Type: Unexplored and mysterious territory
Location: Across the ocean east of the Republic
Status: Partially explored, with numerous expeditions ongoing
First documented contact: About a century ago
Access: Unstable maritime routes, often controlled by the Republic or independent city-states
General Description
The New World is a distant land, rich in resources, but extremely dangerous and mysterious. It is not just an unexplored continent: it features characteristics that challenge the understanding of scholars and Republic authorities.
Terrain: Shifting geographies, treacherous coasts, lands with unknown flora and fauna.
Climate and seasons: In some areas, the seasons seem inverted; some flowers and plants glow at night as if trapping sunlight.
Fauna: Huge, silent creatures, many never seen before, with hollow bones, oversized eyes, or unusual predatory behavior.
Resources and Opportunities
Minerals and essences: New chemical substances and minerals, some with alchemical or medicinal properties.
Exploitable land: Possibility to build ports, settlements, and trading bases, but at high risk.
Potential wealth: Successful expeditions can bring enormous economic and political advantages to those who finance or govern them.
Main Dangers
- Sea monsters and unknown creatures: Many ships have disappeared without a trace.
- Treacherous terrain: Rocky coasts, natural barriers, sudden storms.
- Logistical risks: Expeditions require trained crews, precise navigation, and careful supplies.
- Human losses: Captains and sailors often return changed or not at all; many journeys have a high mortality rate.
History of Expeditions
First expeditions: Early in the last century, often led by adventurers and independent cartographers.
Role of the Republic: Control of main routes, construction of secure ports, management of merchant and military fleets.
Conflicts: Independent city-states often attempt to access the New World without the Republic’s consent, creating political tensions and risks of incidents.
Political Relations
With the Republic: The Republic sees the New World as a strategic priority, both economically and politically. However, control is difficult and dangerous.
Independent city-states: Conduct clandestine expeditions, secret alliances with Republic nobles, and attempts at autonomous settlements.
Internal intrigue: Some councilors and Republic nobles may have personal interests in expeditions or trade linked to the New World.
Mysteries and Unexplained Phenomena
Some captains report sightings of marine forms impossible to measure.
Frequent reports of objects or lights mysteriously disappearing.
Some updated maps reveal areas that suddenly change or natural and artificial structures that are incomprehensible.
Influence on the Continent
Economic: Potential wealth that can strengthen the power of the Republic or city-states.
Political: Competition for the New World amplifies divisions among nobles and councilors, and between internal and external factions.
Cultural: Legends, myths, and superstitions arise from stories of monsters and marine mysteries, influencing the perception of the Republic and coastal cities.