Rexa

"With humble beginnings, the planet Rexa is perhaps the most important and notable planet in all of Deas. A great source of many tales of love, war, misery, peace, unity, and death, Rexa can be considered a cradle of life, an earthly home for its diverse inhabitants." - The Cartographer, on Rexa

Rexa, known by other names such as Earth, Terra, or Homa, was a world in which many races of people existed. These people, known as rexans or humans, inhabited the planet until its inevitable destruction in 1150 ATS/3E.

History
Rexa was created in the year 10,000 BTS/1E, administered by the 30 Gods of Old. The Gods cleaved the fabric of space, carving land from void and summoning water from air. The Gods then breathed fire upon the world, setting the world in motion and giving it life. Green drops of vines and leaves sprouted from the earth, and the ley-line plants covered the lands. The spirits of animals followed, maintaining the earth and completing the cycle of life. To accommodate the planet in the void, the Gods then created two moons, locking them to the planet with strings of gravity. The Gods then spun a great white orb of fire, naming it the Sun of Sol, to shed cyclical light upon Rexa and keep the planet in motion. Seven more planets were forged and tied to the Sun, with Rexa as the eighth in the system. With the local cluster finished, the Gods departed, watching the planet from their divine heavens.

As part of the grand experiment to test mortality, the humanoid proto-race of Akitans were designed and dispersed across Rexa's singular continent. The Akitans learned quickly, their numbers grew exponentially, and their technological prowess became readily apparent. The Akitans constructed five forges: the North, South, East, and West Skyforges, along with a central grand forge. These kilometer-long forges were large enough and advanced enough to design and build starships. In a mere seven hundred years, the cave-dwelling Akitans became a spacefaring race expanding beyond Rexa and the local cluster. With sudden betrayal, the Akitans turned their backs on the Gods of Old, and produced weapons powerful enough to tear divine spirits asunder. With their god-killing weapons, the Akitans backstabbed the Gods, waging a two hundred year war against their creators. While the Akitans had small victories against the Gods, their foe was too powerful, and so the Akitans were pushed back to Rexa and almost entirely wiped out. The remaining Akitans surrendered, and peace was discussed.

With half of the Gods of Old dead, the Gods debated and argued amongst themselves. A conclusion was reached, and life would be restarted on Rexa. In the year 9000 BTS/1E, the Gods descended once more upon Rexa. With the Akitans dealt with, the gods engineered their next creation: humanity. The gods learned from their mistake, and gave the humans much less power and initiative by binding them to the planet itself. Humanity diverged and split, with the elves sprouting from the secluded forests, fields of snow, and dunes of sand. The dwarves clung to caves and mountains, while the harsh jungles and swamps formed the orcs. The shallow valleys and rolling hills became home to halflings. On isolated islands with strong animal spirits, the kitkube arose. And finally, those that went mostly untouched by nature, found everywhere around the world, were simply known as humans.

The Gods then raised the Gurdeas: Taolin, Rashel, Mirkon, Sjerken, and Kraurot. The five Gurdeas were tasked with watching over Rexa and to ensure that the Akitan mistake could never be repeated again. Taolin, the first of the five, renewed life upon the lands of Rexa, and created Arkaare. Rashel sculpted swaths of land out from the northern ocean, molding the continent of Erphecia. Mirkon flashed into existence, ushering in the western winds and storms that would shape Primoria. Kraurot erupted from Rexa's molten core, leaving a deep scar that would become Volcanus. Kraurot then flew east, scorching the eastern ocean and forming Anfara. Sjerken swam south, leaving currents in her wake. The continents of Glacyvika and Tralida followed Sjerken's path, settling by the south pole. With Rexa's surface remade, humanity was allowed to prosper for thousands of years.

In time, humanity spanned all of Rexa, from the deepest caves to the farthest islands. Empires rose and empires fell. But one by one, the people of Rexa grew tired of the Gurdeas and their oppressive rule. In the Age of Colossi, the Gurdeas were slain, their mortal bodies cleaved from their immortal spirits. Kraurot, sensing his impending doom, cursed the world to eternal flame should he ever be slain. When he too was killed, his curse came true, and Volcanus erupted. The explosion was so massive and powerful that the eruption reached out into space and scarred the Sun of Sol. In retaliation, the sun lashed out at Volcanus, splitting the volcano in two and scorching Rexa. The planet was blanketed in a fiery inferno for five hundred years. Those that could not withstand the tyrannous sun's infernos fled to the safety of the underground. Only after the tyranny of the sun came to an end could life resume on the surface once more.

After the events of the tyrannous sun, the state of affairs on Rexa settled once more. While the political landscape was shifted in favor of others, life remained mostly the same. Society progressed, adventures explored the world, and Rexa was livelier than ever. It all came to a crashing halt in 1150 ATS/3E, when Rexa suffered from a series of catastrophes that shattered the world. While much of humanity was able to escape into space, Rexa was cataclysmically destroyed. Only inhospitable chunks of the planet remained in space, forever haunted by the catastrophes it failed to endure.

Geography
Rexa was a medium-sized planet with seven continents and five oceans. Rexa had a diverse array of plant and animal life who roamed not only the surface but also the extensive underground layers of the planet. The planet had a variety of biomes. From peaceful plains, mystical forests, dangerous swamps, endless sand dunes, towering mountains, active lava zones, and frozen wastelands. Its oceans ranged form lively, colorful reefs to abyssal lairs home to leviathan monstrosities. Weather on the planet was comfortable, but occasionally extreme. Country-sized storms and earthquakes powerful enough to shake the air were some of many various natural disasters that the people of Rexa experienced from time to time.

The planet's seven continents, Arkaare, Anfara, Centocea, Erphecia, Glacyvika, Primoria, and Tralida, were all distinct from one another. Arkaare's landscapes were mystical and ancient, and one of the few places with Akitan ruins still standing. Anfara was secluded and forested, with many lakes and archipelagos. Centocea was the smallest of the seven continents, and was dominated by Volcanus and its harsh shard islands. Erphecia was rocky and mountainous, with sprawling deserts beyond the mountains. Glacyvika was an icy continent on the south pole, and was mostly comprised of inhospitable glaciers and snowfields. Primoria was the largest of the seven continents, with diverse peoples and varied landscapes. Finally, Tralida was a small and peaceful continent of paradise islands and gorgeous beaches.

Rexa had two poles, and rotated on a 25 degree axis. The planet also revolved around the Sun, taking 360 days to complete a full revolution. Because of its tilted axis and orbit around the Sun, the planet had four seasons: Snowfell, Bloom, Zenith, and Harvest. With an average radius of approximately 7,000,000 km, and a mass of 5.7333e24 kg, the planet was of moderate size when compared to other planets in the universe.

Notable Locations

 * Altes, the Mirror Lake
 * Asushin's Tempest
 * Baldeny's Heart (Hirtslend)
 * Central Missokahn
 * Lancastra
 * Low Notheri
 * Marson
 * Shadowfell Rift
 * The Deadlinds
 * The Mantle
 * The Five Forges
 * The Great Drains
 * Tor Qoltelus
 * Volcanus