Zatz

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Zatz
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Type: Temperate
Affiliation: Empire of Zatz
Planetary Information
Population: 320 million
Day Length: 22 hours
Year Length: 381 days
Surface Temp: 15° C
Gravity: Standard
Atmosphere: Nitrogen, Oxygen
Moons: 2 (Nettis, Tidomce)
Societal Information
Races: Human, Elf, Orc, Catfolk, Lizardfolk

Zatz is a formerly aether-sailing world in the Unknown Regions, currently in the state of developmental decline. Over 1500 years ago, natives independently developed aether-sailing technology sufficiently different from that in common use in the Accords Sector and used it to place colonies on one of their moons. A few centuries later, the local planetary government collapsed and in the ensuing chaos, much technology was lost. Zatz has been in technological and magical decline ever since, as well as political decline with periods of stability. Currently, natives believe their world to be a geocentric bubble governed entirely by whims of their gods, with stars being holes in a solid crystal ball surrounding the world.

Inhabitants[edit | edit source]

Zatz is mostly inhabited by humans and elves, both divided into several cultural varieties. Humans are divided into high men of the Imperial Heartlands, dark-skinned "red men" with a warrior culture, barbarian "fair men" and half-elven "normen". Elves are divided into high elves, cannibalistic wood elves and religious dark elves. In addition, there are influential populations of green orcs, catfolk and water-breathing lizardfolk. It was also once a home to technologically advanced race of dwarves which went extinct.

History[edit | edit source]

Although few tracks of them remain, it is presumed the Titans visited Zatz in the ancient past, due to the presence of races derived from their constructs. It's speculated several ancient complexes are in fact Titan ruins, or were of Titan origin before being remade by modern races.

History is hard to tell apart from myth on Zatz, as most facts are shrouded in myth of the current, superstitious era. It is believed that once elves ruled Zatz, but were overthrown by a revolt led by their former human slaves. The First Empire of Zatz arose in this way over 2000 years ago. It is during this era that dwarves and high men developed advanced magic and technology and basic aether-sailing technology, apparently reaching even Nettis, larger of Zatz's moons, and establishing colonies there. Some writings also suggest dwarves used a layer of the Aether to create a global instant communication network. However, with the fall of the First Empire, most of that technology was either lost or merely replicated without proper understanding.

Eventually, high men united majority of the known world once again and for a few centuries, maintained a good political grip. Recently, a demonic cult opened a number of hell-gates on the surface of Zatz, leading to a crisis which eventually destabilized the Second Empire, and plunged the world into its current, declining state, filled with superstition about the state of the world.