Tessera

Place
See also: Freelands Republic; Shangon Empire; Sunholm; Talarin Corporation

Tessera is a planet in the Closeness.

Adjective: Tessaran
inhabitants: Tesserans

Tessera is comparable to Earth in size, axial tilt, hours in a day, days in a year, climate, and proportion of landmass to oceans.

Tessera orbits a binary of two stars: a larger yellow dwarf called the Sovereign and a smaller red dwarf called the Tinker. The Sovereign and Tinker's rotation around their common barycenter is about 28 days.

Most of Tessera's solar insolation (i.e., warmth) comes from the Sovereign. However, during every fourth week the Tinker is partly or completely eclipsed by the Sovereign, resulting in significantly shorter days and colder temperatures--20 or more degrees Fahrenheit in some biomes. This effect is called the Chill.

Tessera has one moon called the Traveler with an orbit of 28-49 days. The Traveler has tidal effects on Tessera comparable to Luna's effects on Earth. Various conjunctions of the Sovereign, Tinker, and Traveler have significant effects on the physical and magical dimensions of Tessera.

((Here's a 1 minute video showing a planet orbiting a binary: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LTMKsQ63Bl8 ))

((Here's what the binary might look like from space: http://www.ifa.hawaii.edu/info/press-releases/Kepler453b/PR_kepler453-sm.jpg ))

The Chill

During every fourth week the Tinker is partly or completely eclipsed by the Sovereign, resulting in significantly shorter days and colder temperatures--20 or more degrees Fahrenheit in some biomes. The Chill has significant effects on many aspects of the flora, fauna, and civilizations of Tessera. For example, many animals and plants have more natural insulation (e.g., more or thicker fur, heat-absorbing chitin, heat-retaining sap).

Some Highlights of Nature & Civilization

• Church of the Reverence
• Fight Pits on Tessera
• Philosophy on Tessera
• Maniac Plants
• Scarcity of Magic on Tessera
• Strain
• Underdark of Tessera

Notes on Races on Tessera

• Dragons are notoriously secretive and conspiratorial. Long-lived, magic-wielding, apex predators understand that knowledge can be more powerful than spells or armies. Dragonkin, including dragonborn, pattern much of their society and norms on their larger siblings' example. The Order of Champions is a famous dragonborn faction on Tessera.
• Half-elves are rare on Tessera. Many citizens in the Shangon Empire feel a strong sense of racial pride, especially the elite dwarven clans and the noble elven families. For many, this pride fuels racism and prejudice against "half-breeds" including half-elves.

Monstrous Races on Tessera

Some monstrous species on Tessera are generally more primitive, xenophobic, territorial, or even war-like than the "smooth skins" (dwarves, elves, gnomes, halflings, and humans). But most have distinctive cultures and ethics far more sophisticated than merely "serving chaos" or an insatiable appetite for destruction and conquest. Notably, some Freelands Republic states are tribes or kingdoms of one or more of the "greenskins" (goblins, hobgoblins, orcs, and bugbears).

Many smooth skins are prejudiced against goblinoids and other monstrous sentient species. But during the Bloodstone War both sides treated goblinoid soldiers as they would any other combatants. Some goblinoids and half-goblinoids have even reached the same renown as individuals from other species in the areas of military leadership, crafting, art, and philosophy.

History of Nations

The Shangon Empire claims to be more than one thousand years old, and some Republic states claim comparable legacies. However, it's widely believed that many other nations have existed in Tessera's history. Some legends describe world-spanning wars even greater than the Bloodstone War, as well as cataclysms such as earthquakes, volcanoes, and pandemics. In Obani history, these events mark the beginnings and ends of eras, and sometimes the births and deaths of nations.

The elven kingdom of Nok'Tur and the holy state of Sunholm have allegedly endured since at least the prior era, well before the Empire was founded. According to legend, their contemporary was the Stone Mountain Kingdoms. But a cataclysm drove the dwarves from the mountains, leaving only the Sorrows: vast, deep ruins infested by the undead and other monsters.

In the far distant past, an empire called Robrenn may have controlled much of northern Oban, perhaps in competition with a southern empire called Mardithia. Elven legends tell of a large kingdom called Tae'Sara, possibly the progenitor of Nok'Tur, and possibly part of Robrenn. Finally, there was a nation and/or place called the Carven Woods, with extraordinary magic long since lost.

Regardless of whether any legend is true, the Obani surface and subsurface are littered with the remnants of dead nations and forgotten peoples. There are remnants of roads leading only to the overgrown foundations of fallen fortresses. There are vast underground complexes that may have been bunkers, crypts, or even towns. And there are treasures and other items already found or waiting to be discovered, items of ancient origin, items both mundane and magical.