The Coyn World

Here's my World

In my teen years (a few decades back) I "created" a roleplay world that was based on Terry Pratchetts discworld, but to differentiate, I made it a coin, (*with the eternal questions will it land heads or tails*). I decided recently to publish this world, so I thought it best to get the world 'right' with some Q&A, So I felt best to ask here, What have I not considered on a broad strokes level:

World Information:

At the centre of the world is a flat torus gravity plane which is surrounded by a km of lava, this explains the shape of the world in its earliest existance. The centre of the coin is now a large-ish continent, as over time islands have broken away and float 'around' in the seas (their bulk would be underwater, floating at the gravity centre, but their peaks on either side are islands).

The Edge, water drifts off, but then seperates into a mist, which rises up into the dome of air on both sides, becomes clouds, rains etc.

The Sun, is half the size of the planet and is still for the most part (spinning on its own axis) while the planet wobbles and spins, giving the effect that the sun rises and sets each day and moves around the planet on one edge.

Due to the distance of the sun, air particles, clouds, etc, the centre of the world gets the least warmth year round, while the edge will have summer & winter, as a result rainfall near the centre freezes, and a large spire of ice pokes up, no more than a few km.

The Land masses nearest the edge are largely uninhabitable, as they range from +80c to -200c summer to Winter (*but could be inhabited by ice or fire creatures*), but 1000km in, the range seems to be +50 to -50, I figured rainfall would likely flatten this range. I managed to make a simulation in a computer years ago to check this and make sure the +40 - -40 range was the majority of the planet, but it was simple and temp based only, no water included. 

In case anyone asks... I grabbed a standard world-building list, and decided to answer the questions.

• How big is your world?

 Huge, Massively Huge, like all the planets in our solar system, mashed together, and squished down into a flat coin. At first this was for laughs.. later I adjusted it so the maths would work with a flat gravity. To get a Z-coordinate gravity matching earth on a flat disk, the X and Y coordinates are practically null, but for the spire and the other celestial objects, it does need to exist. This meant that in all my early simulations, I had 'dirt' floating off into space, but later when I added the moons and such, I added the X/Y and the dirt didn't float off.. instead it kept sticking onto it some more.. getting bigger and bigger. I tweaked and tweaked until I had a nice balance, but its currently 127.89K miles

• Where is it in relationship to the sun (or suns)?

The Suns, drift around the planet. The Planet being the greater size, has the greater pull of gravity, so the three smaller suns drift around it. Due to the Z-axis gravity, the main sun rises and sets in the same location (like a yo-yo) but slightly offset, the Coyn itself also turns against the sun, one revolution of the sun takes 15.89 months, making an annoying anomoly for calendar makers. 

There are Three Suns. The first is a ball of Hot Plasma, similar to our sun, but half the size, and twice as close. It bakes the terrain nearest to it, and everything beyond 40% of distance doesn't get enough sun to be too warm, creating a 'band' of land thats quite inhabitable on the Coyn.

The Second Sun, is a Cold Fusion Sun, it has a very low effect upon the world, draining the heat, but producing an unnatural frost wave as it passed around the world. It rises and sets weekly, but as it passes the sun itself, it creates a radiation wave between the two which charges the sun (or seems to) These happen 3 times a year.

The Third Sun, is invisible to the naked eye, special lenses are needed (or ability of certain races to see certain spectrum of light) This Sun radiates energy to the world, in early times, it was not understood why, certain times of the year would feel energised and radiated.

• Does it have a moon, multiple moons, or no moons?

There are two moons. One is close enough to benefit from the atmosphere that surrounds the coyn, making it a livable place, weather, climate all of its own. Magic users from millennia ago worked out how to teleport there, and their children live there today. The Other is further away, light is rarely reflected from its surface to the Coyn, but when it does, there are often events attributed to it.

• What is the climate like on the planet?

The Outer Rim, rises in heat of its summer to over 100.c, and in Winter down to -100.c Yet, only 20km in, behind some mountains, are areas that are livable by humanoids, usually lizard folk. Further in are standard earth like conditions, Hot countries, think Africa, Australia, then the closer you get to the centre, the more European, Americas it becomes, further still, the climate shifts into colder tundra and snow covered forests, beyond this are dangerous places. Due to the central Ice Spire, there is a period of winter called Deep Winter, in which certain ice based creatures rise up from the shadows and cause havok. 

• What is the geography of the planet?

There are Several major continents (Europe/Asia), More than a few Large Island Continents (Australia, Greenland) and hundreds of archipelago islands in between, Interestingly enough, there are terrains unlike and unable to be like anything on earth: sub-sea islands, where Air bubbles surround the land, (Trapped Giant Sleeping Air Elementals), Tidal Plains, because of the movement of the Suns and Moons, can be grassy steppes for several months, even years, then slowly the land is reclaimed by the sea, to be metres deep in ocean for months or years. Stone Structures are built when possible, with Floating Boat cities Moored to them for the years between. 

• Are plate tectonics a factor on the planet?

Yes, but in some strange unknown pattern. Unlike Earths floating Plates on a ball of Magma. The Coyn has Magma Vents that seem to act like lumbricant between mechanical like cogs, Spinning Wheels of Stone, that grind against each other, some exist only on the surface, some only beneath, others go through the core, and are on both sides.

• What is the ecology of the planet?

Standard Earth Like Ecology, except that Magic exists in all things, sometimes producing more extreme variants of rock, plants and animals.

• What kind of wildlife is there?

The Coyn was the first world, its Laws of Physics are bent from the magical pressures, allowing all manner of creatures to exist. As such, all creatures that exist in any elsewhere, have the ability to exist here too. In the time of the great Cataclysm, creatures, clones and copies were trans- and tele- ported to the Coyn. So if it exists elsewhere, it exists here too.

• Why are their monsters?  Where did they come from?

The First Race were made of rock, the creator created a flat surface of rock, like a desk, then created beings of rock, and animated them with cosmic powers beyond our understanding. For what original reason, is unknown.. maybe he was bored. After a great time, he moved on to other worlds.. The Cataclysm moved all manner of life to the Coyn, and rich with all varieties of rock, soil, metal and such, these new things prospered. 

• What intelligent races are there?  What is their relationship to each other?

Every existing race of other worlds exists on the Coyn. Many of them quickly banded together to form new colonies, cities, cultures, but just as many worked together to form new, hybrid cultures. The results of this are an innumeral number of possible intelligent races, and a billion times more relationships

• What is the history and mythology of the races?

The Initial Focus was on one sub continent, there, 87 races grew their villages into cities and began to populate the world around them. Within this place alone, are 9 distinct creation myths, there were more, but as the cultures met one another, integrated, some myths blended together and became one or new myths (similar to the Romans using Greek myths) 

• Are there any god(s) (real or imagined)?  What impact does that have on the intelligent races?  If the god(s) are real what direct impact do they have on the planet?

Gods, in the strict sense, do not exist, instead there are beings, that feed off belief, through this belief, they form their own existence. So anyone who believes in a god, will cause the god to exist, and what they believe about the god, will cause the god to exist as the believers think. These 'beings' are thought to come from the Turtle backed world universe.
Indeed, since all worlds had their own beliefs, their own gods.. etc, when the inhabitants of worlds came here, there are many 'beings' that quickly fed off this belief and quickly became the gods that people believed in. So any and all gods from all universes (fictional or otherwise) came to be.
Most Intelligent races have some set of beliefs, their own god or gods, thus they build temples, have wars, festivals in the name of their god.
Because the gods are real, they answer to their following. Most gods do not know that their existance is directly related to their followers, but they are aware that the more followers they have, the more powerful they seem to become. So it is in their best interests to 'spread the word'. Yet some gods seem to be powerful without a following, sometimes uttering the name of a god will cause instant death, so there are gods who think they are gods.
A few, very few gods, know they are not, and secretly slowly, gain followers in indirect ways. Ensuring a large based of power in times of need.

Humanoids, knowing that they have a god on their side, but also that the opponent has a god too, don't like to throw their lives away, unless they have proof (sometimes from the god themselves) that heaven exists. Many gods believe in reincarnation, as its easier to maintain your believers afterlives that way.

• Weather?

The same as earth, with noticable exceptions in some places.
Deep Winter has no direct sunlight. The Sun shines slightly through the great Ice Spire, which fused with magic, allows night creatures to travel through the shadows.
Spire Spring & Spire Autumn are when the sun reflects off the spire, creating a hotter period of time (maximum of 6 hours) in the region, but also fused with warmth magic. Children are often conceived in Spire Spring, and Cutting down a tree in Spire Autumn can create magical wood.

Violet Summer, is when the 3rd Sun coincides with Summer, it happens in a region once every 12 years. Any wars happening may spontanously break into festivals, hatred becomes love, vice versa is Violent Winter, when happily married couples divorce overnight, luckily this happens only once every 36 years, both only last a few nights of the respective seasons.. when is unknown

• What are the countries and how do they relate to each other?

Too many to talk about here, In my Sub Continent were 87 countries, but we started with 100. The events put in place will result in the loss of 10 more, some are best friends, some allies, some uneasy allies, some enemies, some racial enemies, but alliances, some racial friends, but deep in wars. 95 people from my office played 95 different 'races' over the course of 7 months to create this back-history, 5 of which had to restart after unlucky beginnings.

The Major Situations:
Central South: The High Elves, Wood Elves and Sea Elves formed an uneasy Alliance with the Swamp Elves and Dark Elves to take down the Humans, Hillsfolk and Dark Dwarves, because they allied with the Necromancers and the Death Worshippers.
South East: The Humans and Elves have formed an Alliance, but are in a losing battle against three main enemies. The Undead, The Goblinoids and the Dark Elves (whom happen to be the Dark Elves of the Central South)
Central: The Desert dwelling races of Humans are the only thing between allout war between the Triad Kingdoms (three Princely brothers who independently control their own kingdoms, and use the competition between the three countries to ensure low prices & costs to run said kingdoms) and the Lizardmen who live in the desert and the surrounding grasslands.

• Is there magic?  How does it work?  Who can use it?

Magic exists in all things.. it bends the rules, temporarily so things can work 'magically' then things go back to normal. this temporary could be as little as a microsecond or as long as the lifespan of a tree. Anyone can use it, its just a matter of true understanding, which no-one has anymore (a major mage war wiped out a grand library and reduced the knowledge of magic from 40% to 10%)
As often as not, not knowing the rules of magic works as well as knowing. Someone famous said belief was more powerful.

• What kind of technology is available?  Who has access to it?  If there is magic how does that impact the technology?

Again, depends on where you're looking. each race, city, culture, region has its own technology level. The Dark Elves of the south have managed to forge Iron into Steel only recently, so a lot of their current tech is bronze age/Iron Age..  While a small outpost of stoners have been forging Titanium and Aluminium for decades. Some Dwarven races still use Harder rocks to mine softer rocks, while others use steam powered engines to grind out massive tunnel structures.

• Warfare?  Trade?

Yes, and Yes.. often at the same time (kings can't go halting the import of fresh veal, for his queen, just because the forest folks king is the enemy)

• Languages?

Every group has its own race, sometimes similar groups met each other early enough after the cataclysm to form larger groups, but after hundreds of years, two races of the same people, with different influences have diversified their languages enough that they are no-longer able to communicate. (Scottish vs American)

Final Note
I made DungeonWorld twenty years ago with a major goal, any other GM can plop their own world into any unpopulated part of my world, without any hassles. With time, and enough GMs we'd have a large diversified world, so any and all story-plots could exist with any variant system. With the right tools and the right structures, it would even help the GMs by including (randomly, but dependant on factors) the smaller parts of information that no human has the time to manually add.

If you have an interest to have your world live beyond your own GMing lifespan, let me know, you can 'find' a spot and plug in your concepts.. vague where vague is needed, specific when you want it, and the engine will 'fill in the blanks' until you override it with your own realities.