AN OVERVIEW
OF ERDE
©2001 Erick Emert

 The World:

Erde and our own Earth are very similar. Both have one sun and one moon. Both have similar climates and weather conditions depending on latitude and time of year. Standing in an uninhabited area of the Earth or on Erde. one would not perceive a difference. Even the night sky holds the same constellations as our own. Planets visible to the naked eye or with a small telescope are the same there as here.

  

The Land:

The largest land mass on Erde is the size of our Europe and Asia put together. The northern latitudes have a climate similar to portions of northern USSR, the central latitudes similar to the USA, and the southern latitudes similar to that of the Amazon region. A great chain of mountains separates the eastern third of Erde from the western portion. Running from the northeast corner to the south central area of the land mass, the Corrin Mountains act as a continental divide. The western two thirds of Erde are mostly flat grasslands and plains with wooded areas closer to the Corrins. The eastern third is made up of a great forest called the Weald extending along the Corrins ranging from north to south, ending in a large wetland area called Kyrrell Swamp. The southeastern portion of Erde contains largely uninhabited badlands and desert.

Geologically the land contains the same mineral structure as that of the Earth with the exception of a metal mined from the southern Corrin Mountains called either amock or wammac. The metal is plentiful and its properties include an element harder than carbon which allow it to be honed into edges keener and stronger than any produced by our current technology. However, the density of this element makes weapons forged from it unmanageable if they are larger than an average hunting knife.

The animal kingdom has produced many creatures similar to those found on Earth, but they are usually larger in size. It has also propagated some birds, fish, reptiles, insects and mammals unlike anything on our Earth. Although Outsiders sometimes refer to creatures similar to our own by their Earth names, most creatures are referred to by names endowed by the indigenous peoples of Erde.

Flower and fauna also resemble that of the Earth but with some key differences as in the animal kingdom. The names of plants, trees and other vegetation carry names bestowed by the endemic natives as well.

The Weald:

The Weald is an ancient and dense forest starting in the northwest corner of Erde and following the western edges of the Corrins to the southernmost part of central Erde.

The northern Weald is extremely cold and unforgiving during the long winter season. Game tends to migrate southward in search of food. Deep snows and freezing temperatures make life difficult for the tribes that reside here. In the north the forest is made up of hardy, needle bearing, coniferous evergreen trees of various types and sizes.

The central Weald is a bit more hospitable. The northern portions still experience some snow and colder temperatures but not as bad as the north Weald. Temperatures increase in the southern area. In the central Weald there is a mixture of coniferous and leaf bearing trees that lose their leaves in winter.

The south Weald is a composite of differing elements. Very warm throughout the year the south Weald experiences heavy precipitation. The northern and central regions are a temperate rain forest with the dominate trees being the huge cogins which are as wide as a four lane highway and as tall as skyscrapers. Trees grow so close together in this region their leaves form a canopy which allows little light to reach the forest floor. The southern region is a tropical rain forest with more varied tree selection but still maintaining a continuous canopy above the land.

The Tribes of the Weald: 

The indigenous people of Erde now reside only in the Weald. They are made up of tribes of aboriginal natives with varying customs, habits and languages. The tribes and the area of the Weald they reside in are shown below:

Colarathi: Found in the northwestern section of the southern Weald, near the Corrin Mountains.

Riggrathi: Occupy lands near the Corrin Mountains in the western Weald, but migrate into the south Weald as far as Kyrrell Swamp.

Sogroth: Reside in the far northwestern Weald in the shadow of the Corrins, mostly between the Pison and Gihon rivers in a land they call Havilah.

Summanari: Nomadic and roam the entire central and southern Weald.

Telroth: Make their home in the forests of the far of the northern Weald in a land called Kosh located above the Gihon river.

Vigroth: Live among the giant cogin trees of the southern Weald, spreading out along the nothern perimeter of Kyrrell Swamp.

The Colarathi, Riggrathi, and the extremely dangerous Summanari are hostile and warlike tribes that live off the spoils of sacking neighboring villages and small outsider towns on the perimeter of the Weald.   Especially dangerous are the nomadic Summanari who never stay long in a single location.

The Telroth and the Sogroth tend to stay put in their own northern areas. When game is plentiful during the short summer they stockpile supplies of food for the winter months. They have learned ways to preserve food so it stays fresh over long periods of time. When food runs out, they are cannibals and will kill for food members of other tribes that come into their areas during the winter.

The Vigroth are extremely survival minded. Their culture is different from any other on Earth or Erde. Their intensely close family units are called Cords and consist of between 5-9 men and women who are bound to each other from birth. Women usually outnumber men in the Cords because more women are born to the tribe. Vigroth children both male and female are educated in survival from an early age and become masters of camouflage, deception and arms.

The Outsiders:

The Outsiders come from our Earth via gates known as the Bermuda Triangle, the Devil's Sea and other such names given to areas of the ocean where ships and airplanes are said to mysteriously disappear. This phenomenon has been occurring for over two thousand years and continues to this day. There have never been great numbers of people showing up at any one time but the people that come from the Earth to Erde do not age at the same pace as the indigenous people do. Whereas the people born in Erde live a normal life span of seventy years, the Outsiders are know to live five hundred to nine hundred years. The offspring of Outsider relationships live normal life spans like any other person born in Erde.

This has had an effect on the history of Erde as the Outsider population grew. Outsiders come to Erde speaking different languages. This is reflected in the place names given to their city-states, towns and other locations. Erde is German for Earth and Weald is an old English term for a dense forest for example. The language of the Outsiders soon grew into a melting pot language they now call Anglich. The indigenous tribes ultimately were pushed into the Weald by the growing population and warlike ways of the Outsiders.

Government: 

Erde is broken up into eight city-state nations called Rejoinders. These Rejoinders are controlled by the Rejoinder of Uppsala which outlasted the others in a thousand year war for supremacy that ended some two-hundred years prior to the present time. Each Rejoinder has a Governor who sends a representative called a Proctor to sit on the High Council in Uppsala. The High Council seats nine members, one for each Rejoinder and one for the Governor of Uppsala. Uppsala's governor disappeared over a hundred years ago but the High Council, unsure of his actual demise, has deemed his Empty Chair is representative of his rule. The High Council continues to govern with the Empty Chair presiding.