence but may have been made artificially by the Lords of Essaence. In the historical setting following the end of the I.C.E. Age, the two pantheons were made into members of the same group, with the religion interpreting them as members of a race of servants.
Time
In the Shadow World setting there are 350 days in a solar year, with subdivisions based on the lunar cycles of Orhan and Varin. This poses no difficulty in a calendar sense because there are 25 hour days, resulting in a 365 Earth day year for the orbit around the sun. On the scale of years the Shadow World and Elanthian timelines proceed at equal rates. In the I.C.E. Age of GemStone III this was not actually implemented, it was only part of the background lore for the world setting. Slightly before the GemStone IV transition the day and night mechanics were introduced, and GemStone was given a one-to-one correspondence with Earth time, with Elanthia keeping the same hours and months in a year. The situation is complicated in DragonRealms because of the compression factor to speed up the flow of time.
(A) Time Acceleration Interpreted As Real
Since there are only 15 minutes to an hour, meaning 900 seconds instead of 3,600 seconds, the physical quantities calculated based on time require interpreting the reality and cause of the time compression. If there really are only 900 seconds in an hour, as opposed to pretending every second is really four seconds, Elanthia would need to be spinning four times faster on its axis. With same direction (prograde) orbits and planet revolution, this requires DragonRealms to be in the distant past, whereas with retrograde orbits it would be in the future. The latter would require the moons to get closer over time, which appears to be false for Liabo, which would have the largest effect. Since Xibar does not exist in the time of GemStone IV, Liabo's mass and relative distance should dominate over Lornon.
Time | Earth | GemStone IV | DragonRealms | Shadow World |
Seconds | 1 sec | 1 sec | 1 sec | 1 sec |
Minute | 1 minute | 1 minute | 1 minute | 1 minute |
Hour | 1 hour | 1 hour | 15 minutes (0.25 Earth hours) | 1 hour |
Day | 24 hour | 24 hour | 24 hour (6 Earth hours) | 25 hour (25 Earth hours) |
Week | 7 days | 7 days | 4 days (24 Earth hours) | 10 days (250 Earth hours) |
Month | 4 weeks | 4 weeks | 10 weeks (10 Earth days) | 70 days (73 Earth days) |
Year | 365 days | 365 days | 400 days (100 Earth days) * | 350 days (365 Earth days) |
(* - 1 solar year for Elanthia is presumably 3.65 years under the Kermorian calendar, assuming time is due to a faster rotation, or else the planet would end up boiling.)
The pink highlights indicate orbital distances calculated assuming Newtonian gravity with Elanthia as 1 Earth mass. The Shadow World numbers for period and distance are given in the source books, and are reasonably accurate without accounting for complications from flows of essence, except for Orhan whose observational behavior and nature is significantly altered by the magic of the moon gods.
Moon | Game | Orbital Distance | Orbital Period | Tidal Acceleration | Tidally Locked? | Other Information: Assuming Fast Spinning Elanthia |
Liabo | GSIII/IV | 96,053 miles | 7 days (7 Earth days) | Prograde? (+) | ? | Barren / cratered. Tilaok and Makiri as satellites. |
Katamba | DR | 121,840 miles | 40 days (10 Earth days) | Retrograde (-) | ? | Scorched by World Dragon. Has no satellites. |
Orhan | GSIII | 270,000 miles | 70 days (73 Earth days) | Prograde? (+) | Yes | Forests, oceans, clouds. Tlilok is only satellite. |
Lornon | GSIII/IV | 250,000 miles | 1 month (30 Earth days) | Retrograde? (-) | ? | Blood moon 1x/year. Rarely conjuncts with Liabo. Assumed to not be polar orbit. |
Yavash | DR | 129,830 miles | 45 days (11 Earth days) | Retrograde (-) | ? | Permanently red. Presumably off axis with Katamba, or else yearly almost impact. |
Charon | GSIII | 150,000 - 230,000 miles | 21 days (22 Earth days) | Polar Orbit | ? | 149 days per blood moon at location. Perigee/Zenith blood moon coincide 10.2 years. |
Makiri | GSIII/IV | ? | ? | ? | ? | Makiri orbits Liabo, no details. Orbital period around Elanthia roughly equals Liabo's. |
Mikori | GSIII | 520,000 miles | 88 days (92 Earth days) | Prograde? (+) | ? | Barely distinguishable from a star or planet. Orbits planet, not Orhan. |
Varin | GSIII | 125,000 miles | 10 days (10.4 Earth days) | Prograde? (+) | ? | Volcanic from tidal forces. |
Xibar | DR | 95,366 miles | 27.7 days (7 Earth days) | Retrograde (-) | ? | Blue from being ice covered. |
Tilaok | GSIII/GSIV | ? | ? | ? | ? | Tilaok orbits Liabo, no details. Orbital period around Elanthia roughly equals Liabo's. |
Tlilok | GSIII | ? | ? | ? | ? | Conjuncts with Orhan in over a given spot once per several thousand years. |
Grazhir | DR | ? | ? | ? | ? | There is no information other than its color. Destroyed. |
(* - DragonRealms orbital periods are assumed to be retrograde, or else the orbits will be so close the moons are colliding. Green highlights are calculated from given rising times. The rise and set times require the orbits to be retrograde as well. The given sidereal months in the lore are averages of 25.9, 37.57, and 40.42 days due to multi-body gravitational interactions between the three moons and Elanthia. This slightly pulls the orbits closer with distances of 91,000 miles for Xibar, 117,000 miles for Katamba, and 123,000 miles for Yavash. Yavash and Katamba are almost impacting each other.)
The orbital periods of Liabo and Lornon in the GemStone IV astronomy lore suggest they will become more distant from Elanthia over millions of years. In contrast, the rising times of the three moons in DragonRealms are faster than the rotational period of Elanthia, requiring the orbits to be in the opposite direction or else extremely close to the planet. Over time this would make the planet spin faster, and ultimately they would break up and/or crash into the surface. Lornon would have to become closer and Liabo further away, implying they are revolving in opposite directions, even though they must be in the same direction in the time of DragonRealms. This requires some unknown magical intervention on the scale of the gods, which makes the moons useless for figuring out their historical order.
(B) Time Acceleration Ignored As Unreal
The preceding was assuming that seconds and minutes ("roisan") are to be taken on face value as corresponding to Earth time, but that the larger units of time are different for natural reasons. If the time is supposed to instead just be accelerated by a factor of four for gameplay purposes so that a roisan is really "supposed" to represent four minutes on Elanthia, it would seem that their month is based on the lunar cycle of Yavash or Katamba, with weeks and years defined by powers of ten from the days in a sidereal month. The Kermorian and Gorbesh calendars have the same weeks, months, and days in a year, but different multi-year cycles. It might make sense to use a 400 day calendar if the moon impact cataclysm changed the tilt of Elanthia and so throwing the seasons slightly out of synch with the solar year. It would take trillions of years for the solar orbit of Elanthia to change by enough distance to actually gain 35 days. This is assuming the absence of enormous outside intervention.
Moon | Orbital Distance | Orbital Period | Difference: Assuming Uniform Time Compression |
Liabo | 96,053 miles | 7 days | |
Katamba | 294,450 miles | 37.57 days | 200,000 miles more distant from Elanthia in DragonRealms. |
Lornon | 253,430 miles | 30 days | |
Yavash | 309,050 miles | 40.42 days | 50,000 miles more distant from Elanthia in DragonRealms. |
Xibar | 229,780 miles | 25.9 days | N/A |
If the time compression in DragonRealms is interpreted as a purely out of character mechanic, such that an hour is really 60 minutes within the game in spite of being 15 minutes in real life, the orbital periods would literally be the given values and the distances would be very different. The trouble with calculation is that the multiplier is discontinuous. The orbits must be four times faster, or the planet rotates four times faster, or the multiplier has to be uniform. In the last case the orbits are much more distant. This falsifies the in-universe 24 hour day because Elanthia would spin much slower.
Solar System
The solar system is reasonably well-defined in Shadow World and DragonRealms, but virtually nothing is known about the other planets in GemStone. The only other planet that is defined for GemStone IV is Bre'Naere, the kiramon occupied world of the Aelotoi, and its location relative to Elanthia is unspecified. However, the Elemental Confluence traveled between the two worlds over the span of about a decade, and its trajectory and arrival time were calculated by Alusius. This would only make sense if Bre'Naere was in the same solar system and the Confluence, presumably indigenous to the solar system since Alusius claimed it was the source of elemental magic, was traveling much slower than the speed of light. The Confluence is anchored to Elanthia in the time of GemStone IV but not in DragonRealms.
Distance | Shadow World | GemStone IV | DragonRealms |
1st (least) | Kuluth | ? | Verena (Kertigen) |
2nd | Rhogan | ? | Estrilda (Hodierna) |
3rd | Thasia | ? | Durgaulda (Meraud) |
4th | (Asteroid Belt) | ? | Yoakena (Damaris) |
5th | Ithaneus | ? | Penhetia (Everild) |
6th | Nemeris | ? | Elanthia (Truffenyi) |
7th | Kulthea * | ? | Szeldia (Hav'roth) |
8th | Liis | ? | Merewalda (Eluned) |
9th | Ombari | ? | Ismenia (Glythide) |
10th | Shiron | ? | Morleena (Tamsine) |
11th | Xio | ? | Amlothi (Faenella) |
12th | Atalan | ? | Dawgolesh (Chadatru) |
13th | Deisa | ? | Er'qutra (Urrem'tier) |
14th | Ianoris | ? | N/A |
15th (most) | Vuul | ? | N/A |
* (Kulthea is really the sixth planet, the asteroid belt should not count.)
In Shadow World the analogous concept to the Confluence is that Kulthea exists on the edge of an interdimensional rift, through which the essence of a higher universe bleeds through into our reality. This is the source of magic because its manipulation allows temporary violations of physical laws in our own material reality. The Lords of Orhan were stranded in this universe approximately 200,000 years ago as a result of a cataclysm, and a tiny black hole hit the planet forming the Pillar of the Gods. The geologically analogous feature in Elanthia is Talon Isle, though there is no established lore for how it was formed.
There are planetary depictions in GemStone such as Aramur Forean's room in the Wolves Den, depicted as spheres where the world is known to be round. The planets in Shadow World are supposedly named in Iruaric, but most of them cannot be translated with the existing glossary. The essence becomes too weak to support the moon gods outside the solar system, due to the physical distance from the interdimensional rift. The world of Kulthea is kept stable on this boundary by the Eyes of Utha, whose analog in GemStone was the Eye of the Drake. The immortals in DragonRealms each have an associated planet. The Gorbesh and Kaldar worship a blood god named Sraxaec, whose planet is called Sidasas. It is unknown if this is a fourteenth planet or merely a different name for one of the other ones.
Order | Planet | Game | Type | Diameter | Distance From Sun | Year | Other Information |
1st | Kuluth | GSIII | Rock | 2,100 miles | 31 million miles | 70 days (73 Earth days) | Mercury is 29 million to 43 million miles from the Sun. |
Verena | DR | Rock | ? | ? | ? | Bright red-orange. Surface is molten. | |
2nd | Rhogan | GSIII | Rock | 3,100 miles | 40 million miles | 105 days (109 Earth days) | Same size and distance as Mercury. |
Estrilda | DR | Rock | ? | ? | ? | Green. Possibly viable atmosphere. "The Dawn's Herald", appears low on eastern horizon in morning. | |
3rd | Thasia | GSIII | Rock | 1,600 miles | 55 million miles | 187 days (195 Earth days) | |
Durgaulda | DR | Rock | ? | ? | ? | Dark mists / dust. "The Dark Stranger", observed from absence of ordinary starlight. | |
4th | (Asteroid Belt) | GSIII | (Rock) | N/A | 65 million miles | 200 days (208 Earth days) | Venus is 67 million miles from the Sun, orbit of 225 Earth days. |
Yoakena | DR | Rock | ? | ? | ? | Faint green. "The Secret Interloper". Hidden most of the time between its and Elanthia's moons. | |
5th | Ithaneus | GSIII | Rock | 2,800 miles | 71 million miles | 280 days (292 Earth days) | |
Penhetia | DR | Rock | ? | ? | ? | Reddish-brown. Home of fallen spirits of warriors. "The Stalwart Defender". Orbital period so similar to Elanthia's that it seems to constantly be shielding and protecting it. | |
6th | Nemeris | GSIII | Rock | 5,000 miles | 83 million miles | 310 days (323 Earth days) | Dense cloud cover. Probably uninhabitable like Venus. |
Elanthia | DR | Rock | ? | 104 million miles | 400 days | "The Withstander". Assuming 1 day equals 1 Earth day for calculating solar orbit. In contrast, if it has the same solar orbit as GemStone IV Elanthia, it is rotating 1.1 times faster on its axis with shorter days than 24 GS Elanthia hours. | |
7th | Kulthea | GSIII | Rock | 8,600 miles | 98 million miles | 350 days (365 Earth days) | Same distance and year as Earth. Earth diameter is 7,900 miles. GemStone IV Elanthia has the same solar orbit. |
Szeldia | DR | Rock | ? | ? | ? | Bright white atmosphere around black core. "The Serpent's Eye". | |
8th | Liis | GSIII | Rock | 7,000 miles | 128 million miles | 582 days (606 Earth days) | Atmosphere too thin to support life. Slightly closer than Mars, but Venus sized. |
Merewalda | DR | Rock | ? | ? | ? | Crystalline blue. "The Pellucid Font". Completely covered in liquid water. Too small/distant for unaided eye. | |
9th | Ombari | GSIII | Gas | 78,500 miles | 340 million miles | 8.3 years | Slightly smaller but closer than Jupiter. Probably visible without telescope. |
Ismenia | DR | Gas? | ? | ? | ? | Bright yellow. | |
10th | Shiron | GSIII | Gas | 59,000 miles | 701 million miles | 31 years | Slightly smaller but closer than Saturn. Probably visible without telescope. |
Morleena | DR | Gas? | ? | ? | ? | Orange. Southern sky. | |
11th | Xio | GSIII | Gas | 63,000 miles | 1,208 million miles | 57 years | |
Amlothi | DR | Gas? | ? | ? | ? | Yellow-green. Southern sky. | |
12th | Atalan | GSIII | Gas | 98,400 miles | 2,050 million miles | 74 years | Larger than Jupiter, but a little further out than Uranus. Probably not visible without telescope. |
Dawgolesh | DR | Gas? | ? | ? | ? | White. Northern spring and summer skies. | |
13th | Deisa | GSIII | Gas | 33,000 miles | 2,845 million miles | 160 years | Neptune size and distance from sun. Would not be visible by eye. |
Er'qutra | DR | Gas? | ? | ? | ? | Dark. "The Black Void". Souls of the damned, the empty ones who do not return, reside with Urrem'tier. | |
14th | Ianoris | GSIII | Gas | 28,000 miles | 3,318 million miles | 238 years | |
15th | Vuul | GSIII | Rock | 7,300 miles | 3,945 million miles | 315 years | Venus sized but Pluto distanced. |
(The information for the appearance times of the DragonRealms planets, if compiled, will be used to calculate the orbital distances and periods. Merewalda through Er'qutra require a telescope to be seen.)
Bre'Naere is known to have significantly less mass than Elanthia because the Aelotoi are unable to fly. While Kulthea has a slightly larger diameter and circumference than Earth, it might still have Earth gravity from having lower density. Kulthea has a lot of seismic and volcanic activity because of the moons, which should be true for Elanthia as well but is never mentioned. The axial tilt of Kulthea is about 25 degrees, where Earth's cycles between 22 and 24.5, causing similar seasons. However, the magnetic field situation is drastically different, since it interacts with the flows of essence. While the magnetic declination varies locally on Earth, the magnetic field lines warp by as much as 20 degrees from north-south, and the magnetic poles routinely fluctuate from the geographical by as much as 15 degrees.
Constellations are arbitrary patterns drawn out of stars by various cultures. In the Shadow World Master Atlas it asserts that the Elves of the northern hemisphere have named some after the Lords of Orhan, but otherwise it is up to the GameMaster to define constellations for cultures. In GemStone IV there are 25 constellations of the northern sky that are agreed upon by most societies. In DragonRealms there are 52 constellations, which have defined rise and set days. The continent that DragonRealms is centered upon is in the southern hemisphere, while the continents of GemStone were always northern.
Behind The Scenes
It is usually assumed that DragonRealms is set in the future relative to GemStone IV. However, the "smallest" moon that shattered was "pearly-white" in the DragonRealms lore, whereas Makiri is dark in the present of GemStone. It is worth considering that the moon lore has changed over the years. In the I.C.E. Age history Tlilok (Tilaok) was the smallest "moon", and Mikori (Makiri) did not orbit Orhan (Liabo). Mikori was the smallest and farthest moon orbiting the planet, Orhan was the largest, and the closest was the second-largest fifth moon called Varin. In the contemporary GemStone IV history Lornon is the furthest, Liabo is the closest, with Makiri and Tlilok orbiting Liabo. In DragonRealms Yavash is the most distant and perpetually red colored, Katamba is the largest and blackened, while the blue Xibar is the closest and does not orbit Katamba. While Yavash and Katamba could be taken to be Lornon and Liabo, Xibar does not resemble Tilaok, and Katamba has no satellite moons at all.
It would be easy to interpret this as a perverse argument for Makiri and Tilaok being captured asteroids, while Xibar was ejected somehow in the past with GemStone actually occurring later in history. The idea would be that the pantheons had not formed yet, and some gods were killed in the Ur-Daemon War. (On the other hand, with the DragonRealms is later perspective, some of the gods may be dead.) If the orbital periods are used on face value with the time compression discontinuity ignored, the distances are much greater, requiring the days to be longer with DragonRealms set in the deep past. These kinds of arguments only work if there is a continuity of natural physical process. There are cases to be made for the anomalies being planar in origin, or time is "shattered", with Elanthia existing in multiple "phases."
References
- http://www.play.net/dr/ - Official DragonRealms website.
- DragonRealms Wiki
- DragonRealms Star Chart
- Constellations of the Northern Sky
- "The Elanthian Moons" (Play.net)
- "Play Selenographer" (blog post about development of Elanthia's moon document)